《Righteous Viking》


 Chapter 1 - The Wager

    "Valkyrie...STOP!" The words that were spoken did not so much enter the Valkyrie''s ears, as permeate her body and mind without a sound- the voice of the All Father, El Elyon- The Most High... was not simply ignored - El Elyon could create or eliminate worlds with a thought. Now, she was stuck, halfway through finishing her "Chuck Norris" round house.


    "But Grandfather, he''s laughing at me" she snarled through clenched frozen teeth.


    "Uhh...yeah, of course he is- you made a wager with the god of war child." God''s deep baritone chuckle echoed through the Egyptian motif arena, "Aries is not one to trifle with; he humored you with your little sparring match. You made a wager - you lost. Your mouth was ''writing checks that your butt couldn''t cash'' child. Who in their right mind would bet, especially the father of combat, that they could land a punch on him?"


    "Father", Aries chimed "you should let her go now, I think she is relaxed enough." Aries had backed up a step, standing there in is his cool Kung-Fu pants with his arms crossed over his chiseled chest, still chuckling under his breath.


    "Fine, child. Valkyrie, what is the wager that you must pay?" El Elyon asked.


    The Valkyrie looked her grandfather in the eye, a bit embarrassed, but determined as well, "I have to do something that completely repulses me. I have to teach a human creature how to fight properly, Grandfather." The look on the Valkyrie''s face was priceless- like getting a big whiff of bad cheese - and that got a chuckle from the Allfather and Aries both.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "So", El Elyon pondered, "I know that you will do as you have agreed, you are a most honorable warrior even though you''re an impetuous child, what exactly will you be teaching to said human?"


    "Angel combat, or at least what they can handle, Grandfather, Aries to think that I will be able to find at least one human that will be able to learn."


    God ¨C Allfather - grinned. "You will be surprised granddaughter, they are much stronger and more resilient than you can imagine, I did create them after all, you will get to know them ¨C probably better than you think. You know I always have a plan, this is your destiny, as well as at least one other humans as well. I have seen this coming for...umm, eternity as it is", God''s eyes gleaming over the top of his smirk, "and now with you losing your wager, the world gets a protector. You are probably thinking ''you already sent Jesus, what now?'', but he was the savior of souls. With your teaching, there will become a protector and deliverer of righteousness, against the purveyors of evil, that have persisted on earth since the fall of the Morning Star. You will help to create the greatest "human...ish" warrior in their history, and he will deliver what no other human can - justice." The All Father walked to the Valkyrie and gave her a hug, then turned to exit the giant arena. As he passed Aries, they hit a heavenly high-five that shook the pillars of heaven and God left with his plan in motion, "Come Michael, I have some archangel things for you to do."

 Chapter 2 - Introductions

    The Valkyrie, Is?lde as she decided to call herself now, made her way to the village of her would-be student.  Early June was a perfect time to start this assignment, not too cold, and never too hot in the north. She was not exactly sure who she was supposed to mentor, she just knew that he was a Viking shipwright; and if you''re looking for a shipwright, you may as well start in the most prestigious ship building village of Norway - Elg Hjem, "Home of the Elk", was originally settled generations ago because of its coastal proximity and access to the forest and game which housed and fed the villagers. Now, the village is extremely prosperous from building canoes and longboats of all types for the most influential Kings and Jarl''s in the north of mainland Europe.  It is close to what will one day become T?nsberg, Norway.


    Using her uncanny angel abilities to get the lay of the land, or as modern people would understand - flying on her angel wings, she flew back and forth over the village like some flying drone with laser mapping abilities. She memorized every square inch of the village, from the southeast where the boats of all sizes were assembled, to the northwest, where the raw lumber was brought in and processed.


    With the reconnaissance completed, she got down to business: disguised in a typical home spun skirt and blouse of the local women, Is?lde discretely made her way into the village from the south, close to the shipyard, fifty meters or so away from the saltwater inlet where finished boats were launched. There was a good-sized river running past the village into this saltwater inlet - it made for the perfect place to build and launch boats. The countryside was covered in old growth oak, elm, and ash- perfect supplies for boat building.


    The village was a flurry of activity late in the morning. Everyone was working together like the parts inside a Swiss clock. Young black smiths in training were making rivets and nails while the master smiths were beating out oar locks, swords, and axes ¨C the tools that made the Viking''s so unforgettable. Other men and women were at looms making sails and cloth, or, at cook fires preparing lunch. Smaller children, not yet in their teens, were playing with wooden swords and shields under the guidance of veteran warrior men and women who already paid their dues with hard labor and combat. Everybody had something going on, there were no idle hands- she also noticed that everyone was working with a good-natured smile on their faces, amazing!  This was several generations of sons and daughters with spouses and children, cousins, working in conjunction with the whole family.


    The more Is?lde studied her surroundings, the more she noticed the sheer genius and ingenuity of this clan. The layout of the village was a model of efficiency. The lumber was harvested north of the village and brought into their milling area. The mill was incredible! Beyond the typical hand splitting of the trees to create the planks, the millwrights had giant steel planes mounted between old growth trees and used a swinging log, like a giant hammer, to force the large raw pieces of timber through the planes to create the individual planks.


    The planks were hand milled to exact specs and hauled by mules, south, down a road to the shipwrights. The road through the village down to the water was amazing, it was paved with large flat pieces of granite and basalt that made the travel with the wooden carts much easier on those mules. When the carts passed the smith''s, those carts with smaller loads of lumber would pick up materials that needed delivered to the shipwrights.  The paved road was wide enough for traffic in both directions, to and from the assembly area. The rest of the village''s clinker style log houses were set on the eastern edge of the village, about halfway between the mill and the shipyard. A bit further to the east of the homes was a huge longhouse. The long side closest to the village was actually a series of doors that could be opened and turned into something resembling an amphitheater. In true Viking fashion, it was used daily, for the evening meal, as well as the other important village wide events throughout the year.


    Is?lde had taken in enough of the village, she decided it was time to find the shipwright she was going to teach.  As she turned south to leave the area of the blacksmiths and sail makers, she heard loud voices that quickly became agitated shouts. Is?lde picked up her pace, not too fast, she didn''t want to draw attention to herself in her first thirty minutes in the village. In all the hustle and bustle of the assembly yard, she could see three angry men, clearly outsiders with their bumble bee looking accoutrements, animatedly shouting at one particularly bullishly shaped Viking man, who was walking toward them.


    It was clear the "bull shaped" man was in charge - while he was sauntering directly toward the yelling man and his companions, other villagers drifted to far edges of this confrontation. Anticipation of a scuffle was oozing from the body language of the "bee boys"; they were coiled like springs ready to release, hands on their weapons, eyes flitting across the locals.


    Is?lde took note that this shipwright...undoubtedly her student, she could feel it now - was handsome...for a human. His brassy, light brown, shaggy hair pulled back in a leather thong and his long beard braided down the front of his thick chest, pushing the limit of his home spun shirt. Notably, he was not as tall as the visitors, but made up the difference by being much broader than the trio he faced. His arms were solid like weathered oaks and hands like iron bands that looked like they could crush stone...and he was calm, that scary calm before a wicked storm. Is?lde chuckled to herself,  she thought the look on his face was akin to that of a bull eating grass, being intimidated by a rabbit These three visitors were failing at the intimidation ploy.


    The outsiders were equipped for battle; domed helmet, wooden shields, painted yellow and black alternating like a four pieced shaped pie, hanging from their backs and matching yellow tunics and black trousers. Each had a short sword in a scabbard on the weak hand side, and a small axe stuffed into their belts on their strong hand side- all close to or taller than six feet.


    "Okay Magnus'''', the leader said loudly to the bull shaped man, "the Jarl wants his boat, and he wants it now."


    "Oskar, I am so glad you are here," Magnus calmly replied - condescendingly, "you can go back and tell Jarl Sigurd that he has to wait his turn. He should have come to me sooner with his request and down payment...we work first come, first serve, and he was not first."


    Apparently, Oskar thought getting loud would be helpful in his cause, "Look Magnus, I won''t say it again, if you don''t get the Jarl''s boat done and ready to sail, there will be consequences...the Jarl won''t wait for you to finish the other boats, he wants HIS boat now!"


    "I am done talking to you Oskar." Now, had Magnus been a bull, he would be raking the ground with his hoof, prepped to charge, "You cannot, cannot come into my village and threaten my family and friends. Threats, you moose dropping, is a definite way to get your ass beat." Tore was violently pointing as Oskar, "You, and especially the Jarl, know that we are not beholden to any of the clans, we are only bound to ourselves. That is for the good of all of us, all the clans. We are the best, and fastest, at what we do, he will have his boat when he has his boat! You need to leave; we will sail the boat around to him when it is done, in two months."


    "Well, that''s not going to work Magnus, we are going to..."


    Oskar did not get another word out as Magnus crossed the two meters in between them and knocked Oskar flat with an elbow to the chin. Magnus rolled low and to the right, taking the next man in the solar plexus with his large wooden mallet. The last man drew his short sword and began to stalk toward Magnus, the mallet flew at the man''s head at the same time Magnus sprung forward diving into a roll and as the fighter blocked the flying hammer, Magnus grabbed the man in a classic double leg take down. Rising up and through, he drove the man into nearest stack of lumber, knocking his head and sending him into a stupor. In less than fifteen seconds, all of Jarl Sigurd''s men were incapacitated and Magnus hadn''t even broken a sweat...impressive. Now that Is?lde had witnessed this display, she definitely knew Magnus was her student and it would not be as hard as she initially planned.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Is?lde finished making her way down to the edge of the building site to follow up on the destruction. Magnus was directing some of his foreman, "Roderick, get some buckets of water to dump on them, point them in the direction of their boat, and kick them in their arses to get them moving." She snuck around to his right, just out of his reach, and asked, "So, you really made a mess of things here, now, didn''t you?" Magnus turned to her, "I have been waiting for that moment for a long time...wait, I don''t know you...can I help you with something?"


    "I want to buy a boat." Is?lde smirked.


    Magnus just looked at the tall, blonde, fit woman, dumbfounded, "Okay, so...I''m not sure what''s going on at this moment, it all seems a bit weird to me. The Jarl''s men and a pretty woman show up at the same time to get me to make them a boat, hmmm?", he growled, "Please go have a seat over in my hut and let me finish getting these idiots conscious and back to their ship." Magnus pointed her over to the east, to a small open side wood building. The building was large enough for four or five people to stand comfortably and contained a table and two chairs. The open side was actually a large door split in the middle and hinged on the corners, so it could shut and enclose the space. Ingeniously, there were adjustable slats built into the door that could be moved up or down to keep prying eyes out and let plenty of light inside. Is?lde made her way over and sat in the chair furthest from the table.


    Magnus finished getting the Jarl''s men out of his hair and the building crews back to work. He did a quick double check of the sight, turned around toward Is?lde, and paused taking a deep thoughtful breath. Many ideas were running through his head: the confrontation with the Jarl''s men - the Jarl knows the rules, this beautiful woman asking to buy a boat, and she seemed to think that he was afraid of Jarl Sigurd. Things to ponder for sure. One thing was clear to him though, she was not a typical Viking woman. He could sense something about her, something he just couldn''t put his finger on - like being stalked by a wolf in the forest, you can just see them out of the corner of your eye, but you cannot look directly at them, or they vanish ¨C but you know it is there.


    He made his way to his hut, to sit at his work bench with the mystery woman, "Gunther!", he shouted at his page, "Please bring some ale and two mugs." Magnus quickly drank in the sight of this woman. She had beautiful long blonde hair and intensely blue eyes. She was slender and taller than average with a powerful physique ¨C not soft. She held herself with an air of authority...not arrogance, she moved like a puma through the forest, she need not fear any natural predator, she was an apex predator.


    "Okay" Magnus sighed, "one thing is taken care of, let''s see about you. You seem to know a little bit of what I am about, so, what in the name of the Allfather are you about? Maybe we should at least start with your name?"


    She smiled broadly, and sat more upright taking in deep breath, "My name is Is?lde, and I as well think the Allfather can shed light on this situation...I have been, in fact, sent here by the Allfather. You and I, Magnus, have some work to do."


    "Gunther!" Magnus shouted, "Change the ale to mead and hurry up!" Magnus proceeded with a slow and deliberate face palm and swipe down, "Is?lde, right, that is your name?" She nodded and smiled in confirmation. Magnus asked, "This is a significant bit of information, and I don''t know what to think of it. Most of the people we know don''t believe in an "Allfather", just the "One father" - Odin, so, claiming to be from the Allfather makes me wonder, even more, what you are about." Is?lde just sat there, back straight hands clasped in her lap, smiling broadly. "Okay - the easiest wat to get to the bottom of this mystery you present ¨C prove it. If you''re not telling the truth, then ¨C well... I don''t know what we will do. I should tell you though, we don''t appreciate anyone mocking the Allfather, like I mentioned - how can you prove yourself, Is?lde?"


    She stood up smiling, like a child seeing her father on the boat dock after weeks away from home, in front of Magnus and laid her right hand on his left shoulder. She pushed her consciousness into him washing away any doubt that was in his mind. The doors to the hut slowly shut by Is?lde''s will, the shades tilted up slightly to limit people being able to see inside. Is?lde took a step back, so she had room to change - the air shimmered around her as she transformed into her angelic battle form- she was donned in leather cuirass and battle skirt. The leather was accented by platinum colored chain mail, shoulder pauldrons, and plating. A short sword angled off on her left hip and a two and a half hand broadsword sheathed on her back. The broadsword leaked some sparkly looking energy that dissipated as it hit the wooden floor. Her angel wings were mostly furled, as she could not fully extend them in Magnus'' shop...she inspired Magnus. Not just an angel like the ones his grandparents told him about, but also, like a Valkyrie from the sagas of old. He was speechless.


    Magnus, captivated by her form, took one step from his chair immediately to kneeling with his head bowed. She stepped forward, leaned down, and gently placed her right index finger under his chin to lift his eyes to hers. "You do not ever have to kneel to me Magnus. I am in service to the Allfather the same as you. In most senses, we are equals, we just come from different backgrounds. Please rise." He rose and asked, "I don''t know what to say Is?lde. You just really want a boat?", he asked with a grin.


    Is?lde snickered and then she shimmered again as she returned to her original guise. "Magnus, we are going to work something out, and I am going to get one of your boats. What we should do first, is figure out what we are going to do about Jarl Sigurd whose men will show up here in a few days, I am sure. I have no plans on going anywhere, so questions about who I am and what I am doing can wait these few days."


    The two new friends sat back down in their respective chairs. Magnus was still taking in the beauty sitting next him ¨C big grin and sparkling eyes. Is?lde was very concerned though, "What are you going to do about the Jarls men coming to your village, Magnus. By the look on your face, I don''t think you are taking this seriously. You fight like no man I''ve ever seen, but how will the rest of your village fare against an experienced fighting force?"


