"How Wyrd" The sun had gone done on the evening of her second day of sequestering herself and Kari was starting to get cabin fever. She loved being out in nature, but had deliberately kept herself inside, mostly so she didn’t encounter the travelers that were so close to her cottage. In the wee hours of the night she could hear them laughing and carrying on with conversation fueled by mead while she hid like a scared animal under layers of furs and woven cloth.
She couldn’t stand it anymore and decided to cloak herself and escape around the side of the hovel and up into the forest to the place she went when she needed advice. If she didn’t light her lantern till she was past the traveler’s camp, no one would ever hear or see her. Kari made sure that the sun was well behind the horizon before she put on her cloak and one of her blankets to hide her form and escaped out the door, scaling the side of the house. She could already hear the travelers in their nightly celebration, but tonight their voices weren’t full of laughter and enjoyment—their words were somber. Part of Kari wanted to listen in, wondering why their demeanor had changed from a few nights ago, but she knew that with them in deep conversation, she could easily slip by undetected. “How much longer can we stay? They will find us eventually.” Donar spoke around a mouthful of goat. “As long as we can. I know we should keep moving, but something told me we needed to stop here and Loptr agrees.” Harbard was staring into the flame of their fire as he spoke. “If Loptr agreed then we definitely need to go. Trouble always follows…” Rig’s sentence trailed off as he spoke. Loptr’s eyes shone with irritation as he licked his teeth, scowling at Rig with his mouth now drawn into a maniacal grin, “Maybe, Rig, Maybe. But maybe this is trouble that we need to find because we aren’t getting any closer to home.” Rig glanced over at Harbard who still stared into the flame and then over at Tiwaz and Donar who were completely silent. “You could be right, Loptr. Only the Norns truly know.” Rig said his piece and then went silent himself. “Yes, only the Norns know.” Loptr replied slowly. Something had caught his attention far off in the darkness, a movement unlike an animal and more like something with two legs. He wasn’t sure, but he was starting to get that twinge in his gut again, telling him that something was off. Loptr wanted to go after the movement, but he had just defended himself once and gotten scolded for his actions three nights prior. “What are you looking at, Loptr?” Harbard broke Loptr’s concentration. “I thought I saw movement in the trees.” Loptr shrugged and went back to eating, ending their conversation. But he knew he had seen movement and he so desperately wanted to run after. (*) When Kari could barely see the fire light from the traveler’s camp, she lit her own lantern so that she could see to find the way to her destination. She usually went every day, but now she was falling behind in her devotions and she needed the guidance. The path seemed to have overgrown in just a few days and she could feel that spring had completely arrived by the warm wind that was whipping up her cloak as she climbed over rocks and up a trail. She stopped at the top, having come to her intended destination. It was an old Ash tree that had survived the cold of many winters, a place where the world felt different, a place where her soul felt full and calm amidst the chaos that was her life. It was the place where she set up a shrine to a God that most didn’t call on. A God with a bad reputation according to translations from Christian monks so many hundreds of years ago, but it was a God that she understood and one that she hoped understood her too. “I’m sorry I’ve been away for so long. At least it seems like a long time.” Kari spoke to the tree as she knelt before it, placing a candle on top of a smooth flat stone. She lit it and sat down, laying her furs about her as she focused on the wood carved effigy she had made of her God to represent his presence in the woods. He had never directly spoken to her, but she could feel his presence at times, or at least that’s what she wanted to believe. Maybe she was naïve or maybe she put too much faith in a God that was probably exhausted by humans if He did exist. But she did have gifts that directly tied her to the Gods and her ancestors, so he had to be listening somewhere. “I feel so helpless.” Kari lamented, picking sprigs of heather nearby to lie on the shrine, “What is my wyrd? Am I destined to be a parlor trick the rest of my life, or is there a bigger picture? Twice, twice the other