A/N:
Hi! Before starting the actual chapter, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who followed me on this journey. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did, and I hope you'll join me in Book 2 as well.
I'd like to say special thank you to __-A__ and Ruonaa! Girls, your comments and supports meant the world to me, thank you for being this amazing 💙💙💙
Now, let's just jump into it!

As the first rays of sunshine fought their ways through the thick foliage, Ingolf's men were already marching ahead, only the noise of crumbling leaves under their feet broke the early silence. The air was thick with tension as the group got closer and closer to their destination with each tiring step.

Walking in the last line, Lìfa saw their eyes constantly scanning the dark forest, waiting for an enemy assault and their hands grabbing their swords at the smallest sound. She kept her eyes open as well in case her friends showed up and also looking for a chance to get away.

"I still don't think it's a good idea." Finn's hushed voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "You'll just get both of us killed," he said with a sigh, shaking his head. As he pressed his lips together and carried his worried gaze upon the trees, resignation sat on his face.

"Why don't you come with me then?"

The question had hung in the air since Lìfa first told Finn about her plans, but still, it hit them in the head like a hammer. The weight of the words hovered over them in the thick silence for a while as they walked side by side. It became a thick, suffocating fog wrapping them around, filling their bodies with every breath they took.

Trying to read from his face, Lìfa's eyes searched for Finn's, but he kept staring at the ground. His features hardened like a mask, not giving away a single emotion, but he couldn't hide what was behind his eyes. Lìfa saw the storm raging in his thoughts and the pained shine in his eyes, he couldn't lock it all away in the dark corners of his mind.

"You know I can't."

Lìfa's face flinched as the words hit her, even if she knew this would be the answer. His vow tied Finn to Ingolf and he couldn't just break it. It was not how things worked and Lìfa hated it.

Deep down in her heart, Lìfa knew the boy was right. It could go wrong in too many ways. She took a long, ragged breath and then slowly let it out, trying to tame her emotions and keep her eyes from watering.

Clenching her jaw she finally forced herself to utter one word.

"Fine."

She had already made up her mind to escape with or without Finn, and he couldn't talk her down. It was all planned out, they just needed to reach the mountain.

They didn't talk for the rest of the road, just walked side by side in an uncomfortable silence. Lìfa saw Finn opening his mouth a few times like he was about to say something, but his words never left his tongue and left untold in the end.

Lìfa couldn't break the silence either as she felt like saying anything would just make it worse. There was nothing left to be said. They made a deal and it was no time for emotions. It was a matter of life and death.

Furrowing her brows, she concentrated on her task ahead. She steeled her mind, locking all her feelings away in a dark cage of her mind, keeping only the prize in front of her eyes. Soon, she noticed the tension and excitement raising among the crew and their voices getting louder as they reached the edge of the forest.

As the trees slowly faded out of sight, there rose the mountain itself, its grey and cold stones dotted with the sight of ancient pine trees here and there. Their mouths hung open as it towered above them like Ymir* himself, sacrificing his flesh and bones to the world they lived in. Not so far the river snaked around, licking the dead rocks with its crystal clear waves. The entrance must have been somewhere near.

Realisation hit Lìfa as a bolt of lightning. There was no more time to waste, her chance has come. Without the map Ingolf was just searching cluelessly for the cave, walking back and forth and shouting loud, annoyed orders to his men, not paying attention to anything else. If she waited any longer, until they leave the forest completely, her chance of escaping would fade away in a simple snap.

Her hands tightened into fists with her knuckles whitening and her breathing fastened in excitement. Lìfa looked at Finn and as her eyes connected to his she knew he was thinking the same thing. Without a word Finn nodded, then cautiously led her away among the thick bushes and trees. They only stopped when the crew was out of earshot and their loud steps were replaced by the uncomforting silence sitting among the trees.

"We don't have much time. Are you sure you want to do this?" His hands trembled from nervousness and his face was paler than the usual as he cut Lìfa's restrains.

