Fault (Book 1 of the Vikings Series)

Chapter 5

I leave the village and meet Singrid and Briar up on the bluff.
“For Odin’s sake,” I hear my mother mutter.
“What were you doing?” Briar asks.
“Finding out what was really going on,” I reply, mounting my horse.
“And?”
“They just need traps. I told her I’d try to help,” I explain.
Singrid chuckles. “Leave it to Dranga to send her teenagers out to steal rather than ask for help.”
Singrid flicks the reigns of her horse and we start out towards Havredal. I pull up alongside her.
“We can help them, right?” I ask. “I told Kori I would try to bring them some traps tomorrow.”
“Of course. In the end I’m sure they’d help us if the situation was reversed,” she replies.
Briar scoffs from behind us. “Doubt it,” he mutters.
Surprisingly, Singrid actually laughs at his comment.
“You’re probably right.”
By the time Havredal is in sight, it’s almost sunset. Singrid sends Briar ahead to light the lanterns but we hang back for a moment.
“That was smart of you to see what the girl needed,” Singrid says. I shrug.
“Dranga wasn’t going to be any help,” I mutter.
“Thank you, nonetheless,” she smiles. She starts to move towards the village again and I ask her one final question.
“Mother, where’s Antrapar?” I ask.
Singrid becomes instantly ridged. Her back straightens and I think I see her fists clench.
“We do not speak of that place in Havredal. Understood?” She says, her voice void of all of it’s previous softness.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“Limerick,” I shrug.