night I was almost killed and twice my attacker was killed instead; once by my hand, and once by the hand of a traveler named Loptr. Why has this happened?” Kari uncorked a small bottle of mead and poured some in a stone cup before taking a sip herself. The wind whipped up around her as she did and she could have sworn the breeze sounded as if it whispered the name Loooooptr. Loptr. Loptr. In both instances, Loptr was there. In both instances he was a hero of sorts: cleaning up her mess with the first and saving her life with the second. A man that had never stepped foot in their village before had saved her life twice in one night. “Loptr.” Kari spoke his name out loud and the wind instantly became chilly, causing her to wrap her furs around her shoulders tightly, “What are you trying to tell me? Is Loptr somehow affecting my wyrd? I get this feeling that something is terribly wrong, but I just don’t know what. I could almost taste it on the air a week ago, but now it is palpable. Is it these strangers? These unknown warriors that came from nowhere to our village bringing a certain sense of chaos and mystery? Their leader, the one called Harbard, brought Phillip back from the dead! I don’t know what’s going on anymore.” Kari closed her eyes and just listened to the wind whispering through the trees as the smell of flowers freshly blooming caressed her senses. She was being comforted by nature, but was she being comforted by her God too? A sound just behind her roused Kari from her thoughts and immediately made her extinguish the flame of her lantern. She didn’t even bother picking it up as she gathered her cloak around her and got down low, hiding in the roots of the Ash tree. It wasn’t an animal, no, it had two legs, but who or what could it be? Was she in danger? Should she run away in the dark and risk getting hurt or worse? Instead she was bold, “Who’s there? Show yourself!” Nothing. No one responded to her question; there was no sound at all. “Don’t be a coward! I’m not afraid of you!” Kari reached under her cloak and pulled out an old worn dagger. There was a rustling in the leaves and a shadow appeared from the line of awakening trees, tall and lithe with broad shoulders and a very specific lope. “Loptr?” Kari was shaking like a leaf with her dagger outstretched awkwardly out of fear. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” Loptr ducked his head so the moonlight streaking through the trees caught his face. “Did you—did you follow me?” Kari let her hand drop but still kept her distance. “Not quite. I saw something scurrying away in the darkness so I followed and it happened to be you.” Loptr’s tone was mildly accusatory as if it were her fault he was out there. “Do you have to go and follow everything you see running around in the dark? And unarmed at that.” Kari shot back, waving her dagger at Loptr. “I am never unarmed, Völva. I told you what I was doing, so what were you doing?” Loptr took a relaxed stance as he eyed her questioningly. “What I was doing on my land is none of your business really, but if you must know, I was praying to my God.” Kari stood her ground, not ashamed of what she was doing. “And who is your God, Kari?” Loptr stepped closer to her. She had this sudden urge to run, but she didn’t feel threatened by him. “Loki. I worship Loki.” Kari replied without hesitation. “And do you pray to him often?” Loptr asked, now only a few feet in front of her. “I try to as much as I can. I like to come up here to the ash tree and leave him offerings. I sit and talk with him a bit and sometimes I swear I can feel him, but I have my doubts about what I actually feel. I like to believe that maybe he can hear me, but it might just be wishful thinking.” Kari suddenly became aware of how silly she might sound to this stranger. “That’s wonderful. I haven’t run across many who worship Loki.” Loptr cocked his head to the side with a strange smile on his face. “Neither have I. I don’t talk about it with anyone—you can’t mention this to anyone either. Loki isn’t generally as accepted as the other Gods, even now, but I am sure you know that. Even after so long, they believe the stories of a Christian instead of drawing conclusions about him for themselves.” Kari defended her worship and felt a little embarrassed that she was rambling like that. “He’s never been truly accepted, hm? That’s alright; who really wants to be accepted when they could just be themselves?” Loptr perched atop a nearby boulder and took a strange looking pipe from his pocket. “What if yourself isn’t good enough?” Kari spoke without thinking. “Who has the authority to say what’s