Viking's Conquest

by Sky Purington

  “Who?” she began before a young dragon swooped by from the direction of the ash, grinning all the while.

  “Loki’s cock, get down here right now, Dagr,” Eirik ordered, frowning at his son with concern. “And shift back.”

  “Do I have to when the tree makes flying feel like this?” Dagr said before Kenzie backed up that order, shaking her head as he thumped down, shifted and pouted.

  Tess had met Dagr and Soren’s son Thorulf briefly at the Fortress but paid little attention to them. Mostly because she’d been tuning out kids for years, especially after Leah. But now, eying the rambunctious little Viking dragon, she felt an overwhelming sense of...hope?

  Likely picking up her unexpected reaction to Dagr, Rokar looked her way. When their eyes met, she knew right away what the feeling was, and it about knocked her off her feet. She was going somewhere she had written off. That she refused to ever go again.

  “You’d like one like me then?” Dagr blurted, grinning at her before he scowled. “And maybe even a girl?” He shrugged and considered that. “Not that all girls are bad.” He shook his head, clueless that he had stunned everyone. “After all, my little sister is pretty great though she hasn’t actually talked yet...or walked, or—”

  “Son,” Eirik cut him off and shook his head.

  Meanwhile, Tess imagined she looked like a deer caught in headlights. How could she not when Dagr understood her emotions nearly the millisecond she did?

  “Sorry, Sis.” Kenzie shifted closer, trying to be there for Tess. “It’s a kid demi-god dragon thing. We’re trying to teach him not to share things he hears or feels within another mind.”

  Tess went to speak but snapped her mouth shut, not sure what to say. She started in the ash’s direction. Anything to get away from the awkward moment. One far worse than catching Rokar’s thoughts after their last minute romp against the tree earlier. He had started down the same emotional path she just had before he began questioning himself. And she got that. How could they not question themselves after knowing each other in this life for a few days only to realize they might have to risk everything all over again?

  Risk loving and losing everything?

  “Tess, wait up.” Kenzie came alongside her as the others fell behind. “Dagr didn’t mean it. Really.”

  “It’s fine,” Tess assured, though she wondered if any of it would be. “Kids’ll be kids.”

  Even super powerful dragon shifter Viking kids.

  “Any chance you want to talk about it?” Kenzie said softly.

  “Nope,” she replied, knowing full well they weren’t talking about the future kids she may or may not want but the one she left behind.

  Though Kenzie remained silent, her thoughts were deafening, and Tess said so. Then she said even more not to assuage her sister’s concern, but—she was shocked to discover as her eyes remained on the burning tree ahead—because she actually wanted to. For the first time since it happened, she wanted to share with all her sisters.

  To finally let Leah’s aunts know her however late it may be.

  Was the ash causing this sudden change of heart? It had to be. But then she felt warmer than usual as she spoke, so perhaps the Burn of Transition.

  “I was dreaming the first time I heard her heartbeat,” she said softly, wondering now if it meant anything. “Dreaming of the fiery ash.” She ignored the crack of thunder overhead, the storm seemingly held back by the Realm and kept her eyes on the ash...on its beautiful fire. “I thought...”

  She trailed off and stopped, remembering exactly what she had thought at the time. “I thought a storm was attacking the tree. That lightning had snapped a branch.” Tess shook her head, baffled by the revelation. She rested her hand on her belly and a baby no longer there. “The sound hadn’t been a branch breaking but the thud of Leah’s first heartbeat.”

  “Oh, Sis,” Kenzie whispered, her eyes damp. “I wish I’d been there with you. That you hadn’t gone through everything alone.”

  “But I didn’t,” Tess murmured, her eyes going to Rokar when he stopped beside her. “Axle was there. He heard it too.” She swallowed hard. “And he was happy...genuinely happy.”

  “I didn’t realize you two were good.” Kenzie’s brows knit together in confusion. “I guess I thought...”

  When her words lingered unsaid, Tess realized how little her sisters thought of Axle, and she didn’t blame them. He hadn't really been a get-to-know-your-family kind of guy. But he also wasn’t a monster. Not at the beginning. Her eyes stayed with Rokar’s as she recalled what he had implied.

