Talohna Origins- The Northmen

by J D Franx

  “Yes, my lord,” Hamay said, bowing. Drengr did the same and then turned towards the Sea Lords’ side of the camp.

  Engier headed for the trail to the lower mountain peaks. Even though he knew Brenna felt as terrible as he did, he pushed their pace hard, and not surprisingly, she kept step the whole way to the overview. She finally overtook him when he came to a sudden stop at the cliff’s crumbling edge.

  “Shit,” she gasped. “Engier! What in Hela’s grasp is happening?” He shook his head and pointed out a cluster of small islands just as one of them slammed into the beach hundreds of feet below the cliff. The ground under their feet trembled from the impact and the stone cliff split with a hollow crack. He snatched at Brenna’s tunic to shove her backwards then leapt after her only seconds before the cliff face gave way. He crashed into the dirt at her side and looked back. The blood drained from his face, he was a foot and half taller than Brenna and his feet dangled over the cliff’s new edge.

  “Easy Brenna,” he breathed lightly, grabbing her arm as she started to move. “Don’t get up, slide backwards.” She nodded and shuffled back on her hands and feet, but then spun with a scout’s grace to reach for him. He grasped her hand and she pulled him safely away from the unstable ground.

  “Shit, Engier,” she growled. “Even the wings on a Valkyrie couldn’t save you from that fall.”

  He huffed. “Good thing you were here then.”

  Unaccustomed to compliments from him, her face flushed red. “I… uh… Of course,” she managed.

  Though thinking it for some time, Engier said nothing about how he doubted they would ever be fighting against each other again, and more importantly how he no longer had the desire to.

  “We need to talk about our future,” he said. “All of the clans.”

  “Now?” she asked dumbfounded. “There are more pressing matters at the moment, are there not?”

  “Yes,” he said. “And it is related.” She nodded but said nothing, so he continued. “Our world has changed, Brenna. I am Jarl of Sokn’s oldest clan, and you are the Jarl from one of the last remaining old clans. It is my responsibility to unite what is left of our people who may still be alive elsewhere on this island, so that our people have a chance to survive what is to come. Whether we stay on the island or are forced to move into some unknown land.”

  “I agree with you.”

  Engier frowned for a few seconds, surprised by her answer. “As much as I hate to admit, Sabjorn did have a point. Never again do I expect or even want to meet you in battle, Brenna,” he said. “I would, however, consider it an honor if you would stand at my side and help save what is left of our people.”

  “A true partnership?” Brenna asked. “A Vinr?”

  “Yes, joint command, mutual benefit, though a marriage is not necessary. I just need someone at my back I can trust. Is that person you?”

  “Just marry the bastard, Jarl Brenna!” a voice behind them said before laughing. “All hail our new High King and Queen!”

  “Hardly,” Engier scoffed. “Not exactly the time for laughs, Jarl Boulder.”

  “You think I jest?” he said with a snort. “Far from it, united, the two of you could easily be the hope our people need right now. You wouldn’t be the first king and queen to marry for mutual benefit.”

  “Marriage was not what I had in mind,” Engier repeated. “I meant a true Vinr of old, a blood oath alliance. But a topic for another time. Welcome, Jarl Boulder. Your senses have returned I presume?”

  “Nothing a brisk walk up a mountain can’t cure. Why did I drag my land legs even further and higher inland?”

  “The sea is closer than you think,” Brenna offered, standing to the side to give the mariner room to see.

  Engier did the same and for the first time, the Jarl of Sokn’s oceans could see what the Eastern Ocean held.

  “Have you ever seen anything like it, Boulder?” Engier asked as the man stepped up beside him. “You’re the only Northman who would have.”

  “Aye,” he said. Shaking his head, he pointed to the scattered islands of small rock. “Skeyth magic is keeping our island whole and allowing us to float our way through the ocean, but those small chunks of land out there are not floating. They are probably the beginnings of a much larger landmass we are approaching and the reason our island is suffering so badly. Each time we hit the smaller ones we are striking solid earth and rock. Arkaytha Island caused similar problems to the southern shipping lanes when she belched molten rock from her heart.” Engier nodded as the man continued. “When Arkaytha’s volcano let loose, the island eventually broke apart, leaving the oceans south of Sokn dotted with smaller islands—like those ahead of us—they eventually became known as the Trial Peninsula. The new name quickly stuck because sea travel through the area was treacherous, it still is. We will experience similar problems as we are carried closer to these new lands. Only a select few of my captains will venture into the Arkaytha Peninsula and they demand serious gold or favor to do so. I would give anything to have them and their ships right now. It would increase our chances of striking the main land without serious damage to our people or this island.”

