by J D Franx
The latter spoke to the possibility that his people were now in the hands of the Skeyth. Stealing young children and killing sleeping innocents had given them a sense of overconfidence that would be easy to exploit.
“How many?” Engier didn’t recognize the voice as belonging to one of the two intruders from their camp.
“Five hundred and eleven.” It was the woman with cinnamon breath, he recognized her soft voice.
“But only one wizard?”
“With this group, yes. Another is following three or four days behind.”
A cloth brushed against his hand and a familiar cinnamon-scented voice reached his ears. “He is awake,” she said.
There was no sense continuing the ruse, so he opened his eyes and sat up. A domed-tent made from animal hide surrounded him. Nothing else remained inside the tent except the bed he sat on. An older man and woman stood to his left while the woman he recognized stood to his right. She was draped in a heavy cloak and hood, just as she’d been the night they invaded his camp.
“I’m alive,” he stated.
“Not by my decision,” the familiar voice said as the woman to his right lowered her hood.
“I mean you no harm,” he said, matching her gaze. “We are looking for the Skeyth, we did not mean to threaten you or trespass on your land. I apologize if we did so.”
“Why do you seek the Skeyth?” the old man asked.
Engier shifted his focus to the elder. The man was old but held a powerful presence. It was accompanied by a frown that never seemed to leave his face, except where his long white hair covered it. A short black-sleeved leather shirt and pants did little to hide the scars marring the man’s face, neck, and arms. Long-healed burns and wide cuts marked his flesh. The man was an impressive warrior, one who was damn hard to kill. Engier offered him a nod of respect. Any Northman, Skeyth or not, didn’t reach that age unless they were exceptionally good at killing.
“Two reasons. My wizard...”
“Your wizard?” the younger woman snapped. “You claim ownership over one with magic?”
“No,” he answered, irritated. “He is a member of my clan… he’s… my friend, and he needs help. I didn’t know where else to take him.”
“Your friend is being looked at now,” the old woman said. “Perhaps introductions are in order…” She held out her hand, as if prompting him to go first.
“I was named Engier Striith-Blodd in the old tongue. I hold the position of Jarl. Most clans now call us the War-Blood clan.”
“Both the Striith and Blodd names hold meaning here,” the old man offered. “I am Kayo Striith.”
“That means we share bloodlines even though the Striith clan no longer exists below this mountain,” Engier pointed out.
Kayo snorted. “I am aware. Your use of the common tongue separates the clans further. A warrior seeks battle, not war. Only the greedy and power-hungry seek war.”
Engier scoffed back and shook his head. “It is too far in the past to matter now.”
“On this we agree,” the old man said, but his features remained stern even as he offered his hand to the older woman at his side. “This is Giera, our head sister.” He pointed to the younger woman. “And that is her daughter, Valy. There are no clans, Jarls, or Kings here, Jarl Engier, only the Skeyth and those who are chosen to help defend them.”
“Those like you?” he asked.
“Exactly,” Kayo retorted. “My word saved your clans from death because I do not believe you are a threat, though one of your fellow Jarls is trying hard to change my view.”
“Brenna,” Engier sighed.
The old man nodded. “She is a fierce warrior, but she has yet to be tempered by the patience that will make her a great warrior.”
“If she persists,” Valy added, staring hard at Engier. “She will never have the chance to become a great warrior.”
“I will speak with her,” he said slowly, locking eyes with the younger woman.
The old woman stepped forward and Engier finally got a chance to examine her closely. Much calmer than her daughter, the old woman also wore a thick robe, but without the heavy armor underneath. Her eyes held the knowledge of countless years, yet her face had only just begun to crease and weather.
“I would rather you ask her to join Kayo for a walk instead,” the old woman said. “My daughter will join you while I attend to your friend, the wizard. Congratulations, Jarl Striith-Blodd, you have found the Skeyth.”
Engier nodded and jumped to his feet while trying to figure out which of the three held the real power among the Skeyth. Kayo’s hand immediately dropped to the haft of his axe and stayed there as they exited the tent, leaving Engier none the wiser as to who led the exiled magic users.
He stopped to stretch while studying their surroundings. Scattered around the meadow in front of him were hundreds of hide tents identical to the one he woke in, and as he glanced over his shoulder, he could see the more permanent structures of a village up over the rise behind him. A gentle prod in the back alerted him to the extra guards behind him. It only took a few minutes to reach a tent under heavy guard. At least two dozen men and women surrounded the tent and Brenna’s shrill voice hit his ears long before he saw her.
“Answer me, you gods cursed cow! Where is Jarl Engier?”
“Right here, Jarl Brenna,” Engier shouted, hoping to diffuse the already tense situation.
Brenna burst from the tent, dragging two large guards along with her. “About damned time,” she growled. “What in Hela’s domain is happening?”
“Easy,” he said softly. “We found who we were looking for. This is a Skeyth village and we have been asked to join our hosts.”
