Vale of the Gods

by A. E. Rayne

  ‘I will,’ Evaine smiled, pulling a torn piece of vellum from her purse. ‘I found this spell in a book. A book Morana gave me. She said it would be useful one day. And with your help, maybe it will.’ Evaine left the vellum on one of Draguta’s tables before turning with a smile, slipping through the tent flap, leaving Meena caught in a world of deception and danger and magic so dark that she was beginning to wonder how she would ever find her way out.

  Eadmund was fighting Berger in the middle of the arena, both men stripped of their soaking tunics, struggling in the oppressive heat of the afternoon. Wooden staffs in their hands, they paced back and forth in front of each other, sweating and panting, long past ready for a break, but Draguta was watching from a chair on the grassy ridge, so they kept going.

  Jaeger was sitting next to Draguta, refreshed after a quick dip in the stream that cut through the back of the secluded forest, holding the book on his knee.

  Draguta kept glancing at it, not wanting a clumsy oaf like Jaeger touching it, but she hoped that the power of the Book of Darkness would help him to overcome his error-ridden ways.

  ‘You think he’s good enough?’ Jaeger wondered, reaching for a plum from the tray Brill was holding. ‘Eadmund? He seems slow today.’

  Draguta was not interested in what Jaeger thought about anything. ‘He appears to be struggling in the heat. I enjoy it myself, but I do worry that it is too hot for you mere mortals to endure. And when you’re dressed in all that armour? I can’t imagine it is pleasant.’

  ‘No, I’d gladly see the back of the sun. Something cooler would help us.’

  ‘Would it?’ Draguta hummed, her eyes on the bowl of potion that sat on the table beside her. ‘I shall see what I can do about that. Once I attend to this.’ And standing, she handed the bowl to Brill. ‘Take it back there.’ She pointed to the Tree of Agrayal, almost feeling it twitch its disapproval at the thought of what she had planned. ‘Such a perfectly powerful place, though I don’t imagine the gods thought it would help the likes of me.’ She turned back to Jaeger. ‘I shall take that.’ And impatiently tapping her toe, she waited while he stood, handing the book to her. ‘Do not worry, you will touch it again before we begin. I want you ready, Jaeger. It will do none of us any good if you continue to play the fool. It is time for the Dragos inside you to come alive. You are descended from a powerful god, and it is time that everyone saw it!’

  Jaeger felt a charge crackle through his body, as though every part of him was suddenly stronger. He nodded. ‘They will. I can feel it. They will.’

  Draguta peered into his eyes. ‘Good. Then go and practice. Not with Eadmund, though. That is not a fight I wish to see. Yet. Find someone else to pull apart. Kill them if you must. But win the fight. Test yourself. Grow your power, Jaeger. You will need to use it when the Brekkans come. The Iskavallans and the Islanders. The Alekkans too. They will all be here soon, and we must be ready to face them.’

  48

  Edela tried to clear her mind for what lay ahead.

  They had prepared everything they would need for the ritual. Entorp had tattooed her and Eydis, and the pain of those new symbols was still in their eyes, though they both felt energised and ready to begin.

  ‘Eadmund needs to be asleep,’ Edela insisted. ‘We must wait. It is only supper time. We must wait, girls.’

  Eydis was impatient. ‘What if he doesn’t fall asleep? Maybe he’s keeping watch, or walking around?’

  ‘We could try and tackle him to the ground,’ Edela grinned. They had walked away from the hall, taking the puppies around the square. It was all starting to feel so claustrophobic, for though the fort was large, and the army had left, it felt like a prison with the gates shut all day long; warriors guarding Edela’s dreamer circle, warning those who dared come close to step back.

  ‘Could we do that?’ Eydis wondered seriously.

  ‘Tackle your brother?’ Edela laughed. ‘I don’t think you remember the size of him. Now, Berard Dragos over there? Yes, I think together we could tackle him. Perhaps with Ontine’s help.’

  ‘I think we could,’ Ontine agreed with a smile, watching Berard help Hanna with the army of children who appeared to be playing a game of hide and seek. ‘But you want to focus on cutting the rope, don’t you, not on trying to restrain him?’

  Edela nodded. ‘That is a daunting enough task for us to manage, I can assure you.’

  ‘And what if he sees you?’ Ontine asked. ‘What will he do?’