good and what isn’t? How do you feel? Do you feel like you’re not good enough because you really feel that way or because others make you feel that way?” Loptr’s question was almost riddle-like, but it caused Kari to pause and consider it. “I—I don’t know. I guess I really feel that way, but because others made me feel that way.” Kari’s voice came out softly as she really considered what she was saying. “Why? Hm? You said that you were saved from slavery by this king, but what happened to you before that?” Loptr lit the pipe and beckoned with slender fingers for Kari to come closer. She wasn’t sure she wanted to divulge all this information, but she felt compelled to despite her uncertainty. “I was a slave. A child slave. When I wasn’t being trained in Seidr, I was mucking horse stalls, cooking food for the royal family, cleaning the Hall, training to fight in case they needed extra arms. It wasn’t terrible, nobody really hurt me, but I had no one. The king then kept a close eye on me and even though I was a slave, I was treasured. But I wasn’t treasured because they loved me; I was treasured because they loved what I could do.” Loptr let out a long plume of smoke from his lips and passed the pipe to Kari, “And how did they figure out what you could do? Where were your parents?” Loptr had more questions as Kari took a draw from the pipe and handed it back to him. “I never knew my parents. King Rolf’s army found me floating in the ocean on a piece of driftwood near the shore when I was eight. They brought me aboard and discovered that I was still breathing, so they took me back to the Hall. Normally, I think they would have left me to die, but they had a Seer at the time, a wise woman that told King Rolf about a natural born Volva that would soon cross his path close to home. They found me not far from where the Seer claimed them to be and she confirmed that I was the Volva when they arrived home from a failed raid. The Seer started training me in Seidr right away and I became a prized possession, but a possession regardless. And that’s how I feel—like I’m just something to be owned and no matter what my talents are, I will never be free to be whatever or whoever I feel like. I’ve been relegated to herald basically; no more than a lighthouse keep to warn the village of invaders. And that is just a side job; my main position is to see things that cannot be seen for the sake of my king and his kingdom.” Kari took her cloak off as she finished speaking. The night had become balmy, or maybe it was the smoke that she had just partaken in. “Does Ulfar treat you like this? Even though you said he saved you?” Loptr hopped down from the boulder and started to circle Kari. “Like a possession? Yes and no. He keeps me close, makes sure that I am well-taken care of but I’m not allowed to pursue other things besides my Völvic duties. The only reason I was able to live this far from the village was because I foresaw an invasion, but never gave specifics on when, so I was made to keep watch, because I would recognize the vision and I could warn of other possible problems.” Kari followed Loptr with her eyes as he circled, but never made much movement otherwise. “So, you’re free to live on your own, but not free to live elsewhere that isn’t part of King Ulfar’s kingdom? So you aren’t truly free, he doesn’t really value you as a person only a tool, and you feel that deeply, thus you don’t value yourself. Why let someone take your autonomy away like that?” Loptr finally stopped circling Kari when he came face to face with her again. “What other choice do I have, Loptr? I’ve never really lived on my own, all by myself. I don’t think I have the skills to do so and would probably die of exposure or starvation before I ever got a chance to settle anywhere. I have no knowledge of the outside world besides what I’ve been told. I let them keep my autonomy because it keeps me alive.” Kari spoke words aloud that she didn’t even know were truth until now. “Then you need to learn how to take care of yourself so you don’t have to rely on anyone else unless you choose so.” Loptr pointed a slender finger at her again before he turned away and started to walk off. “And who is going to teach me?” Kari called after him as she gathered her cloak, furs, and lantern to follow after him, but he had already disappeared into the darkness and she never found hide or hair of him on her whole walk back to her cottage. (*) Kari got up early the next morning and went out to finally take her linens in off the line after they sat stale for several days. Despite the warmth of spring, the day had turned cold as dark clouds