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Chapter 1
I snapped my leather belt into place over my dark blue tunic and gave
it a good pull to make sure it was tight. I was surrounded by warriors
preparing for battle, and their preparations roughly matched mine as we
readied for war.
My black cloak was next, and I latched it into place on my right
shoulder before I pulled my hair back into a tight knot. The sides of my head
were shaved, but I liked to keep the middle part long. I felt it gave me an
added edge in battle, it was a style not everyone wore, and I wanted my
enemies, and my battle mates around me, to know who had just bested them.
“Volrath,” Hagar, one of the largest men in our warband, called my
name. He was a big, ugly sonofabitch, and he had the brains of a rock at the
bottom of a stream. His ugly mug was topped with long brown hair that hung
down in his back in three braids, and he always carried both a sword and an
axe, as if somehow having both made him more powerful. To top off the
aesthetic, a large scar ran down the side of his right cheek, and it crinkled into
a strange fold of skin every time he smiled.
“What is it, Hagar?” I sighed, since I knew full well it would be some
strange attempt to show me how much stronger he was than myself.
“Let’s play a game,” Hagar chuckled.
“What did you have in mind?” I asked as my exasperation was
replaced by mild curiosity.
“Let’s play who can bend the sword,” he said, and he pulled one of the
old swords from the pile in the corner of the room. Then he laughed as he
grabbed the thing by the rusty blade and bent it down to form it into a sort of
arc. His hands were bloody, but the rest of the warband cheered him on.
“Idiot,” I muttered with a shake of my head. I could easily demolish
one of the swords, just as he could, but the difference between us was I
actually had a brain in my head, and I didn’t want to slice my hands open
before we went into combat.
As I looked at the brute men around me who seemed to know nothing
other than showing off their strength and chasing women, I couldn’t help but
feel I was in the wrong place. Sure, I loved battle as much as the next man,
and the thrill of the fight was hard to resist, but I had other things to think
about these men never considered.
First off, I deliberately tried not to get injured in battle. Where the men
around me saw it as something to boast about because cuts, bruises, and scars
meant they’d fought hard, I knew fighting smarter was always a better option.
I’d defeated just as many men as my fellow warriors, but I walked away with
much less bloodshed and fewer mangled limbs.
The men in my warband didn’t understand what strategy meant, so
there was no point in trying to explain it to them. Besides, I didn’t have to
prove myself to them in the first place. I was part of the warband I’d been
assigned to, and I’d fulfill my role and get my loot, that was all. I had no need
to make friends with these rasshols.
My hair was tied back, my tunic in place, and my cloak attached, so all
there was to do now was wait for Eira, our group leader. She was a badass
shield-maiden who had led our warband to more than fifty victories in the
time I’d been with the group. She was nearly as tall as I was, and just about
as strong. Her long red hair was usually pulled back into several thick braids
during battle, but I’d seen her around Asgard a few times with it down and
loose around her shoulder like a waterfall of molten sunlight and rich copper,
and I’d nearly lost my breath because of how beautiful she was.
As I sat on the bench in the great hall and thought about her beauty, the
woman herself walked in and gazed around at the men still readying
themselves for battle. Her chin was tilted slightly in the air to show her
dominance, and she stood with the confidence of Odin himself. She wore a
deep green tunic that complimented her emerald eyes, and today her hair was
pulled back into four long braids, with two smaller ones that hung in front of
her ears. She was absolutely stunning, and my heart rate sped up as she
locked eyes with me.
I half smiled at her, but she simply gave me an amused smirk in
response. She knew she was wanted by every man, and I was no exception.
But as far as I knew, her only love was for the battle.
“One’s back is vulnerable,” she yelled and threw her arms up in the air
to gain everyone’s attention.
“Unless one has a brother!” we all responded, and anyone who held a
weapon beat it against the nearest surface.
I picked up my trusty one-handed axe and my well used shield with its
deeply embedded slash marks. The faded blue and green colors of our
warband still decorated the front, and even if I wasn’t proud of the men I
fought with, I was proud to follow Eira anywhere.
“That’s right,” Eira said as she began to walk slowly around the room
and look each of her warriors in the eye. “On the battlefield, we are all
brothers. What will we do today?”
“Demolish!” we yelled, and I hit my shield against the bench in front
of me. The hall grew loud with our war cries, and my heart rate accelerated
again, this time at the promise of the battle that was to come.
