Unbreakable - Book 1 in 'Unbreakable' Series

Chapter 1

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CHAPTER ONE BEAR

My body hurt, every inch of it. I felt the heaviness of it as I was thrown onto the boat by two of my clan. The same boat we had arrived in only hours earlier. Just this time, I was not in good health. I could hear dozens of men fussing over me, pulling at me and speaking of my fate. I could hear, but my mouth wouldn't translate my thoughts. I wanted to tell them I was okay, but nothing came out.

1 day earlier...

There were three rules in Västerbotten, home of the Vikings and land of Sweden... My home. The first, praise was given to Odin in hopes of one day returning to Valhalla; the second, traditions were sacred and to be respected; and the third, home was where you laid your head.

I sat at the edge of our ship, the tip barely dipping into the water. I thought of my best friend Sage as I threw stones into its shallows. We were docked for the night after a raid and were on our way home. The others were celebrating our win, but I sat it out. I tried to avoid those ghastly events as much as I could, but sometimes, I couldn't escape my father's wrath if I skipped out. Sage would get so mad at me every time I went on a raid because she was never allowed to come. She trained as much as I did and was just as good a fighter, if not better—though I would never admit that to her because she would hold it over my head forever. When it came down to it, she was a girl and girls just weren't allowed to fight. Well, only for fun, but that was never good enough for her. She wanted the real thing, the hunt, the bloodiness of the kill. My father was in ruling, and when she cussed him out about his discrimination, he always told her she wasn't ready. As the fact goes, he never actually admitted girls weren't allowed to fight, it was just frowned upon and deterred if any showed interest...

Even though he turned her down every time a battle arose, she was like a daughter to him, as much as I was his son. Even though she hated it every time I went off to battle, I made sure to bring her something magical from each place to try and make her feel better.

Loud, bellowing cries coming from the cabin behind me, broke my thoughts. I shuddered, thinking of the scenes that were taking place. For this aspect, I was glad Sage didn't come on these expeditions. A girl should never have to witness that. I lay back against the wooden deck, resting my head on its eroding and rugged surface, and rubbed my calloused hands over my face. I squinted enough to see a black sky filled with stars.

I didn't know how others thought, but in my mind, every event that had ever happened in my life played like an act in my head. I always thought about my deceased mother. Before she went to Valhalla, she named me 'Berserker,' meaning Bear-shirt or a warrior who entered the battle, only wearing the skin of an animal. That is how I chose to live, with courage and enthusiasm for war.

Sage had nicknamed me Bear as a child, and the name had stuck. Bears were vicious and brave but always took care of their cubs and ensured they were safe. I liked to think that I took on that philosophy and applied it through every aspect of my life.