rolled in again, bringing a frigid wind. She carefully took down each article of clothing as well as her bedding when she noticed that the travelers at the camp were donning heavy furs and weaponry as they packed themselves up. She wondered if they were leaving, but she noticed that they were heading in the direction of the trail she took to her shrine. Was Loptr going to show them her silliness? Or were they abandoning ship and heading north instead. Kari quickly ran her things inside the cottage and returned with her cloak and furs, her dagger by her side. She made her way swiftly over to the strangers and interrupted their talk about the days soon to be events like a Phillip following Heinrich and Erik up to the mounds. “Where are you all off to?” She questioned, out of breath. “Hunting. We don’t want to keep feeding off the village reserves so we decided to feed ourselves.” Harbard had his spear by his side. “Can I—possibly come with you?” Kari couldn’t believe she was bold enough to ask, but she had to learn how to take care of herself and she figured they could teach her a thing or two. “Have you ever been hunting?” Tiwaz questioned with an eyebrow. “No. That’s why I want to come with you; I figured I should learn and maybe you all would teach me.” Kari carried on. She hadn’t seen Loptr yet and wondered where he was. “If she wants to learn, who are we to deny her? It’s a good skill to have and someone’s got to teach her.” Rig agreed for her to come along, but looked to the others for a collective yes. “I guess it couldn’t hurt. Always nice to see a woman wanting to learn what has become considered “men’s jobs”. Let her come along.” Donar nodded and Tiwaz reluctantly agreed. “I guess you’re going to learn how to hunt today, little fox.” Harbard patted her head gently and handed her a bow and arrow. “Where is Loptr?” Kari queried, curious about his whereabouts. “Looking for good tracks. We’re going to meet him up at the fork in the trail. Do you have everything you need?” Harbard made sure she was ready. “I have my dagger and now this bow and quiver.” Kari held her weapons aloft. “But do you have the strength to take a life? A seemingly innocent one at that?” Harbard’s demeanor was serious. “I have taken a life before, and I will learn to take one again if it means the survival of me and those that are part of my tribe, whoever they may be.” Kari stood confident, although she was upset over the thought of killing an animal. “Good, then let’s get started. It looks like it may storm today, so we need to make quick work of the hunting trails.” Harbard signaled with his hand for everyone to follow as they climbed the trail to the fork where Loptr was waiting, cleaning his fingernails with the tip of a sharpened ax as he waited. “Ah, Kari. I didn’t expect to see you with the hunting party.” Loptr wiped the ax on his pants and before holstering it. “I figured I needed to learn.” Kari nodded her head and Loptr returned the gesture with a slight smile. “Which path looks best?” Harbard interrupted, ready to begin. “The one to the Northwest looks like it has more animal activity like elk and rabbit. It seems better suited for hunting.” Loptr took the lead, casting a slight glance over his shoulder at Kari. He knew that the Northeast trail led straight too her ash tree and was full of elk, rabbit, pheasant, and other wild creatures that could be used for food, but he led them away, possibly for her sake. (*) The path led high into the mountains where snow was still visible on the ground and the air had a cold chill that shook the bones. They had been following a grouping of elk hoof prints, but had seen no sign of the animals themselves. The sun had been completely blocked out by dark grey clouds and they were going on little slivers of light that broke through the thick haze. Finally the hooves led to something and some meters into the distance stood a grand elk, its nose turned to the cold wind that swept through the barren trees. “Stop. Just there.” Harbard held his hand up again as everyone crouched down in the crumbling brush to hide from the animal. “Who wants to take the shot?” Harbard asked the group. “Why don’t you let Kari? It’s her first time; teach her a thing or two.” Tiwaz suggested, nudging Harbard. “Are you up for that?” Harbard turned his attention to the small woman who knelt next to him, her eyes trained on the animal. She didn’t want to seem weak, so she nodded her head in reply. “Alright. Steady the bow and aim for the neck like this.” Harbard got behind Kari and helped her strain the bow, aiming the arrow right at the animal’s neck. “Make sure you have a