  Axle and Helga might have been a victim of their past along with their children.

  “The damn storm was there all along,” she said. “Just like the tree.”

  “A tree that brought Leah to you,” he said softly. “As the storm seemed to try to take her away.”

  That’s exactly the sensation she got.

  “What are we talking about here?” Kenzie looked between them, her troubled expression only growing. “Do you really think this storm is targeting you guys to such an extent?” Her eyes went to the ash. “And a tree you’ve seen all these years is trying to protect you?”

  “It is in Níðhöggr’s Realm,” Eirik reminded Kenzie as he and the others joined them. “A place of protection for you and your sisters.” His eyes went to Rokar. “And in turn, your mates.”

  “The question is,” Magnus said. “Why has it always appeared afire to Tess, now Rokar and its leaves to Vigdis and me?”

  Dagr raised his hand. “I know, I know!” He jumped from foot to foot, as if eager to shift. He looked at Kenzie and Eirik. “Can I share why or should those thoughts stay in my mouth this time?” He balanced on one foot and held out his arms as though really fighting back the urge to shift. “And how come I can’t embrace my dragon when it feels so good here?” He cocked his head. “When we are more powerful than ever here?”

  Tess felt that same warm feeling as before when Kenzie and Eirik gazed at the boy with affection while trying to remain stern.

  “Dagr is not just yours but Hel’s dragon,” Leviathan said, clearly not a parent as he offered his opinion rather than wait for them to council Dagr. “Therefore, we should listen to everything the boy has to say.” His eyes met Tess’s, and he pointed out the revelation she’d just had. How seeing Dagr made her realize she might be ready to move on. “Even if what he says might be difficult to hear at first.”

  Dagr preened under Leviathan’s words, adding his thoughts on the matter as only a child could. “I agree with Master Leviathan.” He offered Kenzie a cheeky grin. “And did Mother not say he should watch over me, Other Mother?”

  “He did.” Kenzie shot Leviathan a look before she eyed Dagr. “But that doesn’t mean you’re not going to learn to filter things a bit. It’s called tact and pretty important in my book.” Her eyes went to Eirik. “Thoughts?”

  “I completely agree.” He looked at Dagr. “Share your mind, Son, but think about it first. Consider how it might affect the other person then speak accordingly.”

  “Yes, Father.” Dagr nodded before he looked at Tess and said the last thing she expected. “Are you not what your kin call a Free Spirit dragon?” He contemplated it. “Though I prefer to call you Auntie Fierce Spirit.” Before she could respond that she never quite agreed with the first label, but kind of liked his new title, he continued, his excitement growing. He headed for the tree and urged her to follow. “You should be very proud of your dragon because it was named correctly enough from what I can tell.”

  He kept nodding, pleased as he finally got back to addressing his original statements. “You and the Demon Sorcerer are connected, yes? As are you and Uncle Rokar in another life?”

  “Yes,” she replied, convinced of it on both fronts.

  “Then there you have it,” Dagr said. “When your fierce dragon spirit did what it had to in another life, they helped. Now the closer they grow to you, the more they can see what tethers your spirit. What keeps
your soul from vanishing altogether as it should have. Vigdis, of course, sees it through her magical bond with Magnus.” Shooting off topic, his eyes rounded on Kenzie and Eirik in renewed exasperation as if he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell. “Can your dragons not sense how welcoming this Realm is to them? You really should try flying. It’s wonderful!”

  “Wait a sec, rewind little guy.” Tess remained focused on his damning words, made all that much more potent because his biological mother was the queen of the dead. “What do you mean my spirit should’ve vanished altogether?”

  “Oh, yes,” he said woefully before he cheered right up. “Luckily, the tree won’t let you go, though.” His eyes went to the storm overhead. “So far, anyway.”

  “So the storm’s clearly a threat but why?” she said. “Where’d it come from?”

  Dagr’s gaze went to Rokar’s eyes, and he was about to say something but glanced at Kenzie and Eirik first, reconsidering before he went on, his answer vague. “I think the answer’s in your mate’s eyes, Auntie Fierce Spirit.”

