Einherjar

27

"No, no, no!" Sodull screamed, gazing up at the sky. "This is not supposed to happen!" He glanced down at Erik's lifeless body, horror and anger in his eyes. "No, no, no!"

Tears were trickling down both Skalfi's and Vandri's cheeks, neither girl seeming to care, and Blader felt prickling in the corners of his eyes. Wolfsted, too, looked very close to crying, and Sodull already had tearstains painted down his face.

"He displayed honor," Sodull yelled. "Erik Kjoll was willing to die to save Vandri! He did die to save her! He's supposed to be alive! You hear me, seers? You hear me, gods? Erik is supposed to live! Those who show honor survive, remember? Remember?" His voice cracked on the last word, followed by a sob.

Gently, Sodull laid Erik down on the ground, closing his friend's eyes with another sob. He sat back on his heels, staring down at Erik. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"I don't understand," Vandri whimpered. "Why? That was honorable, that was brave, that was...einherjar. Why wasn't it acknowledged? Why is he dead?"

"Because the Reenactment is faulty!" Sodull shouted. "Because this whole damn thing is a lie! A lie! We're told it will work, are told only true einherjar will survive, but that's not true! That's not true! Because if it was, Erik would be alive right now!"

No one said anything. There was nothing to say. Sodull was right. Whatever doubts they had had about it before were gone.

"Instead," Sodull continued to rant. "People like Dyr Gunar get to join up and kill generals while those like Erik are killed, and for what? Nothing! Absolutely damn nothing! Baldor thinks he's so much better than Odin, but he kills us needlessly for his armies! That's not better, I say; that's worse! At least Odin only took us after we were dead!" His voice dropped to a whisper, the pain evident in his tone. "I just want to know why. Why Erik had to die, when there was no need."

"The Reenactment is being manipulated," Skalfi said softly. "Someone wants those of honor dead, or those of dishonor in the einherjar."

"But who?" Sodull asked, glancing at her. Then something seemed to click in his mind and he slowly turned to pin his eyes on Wolfsted. "You never told us how you knew about that meeting."

Wolfsted paled as Vandri, Skalfi, and Blader all looked at him. "How do we know," Sodull continued. "That it's not you. You're Aldrian, after all. Don't have the same allegiances as the rest of us."

"I'm no traitor," Wolfsted defended harshly. "I swear to you, I am no traitor. I am not behind this. Aldrians may be different, but that doesn't make us traitors."

"Then tell us," Sodull hissed. "Tell us why you headed into the root basin that day. Tell us how you knew the gods would be meeting."

Everyone kept their eyes pinned on Wolfsted, even Vandri, who appeared confused as to what they were talking about but knew better than to interrupt Sodull. The Aldrian glanced around at them, once again looking cornered.

"Wolfsted," Blader said softly. "Just tell us."

"Please," Skalfi said.

"Tell us!" Sodull shouted.

Wolfsted was trembling, with anger or pain or fear, Blader didn't know. It was the first time he had seen his friend so visibly affected by an emotion. After a moment of hesitation, he reached up to his collar and jerked down, pulling his tunic down enough to show them his chest.

There, carved into the skin, was a rune, one belonging to the higher order. Blader narrowed his eyes. He couldn't read this rune. Around the edges of the marking was dark red, almost like a thread. Blood. Dried blood.