clear shot; if you hit any branches or trees, it is obviously going to affect your shot.” Harbard advised and Kari made sure that her shot was clear. Even though her vision was hazy and not the best, she could see the animal clearly, munching away on what little greenery it could find. She felt sorry for it, the fact that she was going to end its life so abruptly, but she knew she had to so she could feed herself in the future and the others in the moment. But she couldn’t let loose with the bow and instead continued to watch the animal feed, its ears twitching at the slightest sound around it. “Take the shot, Völva . It’s not going to stand there all day!” Donar whispered near her ear. Kari couldn’t do it. She knew she needed to and she would look like a fool if she didn’t, but she couldn’t bring herself to kill the innocent animal that was just trying to eat as much as they were. She wasted so much time in not taking the shot that the elk began to move and Tiwaz tore the bow from her hand and readied an arrow before she could protest. He let loose with it and it shot across the divide, striking the elk, taking it down instantly. “Let’s hope I killed it.” Tiwaz curled his lips at Kari before leaping through the bushes towards the animal, the rest following with Kari taking up the rear. The animal was still alive, lying on the ground with its huge antlers splayed out around its head. The arrow had punctured just under its eye and was clearly embedded in the brain, but the animal hadn’t died. It was just lying there, suffering. “Dammit. If you had taken the shot when you were told, this wouldn’t have happened.” Tiwaz blamed Kari as he glared at the dying animal, his hands on his hips. “I—I’m sorry. I didn’t know if I could do it. I thought I could, but it was so much harder than I thought.” Kari knelt down on the ground, hesitantly reaching out for the animal’s muzzle. “Tiwaz, don’t be so harsh; it was her first time.” Harbard scolded his son. Kari had now taken the animals lumbering head into her lap and was stroking its face as it let out low honking brays. Tears had begun to form in her eyes as she cried over the creature, clearly aware that she was going to have to end its suffering. “I’m so sorry.” She apologized, kissing the end of its snoot. She didn’t know what to do to stop its pain and all she could do was weep over it. “You want to know how to end its suffering.” Loptr was now beside her, whispering in her ear. She nodded earnestly, stroking the animal’s ears. “Do it like an offering. Ear to ear.” Loptr dragged his thumb across his throat. “What if I mess that up too? What if I can’t go deep enough?” Kari looked over to Loptr, her cheeks pink and eyes ringed in red. “If you’ll let me, I’ll help.” Loptr reached out and took the dagger that hung around Kari’s middle. He placed it in her hand and directed her towards the animal’s throat. “I’m so sorry. I promise to put you to good use and dedicate your blood to the Gods in thanks.” Kari whispered so closely to the animal as she felt Loptr put pressure to her hand. The glassy eyes of the animal looked up at her and she swore it understood, but the expression didn’t make the task any easier. Loptr pressed harder against her hand and the blade pierced through the graying fur, blood running onto the icy forest floor as their hands made a trail from ear to ear on the animal. Steam hissed up from the wound as the elk took its last breath and Kari tried not to cry out as she closed its eyes and stood up. “We now have food, but we are far from camp and by the looks of the sky, we won’t make it back in the oncoming weather. We need to seek shelter.” Rig pointed up at the sky. It was almost black and it was getting hard to see. “We didn’t exactly prepare for this.” Donar sighed, noting that they maybe had one tent between them. “Caves. The mountains are full of caves. Look for darkened areas in the wall.” Kari pointed at the craggy mountain only meters from them. Most of it was lighter in color with easily visible ridges, but near a dying tree laid a darkened area that was noticeable even in the dim light. “There, by the tree.” Loptr pointed it out and began to run towards it with Kari hot on his heels. The others stayed behind, waiting to see if the shadows housed shelter. “You’re doing pretty well, Völva . It’s all about learning, whether someone is teaching you or it’s trial and error.” Loptr praised her as they reached the darkened area in the mountain and discovered that it was indeed a cave. “Thank you. For the compliment and helping me with the elk. I hesitated too long and I made a mistake.” Kari apologized. “No, you’re