  “It’s okay to share what you were going to say, Son.” Eirik nodded, evidently having heard it in Dagr’s mind based on his grim expression. “They should know.”

  “Should they?”

  “Please,” Tess urged.

  “I think all the good and bad, including the tree and storm are in Uncle Rokar’s eyes.” Dagr peered at Rokar. “Figure out why, and you will discover the answer.” He nodded once. “Then you will see what began the end.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “HOW CAN SO much be in my eyes?” Rokar grumbled into Tess’s mind a few minutes later. They stood in front of Níðhöggr’s Ash, its flaming leaves mesmerizing and glorious. “My eyes have been this color my whole life.”

  “Honestly, I think this prophecy’s been haunting us our whole life.” She slipped her hand into his, eager to comfort him.

  “What if I was responsible for all the tragedy in our lives?” He looked at her. “Wasn’t that Dagr’s implication? Has the storm not done such? Been there through so much bad?”

  “It has,” she concurred. “But then it also brought us together...” Her eyes turned to the tree, and she spoke aloud. “Almost as if it’s a curse trying to break free from itself...”

  “Yes,” Dagr declared. He nodded with approval and offered everyone a winning smile. “Because they do that on occasion, you know.” He peered up at Tess and Rokar. “So will you use the Burn of Transition to follow the blue dragon or will we be walking?” He cast his parents a hopeful glance. “Maybe even flying?” Then he pondered that. “Though the weight of all our dragons might sink your ship.”

  “The blue dragon?” Tess said softly. “That’s what’s on our sail, isn’t it?” She looked to Dagr. “How do you know that? And why is it blue?” Her eyes widened and flickered from the tree to Eirik’s son. “And what do you mean, use the Burn of Transition to get to the ship?”

  “Mother told me your sail’s dragon was blue,” Dagr said matter-of-factly before he shrugged. “And isn’t that what’s shifting everyone around so much lately? Your Burn of Transition?”

  Rokar and Tess glanced at each other before they looked at Dagr again and Rokar spoke. “So we can control it then?”

  “Haven’t you been all along?” When they frowned and shook their heads, Dagr peered at them as though they should have figured this out already. “This is your adventure to your truth, Uncle Rokar, and Auntie Fierce Spirit. Of course you’ve been controlling who joins you. More so as you grow closer and remember each other.”

  Kenzie and Eirik’s brows rose as they eyed Dagr with surprise and pride. Rokar didn’t blame them. He had inherited a great deal of Hel’s power but made it uniquely his. It would be interesting watching him grow over the years.

  If they all made it that far.

  “So Hel told you the dragon on our sail was blue?” Tess clearly thought about Leah. “Did she say why?”

  Dagr shook his head. “No. Some things were secret.”

  “Many things,” Soren murmured, eying the tree as if lost in thought before he frowned. “Why do I not see it aflame? Even a leaf?” His eyes went to Tess. “When I know we knew each other in that life.”

  For a flash, Rokar knew she sensed something before it faded, leaving but a few words of explanation on her tongue. “Because you weren’t part of the storm.”

  When everyone glanced at her in surprise, she shook her head and shrugged. “Sorry, that’s all I’ve got.” Then she sensed more. “Sort of...”

  Rokar’s vision hazed red when he sensed something. It wasn’t in regards to Soren but their next step. “We need to go to the ships via the Transition.” His eyes met hers. “We need to follow the Burn’s path to the end...”

  She nodded then stilled, sensing his sudden tension at the idea of sailing once again. From the moment everybody learned of the six ships King Bjorn and King Heidrek had built, he knew this time would come. Yet that did nothing to stop fear from coiling in his soul. Dread he tried to set aside as he nodded at Tess when her worried eyes stayed with his.

  “We can find another way,” she said into his mind, not just trying to protect his pride but save him from the pain. “Nothing says we have to sail that ship. I’m sure we can find a way around it.”

  While tempted to take her up on her offer, it was time to face this.

  “No,” he said aloud. His gaze lingered on hers for another moment before he looked to the ocean. “If you can face your past, I can too.” He met her eyes again. “We must follow the Transition at this point...We cannot avoid what pains us anymore but learn to accept it so we can move on.”

