Warmagic

17 - Family

Tyr nodded and followed Vidars lead as I guided him to mine and Tyr's private quarters.

As I stepped inside I noticed a few changes. The baby was sleeping in the room under the watchful eyes of an old woman I had never met before. But Noora was nowhere to be found.

"Leave us," Tyr called out to the surprised slave as we stormed inside the room.

"But the child," she objected and was about to pick him up from the cradle when Tyr stopped her.

"I am his father, leave him with us and never question me again," he said threateningly and the woman moved out of the room as quickly as she could.

"You're a father," I said a bit breathless and peered down at the sleeping child, "how does it feel?"

His stern expression softened as he followed my gaze, "I don't know yet," he chuckled and caressed the baby's head. "It's quite overwhelming." Then he turned to us and offered Vidar a seat in a chair while he and I sat down on the bed. "But we have more pressing things to speak of, don't we?"

"Indeed we do," the longhaired wolf sighed, his eyes lingering on the child who was sleeping peacefully and didn't seem to be bothered by our presence. "Freke, you need to tell us both what happened when you were away from Tyr. I need to know everything."

I thought back to the moment when I had first noticed Bjarke's magical trail in the deepest part of the forest. I got curious and followed it. "He disguised his aura. I don't know how, but when I first noticed him, I thought he was a kind spirit."

Vidar rubbed his clean shaven chin and pondered on what I had said, "I have a few ideas of how he managed to do that. Some, more cruel than others, but please proceed."

"I found his hut, this was after I had been travelling back and forth to the spirit world for so many days I had lost count. I was asking for their guidance about the rotting crops and the diseases. And I felt desperate, and when he showed himself he lured me to think that he could help me."

Vidar leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees to glare angrily at me, "You know how dangerous it is to linger that long in that realm, my love. So why? Why would you care so much about a village you just found out about, that you almost broke yourself in finding answers?"

Annoyed, I stood up and started pacing back and forth in the room. "Because I had led us here. The spirits and the gods had guided me here and I needed to know why. And he made me feel like he was the answer," I called out, " that he was some sort of mentor for me." Suddenly it all felt overwhelming and I fell down to my knees in shame. "But it was quite the opposite, wasn't it?"

"You can't blame yourself for this, skatt," Tyr said gently and reached out to me to pull me back up. "Even if he is this powerful, he clearly took advantage of your weakened state. If you were at your full potential, he would never have succeeded. I'm sure of it."

Vidar's eyes were pierced at us while Tyr helped me up on my feet and guided me to his lap to comfort me. He knew that his body-heat was the best medicine for my anxiety and he clearly didn't give a shit about what Vidar would think.

"Your friðr is right," he said, and it puzzled me, but then I realised it was his way of telling me to calm down. That he was on my side.

I was still shaking, so I curled up in Tyr's arms and used his strength to stay calm and tell them the rest of the story. I told them how Bjarke had invited me into his home, fed me and gave me a warm bed to sleep in. But how I realised too late that he was poisoning my mind and my body with his rotten magic, and that I barely made it out alive.

"How were you able to pull yourself out?" Tyr asked gently and moved his fingers through my hair, like he always did.

"A blue spirit-wolf came to me in a dream, and it forced me awake and led me home."

"You shouldn't blame yourself," Vidar said with a sigh and leaned forward to touch my hand, and I could feel his magis entering my body. It was a cleansing spell, and I knew he was making sure that all of the darkness had left me. "This person is clearly mad. We just need to know his motives. Does anyone of you know why he would want to attack the villagers?"

"Yes," Tyr said with a frown, "I killed his father, the old jarl of this village."

Vidar raised an eyebrow sceptically and studied us both. Tyr must have looked so strong where he sat, I thought. Protecting me from my bad thoughts, talking about the heroic deed he'd done for the people of Skal. While I was weak and pathetic.

"But the villagers seem happy," Vidar addressed thoughtfully.

"Because Tyr saved them from the pain of having Brokk as their Jarl," I told him and gave Tyr a faint smile.

But my lover bit his lip hard and pushed me away from his warmth, and forced me down beside him. "Freke, for the love of Odin, stop speaking like this! Is his magic still affecting you? Because you are lying to yourself," he said with a voice full of frustration and pain. "We did this together, you and me both. And you know this!"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and let my eyes fall to the floor. "I know käreste, but if they find out, they will make us pay."

Tyr closed his eyes briefly and shook his head, his voice filled with love again, clearly regretting his harsh tone from before. "So, you healed me, what of it? Look around you Freke, you did them a favour."

"What if Bjarke finds out, he might-.."

"Freke!" Vidar called out and placed his hands on my shoulders and shook me a little, "stop these mad thoughts and think rationally!" I looked at him and then at Tyr, and then back at Vidar again. They were both telling me the same thing, they were both so full of concern for me and I could see the love in their eyes. "Do you think this Bjarke fellow plays fair? You just told us how he lied to you." He sighed, clearly annoyed over the things he was about to say, "you should listen to the Jarl, he's right. So what if you healed him while he fought his opponent, anyone in your shoes would have done the same."

"So what now?" I whispered, peering at them both.

Vidar combed his hair with his fingers as he was lost in thoughts for a while. His eyes lingered at my chest then travelled back to my eyes, "First of all I need to help you heal from your trauma," he said and gave me a gentle smile.

"And then we will punish Bjarke for what he did to you, and to our village," Tyr added and squeezed my hand, sharing a smile with me, and the other wolf in the room.

"He will suffer," Vidar added, and I could see his eyes turn dark with hate.