Vale of the Gods

by A. E. Rayne

  With her father. With his father.

  All of them, with Vidar.

  And he was smiling.

  Eadmund was there, and Jael blinked, struggling back to her feet. ‘Eydis,’ she sobbed. ‘I should have saved Eydis. And Aleksander. And...’

  ‘Ssshhh.’ Eadmund held her gently, feeling her flinch. ‘Ssshhh. Eydis needed to save us, didn’t she?’ he tried to convince them both. ‘And Aleksander... he would have wanted to die for you, I know that.’ Eadmund pulled back, staring at her. ‘I know that because I would have. I would have died for you, Jael.’ He shook his head, pulling her close again, tears flowing. ‘I’m so sorry for all of this. For everything. I’m so sorry.’

  ‘No!’

  Jael pushed herself out of Eadmund’s arms, turning to Axl who was staring down at Aleksander in horror; to Fyn who ran for Thorgils, wanting to know what had happened to Eydis.

  ‘Where is she? Where is she?’

  ‘But why can’t she bring them back?’ Axl cried. ‘Daala? Why? Why can’t she bring them back?’

  Jael shook her head, wrapping her arms around her brother, her face wet against his shoulder.

  She didn’t have an answer.

  Gant held Gisila as she cried. Edela was there on his other side, too stunned to speak.

  She couldn’t understand what had happened.

  ‘It should have been me,’ Edela said, at last, thinking about Eydis, trying not to think about Aleksander. ‘Why wasn’t it me?’ she asked Dara who sat on the bench beside her.

  Dara held her shaking hand, squeezing gently. ‘We are all born with a purpose, Edela. You know that. I had mine, you had yours, and Eydis... it was always in her. Her gift. Her vision. This was her purpose. She was always meant to be a light in the darkness.’

  Biddy bent down before them. She had released the puppies from Jael’s bedchamber, and they were licking the tears from her face. Entorp was there, bending down to her, tears in his eyes, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

  Edela looked up to see Hanna approaching with Berard.

  And her heart burst with pain, seeing the question in her eyes.

  Gisila noticed. ‘Mother?’ She pushed herself away from Gant. ‘What is it?’ she panicked, gripping her throat. ‘What is it?’

  Edela stood, lips wobbling, trying to gather herself together as she walked towards Hanna who suddenly froze, her face falling. ‘I am so sorry, my dear.’

  ‘No!’ Gisila cried out, eyes full of horror, grabbing Gant. ‘No!’

  Gant was too stunned to move. ‘Aleksander? Edela? No, no, not Aleksander. Please!’

  Hanna turned and fell towards Berard, sobbing.

  Edela was shaking too much to walk, and she couldn’t see where to go if she’d wanted to. Gant stood quickly, grabbing her before she fell. ‘He saved Jael,’ Edela cried into his chest. ‘Aleksander died saving Jael.’

  Gant nodded, trying not to feel anything as Gisila joined them, arms around him. ‘Not Aleksander,’ he sobbed. ‘No!’

  Fyn was beside himself, and needing to comfort him stopped Jael from completely falling apart. And that made her realise that she had more than herself to think about. Turning around, she rubbed her eyes, trying to stop her tears, scanning the carnage in the vale: gaping craters, giant boulders, pieces of where-worm, dead bodies everywhere.

  Trying not to look at Aleksander, and ignoring the rolling waves of grief for Eydis, Jael walked towards Daala who she could sense was waiting to talk to her.

  ‘I am sorry for your losses,’ Daala murmured, sadness in her grey eyes as she reached for Jael’s hands.

  ‘And yours,’ Jael said, eyes on the body of Esk, lying where Fyr had stabbed him through the neck.

  Daala nodded. ‘This beautiful world is a gift we must all be prepared to sacrifice for. Though, I hope, not for a long time yet.’ And spinning away, she turned back into Fyr, white eye blinking at Jael before taking to the air, soaring into the golden sky towards the wall of rubble, flying straight through it.

  And, as Jael watched, the fallen boulders and rocks exploded, turning into bright light, and then disappearing entirely.

  A cheer went up as Beorn and the Islanders on the other side of the wall rushed forward before staggering to a stop, confronted with the horrific mess Draguta and her creatures had wrought.

  They moved forward quickly, seeing what they could do to help as the cries of the injured rose around them.