    Now it was Magnus''s turn to smile like a kid on the dock, "Oh Is?lde, I have been waiting for this moment for a while... Jarl Sigurd is an asshole. He has been pushing people around for a long time - flaunting and abusing his power. He keeps his men in check just enough as to not soil his honor, for it''s honor that is keeping the other Jarl''s from taking a stand. He pushes them, and then pulls back ¨C pushes, and then pulls back. Sigurd takes more offerings from his farmers and smiths, he keeps more of the plunder than his men fight for, and he keeps more slaves for his sick perversions ¨C he has no honor. Now, he came to my village and threatened us ¨C I don''t have to let that stand. We are highly respected by all the other clans, even ones across the sea to the east and the south, so when he shows back up here and we beat his ass and take his chiefdom, nobody else will dispute us. One major bonus for us though...see those three fella''s working on those two boats there?"  Magnus points to her left, down by the water, Isolde nods in affirmation. "One of those fellas is from Jarl Halfdan''s and two are from Jarl Leif''s villages - Sigurd''s biggest rivalries. They are learning how to handle the boats we are building for them, by helping us build them. How is that for you? We have our own witnesses of Jarl Sigurd''s dishonor in progress." Magnus grinned.


    "You still haven''t explained to me how you think you can take on the Jarl''s whole clan?" Is?lde asked with a truly alarming tone, "There are what, maybe fifty or sixty people in your village, including women, children, and old folk?"


    "Well, there are actually over 250 of us, many are out of the village right now hunting or logging, or, even mining now that I think of it. We are much better warriors than boat builders, and we build the best boats. Even if we had to fight five-to-one, we would beat them." Magnus stated, his chest pushing out a bit and his shoulders squaring up as he was just thinking about a good scrap.


    "That is very impressive, or you are a serious liar. Why do you think you can take them on five to one? I have seen a lot of battles in my day, Magnus, and I have never witnessed too many people that could fight five opponents at a time."


    "First off ¨C we won''t be fighting a direct one versus four of five, we have some protective measures in place that will allow us to pick them off as they come up to the village. My village has been down this road more than once in the past. We''re prepared. Beyond that, I think I should tell you the story of how we became the greatest fighters in the north...and west." His voice pitching up just a bit, tinged with just a hint of pride. "It is a great story, although a long one. We have several days before those idiots show up to the village, so, let''s get the story going, shall we?" Magnus shouted one more time, "Gunther, get the bloody mead out here, and now I need some cheese and bread! Hurry your arse up boy."  Magnus stretched his back and began his tale.

 Chapter 3 - The Warrior Clan

    Magnus'' great grandfather, three, maybe four times removed, was a great boat builder ¨C his name was Bj?rn Odinsson. He was the most pioneering builder of his day, many of his inventive techniques are used today by all boat builders in the north. Bj?rn''s most important innovation was his practice of ensuring that his technical advances were practical ¨C he would do so by traveling with clans, on raids, in the boats he built, so he could see his work in action.  In this way, he could fine tune his latest innovations and make them better for the next boat he built. The fact that Bj?rn was such a perfectionist lends much to understanding why Magnus'' people are the greatest fighters of this land.


    Bj?rn began building boats with his father when he was just big enough to swing a mallet. By the time he entered manhood, he had built more boats than most shipwrights much older than him. As it just seemed to be his destiny, shortly after the village declared him a man, he departed the village with a group of explorers looking for a southern passage to a sea known as the Mediterranean. His goal was to learn how other builders plied their craft. It was a bold move, one that was inspired by the All Father ¨C not Odin, not that Allfather. On his life changing journey, Bj?rn would become the first of his clan to change his beliefs away from the Norse pantheon to follow the One God, to the singular creator they refer to as the Allfather, same name ¨C different creator, but using the same moniker keeps them from causing too much trouble amongst the other clans. It was Bj?rn''s dreams that inspired him and his fellow explorers to set south and know that they would be successful.


    The group took as much food and water as they could hold but were also planning to stop many times to hunt and restock. Part of the plan was to establish trade partners along the river system that would take them to the fabled city of Byzantium on the Mediterranean. Their trip took them initially west and south...there is no need to talk about the sailing and how hard it was, and how tough these twenty men were, so on and so on...it should be understood that the hard work of sailing is one of the things that makes Vikings physically superior to other tribes and countrymen - they exercise on the way to plundering.


    The group had to camp on the coast of the Danes the first few nights, they would have liked to avoid the Danes as much as possible - they were some real son''s o'' bitches, but it was a long trip and they had to rest, of course. The first evening the men were setting up camp on the Danish coast, a small number of locals stumbled across them.  It must be noted that initially, Bj?rn was a kind man, not prone to violence ¨C on the raids he went on, he rarely left the boat. He preferred to stay with the boat and do what he could to ease the trauma of the slaves that were taken. In an un-Viking like fashion, the village of Elg Hjem did not approve of enslaving people. So, this is to say that as soon as the Danes found the explorers - Bj?rn nearly shat his breeches. There was no time to react to the attack - Bj?rn was the closest to them, unarmed, and poorly trained, he took a sword stab to his left shoulder leaving him incapacitated for the rest of the fight. Bj?rn curled up into the fetal position as the rest of the group, all seasoned fighters, dispatched the dozen or so Danes in a few minutes. Bj?rn''s friend Rognald picked him up, patched him, and set him down with a small mug of mead next to a fire. It was at this point in Bj?rn''s life that he decided that he would not be hurt in a fight ever again.


    The explorers kept making their way west and south to the region of Germania. It was slow going, rowing into the prevailing wind, but again, this made these men hard and tough.  While they traveled, Bj?rn made sure to spend as much time as he could at an oar ¨C even if it was one handed for many days. He wanted to improve his physical being as well as show the men he was willing to do the hard work too - leading by example. When he was not rowing, he worked with Rognald learning the basics of combat. Each evening after the group landed and camp was set up, Bj?rn would spar with every fighter who would give him a moment...he was well respected, they all gave him time. This activity went on for more a couple of weeks...the group was practicing daily, and at times - all day long if they weren''t having to row. Sometimes they stayed longer in a spot if it had a good water source or plentiful game. Bj?rn was trying to get in as much practice as he could before they passed into the land of the Germanian''s. He did not want to get stabbed ever again.


    Intermission -


    Magnus paused for a drink, "Grandfather was a builder and engineer at heart, always wanting to do better - this distinctive trait carried over into everything he did, blacksmithing, cooking, learning how to fight ¨C it didn''t matter what he did, he improved everything he learned how to do. As he was learning how to fight, he would constantly analyze, critique, and improve those skills he was learning. He had a knack for engineering and how bodies moved, how they would respond, react, so on and so on. He took learning how to fight to a new level. As he learned and adapted, he devised new forms too. He showed these ''moves'', so to speak, to his friends, and in turn and they all began to work and analyze their fighting styles, constantly making improvements, sometimes just the most subtle of foot spacing or elbow height...always making forms better."


    End Intermission -


    The river tributary that Bj?rn had dreamt of in the land of Germania was open like the top of a mead pitcher ¨C they literally took a left and started heading south. The unknown territory excited the explorers. They were the discoverers of a new land ¨C they would record the sites and tell the tales of this expedition, earning them fame and valor. Their names would be recorded in the Viking annals of history!


    Traveling was much easier on the glassy green river than on the turbulent ocean. Trees and brush reached out over the water, the shore keeping the travelers at bay with no place to land. Breaching an occasional glimpse back into the ancient forest, they could see giant fir and walnut trees imbuing the landscape with their spirit into atmosphere. Branches and roots offer safety to the animals that chose to stay within their confines. The power of God''s creation rolled off of the giants like heat waves from a smithy''s fire. It was several miles into the land that the explorers finally found space enough on the shore to land the long boat. Bj?rn''s plan was to stay here and relax for a few days. They could hunt, gather water, train...and a few days spent resting would be good for the men.


    The first evening at camp, Bj?rn could feel the forest calling to his soul. He wandered through the fir and walnut trees, feeling as if he was being guided ¨C something was calling him...someone. Bj?rn signaled to Rognald, pointing at himself and then into the forest, that he would be heading off ''that'' way, he made his way through brush and bramble. Following the pull of the spirit on his heart he came upon the gnarliest old tree he had ever seen. Its giant gnarled trunk with mammoth branches soaring into the darkening sky. Bark so dark and tough, nearly black, protecting its life-giving inner core. Small mammals and birds were creating a chorus of sound that was naturally soothing. As Bj?rn walked a circle around the massive trunk, there was one specific spot, directly on the east side, at the base of the ancient behemoth, that looked as if someone had come and cleared it of debris just for him. The spirit of the forest was intense, he could feel the Allfather in all the things that surrounded him, encouraging him, building him up, strengthening his resolve. Bj?rn sat in the mysteriously clean spot, on the ground next to the Allfather tree for several hours, meditating and deliberating over his heaven-sent dreams ¨C still not sure what to make of all he had just recently discovered. Bj?rn finally found himself feeling spiritually satiated and made his way back to camp.


    Over the remaining few days, in between hunting and sparring, Bj?rn would depart camp and meditate at the ancient Allfather tree. The meditation sessions were fortifying his plans and strengthening his belief in the One creator. Bj?rn now knew that he and his explorers were destined to do more than travel to Byzantium to learn boat building, blacksmithing, and combat ¨C this trip would set the foundation for their clans - generations to come. They were going to create something new...and good.


    These few days of rest and simple training were refreshing, the explorer''s hearts and souls were once again in the frame of diligent and wanton voyager. In between training and eating, Bj?rn felt it prudent to take each one of his friends to the Allfather tree too, being one on one with them, bolstering their trust and building relationships with those who would be with him to the end of this strange, fortunate journey.


    The morning the crew packed up and headed south, they kept to their regimented schedule - either practicing fighting methods or rowing. Late that first morning, the crew passed through a settlement that was built on both sides of the river. Slowly passing through, Bj?rn watching one side and Rognald the other. This was the first sign of people they had found since setting into this new land. Not wanting to take anything for granted, Bj?rn decided they should just pass on through to avoid any initial fear they might cause ¨C they were Vikings, not cuddly puppies. This seemed to be a small village, and it felt as though, by the look of the folk watching them, they would not be interested in making a trade deal right away. Bj?rn kept an eye on their stern after making it past the last of the small river dwellings, ensuring they were not followed ¨C just in case.


    Pulling off the river and setting up camp for the night started out like one of those "normal" moments, but the light mood was soured - their kindly banter was broken by the sound of boats running up on to the shore. Two row boats to be exact, bearing a sun motif flag of the settlement they passed through, pulled up onto the tree lined cove behind them. Two men from each boat jumped out into the shallow water to finish dragging the boats up on to the beach. All were wearing matching blue tunics with the same sun motif on the flag, over chain mail, brown home spun pants, and brown leather boots. Nineteen of the men wore a simple steel helm. One man, in particular, stood out as his helmet was decorated with a horsehair plume dyed blue and his uniform had the addition of a blue cape with the sun motif emblazoned on it.


    Bj?rn''s crew all stopped and slowly gathered up - not drawing any weapons, they stood fifteen yards or so, inland from the visitors. There was an honest attempt to look peaceful...their raggedy beards, long braids, or bald heads - it could be imagined that it was a little difficult for those villagers, all dressed uniformly with well kempt clothing and beards, to understand the men they beheld. Bj?rn had his hands out to his front, away from his torso and axes, and slowly stepped away from his crew to head toward the militia leader. The plumed leader began speaking loudly and quickly, repeating something that Bj?rn could not understand. Bj?rn had stopped in his tracks, now ten yards away from the militia, and raised his hands a bit further, trying to look more reassuring ¨C but it was not working. The plumed leader was still repeating the same phrase, and was now, attempting to make his point more forceful by raising his voice and drawing his sword ¨C the two men could simply not communicate - with the plumed leader drawing his weapon, a line had been crossed.


    The clearly palpable tension finally snapped like a center mast in a lightning storm - something triggered the commander of the soldiers to order an attack. The Vikings had not drawn weapons initially, so they were taken aback at the surprise movement. Bj?rn was the closest to an enemy, followed by Rognald; their bodies simply shifted to autopilot ¨C this was going to turn out badly for the blue men. Bj?rn''s hours of constant practice kicked in without a second wasted as he closed the gap on an attacker. He was inside the leader''s attack sphere, grabbing the sword wrist and elbow, then hip tossing him over, reversing the grip of the sword to instinctively stab his opponent in the heart for a kill...but he never finished that killing blow - a thunderous voice with the power of a winter squall froze all motion¨C "STOP!"


    All the men literally stopped in the middle of their movements ¨C falling, swinging a sword, or running into the forest afraid. A man dressed in a homespun, dark brown habit was stepping from the boat, furthest away from the battle. He was older than Bj?rn, but not "old", brown, short, mussed hair and lacked any facial hair. Shaken to his core, tears coursing down his cheeks. That man began speaking frantically to the leader of the town''s men, using his hands to emphasize his fear, and clearly chastising the leader for his stupidity, a tirade of fear slowly coming to an end as he noticed that everyone was staring at him, and him alone.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Bj?rn stepped back from the leader and allowed him to roll over and up to his feet. The plumed leader took stock of the entire battleground, making sure no one was moving, and speaking some words that the Norsemen did not understand, the opposing force began to withdraw away from their combatants, moving toward the boats. The man in the homespun frock slowly moved toward Bj?rn, his hands out in front, indicating he was unarmed. The towns militia were gathering on the beach behind the strangely clothed man, stowing their weapons. Mister homespun brown began to speak, in broken Norwegian, "I am sorry, deeply, for the attack on your persons. Please forgive us, we are quick to judge and your appearance to these men is fearful ¨C can you forgive us?"


    Bj?rn was a bit confused and changed the subject a bit, "You speak our language, who are you?"


    "My name is Fulton, I am a friar from port city of Treva ¨C just back up the river", his hand still in front of him and shaking with fear. "I have travelled to many places, including the land of the Danes, stayed with them for many years in order to learn their language and to try and teach them of God the father."


    Bj?rn was caught off guard by Fulton''s last statement, "What do you mean God the father?" The militiamen were put out of Bj?rn''s mind at this point.


    "Please, can you let me know that you can forgive the commander and his men for being rash and attacking you without provocation...I-I am happy to stay here and talk about anything you wish, p-please let the other men go ¨C you would have clearly destroyed them, th-they are not fighters like you."


    Bj?rn slipped his axe into his belt and turned a bit to his right, "Put your weapons away friends, we do not need to kill anyone today. Move back some, let''s give these men room before they shat themselves, and let them leave. I am interested in what the man in the brown dress has to say." Bj?rn''s men did as he requested, most began to finish the task of setting up, but the lieutenants kept an eye out for the sudden change of temperament, as the militia boarded their boats and began to shove off.


    Fulton turned to the commander and began speaking in their strange tongue. The commander, clearly agitated, was worried about Fulton staying behind with the Norsemen. Fulton, grabbing the commander by both shoulders, must have assured him of his own safety, as the commander eventually climbed into his boat, and the men rowed away ¨C the commander watching Fulton for as long as the vegetation growing on the riverbank would allow. Fulton waved one last time to his people, and slowly turned to Bj?rn, chin down, eyes looking up, and thin frail looking shoulders slumped in defeat...a face of submission.


    "Don''t worry Fulton, we won''t harm you and you are not our slave ¨C if that is your fear." Bj?rn assured Fulton, "Please come and sit with me by the fire."


    Bj?rn turned to his right and Fulton followed him to sit on a couple of stumps that acted as stools for the two men. "What did you tell the commander?" Bj?rn asked, back straight and head held high.


    Fulton, a bit hunched and head held down, still submissive, replied "I told him he had to go, and it was my job to keep you... the north men, from killing the Treva militia. I told him he needed to put in trust in God, that whatever happens here tonight is meant to be ¨C that he must have faith, that I will meet the fate, that I am meant to have."


