Lord of the Mountains

by Sabrina Jarema

  “Hakon, how much silver do I get for killing a jarl?” The outcast grinned down at Ivar’s blood-drenched body.

  The silver-haired coward who had distracted Ivar from the front moved off, laughing, stalking other prey.

  The clash of blades behind Eirik jarred him from the shock of his father’s death. He spun.

  One of his father’s warriors fought a marauder. While Eirik had stood useless and staring, the man had shielded him from an attack. The warrior dispatched the outcast with a quick strike of his blade to the gut, and turned to Eirik, raising his dripping sword in a salute.

  “Jarl.” He offered the weapon to Eirik, hilt first. Eirik drew a deep breath at the title, then took it with a nod of thanks. Lifting an axe from his belt, the warrior moved off to intercept another attacker.

  Jarl. He was the jarl now. These men were no longer his father’s men, but his. So many of them lay around Ivar’s body, having given their lives for him. But they had failed. And so had he.

  The bastard who had attacked Ivar from behind rushed to the body, put his foot on the jarl’s back, and pulled his axe blade free. It came out, covered in bone and flesh. He focused on the fine blade still gripped in the fallen jarl’s hand. With a smirk, he slid the axe into his belt and reached down for it.

  Pain shot through Eirik, as though he himself had been struck. He surged through the battle, toward his father’s body, screaming his rage. He flipped the sword in his hand and threw it, point first, at the whoreson. The marauder raised his shield to deflect it, but the impact knocked him off his feet. He rolled away and came up, pulling the axe from his belt.

  Eirik reached his father and pried the sword from his hand, keeping an eye on the outcast. Ivar had no further need of the weapon. Already the Valkyries circled and soon he would feast with Odin. Star Slayer, the sword of their ancestors, the symbol of the jarl and of all they were, was his now.

  He tamped down the agony that threatened to release his fury. This adversary was a fighter, and Eirik needed his wits about him to do battle.

  His eyes cool and assessing, the coward hefted his axe and threw it. It hit Eirik’s raised shield. His father’s blood spattered over his face. The metallic smell tightened his muscles. As he lowered the shield, he shook the axe free. The man unsheathed his sword and came at him. Eirik met his blade with his own, the shock of it driving his breath from him. He slammed his shield into the man, knocking him back. He followed with a blow from his sword. The outlaw answered in kind.

  Eirik’s thirst for revenge gave him strength. He drove his father’s killer backwards toward the fjord cliff with blows from his sword and his shield. As they neared the edge, the man glanced back and his eyes opened wide in realization. Eirik threw away his shield and, gripping his sword with both hands, struck the man’s shield with the pommel. The damaged wood fractured.

  Following through, he swung hard, slicing the man’s belly open. The outcast tipped backward, silent, his gaze hard and resigned at his own death. At the instant he went over, he grabbed Eirik by the belt and yanked.

  They fell together. Eirik tried to twist around, to dive in head first. But he was tangled with the body when they hit the water.

  Cold like a thousand knives stabbed him. The water closed over him and crimson darkness surrounded him. His head swam and his blood slowed in his veins. He fought the cold and the ache of smashing into the fjord, though the man’s body had hit the water underneath him, saving him from the full impact. He had to stay awake, couldn’t succumb to the cloying call of death tugging him deeper. He fought his way clear of the corpse. They’d fallen in a shallower area near the cliff, so he kicked off from the bottom. Bursting into the light, he took a deep breath and looked up at the rock wall above him. The sounds of battle and the smell of smoke drifted down to him. He swore in frustration.

  He needed to get to shore before he passed out or froze. The current carried him farther down the fjord. He stroked toward a small inlet where the shoreline wasn’t so steep.

  The bottom rose under his feet and he stumbled onto the thin strip of land. Shivers racked his body and he fell to his knees. Lying down, he sprawled on his back, gazing up at the mountain towering above him. The battle was too far away for him to hear it. The taunting quiet of the sunny morning was almost painful.

  Who were these invaders? Why had they attacked? He had to get back home, to continue the fight. His father was dead and he was jarl now. They were his people and they needed him.

