Blessed by the Gods

The Ground Shook

Inside Rùna's room, the slaves had left and remained outside while Ivar sat on the bed, the eye on the window that faced the tree line, it had grown as cold as outside. Wind blew through the window, carrying in the rain that fell from the roof.

Her stomach twisted, and Rùna jumped up, her face turned to the window. "No!" she yelled out, jumped off the bed and ran through the great hall to the entrance straight up to Hvitserk who was about to run with his father and the other men towards the enemy. "It is a trap. There are no men, only weapons" Rùna cried out, holding onto his arm. "You have to stop them all"

Ragnar turned to her, his hand on her throat. "How do you know this? What have you seen that we did not?"

Shaking from the rain that pattered on her skin, Rùna closed her eyes and waited for the next lightning. The moment it struck, she removed her shoes and took a deep breath. All the energy the lightning shot into the ground, it gathered. The ground beneath the men's feet trembled and cracked releasing light into the dark sky. It led all the way from the town to the field and ended at the tree line.

"They are everywhere, but the trees, ready to strike when you least expect it" Rùna glanced at Ragnar, her eyes glowing as bright as the lightning that brightened the dark ground.

Valtar's men turned as soon as the light gave sight on the weapons and hurried back to the King's home to defend it from another attack. "What is this?" Valtar yelled at Ragnar, who removed his hand from Rùna's throat. "Get back inside!" He stared at Rùna, a grin on her lips as she walked past Ragnar and Hvitserk.

"I can help" she whispered, returning into the house. Back in her room, she cleaned the dirt off her feet and stared out the window.

Ivar, laying on the bed, facing the ceiling did not look up when she walked in, but the next strike of lightning that made the ground shake did bring him enough discomfort to at least see, if Rùna was okay. "What happened?"

Crawling on top of him, Rùna sat straight and laughed. "I know what they are doing"

"Who?"

"The queen and her men, and I can stop them" Her hair fell onto Ivar's face when she bent over and whispered into his ear. Brushing it back over her back, she smiled at him.

Without hesitation, Ivar placed a kiss on her lips and this time, she returned it.

Beneath them, the ground shook, at first lightly, but it grew stronger and then the walls creaked as the wood bent in the storm. All over town, houses fell apart under the shaking ground, the wind that tore on their roofs and fires started wherever lightning struck wood. Not the rain or any more water could save them.