  “I know,” she whispered, her emotions reflecting his. “But only if you’re sure.”

  “I am.” He nodded then looked at the flaming tree. “Now we just have to figure out how to actually follow the Transition.”

  “Use the key.” Leviathan’s dragon eyes flared, and he narrowed in on Rokar’s back. “Let the Blade lead you.”

  “But how,” he began only for his back to warm and his vision to haze redder when his eyes locked with Tess’s dragon eyes. Following his instincts, he pulled her into his arms but never lost eye contact. Her gaze ignited fire in his blood. What was once an uncomfortable heat became far more enjoyable, even arousing. Flames curled around them before they sizzled away and they stood someplace else entirely, with yet again different people.

  “It seems we are forced on another adventure, Wife,” came a familiar voice from behind them.

  “Does that really surprise you considering the blade?”

  They turned not just to the six ships afloat in the Realm’s seaside cave but to Sven, Emily, Leviathan, Magnus, and Vigdis. Eirik, Kenzie, and Dagr were gone. Back to the Fortress without a doubt.

  “King Sven.” Rokar frowned. “You should not be here.”

  “Sven,” he corrected. “And yes, I believe I’m supposed to be here. The Fortress is better protected than ever at the moment.”

  “She’s there.” Soren’s eyes narrowed. “And she’s not alone.”

  “Yes, Ava’s there,” Emily confirmed. “As is Tiernan.”

  “And this better protects the Fortress?” Soren grumbled. “A Scotsman?”

  “An ancestor,” Sven reminded. “And a truly powerful one. You should be grateful he’s with her.”

  Soren muttered something indiscernible under his breath before he nodded at Sven and Emily and left it at that. Meanwhile, Sven’s eyes remained on Soren another moment as they telepathically communicated. He best be good with it and welcome the wizard when he met him. In truth, Rokar didn’t blame Soren for being jealous. He had felt the same when he heard about Tess flirting with Davyn. Better yet, when he thought she had slept with Soren. On both counts, his inner dragon had flared up.

  In fact, though not jealous by nature, Rokar knew his dragon would rip apart anyone who tried to take Tess from him. Especially another dragon. So while in the beginning, he had thought he wa
s open to the idea of her having other men, now he knew otherwise. He didn’t want to share his mate. His dragon much preferred monogamy.

  Though Tess glanced at him with a flicker of surprise, she said nothing. Did she feel the same? Would she want just one man in the end? One dragon? Or did she need variety?

  Sven drew their attention when he unsheathed the sword he had received on his and Emily’s adventure. Forged in the fires of Múspellsheimr by Níðhöggr and sharpened by Thor himself, it had proven powerful on their journey. Not only did it possess the power to pull a dragon’s mind free of Skáld’s influence, but it also wielded strength against the oily, fiery monstrosity known as Skáld’s Ash.

  “When this blade first appeared,” Sven said. “Blue lightning covered its blade. That same lightning returned when we battled our enemy.” His eyes went from the blade to Rokar. “I dreamt last night that it began to change...that Thor came to me and said, it must change then continue its journey until it returns to me.” He eyed the cave. “Now here I am, pulled here by you and your mate with a blade I was not carrying a few moments ago.”

  Rokar knew better than to apologize because that wasn’t what Sven was getting at. Rather, he seemed pleased the blade was meant to serve more purpose and had found its way here.

  “I believe another is meant to carry this into battle now.” Sven held the blade out hilt first to Rokar. “Based on what I saw in my dream, that is you, Cousin.”

  Honored that Thor thought him worthy, Rokar nodded and took the blade only for the hilt to warm at the same time as the Blade on his back. Seconds later, the black hilt on Sven’s blade turned blazing blue, and the blade sizzled not only with the colors of the storm but sparks of blue and white lightning.

  “There it is.” Sven eyed the sword. “Just as I envisioned...just as Thor said it would be.”

  In the meantime, sensing the warmth on Rokar’s back, Tess had pulled up his shirt, her eyes wide when they met his.

  “The First Blade's nearly full of color now,” she exclaimed. “It's not red anymore, but blue!”