“We will demolish our enemies!” Eira screeched, and we all yelled in
response and followed her out of the great hall, our voices still carrying as
they rang out into the open air of Asgard.
I took a deep breath as I stepped out of the great hall and onto the
hillside. The market to our right bustled with Aesir out to sell their wares or
to buy their dinner, and the sun was high up in the sky as the afternoon
approached. Some of the citizens at the market waved to us as we exited the
hall, and others, older males who had once been in our position, yelled out a
war cry to encourage our efforts.
We all fell into line as we followed Eira out of the city and toward the
ill gained lands of clan Loti. They were our targets for the day, and under her
leadership, we were ready to take them out.
Odin wanted peace in Asgard, but there were some who undermined
his power, like the Loti. It was our job as one of his warbands to eliminate the
threat. Clans like the Loti wanted nothing more than to conquer Asgard for
themselves, then move on to the other worlds through the Bifrost. Some
members of the clan had already been caught attempting to use the Bifrost for
their own personal gain, which had angered Odin greatly. The Bifrost was for
official use, and the Loti would do nothing but cause trouble in the other
worlds, which could lead to war.
I respected Odin, and I would live and die for him, like any of his men,
but part of me resented the Loti and their kinship. This whole clan had a
purpose, terrible as it was, and that was something I’d lacked my entire life.
This subsection of the Loti was made up of men who’d followed the
teachings of their fathers or grandfathers, and as such had become traitors, but the true Loti clan was nothing like the ones we were about to encounter,
though they’d all come from there.
All of the Loti once had a family, and I wondered how anyone with a
family to raise and love them could turn out to be such traitorous monsters.
Being an orphan since childhood meant I had no family unit to raise me, so
I’d basically raised myself on the streets. I never knew my father or mother,
but I’d managed to make a small home for myself, and by using my strength
and strategic intellect, I’d also become part of one of Odin’s Warbands.
Still, a lot of the Loti were fathers and sons, and I wondered what it
would be like to have a family, even if they were foolishly against the
Allfather.
“Assemble!” Eira yelled, and I was pulled from my train of thought as
I ran forward with my shield in place.
Our shields and bodies created a practically impenetrable wall, but I
peered above my shield to see we’d made it to the top of a hill that sat just
above the Loti clan. The small makeshift village of the clan was nestled in the
We were as far away from Odin’s castle as we could get, since the clan knew
they wouldn’t be welcome near the city, so they’d created a hideout as far
away as they could manage.
The Loti wore red and white tunics, and their shields were painted to
match. Their warriors were ready to fight, and they stood in a line at the
bottom of the hill and let out a loud, vicious battle cry.
The sound of it heightened my senses, and my body tingled with the
sensation. My instincts were in full gear, then, and I was ready to take on
anyone who stood in my way.
The Loti let out one more screech, and then they all began to run
toward us.
“For Odin!” Eira yelled, and she raised her battle axe up high to the
sky.
“For Odin!” we echoed as a group, and then there was only the sound
of battle cries and footsteps as we ran forward to meet the Loti.
I watched as the fastest of my brothers came head to head with the red
cladded men. Instead of using their shields to block blows as it was intended
to be used, they raised their axe and barely caught the blades of the other
men. Some of them forgot all about the shield attached to their arms, and they
would begin to throw punches or kicks in an attempt to show the enemy just
how powerful they were.
I looked forward again and saw two Loti headed straight toward me.
Their axes were raised, but once again, they had forgotten about their shields.
They were no better than my brothers in that regard.
The two charged me at full speed, so I ran down the hill to meet them,
and the momentum of the slope carried me forward.
Just before the three of us clashed, I dropped to my hip and slid down
the hill between them. Before they could turn around, I was on my feet, and I
had taken the head off one of them.
The other turned around just in time to get splattered by the blood of
his companion, and his eyes grew fierce as the red liquid cascaded over his
face.
“Die!” the Loti yelled, and he raised his axe and lunged toward me.
I raised my shield, and the man’s axe hit it with such force it was no
doubt stuck there for the moment. I didn’t wait to find out, though, I just
raised my own axe and landed a blow to the top of his head. His skull cracked
under my blade, and his head nearly split in two before I yanked the axe out.