    "I told you Fulton, you''ve nothing to fear from us, so long as you don''t attack ¨C I''m fairly certain you''re not a warrior. Please, sit up" Bj?rn mildly scolded, "... you are your own man, you do not have to submit to me, or my men. Now, tell me ¨C who is this God the father you speak of, I would hear more of him?" Bj?rn, was easily able to change the subject away from that last fearful moment, where many men had almost died.


    Fulton squared his back and shoulders, composing himself, knowing that Bj?rn was sincere in what he said. He turned to look Bj?rn in the eye ¨C man to man, "I can truly say I have never met a Dane, or other northman like you, what should I call you?"


    "My name is Bj?rn... Bj?rn Odinsson. My clan and I hail from the east side, of the south of Norge, north, across the sea from the Danes. We are looking for a passage to Byzantium as we wish to learn from the master ship and weapon builders of those ancient lands. We are looking to find these things that are only stories among my people - things that are regarded as mere legends, fanciful tales from fanciful story tellers, but things that I and my travelers feel are facts."


    "Well, Bj?rn of Norge, I think that we are both in for a treat ¨C I can tell you of the one God the father, and, I have been to Byzantium, and it may be that I was planning to go back - and am in need of transport. See," Fulton grinned "I told James to have faith that the Lord would look out for me. So, Bj?rn, where shall I start, with Byzantium, or God the father?"


    Bj?rn was now excited, as well as pleased to hear about both, "Rognald, Asger, please come here. Fulton is going to tell us of his God, the father. It sounds very much like our Allfather ¨C what say you?" Both men made their way to the fire to hear more about this new religion from this man in the strange garb. Grabbing wood for the fire on their way, they sat to hear the news.


    Fulton''s demeaner changed as he began telling his story to new ears. His voice cleared, back and neck were rod straight, his eyes moving to each man in turn, "I belong to a group of men known as the monks of Saint Anthony. We are traveling teachers that bring the news of our savior, Jesus Christ, to the ears of the untold. Now, as you have asked about God the father, He is the father of the Christ and the creator of all ¨C the world as we know it and all of the plants and animals herein..."


    Fulton kept talking into the late hours of the night. Bj?rn''s men were joining the fire as they finished their tasks, all of them were eventually consumed by the words of Fulton. Bj?rn was incessantly asking questions, comparing his dream sequences of his Allfather, to the likeness of Fulton''s God the father, comparing what each knew to the other ¨C confirming that both Fulton, and the clan of Bj?rn, were of the same belief in the same, one God and one Creator. The night turned to the wee hours of the morning - the men were so captivated by the news that Fulton was sharing, none of them could stop listening. Though, as the sun started to rise, the men had all they could to eventually stand, and they succumbed to exhaustion. Those men had been enraptured by Fulton, the monk of St. Anthony, the traveling teacher.


    Rognald woke Bj?rn, frantically, at the sound of a boat landing on the shore of their small cove, the two men scrambling for weapons ¨C just in case. Rognald stood watch as Bj?rn woke Fulton, Bj?rn sure that they would need some interpretive assistance. The boat that pulled in only had four men in it, the commander was one, another dressed like Fulton, and two regular militia men at the oars.


    "Please stay here" Fulton implored to Bj?rn and Rognald, "the other man is one of my brethren, probably worried I was not going to go home alive." Fulton made his way to the boat. He greeted all the men cheerfully; his dialog was short, and the visitors departed.


    "I explained to my friends that I will be traveling with you to back to Byzantium. They tried to sway me to stay, but alas, I feel it is with God''s guidance that I go with you south ¨C we don''t want any more casualties than necessary, seeing as I speak the language and you, do not. My brother is going to get my meager belongings and return later, if... that is, it is okay with you - that I guide you to Byzantium Bj?rn?"


    "Yes, yes!" Bj?rn shouted, "this is wonderful news Fulton, I was actually going to ask you to travel with us! I cannot wait to get back on the river... But, how about we stay here for a few days, we can stock up on food and water, we can talk more about God and the Allfather. Maybe we can even make better amends with that commander, begin some trade agreements with them? My people have many things to offer and many things we need that we cannot make ourselves..."


    So, on and on Bj?rn and Fulton went, making plans for travel, as well as setting the foundation for trade in the area that would someday be known as Hamburg, Germany, on the Elbe River.


    Five days later, ready for travel and trade agreements made for the benefit of the Norsemen and Hamburg''s future, the explorers began the trek south once again...


    "Men" Bj?rn shouted, "gather ''round before we set sail. Rognald, Asger and I have been discussing some things, talking about things with Fulton as well. Fulton will be guiding us to Byzantium, he has been there before." Bj?rn began to walk, weave in and out of his crew, "We are on a path of adventure, trade, and enlightenment ¨C not conquest ¨C am I right?", the question was raised with emphasis. The men replied with a solid "Hoo ahh!". Bjorn continued, "Therefore, I refuse to have an incident such as we had the other day. It is important that we establish many good trade locations, and I don''t really like having to kill someone because we don''t know the language. We are not killers like some of our kin ¨C there is a much easier way to make money than pillaging and raping ¨C trade. It is safer too" he grinned, "not to mention we can sell southern goods to our neighbors ¨C at a huge profit!" Bjorn laughed at himself for being so savvy. "This is my proposal for you ¨C mallets, quarter staffs, or fists. Leave axes, swords, and seaxes as the last option, or for raiders ¨C we don''t kill unless there is no other option." Bj?rn had glanced up at Fulton, to gauge his response.


    "My new-found friends" Fulton stated loudly with his teaching voice, "the spectacle that I witnessed three days ago, was unfounded in my lifetime ¨C I have never witnessed such a fighting force as you. Had the Lord not shouted through me for you to stop, you would have literally killed every man of the sheriff''s party in a matter of moments ¨C I saw it all, and I was afraid. We are going to come across many villages as we travel south to Byzantium, most of these are peaceful and welcoming. We will have many opportunities for you to make trade deals with them, but to be honest ¨C there are stories among those hamlets, about the raiders from the north and...you look like raiders from the north. So, we must go slow and let me talk and set the atmosphere for us to deal with them. I have taught and worked with these people for many years, I know them well, we will make it through, and when done right, you will be the first northerners to make trade with these river folk."


    "Now", Fulton followed up with a more serious tone, "don''t be fooled into thinking that we won''t run into any bandits now. Sections of the river are ripe with outlaws that take a ''toll'' from any boat that passes through their territory ¨C these men are a menace to hard working people everywhere. I know I have been teaching you about the compassion of our Allfather, but he is also a God that will defend his proverbial sheep from the wolves. I know that you will do as you must when we pass into these waters."


    "Come now Bj?rn" Fulton shouted, "Let us be off. I am excited to show you - my new brothers in God -Byzantium!"


    Another Intermission:


    Magnus took a swig of his mead. "I''m not sure how you feel about this," he plainly stated to Is?lde, "but, to some people, killing is killing and it matters not if it is an animal or a person. I know that even now, life is tough and sometimes brutal, but so many generations ago - it was much worse. There was no value on life or for our fellow humans. Slavery, brutality, and murder was very normal. To our clan, belief in the Allfather has given us a different perspective, life is important. Now, don''t get me wrong, if someone comes to try and take my life or the life of one of my clan, and I am left with no other alternative, I will take a life - I won''t like it, but I will take a life if I have to, just like everyone else in my clan. The last thing that we learned from grandfather Bj?rn, some people are just bad, they have literally sold their soul to the Dark One, and they do not seek anything other than destruction - for the sake of destruction."


    Is?lde did not respond with words, the thoughtful look that crossed her face as she looked into Magnus'' eyes, told him that she agreed with his perspective, fully. She took a pull of her mead and tore off a hunk of bread, "Please go on, Magnus. This is a great story, and I''m learning much about your people."


    Magnus leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet out in front of him, "So, as we were talking - all of the men agreed that they would assess every volatile situation they were in, and choose appropriate action...


    End Intermission:


    Author''s note: The boat trip from Hamburg, Germany to the Adriatic Sea, exiting the European continent on the east side of Italy, is over 500 miles ¨C as the crow flies, and a Viking long boat is NOT a crow. Sailing from that point to the south of Greece and then to Byzantium (Istanbul, Turkey) is over 1,200 miles. These men followed meandering rivers, so needless to say - this is a long trip of the same activity''s occurring day after day ¨C I don''t want to bore the reader by writing about all of the repeated days of rowing, sparring, and education about the Allfather, yada, yada, yada - So, just know this, there was about four months straight of rowing ¨C making our heroes lean and strong. That is about four months for Bj?rn to spar and train, and to learn and fine tune his fighting skills. Four months'' straight of Fulton teaching these "heathen" Vikings the ways of Jesus, a.k.a. God, a.k.a. el Elyon - The Allfather. The men were being molded in spirit, body, and mind...nonstop.


    Just like Fulton said, they did come across some bandit camps ¨C that did not go good for the bandits. But as the way fate, God blessed, would have it ¨C the results of clearing the bandit camps resulted in many good trade deals for Bj?rn''s long boats, northern furs, lumber, ore, and many other Viking related items for southern food staples, cloth, leather and more.


    We should though, talk about the time the sailors came across some rogue Roman centurion''s pillaging a small town close to Italy...

 Chapter 4 - Legionnaires

    Bj?rn awoke early from a sleep born of hard work - something in the air was not right, a vileness was heavy around the camp. Throwing back his covers, Bj?rn looked over to Rognald and Asger who stared back at him, no words necessary. "Come on lads!" Bj?rn bellowed to the whole camp, "we need to move ¨C now".


    The dawn sky was ashen with a dusky red hue off to the south and a sulfurous scent of smoke in the air. As the men quickly readied the long boat, they noticed an odd stillness to the normally, more rapidly flowing Elbe River. The river was glassy smooth; the normal sounds of animals at the edges of the river was non-existent. There was none of the normal banter or good spirited vocal jabs among the explorers, just enough words were used to get the longboat loaded. They moved out with the anticipation of something unpleasant on the wind. Fulton sat in the middle of the longboat recounting grand tales of David, Joshua, and Gideon ¨C bolstering their spirits and calming their hearts with stories that told of unlikely biblical heroes that threw back the opposition. These seasoned warriors were not afraid of a good fight ¨C the feeling moving up the river to them from the south, was not your ordinary foreboding, there was evil in the air, and they were going to end it.


    After two hours rowing on the glass smooth river Bj?rn steered the longboat into some reeds on the east bank when he could no longer see the prow due to smoke. The sailors stowed their oars letting the boat drag to a stop - grinding of the sand dully echoing through the hull. The smell of charred meat was staggering, and the heat of fires could be felt from infernos a hundred plus yards away. Men disembarked with the tools of conquest on their backs and in their belts. They hunkered down a bit, trying to minimize any silhouettes, waiting while Bj?rn and Rognald could take stock of the situation.


    The two leaders crept toward the fiery hell. They caught site of two centurions that appeared to be posted at a point, to keep people from fleeing the town via the river. The site of the centurions seemed to play a trick on their eyes - the faces of the Roman centurions were WRONG. Within the helms of the men, there seemed to be a second face hiding just on top of their teeth and cheekbones, a rendering of a skull. Their eyes were dark, not a solid black, but there was no separating the pupil from the iris, it was a clear black on white. In the background of their bodies there was a smokey looking black aura, burning around their whole figure ¨C you could just notice it when they were silhouetted against the light gray color of the graveled road. In their hearts, Bj?rn and Rognald now understood the deep foreboding they had felt back at camp ¨C this was an enemy not of this world ¨C something else from one of the nine realms, these were spirits of Helheim holding on to a living body, causing destruction for the sake of destruction.


    Bj?rn led Rognald back to the river where the men were waiting. Bj?rn was looking for Fulton - "Fulton" Bj?rn whispered hoarsely, "I don''t know what these are, but they are not men. Their bodies are infused with death and smoke, I don''t understand what I am seeing."


    Fulton was immersed in prayer, he barely heard Bjorn speak...his feal was palpable, "These things are born of hell, Bj?rn. They are men who have sold their sold their souls to Satan. They have no other purpose now except to cause destruction. The people here are doomed, we cannot help them all. The demons are powerful Bj?rn, we should save the ones closest to us and flee." Fulton was now looking into Bj?rn''s eyes, pleading, "Please, we cannot defeat the spawn."


    Bj?rn took a knee in front of Fulton, who was still kneeling in prayer. Bj?rn spat the man''s name, "Fulton! You''d better get up and get moving, your acute lack of faith is embarrassing. You cannot profess to be one of the Allfather''s children while planning to flee from the enemy. Get yourself together son, we will not leave these people to suffer if we can help in any way. We," Bj?rn waved his hand around, indicating ALL the Vikings, "would all rather die than not go to battle with the spawn. I need you to think...what can we do, how can we defeat them? What has your church done in the past to fight evil like this? You have fought evil before, have you not?"


    "You are right Bj?rn, I am weak ¨C my sincere apologies." Fulton stood, beating back his fear, "I have some knowledge, yes - it should help. Gather the men, circle them around me." Fulton pulled his Holy Water from an inside pocket of his smock, "Point your weapons in here men, I need to sprinkle the water on them." As he treated the weapons with holy water he chanted in Latin, words of blessing on the weapons to give them power beyond the plane of man.


    "Allfather" Bj?rn began, "give us the strength and stamina to free these townsfolk from this demon infestation. Guide our blades and arrows, protect our backs, and lead us to victory. We will fight and fall for your glory. Use us as the hammer of your vengeance. Amen."


    With added vigor, Bj?rn set the men into action, "Sven, Leif ¨C take your men, go far left. Asger, Arik ¨C your team goes left center. Rognald, take Bodvar and his team and go center ¨C eliminate the two goat sacks we saw. Felix, with me ¨C we will circle the docks." Bj?rn pulled his axes from his belt as he looked over his men. "Do not play with these Hel spawn. If you can take them down with a bow in the back, do so. These aren''t honor bound warriors, they have sold their souls to the adversary, they have forfeit any fairness. When you come across survivors, send them back to Fulton, he will find a place to keep them safe...won''t you Fulton?" Bj?rn, arrow focused his eyes to Fulton''s. "Rognald, I have a feeling the leader will be close to the docks since they came in by boat. He is probably directing from there. I think if we cut the head from the snake, it will weaken severely.  Meet me at the leader."


    The men all left at a trot to their respective routes. Bj?rn leading his men toward the docks, with the river on his right. He wanted to clear a path, so civilians could flee back to Fulton. They slowed pace as they came to the first building, veering slightly left as they met the corner. One of the demon centurions was surrounded by dead civilians. His right hand, pulled back and loaded with a short sword, was at its peak ¨C prelude to a death blow, when an arrow zipped past Bj?rn''s right ear sinking into the left eye socket of the centurion and out the back of its skull dropping it like a sack of meal. Bj?rn stepped through the carnage and grabbed the man who had nearly died ¨C pulled him to his feet and motioned for him to run back the direction the Viking''s had come. "Go, go!" he shouted. Bj?rn took stock of the area before they took off again, he wanted to head away from the river a bit, see if he could find more survivors. They took the street away from the river to the next intersection at a jog and hung a right.