"This is my only chance," she said, rubbing and moving around her sore wrists.

Shaking down the rest of the ropes keeping her hostage, she straightened herself and faced Finn. As the fire behind her eyes met the everlasting green of his, she knew they wouldn't say goodbye. They already did last night, holding each other close in the dark. Instead, her lips pulled into a half-smile, reaching her hand out to Finn.

"Thank you for everything, ally."

Finn took her hand with a wide, mischievous grin spreading across his pale face. Instead of shaking her hand, he just pulled Lìfa close into a deep kiss. She returned it immediately, snaking her arms around his neck, burying her fingers into his black locks. Lìfa let herself burn to ashes under his lips to be built up again in his arms and dissolved one last time into the sweet sensation before parting forever.

When she finally pulled away, Lìfa hardened her features and locked eyes with Finn again. He stood the wildfire radiating from her eyes.

"Are you ready? You won't have much time and there'll be no turning back."

Lìfa just nodded, her fingers playing around with the small black and red braid in her hair.

"See you in Valhalla?"

"See you in Valhalla."

His signature smile spread across Finn's face as he touched his braid as well and turned his back to her. He took a big breath and let all his voice out.

"Everyone, quick here! The hostage is getting away-"

Thud.

Lìfa dropped aside the huge branch from her hand as Finn collapsed to the ground. She quickly took his dagger from his belt. Within a few seconds she heard heavy footsteps approaching, so she turned on her heels and jumped among the bushes. Before starting into the deadly race, she looked back one more time at the boy lying on the ground.

"It's nothing personal, I just had to make it more believable. No hard feelings."

With this Lìfa fixed her gaze upon the mountain rising ahead and started into a wild rush. As she heard the warriors' shouts and violent footsteps drumming in her ear she fastened her pace, forcing her heart to beat like it was about to explode in her ribcage. Her lungs were burning and her legs were like flying on the forest-floor as the adrenaline rush gave her a boost.

Lìfa heard her chasers getting closer but she didn't dare to look back. She kept her eyes on the rock wall. A few feets above the ground a huge pine tree sat on the rocks like a proud king on its throne. Its roots dug deep into the rock, opening a dark hole. Big enough for a small body to hide in.

With the last bits of her stamina and strength, she lunged upon the rocks and climbed between the snaking roots, just in time to hide from sight as the group of mercenaries burst out of the forest. Her lungs were burning and she was thirsty for air but Lìfa tried to hold her breath back and not make a simple sound.

The warriors searched every single bush for her and surrounded the area. Lìfa wiped the salty sweat dripping into her eyes and watched them as they gathered around the clearing.

"Find that son of a bitch! She can't disappear in thick air! The little rat must be hiding somewhere!" One of them barked the orders as his men walked dangerously close to Lìfa's hiding spot. Her heart was drumming in her throat and she felt like it was so loud, echoing in the small tunnel that everyone could hear it.

As quietly as she could, Lìfa tried crawling deeper into the hole, hiding from the enemy's searching eyes. Suddenly, she heard a loud crack and felt the ground disappearing under her. Her fingers searched the walls for anything to hang onto, but her hands slid down on the cold stone walls. The fall in the tight tunnel scratched her elbows and knees and it ended with a thud on the cold, dusty ground.

She carefully sat up, rubbing her head and aching joints. She thanked the gods that her fall wasn't big and didn't break a bone. At first, she was blinded by the darkness of the place, but as her eyes accommodated to the dim light coming from above, her mouth hung open.

It was a huge, round cave with an opening at the top, letting a few rays of sunshine slashing through the darkness. Lìfa landed on a think stone ramp a few meters above the surface. On the wall across, she saw light coming in from the outside. The entrance. Her eyes roamed the strange room and her gaze got caught upon a strange pulpit in the middle of the circular cave. She forced her eyes to get a better view of the item placed on it, but something moved beside her.