  He’d come home from his journeys when he’d heard his father was dying, setting aside the pain of his past to assume the mantle of responsibility as the heir. But many of his father’s warriors had dispersed to their homesteads for the winter, never dreaming they would be attacked so late in the year. If he hadn’t been too drunk to hear the beginning of the battle, he might have saved his father. He’d failed them all.

  If only Thor would give him the strength to continue, to rise up and resume the fight for his home and his people. He touched the gold hammer pendant at his throat. But he could only close his eyes, his body stiffening with cold and pain. His head spun with hatred—at his enemies, the fickleness of the gods, and at his own weakness.

  Darkness pulled him under and he closed his hand . . . On nothing.

  His heart paused. In the waters, when he’d fallen, he had lost his family’s ancestral sword.

  * * *

  Cold. He was so cold. It held him in a tight embrace as though he had descended into Hel itself. Had he died and lost the chance for Valhalla because he no longer held a blade?

  He opened his eyes. The mountains still rose overhead, but the sun had moved behind them and he lay in shadow. How had he lost an entire day? His clothes were still damp. He needed to find warmth and shelter before the sun set. The late fall night would be frosty and in his condition, he would likely be dead by morning.

  What was happening in the village? He couldn’t just walk in there and find out. If the outcasts had won, he would be killed, and no one could go get help.

  Groaning, he sat up. He ran his hands through his hair and scooped it back behind his shoulders. When he tried to stand, the stiffness in his muscles made him sink back down again. Cursing, he made another attempt. This time he rose and swayed.

  He had no weapon, no fire-starter, no food. Nothing.

  Forcing his legs to move, he climbed up the steep side of the mountain so he could look down into the village and see what was happening. He knew these woods as the outcasts did not. He could evade them if need be.

  The sun had moved farther down in the sky, and the air had grown cooler by the time he reached the narrow ledge. He sat down, still unsteady, and studied the village.

  Strange men roamed the streets. No women or children were about. Two buildings stood smoldering, but the main hall, the granaries, the smith’s shop, and the other houses had not been touched. As if the outlaws had planned it that way. This was no complete devastation. It had been calculated to take out the jarl, his warriors, and enough people so they could mount no further defense, yet leave the village itself relatively undamaged.

  Eirik’s blood ran cold through his heart. They intended to take the village for themselves and overwinter there. Men of their ilk had no homes, and the season of storms and snow was nearly upon them. They needed the shelter, the food, and supplies the place held.

  They would be there all winter, along with survivors from the village. But what of his mother and sister? Had they succeeded in escaping? If they were still there, he would have to rescue them first.

  Whatever the circumstances, he had to find help. Even if he could get to his other warriors who had dispersed for the winter, there weren’t enough men to fight so many outcasts. He needed numbers, fighters who were seasoned, strong, and fearless. Like those he had just traveled the world with, fighting beside.

  Looking to the north, he cracked a dry smile. He had access to hundreds of the best warriors in Norway. It would be a long, dangerous journey to
get to them. Because of his failures, the gods were challenging him to redeem himself. He would see this through.

  Wincing, he rose and climbed down and to the east, around the flat land where Haardvik was. As he moved, he opened himself to the woods, the air, the sounds of everything around him. He’d done it often enough when he was still young and full of belief in the gods, relying on the ways his mother had passed on to him. She’d taught him to be one with the things beyond what he could see and hear and touch. But then he had put all of that behind him, embracing instead the sharp reality of steel and the calm certainty in his own prowess.

  Now, weaponless, he would have to depend on what lay within him, even if he had rejected it long ago. The forest closed in around him, the darkness of the twilight covering him. The spirit of the land had never left his heart. It remembered him.

  A twig snapped, too near. He pressed himself against a tree. The sound of horses walking through the leaves came to him and he stilled.

  “With that white hair, the little bitch won’t be hard to find.”

