Excelsior: Loki

Chapter 4

The boat rocked back and forth violently as the powerful river pushed the company to their doom, Teodor rowing them forward. They had been in the boat for a long time, having to endure Tormod as he stared at the two young ladies and smirked, flashing more of his pearly whites, his canines looking ridiculously sharp. Katja grimaced but knew she had to talk to him to find out where Prince Charming might live, she had narrowed it down to some secluded manor or castle. 

"Tormod," she began, her voice barely managing to reach his ears as they get closer to the waterfall, "would you happen to know of any castles or manors nearby or perhaps in the forests?" her voice shook as she spoke to him, his eyes scanning her body as he licked his lips ravenously. 

"Why yes, I do. For my knowledge, what do I receive in return? Perhaps something you and only you could give me?" He winked and Katja's heart sank. She would rather not know his information, and felt dispaired, realizing that she has returned to square one. Looking down at her hands, she remembers that she moved her ring! 

"Of course, Tormod," she tried to speak seductively, lowering her voice and pursing her lips, "but tell me what you know first, that way I know how much to please you."

He fell for her trap immediately, "There's a secluded castle in the forest, past where the boat stops, but people are afraid to go there out of fear of the wolves, but rumour has it, someone still lives there, for, during the winter, small puffs of smoke have been reported to be seen in that area." Tormod grinned proudly, now desperately wanting his reward, like a dog waiting for a treat. 

Now it was Katja's turn to smirk, "Sorry Tormod," she held up her left hand, "but I am married and since, well, you wanted something that myself and only I could give you, I am afraid that Ingenbjorn cannot help you either." Ingenbjorn, who up until that moment was silent of fear that Katja might be hurt, suddenly pipped up and agreed. 

Tormod grew wild, abruptly standing up and disturbed the balance of the boat, sending all four to topple over, fall off the waterfall, and into the crashing depths below. Tormod and Teodor made it just fine, but Katja could care less, her little sister never having learned how to swim. Panicked, Katja rushed to the surface to inhale a large breath and plummeted beneath the rush of water again to save Ingenbjorn, whose body could be seen sinking lower and lower. 

Her eyes had closed just before Katja had reached her, and wasted no time in pulling her ashore, on the opposite side of the bank from Tormod and Teodor, who could easily make their way back to their village without having to cross the river. 

Ingenbjorn coughed up the water in her lungs and the two tried to ring out their hair in a useless attempt to dry themselves. Although the weather outside was warm seeing as to how it was Einmanudur, it was nearing night, dusk already having fallen, so it was chilly. The forest before in ominously dark and gloomy, a light fog decorating the ground, giving cold kisses to the undergrowth and the sister's boots as they trekked through. 

Katja purposefully led them deeper into the forest towards where the old lady said that people go missing, for that is where Tormod told them to go.  True to the story they were told, the gruesome howling of wolves could be heard, but a considerable distance away, yet their blood seemed to have curdled at the noise and Katja slung her bow off her shoulder, notching an arrow through it. Ingenbjorn whimpered and cowered behind her sister, remembering what the lady at the inn said about missing persons. A bird cooed and Katja, frightened, released her arrow, piercing it through the heart.  She walked over to her kill, removing the arrow and re-notching it. She felt pity for the bird whose life had ended short. She plucked a feather from its wing- it was brown and speckled with light white dots, reminding Katja of the freckles that her father had, and braided it into a portion of her hair, her way of remembering what has died by her hands.