Fresh blood splattered across my face, but that only fueled the fire
within me. I quickly pulled the man’s axe out from my shield, then I spun
around with a new fury and ran toward the nearest Loti. He was a large male,
huge in stature, and weighing damn near three hundred pounds, it looked like.
He was slow to get up the hillside, but that just made him a better target for
me. It meant I had first access since the more brawn-oriented men in my
group were still busy with the first wave of Loti.
The large male breathed heavily as he spotted me, and then he opened
his mouth to let out a screech. I smiled as his war cry rang in my ears, and I
kept my eyes trained on his movements. He was big, a lot bigger than myself,
but that didn’t make him stronger, and it most definitely didn’t make him a
better warrior.
I waited where I stood for him to make his way to me, and as he
approached, he raised his sword and slashed out at me. I ducked below my
shield and let it take the brunt of the blow, then I snaked my axe out and
caught the giant man in the back of his knee.
He fell forward, and I rolled out of the way before he could land on top
of me. He hit the ground with a loud thud, and I glanced up to see Eira look
my way before she went back to the man she was grappling with.
The large man tried to get back up, but with only one good leg, it was
virtually impossible. As he lifted himself up onto his hands, I took the
opportunity and quickly swung my axe forward.
His head went rolling down the hill beside him as more blood
splattered my face. Before I had time to think, though, I heard a sound behind
Our blades clinked together, and our faces pushed toward one another
as we both screeched our dominance. His face looked as bloody as mine felt, but I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of it being my blood that hit
him next.
While our axes were locked together, I turned my arm so my shield
was flat, then I rammed it into his gut. The wind came out of him with an
audible oof, and I quickly pulled my axe away from his and slashed it across
his chest.
The wound was brutal, but it wasn’t a kill shot. The next one would be,
though, that was for certain.
The man screamed out in pain at the cut across his body, and then he
took a deep breath, locked eyes with me, and lunged forward.
I was ready for his attack, so I stood and waited for him to get close
enough. Then I raised my shield and bashed him right in the face. His axe
came down in front of him, but the force with which he had come into
contact with my shield was too great, and the axe slipped out from his fingers
as he flew backward and landed on his back in the grass.
He was several feet away, and quite dazed, so instead of charging, I
grabbed my axe with my shield hand, picked up his own axe, and threw it at
him. The blade spun around several times before it made contact with his
chest, and the man didn’t have time to speak or scream.
The axe penetrated his lungs, and he began to coug
h up blood almost
instantly.
I smiled at my handiwork. Not many warriors would think to kill a
man with his own weapon, but I thought it too good of a story to pass up.
One my opponent collapsed dead to the ground, I spun toward the
battle that raged around me, so I could find a place to help. Most of the
fighting was happening to my left, with Eira, Hagar, and the other brute force
males locked in swordplay with the Loti, but a quick glance around showed
the Loti numbers had been greatly diminished. Many of their men laid dead
on the ground, and the red of their tunics was a great juxtaposition to the
bright green grass around us.
I watched as Eira took on two men at a time, and her fiery-braids
swung behind her as she spun back and forth and landed blows each time.
There weren’t many Loti left at that point, but I locked onto a target
down the hill and took off. The red cladded man saw me run toward him, and
he picked up an axe from the ground and threw it at me.
He must have seen my handiwork a few moments ago.
I dodged the spinning blade and met the man head on. Unlike many of
the other men, this one raised his shield just as I raised mine, so the wood
clashed together, and my feet slid backward on the blood-soaked grass as I
pushed harder against him.
The man raised his axe and thrust it toward me, but I caught it with my
own.
Finally, an opponent worth fighting.
I thrust myself away from the man and spun to the side as he stumbled
backward. Then I slashed out with my axe, but he was too quick, and he
dodged the blow.
The warrior countered with a sweep of his own, but I rolled out of the
way and landed to the side of the man. Then I saw my opportunity, so I
quickly struck out with my axe and watched as his foot was severed from his
body at the ankle.
He cried out in pain and stumbled forward, but I lunged upward with
my axe and put it straight through his chin and up to his nose. His eyes stared
straight at me as I watched the blood flow from his face, then the light died
out in his eyes, and I yanked my axe away before I looked around for my
next victim.
My adrenaline was still racing, so the sound of my own heartbeat filled
my ears, but as I looked around, I realized the fight had mostly ceased.
Hagar stood over the body of a barely twitching man, and he thrust his