  ‘That’s it, then?’ Karsten rasped, limping forward, leaning on Thorgils, his face a bloody pulp, his legs wobbling. ‘No more Draguta?’ He’d wiped the blood out of his mashed eye, though he was struggling to see.

  Jael nodded. ‘I think it is, yes. No more Book of Darkness either.’ And she burst into tears again, remembering Eydis.

  Eydis who had saved them all.

  Karsten looked away to where a very awkward figure stood, shaking all over. ‘Meena!’ Thorgils helped him hobble towards her. ‘Meena!’ And happy to see that she was still alive, he wrapped a bloody arm around her.

  Meena didn’t know what to think, but Jaeger was dead, and there was no more Draguta. Morana was gone, the Book of Darkness, Evaine and Briggit Halvardar too. She shivered all over as Karsten stepped back, looking at her with a lop-sided grin.

  ‘What do you think, then? Would you like to go home?’

  Edela felt numb.

  Voices in the hall echoed around her, getting louder as night fell; as the shock abated and the realisation that they were free from the terror sunk in. Fires burned, the smell of food wafting from the kitchen, the hall slowly getting put back together.

  Edela looked down at the cup of ale Biddy had brought her.

  ‘It might help.’

  They both doubted that was true.

  ‘My heart is in pieces, Biddy,’ Edela admitted. ‘I’m not sure it will ever be whole again.’ She closed her eyes, not wanting to cry any more, but in her mind she saw her trip to Tuura with Aleksander; him cooking for her, crying with her, smiling at her; his arms around her when he was eleven; growing taller and taller until he was towering over her.

  Saying goodbye.

  ‘No,’ Biddy sniffed. ‘It won’t be. It can’t be. I feel as though I’ve lost a child.’ Reaching out, she held Edela’s hand. ‘And poor Eydis... she was just a girl. A sweet, sweet girl. Why? Why her?’

  ‘Eydis loved her brother. She loved Jael. She wouldn’t be sad to think that she’d saved them,’ Edela realised, turning to Biddy with a sad smile. ‘Would she?’

  Biddy shook her head. ‘No, she wouldn’t. She was strong. Brave.’

  ‘She was. They both were.’

  ‘And so were you. All that you did, Edela?’ Biddy grabbed her own cup, desperate to feel some moisture in her throat. ‘You kept us safe.’

  ‘I’m not sure that’s true. What about Sybill? Ontine?’ Edela frowned. ‘I didn’t act. I knew something was wrong, but I was too slow to act.’

  ‘We all were,’ Gant agreed, filling his cup before sitting down opposite them, his eyes on Isaura who sat with Gisila, head in her hands, struggling, like they all were. ‘Entorp said the Followers masked themselves from us. Perhaps there are more here that we don’t know about?’ He lowered his voice, glancing around. ‘But how will we ever tell?’

  Edela shrugged. ‘I’m not sure. Though their book is gone, and so is their master. I would think it doesn’t matter anymore. There’s no way back for them now. No way back to the Darkness.’

  Gant lifted his cup and stood, watching the men and women gather around the tables which had been dragged back into the hall. Most had cups in their hands, and they turned expectantly to him. ‘To Aleksander!’ he began, his voice breaking. Stopping, he caught Gisila’s eyes, filled with tears, just like his own. ‘And Eydis!’ He tried to keep going, but he couldn’t. His head dropped, and he shook it, unable to speak.

  Bram was there, his eyes on Hanna who sat silently in a corner with Berard, still in shock. He held his cup aloft as he stood, g
rimacing at the pain in his chest. ‘Those who have died today, died for all of us. A death we’d all happily sacrifice in turn. So we will keep their memories alive in this hall, and in every hall around Osterland and beyond!’ He stumbled, thinking about Eydis. About Eirik who had loved that little girl so much. Tears came, and he bit his teeth together, trying to keep going. ‘We’ll never forget them. Never forget what they did for us.’

  Silence. Heads nodding. Tears falling.

  The fire crackled and popped, the puppies crawling under the table, licking Biddy’s boots, hoping for crumbs.

  There was no body to cry over, to touch and hold one last time. To lie on a pyre and honour with gifts for her final journey.

  Eadmund hung his head, standing in the place he’d last seen his little sister, Thorgils by his side. ‘I want to say goodbye,’ he cried. ‘For all this time, I was so far away from her. Bound to Evaine. To Draguta. So far away. And now I’m here, free, and I can’t show her. I can’t see her. She can’t see me!’

