Fault (Book 1 of the Vikings Series)

Chapter 22

Vern

I tie off the last of the ropes and lean against the side of the boat, completely relieved. The mist of the harbor quickly settles on our boat but the rain seems to slow.
“Vern,” Welch says, just before jumping down from some of the rigging, landing in a small pool of water on the deck. “Where are we?”
“Three guesses says, Antrapar,” Briar approaches. He draws his sword and peers out to the docks.
“Fifteen.” Briar numbers our attackers like always on raid. This isn’t normal, though. Antrapar, if Tarben is telling the truth, isn’t just another village we can torment.
“Not worth the fight,” I say. I move to climb out of the boat and Briar grabs my arm.
“I will not die without a fight.”
I look him in the eye.
“I don’t intend to die. Not today.”
The first of the men and women jump to our boat’s deck.
“You have no business to be in Antrapar’s harbor.”
“So we did make it,” Welch steps forward. The man in the lead holds his sword out, the point coming just inches from Welch’s neck. My friend backs away slowly.
“Come with us willingly and you might live,” he says.
“Might?” Welch questions. “That’s encouraging,” he mutters, just loud enough for me to hear. I glance over to Briar who’s waiting for my response. There was no way we could get out of this with our swords. It would be suicide.
Slowly, I unclip my sword belt and lay it on the ground. Immediately one of the younger men grabs both of my hands and binds them behind me, pushing me forwards. Briar and Welch are both handled in similar ways and they lead us down the dock. They lead us down a large street that heads uphill towards the mountain. A faint smell of smoke hangs in the air, probably from fires burning inside some of the houses. What I would give to survive this day. That sad reality hits me harder than ever as we’re lead up some stairs and into a long hall. A single man sits at the end atop a long table, simply staring at us. Three people come running up behind him, all wearing long cloaks and masks that hide half of their faces. As they get closer to us, I see large daggers hanging from their belts. The warriors that hold Briar, Welch, and I pass us off to the newcomers. The man ahead comes down from his perch and motions to our captors. My hands are pulled back and something hard hits the back of my knees. I fall to my knees and a long dagger is placed at my throat.
“My name is Thorgar. If you want to stay alive you’ll answer all of our questions.”
“Who are you and why are you here?” The person holding me growls. The voice is deep, obviously male. I don’t answer and the blade is pressed against my neck. My skin starts to prickle with pain. I’m about to say something when Welch suddenly twists, somehow freeing his arms and falling away from the person who holds him. He wields a long dagger. The two spar off, though there isn’t much of a fight to be had. Even though the warrior is smaller, Welch can’t use a short weapon to save his life. The warrior grabs the back of his wrist, twisting the weapon out of his hand in one motion. He uses his last bit of effort to rip the cloth away from the attackers face, falling to the floor to avoid another swing. I can’t see their face but Welch’s eyes instantly widen. A long piece of blond hair falls into view. She quickly hops on top of him, straddling his stomach. The girl holds the dagger to his neck once again. Welch’s fists tighten and he lets out a groan of pain. Briar struggles to free himself beside me.
“Stop.” Thorgar speaks directly but doesn’t yell. The girl stands immediately but Welch doesn’t move. She kicks his side.
“Get up,” the girl hisses. Welch sits up, holding his neck. He brings his hand down for a moment and it glistens with blood.
“Let me make something perfectly clear, the only reason you weren’t already killed is because you’ve proven yourself valuable by surviving that storm on the seas,” Thorgar booms.
“How charitable,” Welch mutters. The girl knees him in the back.
“Shut up,” she growls.
“Where are you from, boy?” The man asks me.
“We’re from Limerick,” I lie.
“I thought you said Limerick burned,” Thorgar addresses the girl.
“It did.”
“That would explain why they’re traveling,” the boy holding me adds.
“Did you know them, Kori?”
The girl with blond hair nods. Briar’s struggles once again, glaring at her.
“I saw them in Limerick, yes. They weren’t important.”
I glance over at Briar who seems to know something I don’t. I’ve never seen this girl before yet here she was, completely proving my lie.
“Have any of you heard of a village called Havredal?”
“Havredal?” Welch asks, appearing to be in a daze. “I thought we were in Antrapar?”
Kori lets out a disgusted sigh.
“Can we please just kill them?” She groans.
“No. They could be useful,” Thorgar says.
“You’re just going to let them stay?”
“We need sailors. This isn’t up for discussion,” Thorgar responds.
“Yes, sir,” Kori says.
“Send the other guards in and have them take these three to the mountain village. Training starts tomorrow.”
Their leader leaves without another word through a door in the back of the hall.
Kori walks alongside me on the way up the mountain pass. We walk in silence for the first part of the walk. The sun starts to peek through some of the clouds, warming the muddy ground. Kori’s long hair flies around her face in the wind reminding me of Elin. Briar catches up to us and grabs Kori’s shoulder.
“Why are you doing this? You were from Antrapar all that time. Why say we’re from Limerick?” Briar asks.
“I saved your lives. Don’t question it,” Kori responds.
“You were a spy in Havredal,” I breath.
“Never mention that place. You cannot let anyone know you are from there and stay away from Elin.”
“Elin’s here?” Briar gasps.
“Of course she’s here. She’s probably down in the village somewhere pretending like she owns the place,” Kori mutters.