Shardfall, The Shardheld Saga, #1

CHAPTER 7 - HOMECOMING

The next afternoon, ten days and nights since they had climbed the Silfjall, Kjelle and Muus came home. In the distance loomed the palisade of Eidungruve and the Holderling heaved a deep sigh. But before he could say something, Birthe raised her hand. 'Wait.'

A little further on an arrow stuck in the snow. A long, iron arrow with green-and-yellow feathers.

Carefully they went forward. Near the arrow, Muus' foot hit something that didn't budge and he knelt down. With his hands, he cleared away the snow.

'A karl.' Kjelle's voice sounded strained. 'Damn, it's one of ours.'

'Shot in the back,' said Birthe.

The others stared at her.

'Swinne? Could he have arrived here so fast?' Kjelle's hands went to his axes.

Birthe shook her head. 'When we fled Belisheim, Swinne's men were still looting. Blood-mad and drunk they were, they'd be going nowhere that night, nor the next day. They can't ever have overtaken us.'

Kjelle mustered the walls with his gaze. 'No watchman in sight. The banner ... ' His eyes narrowed to slits. 'Those are Herigel's colors again. Come.'

They went through the forest, keeping out of sight of any watchers on the palisades.

'The avalanche hasn't reached the Hold. Of that at least your hands are clean,' said Muus in a whisper.

Kjelle glanced at him, but there was no relief on his face.

When they reached the front gate, he froze. 'No. Oh Thor, no.'

Beside him, Muus retched and struggled to keep his stomach down. On either side of the road from the gate was a row of stakes with heads. Heads of people he had known.

'My father?' Kjelle's breath labored as if he'd run a long distance. 'I don't see him, is my father there?'

Muus gritted his teeth and glanced along the horrible heads. Most were karls and freedmen, no women were among them. Then he saw the stake above the entrance, with the severed head of Holder Alman. He pointed and Kjelle's gaze followed his finger. The eyes of the Holderling opened wide and his lips began to scream. Muus slapped him hard in the face, twice. 'Quiet.'

Kjelle's mouth snapped shut.

'We must get away from here,' said Birthe. 'Come.'

With his hand on Kjelle's shoulder, Muus hurried him along the edge of the forest until they were out of sight of the Hold. The Holderling walked as a draug. His face was blank; his shoulder under Muus' hand felt rigid as a wooden plank and his feet stumbled over the snow-covered road.

Nearby, someone laughed. Another man answered and quickly Muus pulled Kjelle behind a clump of pine trees. Birthe slipped next to them and held up four fingers.

Four warriors came down the path, pulling a sled with the carcass of a deer. They joked like content men do, one of them boasting in a loud voice about the blonde girl he had taken and how she'd screamed and begged.

Kjelle moved from under Muus' arm, He dropped his backpack and gripped his axes. Before the other two could stop him, he yelled 'For Ema!' and threw himself on the warriors.

'O Thor,' snarled Muus, while he drew his sword.

The attack took the four ulvhednar completely by surprise. Kjelle made use of their momentary shock by laying the face of the boasting one open. Blood and brains splattered around while the man went down without a sound. Muus ran with his sword leveled in front of him like a spear. His target started to swing his ax and in a reflex, Muus ducked. He had forgotten the rolled-up tent on his back and the weight brought him off balance. His knee crashed into the side of the sled and with a cry, he pitched forward. In desperation, he swung his sword and his momentum pushed the blade deep into the guts of his opponent. The man screamed; a piercing sound that made Muus' blood run cold. Muus scrambled to his feet and struck blindly at the neck of the ulvhednar. The shrieking broke off. Panting, Muus looked around, with the sweat dripping from his face. He saw how Kjelle sprang at the third man, bellowing his anger, without regard for his own safety. The bandit tried to fend off the pounding blows, but he stood no chance. Kjelle turned his weapon and broke the man's jaw with the handle, after which he placed the ax in his enemy's forehead. The fourth man fled.