  Thorgils rubbed his grainy eyes. ‘Eydis loved you so much. She would’ve felt proud to have saved you. To have saved all of us. The bravest Skalleson of all.’

  Eadmund closed his eyes, the loss of Eydis digging a hole deep inside him. He opened them, turning to Thorgils. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, nervous now. ‘I left you for dead.’

  Thorgils’ face fell. ‘You did. But I’m not dead. Not like that weakling Torstan Berg.’ Tears filled his eyes, and he sighed.

  Eadmund frowned, spinning around, realising that he hadn’t seen him; he hadn’t seen many of his friends. ‘What happened?’

  ‘I killed him,’ Thorgils sniffed. ‘There was this fog. It made us think things, see things that weren’t there. We fought each other. I...’ He banged his hands against his head. ‘I killed him! I killed him!’

  Eadmund was too shocked to speak. He reached out a hand, placing it on Thorgils’ shoulder. ‘Do you forgive me?’

  Thorgils looked confused.

  ‘Do you blame me? For what I did to you in Hallow Wood?’

  ‘Well...’

  Eadmund frowned.

  ‘No, I don’t,’ Thorgils said, trying to smile. ‘Of course I don’t.’

  ‘Then what do you think Torstan is doing now? Up in Vidar’s Hall? Telling the tale of it to Aleksander no doubt, deciding who had the most fame-worthy death.’

  ‘Or Ivaar.’

  Eadmund froze, spinning around to Ayla.

  ‘Ivaar’s dead?’

  She nodded sadly. ‘I wanted you to know, Eadmund. He tried to save Bruno. I saw him. He tried, but he couldn’t.’ She burst into tears, thinking about her husband. About Eydis. It was too hard to imagine what had happened, though she could feel Eydis all around her and it was a warm, comforting feeling, even as night settled in.

  Eadmund pulled Ayla into his arms, feeling her body shudder against his; not sure how he felt about the loss of his brother at all. His eyes drifted to where Jael stood with Axl, Karsten, and Meena, wanting to go to her but feeling oddly shy. She felt so far away, and after all this time, he didn’t know if she wanted him anywhere near her.

  ‘I’ll send a ship for my family,’ Karsten said, blinking his eye open, trying to see Jael. He needed to lie down. Everything was throbbing, and he thought he might be sick. ‘I think I’ll have a ship to send. You did burn my fleet.’

  Jael didn’t answer. She wanted to go back to Aleksander.

  To be with him before...

  ‘You have an enormous fleet,’ Meena told him. ‘Draguta brought the Helsaboran fleet to Hest.’

  Now Karsten’s eye did pop open. He turned, blinking at the scattered mess of Hestian warriors, none of them knowing what to do; bleeding, singed, dusty, but mostly confused, eyeing the Brekkans who were busy attending to their wounded, seeing to their dead. He nodded at Rork, who smiled back, half his face flapping open, but working too hard carrying his wounded men towards Astrid and Dragmall to notice.

  Axl needed to go and help him, but not until he knew that Amma was alright. ‘You’re sure?’ he asked Meena. ‘Sure she’s safe in Hest?’

  Meena nodded. ‘She was. Jaeger raped her,’ she almost whispered. ‘I am sorry. But Eadmund stopped him. He saved her. And me.’ She smiled at Eadmund as he approached, his eyes on Jael.

  ‘Who knew?’ Karsten stared at the bushy-haired woman who seemed less timid than when he’d last seen her. Taller even. And no longer tapping her head. ‘We’ve all come a long way since that night leaving Hest, haven’t we?’ And he looked at Jael. ‘Thanks to you.’

  Jael shook off the compliment, watching Fyn walk towards her with Soren, both of them carrying Raymon in their arms. She hurried to her brother as they laid him on the ground, relieved to see that his injuries didn’t appear too serious, though with all those arrows sticking out of him, it was no wonder he looked pale, his eyes struggling to focus on her at all. He had lost a lot of men, just as they had lost a lot of men. And her heart twisted again, thinking about Aleksander. She swallowed. ‘Ayla, will you look at Raymon? We need to get those arrows out.’ Her eyes were darting around as Rexon approached.

  Ayla nodded. She wanted to fall to the ground and sob, but she bit her teeth together, and rolled back her sleeves, lifting her eyes to try and find Astrid and Dragmall.