  ‘If he does, he will likely try to stop us. He will want to protect Draguta. If that happens, I will pull you back, Eydis, and we’ll drop out of the trance, don’t worry.’

  ‘But he won’t hurt me,’ Eydis insisted. ‘Not Eadmund.’

  ‘I’m sure Jael believes that too,’ Edela said sadly. ‘But it’s no longer true, I’m afraid. Eadmund has no control over himself anymore. No free will at all. If he catches you cutting Draguta’s rope, he will come after you. We will both have to be alert. And careful. Whatever we do, we mustn’t wake him.’

  ‘I thought for certain today was going to be the day!’ Thorgils announced, leaning his head back against a tree, watching the sun set in the distance. They had stopped for the night just off the road, bordered on one side by a dark forest that had kept them on their toes all afternoon. It was not Hallow Wood, and there was some comfort in that, but still, none of them felt good about camping near such a hidden place. ‘Guess she plans to keep us hanging like an apple on a tree.’

  ‘Mmmm, but eventually, that apple’s going to fall,’ Karsten sighed, eye closed, seeing Nicolene’s face. And opening his eye, he threw back the last of his ale. ‘And who knows what it’s going to land on. Or who.’

  Jael had gone for a walk with Fyn and Axl, checking their men, wanting to speak to Raymon about the next day.

  Karsten could just see their shadows in the distance. ‘You think she can do it? Jael?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Kill Eadmund. Kill Draguta. Get us out of this cauldron of shit we’ve been swimming in. Save us.’

  Thorgils pulled out his comb and attacked his beard, picking out a piece of salt fish and popping it in his mouth. ‘Jael?’ He turned to Karsten, watching the doubt in his gleaming blue eye. ‘What do you think?’

  Karsten licked his lips, wanting more ale. ‘I hope she can, but you’d have to be made of iron to kill someone you love. Nothing but iron.’ He saw the pain in Thorgils’ eyes and he tried a hasty retreat. ‘On purpose, I mean.’

  Thorgils nodded sadly, thinking about Torstan. He’d always just been there, ever since he could remember. Like a faithful, slightly forgetful, clumsy dog. A beloved dog.

  His friend.

  ‘Jael won’t kill Eadmund,’ Thorgils insisted. ‘Not unless there’s no choice. But if anyone can do something that hard, Jael can. I saw what losing that baby meant to her. Saw what she went through. She nearly died.’ He shook his head, remembering. ‘But she dragged herself out of bed to fight off the dragur, to get us out of Harstad. If anyone can prepare herself for this fight, it’s Jael. And she might be trying to save all of us, but I’ve a feeling she wouldn’t mind a bit of revenge for herself.’ His eyes wandered to where Jael and Axl were standing almost head to head, arguing beneath a tree, Fyn looking on awkwardly.

  Jael grabbed her brother’s arm. ‘It’s not about revenge!’

  Axl scowled at her, but he knew she was right.

  ‘It’s about going home.’

  Fyn felt awkward, wanting to leave them to it. They had been away from Oss for so long now, and he was worried that when they returned, nothing would be the same. He wondered if Bram would come with them.

  He hoped he’d live to find out.

  ‘It’s about fighting together for what matters most. Our homes. Our families. The ones we love,’ Jael insisted. ‘This might be revenge for Draguta, but it can’t be revenge for us. If we focus on who we’re angry at, we’ll lose sight of what we’re trying to achieve. If one of us breaks, it will damag
e all of us.’ Jael was telling herself as much as her brother. Axl, she knew, was too young to have a firm grip on his emotions, and even she was working hard to stop her mind wandering to what she wanted to do to Draguta.

  ‘Like Skorro,’ Fyn said, remembering that brief victory.

  ‘Yes, like Skorro,’ Jael agreed. ‘That island hadn’t been claimed by anyone until we took it from Haaron Dragos. But working together, we captured it. If it hadn’t been for Lothar and Osbert, things might have been very different today.’

  Axl didn’t want to remember what had happened in Valder’s Pass while his sister was attacking Skorro, though he realised that he could learn from it, and not make the same stupid decisions Lothar had. And they were his decisions now. Jael would command them, but he would still be there, in the panic of battle, making those life and death decisions for his Brekkans. ‘Tomorrow,’ he almost whispered. ‘We’ll be there tomorrow.’

