Broken Souls (Book 1 of Seasons of the Cycle)

Chapter 76 - Bothvar Beorcolsson

After we grab a bite to eat, we spend the rest of the day, making preparations

The day goes by slowly. More double-checking everything. More talking. And more planning and more lectures.

By the time we finish, the sun has gone to bed. Then father sends me out to check everything we've already checked more than a dozen times. Even more time checking the boat. Going over the supplies. Checking the water. And on and on.

I finally get a big plate of food from Semet back at the hall before mother comes scrambling in. "Have you seen Svala? I can't find her anywhere."

After grabbing a leg of smoked turkey, I walk out of the hall with a sigh. Giving the air a sniff, I look at the ground to see a tiny boot print that has to be hers. I follow it all the way to a side gate out to the south that was added during the rebuild. I continue to follow her tracks and gain her scent. A smell of that nauseating oil she puts on that gives off a sharp fruity smell.

I follow the path through the woods until it stops at a large tree. The tracks completely disappear. I walk all the way around the tree and find no more footprints. They just end at the tree. I look at the tree and see a ladder built into the tree. Looking up, there's a house built on the tree. How have I never noticed this? I try to climb up it but the ladder breaks. The trap door opens up and Svala's head shoots out. "You wool-brained goat. The ladder can't support our weight!"

"How did you get up there?" I ask.

"I climbed the branches. These types of trees are the only ones strong enough to support our weight after we got strong in the mountains," she yells down at me.

"Huh, never thought about trees holding our weight," I say, scratching my beard. I put my thoughts aside and climb the tree. I get up inside and barely fit. Svala has to squeeze over.

She pulls her knees against her chest and gives me a dirty look. "What are you doing here? Finally, have time to talk to your little sister?"

"What are you talking about? I always have time to talk to you," I say.

"You rarely ever have time to talk to me. Growing up, you and Thorkel were always off by yourselves and never took any of us with you. Thormar never wanted to hang out with us either because he thought he was too old. He wanted to be like you and Thorkel. For most of the time, it was only just Bodvar and me. Now it's just me... And Thora. Sometimes. She's a bit odd sometimes."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Well, she spends a lot of time at the docks. I used to go out with her when she was younger, but she's always out there and I don't really want to spend all my time there." She continues to ramble on as I struggle to figure out what it means that Thora is out there. Is she talking to those whales? Can she really talk to whales? Should I be worried? This sorta stuff is what a mother is for. I am not prepared to handle it. She's just a little girl. She shouldn't be out on the docks alone like that, but I can't blame Svala. Svala is not far off from being old enough to be on the ships. Yet, I can't help feeling that she's safe on the docks. I can't forget the time she fell in and was saved by that whale. I've seen those things kill men that fall overboard during raids.

"I just feel so alone without Bodvar." Svala's words bring me back to the moment. I look into her eyes to see such sadness.

"Svala, I understand your pain. I miss him too, but he will be back faster than you know it. The Wolves will beg for Gadaric back once they get stuck all winter with Bodvar. The gods only know the trouble that is in store for the Wolves."

She laughs. "Yeah, he'll have them looking under every seat and watching out above the doors."

I snicker, remembering some of Bodvar's most infamous pranks. "Especially the time he put a bucket of ice-cold sea water above Thormar's door only for mother to walk through it. He was doing slave work for an entire season."