Pack (The Ulfhednar Saga bk 1)

Finality

They entered the valley after a day of travel by sea. It was completely frozen over and covered with snow. The graveyard looked just as it had the first time she had been there. More of the graves were empty, but there were also more graves added. Every death allowed them another Draugr, she realized. The grounds were quiet. Not a single creature in sight. She hoped that that meant their plan had worked.
"Let's get started." Bjørn said. The ten Berserker he brought with him fanned out around the grounds to protect her as she worked. She moved around, looking into each grave. When she was certain that she had found every grave that was attached to a Draugr, she collected dirt from each and placed it into a bowl she had burned bind runes into in order to keep the evil contained as she worked.

She took a deep breath in, centering herself and clearing her mind. This was it. She had to succeed or the pack would be slaughtered. She concentrated on the Draugr. Placing her hands into the bowl, she called to the Gods, asking them to aid her. The dirt felt shy and dark against her skin. She could feel the evil magic against her skin as she called to the Gods.

Suddenly, she felt them. They were with her now, filling her with knowledge and power. She could see the Draugr's deaths and resurrection. Their lives felt dark to her, hopeless. She was able to find the bonds that tied them to Halda and their graves. It was as if her bond was a spiderweb of dark power tangling them together. The web wrapped itself around Halda, power pulsing through it.
Val noticed something about Halda, it was strange and sad. She couldn't place it but made a note to look into her suspicions.

She began to speak the galdr she had created and studied for the last few days. Putting every ounce of her strength and faith into her words, she could see the web crumbling.
All of the darkness around her was giving way to light. The light was so bright that it almost pushed her away. She held fast to her words, keeping her thoughts focused on the task at hand when she finally felt the bomds snap.
"Now!" She screamed, and her companions began throwing fire into the graves. Calling to the Gods one more time, she thanked them and rose to her feet.
"Burn this too" she told Bjørn. He complied, casting fire into the bowl of dirt. It instantly burned into ash.

"Is it done?" He asked her. His eyes were boring into hers with hope. Bjørn, she had learned, was Torstein's closest friend. He had been at his side their whole lives and would probably always be by his side.
"I hope." She said. "Let's leave before it's too late."
She was amazed they hadn't been interrupted, that there wasn't a soul to be seen on the freezing island that was in full bloom just days prior. Perhaps Halda took everyone to the main land, she thought. Moving quickly, they all shifted, relying on their fur coats to keep them warm and their long legs to get them to their Skarvi as quickly as possible. Her heart was beating rapidly, she was terrified that their task had been too easy.
When her feet touched the wood of the ship and the island was in the distance, she finally relaxed. Now it was time to find Torstein.

When he had seen the look on Val's face as she sailed away that night, he thought she would never forgive him. He was certain she believed he had turned into one of Halda's pawns, and her enemy. He knew that making Halda and Ingrid believe that he was with them was the only way he could get his sister out alive, so he did. When they found him in the woods, he told them that when he found Søren's body, he was already dead. He saw the open window and chased them into the woods and that was when he ran into his mother.
She believed him, desperate for the perfect son, she probably would have believed anything he told her. From that day on, Halda never let him leave her side, even during Søren's pyre. She had him laid on an old ship with only a few of his belongings. She told her pack that he was not honorable and that was why Loki decided his own son had to die. Why the God hasn't appeared for his son's death ceremony. In those moments Bran actually felt sorry for Søren. His mother had twisted him and then threw him away.
The day after Søren was burned, they recieved word that the Ulfhednar were planning to leave Ulfrheim. They felt that it wasn't safe and were going to seek refuge in the mountains.
"Bran, ready the pack and assemble the Draugr. We are going to slaughter them all!" Halda ordered him.
"Mother, you gave your word that you wouldn't attack them."
"They also gave their word that they would stay and that Valdis would marry Søren. They broke their word first, son. Now do as I say!" She yelled. He had noticed her becoming more and more agitated since her son's death. Perhaps she was more saddened than she let on.
"Of course mother." He replied and did as she said.
Within hours, they were all on their way to the main land. She didn't leave a single fighter back to protect her island, which he thought was a sign of her inability to lead. He knew that he had to support her or die, but he wasn't sure he knew what he would do once he was face to face with his pack, standing on the wrong side of the line.
Once they arrived on the mainland, Halda immediately ordered them to move towards the mountains. Bran felt sick, tracking his own sister. The ravens hadn't left him, which gave him the confidence to keep moving, certain that meant that the Gods were still with him. He recalled the moment they had returned to him after guiding Val home. He was alone on the shore when he heard one croak. Looking into the sky, he saw them descend and crash into his shield. He knew that he was lucky Ingrid never knew about the ravens, or they would have noticed them missing from the shield and suspected he was more than what he seemed.