She instinctively pulled out her knife and turned towards the sound, finding herself face to face with a similar pair of hazel eyes.

"Ivar?" Her eyes lit up in surprise and disbelief as she got sight of the young archer's silhouette. "But how? What are you doing here-" She couldn't finish as the boy brought a finger to his mouth, signing her to keep her voice down.

"Shhh, you'll see in no time," he whispered with a small, confident grin on his face. With a tiny string of leather, he tied his long, wavy brown locks into a ponytail and reached for his bow. In the same time, Lìfa heard voices coming from the outside. Ingolf must have found the entrance.

She held her breath back as she waited for what would happen next. Her heart began into an excited race as she knew her crew was hiding somewhere near. The moment of truth was so close, she could feel it in her bones.

With torches in hand, Ingolf and his men slowly strut into the cave and shivered from the cold air. With a proud smile on his face, he walked up to the pulpit and examined it with an arrogant smile on his face. In the orange light of his torch, Lìfa could finally see what was hidden in there. On the top of the pulpit sat a big, blue crystal with its many shards rising into different directions. As Ingolf brought the fire closer, the dancing flames bounced off the shining gem and spread across the cave walls forming various configurations of lines and dots.

"So, here it is." Ingolf's deep voice fille the air. "The moment we've been waiting for! This crystal hides the key to endless wealth and power! This is the well-deserved prize we fought so hard for! We just have to take and solve its mystery-"

As he kept talking, cheering his men, Lìfa's eyes were glued upon the dancing blue lines on the walls. In the next moment, her eyes lit up realisation as she recognised the constellations of the night sky. The crystal locked the shine of the stars in itself to show the way to those who understood. Lìfa's thoughts were racing like wild horses, trying to find a way to copy the constellations. She didn't have a piece of wood in her pocket this time to carve it onto.

Suddenly, she had a better idea. She pulled the sleeve on her left arm back, holding the knife in her right. She drew the small lines and dots into the white skin under her birthmark. She winced from pain as the sharp blade left thin red trails across the skin. She copied each constellation on her forearm, careful not to miss a star or a line.

When she was done, she looked up just in time to see the light coming from the entrance be blocked again as five men stepped in. At the same time, she heard a familiar voice coming from under her hiding place.

"Not so fast, Ingolf. You're so hungry for glory, it made you blind to all the signs."

"What signs are you talking about, Egil?" The man turned to him with a wide smile that didn't reach up to his eyes, his hand trailing down to his sword.

"Just one simple one. That you're surrounded." With this Egil stepped out with the rest of the crew to the light from the tunnel running under the ramp Lìfa was hiding on. She did a quick counting on her friends, there were ten of them. Gunnar didn't make it after all.

"Don't be ridiculous, Egil! You know my warriors would beat these jesters in a second!" Ingolf broke down to an arrogant laugh, but his hand remained on the handle of his weapon. "You can't seriously think that you might be a threat!"

"If I'm not a threat to you, how about a duel?" Egil now stood face to face with his nemesis, staring into his cold eyes. "Have a fight, just you and me! The winner takes it all, the crew of the defeated can walk away without harm. What do you say?" He reached out his hand to Ingolf. Lìfa couldn't see Egil's face but his voice sounded confident and somehow royal.

"Ha! What a ridiculous idea! You know what? I'm in! The winner takes it all." Ingolf shook his hand with an ugly wolf smile behind his beard.

"What the hell is Egil doing? What if he loses?" Lìfa turned to Ivar with worry filling her voice. A strange feeling crept into her bones and wouldn't let her thoughts rest.

"He knows what he's doing." Ivar smiled at her, pulling an arrow from the quiver on his back. He didn't put it on his bow yet, Ivar waited for a sign.

In the meantime all warriors formed a big circle around the jarls, hitting their shields with their weapons, cheering for their leaders. Egil started his deadly dance with Ingolf. They circled each other slowly, examining the enemy like a hungry wolf ready to strike.