  Jael nodded. ‘Though, I doubt Draguta is done with us yet.’ When those men had raped her mother in Tuura, she’d felt powerless. Trapped. Wanting to rush to her rescue. To pull them off her.

  But she hadn’t.

  She had hidden under the bed with Axl, trying to block out Gisila’s terrified screams. And turning to her brother, she shut it all away and smiled. ‘We’re Furycks, you and me. The Furycks of Brekka. So tomorrow, we’ll go and save our people. Tomorrow. And the day after that and every day for the rest of our lives, Axl. Because that’s what we were born to do.’ She had a sudden fear for him, imagining how their father must have felt the first few times he’d ridden into battle with her, wondering if she would be good enough.

  She hadn’t heard his voice in days, but she needed to.

  Now more than ever.

  They both did.

  ‘Can’t sleep?’

  Gant had followed Gisila into the kitchen, worried about her.

  She spun around in shock. ‘You gave me a fright!’

  He smiled. ‘Sorry. I wondered where you’d gone. I woke up, and you weren’t there.’

  ‘Well, you fell asleep as soon as you lay down,’ she sighed. ‘I’ve been lying there for hours. I thought I’d find something to eat. There wasn’t much to supper, was there?’

  Gant frowned. ‘No, there wasn’t. It’s how it has to be, I’m afraid. We don’t know how long this will last. How long till we’re free.’

  Gisila’s tiredness had her feeling morose. ‘If we’ll ever be free.’

  Gant’s head was up, hearing a noise outside. ‘Wait there.’ And moving Gisila behind him, he crept across the kitchen, around the enormous spit in the centre of the long room. He wasn’t wearing his swordbelt, so he grabbed the axe hanging behind the door in his left hand, turning the key with his right. And swinging the door open, he brought the axe into both hands, staring out into the dark night, watching two cats bounding away, a tail dangling from one of their mouths. Puffing out a long breath, Gant turned around to a pale-faced Gisila with a smile. ‘Just cats.’ He shook his head, feeling his heart pound. ‘Just cats. Doing Freya’s work for her.’

  Gisila’s face didn’t release any tension at all.

  ‘Come on, I’ll find you something to eat, then we’ll go back to bed. Sleep will help you see things more clearly, I promise.’

  It was a cold night, and after the extreme heat of the day, Eadmund was relieved not to be sweating. The back of his neck was throbbing with sunburn, though, and he had an odd headache that wouldn’t go away.

  Lying on his back, he tried to fall asleep, but everything was conspiring against him. He rolled onto his side, which was more comfortable for his neck, but the chanting from the Followers outside his tent was becoming louder, and he closed his eyes, wishing it away.

  That and the smoke he could feel tickling his throat.

  Jael was too tense to sleep. Her body was rigid, her mind like a glowing bar of iron she kept hammering at, trying to see how to keep them all alive. It wasn’t possible, she knew, but who would die and who would live was partly in her hands. She had to make the best decisions possible.

  Closing her eyes, she thought of Fyr.

  Who was Daala.

  Neither of them were in her tent.

  ‘I think we should begin,’ Edela decided, watching Ontine and Eydis struggling to keep their eyes open. ‘If you girls are ready?’ She suppressed a yawn, not wanting to give Eydis the impression that she felt ready for bed.

  Biddy and Entorp were there too. They had insisted, both of them wanting Ontine to be free to help Edela if needed. Entorp had the drum, and he started tapping on it, Biddy anxiously scanning the hall as Ontine threw a bundle of herbs onto the healthy flames of the fire. Though the privacy of Edela’s cottage would have been preferable, it was safer for everyone if they remained close by, able to help if needed.

  Gripping Eydis’ hand, Edela took a deep breath, inhaling the smoke. It was a strong mix – more potent than last time, which had given her a sore throat for days. ‘Slowly now,’ she spluttered, slowing down her own breathing. ‘Take it very slowly, Eydis. And listen to the drum, the gentle beat of the drum. Like a horse running, pounding its hooves onto the earth. The warm, soft earth. Keep breathing, there you go, slowly now. And think of how soft that earth is. How easily you can push your fingers through it. Feel it in your fingers, Eydis, pushing through. All the way through now, finding Eadmund. We are going to find Eadmund...’

