Raven Boy

Chapter 22

Hrafn lost the sense of time and reality. It seemed to him that the chaos of battle would never end. He was in the middle of hell with the crash and clank of weapons, the cacophony of angry roars and yells of pain, the moving bodies, corpses, and blood all around. His limbs were sore and his thoughts stopped, leaving him in a trance where he dodged and struck blows around him. He froze in surprise when, after killing another warrior, he found himself standing by the rail, facing the sinking Foreign ship.

Groups of men still fought, but the Foreigners seemed to be less numerous now. Hrafn blinked in disbelief, spotting his brother's ship nearby. It was crowded with fighting people and Foreigners kept boarding it from their sinking vessel, climbing from all sides. Awakened by the sight, the boy quickly glanced around, thinking. A dagger was stuck in the rail nearby. Hrafn took it and lowered his sword on the deck. Then he hurried over the board to the sinking ship.

Sveinn saw him diving. "Kirk, Örjan, follow me!"

Hrafn swam under water, the dagger in his hand. When he saw the back of a swimming Foreigner in front of him, doubt and fear rose inside him. It was a man, a living being just like himself, and taking his life away seemed so cruel! But then he thought of his brother and his crew that this Foreigner was intending to kill, and all his doubts vanished. Propelling himself forward, he lifted the dagger and hit the man hard on the back. The water turned red with blood. Pulling the dagger free, Hrafn swam toward another enemy.

But that one saw the boy coming. His eyes mad with battle fury, he pulled out a long hunter's knife, ready to fight. Hrafn tightened his grip on the dagger when another Foreigner attacked him from behind.

The boy was lucky: the blow hit the empty scabbard on his back, abruptly pushing him forward and making him swallow a mouthful of salty water. Coughing, he saw his enemy's dagger rise in the air, ready to administer a deadly blow. This time there was no escape for him.

But instead, someone firmly gripped his shoulder and he was pulled away. His uncle's short sword blocked the Foreigner's knife and sent it flying away. The next moment, the Foreigner was dead.

Distracted by yells, Örjan and Hrafn looked back. The big black raven was furiously attacking the warrior who hit Hrafn at the back. The bird flew around the man's head, pecking at him. The man lost his weapon, yelling in pain and swaying his arms to get rid of the bird. Örjan ended him in one blow and followed Hrafn to the ship. Kirk and Sveinn were already there.

The ship was so jammed with fighters that there was almost no room to fight. She sank too deep and the deck was already filled with water.

Sveinn, Kirk, Hrafn, and Örjan climbed on the bow and fought their way to the middle of the deck. The Foreigners were surrounded. Even though they fought bravely, the Vikings little by little killed most of them. Others jumped into the water, avoiding the swords and daggers. Panting, tired, and covered with blood, the four Vikings finally found themselves facing the rest of the small crew.

"Well done, brother," grinned Hrafn, nodding to Olaf.

The latter wiped his forehead with the sleeve and returned his grin. "Thanks for coming."

But Hrafn was no longer listening. His gaze fell upon the warriors standing next to his brother and his jaw dropped.

"Mother?!"

Next to him, Kirk, Örjan, and Sveinn were equally surprised.

"Idunn?!" said Sveinn. Hrafn recognized the girl from the neighboring house, with whom Sveinn was flirting.

The two women stood side by side with the young warriors, also wearing thick leather jackets and hats, bows in their hands.

Olaf shrugged at their reaction and explained, "Well, they wanted to come and they proved their skill."

At the sight of her son covered in blood, Turid forgot her warrior side and pushed toward him, determined to take care of his wounds right there.

"Mother, I'm all right..." Hrafn said, embarrassed.

Meanwhile, Sveinn approached Idunn, eying her with curiosity. "So you are a warrior now." he said, smiling. "I like that."

The girl's cheeks flushed, but she stood his glance and answered, "You may be the best swordsman, but you can't beat me with the bow."

"Konungr," called Kirk, using this title for the first time with Hrafn.

Both Olaf and Hrafn turned to look at him.

Kirk was obviously uncomfortable with that, but after their battle he could no longer deny the boy's achievements. "Do we take prisoners?"

Hrafn looked at his brother. "We might need them, huh?"

"Yes, there is a lot to repair."

Twisting his body as much as Turid's firm grip would allow, he turned toward Kirk. "Take everyone who is still alive!"