  “When will we stop smashing into them?” Brenna asked.

  Boulder snorted. “When we hit one big enough to stop us,” he said. “Any sign of the Skeyth? I hear they vanished overnight, like in the stories of old told to children in order to frighten them into behaving.”

  “They have fled. We won’t see them unless they went that way,” Engier said, pointing towards where the mountain range transitioned to fields and plains.

  “I see nothing but that gods-cursed lighthouse by the Steinn mines,” Boulder swore, staring to the far right.

  “Nor I,” Engier added as Brenna eased her way past him.

  “Careful, Jarl Brenna,” he said in an attempt to stop her from getting too close to the edge.

  The young woman ignored him and took another step before shielding her eyes from the glaring sun with her hands. “Do either of you see movement… There,” she said, pointing down to the right. “In the lower plains where they meet the Forest of Austain.”

  “I can now,” Engier answered as more and more people moved from the cover of the forest into open ground.

  “How did they get down there so quickly?” Boulder asked. “Even if we hadn’t run into the blocked trails and collapsed mountain passes, it would have taken us three days to reach the Skeyth village.”

  “Yet they did it overnight,” Brenna added.

  “Sneaky bastards, they must know of a secret pass to the lowlands,” Boulder snapped.

  “Good,” Brenna said. “My scouts will find it and we can pursue them.”

  “Where are they going?” Engier wondered.

  Boulder grunted, shrugging a small leather pouch from his shoulder. Opening it, he took out a small brass can and winked at Brenna. With a snap of his wrist, the spyglass popped open and he held it to his eye. “If they continue that way they will run out of land,” he added, offering the spyglass to Engier.

  “You’re right,” he said, following the Skeyth’s progress for several minutes. “But they will have to backtrack into that narrow valley at the deep fissure created by the first of the quakes. They can’t possibly know about the open land on this side of the fissure. They went around it. We won’t have to because we know better.”

  “But more importantly,” Boulder said smiling. “Should we find the pass...”

  “We can get ahead of them while they are out of sight within the deep ridges of the valley,” Brenna said and pointed to their right where the cliff’s steep rock face sloped back down to the lower plains on their side of the fissure. It would be a dangerous hike down, but nothing any Northman hadn’t done a hundred times by the age of five winters. “If we hurry, we can use the slopes to cut them off on this side of the fissure and get our young ones back.”

  “You are going to need an army, Jarl Brenna,” Boulder pointed out. “The Skeyth took the yo
ung ones for a reason. I doubt they will just hand them back.”

  “Moving an army down those slopes won’t be easy,” Engier mentioned. “Especially when we will need part of it to stay hidden on the Skeyth flank.”

  Brenna growled with frustration. “Then we should be moving already,” she said. “I will send out my scouts to search for the Skeyth’s passage.”

  “I agree with her,” Boulder added, staring at him. “I doubt the Skeyth have anything good in mind for our young ones.”

  “Nor do I,” he said. “You’re volunteering the Sea Lords then?”

  “Come now, Engier,” Boulder laughed. “When have you known us to miss a good fight even if it is on land? I’ll talk to Thane Rollik, his Riddari horsemen can navigate the slopes better and faster than most of our warriors will on foot. Those damn warhorses have been bred to climb mountains for more generations than my people have sailed ships on the sea. They will be in place in time to flank the Skeyth on the far side without warning them of our ambush.”

  “Perfect,” Engier said. Turning back to the trail down to the village, he shouted back over his shoulder. “Let’s get moving. We must be ready before the Skeyth get through that valley.”

