Beowulf: Curse of the Dreygurs

TO THE KINGDOM OF RHEGED

While Beowulf and his men rode to the southwest, Leofe finally caught up with Weohstan on the other side of the river. The warrior huffed when she called out to him, keeping his horse at a steady pace. He kept glancing at the ground following the trail of the remaining thegns. The girl dug her heels into the horse, quickly making up the final distance to join the Geat.

"Why did you follow me? You should have stayed with Beowulf," growled out Weohstan.

"You will need me," she replied.

"Yeah, like a spear in the belly," grumbled the warrior. "Come on; the enemy will be sending scouts to follow us. They'll be on horseback."

Leofe just laughed lightly, refusing to take the Geat's grumbling seriously. She believed she already understood this warrior better than most. He was proud and stubborn as the rest but seemed willing to listen to a woman despite his threats. She noticed how he looked at her at times with his big brown eyes, which gave him a kind of sad look on his young but weathered face. His impressive size and rude manner belied an underlying sense of caring and loyalty he held for those in his charge. Even though she considered him the enemy, Weohstan was someone who was honest with her.

They pushed their mounts through the thinning forest of trees near the river. Weohstan hoped the main force of the Brythonians would be following them. After they crossed the river and met up with Beowulf, the enemy forces could not catch them. While the river wasn't very wide, the current moved too swiftly through the channel, making the area much too dangerous for them to cross. She mentioned her observation to Weohstan, who just grunted. Around midday, they came upon the rest of Beowulf's men who missed the fighting.

Osberht, Ecgberht, and Aeschere were riding toward them when the two groups came together. Weohstan could see his young brother was about to let out a sarcastic comment concerning Leofe, but he would not give him a chance.

"Save it," he told him. "We were attacked at the village by the Brythonians. The rest of the men are on the other side of the river. Have you noticed a place to cross?

"No, the current is too strong. There are rapids further downstream," Ecgberht told him.

"You will have to ride many leagues further downstream to find a bridge to cross," Leofe informed them suddenly. "The path becomes more difficult as we go this way. Plus, you will be heading into Rheged lands. They are no friends of the Angles."

"And we may have the bulk of Morcant's men following us," Weohstan said as he scanned the land behind them.

"How will we link back with the rest of our men? That cursed river will drown us," replied Osberht.

"That's why I'm here to help," Leofe said as she slid off her mount. She reached into a leather bag on the back of the horse, pulling out several small clay pots. Leofe took them to the edge of the river. Squatting down, she began a soft chant in a language unfamiliar to the nearby Geats who watched with increased interest. Leofe pulled out the wooden stoppers, then she carefully poured out the liquid from two of the vessels. The water turned a blue-green tinge. As she began to chant louder, repeating the same words over and over, she threw the contents of the third pot out into the water.

"Isarno," she yelled out with a wave of her arm.

The horses snorted and bucked suddenly as the men had trouble controlling them. They watched in disbelief as an opaque structure of ice suddenly shot across the running water. The crystal path instantly solidified the water all the way across the river. Within a blink of an eye, a blue-green ice sheet of frozen water lay in front of them. The men continued patting their mounts as the creatures suddenly went calm. Staring in disbelief, they watched Leofe took her little clay jars back to her horse. Swinging her leg over the saddle, she started across the ice bridge.