  ‘Jael,’ Rexon croaked, trying to get her attention. ‘We’re piling the bodies for a pyre. Beorn suggested we use sea-fire. There’s plenty left. What do you think?’ He thought of Aleksander, his eyes on Jael who suddenly looked as though she was ready to run.

  She shook her head. ‘I...’ And then she turned and walked away.

  Far away from all of them.

  They were in Jael’s chamber.

  Edela had been surprised when Dara knocked on the door, curious as to what she wanted, but before Dara could speak, Edela knew, and the thought of it quickly pushed her down onto the bed. ‘Dara, I...’

  Dara smiled. ‘I am old, Edela. You know how that feels. Imagine being over three hundred years old? Imagine watching your children, your grandchildren, everyone you’ve ever loved and cared about die? I am ready. Past ready.’

  ‘Are you sure there’s nothing more that you’re meant to do? You have so much knowledge, Dara. What will happen when you’re gone? When you’re not there to help anyone?’

  Dara sat on the bed beside her. ‘They will have you, won’t they? You and Jael, and one day, her daughter.’

  Edela’s head was up. ‘Jael will have another daughter?’

  ‘Oh yes, she will. And she will be a dreamer too. I have seen that. I have seen so many things, Edela, and my time is done. Draguta is gone. Raemus too. There is nothing for me to do. No need for me to keep living.’

  ‘But how? How can I kill you? Sybill thought she had.’

  Dara scowled, instantly angry. ‘Yes, she did, didn’t she, that horrible rodent, but don’t you worry, I have a symbol, a spell.’

  ‘Of course you do,’ Edela smiled sadly, watching as Dara pulled a tiny scroll from her purse.

  ‘This symbol will break the curse Draguta put on me all those years ago. If you think you can do it?’

  Edela took the scroll with a heavy heart.

  ‘I can.’

  ‘I can’t.’ Jael didn’t turn around. ‘I can’t.’

  Eadmund reached out, his hands on her shoulders.

  She flinched, moving further away. ‘I can’t say goodbye. I can’t leave him here. I can’t burn him.’ Eadmund didn’t say anything and she turned around, confused. He was here, back at last, and all she could think about was Aleksander. ‘I...’

  ‘You love him.’

  Jael nodded. ‘I do. Always. Always. He... I... I can’t say goodbye.’ Her eyes filled with tears, and they fell down her face.

  Eadmund lifted a hand to wipe them away. ‘I’m sorry. For you. For what I did to you. For Aleksander and Eydis. I’m so sorry, Jael.’

  And she pushed herself forward, into his arms, remembering the feel of him, the smell,
the warmth. Resting her head against his cheek, she saw images of Oss: the Pit; Ketil’s; Tig and Leada; Eirik on his throne, Eydis sitting beside him; the puppies disappearing into the snow.

  The cold.

  Her cloak.

  ‘I want to go home,’ she breathed, closing her eyes, feeling his arms enclosing her, trying to ignore the ache of her broken ribs. ‘I want to go home with you.’

  59

  There was no one to tell Amma what was happening.

  There had been no one to talk to at all, apart from Sitha and Tanja. Sitha had cared for her and Tanja had kept her company, and though Amma appreciated it, it did not make time go any faster while she waited to see who would return.

  And when.

  Her routine had been the same every day. After forcing down her breakfast, she wandered down to the harbour, watching the builders scrambling about, constructing the piers. Then she would walk past the ship sheds and the stables, out to the coves. Sometimes, she would take a quick swim. And then, refreshed, she would return to the castle, tired now, with a heavy heart.

  Alone.

  Until that one day when she wasn’t.

  Standing on the castle steps, already starting to feel too warm, Amma turned back to the harbour. She had never paid much attention to the ships as they came and went, but there was something about the ship that was being tied to the pier that captured her attention.

  The children.

  She could hear children.

  And turning all the way around, she started walking across the square, hurrying now, her breath caught in her chest, worrying and panicking.

  And hoping.

  ‘Amma!’ Berard’s hand was in the air as she ran towards him. ‘Amma!’

  She stumbled to a stop, her eyes darting to a bedraggled looking Bayla Dragos who stood beside her son, and to Ulf and Hanna and the children who clustered around them all, tired eyes on the big castle in the distance.

  Amma didn’t know what to say.

  ‘Edela told us everything,’ Berard smiled, though he could feel tears coming as he stared up at the castle, thinking about his father and Haegen. About Irenna and Nicolene. ‘So we came home.’