just learning. Don’t let Tiwaz get under your skin; he can be a bit of a sour ass. You saw the consequences of hesitation and now you know what to do going forward.” Loptr peered into the cave and noted that it was deep enough to hold all of them. He began waving his arms to the others to come on up for shelter. Donar threw the elk over his shoulder and Rig and Tiwaz gathered downed branches and old wood on their way up. They set to starting a fire with flint and plenty of kindling while Donar and Harbard began to skin the elk so they could prepare it for food. Loptr watched them work while keeping a keen eye on Kari who had created a candle from the gathered fat of the animal. There was a strange shadow that fell across her face as she sat in front of the candle, turned away from the rest of the group. There was a trickle of blood on the floor here and there, blood that was clearly not from the Elk or anyone else; Kari was injured. “What happened?” Loptr came upon her from behind and squatted down next to where she was sitting. “I cut my hand when we were killing the elk. It’s deeper than I thought.” Kari held her hand aloft, dried blood on her wrists and caked around a gash in her palm. “Why didn’t you say something about it cutting you?” Loptr took her hand to examine the damage closer to the candle light. “I was caught up in the moment.” Kari murmured as Loptr cleaned away the blood. “Rig, go out to that tree and grab me some of the Goldenrod growing there for her wound.” Loptr instructed Rig and he paused in cutting before reluctantly leaving the cave. “Let’s get it as clean as we can; we don’t want you to get infected.” Loptr soaked a piece of his tunic in the water from a gourd around his middle and began to clean the blood away. The wound had already begun to fill with puss before Rig returned with the herb and Loptr started to crush it against a stone to make a paste. He painted it over the wound and wound a fresh piece of cloth from his tunic around the cut. “Rest. We will get food cooking soon and you will feel better.” Loptr instructed her as he laid her down on her furs. She snuggled up to a corner and closed her eyes, letting her wounded hand lay flat above her head. Donar and Harbard had finally stripped the skin from the elk and were cutting into the flesh as Loptr went to stand by the mouth of the cave. Despite the promise of spring, it had begun to snow and even though the sun hadn’t gone down, the sky was so dark that no sun shown. “Loptr,” Harbard called for his attention and he came over to where they were portioning the elk, “The animal was sick; look at the meat.” Indeed the muscle was infested with maggots where flies had bored holes in its flesh. The smell now coming from the animal was strong and they all could see that the animal wouldn’t be edible at all. “Kari.” A thought struck Loptr and he left the sick animal to check on the woman. She was asleep in her furs, but by candle light, Loptr could see the beads of sweat that settled on her brow. He touched the back of his hand to her forehead; she was burning up. “She’s got a fever. I think she has an infection.” Loptr uncovered Kari and let her skin be exposed to the cool air of the cave. “Infection? From what?” Harbard stopped what he was doing and rinsed his hands from the blood of the animal. “She cut herself when we were killing the elk. When I cleaned it, I noticed that the wound looked angry and now I know why. We have to keep the cut clean.” Loptr unwound the binding on her hand which was now soaked in blood and green tinged pus. “That wound looks bad, Loptr. I don’t know if we can keep it clean enough to fight the infection.” Harbard helped tear a piece of cloth from Loptr’s tunic to redress the wound after he cleaned it. “We’re just going to have to try. Take the elk from here; it’ll only anger the wound more. We need to find something else to eat.” Loptr muttered as he wiped the sweat from Kari’s face and brought her a little closer to the cave entrance. “There was a river just down the way from here. Fish? It’s not like we aren’t used to it.” Donar suggested. “Fish, that’s good. Take your brother and Rig with you. Loptr and I will stay behind with Kari. And can you take care of the Elk before you go?” Harbard seemed weary as he instructed his kin. “Yes, sir.” Donar agreed, grabbing one end of the elk while his brother took the other and they hauled it out of the cave. Rig followed behind them, sloshing water they found trickling inside the cave to wash away any blood left behind. “She isn’t looking good, Harbard. Her skin is tacky and her lips are pale.” Loptr had Kari’s head on