    A centurion had some men, women, and children cornered in a dead end. One man was in front bleeding from his left arm, holding an old rusty sword in his right, attempting to defend a half dozen of his people. "Hey, goat-shat for brains ¨C back up and let''s have a go" Bj?rn yelled, begging for the demon''s attention. The demon slowly turned an about face to his left wanting to find out who, or what, had the spine to call him out. He looked Bj?rn up and down seemingly unimpressed. He turned back a bit to the would-be defender, "I will be right back to finish, please don''t go anywhere." The demons voice grated like a steel billet being dragged across stone. The look on the demon''s face seemed pained as he spoke, like it was unnatural. "You should not be away from Hel demon, let me send you home" Bj?rn goaded as he walked toward the centurion. The demon began stalking toward Bj?rn, rotating his short sword in circles. Bj?rn had a one hand bearded axe in each hand, flexing his arms at the elbows, prepping for the battle to come. They met in the middle, demon striking first, overhand blow toward Bj?rn''s exposed neck and shoulder. Bj?rn easily caught the blade in a scissor move of his axes, rolled the blow over his head and to the right sending the sword off, and following up with an attempt at the demon''s exposed spine with his left axe ¨C the demon had used the momentum to step forward and out of reach. The opponents faced each other once again.


    "What are you?" the demon asked, perusing Bj?rn like a new weapon, "you are not like these peasants, there is strength... and light in you."


    "Nothing for you to worry about, you smelly beast. How about less talking and more ass kicking, you soul selling worthless sack of goat bits."


    The demon snarled and launched at Bj?rn with a straight stab toward his heart. The way the demon moved this time, was not at human speed, it was something more. Bj?rn barely sent blade wide as he caught the shoulder charge of the centurion right in the sternum and sent him barreling backwards. Bj?rn curled his legs and used the momentum to drop into a roll. As he came to his feet, he jumped further backwards to make sure the demon was far enough away for him to set up for the next round.


    The demon was surprised at Bj?rn''s backward spring and the fact that his short sword did not pierce flesh. Bj?rn was two paces away from the townsfolk survivors, the fear in their faces strengthened his resolve. His men moved to engage the demon, but Bj?rn jerked his chin up as a sign to ward them off.  Bj?rn started forward, doing his ass kick shuffle, keeping his feet close to the ground in case he needed to push off. The demon stalked slowly toward Bj?rn, moving his sword in a figure eight pattern, using it as a diversion. Bj?rn kept an eye on the demon from the waist and down, looking for those telltale signs of a next move. The combatants were close enough now - the demon''s right foot touched the ground and turned a bit in, the telltale sign Bj?rn was looking for ¨C Bj?rn beat him to the literal punch and launched first, off of his left foot that was posted. As he came inside the demon''s reach, his axe handles slid down in his hands, so the axe heads were solidly resting on the tops of his fists ¨C as he came inside the reach of the demon, the tips of the bearded axe heads punched into the unarmored arm pits of the centurion demon. Bj?rn''s powerful arms tried to push the axes together, as much as he could, puncturing the demonic breathing devices. With the forward momentum, Bj?rn performed an inside leg sweep to force the demon to the ground, withdrawing his weapons from the body as they fell. In order to make sure the demon was truly sent to Helheim, Bj?rn tilted his axe heads in, like a big scissor, over the demon''s neck ¨C ''Schnick'' ¨C no more head.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Bj?rn stood, head bobbed his men, and then pointed to the townsfolk. Felix ran to the scared people to talk to them. He had picked up enough of Fulton''s language to enable some rough communication. He got them off to the monk. "Okay guys", Bj?rn started "these are not men, they are stronger and faster ¨C know that. If we can cut them down with arrow''s, that''s what we ought to do, no more hand to hand. Let''s head back that way and cut back, see if we can catch Rognald."


    The men headed back to where they shot the first demon they found; it was clear. They moved back south with the river on their right once again. There were only a few bodies here, the townsfolk must have seen the demon''s make landfall and fled ¨C they needed to end this before the people were herded together and slaughtered. Off through the smoke, Bj?rn could just make out some type of roofed pavilion several, streets away. Probably the main market where goods came in and were sold. This was his goal; he had a feeling this is where the head goat-shat eater was.


    Quickly covering the distance, he saw Rognald, and his team come out of a side street just in front of them and turn left to make the market center as well. Rognald stopped his team though, to wait for Bj?rn to catch up.


    "These are NOT human, Bj?rn", Rognald nearly shouted "they do not die easy and if you''re not careful, they even dodge arrows" he stated incredulously.


    Bj?rn gave a rough grin, "I know my friend, we ran into one, or two, as well. We need to finish this quickly. I really hope cutting the head off the snake works. If not, we are in big trouble. Were you able to find any survivors?"


    "Yes, we found a pocket of people being ravaged by two of the centurions. Not easily dispatched, but we got them."


    "Okay, let''s move- let''s see if we can find the serpent''s head."


    The men moved toward the pavilion. Bj?rn and Rognald heading to the center, their 15 men spreading out on either side to create a net, keeping anything from slipping through. Making their way past the tables and stalls, they came out into a large, airy gazebo ¨C looking on the primus pilus, the leader of this centurion legion.


    He was not a big man, but his posture and presence spoke volumes about his capability. He held his horse hair plumed helmet under his left arm, resting on the grip of his short sword, and his kite shield was hanging on his back. The primus has the same smokey aura as the other demons the Viking''s killed, but the smokey aura on the Primus was darker and more pronounced. The skeletal features within the plumed helm were more defined on the primus, and the eyes were all black, no sclera at all. "I could feel you believer..." this demon''s voice did not grate when he talked, it was silky smooth, like a used horse salesman. "I did not think to find any of your kind here." The demon was slowly walking around the edge of the square, still mumbling. Bj?rn not sure if it was talking to him, or himself "Oh, there are some ¨C many people, in fact ¨C who simply believe in the Christ, but you ¨C you actually hear him, don''t you?" the demon asked still  rambling, "No. No ¨C there are not many like you, I will need to finish you here, I have work to do for my master. It is time to turn the tide ¨C we will win the war; we will walk free." The demon''s eyes bored into Bj?rn accusingly.


    It took a minute or so for Bjorn to decipher what the demon''s monologue meant. Much of it seemed to be the internal musings of the monster, but the demon eluding that Bj?rn could hear the Christ...that was something new, something plausible, but how did he know? Bj?rn did feel like he could hear something in the back of his mind. He could often feel a presence or hear a voice surrounding him ¨C he usually felt it as being his own thoughts, not the voice of his Allfather. Bj?rn came back to reality when the primus spoke again, "Your men are making it hard for my associates to do what has been tasked by our master ¨C come, we must finish this. Shall we do this ''quie est homo'' Bj?rn, man to man." The primus flourished his cape and walked toward the center of the open, vaulted, pavilion. He donned his helmet, drew his short sword, and pulled his kite shield from his back, setting himself up for combat facing Bj?rn and Rognald.


    As Bj?rn moved forward, Rognald grabbed him, "Stop" he snarled "We have to do this the smart way ¨C you know that I am the better fighter, Bj?rn. You are good, but you are still learning from most of us. I''m the battle leader, I''ll go. Besides, if I happen to lose he should be soft enough for you to finish then."


    "I can''t let you do this Rognald, the Allfather is with me ¨C us, we will prevail." Bj?rn implored Rognald, attempting to move from that iron grip.


    "I know the Allfather is with us, but that doesn''t mean that we do something childish and stupid. We know what we know ¨C I am the best fighter we have here, by far. We must play smart. You know that being blessed does not protect you from doing something stupid?"


    "Okay, you''re right. You go but be cautious and take your time. See how he ¨C"


    Rognald cut Bj?rn off ¨C "Who taught you how to fight Bj?rn, Thor''s goats? I what I''m doing. Pray for me, grant strength and cunning ¨C we. Will. Win." He turned and began marching to meet the primus in the center of the pavilion. His two-hand broad axe in his right hand and a small buckler shield mounted to his left forearm. Well-armed and lightly armored, the six-foot-four giant was no one to be trifled with. Bj?rn knew he was not the best fighter of the explorers, but nobody else scared him, just Rognald ¨C he was the monster that monsters looked for under their beds before they went to sleep.


    "Come children" the primus bellowed, "one of you needs to come out here. I can''t have any more of my brethren die than necessary. My patience is wearing thin, Bj?rn. Make sure no one else interferes ¨C the Creator did not give us much, but he did give us the benefit of fair single combat. If anyone else interferes once combat is underway, they will die at the will of the Allfather." Bj?rn looked to the Primus, confusion rolling across his face, "I don''t know what you''re talking about demon...we''re honorable regardless..." Bj?rn''s words tapering off, but the demon responded cryptically and Bj?rn could sense the truth through the spirit of the Allfather, " I am sure you are not aware...this has not been done in a millennia ¨C the fallen don''t live by any rules but their own...except for single combat with a chosen of the Creator. Once committed to combat if any of your men interfere, they will literally, just die. This is the only assurance the fallen now have from Him. We don''t have to abide by many rules, except for this is one." The primus was watching Rognald enter the proverbial ring, "Don''t worry about interference, Demon, I am going to make sure you can''t do this" Rognald used his hands to indicate the whole town, "to anyone or any place else."


    "Time to quit playing, Rognald" the primus snarled with venom, "it''s time to die!" The Primus shot forward with his sword aimed at Rognald''s heart, the Viking spun into the attach with his buckler, deflecting it to his right, and spinning with his axe in an attempt to cleave the primus'' head...near miss.


    Facing each other again, primus began banging his shield with his sword. Rognald was too seasoned to take the bait ¨C he could not really hear any of it. Rognald began circling to his left, giving him the advantage of power to use his large axe. One step, two step, primus lunged ¨C Rognald stepped inside the sword, but was bashed with the shield catching the brunt of it on his axe arm. The primus'' strength was much more powerful than his sub six-foot frame would indicate. Rognald was not easily pushed aside and recovered almost immediately.


    Sortie number three began; the primus began to circle to the right forcing the advantage of his shield. Rognald juked ¨C the primus flinched and raised his shield above his eyes and shied back just bit ¨C Rognald reached out with his axe and hooked the top of the shield and pulled. Caught off guard, the primus used his demon strength to pull and lift against the tug. Rognald let go of his axe, as the primus'' shield flew up, Rognald lunged in while drawing his long seax to punch it through the primus'' bronze armor ¨C the seax was deflected - the armor was steel, not bronze. The primus came across his body with his sword in hand and punched Rognald in the face with the pommel. The demon infused blow knocked Rognald off of his feet and a couple yards off to the side.


    Rognald was down for only a moment, dazed as he came up. The primus was there to meet him with over hand strikes to Rognald''s head region. The buckler took the first blow, the second blow he stepped back a half step, the third blow cracked the buckler and Rognald went to his right knee. The fourth blow, the buckler split, and half of the wood fell from the iron frame. The primus paused in anticipation of victory, as he pulled his arm back for the fifth strike Rognald blessedly stumbled across his axe. The fifth strike fell obliterating the final bits of wood in the buckler. As the primus pulled back acticipating the final blow, Rognald stood and in the same fluid motion, kicked through the primus'' left knee completely shattering it.


    With his post gone, the primus was falling to his left. Rognald''s momentum never stopping, he spun to his left, full circle, regaining the two-handed grip on his axe, and severed the primus'' head from his body, as they met in combat for the final second.


    A cheer went up immediately at the same time the primus'' head left his neck. The Vikings lifted their fists and eyes to the heavens in a triumphant shout. It was not lost on them that Rognald had really almost lost, almost died ¨C Rognald had NEVER been knocked from his feet like that, never a friend and especially not a foe...Rognald was blessed. That sounded like a good name to the explorers - Rognald the Blessed he would now and forever be.


    Off in the village, there were feral howls rising and falling. Bj?rn guessed it had something to do with the demon leader being beaten in fair, single combat.  "Lads!" Bj?rn shouted, "head into the village, check for survivors. See what we can do to assist in stopping the fires from burning down the rest of the homes and shops." No longer than a heartbeat after the words left Bj?rn''s mouth, the sky darkened with thunderheads that opened to douse the fires of the demon''s fury. The cleansing rain cleared the blood and dirt out of the town, and into the waiting river, like it was trying to erase at least some of the damage that had been done.


    Bj?rn kneeled down next to Rognald who had collapsed to his arse, and pulled the man into a brotherly embrace, speaking words of thanks to the Allfather for delivering the town from evil while preserving the life of his best friend and life mentor. A few moments passed and Rognald groaned in pain so Bj?rn released him and fell to his back side. They looked at each other, a bit dumbfounded - and wet - Rognald ran his left hand over his face where the primus punched him, "I have a real headache, Bj?rn. I have never been hit like that in my whole life."

 Chapter 5 - The Odinssons

    Isolde was leaning forward, her hands on her knees, intently listening to Magnus as he finished his tale. "You mean to tell me, that the student Bj?rn killed a lesser demon...and Rognald killed a demon?" Isolde''s skepticism was as clear as the blonde of her hair.


    "Well," Magnus explained, in a matter-of-fact tone, "Bj?rn may have been a student, but you have to remember how long they had been traveling through the south, his only past time was rowing a boat or sparring with friends ¨C not to mention, if Bj?rn was here now he would give the credit to the All Father. And Rognald, Rognald was a legend among all of the villages in the north ¨C ALL of them, long before he killed that demon. He too, would give his victory to the All Father, Is?lde. This story is mine to tell, and it is the truth, so help me Allfather." Bj?rn swore, "Many of the folk you see in the village are cousins and distant relations to the other men of that original exploration party.  But me, I am directly related from Bj?rn''s first son to his son, to his son, etc. I can tell you that all of the story is true the same way that I can tell you that the All Father exists. You of all people...or angels should be able to believe as well."


    "Hmm" Isolde hummed, "you''re right, I shouldn''t be skeptical." Is?lde''s body language showing she was having some issue believing the tale, "But I have never heard of a human defeating a lesser demon, let alone a regular demon."


    "So..." Magnus questioned, eyebrows giving a raise, "you know of all the people over all of the world?"


    Isolde smirked at him, "No, you have me there, I have not met all the humans of this world.  But, among angels and demons, if things like this happen, I would think that I would hear about it. Angels are like hens...or nosy aunt ¨C there aren''t really any secrets in a small village."


    "Maybe your family isn''t as tight as you think they are. Only recently, maybe ten years ago, my father killed a demon ¨C it had killed my grandfather, stabbed him in the back during a raid. I don''t know if it was what you call a demon or a lesser demon. What is the difference?"


    "A demon, just a demon, is an angel that has been cast out of heaven. Their eyes are almost all black, just a little of their whites can be seen. There is a black smokey aura that burns around their body. Angels and some humans can just see it against a light surface, otherwise you miss it. Demons normally take over the bodies of humans who don''t have a conscience ¨C those people who lack empathy and enjoy hurting people. Something about these humans leaves a "gate" open for demons. The demon voices though, that is what really gives them away. When they talk, their voices are silky smooth, like a snake oil salesman-all.


    Now, the smooth-talking demons ¨C they are what create the lesser demon. Lesser demons are humans that usually trade their soul for something of value, something of benefit to the human. Power, long life, money... usually something selfish. Their eyes have the whites, but there is no pupil and color, just all black in the middle. The voice of the lesser demon though, it sounds painful when they talk. It''s like they have some sort of sore throat that holds back their voices. The humans that trade their soul, they are typically weak of body with evil intent...they need power to back it up.


