Chapter 7
Freydis
That evening, I left for Church to light candles for the warriors who died during the battle against the Hounds last night. Once I entered through the doors, I pulled a black veil over my head.
The scent of incense filled my nostrils as I walked farther into the sanctuary.
Standing before the house of God, I found myself repulsed for the first time. Perhaps it is because of the mark I bore and the fact I hadn't prayed in a long time. Sometimes I prayed for hours, yet I felt unclean. The thought that one day I would be exposed to everyone plagued my mind.
There were warriors outside the sanctuary, guarding the house of God.
One by one, I lit the candles, whispering the names of the warriors under my breath. With each flame, I prayed to God to guide their spirits to Heaven.
Afterwards, I closed my eyes and began to pray. As I did, I heard footsteps approaching. I didn't turn around. I already knew it was one of the warriors.
"Lady Freydis," I heard a female voice say. "It is kind of you to pray for the fallen warriors."
I counted the rosary beads, praying to Mother Mary and God to lead the warriors to Heaven.
"They were brave," the voice continued. "They—" Her words ended in a strangled groan.
My eyes flew open. I turned around, and a scream rumbled from my throat at the sight before me. Disbelief washed over my face as I brought the rosary to my chest.
The woman was lying on the ground with an axe sunk into her head. Blood flowed from her wound. I rushed toward her, throwing my arms around her.
She was losing too much blood. She would die soon if nothing was done. I could save her. I could take her pain if I gave in to the mark on my back. I could—but I was in the sanctuary of God. That would be a sin.
But the woman was gurgling, blood pouring from the side of her head.
"Help! Someone help!" I cried out.
Silence.
I couldn't hear the voices of the warriors or their footsteps anymore. Something was definitely wrong.
I looked down at the woman. She wasn't moving. When I checked her pulse, I couldn't feel anything.
"No!" I yelled, my blood turning to ice. "Someone help! Please!"
There was no answer. No response.
My hands trembled as I wrapped them around the axe, pulling it from her head.
The woman was dead.
All of a sudden, footsteps echoed.
I twisted around. A man stood a few feet away from me. In one hand, he held an axe, and a bow was strapped at his side. He wore a black fur cloak that hid his face.
"Ye will obey me, goddess-born," the man spoke in a deep voice, "or more blood will flow—and it won't be mine."
"What?" I croaked. Goddess-born? What did he mean?
I stared up at the man. The woman's chest no longer moved. Blood continued to flow, soaking the dress I wore. I knew she was dead. She was gone.
My hands began to tremble. I was defenceless. I hadn't brought any weapon with me because I believed the Church was safe. But this man had come in and killed someone.
Had he also killed the warriors outside? My heart pounded with rage.
"Stand," he ordered.
I let go of the woman and stood up. Who was this man? Where did he come from? His accent didn't sound like he was from the South. He sounded like a Northerner mixed with an Easterner.
"I shall see ye out of this place," he muttered. "Ye will make no sound, nor give me any trouble. Do ye understand?"
Something throbbed in my hands, making them tremble even more. This always happened when I was enraged—like the mark triggered... and I did terrible things.
"Aye," I nodded.
"Good," he said, taking a step toward me. "They say the goddess-born are ever perilous. Give me no cause to harm ye."
I remained completely still, fury building inside me. This man came for me. Why?, I didn't know. The woman had died because of me. She had only come to offer her sympathies. Had he planned to kidnap me? Was it a move against the King?
But he didn't look like any regular person with the clothes he wore. Whoever he was, he wasn't here for ransom. What if he was here to kill me?
I'd heard rumours that the Easterners were eyeing Fellur, wanting the land for themselves. What if their king had sent him to kidnap me?
In that moment, I wasn't thinking clearly. I only knew he'd killed an innocent woman, and he planned to do the same to me.
When he took another step forward, I mirrored his movement and stretched out my hands. All at once, something shot out from me.
He yelped in pain, stumbling as he dodged to the side and grabbed his ribs.
I seized the opportunity and took the axe from the ground.
"I warned ye," he growled, the hood falling from his head.
My eyes widened as I saw his eyes shift from white to pitch black. The veins around them bulged with darkness, and when he bared his teeth, they were long and sharp..... fangs.
My breath caught in my throat. He was the demon the Church had always warned us about. I never thought I would actually face one. But here he was, planning to take me.
"Take one more step toward me and I won't miss your head," I said.
He laughed. "I shall take great pleasure in drawing every drop of blood from yer flesh. I care not what he had planned for ye."
His words struck fear into my heart, but I shoved it away.
He growled, taking a step toward me, then froze. His eyes widened as his body began to dry out, skin turning grey and he collapsed to the floor.
Slowly, I lifted my head. Ragnar stood there.
"Freyja, are ye hurt?" he asked, grasping my shoulder. "Did ye suffer any harm?"
"The woman... she—" I looked up at Ragnar.