Viking Story - Chapter 4 Beta (Patreon)

“Promise me you won’t tell father.”

Her eyes narrowed and she bit her lip but after a moment the excitement and wonder of hearing her son who she knew should be dead was alive and now claiming to have seen Odin was too much.

“I swear on the name of the All-Father, Odin, I shall speak of this to no one, not even if they torture me.”

Her tone had changed, and the look on her face told Magnus she was committed to the oath she had just made.

Nodding, he put a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

“Odin has promised me a boon, a rune to help me grow and be the warrior he needs for what is coming.  I must train and spend time learning everything I can about our home and the other realms.  I know my father might not like it, but I will not shirk my family duties.”

Tapping his arm and the lack of mass to it, Magnus frowned.  

“I need to get stronger, and I’m going to do everything I can to make that happen. Food will be important, and I know we don’t have a lot or I would look more like Guat.”

Magnus watched as his mother's face scrunched up, frowning as he listened to him, nodding as he spoke.  

“My mind is missing things.  Things I should know, but I don’t.  It is as I can’t remember how our world works.  I can’t remember anyone’s name but yours and father's.  I know a little about the runes and…”

He let his words trail off, putting on a face. He acted surprised and then grabbed both of Thora’s shoulders and smiled.

“I remember! Odin touched my forehead with his spear!”

She clasped both hands over her mouth and then reached out slowly, her hand trembling, and pressed two fingers against her son’s head.

“He touched you with Gungnir?”

Nodding, Magnus smilied.  

“That must be why I can’t remember some things but can remember others!  Surely, it is a test to see how committed I am!”

Thora’s eyes darted all over, and she nodded, glancing at the ground for a few. She turned and started to pace, rubbing her lips with a few fingers while supporting her elbow with the other hand.

Magnus waited, knowing she was taking everything he had sown and planting it.  Her knowledge of the world and the path he would need to take would make things easier for him. Trying to figure stuff out on his would end up causing more problems.

Minutes had passed, and then Thora turned and looked composed.

“Valgard will not like letting you pursue other things besides farming, but I will handle that.  Food will be hard to come by, but I will share what I can of mine and make a little more when possible.  You’ll need to find ways to earn money.  As for training how to fight…”

She paused and glanced down the road they had just walked along.  “There is someone in town who may be willing to help.  They would do it in private but will charge for it. Are you certain you are up for being tired and getting little sleep?”

Smiling, Magnus nodded. That had been his life for the last twelve years and all of his childhood. Farming wasn’t hard; it was just long and tedious. There would be a season when one could relax and focus on other things, but he didn’t have the time to wait.

“I’ll do whatever needs to be done, Mother.  I promised Odin I would not fail.”

Thora nodded, encircled his arm again in hers, and started moving down the road at a quicker pace.

“Then we need to hurry up and get home.  There is much I need to do if I am going to set things in motion.”

It had only taken them about twenty minutes to arrive at Magnus’s new home. The wood of their house looked a little more worn than some of the others, and the thatch on the roof also appeared in need of some repairs.  There was a large field of grain that looked a week or two away from when it was going to be harvested. Magnus could see the boy’s father out in the distance, moving among the field, doing something he couldn’t make out.

“Forget him for now,” Thora said, motioning toward the open wooden door. Come inside. You should eat.”

He let her lead, not sure where anything was or how the house was arranged.

It was dark except for the small fire that was glowing slightly and the light coming from the windows, which had their coverings pulled aside.  

Dang, what the hell did Odin get me into?

“Do you want to lay down and rest while I get something from breakfast out?”

She pointed at a rolled-up pair of blankets near a section of the wall near the stone fireplace. Sleeping on the floor wasn’t something he hated, having slept on dirt and rocks multiple times for the last few years.  

“I would prefer not to.  Actually, can I explore some?  Who are our neighbors? How far are we from everyone? Is there anywhere I shouldn’t go?”

Frowning, Thora stopped unwrapping the hard bread she had in her hands and nodded.

“Get me a piece of charcoal and bring it here.  It will be easier that way.”

When he fished out a piece from the edges, making sure there was no ember inside, Magnus brought it to her, and she gave him a thick slice of bread. It was almost as hard as a rock, but the glass of water she gave him helped some.

The water tasted stale but cool, and he wondered where it came from and if he would have to worry about bacteria in it.

“Look, this is us,” she said as she began to draw on the wooden table.  “Over here is the crotchety old Arngriim Serhmysson. He’s weird and doesn’t work, so stay away from him unless you want to deal with whatever curses he promises to give out.”