    The last type, the most powerful ¨C the greater demons. These are archangels who were cast out of heaven. You won''t see them anywhere around. They live in the pits of hell with Lucifer. If they come to earth ¨C they possess people. These are the same type of people who would sell their souls...except they usually have power already but are much more ambitious...and usually psychotic. Murderer''s, evil kings or queens ¨C often crazy humans with a pension for evil who have power over others. They are bad news. There have been entire civilizations wiped out by a greater demon who possessed the right human. Atlantis...the peak of civilization during their time ¨C wiped out by a greater demon who possessed the Atlantean king''s psychotic brother. That was too bad, such great people ¨C although extremely arrogant. As far as the voice goes, no one know if it is an indicator, as no one has lived to know what it sounds like ¨C the demon has either left, or, those in the know were all killed."


    "Hmmm..." Magnus responded, not even phased by the descriptions he just heard, "I think my father killed a demon, uncles didn''t mention anything about a painful sounding voice on that fella''. I think that would have stood out. Anyway ¨C when my father Erik, saw his father killed by a cowardly stab to the back, he lost his mind - literally. Went full berserker, he did. The stories told by his men had him frothing at the mouth, unable to speak ¨C some men swore there was a fiery halo hanging over his head. They say the demon began to speak ¨C maybe asking for single combat like some of the other stories have told, now that I think about it ¨C but Erik did not even let him form a second word as he struck with his great axe, splitting him diagonally from hip to shoulder, nearly cleaved the demon in two. He was so distraught he proceeded to destroy all of the remaining enemies from the other village ¨C demon, lesser demon, or just a man.


    He was never the same after that. No more raids, no fighting - he went up to live with the monks for a few years; we rarely saw him. When he finally did come home for good, he went straight to the boat yards and began building, every day, just building boats. When I was old enough to swing a hammer, he brought me to the yard too, and every day we just worked on boats.


    He did not discourage me from learning how to fight from my uncles, but he never gave me his blessing either. Mother kept me from fretting ¨C she told me that his NOT dissuading me from fighting was as close to getting his blessing to fight, that I would ever get. That last battle where he lost his father had broken him, but the brothers at the monastery were able to help him get past the hardest healing.


    Anyway, that is a story for another day. What do you say about going back to camp for some dinner? It should be getting close to time."


    Is?lde stood up and stretched, "That sounds like fun, maybe a bit interesting. Just so you know, I don''t eat for the same reasons you do, I like the taste of food, but  don''t need to eat. I''ll like to see how your food compares to the Sumerians, or the Egyptians. Now Egypt, there are some tasty morsels."


    The pair stepped out of the little hut, Magnus shouted down to the boat yard, "You guys head up to the longhouse for dinner when it''s time. My new friend, Is?lde, and myself are heading up now." The crew leads gave him affirmative nods, and Magnus began leading up to the longhouse.


    "So", Isolde said questioningly "when did your grandfather return to the village, how long were they away?"


    "He and the explorers were there for many years, maybe six...or seven just in Byzantium. There were many months of travel in just creating those trade partners that we still have today, many decades of good partnerships.


    Bj?rn and the other two smiths from the village worked with the Byzantium craftsmen. They learned about crucible steel and the benefit of adding other metals in the correct amounts, to make a much higher quality steel. This is the main reason our tools and boats are so highly desired ¨C steel is the key.


    Being in the center of so many cultures, they were also introduced to many types of other weapons and armor they had never seen¨C most of them were specific to the culture and terrain of the people who used it. Back home, when they finally made it back, Bj?rn began to unleash his creative imagination and developed many of the special tools, armor and weapons we use today. He encouraged his people to take his designs and make them better. Nearly all of his creations have been modified ¨C made better than he would have even thought."


    Magnus continued pleasantly, enjoying regaling Is?lde with the history of his family, "Ragnold and the other warriors were paid by the king to fight the enemies of the crown, Heraclius I, from Constantinople. The king sent the Vikings to worst places possible, always to the places that were close to getting conquered ¨C they were deemed expendable ¨C but they were never defeated. Rognald and Felix always came out on top. Even though their battle prowess could not be surpassed, the duo never underestimated the enemy, even learning things from their enemy to use against them. So, not just tools and weapons were improved, but battle tactics strategies as well.


    The warriors made a king''s ransom from the ruler of Constantinople. Every time they threatened to leave, Heraclius would heap gold and weapons on them to encourage them to stay. They were so well known in the years just before they did leave, Viking or none, anyone who showed up on the king''s side for battle, dressed in the colors of Rognald, the enemy would simply flee. I am sure the king was able to use that ploy for at least a couple of years after Bj?rn and Rognald left, before the easterners caught on."


    Is?lde cut in, "I''ve spent time in the middle east ¨C your Bj?rn and Rognald are nothing short of amazing. Easterners can be very hard to get along with. I am very impressed with those boys. But, as you know, once you are in with them, you are in forever so long as you don''t disgrace them. How are the other trade partners doing?"


    "Bj?rn established many partners that we still maintain today, along the Elbe River from Constantinople to Elg Hjem. Not just trade, mind you, we lend money in the larger trading cities. We also buy slaves in order to set them free or bring them north to be part of the family. Our village is very well known throughout the north and the east ¨C for many reasons."


    "So", Is?lde questioned, "how do you keep people honest and protect your assets from bandits? How do you get the money back to the village ¨C I have so many questions about your system. I know people, most are only honest to a certain point. Not just your people that lend money and such maybe skimming off the top, but it''s easy for magistrates, sheriffs, or mayors see your profit, and demand unfair taxes tribute."


    "We did of course, deal with some rough times. Now we trade post managers out yearly. We send several longboats south with warriors and new post managers, to take the place of the previous year''s post managers. We share the burden of being away, while at the same time trying and keep people from becoming corrupted with too much wealth or responsibility at their sole hands. We keep garrisons of our own warriors in several of the popular trading towns. They are there to deter black mail and keep people from stealing our interests. In return, we assist local magistrates or sheriffs with problems too large for them to handle. It keeps a semblance of security amongst our holdings and the garrisons are close enough together, in the event a sheriff or magistrate gets brave enough to think they could take from us, we are close enough to respond with additional Vikings."


    Is?lde was genuinely amazed, "You guys really have this together. You have a huge distribution ring and maintain command and control over thousands of miles. This is truly amazing."


    "Well, "Magnus responded, "we did have some problems, but Bj?rn had trust and faith in the All Father. He spoke often with the All Father asking for guidance in order to maintain control. It''s hard to explain, but we just know who to send and when. Our post managers and garrison commanders seem to always know when something wrong is on the winds ¨C and they are ready for whatever it is. We have certain things that we support, for the All Father, with our money. We free slaves and assist villages that need it, without asking for anything in return, because it''s the right thing to do. The All Father returns our kindness. It is the benefit of believing, it''s like a supernatural sixth sense."


    "My friend" Is?lde piped up, "you guys are absolutely amazing! Ooh, is that the longhouse?"


    "Yes, yes - here we are." Magnus grabbed Is?lde''s hand and pulled her down the large side street, passed the shops and houses, ignoring the confused stares of his people. "You are going to love this. We have the largest longhouse of all the clans. We love to feast and dance. We wanted to make sure there was room for the entire village. It just so happens we are having a feast, and you are here to enjoy it. Come, come..." Magnus called as he was dragging Is?lde with him.


    "Stop Magnus" an authoritative female voice grumbled, "Just because you''re the Jarl, doesn''t mean you get to go into the feast early. You have to wait, just like everyone else."


    Magnus looked down, to see Hilde - her right index finger jammed into his chest, right in his diaphragm. "Hilde" Magnus grinned, "I have a special guest I need to show around before the feasting starts. I won''t be able to keep her safe from the hens and show her around if I wait ¨C please let me take her now. I promise I won''t sample the feastings...too much." He smiled lovingly at her, "Besides auntie, who loves you the most, huh?" and pulled her into a caring bear/bull hug, placing his chin on her head.


    "Okay you giant brute, you do love me the most. BUT don''t put your fingers in the desserts ¨C unless you clean up well. Wash your friend up too, I don''t know where her fingers have been either." She pushed back from Magnus and as she turned away, she shot a wink at Is?lde. The pair kept walking toward the longhouse, Magnus excited to show Is?lde the village crown jewel.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    They approached the front of the longhouse, Is?lde could see it was twice again as long as it was wide, and as tall as four of five men ¨C gigantic for Vikings. The front doors were sturdy on silent hinges when Magnus pulled them open. As the pair entered, she noticed the interior was surprisingly bright ¨C at that moment, Isolde felt as if she had been transported to an emperor''s palace in the middle east. There were imported oil lamps built on to the roof support columns, straight out of the Byzantine empire. They each had clear glass shrouds that split the lantern light, making them more efficient. Mirrors on the back walls reflected light back to the center, and more lanterns adorned the three chandeliers that hung overhead along the length of the longhouse. Mildly stunned, Is?lde let out a small breath, "Magnus ¨C you guys are amazing. This is beautiful." Still grinning, Magnus replied, "Thank you. Our village has worked on this for many generations. Our trade with Constantinople has allowed us many inventions that we have not shared with others ¨C yet. We like to keep our edge; it reminds those others that we have knowledge unknown to them. It makes arrogant Jarls take a second though about raiding our village.


    Okay, let''s keep going. The blue, black, and white fabrics are hung on the wall and the tops of the columns to keep the echo down while we sing and dance. See how the centers of the outside walls fold down ¨C this is where we put the food when we feast. Now, the two banquet tables are set just far enough apart to allow two people to pass each other if needed. We also separated them, so you can pass from side to side without having to walk all the way to either end."


    "Umm", Is?lde pondered, "where is the big fire pit that most longhouse have?  Isn''t that a normal thing to have?"


    "Normal longhouses have them because they don''t have what we have ¨C let''s go back there" as he nodded his head to the far back wall. "The stone wall here, is actually the chimney and the back of the ovens that are used in the kitchen. The stones stay hot for a very long time, which keeps this end of the hall the warmest ¨C the guests and lamps keep the rest of the hall warm enough for everyone else. Also, our village shares smaller longhouse with each other ¨C we don''t all sleep here. It is dangerous, we could potentially lose almost all of the village if someone decides to bar the doors and set us on fire. Okay, that is a topic for another day. Let''s see the kitchen."


    Magnus took Is?lde to the right side of the large chimney and into the kitchen. The main thing that stood out to her, was the impressive amount of steel cook tops that these Vikings utilized. Stone and mortar firepits had the giant steel plates over the tops of them, where men and women could cook all manner of meat and vegetables. The ovens were filled with breads, pastries ¨C they were large enough to bake the quantities needed to feed the village.


    "Is?lde, you can see how the food starts in the middle there, with the hottest fires for baking and meat preparation. As the hearths move to everyone''s right, the fires are reduced in temperature to make vegetables and keep cooked food warm, to then move it easily out into the sitting area. The idea was brought back a few generations ago from the emperor of the Byzantine at the time ¨C one of the greatest entertainers of the world.


    What do you think? Do you have any questions?"


    Is?lde looked around the kitchen for a minute, "Magnus your people are just ingenious. I can truly appreciate what you have done. I can''t wait to try some of this amazing looking food."


    The pair was standing close to the ovens, as well as the food getting ready to be put out for the guests ¨C and nobody was looking at Jarl Magnus. He discreetly tugged her hand moving back out the way as he palmed a couple of berry filled pastries on their way out. Moving just out of sight of the kitchen, handed one to Is?lde and took a big bite of one for himself, looking her in the eye awaiting her reaction. Is?lde took a bite and closed her eyes, savoring the taste of the sweet treat. She chewed slowly and finished the last of the crumbs. Having nothing else on hand, she grabbed the apron attached to her skirt and gently wiped the crumbs from her lips, and offered it to Magnus, as he clearly needed it. He chuckled lightly and wiped his face.


    "We are early, let''s go back out and close the doors ¨C I need to set a good example as Hilde pointed out. The village will begin arriving soon and it''s my duty to welcome them all. We can talk some more about what you are actually doing here, later." Magnus gently took Is?lde''s hand and led her back outside, to the front of the longhouse, closed the doors, and sat down at one of the benches lining the road to the building.


    "So," Magnus started "I know about Demons, but more clearly now. I have met an angel of the Allfather, so I just have to wonder what else is out in the world that I have heard about, but thought was a tale...?" his tone indicating his longing question.


    Is?lde pursed her lips before starting to answer, "Pretty much everything you have ever heard of; faeries, dwarves, vampyr, werewolves, witches ¨C even other so-called gods, but with the lower case "g" ...are all based in some sort of truth, and they exist in one way or another. The Allfather has more than one story and has been around for eternity, humans have a limited understanding of their surroundings, but with your short life spans you can''t be expected to keep it all strait. The Allfather adapted his creations ¨C human and non-human ¨C to fit these limitations in understanding.


    Beings have existed for so many eons, and before the Allfather walked the world as Christ, humans and angels lived together. Angels were initially on earth to protect humans from the fallen. But the sneaky nature of the fallen made it extremely hard for angels to protect all humanity ¨C so of course demons took advantage of the humans, spawning pretty much all of the non-human ''beings'' that you know of in this day.


    Now, this is heavily debated among those who are in the know, but the Allfather eventually tired of the fallen mixing the blood of former angels and humans, which was spawning non-human offspring ¨C so he sent the fallen to the pit and took all the angels'' home. As I am sure you know, there are Nephilim that were the offspring of angels and humans, so not all angels are innocent either. The debate though, is, did the Allfather allow the creation of the non-humans or did the fallen do this without him ''knowing''... anyway, all of the non-humans were offspring of fallen angels and humans. When angels fell and became demons, their nature changed therefore changing the nature of the offspring ¨C they were NOT ''normal'' Nephilim.


    Anyway, yes ¨C all of the ''supernatural'' beings you have heard of do exist. Through the years these creatures roamed freely causing much harm to people, often using their strength and power to enslave them, feed on them, or use them like humans used animals. Humans always rose up and took down their harsh masters. Many millennia of confrontation have set fear into the human psyche, making it almost instinctual to destroy anything they don''t understand. This is why we don''t see the supernatural''s in the open today, they have been hunted to near extinction."


    Magnus rubbed his head with both hands, "Deep in my mind I thought that would be your answer, but I really hoped it wouldn''t be true. Obviously, we don''t have any problems around here ¨C I have never heard any stories of shape shifters or blood suckers. On a rare occasion, a hunter has come home talking about faeries or gnomes, but the village is apt to blame them for eating strange mushrooms or other foods that caused them to hallucinate.  I will have to consult the counsel and see when the last time a story was told about them.


    Well, it looks like you will get to tell me why you are really here another time ¨C here come our first guests." Magnus stood up and moved to the large barn doors, currently sealing off the longhouse. He grabbed them both, tugging backwards and letting them move outwards. His massive strength heaving them away from the opening, silently, to have the snap into the ingenious steel brackets that would hold them open until they needed to be closed. Magnus turned around, his solid arms opened wide and a huge grin on his face, "Welcome friends" he boomed, "come and be seated, the Allfather and I welcome you with open arms and the peace of Christ to the home and hearth of the place you helped to create!"


    Summer Feast


    It did not take that long for the villagers to arrive and fill the longhouse ¨C it was like church; everyone has their seats; they just have to plant their butts in the right spot. In order to avoid overcrowding the walkways, each family had one or two people to assist in getting horns of mead and water, while everyone else moved through the food line - in typical Elg Hjem fashion...engineered ''eating'' just like everything in the village. They loved efficiency, especially when it meant they could eat sooner than later. Along with eating, there was much banter, back slapping, and hugging as the people gathered from all corners of the village to drink and celebrate.