  Chapter Six

  LOWER AUSTAIN PLAINS

  Engier crossed his arms and waited. Behind him, Brenna hustled back and forth, positioning both the warriors who volunteered to accompany them in order to stop the Skeyth. Only the miners, farmers, and their families remained behind to safely work their way down to the plains at a slower pace. Boulder took his Sea Lords, with Rollik and the Riddari horsemen, and split them into two groups. Each hid out of sight but within easy range of an attack. As Engier eyed the plains ahead of him, he caught sight of Boulder when the big sailor waved from the northern tree line that his men were ready. He waved back and then kept a close watch on the open meadow where the Skeyth should exit the narrow valley. The bulk of the their village would be within sight of the men before long. Once they were completely out of the valley, the Skeyth would be surrounded, trapped by Rollik’s Riddari and the Sea Lords’ two flanking positions.

  “No surprise there,” Brenna mumbled. “Look who is out front, perhaps there is some Northman blood still in them after all.” As she stepped up beside him, Engier realized the first of the Skeyth villagers had moved out of the valley and onto the plain.

  He shrugged his agreement, no more surprised than Brenna by those at the head of the migrating Skeyth village. Kayo, Valy, and Giera led their people from the front, like true Northmen, but Engier smiled when he noticed Kayo’s first mistake. The Skeyth outward ranging scouts were not out wide enough to notice the flanking armies. Giera, however, spotted Engier’s army in front of her almost immediately and dozens of her warriors and wizards spread out to protect the village even though they kept moving forward. Children were hustled to the back of the villagers, but Engier couldn’t make out whether they were the children stolen from his people or not. He and Brenna held their ground until Giera stopped less than a stone’s throw away. Engier scratched his beard, worried. The woman’s lack of battlefield understanding was unnerving, she should have left the bulk of her people in the valley or at the very least a few hundred feet back.

  “Jarl Engier,” she said, greeting him with a slight bow that came off more like a disrespectful nod. “I must say, I am impressed. Not only did you shake off the effects of the KiyoNo viper, you also found a quicker path to reach here.”

  “I was not yet four summers the first time I felt the KiyoNo’s bite, Mistress Giera, and it wasn’t the last. Like most Northmen, all KiyoNo venom does is give us a good night’s sleep.”

  “A rare oversight, I promise you,” she said bitterly.

  “You have stolen something of ours,” he replied. “I suggest you return them now and we will be on our way. You have no idea the danger you are in.”

  “Stole?” Valy snapped, brushing past Kayo. “Those who came, did so willingly.”

  “Is that why you killed young Jesyk by stabbing him in the back?” Hamay Nordstrom growled, stepping forward. “Because he went willingly?”

  “Exactly, I smell horse shit,” Brenna growled. “One of those who supposedly came willingly was Vada...” She hesitated and Engier could see that his fellow Jarl just realized something important. “That’s why you took them,” Brenna finally continued, staring at Giera. “Both young Seana and Vada would have become Rynstars and there is no way Vada Broad-Axe would leave her father behind willingly. She will be a tenth generation Rynstar once trained.”

  “You’re talking about Gunder’s daughter?” Engier asked, getting a nod from both Brenna and the Skeyth leader.

  “Yes,” Giera said. “Those we took, with proper training, may one day wield magic, and if not, our numbers continue to decline so an infusion from any kind of magical bloodline will be of great benefit to us. We need fresh blood in order for our village to survive in the new world, without it we will become an endangered race.”

  “You will return them, Giera,” Engier ordered. “I am not asking.”

  Valy snorted. “We will not,” she said, glaring at Engier. “You should take your men and leave, Jarl, before your clans become endangered.”

  “You speak words of war, young one,” he warned.

  “A war you cannot win, Jarl Engier,” Kayo said, finally speaking up. “Just take your people and leave, before this situation turns for the worse.”

  Engier shook his head and raised his left arm. An archer at the back of his army let loose a flaming arrow high above both groups, signaling the Riddari and the Sea Lords. Nearly a hundred horsemen and warriors exploded from the trees on the right and even more rushed over the hills to the left, completely surrounding the Skeyth villagers. To his amazement, the villagers didn’t panic, even the youngest children remained calm. The ambush had nowhere near the impact he hoped it would.

  Giera frowned at him as if perturbed by a persistent bug and the short hairs on his neck twitched furiously.

  “You’re surrounded,” he persisted. “Return our children and we can all be on our way without losing the lives we both need now more than ever.”

  Valy laughed and he dropped his hand to his axe when the older woman frowned.

  “Surrounding my people only puts more of yours at risk, Jarl Engier,” Giera growled. “I have no intention of returning what now belongs to the Skeyth. If you wish to fight for them then you will die along with many of your people.”