Brenna calmed visibly but frowned suspiciously. “Join them where?” she asked slowly, as if her suspicion continued to increase with each word spoken.
Kayo stepped forward and offered Brenna his hand. “You came up this mountain for two reasons,” he said as she took his arm and shook it. “The first was to find help for your friend, but it was not the most important reason, as horrific as it is to say.”
“If you want answers to that question, you must walk with us,” Valy demanded.
“Oh, is that so? And why would we follow you?” Brenna jeered. Engier could see her irritation growing. Fortunately, Kayo interrupted any escalation.
“The answers you seek cannot be explained,” he offered. “They must be seen. Worry not, our destination is not far.” Pointing over his shoulder, he added, “The near peak is a twenty-minute walk and it will show you all you need to know. There will be plenty among the Skeyth who disagree, but the time has come for all Northmen to unite.”
“Why?” Engier asked, echoing Brenna. He was unable to understand why, after so many generations in exile, the Skeyth would agree or even want to do such a thing.
The old man turned, gesturing for them to follow.
LOWER PEAKS
FREYJA’S GRACE
Engier finally understood as he stared out into what used to be the Eastern Sea.
Brenna gasped the moment she stepped past the last of the rocky outcrops. “An island?” she asked.
“Yes,” Kayo confirmed. “You can see it in its entirety further up the mountain.”
For the first time since he met her, Brenna was struck speechless. At such a height, they could see from one end of Sokn to the other except the area behind the mountain’s highest peaks, or what was left of it. If Sokn had become an island like their new companions claim, it was a very large island, massive in size and breadth. As far as Engier could see, ocean water surrounded all sides of what was left of their world.
“That is all that is left of...?” he breathed, unable to finish.
“The world? No,” Valy stated, dropping down from a higher shelf of rock. “The Sokn mainland was in view of our island for the first two days, but we have drifted too far to see it now.”
“So, we are on our own then?” Brenna finally managed.
“Not i
n the sense you mean,” Kayo said. “A large piece of the central midlands came with us, but you can only see it from the peak of Freyja’s Lap at the summit.”
“How?” Engier choked out.
“It happened about three weeks ago,” Kayo said.
“The quakes?”
“Yes,” Valy added, leaning against an outcropping.
“What caused it?” Brenna asked, her voice cold as the ice and snow under their feet.
“We are not—” Kayo began, but Brenna cut him off.
“Magic,” she hissed.
Valy winced but still she answered, “Most definitely, yes.”
Brenna spun towards Engier and growled. “Those gods-cursed necromancers did this. Whatever is happening to Drengr has to be connected.”
Valy scoffed. “Those without magic should not voice opinions about what they do not understand.”
Brenna stood her ground and pointed out to open sea. “When people without magic remain silent, destruction like this is the outcome.”
“This was not us!” Valy yelled, stepping up to Brenna. “And it was no mere Northman runecaster, I promise you. We have never seen or heard of such destructive magic before. Your pathetic runecasters are not nearly powerful enough to do this, nor are even the strongest Skeyth wizards. This is ancient magic, the power of the Creator Gods. We have no desire to acquire such power. It is against the decree of our Gods to seek it out.”
Brenna scoffed. “That didn’t stop your kind generations ago.”
Valy pushed Brenna back a step while flickering silver flames filled her hands, even though Engier had not heard the snap of runes. He winced, shielding his eyes against the brightness. The rasp of Brenna’s sword sliding from its scabbard reached his ears.
“Easy, mistress,” Kayo said.
Engier agreed with him. “Stand down, Jarl Brenna,” he growled at the exact same moment as Kayo’s words finished leaving his mouth. He wasn’t sure but they sounded like a warning to the young wizard, and his confusion about the Skeyth hierarchy deepened. He was reassured of his own standing though when Brenna sheathed her sword and stepped back.
“Please,” Kayo continued. “Let me explain. It seems that our history may differ from yours.” Engier nodded, but said nothing, freeing the man to carry on uninterrupted. “Why were the Skeyth forced into exile centuries ago? What have you been taught?”
Engier shrugged but did his best to recall the Skall lessons from his childhood. “That the Skeyth ruled for many hundreds of years, thousands even, and peacefully. Several Skeyth nobles eventually went to war over magic, but it was those without magic who actually did the fighting. At least until they grew tired of dying in a war whose outcome didn’t matter to them. My Skall learning of history during childhood rarely held my attention beyond that.”
“That much is true,” Kayo confirmed.
“Surprising,” Valy snorted.
Brenna glared at her. “Why?” she said, scoffing. “You expect us to have no honor? To raise our children with lies? Your kind were exiled because those without magic paid the cost in blood for that war and the Northmen would stand for it no longer.”
Valy smiled as if she’d already won the argument. “Yet your clans war all the time.”
Engier interrupted. “Not for petty magical trinkets or to attain more magic and power. Not a single member of my clan or any other, including Drengr, can use magic powerful enough to kill a hundred warriors with the turn of a wrist.”