    Jarl Magnus, by tradition, was the first one to receive his horn of mead, but the last one to get his food. It was the Jarl''s traditional responsibility to ensure all the families were fed ¨C even though there was clearly enough food on this day, this was not always the case, therefore the tradition is always observed.


    Magnus''s large chair sat on a slightly elevated platform, positioned at the halfway point of the long banquet tables. Some Jarls proclaimed they sat upon a throne in their longhouses, but these people refused to use that term. The Jarl of Elg Hjem was one of the people, he or she was not the king, or the ruler; their Jarl was one of the people who worked, bled, and sometimes died along them in order to protect them. The platform and chair only elevated the Jarl because it was easier to speak to all the people.


    Is?lde sat on a padded chair to Magnus''s left, observing the activity. In turn, quite a bit of the commotion was the folk, observing Is?lde. She sat quietly with her own horn of mead and a good natured, friendly smile adorning her face. The smells of the kitchen mixed with the smells of the hard-working family of villagers, made her appreciate the type of loving and respectful nature of these people. Jarl Magnus was jovially bantering with anyone who would listen to his words, everyone was listening - he was a highly respected and beloved leader of these people.


    In much less time than Is?lde would have guessed, Hilde had brought a wooden plate of food to her and instructed Magnus to "get your ass over there and get some food so we can eat". He stepped down from the platform and gently spun Hilde to face him, reached under her armpits, held up and out just a bit from himself, then dropped her into bear hug and spun with her ¨C legs swinging out by the force ¨C and screaming for dear life. Magnus stopped after two revolutions and set her down facing the village. He placed his arm across her small but strong shoulders, "Listen up people" Magnus shouted over the din of conversation, "Let us shout Skald to the flawless engineer of feasting and revelry...skald to Hilde. One ¨C two ¨C three -Skald to Hilde!" He raised her left hand in his right, along with his left in a show of triumph. He looked over the crowd, and nearly the entire village shared the same pose. He dropped his hands, still holding Hilde''s, he turned to her seeing her flushed cheeks, dropped her hand and pulled her into a gentle embrace. He whispered into her ear, "Thank you Auntie, all silliness aside ¨C I miss father too. He will come back one day, until then, thank you for blessing us with your gifts. You make all of us feel like we are home."


    Magnus turned back toward the tables, and gently pushed Hilde in front of him, toward food, "You know I eat last, and I know you haven''t eaten yet." The pair walked toward the food as Is?lde lightly grazed over her own, impressed at the feeling of family camaraderie the was thick in the air. In most other villages, the warriors would have come to the feast drunk and started to fight almost as soon as they entered the doors. The Odinsson village was happy without the compromise of copious amounts of alcohol.


    Magnus ate his food quickly ¨C he was in a hurry for some reason that Is?lde could not quite understand... yet. He set his ceramic plate down on the dais and stepped off of it. Just to his right she noticed a beautiful brass gong she hadn''t seen before. Magnus grabbed the mallet hanging off of the stand ¨C it was covered in the same blue, black, and white cloth as the rest of the interior. He pulled his hand back and gently but forcefully struck the gong one time directly in the center. Less than two heartbeats later the entire longhouse was as silent as a graveyard on a Sunday night. All eyes were on Magnus as he stepped up on the dais of his chair, but he did not sit down.


    His eyes passed back and forth over villagers. His hands were clasped in front of him, fingers intertwined just below his leather belt. The look on his face did not betray anything ¨C no joy, anger, or sadness ¨C he was the perfect visage of absolute impassivity. His voice boomed powerfully throughout the longhouse, "I know that by now, you have all heard of my ¨C our... run in with Jarl Sigurd''s men early this afternoon. Sigurd''s men were trying to force us into making his boat out of turn...first by trying to convince me that Sigurd is somehow better than everyone else, then for the second insult ¨C those men thought to threaten my family - you. Well, in order to keep Airica Leifsdotter from outright killing them for that trespass, I immediately knocked them unconscious." As Magnus finished his sentence, he was looking across the aisle at a well-built brunet who looked, on one hand, irritated to be in her skirt ¨C and, on the other hand, a large grin on her face. He continued, "Sigurds three men were doused in salt water and either dragged or stumbled to the edge of village, then given a boot to the arse. Some of Tor''s scouts watched them leave from the treetops, making sure they actually left our land, no double cross. They even dropped their weapons in the spot where their boat had been ¨C knowing if they return to the same spot, their clan mates will probably find the discarded weapons. Should be fairly uncomfortable for somebody.


    What say you family ¨C how is this for fortune?" The village erupted in a cheer...completely not what Is?lde thought should be going on. She looked up at Magnus who noticed her and shot her a wink. "Sigurd Halfdan and Leif''s sons are here...did you know that?" He shouted over the dull cheer that turned into a big cheer. Is?lde was obviously missing something, just like Magnus said she was. "We have two days to prepare, and one more day before Sigurd, more than likely, show up with his men. I have the feeling that he will bring all of his warriors, but he won''t have enough time to pull in his vassals from the outlying villages. He will probably have one hundred, maybe ¨C maybe, one hundred and fifty seasoned fighters. I think this will be easier than we originally thought.


    Tor, have your scouts set up the archery warning system and have the archers in place by the morning of day three. I think we should prep oil and lard to torch half of his boats while they are fighting us. Teach them to mess with their betters...especially when they know they should leave us alone." The crowd was still shouting jovially and talking excitedly among themselves.


    Magnus continued, "Aivar, the eve of day two after most go to bed, uncover the pit and post guards to nobody sleepwalks into it. Also, that eve ¨C Airica, make sure the blunt shooters are set up. If for some reason Sigurd gets here early day three, or for some reason they don''t beach at the same spot, we don''t want to be surprised." The room began to chatter with some excitement, "HEY!!" Magnus bellowed, and the revelers quieted down, "The rest of you, dust off your hammers and prep your bows. We don''t want to kill anyone ¨C we are just going to give them all incredible headaches...and a ship load of broken bones ¨C woop!! Okay, serious talk is done, we are taking tomorrow off from work ¨C finish the feast, let''s dance!"

 Chapter 6 - The Last Battle - or One of Them

    Day three, sunrise ¨C Magnus was out, down by the shipyard appraising the defenses, making sure the pits were camouflaged well; checking on the archers with blunt rounds, ensuring they are clear of each other, and that ship components have been moved so they do not interfere with the shooting lanes. Lastly, ensuring the archer warning pits are prepped and loaded for torching when the time is ripe.


    Is?lde has come down to watch Magnus prepare for the upcoming battle. She notices his eyes looking and darting from one spot on the shore, up toward the village road, back to the shipyard proper, back, and forth...like he is walking through different outcomes, covering all of the possibilities in his head. She sidles up next to him, arms crossed and nestled across her ribs. "What are you thinking, Magnus?"


    "Oh" he drawls out, "just looking around to make sure we will have coverage for defense, in the rare instance any one from Sigurds gaggle of fools make it past me and the shipyard team. Unlikely, but plan for the best, prepare for the worst. That''s one of grandfather Bj?rn''s tenets. Sound advice. How are you ¨C what are your thoughts?"


    "Well, one question ¨C how do you know when the Jarls'' and his men will arrive?"


    Magnus grinned, "See the large pit at the edge of the shipyard, the one nobody is standing around?"


    "Yes"


    "We have a series of archers set up in the treetops, lined along the coast, that are watching the likely landing spots for any good, bad, or indifferent people. The archers are the best in the village, and when someone lands, the first archer to notice shoots an arrow to the next archer, who shoots an arrow to the next archer, and so on ¨C the last archer shoots a fiery arrow into that pit there, to light the wood dowsed in oil. Once that is alight, we know that something is coming. If Sigurd lands where we think he will, the archer warning will give us over an hour to be ready for his arrival. How is that for genius?"


    At that moment, a fire arrow landed in the pit igniting the wood...shortly followed by one more fiery projectile. "30 minutes folks, Sigurd will be here in a half hour!" Magnus moved toward the shore to stand on the scaffold, next to one of the boats under construction, so he could get a better view of the shoreline. The rest of the village dropped whatever tasks they were performing and moved into position. All of the tools of the war trade had already been put into position. The blunt archers strung their bows and double checked their arrow stock. The blunts were arrows weighted with small, metal, flat plates instead of broadheads. The plates had just enough surface area that they would not normally pierce the skin; and the bows were set up with a lower draw weight, but they could still kill if they hit you right. They definitely deterred most people, as the enemy could not tell that the 35 archers looking at you, did not have broadheads loaded in the weapon.


    The pit markers were moved...under normal circumstances, the pits were covered with stout wooden lids...so you couldn''t fall in. When they were to be used for defending the village, they were marked with some small stakes, just as a reminder that the pits were primed. These were not anything except empty holes, about eight feet deep ¨C not sharpened stakes dipped in feces or anything like that. They were just used to keep people out of a fight after they fall in, to be released after the invaders get their asses kicked.


    The final piece of the force du jour (look it up...) were the trained warriors. Bo staffs, mallets, and shields all prepped to break bones in case the archers did not scare the attackers off ¨C which was normally the case, some Vikings are not very bright. The highly skilled operators were the last line of defense, but of course, in the nearly impossible chance that anyone made it past them, the veterans and the trainee warriors were more than likely to dispatch any of those perpetrators.


    "Gunther" Magnus shouted, "get my heavy Bo staff and tell everyone else...we'' going for blood. Sigurd and many of his men are possessed. This has escalated, get the children and non-combat trained out of the village, we are initializing plan B."


    Is?lde ran over to Magnus, "What in the seven levels of heaven is going on Magnus?"


    "I can see the smokey auras, Is?lde. Sigurd is the darkest, and a lot of his men have the lighter fire...at least twelve or fifteen of them.  Uh, it seems like I am going to have to instigate single combat as soon as I can. I am sure our best warriors can take out all of the lesser demon''s, no problem...but I can''t take any chances, and I don''t want the demon to use his demon powers to hurt any of my family."


    "How do you know Sigurd''s demon will accept single combat, Magnus?"


    "Through the ages, the tales speak of demons, requesting single combat, because they presumably aren''t patient...they like to fight one on one. The demon requests single combat of the Odinsson leader ¨C but in the end, they clearly didn''t know who they are fighting with, the demon gets killed and the minions turn to smoke...or something ¨C it always seemed to work out. The caveat here, Odinssons'' have always been the attacker, never the attacked. The demons seem to have a strict code, that if single combat is proclaimed, there are rules that must be followed, otherwise they will probably be destroyed by the All Father. I gotta'' feeling, this is what I need to do."


    "Okay Magnus, if you do have that feeling, you need to call off the evacuation. If you have that feeling in your guts, and it''s the All Father talking, if you evacuate, it is like you are not trusting in Him...call off the evacuation and fight Sigurd ¨C that is what you need to do."


    "Oh, Is?lde I know what you are saying, but it hurts my spirit to know I am not being cautious...Gunther" Manus shouted, "call off plan B but hurry the hell up an get me my heavy Bo staff!"


    Magnus was keeping his eye on the coast, watching the western side of the shipyard ¨C slowly edging toward the village, angling toward a large open spot between the ship scaffolds and his little hut. It was flat and mostly compact sand, a great spot for a fight. Gunther came running down to the shipyard with Magnus'' heavy Bo staff as the first of the enemy heads were peaking up over the sand dunes. This mammoth Bo staff was a seven-foot piece of Ash hardwood with veins of iron running up the shaft, every 90 degrees. The ends were set with heavy iron spikes, perfect for stabbing.


    Magnus turned and looked at his family, a scowl running across his brow, he gave the family a head nod, saying ''I got this''. "Is?lde, please make sure my auntie is kept calm ¨C she tends to get a bit agitated. I''ll be back shortly." Magnus moved away from Isolde and Isolde moved toward auntie Hilde. The electric tension was about ready to blow.


    Magnus could now see fully the forces that Sigurd had brought to bear. It was clear that Oskar had gone, and full blown sold his soul. Magnus witnessed Oskar next to Sigurd, the two demons bickering under whispered breath, he could see the smokey aura and the creepy eyes that now peered from Oscar''s brutish brow. The force was fifty yards away and closing, the demon''s bickering coming to an end - and Oskar''s impatience was clear as he broke away from the formation, charging Magnus with his short sword and shield, poised for bloodletting.


    Sigurd pursed his lips and shook his head in dismay at the apparent defiance of one of his minions ¨C but he also did not stay the possessed man either. Oskar moved across the ground at speeds much greater than a human could attain, with his short sword raised in his right hand and shield bound to his left arm, his intent clear. The moment Oskar was within reach of Magnus'' heavy Bo staff - he simply swept the staff to his left, pushing aside the sword, spinning counter clock-wise and moving slightly to his right, and as he drew back for a swing, letting the staff slide up his grip so he had the force of the entire seven feet of hard wood, and swung the staff so the iron tip hit Oskar right at the base of the skull, severing the spine, and dropping him dead, d ¨C e ¨C d dead. The look on the demon''s face, Sigurds face ¨C confused and priceless.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Magnus finished with a short spinning flourish ending with the staff in his right hand, running parallel to his forearm, behind his back. "Sigurd" Magnus bellowed, "this ends here...you and me, quie est homo ¨C single combat."


    "Oh, ho Magnus" Sigurd mused, "so, you think you are going to call me out? I really have no idea what you are talking about. Your village must learn it''s place ¨C you are nothing Magnus, you are here to serve your betters, and we are going to use your family as an example to the rest of the villages."


    "I know the rules Sigurd, or whoever you are. This isn''t my family''s first "ship build", we''ve been fighting your kind for generations demon. I call on the right to single combat. Your ass hattery will end here, today."


    Demon Sigurd''s face twisted into a rictus of confusion and anger, he was now twice as befuddled and confused as before. "So, you can ''see'' me?" the demon asked, his eyes squinting, like he was asking a painful question that he already knew the answer to. "And ass hattery...what in the devil, literally, is that?"


    "Yes, you goat loving shat sack, I can ¨C don''t'' worry about being an ass hat, it''s in your makeup, it''s what makes you, you. Besides, you should have asked around before you started this garbage, even Oskar knows you don''t mess with Odinsson''s. We''ve a reputation beyond these shores, for being able to build boats and the kick ass, folks don''t mess with us ¨C I would have thought you''d figured that out...although something has recently seemed a bit off about you and your village, now I know why. So, don''t give me any shit about not knowing single combat, and bring your sorry, sadistic ass up here for a beating."


    Now, Sigurd was fully annoyed ¨C with himself. Magnus was correct, he, the demon, did not really know anything about his chosen enemy. His mind began churning up some long-lost memories of a northern family that had been wreaking havoc on his brethren...for several generations. Sigurd unslung his claymore from his back as he stalked to meet with Magnus, shrugged off the sheath and his fur''s. As soon as he stepped into the proverbial ring ¨C Sigurd struck with the speed of a puma, and the strength of a bear.


    Magnus was chanting under his breath, praying to the All Father to give him strength, speed, and resolve ¨C as Sigurd moved to strike, Magnus could feel a tingling in his body, urging him to move at just the right time, Magnus pivoted left and swung his staff up to deflect the strike. Sigurd was deflected off and turned to see that Magnus had already reset his position, prepared for the next strike. Sigurd was utterly confused, this demon form had never missed a strike, never, and here was Magnus ready for round two. This was not processing in Sigurd''s mind ¨C he kept waiting for the slo-mo of Magnus'' torso to slide off of the waist...Sigurd had never missed.


