The Emeralds

II

- Negotiate? - Another shield-maker was surprised. - Magnar did not negotiate with us, murdering us and forcing us into slave labor. We should pay him back.

- Right! - Shouted another. - Let's not waste any time. I personally can go to North Hill and throw the fox's head under Magnar's feet.

Rainer could no longer bear these words. He himself didn't know what to do with the boy, both for political reasons, but mostly for private ones. Unfortunately for the wolf, however, he couldn't simply exterminate someone who could be his lost child. Fortunately, Thorstein knew all of this and did not want to abandon his friend alone with the problem.

- You would be acting foolishly. - Said Thorstein firmly and loudly. - Before killing you, Magnar would start torturing you to extract information about where you are currently hiding. There will be no damn chopping off of any damn heads!

Rainer merely looked back sternly. He could see the faces of the warriors under his weapon. Everyone then decided to keep quiet and not continue the debate about whether or not Colin's head should be decapitated. To Rainer's misfortune, a glance at the warriors equaled that he couldn't help but see Colin walking in the middle of the soldiers with his hands tied and a cloth bag over his head. As soon as the man saw the fiery orange color of the fox's fur, his posture, and the state he was now in, Rainer had to avert his gaze. Then a worried yet nervous Thorstein the lynx approached him.

- You don't have to say thank you. - He began in a whisper. - This is not your son. Once you get to our base, you have to make some kind of decision about what you will do with him.

- Thanks for making me aware, Thorstein. - Burked the wolf sarcastically in response to his friend.

- As I said, you don't have to thank me. - The lynx said calmly. Then he looked back and whispered another word to Rainer. - This boy will bring chaos to our ranks, and what do we need that for? I think it is all a trick. Some kind of sorcery cast by druids sympathetic to Magnar. After questioning him, if you want, I can...

- Don't finish that sentence. - Rainer immediately interrupted him with a sharp tone of voice. His friend's words made the wolf extremely angry, but he managed to control it. He knew that Thorstein was the last person who would care about hurting him. - You believe too much in fairy tales. There is no such thing as magic. Druids know magic as well as I know sewing.

- Druids are the closest to the gods. - Thorstein remarked. - I think we should seek advice from Agape. She will know if there is magic powerful enough to create this illusion.

- I assume that Agape will be the first to know about everything anyway. - Rainer replied, wrinkling his forehead. - I can see that she is a bad influence on you my friend. - He smiled lazily in the direction of his companion. - Maybe if you were a less frequent visitor between her thighs, you wouldn't absorb so many tales about magic.

- Good point, Rainer. - Thorstein laughed. - If you had ever visited Agape, you would have experienced the magic yourself. I assure you that what she does with her tongue... it must be magic.

Rainer had never trusted the wisdom that the druids bestowed upon the people of Scandinavia. Agape was no exception here. The female druid had come to their encampment about two years ago, and had been traveling with Rainer's team wherever they went ever since. The council of druids supposedly agreed with each other that no social group should be cut off from the opportunity to speak with the gods. That the rebels also needed a druid to speak to the deities on their behalf. That's why Agape, who was supposedly called by the gods on a mission to serve the rebels with advice and her supposed wisdom, came to Rainer's former camp about two springs ago. Women-druids were a real rarity. Especially if they were not old, but young and beautiful. Agape was just such a druid. Young and extremely beautiful.