  He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Your fighters are outnumbered nearly three to one and you are surrounded in a bowl-shaped meadow. You could not be in a weaker position to be making demands.”

  “Yet, I do,” the older woman snapped. “Why is that, Jarl Striith-Blodd?”

  “Because you are a foolish old woman, for Tyr’s sake,” Brenna hissed.

  “No,” Giera said. “Though you and the Northmen people may have forgotten what the Skeyth are capable of, my people have not. The knowledge and power of our ancestors has been passed down since the exile. The magic of the creator gods is still with us, Jarl Engier, and though this disaster has changed many things, our magic was not one of them. You have one final chance to get out of our way, or your people will be given a reminder of what real magic can do.”

  “One no Northman who survives will ever forget,” Valy spat.

  Kayo stepped closer, easily within Engier’s reach. “I suggest you listen to them, Jarl.”

  Engier scoffed at the Skeyth warrior and shook his head yet again. “These are the people you protect?" he asked. “Those who would steal children in the dead of night like the monsters of old? You have no honor as a Northman warrior, Kayo Striith and you bring shame to all of the old Striith clans.”

  Kayo lifted his shield and slowly slid his sword from his back. “My honor remains in tact. My only responsibility is to keep the Skeyth village safe, by whatever means are necessary, but you are a fool if you believe they need me to protect them.”

&nb
sp; “Enough talk...” Valy growled.

  “I agree,” Brenna snapped, tearing her swords from their sheathes.

  The younger Skeyth woman smiled and raised her hands, palms up. Magic sparked to life, manifesting in a dozen silver blades. With a twist of her wrist, Valy’s magical knives jumped to life, spinning like some demented kid’s toy, and a steady hum rolled off of the blades. Engier reacted almost without thinking and slammed his shield into Kayo’s chest. Clearly unaccustomed to fighting Northmen, the Skeyth warrior’s reflexes were too slow to avoid the blow and he stumbled backwards into Valy’s spinning magic. The silver blades tore into the older man’s armor before she could pull them out of the way. The magic dissipated and Kayo fell to the grass, severely wounded. Valy and Giera shrieked, touching off the fighting on all sides of the meadow.

  Magic burst to life around him, and Engier immediately lunged for Valy, but she leapt out of the way as the war cry from the Riddari horsemen reached his ears. He pressed his attack against the young wizard and his axe glanced off her ribs producing a puff of smoke from her burnt robe. She fell to the ground holding her side as the war horns echoed across the meadow signaling that the Riddari pincher had closed tight, surrounding the Skeyth and forcing them to fight in close quarters where their magic would have less effect. Stepping forward, Engier swung his axe at Valy’s head, but a silver spear materialized from thin air and struck his weapon, deflecting the axe blade away from her face. He still managed to roll his axe handle, striking the young woman hard on the chin with the butt. She slumped unconscious. Out of nowhere a long stream of bright magic grazed his side.

  “Bastard,” he cursed, spinning to find Giera less than a dozen feet away.

  “Not quite, Taela,” she growled, spitting at his feet.

  “The only traitor here is the one who steals children,” Engier snapped.

  The woman was unarmed, but still, she faced him without a trace of fear visible anywhere on her features. “We owe the Northmen no loyalty,” she snarled. “Your Kings and Jarls exiled us generations ago. But we will protect our own no matter the cost and if that means carving our way through you then so be it.” The old woman threw her hand out to her sides and magic jumped to life between her fingers. Long strands of silver energy materialized in each hand and as she passed one hand over the other, the strands weaved through each other like agitated serpents. The energy multiplied and two of the strands lashed out at him. Engier instinctively raised his shield, but the magic hit hard, embedding deep in the metal and wood. The impact drove him back a full step and without hesitating, he twisted his shield, using the hooked blades to snag the magical serpents. He swung his axe, cleaving through the magic, but as he looked up, another two serpents of silver magic raced his way. This time the new magic shimmered, reinforcing itself with layers of heavy silver scales. He knew instantly that his axe wouldn’t cut through them a second time and shifted his shield to stop them. Again, the serpents slammed into him, and like last time the magic slid deep into his shield. Once more he hooked the energy with his shield, but instead of severing them with his axe, he wrenched his shield back. Heaving Giera from her feet, he yanked her forward.