The Berserker

14

I open my eyes the moment the light hits my face. Cursing at the sun for breaking my sleep. I shift and find Tormad is no longer sleeping beside me, causing me to wonder when he left and where he might be.

"I know you train with Igor," he says and turns to face me. "But today I wish to teach you some skills."

I gape at him. Still half asleep. "Why?"

He takes a seat at the end of the bed and shifts to fully face me. "There are some things Igor can teach and some things he can not." Tormad stands and walks over to the other side of the cabin, where he keeps his weapons and straps them to his body.

"I got you something," he says and picks up a satchel. I watch him as he ruffles inside. Curiosity getting the better of me. Tormad got me something!

He hands me a wrapped object. My fingers gingerly brush over the woven rag, wondering what it could be. I carefully unraveled the rough brown material and gasped, raising my head up to look at him. 

"I..." My eyes go back to the gift in hand. The silver sheen of the carefully sharpened blade glistens in the small light shining in the cabin. Nestled on the weapon's hilt is a black stone. If I would have to guess, this would have cost the owner a small fortune.

"Is this from one of your hauls?"

I hand over the dagger. It belongs to someone, and that person is not me. Tormad cocks his head and pinched his brows together. 

"You don't like?" 

I loved it, but it wasn't mine. This dagger belonged to someone else. Knowing these people, that person probably died. For that reason, I won't accept the gift. 

"I got it made for you."

His words stumped me. He didn't steal it? He had this specifically made for me! He pulls out his sword and for a split moment, I thought he was going to use it on me. But then I remembered this is Tormad. 

He placed his sword over my lap. That is when I noticed a similarity between the two. Yes, the dagger is vastly smaller than the sword, but the shape of the blade matched, and on the hilt was the same-looking stone. I ran my finger over the smooth surface. 

"It's obsidian," Tormad murmurs, taking the sword from my grasp. He wields the sword, making swift, smooth motions. Proving he is a skilled fighter. I glance down at the smaller version of his blade. My fingers brush carefully over the edge, noting that it is sharp. 

"I told you I had the vision of the two of us fighting alongside each other." Tormad takes his sword and sheathes it. "I have the sword fit for a king." He nods to the dagger in my hands. 

"Yours made for a Queen."

King... Queen?  What is he talking about? There is already a ruler for this country. Though, he wasn't a very good one. Only cared about the nobles and nothing below. 

I glance back down at the dagger and tighten my fingers around the hilt. I couldn't deny how my hand perfectly fitted around the handle. The weight was perfectly balanced for my weak body tone. I would love to test this out on Igor. 

"Now you like it?" He asks. I glance up to see him carefully observing me. I soft smile forms on my face, and I nod with approval. 

"Get ready," he says and stands. "Bring the blade."

Tormad was out the door before I could dispute the matter.

I quickly washed up with the water Tormad had supplied and changed into some clean clothes. Slipping my feet into the leather boots that Helga had provided for me, I make my way out of the cabin and search for Tormad. I didn't have to search for long. The raised voice belonging to Freya had me lifting my head. She was standing in his way, her arms on his hips, glaring at him.

"They won't follow her, Tormad!" She tells him.

"The people will do as I order them to do!" Tormad retorts.

"She is weak and..." Freya's words were cut short and I gasped in shock at what I witnessed. It's not unusual for men to hit women; I've seen it from time to time back in my village. But I didn't think Tormad could be like that. Of all the times I have hit him, he had never given me the impression that I've overstepped.

Freya turns her face, showing a bright red mark from the impact, but she doesn't appear to be suffering. Just her ego. Which if I am honest could go down a peg or two.

"Think carefully of your next words," Tormad warns. His voice was so low, that it sent a shiver down my spine, and sped my heart. 

Freya glares at him, but doesn't speak a word, instead, she spins on her heels and walks away. My eyes widened when I realized she was heading in my direction. I was too late in moving out of her way, or she purposely marked me, bumping straight into my shoulder, and knocking me to the ground.

A figure appears in my view and I glance up to see Tormad staring down. He held his hand out which I purposely refused to take and pulled me up.

"Do you make a habit of hitting women?" I ask. Brushing the dust from my pants, as I avoid eye contact.

"Only the ones who speak ill of you!"

I scoff. "My hero. Except, you took me against my will and killed my father." I pushed past him, brushing my shoulder against his, but didn't get far when Tormad's fingers gripped my arm and pulled me back. My arms land on the solid muscles of his chest, feeling the thud of his heartbeat.

"I have apologized repeatedly for my actions." Something flashed in his eyes. "We lost many people that night." His fingers slacken on my arm and I take a step back. "This is our life. People attack, and people die." 

Tormad steps back. The space between feels too far, but I make no moves to close it. "I don't know what more I can do to help you see that."

I squared my shoulders and angled my chin pointedly at him. "You could let me go!" 

Tormad takes the two steps, removing the gap between us. He grips the back of my head and presses his forehead against mine. I feel my face flush with our closeness. His lips are mere inches from mine. We have kissed, and I still feel his burning lips pressed against mine, even though our shared kiss was days ago. 

"Until my dying breath, Kari," he whispers. The sound of his soft voice sends a mix of emotions within me. My lips part, and a ragged breath escapes. "You will remain at my side." 

I close my eyes, expecting him to kiss me. Like he has before. But when I feel his hold on me slacken, I  open my eyes to see the back of Tormad, as he walks off. Leaving me wondering if I am to follow or not.