  The outcasts spoke of his fair-haired sister. His heart sank. They had seen her, knew of her, and were looking for her. His sword hand fisted. They rode past him, making crude comments while he flattened back against the tree trunk. Holding his breath, he waited until they were gone. It went against everything he was to allow them to live, but he had no weapons. Even though he could kill without them, the sounds would bring others and he would be outnumbered. Stealth, not engagement, was his best course now, for they didn’t know he had survived and that would gain him an advantage.

  A flash in his mind made him pause. So familiar and sweet. He reached for it and the image of the sacred grove crossed his awareness. Of course she would be there, waiting for him. He moved a short way up the mountain to the clearing where his ancestors had worshipped the gods for centuries.

  “Silvi?” He kept his voice low.

  His younger sister stepped from the trees, leading a horse. Sacks, blankets, and a sword hung from the saddle. The dark hood of her cloak fell back and her white-blond hair blazed like a beacon. “There you are.” She dropped the reins and held out her arms.

  He strode to her and crushed her against him. “I sensed you in my mind, like we used to do when we were young.”

  “Mother knew you were still alive.” She leaned back to look up at him. “She sent me to find you.”

  He didn’t ask how they held the wisdom they did. Such gifts from the gods were best left unquestioned. “I heard Mother’s thrall tried to get you to safety. What happened? Where is she?”

  Silvi gently broke his hold on her, stepping away. She could never touch anyone for too long a time. As gentle and sensitive as she was, living in the world was too painful for her. She kept herself apart, from fear of taking on the sorrows of others.

  Her gaze darted away from his. “The outcasts caught us and brought us back. By that time, the fighting had stopped or else we might have been killed before they learned that Mother is a rune mistress. She swept into her chamber and put on her regalia, her blue cloak, fur boots and gloves, her glass beads. And of course, she had her rune staff. When they saw her come out, they nearly shat themselves.”

  He smiled. “They had no way to know they would tangle with a woman of power. Her rank will see her safe. But what of you? You’re not initiated.” It was well-known what happened on raids, and his breath caught.

  She gave him a slight smile, her strange silver gaze sad. “No man looks twice into my eyes, Eirik. Except you. I will be well. The runes have said so.”

  “The runes.” He laughed, short and harsh, anger curling through him. “What good are they? Did they warn you of this? Did they warn me of—”

  “They did tell us. Of Father’s death. Mother saw it weeks ago. Since he was ill with the wasting disease, we thought they were foretelling his death from that. We had prepared ourselves for it. Not for this.” Her pale eyes filled and she turned away.

  Whether she wanted his touch or not, he wouldn’t let her grieve alone. He pulled her against his chest and she leaned back, shaking in her silent sorrow.

  “And we no longer have Star Slayer. Father wielded it and it was lost in the battle.” One of her tears splashed on his arm.

  “I had it,” he said. “I took it, still warm from his hand after he died.”

  “Then you do have it.” She whipped around to face him.

  The hope in her eyes cut him as no blade ever could. “I lost it. I slew the nithingr, the coward who killed Father, but he pulled me over the fjord cliff with him and we both plunged into the water. When I hit, I must have been knocked senseless for a moment. I dropped it. It’s gone.” He didn’t want to look at her, but he did.

  Her eyes lost focus for a moment and he held his breath, waiting for what she would say, what the Sight would tell her.

  “Then it’s beneath the waters, safe from those who would defile it with their touch. Hidden.” She looked at him, her gaze clear and sharp once again. “As you must be. No one must know you’re alive.”

  “I know. Were you able to find out anything about them?”

  “Their leader, Hakon, plans to stay here for the winter. In the spring, he’s going to take revenge on his own family, who he says betrayed him years ago. They live in the fjells to the north, where the glaciers are. Then he’ll take their wealth and homestead for himself.”

  He’d been right. That was why they hadn’t destroyed the village. “I’ll journey to Vargfjell, Rorik’s holding in Trøndelag and get his help. In the years I’ve been fighting and raiding with him, I have come to know him well. As our cousin, he won’t let this outrage go unanswered. It’s a matter of family and honor. He has great wealth, more than most kings, with four-and-twenty longships, and the men to crew them. Several hundred of the best warriors follow him. When he dropped me off here days ago, he was to head home for the winter. I’ll go to Vargfjell, and return here with him to have our revenge. Then, I vow, I’ll retrieve Star Slayer from the waters and we’ll rebuild our village and our lives.”