The next day, I waste no time heading to the meal hall where I stuff a piece of bread in my mouth and continue on to our dock house. Saga catches up to me.
“Hey! What are you doing? I thought we were going to eat breakfast together,” she questions.
We reach the dock house and I pull the latch open.
“Can’t,” I tell her, already disappearing inside. Saga follows me inside.
“Why not?” She snorts.
I open one of the large crates and pull out a few traps.
 “It’s not summer anymore. I have work to do,” I snap.
“And you don’t think I do?” my friend questions.
I heave the traps onto my shoulder. Saga moves in between the door and I.
“Let me go. I’m already going to be late,” I purse my lips.
Saga crosses her arms, her green eyes holding no softness whatsoever.
“Not until you tell me why you won’t even talk to me anymore? Or why you’ve been spending all your time up on the bluff? Or why you and Briar are best friends all of the sudden?” 
“It’s not of your concern.”
I push past her, heading for the stables. What was I supposed to tell her? I’ve been a bit preoccupied lately. Why was that such a problem?
Saga obviously thinks it is by how she chases me through the village. Eventually, she grows tired of my silence and grabs both my wrists, forcing me to drop the traps to the ground.
“What’s going on?” Saga stares evenly into my eyes.
“With what?” I ask.
“Ever since the men left you’ve been acting strange.” I start to shake my head.
“Don’t deny it!” Saga shouts. “What happened?”
I sigh and glance around, making sure Singrid isn’t around us. Thankfully, everyone appears to still be at breakfast.
“Things are getting weird, Saga. And I mean, really, extremely weird. Women, on Raid. I hadn’t thought about it until the day the ships had left. But why don’t any of us go on Raid? And why has Singrid?” I speak quietly.
“Because Singrid was a better fighter then any of us will ever be. She’s a legend.”
“But why can’t any of us just go on raid? I met a girl in Limerick who’s mother died,” I explain.
“So what? People die all the time,” Saga interrupts.
I roll my eyes. “She died on raid, Saga.”
My friend still doesn’t realize the point I’m attempting to make. I look around once more, checking that we’re still alone before speaking.
“Have you ever heard of Antrapar?” I whisper.
Saga’s face crinkles as she thinks.
“Once, I think. One of the Thralls mentioned it. Why?”
“We need to find out what’s so important about it,” I say urgently.
Saga points down at the traps.
“Are you going to… trap someone and get them to tell you?” she asks.
I roll my eyes and pick them up one again. I shove one of them into Saga’s arms.
“Nope. We’re going to meet someone who can tell us.
Saga and I each saddle up a horse and are riding quickly towards the meeting spot. We get there and I hop down from my horse. Saga drops the trap to the ground and lands shortly after it. I look around us, searching for some sign of Kori. Nothing seems different. All the birds still chirp in the trees, her previous hiding place is empty. Saga looks around too.
“Hey,” she says, pointing to the trap hanging in the trees. “At least we caught something.”
Saga pulls the trap down and a small hare comes into view. It’s still hoping around inside the ball, sniffing along the side of the cage. Saga pulls the knot free and lets the hare hop away. I don’t question it. It’s not worth killing the small thing during fall. We need big game to make it worth the haul back to Havredal.
Saga works to reset the trap and I lean against a nearby tree. The rough bark proves to make it a less comfortable position than I had hoped. Saga doesn’t let her boredom remain unknown as we wait around in the forest. Although, she also doesn't bother to make much conversation.
The wind rustles through the trees in the direction of our village, carrying a bitter odor into my lungs. Saga looks at me, wide-eyed.
“Smoke,” I breath.
“Limerick!” Saga shouts. Before I know it, she’s on her horse and flicks the reigns, streaming away towards our neighbors. I’m just a couple feet behind her. The sent grows stronger the closer we get. It isn’t until we crest the hill that I see the large plume of smoke.
“Quick! We need to see if anyone’s still inside!” Saga yells over the wind. I follow her towards the roar of flames. As we ride down into the village, I glance into the sea beyond. A ship sails out of the harbor and looks to be filled with both people and cargo. I let out a breath of relief. Thank God most of them got out. Still though, Saga and I dismount and sprint through the flaming gates. A sweat breaks out on my forehead almost instantly and the smell of smoke overwhelms me. Flames roar through the dwellings, already leaving mere ashes of some structures.  
“We don’t have much time,” I cough.
“Two minutes,” Saga croaks, sounding more hoarse than me. I sprint towards the square. Saga heads a different way. A pounding reaches my ears followed by a long scream. I follow the sound to a small house. The door is held in place by a large board. A few more bangs rattle the door from the inside.
I kick the board and it barely moves. Again, and again, each time only receiving a small victory. I grab the short sword from my belt and bring it down hard on the nail that holds one side of the board. The impact jars my wrist but I don’t have time to stop. I kick the door again and this time it flies free. Someone practically leaps out of the house, followed by a billow of smoke.
“Kori?” I gasp as the girl’s face comes into view. Her cheeks are blackened by a mixture of smoke and ash.
“Elin?! What are you doing here?” she cries.
I glance up at the structure looming above us. A ear splitting crack fills my head. To my horror, I watch as it starts to lean in our direction. 
“Run!!” I grab Kori’s arm and drag her away. We aren’t quick enough and I turn back just in time to throw up both my arms to keep a burning piece of wood from smashing into my back. Still though, it throws me to the ground and I cry out in pain. Kori falls beside me also but doesn’t seem to be hurt, or is just far better at hiding it. She’s up on her knees pushing the board off of me in a matter of seconds. My body burns with angry scratches and blisters. Burning rubble surrounds us, the flames already licking at my long cloak. I flinch away but every movement hurts.
“Elin!” I hear a shout above the fire. Kori drags me to my feet and pulls me forwards. Another pair of hands are urging me forwards on my other side. Saga’s worried face appears in my blurry vision. I cough and choke on the smokey air that makes my head spin.
“Come on, just a little further,” a voice echoes. Another crash rocks the ground from behind us. Everything starts to get quiet. We pass through the gates and Kori and Saga set me down on the grass. I try to tell them I’m ok but it just comes out as more of a croaky moan. My eyes start to close and I try, unsuccessfully, to keep my thoughts clear. Not good.

A/N: Hey guys! I hope you've been enjoying Fault so far! Please, please, please vote if you like it or leave a comment if there's something I could fix!