It took a few minutes, but by the time he had eaten his bread and finished his water, she had drawn him a rough sketch that gave Magnus an idea of the land. The effects of his rune made remembering everything she said easier than ever.

So we’re on the southeast side of the area of land.  Forests are to the east, and a large ocean is south.  A friend named, Osvif is a few miles away, and I’m at least five miles from the village, Kroppr, where that asshole Guat lives.  Knowing his dad is the Lendmann is good and bad. Two other families are out near us, and then there are the warded woods.

“When do people go out into the forest?”

Spewing water from her cup, Thora started to gasp, trying to catch her breath after choking on her drink from that question.

“We don’t! Only the thegn go out there.  If you’re not a warrior, it is asking for death.  The creatures that live in that forest are not worth it for anyone except a pair of drang.”

Cocking his head sideways, Magnus gave her a confused look, and she sighed.  “Warrior… a drang is a younger warrior.  A few of them are droengiar.  A thegn is a mature warrior, and more than one is a thegnar.”

“That’s right. Sorry, my brain felt fuzzy. It felt like I knew it but couldn’t place it.”

Frowning, Thora nodded.  “Odin just gave you back to me, don’t be stupid and throw your life away.  Three more years until you can use a rune, and then you can be a little more foolish. Do you remember why Guat almost killed you?”

Shaking his head caused the woman to rub her face with her hand.

“You two have never gotten along.  He has picked on you since the day you both met.  Osvif said he wanted something from you today, and you wouldn’t give it.  I’m not sure what it was, and honestly, I didn’t think about it till right now.  Is there anything on you?”

Running his hands over his pants, which had no pockets, Magnus shook his head.  

“No doubt the boy took it… I doubt he’ll admit to it, and we can’t really accuse the boy of stealing it.  Not that his father would listen to those accusations.  For a Lendmann, he isn’t the greatest.  However, he does lead parties into the woods, and they come back with materials for the rune crafters.  That is why our Jarl Bior looks past the man and his reputation.”

Standing up, Magnus nodded and motioned to the door. 

“I’m going to go check out the area if that is ok.  How much longer till I need to be home?”

Scoffing, Thora looked out the door for a moment. “Five or six hours tops.  It will be dark even with both moons out tonight.”

Trying not to chuckle at the knowledge of two moons in the sky, Mangus moved to where the woman sat and leaned down, kissing her quickly on the cheek.

“Thank you, mother,” he said, grinning before moving toward the door.

The shocked look on her face told him it was not something she had expected or obviously had received for some time.

Mental note… not an affectionate family.

Outside, Magnus moved quickly to the axe he had seen near some logs. About eight pieces looked to be waiting to be split. Not wanting to shirk possible duties and willing to get on the good side of the boy's parents, Magnus got to work cutting the wood into smaller pieces.

Sweat rolled off him as he held his shirt in his hand. The wood hadn’t been difficult to chop, and his body was surprisingly stronger than it looked. There wasn’t any fat on the frame; it just lacked the muscle he had grown accustomed to.  

It had taken less than thirty minutes to split the wood, and after stacking it up neatly, Magnus held the shirt in one hand and took the axe in the other, jogging off in the direction he knew he wasn’t supposed to go but felt drawn to.

The forest Thora had described left him blowing a little wind out of his lips.  The trees grew together in a tight bunch, and under them was a darkness that beckoned foolish people to venture into.

Sounds came from inside the forest, and it was impossible to guess what was in there.

Giant stones with runes were set apart about two football fields apart, and another pair seemed to be just as far after this set. For forty meters on each side of the runes, nothing grew. Empty dirt resided, and then suddenly, life shot up in the form of weeds and underbrush.

The road he stood on didn’t look very well traveled, and Max wondered how often that man, Reinn, actually came here.  Rotating the axe in his hand, Magnus couldn’t help but feel the draw of the forest, something inside him wanting him to go in.

“How bad could this really go?” he said out loud, carefully running his hand along the edge of the axe blade. It wasn’t super sharp, but it had a weight to the head, and the shaft felt strong and ready to be swung in his hands. It was a two-handed tool, not a weapon, but still, it could be one.

Unable to resist the call of the forest, it felt like sirens singing his name and promising him that inside was what he needed.  Inside, he would find answers to everything he didn’t know.

Taking a deep breath, Magnus looked up at the two planets that were slowly vanishing on the edge of the horizon.  

“Time to see what Odin gave me.”