    Now enraged, Sigurd was stalking, circling slowly to his left. His claymore was poised low, off of his left hip...circling. Magnus, chanting never ceasing his battle hymn, began to spin his staff. Practiced movements that were as natural to him now as breathing. Even Is?lde had never seen a person with such perfected movements. Sigurd struck again, his telegraphed strike easily blocked by Magnus'' practiced swing, but Sigurd struck again, and again, and again. Magnus watching and feeling the attack angles and speed from his opponent, little nuances giving Magnus feedback of what Sigurd would do next. Another flurry of strikes from Sigurd and Magnus had worked him to where he wanted, Magnus spun his staff across his back and ducked the next strike from Sigurd and turned the tables.


    Spinning to his right, Magnus gave a full swing of his staff across Sigurd''s shoulders followed by a battery of strikes, and a stab to Sigurds throat. Sigurd dropped to his knees and limply grabbed the staff in a futile effort to pull it out. Magnus stepped close, and put his left foot on Sigurds chest, and pushed ¨C Sigurd fell limply to the ground, across his dropped sword ¨C the crowd erupted in a cheer...all except Is?lde, she looked at Magnus, like, ''what are you doing stupid''?


    Magnus turned to see Sigurd pushing himself up off of the ground, picking up his sword, "One" Sigurd croaked out, "I will give you one, now it''s my turn..."


    The brutality of the next set of strikes was nothing short of cataclysmic. Sigurd pounded on Magnus and his staff, strike after powerful strike ¨C Magnus could not gain any ground to build a defensive position, let alone attack, he was in survival mode. Magnus could still feel that tingling ¨C a sixth sense in his body, little impulses to his hands and feet guiding him to avoid or block the oncoming strikes, it was time to let them be his guide.


    Magnus rolled backward after Sigurds next powerful overhand strike and prepared himself to defend. Sigurd, seeing his enemy standing tall, began chopping at him like a lumberjack ¨C chop, chop, chop...but Magnus timed his blocks perfectly, and positioned his staff to take the blows ¨C chop, chop, chop...Magnus'' staff was cut in half! Sigurd chopped again but missed. He raised his claymore, putting all of his strength into one final blow, as he paused at the peak of his strike, Magnus had already flipped the staff pieces around in his hands and staking Sigurds right foot to the ground and planting the other half into his left thigh. Incredulously, Sigurd looked Magnus in the eye, as Magnus stepped around the back of Sigurd, his left arm wrapping around his throat while disarming him with his right.


    Magnus brutally shucked Sigurd to the ground ¨C that was awkward since his right foot had been pinned ¨C Magnus was now holding the claymore in his hands. "No, no!" Sigurd shouted, "this isn''t how this happens..."


    Magnus, eyeing the crowd, he pursed his lips in a ponderance, "I guess you have to cut off the head...who knew? Well, we should probably clear that up with the next generation." Magnus stepped forward and finished the single combat.


    The crowd was not as eager to voice their praise this time ¨C the village felt like they had won, but ya'' know, Sigurd stood up last time he got a pointy thing in his throat - now the tortured sounds of Sigurds demonic minions began to fill the stunned silence. The possessed humans were going through various episodes of writhing as their bodies began to dissipate into smoke. Each one, leaving a greasy spot on the ground where they had just been standing.


    Aunt Hilde was the first one to break the second round of stunned silence ¨C "Magnus, watch those worthless home wreckers...they aren''t all demons, but that doesn''t mean they aren''t moronic brutes."


    Magnus turned to look down the beach to survey the mob. The remaining men and women were all armed, but they were also just as stunned as everyone else. Magnus beckoned over his shoulder, reaching out like he was pulling his lieutenants up close to him. "Spread out guys" he told them, "Take it easy, we are all a bit confused, Sigurds people that are left, more so. Calm them, back pats or whatever ¨C gently sheath or holster their weapons."


    Magnus pointed and shouted out to the big man closest to him, several yards back from the edge of the fight, "Hey there big man, look at me please..." the big man shaking his head like he was clearing a sleepy stupor, "oh, there ya'' go ¨C yeah, what you just saw was real, and it was all real for your friends there." Magnus paused, the big man from Sigurds crew stopped and turned around, his back to Magnus. The crew were in turn just simply looking at each other, not quite believing what actually happened, even though there were more than just a few witnesses.


    "Uh, okay now guys, not really sure what to tell you ¨C but Sigurd, this Sigurd was a man that sold his soul to the devil, you know Helheim, devils, and all that?" Magnus was trying to explain, and yet still not instigate additional violence. "What''s your name big man, turn back around, let''s have a chat, okay?" The big man sheathed his sword, "I am Jonas. Magnus, what was that?  Sigurd had changed some time back, getting all weird and crazy over the smallest things. Then, when we heard he wanted to raid your village, we...apparently the ones not possessed, were too afraid to say anything to him, for fear of death. Sigurd had already killed many of our friends, brutally. We are sorry to come here, but we were all so afraid of that brutal man ¨C thing, whatever, we just went along with the madness hoping to survive."


    The big man, and his companions looked both relieved and afraid, not sure what to do next. Magnus signaled his people to stand down and eased his way over to Jonas, facing him, put one hand on each shoulder. Magnus looked up to the others, and signaled for them to circle around, and proceeded to explain to them the truth ¨C demon''s, the All Father, all of it.


    Meanwhile, Aunt Hilde began to bring the village back together. The pits covered, weapons stowed, food prepared ¨C all the important things that needed to happen when people have just found out the world, they thought they knew, was really not. The people of Elg Hjem would do what they could to ease the burden of these other villagers, their brothers, and sisters, as they welcomed them to the truth.


    Magnus briefly explained to the people of Deep Wood what they had witnessed. He did not have time to personally explain everything to them, so he sent a contingent of lightly armed warriors and some warrior priests with the small fleet, back to their home. It would not be easy explaining a lifetime of belief and culture was not what it really seemed.

 Chapter 7 - Lessons

    Is?lde had disappeared over the days that it took to smooth everything out. She was excited to know she had found the person she was looking for. She began to mentally prepare the regimen she would use to make Magnus the best fighter on earth - ever. She was also glad that she would be able to fulfill her oath to Michael ¨C the angel of butt kickin''.


    In her mind, she could see morning wakeups, long runs up the mountains, chasing chickens, all the "fun" activities for making a person stronger and faster. She knew he was good, but she was excited to make him better, to hone and polish his unrefined edges. Is?lde had literal eons of experience and time to hone her skills ¨C skill and experience beats brute strength every time. She had dispatched more demons than she cared to count; experience was her business. She had realized some time ago, fighting was really just a dance, albeit a brutal one ¨C there are just so many ways one can move their feet and hands...and she could dance better than any being ¨C except for the Arch Angel Michael, well, and some or most of the other archangels ¨C but who''s counting?


    Today was her day, preparations were complete ¨C time to move. At dawn, she dropped down to Magnus'' humble little hut, and began to bang on the door and shout, "Magnus. Magnus. Hey, get up sleepy head, I have something to tell you. Rise and shine."


    Is?lde was completely taken aback that Magnus was not opening the door ¨C with a mallet in his hand, looking to see what the racket was about and dispatch it with reckless abandon. She knocked three more times...four more times ¨C no answer. She slid the bolt back that held the door closed, and slowly pushed it open for a glimpse inside. A small table and two chairs, cold fire pit, and a rustic end table next to his bed ¨C the furs covering the down stuffed mattress were smooth, just like Magnus had either not gone to bed, or he was already up and had moved on to the shipyard. She entered the abode taking stock of the well-kept leader''s home. All of the other villagers lived in communal long houses for protection and warmth, but the leader of Elg Hjem always opted for their single dwelling, they felt it kept them unbiased from the happenings among the tribe - maintaining equality and fairness.


    As Is?lde was pondering what to do next, she heard a bit of commotion outside, coming from the northwest. She quickly ducked back out to investigate. Turning the corner of the path that led up to the church, came Magnus leading a crew of people. The group was moving down the path at a brisk pace, two columns led by Magnus in front middle, there were men and women, late teens to late 50''s, running in step to a chant that sounded a lot like a prayer.


    The closer they got to Magnus'' home Is?lde could see the joyful look on his face. Magnus glanced over his should and quickly barked out an order...as the column closed in on Is?lde, Magnus stepped out of the line and yelled, "I will see you after we break fast ¨C good job today, the Allfather bless you!" and he came to stop next to the waiting angel.


    "Well, hello there, smiley" Is?lde quipped, "What has you grinning from ear to ear?"


    "Happy? Seeing your smiling face makes me happy. I did not see you the day after the fight, I was stunned when I couldn''t find you. Oh, and working out makes me happy, too." Magnus stretched his hands out in front of him, flexed and raised the straight out, stretching out to keep acid from building up in his muscles. "My number one team, we get up early, sometimes before daybreak, depending on the time of year, and run up to the training grounds, and do weapons practice and some sparring. It is very invigorating, especially in the winter. So, what about you, we never really did finish our conversation...about that boat?"


    The pair stood staring at each other, both with a bit of a smirk on their faces. Is?lde broke the silence, she reached out as to grasp Magnus in a left handed "shake", but as he went to accept her hand, she snatched his wrist, pivoted her hips to him, posted her free hand under his elbow, and proceeded to snap and flip Magnus on to his back...she gazed on Magnus'' stunned face, "How about we go inside your home, and I will tell you why I am here, and how I will pay for a boat." Is?lde reversed her grip, and with unseen strength pulled Magnus to his feet, turned, and headed through the front door of his home.


    Inside, Is?lde sat in a chair as Magnus used his wash basin and towel. The lovely angel, albeit dangerous, sitting in Magnus'' home, smirking at him ¨C while he wondered, just exactly, what in the name of the Allfather had just happened to him, by this woman.


    "Come and sit Magnus, let me tell you the reason I am here", her voice taking on a bit of a serious tone. As he was finishing and moving to the other side of the table, Is?lde continued, "We talked quite a bit earlier, but I knew you had some things to take care of after the fight and I didn''t want to distract you, that was very important."


    She continued as he took a chair, "You had obviously known about demons prior to us meeting, right, very solid proof ¨C and now I am assuming my presence will also solidify the proof of good that also exists, but you hadn''t seen before. I know you believe in your Allfather, my Grandfather, but I think you will have a new appreciation for his existence and how the world truly works. Are you following me, Magnus?"


    Magnus nodded and smiled skittishly, but still smiled "Oh, I most certainly am. You, your presence is like uh, like a new invention that you thought would work ¨C in your mind you could see it, but then, when you build it, and it works better than expected ¨C that is how I feel right now. You are confirming all of the things my people already knew."


    Is?lde smiled, too, and reached for Magnus'' hand...which he snapped back ¨C she laughed lightly, "I will not pull any more tricks...at least not today. Give me your hand." Magnus gingerly reached across the table, and she picked it up, gently but firmly in her left, her right she rested on the top of both of them, "Magnus, I want to reassure you I am real, I am physical, I am here to help you understand the full depths of the world you live in." She looked confidently into his eyes, waiting for a sign that let her know, he understood what she was talking about, a small nod of his head -


    "You asked me about other ''things'' living in our world, do you remember?"


    "Yes, I remember" Magnus noted, some question in his tone.


    "The Allfather, El Elyon, he doesn''t have just one story, like I said, Magnus, he is much bigger than that, he is the ''story'' that people need, when they need it. The Assyrians, the Israelites, the Greeks, the Romans, and even those beings that remain unseen, because that is how Grandfather makes the world go ''round. Before I go on, do you know what I mean?"


    "So, you are saying that the Allfather, at one time, really would have been Odin, or Wodin, because that is what my ancestors needed ¨C yes?"


    "Yes", she responded optimistically, "What else?"


    "Okay, now as we, the villagers, are maturing, it is time to see the real meaning behind the veil, time to grow up...kind of like the same way we stop telling fairy tales to children?"


    "Yes" she smiled, "that is exactly how to look at it. So now I get to tell you, the fairy tales you tell the children, especially the ones to scare them ¨C there is some truth to all of those." Is?lde stopped, and looked down the bridge of her nose, in a very Aunt Hilde tone, "are you ready for this?"


    Magnus, under his breath prayed "Father, please prepare me for what I am about to hear" and nodded to the angel who knows stuff.


    Is?lde briefly closed her eyes, remembering some time past, before starting her history lesson, "Before the time of Adem and Eva, The Creator made the earth on which we stand. For angels, this was below the realm we called home, my Grandfather had to create something from nothing. Like many things, like ships or a longhouse, there is an underlying framework. For the land where humans live, that framework is known as the Fae. Like the framework of a ship or longhouse, you can''t really see it, it is in those places that people don''t pay attention to ¨C unless you look. Also like the frame of a ship, the Fae holds all of the natural world together - seasons, weather, land, sky ¨C all the parts of the earth you don''t see because you aren''t looking, but it''s there."


    Is?lde stopped, looking like Aunt Hilde once again, gazing deeply into Magnus'' eyes, "Okay, you get what I mean so far? I am going to add some mind twisting information as we go on..."


    "Yes, I see. No one sees the ribs of my boats, they are covered by the floor...and gear, and such. I know what you mean. Let''s keep going."


    "Unlike the frames of the things you know, the Fae framework has, uhh, not humans living in it, but...other types of people like...beings, maybe. Yeah, I like the term "being" because they do exist. The beings that live there look a lot like humans, one head ¨C two arms ¨C two legs, but that is where most of the similarities stop. These beings are of various sizes, shapes, skin color and texture. Some of these beings resemble animals you may recognize, but they act and speak at a completely human level."  Magnus'' face was twisting into a bit of a grimace with disbelief. "I am serious Magnus" she jibed, "I knew you wouldn''t believe me. Now remember, you believe in some creator nobody sees, and now you are having a conversation about strange beings, with an angel ¨C why can''t something else weird exist?"


    "Ughh" Magnus choked out, "you are so right. I shouldn''t be so...skeptical. I''ve beat down Demons and watched their corpses turn to smoke. This is a lot to take in ¨C I feel like I need to warm up, we even let the donkeys warm up before we stack the big loads on them, you know what I mean?" Magnus paused and took a deep breath, "Okay, go - again."


    "Fae is ruled primarily by the Winter and Summer queens, and their courts ¨C you would know them as D?kk¨¢lfar ("Dark Elves") and Lj¨®s¨¢lfar ("Light Elve") from your Norwegian folklore. So, summer and winter are the apex opposites, and the other seasons fall in the middle, which in turn give diversity to the lengths of the seasons. The kingdom courts and the beings that rule them, really in turn, take care of the natural order of things that people don''t see. The plants and animals, the flow of the waters, all of the natural movement you take for granted ¨C is because of the Fae. The different species of the Fae, make nature happen here."


    Is?lde needed a short break. She grabbed the drinking water and two wooden mugs, "Well, no mead, my friend, how would you like some water?"


    "Ah, of course, that would be nice."


    She served up some water, and the two sat in silence for a short time, "So, I know it''s lot to take in. I promise you, if you want me too, I will take you there ¨C there is a way. "


    "Oh, I don''t know. That is too far out of my control."


    Is?lde scoffed, "You kill demons with an over-sized stick ¨C you can handle the Fae...well they have magic, we will get you some tattoos to ward that off..."


    "No, no ¨C not...what are you talking about, now magic and tattoos?"


