Shardfall, The Shardheld Saga, #1

CHAPTER 4 - BELISHEIM

'It's about one rest to Belisheim,' the old man had said. One rest, a two-hour walk. Only not in a blizzard, with visibility less than the length of your little finger and every step a move in a wrestling match.

Muus knew they couldn't seek the relative protection of the forest, for they had to stay close to the river. The Jerna River was their guide, without which they would be lost.

When exhaustion forced them to stop, they dug a hole in the snow. There they slept, wrapped in their cloaks, huddled together.

Hours later, they woke up, ate one of the leftover grilled trout from the day before and went on. The blizzard had stopped and the air spirits were celebrating its passing, for all around the sky played the bright green lights of their feasting. The two wanderers were too tired to speak, too miserable to quarrel as they trudged onward.

'There.' Kjelle pointed into the distance, and they could see torches burning through the trees and the outline of a palisade.

'Careful.' Muus' voice was hoarse. He rubbed the freezing snow from his eyelashes. 'Let's see where we are before running inside.'

'Wisely spoken.' A muffled voice came out of the dark, deep and melodious. The torchlight danced on the shoulder of a cloaked figure. 'Two young men in the snow. Who are you and what do you seek in Belisheim?'

Kjelle stepped forward, hand raised. 'Greetings. We are victims of disaster, seeking shelter and food. Kjelle Almansen, I am, and my s... companion's name is Muus.'

'Welcome to Belisheim, Kjelle Almansen and Muus. Follow me; inside there is warmth, food, and drink.' They followed their escort inside the palisade, where Muus slowed down and looked around. A large house with several outbuildings. Good, solid woodwork, richly decorated with powerful characters that he couldn't read. 'There's no gate? Everyone and everything can walk inside?'

'We have neither gates nor guards,' said the escort. 'Belisheim is protected by the power of the Völva.' The door to the longhouse swung open. A wave of heat carried the smell of food to them. Muus' eyes began to water. Fresh bread and stew. Blinking, he looked around the common hall. Green branches and patches of holly reminded him it was Yuletide. They should've been celebrating now, even the thralls. A rough curse made him stare at the warriors lounging around a fire in the middle of the hall. They wore uniforms and their leather helmets had a metal wolf's head above the eyes. Ulvhednar. Only the mightiest in the kingdom were able to afford these berserkers. They kept their helmets and axes within reach, and their brutal faces, covered with strange tribal markings, saw red from the mead they had already enjoyed. One of them had jumped to his feet, a pockmarked fellow with a wolf's head as a cap and its dark gray pelt hanging down over the shoulders.

'You there,' he roared to their escort. 'We've been waiting a half-day already. When will the old woman see us? Jarl Rannar will not be pleased that his man Swinne was kept dangling.'

The hooded one moved a hand. 'Jarl Rannar's man Swinne will have to be patient. The auspicious moment for an audience has not yet arrived. Once the moment is there, the lady will have you summoned. Until then the food and drinks are at your disposal.'

The man cursed and sat down again. His hard eyes stared at Muus and Kjelle, while his lips twisted in a sarcastic grin. 'The lady does have time for two beardless wonders?'

'Fate leads them hither, Jarl Rannar's man Swinne. Fighting against Fate is meaningless.'

'You and your vague-speak.' The pockmarked man snorted and spat into the fire.

Muus avoided looking at the man. When the name Rannar fell, he had felt the Holderling beside him stiffen. Rannar of Westhal, whose lands lay far to the southeast, was a declared enemy of Jarl Dettrich and thus Kjelle's father. Rannar was an ambitious and unscrupulous man, with followers suited to his nature. We'll have to be careful, Muus thought, with a fleeting glance at the armed warriors. One wrong word and our blood will flow. It's well they don't know who we are.