Broken Souls (Book 1 of Seasons of the Cycle)

Chapter 69 - Bothvar Beorcolsson

We return to the village just in time to gather with the others. Eawyn steps in front of the crowd. "Another winter has come and gone. Spring has brought its blossoms, and soon summer will be upon us. Raids will begin, and we will earn our continued survival. We must not forget that we may be separate clans, but we are all of one people. People of the North. One tribe, one heart, and one mind. There will be a time when we must put our differences aside to come together as one tribe under one kingdom once again. When we will be faced with an enemy that seeks to destroy who we are to make us what we are not. The Southerners only seek to make us servants of their Tyrant Usurper. Will any of you bend the knee?"

The crowd roars a defining answer of its refusal to bow down. Eawyn waits for the crowd to die down before she continues. "Then you must stand together and fight for your freedom. You must set aside your petty squabbles."

She looks right at my father and the Earl of the Wolf Clan. "You must put aside your hate for each other and fight side by side with your rivals. Only when we unite as one clan can we be victorious. Remember, when you raid this summer, you raid as one clan. Everything we take from the Southerners is a victory towards not just our freedom from their tyranny, but our rule over these lands. Not just these lands, but all human lands."

The crowd cheers its approval, whistling, clapping their hands, and stomping the ground. "Now we depart from each other and go our separate ways for now. But soon, war will be upon us. Ready yourselves and prepare for it. Until then, take what you can from the Southerners and show them why it is wise to fear us."

The crowd erupts in a deafening roar, clapping each other on the shoulders, raising their fists, and hollering their approval again. After things die down, we all slowly disperse.

Scyra comes up to me and extends her hand. I nod, taking it and giving it a shake. "Take care, Shadow Killer. I hope we meet again."

"You as well. Ice Wielder. We will meet again. From what it sounds like, war is coming sooner or later. It would be an honor to fight by your side," I say. I really do need to come up with better names... Ice Wielder, really?

"As it would be for me to fight by yours," she says with a smile. "Now take care of your family. I'll keep in touch with the yeti."

"That would be much appreciated. And you take care of yours," I say. We nod and part ways.

I say goodbye to Amalasontha and Amalgunda, as they both show me great honor. Father had to meet one last time with Eawyn and the others before he joins us.

Now comes the hard part. Bodvar is not happy about going with the Wolves. None of us really are. Slaves pile all the things Bodvar brought with him. Father assures him that they will send someone over with the rest of his things that he will need. He makes a long list of the stuff he wants to be brought over.

Bodvar stomps and throws a tantrum about having to live with them. "This isn't fair! Why do I have to go to the filthy Wolf Clan? Why can't Thormar go? I've got my own purpose. I haven't even been able to raid yet. I hate them. I hate them all."

I take a deep breath in and pull him aside. I feel sorry for him. I don't know if I hate them as much as he or father, but I do feel a strong disliking towards some of them. At least for Vidkunn and Bjarni. I have to admit that I kind of respect the twins, Baldric and Siv. At least from what I've heard and seen of them. I don't necessarily like them, but it is like that of a bear respecting a wolf. That doesn't mean I wouldn't kill them if I had to, but those two are different from the elder two. There is something in their eyes that shows how different they are. I feel that we are not that different from each other. I feel some kind of bond that warriors feel for one another. It's like a brotherhood. Of course, they are all warriors. I cannot deny that. "Listen, little brother, you can't always choose your fights. All you can do is make the best of what you have. Besides, haven't you seen Vidkunn's daughters? I hear they are very pleasant on the eyes. Very beautiful. I also hear they are fierce warriors. Maidens in every sense of the word."