    "Noo...", Isolde used a soothing voice, "Magic is really not like the stories, the Fae are more sensitive to their surroundings, and they are mentally able to touch them and control them. Because of this, Grandfather created some written protections, it is the language of the angels. If the Fae wanted to come to this world, it would not be a fair fight without those protections. It is about balance; you just have to write on your skin", she smiled.


    "Okay, okay, okay" Magnus sighed, "That is a while out, you mentioned we can get to Fae, if we are looking, tell me what we are looking for."


    "Oh, fun times ¨C there are certain times of the day and some locations that make it easy to get between, what we call the veil. The ''frame'' Grandfather made, the individual pieces are called ley lines, and where those converge, they contain more power. When the night gets to what we call, the time between times, on those convergences, you can pass through the veil. The time between times is where darkness falls and keeps getting darker, it is that time when the night is done, and it starts changing into day ¨C the darkest right before dawn. During the spring and summer solstices, though, the veil is the thinnest. For Fae to come to this world, they don''t really care, but if they did want to come through, they would pass during a solstice."


    Is?lde stopped for more water, the Aunt Hilde look was now back ¨C looking down her nose. "Drink Magnus, we aren''t done yet. I still have to tell you about my brothers after the fall, that is gonna get deep, there is some real nasty creatures there."


    "Okay, this is getting to be too much, hang on." Magnus grabbed his massive longbow and a strange-looking arrow. He stepped out the door facing the village, lifted the bow, drew the arrow, and released. He came back in, unstrung, and put away his bow, "Okay, five minutes."This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Enlighten me please?" she asked suspiciously.


    Incredulously he replied, "Gunther will bring mead, this shit is too much."


    "You haven''t even eaten breakfast yet,"


    "Oh yeah...you''re right." Magnus stood back up, got his bow, grabbed another strange-looking arrow, stepped out and fired. He came back in and sat, "Okay, some breakfast now too...so maybe wait five more minutes", the big smiled deviously, "It pays to be the Jarl, what can I say."


    The time passed quickly, and Gunther showed up with mead and breakfast, "Okay, keep going. I couldn''t do this on an empty stomach...especially after working out."


    Isolde gently shook her head in mock disbelief, winked at Gunther as left the pair, "So, don''t forget a few days back ¨C I mentioned the fallen angels taking advantage of human women...Fallen angels loved women and they had no issues with taking what they wanted. The result of these relationships was often more abominable than just giants ¨C blood suckers, werewolves, witches, satyrs, sirens...pretty much any story with a scary monster, the monster was a mix of angel male and human female. There now, let your imagination run wild."


    Magnus had to stop chewing his breakfast before he choked on it. He was not a bible scholar by any means, but he could definitely NOT remember any of the priests talking about mixed offspring of humans and angels...he was pretty well floored at this point.


    Is?lde reached out and gently slapped magnus on the cheek, attempting to get him out of his current stupor. Magnus lightly shook his head, and with a bit of trouble, swallowed his last bite of food followed by a large pull of mead, "You mean to tell me, all of the things that go bump in the night are real, and they are either creations of the All father to keep our world working right, or offspring of angels and humans ¨C you gotta be kidding?"


    "Not necessarily all of the things that go bump in the night are those things...the yeti is real; he just hides well. Not to mention, the Fae don''t really bump anywhere ¨C you just have to know how to bargain if you go to the Fae lands...but yes, the other mixed-up things, those go bump ¨C and sometimes hurt normal people, or sometimes frequently. I had to wipe out a city of vamps that got too big a few millennia ago. The Allfather has plans for all of the creatures ¨C there are no accidents, but free will gets in the way, especially when Lucifer is stoking the fire, so I had to step in before humanity was too damaged."


    "Wow...do I gotta start looking under my bed again, I stopped doing that decades ago...but I also stopped believing back then too?" Magnus'' look was truly puzzled, and Is?lde laughed lightly, "No mister, you don''t...but I am sure if something sneaks up on you, you are more than enough to take whatever it is down."


    The two sat in silence for a time, Magnus processing the huge amount of information that was dropped on him. He took a deep breath, "Alright...yep, that is a lot of stuff to deal with. Hmmm ¨C when you first got here, you were talking about buying a boat ¨C basically trading me something for a boat...please tell me it''s NOT just this punch to the gut of information you gave me, is there something else that is part of our ¨C no, your one-sided deal?"


    "Well, yes...yes there is. Now that you are aware of the true nature of the world at large" the beautiful angel paused, "you will need to be able to take care things, especially since I will not be able to stay around forever. It is my duty ¨C I actually lost a bet to the angel Michael ¨C to teach you how to subdue these things that go bump in the night, as well as, dealing with the Fae." She finished her sentence with a bit of a snap, sat back in her chair and clapped her hands ¨C looking Magnus square in the eye.


    "Wait..." Magnus pipe in, "You are here because you lost a bet to the angel Michael?"


    "Yes, you may know him as Tyr, Mars, or Aries. He, uhh, he really knows how to fight. I lost a bet to him, so now it is my job to come and teach the Allfather''s greatest champion ¨C how to be a better fighter."


    Magnus face palmed himself, "Okay ¨C this whole thing is sooo weird ¨C crazy even; you, Jarl Sigurd, finding out about monsters...Okay Is?lde, I need to go get some people working on boats, and I need to think about all of the things that you just told me...''Allfather''s greatest champion'', is that what you just said?" Magnus asked incredulously, his eyes nearly going crossed.


    She smiled, "Yes Magnus, believe it or not, you are my Grandfather''s greatest champion. He doesn''t look at just your combat prowess, but he has considered your heart and spirit ¨C you love Him, and you love your people and always serve the greater good. Don''t let this go you your head Magnus, but you are the best man I have ever met or even heard of, and I am going to make you better."


    Magnus shook his head, like he was shaking off a blow between the eyes, "You can stay here, but I am sure you get around just fine, or you can visit with Aunt Hilde, she was asking about you. Just do NOT tell her anything you told me; you hear? I am going to go get some birch bark water, my head hurts."


    She stood up from the table, grinning, "Magnus, I am a lot of things ¨C but crazy is not one of them. I will see you later, then." And she headed out the door.


    Magnus took a deep breath and exhaled, looked up to the ceiling and closed his eyes, and offered a short and to the point prayer, "Allfather, please bring me guidance and peace." He then stood, changed into his work clothes, and headed to the shipyard.


    The walk to the village was calm and the cool air helped to settle his mind and sort out the "stuff'''' that he just learned. He had no trouble accepting the supernatural, he had heard the stories of demons growing up ¨C his own father and grandfather fighting more than one. If you accept demons, you will have to accept angels, and if you are going to go that far, you really have to accept all of the other things. Knowing and accepting these truths, he felt it was now his calling to be able to take care of these monsters, and if he had someone, an angel, to teach him how to do this ¨C lost bet or not, one might as well take advantage of it. The Allfather delivered on his prayer, it was a short walk to the village and Magnus felt good about his decision, knowing the peace of the Allfather is all the answer he needed.


    "Yo, Magnus, over here..." shouted a heavy-set man, partially covered in baking flour. Halvor''s bakery was one of the first buildings Magnus passed every day heading into the village, as it was close to the edge ¨C bread and pastries were easier to move than timber and iron, so it was set farther away from the shipyard.


    "Halvor, my favorite tradesman ¨C what can I do for you?" Magnus met the large man with a handshake just outside the front door of the bakery.


    "Little J?n just came back from Frostwood, we make a couple deliveries a week up to them ¨C they love our maple pastries ¨C anyway, he heard something from their elders, they have seen a giant white bear around the area, and from the sounds of it, it was an extremely large bear." Halvor scrunched his eyebrows together, looking almost longingly at Magnus ¨C waiting for his reply, knowing what he would say.


    "Halvor, we don''t have white bears here...sailors have seen them much further north, out in the sea by the Svalbard islands but not here. I know it is difficult to confuse white bears and brown bears, but are the elders sure?"


    "J?n kept listening, as he is his mother''s son ¨C just in case there was more we should know. One of the elder''s daughters works specialty leather, and she makes deliveries to Jula, which you know is further north, the weapon smith''s wife told her, one of the hunters had seen a giant white bear even further north. To top that off, this hunter had run across several moose carcasses, and...the carcasses were not stripped to the bone, like a normal kill; these moose were killed, and it seemed like it was for sport he said, the carcasses were not eaten, they were left alone by other animals, like the kills were tainted or so spoiled the wolves and big cats wouldn''t even touch them."


    Magnus crossed his beefy arms across his chest, lost in thought, "This is very mysterious Halvor. I will pray on this, please don''t let J?n travel alone to the north until we figure this out. I will alert the guard; they will send an escort with him the next time he goes. If you hear anything else, please let me know. Please tell Helga to take care of whom she tells ¨C we don''t want to spread panic if we don''t need to. Thanks for letting me know, I will get to the shipyard now." Magnus patted Halvor on the arm and proceeded to make his way to work.


    As Magnus made his way to the yard, he waved to his friends, to his family, happy to be passed the issues with Jarl Sigurd. The yard was not the bustle of activity it normally would be, Magnus was sure they were regaling the activity of the last few days. When he stopped in their midst the chatter died down. He pulled in next to Astrid, she was mast builder and one of his best foreman. "Astrid, what do you hear of the village Deep Wood?"


    "The priests and just a couple of Tor''s guys stayed with them ¨C quite a bit to come to grips with. All in all, I hear they are doing good. Tor says they are really open to the idea that Odin is actually our Allfather, so that is good to. Hmm...Magnus you can''t avoid talking about this with us, you were incredible. We have fought and trained with you for years, we have never seen you move the way you did."


    Magnus gripped his chin with his left hand, pondering his reply, "Well guys, that wasn''t me, I was literally channeling the Allfather. If it was not for me giving myself to my inside feelings, Sigurd would have cut me in two. Let this be a lesson to you, when in doubt, let the Allfather lead. Anyway, stop gobbling like a gaggle of geese, and let''s go to work. Do you have any work-related questions for me?" Magnus looked around the group to see if anyone needed a question answered ¨C as usual, they were on task and good to go. "Okay, then ¨C who it on security this today?" Almost as one, the crew replied "Broddi".


    "Broddi, of course it''s Broddi ¨C why wouldn''t it be...great." Magnus mumbled to himself as he turned to the heart of the village and moved off to see Broddi, the crankiest, oldest, and orneriest warrior left in the village.


    Villagers took turns performing security around the settlement, which mostly entailed making sure the youngsters did not get too far out of line and ensure some strange wild animals did not make their way to the off-beat areas where work was being done. On occasion small brown bears or pumas would find their way to the tannery of or the dye hut, since they used animal products to make their goods ¨C they sometimes think there is a meal to be taken. Village elders did not travel the security paths, but they managed those who did. The ensured schedules were kept or passed on special tasks and information to those walking the beat, like keeping an eye out for giant white bears or ensuring anyone who had a need to travel between villages, got an escort, in case they came across a giant white bear. Now, giving Broddi information and expecting him to keep that quiet ¨C he was worse than the entire women''s circle combined. Magnus had to admit though, Halvor the baker''s wife already knew something of the gossip ¨C so this wasn''t going to stay quiet much longer anyway.


    Magnus reached the front of the guard house, "Broddi" he shouted thru the front door, "you ol'' nag, get yourself out here where we can talk...I have news". The sun was shining in Magnus'' eyes, so he had a hard time seeing to the interior of the house, but he knew Broddi was in the back room, more than likely mixing his tea with some "medicinal" remedy made from rye or barley. Broddi did like to tip his meds just a bit, but he did not get carried away and as long as he was coherent, Magnus gave the old veteran his due. Broddi had more axe time than any three warriors currently in the village - he had more than earned the respect of the village ¨C Magnus just liked to harass him, so he stayed on his toes.


    Broddi came to the front door, acting like he did not know who was waiting for him, clay mug in his left, so he promptly slapped Magnus with his right hand ¨C Magnus let it land and played into the action, acting like it was more powerful than it was. "Don''t you get snappy with me you giant moose, Magnus, I was killing demons and Syrians before you were even thought of." Broddi stepped back with a big grin on his face, "What can I do you now, son? But I ain''t jokin'' about getting snappy though, you know I need my medicine."


    Magnus recovered, gently rubbing his cheek, giving Broddi some satisfaction. "Broddi, we have a giant white bear roaming the south ¨C we need to keep an eye out and beef up patrols." Magnus relayed the stories he had heard to date but could not even finish before Broddi cut him off ¨C abruptly, "Already done you smart aleck kid, Frieda ¨C the baker''s wife ¨C well she told Zuzanna, and you know Zuzanna, she can''t hold her tongue. She told Marna, who told Tor... and Tor is on duty, so he told me. The boys are now doubled up, walking routes in pairs. The dye pit and tannery have a sentry keeping eyes out from the trees. The women''s circle has already made it known, any women or young ''uns that have to travel to other villages, will come and get an escort from us before they go...so, is that what you were gonna tell me ¨C jackass?"


    Magnus looked down at Broddi, since he was shrinking, and shook his head in disbelief. He pointed at Broddi''s chest and smiled. Magnus then simply walked away, still shaking his head, "You still got it old timer...but I would be a cull chief if I didn''t check in ¨C thank you." Magnus proceeded to the longhouse; he had a feeling he would find Is?lde there.


    Magnus went to the side door, back by the kitchen. He could hear the ''clucking'' well before he got inside, the old hens from the women''s circle comprised the largest flock in the village ¨C he smiled to himself, just knowing what he was walking into.


    "There you are, you giant brute" Aunt Hilde scolded, "What are you doing about the big white bear?  We have reports from all over the north, Magnus, all manner of wild animal have been found killed and carcasses left to rot. When do you think a person will be next?" Hilde stood, hands on hips, lips pursed...waiting for his answer.


    "Hilde...auntie, the warriors all know what''s going on. We are manned up, setting up escorts; we don''t have any local reports, just what has come down from the north. Tor has archers set up keeping an eye out. If anything shows up, we will know right away. Let''s be cautious, but don''t be scaring folk ¨C worry wart." Magnus raised his eyebrows at her, trying to interject some glib humor into his conversation with his favorite family member. "Besides, much scarier than a giant white bear - what have you ladies been telling Is?lde?"


    That was Is?lde''s queue to step in and hook her arm into Magnus'', "Oh nothing, just the village news, that''s all. They were definitely NOT telling me stories about, especially embarrassing childhood ones. How about you and I take a walk?"


    Magnus looked down at Is?lde, then slowly craned his head around to gently scowl at the brood. They were a mixed bunch...you could gauge a woman''s age here by how they held their heads when Magnus looked at them ¨C younger ladies looked down, the younger the lower...the seasoned circle veterans, now those woman looked him straight in the eye, and the most experienced smiled and gave him eyebrows or a wink ¨C Magnus once again turned to walk away, shaking his head in wondrous disbelief, and prayed a little prayer this time, "Lord ¨C Allfather, give me strength." He took his friend, and they headed back out to the village central.


    At the center of the village were the cheese monger, the butcher, and various other shops and craftsman. It was a little spot with tables and chairs where folk could sit and relax for a short time. The duo sat in front of the butcher shop, J?n the butcher brought some sausage and bread ¨C the bakery was much larger than these shops, so it was on the edge of town, but the butcher sold some items in small amounts. "It''s good to be chief" Magnus noted, "when you give respect, you get respect...and sausage." He smiled and took a bite from the plate. "So, Is?lde, what is the reason you are here ¨C besides needing a boat?"