The young wizard shrugged and offered a mock bow, but it was Kayo who spoke. “You are both correct, Jarls, and I am happy to see that history has been recorded as it happened, but I promise you, warrior to warrior, that the Skeyth did not cause this current situation. We have all learned from our exile.”
“Neither did the necromancers cause this, my lord,” a voice behind them said.
Engier turned to look at the speaker and smiled. “Drengr,” he whispered. The runecaster was pale and drawn out from exhaustion, and even though dark red marks rose on his flesh, he walked with only a little help from Giera. “You should be resting.”
“I will,” his wizard said, “but you need to hear this.” Drengr glanced at Giera as she led him to a small boulder to sit. Once he nodded, she turned her attention to Engier.
“We believe the magic that caused this damage came from a place we call the Unknown World,” Giera explained.
“W-What?” Brenna stammered. “That’s absurd. How could you even guess at such a thing?”
The old woman continued on without acknowledging her. “The Northmen below this mountain may not worship or believe in the Creator Gods anymore, but that does not mean they did not exist.”
“The Northmen never worshiped or believed in the Creator Gods,” Engier stated. “We have always believed in those who ascended to godhood through earthly trials of heroic acts and selfless sacrifices. Only the Skeyth ever believed in the myths of creation.”
“Yet the myths of old is where you will find the answer to what plagues our world now,” Giera argued.
“Explain,” Brenna demanded.
“The gods who created life in this world originally found nothing but darkness filled with dark creatures when they came here. After destroying any and all threats, the Gods brought to life two lands from the cold black of the darkness. The goddess Hael breathed life into Sokn, while her mate, the god Fjor, created a land far across the Eastern Sea. The Skeyth were taught that, since the beginning of time Hael believed that the Northmen who emulated the gods, those who possessed real traits found within the gods themselves should be rewarded with ascension to godhood. That is what you believe in and why you worship the new pantheon as opposed to the creators of old.”
“What about the other god?” Brenna asked. “Fjor?”
Giera smiled as she answered. “Our beliefs tell us Fjor was the god of life and magic, though he did not create the land of Sokn, he did give the Skeyth our magic.” Magic danced to life with a silver glare, spinning in the older woman’s hands while she continued. “We do not need to draw magic from a runed stone of power because Fjor granted us his gift directly. Drengr and I are in agreement and believe that the land across the sea that Fjor created is where this catastrophic magical event occurred. the effects were so severe they were felt here in Sokn.”
“But no one has ever crossed the Eastern Sea and returned,” Engier said. “Boulder Sea-Fare’s grandfather was the last to try and he, like all the others, was never seen again. If such magic came from this Unknown World, it is no wonder that no one has ever returned.”
“Fjor granted us our magic, imagine what kind of land a god with such magic could create,” Giera offered. “There could be any number of reasons why no one has made it back, just think about the possibilities.”
“I would rather not,” Brenna said.
“If this powerful magic caused this part of Sokn to break away from the mainland,” Engier said, “then why has Sokn not sunk to the ocean’s bottom, or been torn apart by ocean currents?”
Valy’s arrogant smile preceded her reply. “The Skeyth have expected this to happen for many millennia. Our magic and the gifts of Freyja's Grace will keep this island afloat for as long as is needed.”
“Your magic will hold this island?” Brenna asked.
Engier eyed his wizard, but had little to offer, so he said nothing.
“I believe so, my lords,” Drengr said. “I don’t understand the magic, but it works, that is what matters.”
“So, what now?”
“I do not know, Jarl Brenna,” the runecaster answered.
Kayo grunted and stepped forward. “You are welcome to stay with the Skeyth until your runecaster is well enough to travel. However, it would be best if you moved on, and soon.”
Engier nodded. “I thank you for your welcome. We will leave as soon as we are able. Brenna and I have an obligation to find out how many of our people now inhabit this island. They will need protection against any new threats.”<
br />
“There is also the matter of the renegade Ama Taugr necromancers,” Brenna added.
Valy coughed to catch their attention as she made her way back to the start of the trailhead. “I can help you with that,” she offered over her shoulder. “The dead have earned the right to rest in peace. Any wizard who disturbs the souls of those whom have passed on should be dealt with severely. One of those you seek followed you up the mountain, but turned back once we captured you. My wizards let him go because we were not aware that he was a threat.”
“Foolish mistake,” Brenna muttered, but it did not escape the wizard’s notice.
“Yet when faced with them directly, you failed to destroy the threat as well,” Valy said, matter-of-factly. “My people would not have failed had we known what he was. So, who is guilty of the bigger mistake?”
“Enough, Valy!” Giera snapped, and Engier gave Brenna a quick frown to stand down once again. “These people are our guests and you will treat them with the respect deserved of all our guests.”
“Yes, mistress,” the young woman answered. “I will take my leave.” She bowed and headed down the mountain trail, quickly disappearing into the trees.
“You have my apologies, Jarls,” Giera offered. “The stubbornness of youth...”