his knee as he brushed damp hair away from her face. “Keep the wound clean. Keep cleaning it. If I have to, I will bring her back.” Donar gave orders. “You know it won’t be the same. Once she’s gone there, she won’t come back right. There’s always something off, like something is missing.” Loptr shook his head in disagreement and redressed Kari’s wound once more. “Then you better not let her die.” Harbard sat by the fire, whittling away at a piece of wood. But Kari was already dead. The infection had gone directly to her blood and straight to her heart in no time. The fever heated her up from the inside out and fried what little life she had left. Kari was dead and none of them could have stopped it. (*) Kari opened her eyes to gray skies like the ones outside the cave. The difference here was that she was on a shoreline with black sands, dead trees dotting the landscape ahead of her, a stone hut set awkwardly by itself just where the water wouldn’t touch it. “Hello? Can anyone tell me where I am?” Kari called out, walking through the wet sand towards the stone hut. The door flew open and out came an incredibly tall woman who lumbered towards her with great speed despite her formidable size. “You’re not supposed to be here! Why are you here? You need to go back. Go back!” She flung her hands at Kari, a shooing motion that she hoped would push the Völva back to the water. “Where is here? I don’t even know where I am.” Kari sidestepped the giant woman’s gestures and headed back for the shore. “A place you’re not supposed to be. I’m not prepared for this and you need to take yourself back to Midgard.” The giant woman followed Kari, trying to snatch her by the back of the cloak. “Excuse me? Midgard? Where am I right now?” Kari demanded to know the answer. “If you must know, you’re in Helheim, but you shouldn’t be here! You have much journeying to do with your Wyrd and it seems that someone has tried to cut your threads and end your journey early. You need to go back. You’re not fully here yet, only a haze. You can go back.” The woman finally got a hold of Kari and was pushing her out to the ocean. “Wait; if I’m in Helheim are you Hel? You don’t look like her.” Kari was asking unimportant questions in the moment, but she still wanted to know nonetheless. “I am not; Hel is dead and you need to go back to Midgard because you aren’t supposed to be here. Go, go now. Tell Loptr I said that you get a second chance and he knows what to do.” The giant woman hoisted Kari over her shoulder and started to move until she had waded out almost chest deep into the ocean. She held Kari high above her head and threw her as hard a she could. Kari could feel herself sailing through the air before she hit cold water and instantly sat up in the cave next to Loptr, sputtering. “She says I get a second chance and you know—you know what to do.” Kari choked before the fever overtook her again and she fell flat into her furs. “She’s alive, Harbard.” Loptr leapt up from the ground and signaled for his brother. “Someone is interfering with her Wyrd and she’s been given a second chance. I have to finish it on my end.” Loptr took his ax from his waist and cut his palm, placing the bloodied wound to Kari’s infected hand. A heat swelled between them, a heat that warmed Loptr’s arm from fingertips to collar bone and when it cooled, he knew that Kari was safely out of the woods. “You just used your blood to heal her, Loptr. Do you know what that could do?” Harbard questioned, but there wasn’t fear in his voice. “I do, but if she was given a second chance, there is a reason. Maybe she is what we are looking for, Harbard.” Loptr gently covered Kari up before he stood to talk with his brother. “Maybe. Maybe she is what we were feeling, but that doesn’t mean she can help fix anything. We don’t know yet and you shouldn’t get attached. If she isn’t, we will have to leave her behind and keep moving forward.” Harbard warned as the others came back from their fishing trip. They had plenty to feed the lot of them and possibly take a bit back depending on how the weather held out. The snow had just started to pick up and had now turned into more of an ice storm as the wind howled outside. They prepared their meal, ate, and settled in around the fire for warmth. Loptr tried to get Kari to eat, but the most he could get passed her lips was boiled fish water which she sputtered all over herself before she gave in to sipping it. After she was fed, Loptr carried her over to the fire and warmed her up with her furs and his before he lay down close to her feet to try and get some sleep. The coals were barely glowing when Loptr