  Her eyes widened. “To get the sword—that’s impossible. It’s said the fjord bottom follows the mountains down to the depth of a hundred man-lengths. Even the god Njord might not be able to find it, though he rules the sea.”

  He shook his head. “In the waters below the cliff, there’s a shallower ledge. I know it from when I was a boy. I pushed off from it to gain the surface today. If the sword fell with me, there’s a chance it rests there still. If it was thrown out farther, it’s in the depths and Njord is welcome to it. For it means the gods have chosen to take it back from us.”

  She bit her lip as she studied him. “Mother has doubted your sanity ever since you dove off the cliff in your youth. She might be right.”

  He took her hands, his fingers enveloping her small, slender ones, and pressed them. “Don’t you see, Silvi? That blade has been passed down to us from the early times, when the gods walked with our ancestors. It’s a link with all we are. It gives us the right to bear the rank of jarl. I have to try to get it back, or how can I take my inheritance? I won’t accept the title if I don’t retrieve it, for without it, I’m not worthy.”

  Silvi slipped her hands from his. She looked into the growing shadows and her eyes became distant again. He braced himself. Why had he been cursed—no, blessed—with a sister who had the Sight? “When you find the sword again, it won’t be for the reason you think. And you’ll give it up for the sake of a woman a handful of days later.”

  How could that be? “It would mean I’ve given up Haardvik, and that will never happen.”

  The gelding pricked his ears and lifted his head. Another horse nickered not far off in the woods. If theirs answered, it would disclose their location and he would have to fight, bringing all the outcasts down on them. He would never make it away from the fjord to find help. He locked his gaze with Silvi’s and they moved back into the shadows of the trees. He reached for the sword hanging from the saddle,
steeling himself for battle.

  But Silvi set her hand on his arm and shook her head. She whispered to the horse, cupping her hand over his muzzle. He closed his eyes and chewed, relaxing. Harsh voices threaded through the trees. Eirik tensed, still gripping the hilt.

  Three outcasts rode through the sacred grove. They were dirty and unkempt, their weapons bloodstained with the lives of his people. But though his gut screamed to slay them, he could only let them pass.

  As they vanished into the woods, he released the sword—his father’s personal sword. He raised his brows in question.

  She touched the scabbard. “Weeks ago, when Father knew he was dying, he told us to leave the sword for you, not to burn it with him. We’ll send him to the afterlife in the flames as is his right, no matter what the outcasts say. We have a fine sword for him so that when he fights tomorrow in Valhalla, he’ll be well armed. Even now, he drinks with the gods.” She sniffed as her eyes moistened again.

  “Drinking and fighting, his two favorite things.” They shared a slight smile, then he took Silvi by the shoulders. “There’s no time to waste. The bastards infest the woods and it’s only a matter of time before they find us. We have to leave now.”

  “No, Eirik, I must stay here. They said if any of us leave, they’ll kill one villager for every measure of the oil lamps that we’re gone. Even knowing this, Mother sent me, and we’ve likely lost one or two of our people already since I left to find you and get these supplies to you. I can’t stay away.” Her voice shook.

  His stomach tightened as though he’d been punched. How could he leave his beautiful, otherworldly sister here? “You did well, Silvi.” He kissed the top of her head, letting none of his turmoil show. And yet, she was right. “Father would have been proud of you and Mother. We cannot allow the welfare of a few to overshadow that of the many.”

  “Already we have lost over ten warriors and as many villagers.”

  So great a number? His jaw tightened with rage, but he couldn’t falter. “I may not be back until the spring, even if I can get through to Rorik now. Though the sea stays free of ice in the winter, most of his men will have dispersed to their homesteads, as many of ours did. And he will have beached his longships to repair them in the season of storms. We’ll likely have to wait, as will you.”