Broken Souls (Book 1 of Seasons of the Cycle)

Chapter 56 - Bothvar Beorcolsson

Night has taken over. We all work to help carry the wounded to my father's Keep. There, Thon helps my mother, her sisters, and several of the slaves that Sigvor has taken in, including the priests and elves, help heal the wounded. I'm amazed at Thon's ability to heal. His abilities even surpass that of my mother and my Aunt Sigvor. That is saying much since my Aunt Sigvor is by far one of the best healers our village has ever had and my mother, along with their sister Ingithora, is not far behind. But Thon's abilities far surpass their own. Even they're admittedly amazed. He can even reattach severed arms and legs without a trace of scars. With his help, the wounded are all healed as if they were never hurt. I finally relent and allow him to heal my wounds. A piercing green light fills me with warmth. It invigorates me, and the pain fades as my body is rejuvenated. My rib seems to mend back in place and the bruises and cuts disappear. That was a bit painful, but now I feel great. Even the ringing leaves my ears.

What surprises me, even more, is my mother and my aunts. I never thought I'd see the day they'd set their pride aside and ask for teaching. Thon is willing to show them his techniques for weaving the muscles and flesh back together as if he was stitching up a tattered pair of trousers. However, his stitching leaves the trousers better than they were before. Strangely, I can understand what he is doing as I watch, but I don't know how to do it myself. Or maybe I am just not strong enough to do it. Even the Valkyrie Matriarch who arrived with her healers were impressed. And it seems she is a very skilled healer as well. They both use this strange green magic.

I slip away to make several trips up and down the mountain to gather several barrels of the ore water and a few sacks of the mushrooms, taking my brothers with me. We find a cave near the pathway to my own cave. I enter it to make sure it is empty. Thankfully, it is. It's full of mushrooms and glowing ore. Fortunately, most of the ore is at the bottom of pools of water. I eat a few mushrooms and drink as much water as I can before I make the track down the mountain with two full barrels of water as my brothers carry giant sacks of mushrooms.

The Builders arrive, and my father makes a deal with them before they get to work. I help clear out some debris before stepping aside to let them work.

Koll finds me and pulls me aside. "Your father mentioned that you'd show us how you got your strength."

I nod. "Get Einar and Throst and meet me at the side gate in the morning. Tomorrow, I will teach you how to gain this strength."

He nods. "I look forward to it."

As he walks away, I seek out Griotgard, Solmund, and Skardi. They are with their father, who was wounded and recovering from being healed. I pull them aside. "You three must come with me at my father's request."

They exchange looks and nod. They follow me out the side gate and up the mountain to the same cave we all discovered as children. The cave I made a home for The Longest Night. As we enter through the door, I built and inside.

"Wow, you've really made yourself at home here, Bothvar," Griotgard says as they follow me to the pools of light.

"My father wants me to teach you three how to gain the strength I found here. Along with Koll, Einar, Throst, and Thormar. However, I do not want to teach them here. This is Thorkel's cave. I want it to remain a place of solace and solitude. It's one of the few things I have left of him that was truly ours," I tell them as I look up at the hammer that's rested there for so long. Still shines as bright as the day we found it.

"We understand, Bothvar," Skardi says.

"I agree. It feels wrong to let others know of this place. It was Thorkel who discovered it. Others would desecrate it and seek to claim the hammer for themselves," Griotgard says.