The Berserker

23

I don't want to be just a farmer's wife. I want to be free, like wild like the flowers on the hilltops near my home.

"Get in!"

I refrain from protesting. Even if the cage is small, nothing good comes of fighting them. Though reluctant, I step inside and hunch myself over. It's the only way I will fit. It could be worse. The first few nights, I wasn't alone. There were a few of us tucked into one tiny cage. One by one, they slowly disappeared. Leaving just me.

He slams the door to my cage and secures it. Svein's job is now done, and two others replaced him. They needed to not only keep a watchful eye on the cage in case I freed myself, but to keep any intruders from doing the same.

I sit in darkness. At least with this confined space, I don't feel the cold as much. The warmth of my breath keeps my legs warm. After a while, I rest my cheeks on my knees and close my eyes.

I'm woken by a grunt. My eyes widened in shock when I saw the two men guarding me slumped on the ground.

"Kari," I hear the faintest whisper of someone calling out my name. Only three people call me by this name -my mother, Igor, and Tormad. I press my face close to the bars and strain to find the person brave enough to raid a camp filled with monsters.

An elated smile forms on my face. I knew he would come for me. He doesn't linger near my cage. I feel a pang of sadness that he didn't wish to free me like I had imagined. But my feelings soon turn to inquisitive when I hear the roars of men. And one voice called out to his men to grab me.

"You want the girl?" He belts out. I can only watch from my cage as Tormad's rampant body rushes toward the man. Tormad swings his sword high, but the man blocks it with his shield.

"You can't win this fight, boy," he sneers. Nudging Tormad's body back.

The cage door opens and I stumble out, hitting the hard ground with a thud. It's been a while since I have felt that burn in my chest from all the times Igor threw me around like a bag of grain. I writhe in pain, trying to bring some air back into my lungs. I hadn't noticed the boots appear at my side. My eyes wander up the long legs and sudden revelation hits when I stare into the angry eyes of Freya.

She lowers herself, not bothering about the men battling around us. "I don't know what both men see in you," she sneers, and tucks her fingers under my arms, pulling me to my feet. "You may have the blood of a warrior, but you will never be one of us."

She drags me toward Tormad and the man he is standing in front of. I glance at the two men, who seem to keep a cautious eye on each other. Both men were ready to draw their weapons if one so much as flinched.

"Freya?" Tormad says as he watches his warrior betray him. "No!" He shakes his head in denial. I knew Freya was nothing but disloyal.

The man takes me from her grasp and holds me close to him. Tormad won't fight him if I am in the middle. This man knows this and uses it to his advantage.

I try to break free from his hold, but he only grips tighter. "Your ways are the ways of our God," Tormad speaks out. "Loki has tricked you into believing this is how you should rule."

The man throws his head back and roars with laughter. "Who is to say you haven't been deceived?" The man counters.

He had a point. From what Helga has told me, Loki can transform into anyone he wishes and has the illusions to make you see things. But I also remembered her telling me you needed to offer something of value for him to appear. Odin only chooses the worthy warrior to do his bidding. And the ones who die while doing so will have the honour of joining him in Valhalla.

Tormad flares his nostrils. "I haven't offered something of value."

"Haven't you?" He remarks.

"Father."

Father! Did I just hear him right? I glance between the two men. They don't look alike. This man is taller and broader than Tormad. His hair is darker, as are his eyes.

**

"Please, I beg of you. Let her go," Tormad pleads. "I have seen the vision. It isn't her. The woman I saw was Hilda."

The grip on my arm slackens, but he still has a good hold on me. "It doesn't matter," he tells him. "I only need the blood of Rorik, and..." he pushes me forward, just out of Tormad's reach. "I have it."

Before Tormad could reach out to grab me. Two men were at his side. Both take his arms and hold him in place. "Now you are going to watch."

I am going to die. I feel it. "I am going to kill you!" Tormad belts out. He struggles to free himself from the hold of these men.

"Is that so?" His father goads, and turns his back on him, as those he isn't a threat.

I'm turned around and unable to see Tormad, but I hear him. Tormad's father presses me against a giant boulder. The point of it digs under my ribs. The coward can't even look at me as he takes my life.

"I love you, Tormad," I blurt out. Surprising myself. But if I'm going to die, then I ought to confess my sins. And a sin of mine is to love Tormad like I do, despite the things he did to capture me.

"And I forgive you!"

I close my eyes and await my pending doom. A traitorous tear seeps down my face. A true warrior would never cry. I am my mother's blood, but I was never raised the same way. Freya is right, I may have the blood of a warrior, but I will never be one. I open my eyes and lift my head just enough to see her face. Her lips form a sly smirk. She thinks she has won. Tormad would never want her after this. He will kill her for betraying him.

Bile forms in the pit of my stomach when I feel him hover over me. His warm, putrid breath blows in my face. "I needed your blood for mine to reign, but I am too old to continue. So instead..."

I felt the burn and heard Tormad scream out my name. But I'm too numb to reply. My eyes widened with the unwanted intrusion. And like the battle that is forming around us, my soul is burning, and I am dying.