heard a sound come from Kari’s furry bundle and he slithered up close to her to make sure that she was alright. “I—I was in Helheim, Loptr. I met a woman, a giant woman, who told me I wasn’t supposed to be there. She said Hel is dead and that my wyrd was being manipulated by outside forces. Then she told me what to tell you and I was back…Loptr, did I die? Was that just a dream, or did I truly die and go to Helheim?” Kari whispered around russet fur. “I don’t know, Kari. I had the others gather some herbs and I made a poultice to take care of your wound. The elk was sick and his blood made you sick, but I was able to keep the infection at bay.” Loptr lied to her. “I didn’t die at all?” Kari scooted closer to Loptr so she didn’t have to speak loudly. “You did stop breathing there for a bit, but I got you back rather quickly.” Loptr tried to make the story more believable. “I think I died. I think I died and I have no idea why or what happened. Hel is dead? Can a God die?” Kari’s eyes shone with concern as she looked to Loptr for answers. “Maybe they can; I don’t know for sure.” Loptr gave her the only answer he could. “I hope the weather clears up by tomorrow; I just want to go home.” Kari buried her face in her furs and turned her head away from Loptr. “I want to go home too, Kari, I want to go home too.” Loptr whispered, settling in next to her for sleep. (*) The weather had indeed cleared by morning and the group packed up their belongings and headed back towards the village. By the time they arrived back at camp, the sun was shining high overhead and the lower altitude had warmed things up considerably, a nice salty breeze rolling in from the ocean to greet them. Kari was met by a handmaid at her door who looked like she had been waiting for some time. She jumped up when she saw the Völva and began chattering away, following her inside as she changed out of her cold, wet, and bloody clothing. “The king is looking for you and so is the queen. Her son, Culver, is missing and they want to see if you can help them locate him. He hadn’t come out of his room for two days and when my mistress sent someone in to check on him, he was gone. There was no sign of a struggle and it looks like he took some of his belongings with him, but the queen still worries about foul play and—and she told the king that you were the last to see him.” The handmaid cringed at her own words. Kari stopped dead in her changing and stared blankly at the Handmaid, “She told him I was the last to be seen with her son?” “Yes, milady. The king is furious, but I don’t know at whom.” The handmaid took a few steps back towards the door. “Wait for me outside while I change. I’ll go back to the village with you.” Kari had to face the consequences. “I can’t wait any longer. The queen will punish me if I come back after the sun starts to descend from its peak. Just come down to the Hall when you are ready.” The Handmaid tore off from the open door and left Kari to panic on her own as she changed. Kari cleaned herself up and put on fresh clothing before she made her way out of the cottage and toward the trail down to the village. She wasn’t going quietly or unnoticed and caught the attention of Loptr who jogged up next to her. “Where are you off to?” He slowed his walk, not having to go as quickly to keep up with Kari. “The queen’s son is missing and she told the king that I was the last to be seen with him.” Kari grunted, never turning to look at Loptr. “You have nothing to worry about. I made sure to take care of everything.” Loptr assured her that she was fine. “Even so, the king is going to want to know why I was the last one to be seen with him and Eerika won’t hesitate to tell him. She will make up some story about me and one way or another; I will be in a bad spot.” Kari finally turned to look at Loptr briefly before they reached the bottom of the hill and started to walk into the village. “Stand up for yourself and tell the truth—well, most of it. You don’t have to tell them the part where you killed that ogre or where I helped you hide the body, but you can tell the truth about how the queen tried to force you to sleep with her son and you refused.” Loptr paused and took Kari by the shoulder. “She will deny it, he will believe her, and I will probably be killed for this.” Kari spoke flatly as she shrugged Loptr off and kept walking into the village. He chose not to follow her, but he was going to keep an eye on her in his own way.
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E.M. MoonStories from the World Wide Weird Archives
December 2021
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