Page 85 of Alien Viking's Plunder

“I’m sorry about your father.”

Bragr put his arm around Josie’s shoulders. “As am I. Sorry that he couldn’t resisthisurges.”

“If he had, would you have found your Karest?”

He shrugged. “Zhor knows. They say that even if two Karestir don’t find each other in this world, they will be brought together in Valhalla.”

“After they’re dead?” Josie chirped. “Seems like leaving it a little late. Anyway, I’m fine with the way this went. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a Karest.”

Bragr turned his back to the dead man. “I am much more than fine about it. Come, let’s be on our way. With Gornt dead, his skrymtir are destroyed and we can bury them. I will send men to clean this place and bury Gornt, too. He shall have no pyre. But Hjordis shall, in the oracle hill so everyone can see.”

They walked to the shortship that was parked a ways down the hill.

“He used a small stone,” Josie said as she climbed into the ship. “It was the same type as that big, black crystal. It’s what he used to make the skrymtir, to give them life.”

Bragr held up the silver chain with the stone dangling from it. “Was it this?”

“Yes! That’s the one. Be careful about touching it, my love. I don’t think it’s safe.”

He had the shortship take off and turned it towards the coast. It would only work while there was still some daylight, and it was getting dark fast. “I wonder where he found it. But we won’t keep it. I’ll throw it into a star next time I’m out in space. We don’t want something like that in Hjalmarheim. Or even on Gardr.”

She kissed his cheek. “Good. The planet is better without skrymtir.”

“I think so too. My love, there’s talk about making me king. Do you want to be a queen?”

26

- Josie -

Josie stared at Bragr, horrified. “No! I don’t!Whois talking about that?”

“Prince Craxon,” Bragr said darkly, “and others before him. It’s their way of gently preparing me for something that has already been settled. It’s the kind of thing where you and I are the last to know. My love, if it turns out to be true, there are limits to how much I can resist my people if they want to honor me.”

“Huh. Can’t they just give you a raise?”

“A raise or a simple ’thank you’wouldbe better,” Bragr groaned. “Though the king idea fits with the Prophecy. The Einungar clan lost the earldom, but kept the lands, now as a kingdom. Zhor knows I never wanted a crown. But that’s not how things are usually done here. Anyway, not much would change, I suppose. Except they would call me ‘majesty’ instead of ‘chief’. I much prefer ‘chief’. No, I will refuse. Being earl is bad enough. ”

The last thing in the world Josie wanted to be was a royal. She just wasn’t cut out for all kinds of protocol and pomp. “What if we just… leave? Get married and then run away in the night and settle on an island somewhere?”

Bragr pointed at the dark coast below them. “Thisisan island somewhere. And I can’t just abandon my people. Not after this, not after my father has done this much damage. My crew burned, warriors have died in battle, the seeress Hjordis is dead, farms were burned to the ground. I have to atone for it somehow.”

“Can you discreetly let them know that you’re not interested in being king?”

“Discreetly tell every single citizen of Hjalmarheim? Perhaps. They should know that a title like that could go to my head. It runs in the family. ”

Josie thought about it. If anything would convince Bragr that he was a better leader and a much better man than Gornt, then the whole people making him their king would probably be enough.

She reached over and took his hand. “Actually, love, go ahead and be king if your people want it. I’ll just live on an island by myself and you can come visit. Say, once a day?”

“We’ll talk about it,” Bragr grunted. “But we have something much more important to do first.”

“Get married.”

“That’s right. Everything else is just…”

“Noise,” Josie completed the sentence.

Bragr laughed. “Yes! It’s just noise. The actualsongis the two of us. The rest is noise.”

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