Page 33 of Alien Viking's Plunder

He bent down to adjust his boot around the aching foot. “There will be hunter’s huts in this forest. From here I see a few places where huts are likely to be built. They will be tiny shacks.”

Straum was rising fast behind them, and the entire forest valley was bathed in its bluish light. Behind them there was no sign of the dfergir, but Bragr knew they were there, following them. They were annoyingly tenacious, and would follow them to his own doorstep. If they didn’t attack first.

The new valley was wide and covered in dense woods. That would provide some cover from vettir, but it would also make it easier for some enemy to sneak up on them.

He looked over at Josie. If he’d been alone, he would not at all be sure he could make it home alive. He was injured, and he had never spent a lot of time in the woods of Hjalmarheim. But with Josie with him, simply keeping her safe would take most of his effort and attention. She had a way of attracting all kinds of creatures, from skrymtir to vettir and trolls. The woods were crawling with things like that. Their chances weren’t good.

But he was the earl of this valley, too. Straum gave him strength, and he should act like the owner that he was. If his foot hadn’t ached, he would have felt much better about the whole thing.

Josie was still looking at Straum, one of her slender fingers touching the black thing by her ear. “Does that sun ever point its streams at this planet?”

“Sometimes,” Bragr said, offering her a piece of dried meat he had saved from the cave. “We call it the Shine. Several ages of men go by between each time. Most of us hope never to experience it. But I think we’re getting close.”

She took the meat and put it into her mouth, chewing it cheerfully. “It is bad?”

He thought about it. “It is bad and good. Like everything in life, it depends on how you look at it. This time I’ve decided it will be good.”

Josie slowly turned around on one heel, taking in the whole landscape around them.

His crotch was swelling again. What was it about this alien woman that made her so alluring? Certainly her shape and her scent and her softness made her attractive. And then there was this warrior spirit in her that he’d seen from the first moment, that defiant look in her eye. She was not complaining about any of this, she had simply promised that she would get revenge on him. Then she handled vettir, caves, myod and trolls as well as any warrior Bragr had ever seen. He was sure most of his men would have whined more than she had. She may be small and round, but she was as tough as any herjer.

If she hadn’t been a captive, he would have tried seducing her at some point. But the way things were, she had been forced into this and it would be dishonorable of him to attempt anything. She had kissed him, though. So she couldn’t beallrepulsed by him, despite having vowed revenge.

She nodded to the dark mountains in the east. “Why is there no snow on those mountains? They look really high.”

“They’re hot,” he explained curtly, not wanting to think about that part of his earldom right now.

Throwing a final glance down in the valley they were leaving, he spotted the dfergir far down the slope. They were just specks against the white snow, slowly moving up the hill.

Bragr grabbed Josie’s wrist and pulled her with him. “It’s time to leave.”

They ran down the other side of the ridge, at just enough of an angle to keep their balance on the steep hill. The tree line was still arostaway. On this side the snow was much softer, and they sank into it to their ankles. The only comfort was that the dfergir would struggle even more, with their short legs. On the other hand, they were lighter, so—

“Look!” Josie yelled behind him. He spun around, hand fumbling for Brisingr.

She was pointing down the hill, to the edge of the trees. There were many dark shapes coming out from the woods and up the hill. They moved fast, but with a stiffness that told him exactly what they were.

“Skrymtir,” he fretted. “Skrymtir in Hjalmarheim!”

He quickly went through their options. They could turn and go back to the first valley. That meant running into the dfergir. If those delayed them, they might have to fight the skrymtir anyway. Fight them from below, while the enemy would be coming from uphill and so have a great advantage.Andhe had to protect Josie while also fighting.

This was not looking good. But she could not see his concern. He had to act with perfect confidence.

“Finally some entertainment! We will fight our way through them,” he said, forcing a grin to encourage Josie. “Like a red-hot blade through a tin of butter.”

10

- Josie -

She looked at the stick in her hand. It wasn’t a red-hot anything. But it was more than she’d had last time.

“Yes,” Bragr rumbled calmly. “Now you have a weapon, and they won’t take you by surprise.”

She looked down at the skrymtir. There had to be a hundred of them, coming up the hill to meet them.

Bragr walked up to her, confident as ever. “You’re a good fighter with a staff. Aim for their heads and whack as hard as you can. Use the tip of the spear to run them through. And remember, you’re not killing anyone. They’re not alive. It’s just witchcraft.”

“I know,” she said, his confidence making her feel better for the fight against the zombies. “Let’s find a place that’s higher, so it’s hard for them to attack.”

---