  Fyn was on watch.

  He had been walking around Jael’s circle, trying to hear anything that might be a problem, his mind wandering back to Andala, hoping that Bram was safe.

  Thinking about Eydis. And Ontine.

  He smiled, feeling stupid. Surely a girl that pretty wouldn’t even look his way? Not like that.

  He spun around suddenly, sure he’d seen a flash of something, his eyes on Jael’s tent as Fyr flew inside.

  Straight through the wall.

  The smoke was so intense that Biddy’s eyes watered as she held onto Ido and Vella who had started to wriggle. She’d quickly realised that she should have shut them in Jael’s chamber, but she couldn’t move now. She didn’t want to pull Eydis and Edela out of their trance, so she squeezed them tightly, trying to stop them moving, frowning as Vella started growling, her furry belly vibrating beneath her hand.

  Jael hopped out of the tent. One of her boots had come off while she was sleeping, and she was struggling to shove it back on. Fyr flew out of the tent, over her head, wings flapping, disappearing quickly into the night sky.

  Fyn ran to her. ‘What’s happened?’

  Jael spun around, eyes up. No moon. Thick clouds. She inhaled, spinning some more. Thick clouds... or fog.

  Or smoke.

  ‘Fire.’ It almost sounded like a question. There were fires everywhere, most burning low, but then Jael saw Ayla running towards her.

  ‘Fire! Hurry! Get up! Fire!’

  Vella wriggled, growling. Ido would have wriggled if he could have moved quickly enough.

  He started whimpering.

  Entorp glared at Biddy who shrugged at him, losing her grip on Vella, who ran out of the circle, towards the hall doors, barking.

  Edela dropped forward, out of her trance. Vella’s barking was far away, like a heartbeat, merging with the drum. She felt lost. ‘What?’ she rasped. ‘What happened?’ And then the barking became louder, and Edela yelped, dragging herself up off the floor.

  Gant ran for the doors.

  Biddy struggled to her feet, Ido limping after her, both of them following Entorp.

  ‘Wait!’ Bram was there first, sword drawn. ‘Get behind me. I’ll take a peek, see what she’s upset about.’ His head was spinning from the smoke, and he stumbled, his hand missing the door he was about to push open. The two men on either side of it had already lifted the beam, and placing it on the floor, they drew their own swords. ‘Behind me!’ Bram croaked as Vella slipped past him, charging out into the night.

  ‘Vella!’ Biddy panicked. ‘Come back!’ She quickly
turned and picked up Ido, not wanting to lose him too. ‘Vella!’

  ‘What is it?’ Aleksander’s eyes were heavy with sleep.

  ‘Fire’s coming!’ Ayla kept turning, looking for clues.

  Rork was there, sniffing the air. ‘We’ve all got fires burning. You sure?’

  Ayla nodded, eyes bright with terror.

  ‘Ayla’s right. Fyr warned me too,’ Jael said, trying to think. ‘We have to leave.’

  ‘Leave? Now?’ Ivaar looked incredulous. ‘In the dark?’

  ‘We’ve no choice. Go to your men. Get them ready! We can’t sit around and wait for it to come!’ Raymon was hurrying towards her, tying up his swordbelt, Rexon and Soren behind him. ‘We have to leave!’ she yelled at them. ‘There’s a fire!’

  And that fire was Draguta.

  She was not done with them yet.

  Bram’s head cleared in the cool night air as he hurried up to the ramparts. ‘What’s happening?’ he called to the men on watch. ‘What can you see?’

  Vella was racing around barking, and Bram leaned down over the rampart wall, his eyes on Ulf who was hurrying towards them with Berard. ‘Ulf! Grab Vella! Stick her in the hall now!’ Bram couldn’t see anything moving out in the valley. He couldn’t hear anything either as he hurried around the ramparts one way, Gant going the other, and when he reached the eastern side, he stumbled to a stop. ‘Fire! Fire!’ And turning, he ran in the opposite direction, aiming for the signal bell. ‘Fire!’

  ‘We need water!’ Jael yelled, doubting how much they could collect from the stream before they left.

  ‘We need rain!’ Ivaar called back. ‘Snow! A storm!’

  Her heart racing, Jael started to think.