Ingolf made the first move. He dashed ahead with his sword aiming at Egil's head, but he dodged the hit without effort. With a half turn, he swung his weapon, reaching for Ingolf's side but he missed and lost balance. The enemy took upon the opportunity and kicked his leg, sending Egil to the ground. Rolling to the side from a deadly swing, Egil quickly recovered, facing Ingolf again.

"That's all you can do, Ingolf?"

"It was just barely the beginning!"

They started into circling each other again, surrounded by their men, their shouts echoing in the cave. Lìfa held her breath back as she watched their swords colliding again. The sound of metal crashing against metal filled the air as the two men fought with all their might. This time Egil was the one who sent Ingolf to the ground. He cut his leg then rammed him with his shoulder, pushing his enemy to the dust. As Ingolf searched the ground around him for his sword, Egil towered above him, ready to strike.

As his hands holding the sword moved down to end Ingolf's life, the man quickly rolled away and kicked Egil between his legs. The sudden, sharp pain brought Egil to his knees, his fingers losing their grip on the sword.

Lìfa covered her mouth with both palms as she watched in horror Ingolf quickly kneeling beside Egil with a knife shining in his hand. He pushed the blade deep into her jarl's chest, red blood soaking his clothes immediately.

Half of the crowd cheered and shouted like wild animals, celebrating the victory of their Jarl, while the Thirteens just watched with eyes wide open as their leader fell to the ground, his blood forming a pool around the body. Time slowed down around them as Lìfa saw Ingolf spitting then stepping over the dead body, walking up to the pulpit, taking the crystal in his hand. She heard her own voice escaping her throat, calling out to Ivar.

"The crystal! We can't let him have it! Shoot it!"

Ivar just nodded and placed the arrow on his bow. He slowly pulled the string back, his eyes fixed on the shining gem in Ingolf's palm. Holding his breath back, he released the arrow. With a hiss, it arched over the cave, above the head of the still stunned warriors and collided into the blue crystal. As the metal head of the arrow hit it, the gem exploded into a million shards scattering on the ground, throwing small dots of dancing lines all over the place.

With madness burning behind his eyes, Ingolf looked up at the ramp, finally spotting Ivar and Lìfa. His lips pulled into an evil smile as he turned his gaze to his men and snapped.

"Kill 'em!"

Hell broke loose in the very moment he uttered these words. His men pulled their axes and swords out just like the Thirteens did. The two groups merged together as their battle cries filled the thick air.

"Do you have a spare weapon?" Lìfa turned quickly to Ivar. Raising one of his eyebrows he detached his axe from his belt, handing it over to the girl.

"Just don't lose it!"

"I promise I won't." Lìfa took the axe with a small smile. "Cover me while I climb down!"

Without a word Ivar just pulled a new arrow and placed it on his bow, aiming at the back of a mercenary standing below them. Lìfa half climbed half jumped down from the ramp, gripping her newly borrowed axe tightly. She found herself in the middle of the forming fight, so she wasted no time and joined her friends.

As she made her way to Sveinn, she saw many warriors falling around her with arrows sticking out of their backs or necks. Ivar knew how to use a bow for sure. When Lìfa finally reached Sveinn, he was surrounded by three well-armoured men, pointing their threatening swords at him.

"I see, I came in the best moment!" Lìfa took up fighting position, her back pressed against Sveinn's.

"We'll see about that in a second," the boy replied raising his sword as well. The three men circled them like sharks, searching for a weak spot in their defence.

One jumped ahead, aiming for Sveinn chest. The boy moved to the left, dodging the strike. At the very same moment, Lìfa took his place, smashing the man's skull with her axe. Now the remaining two lunged at the same time.

Lìfa and Sveinn fought side by side, perfectly in synch with each other's moves. When Lìfa dodged below a hit, Sveinn hit from above, cutting the man's arm down. In the meantime Lìfa jumped beside her friend, covering his back and warding off a deadly strike. They danced together as new enemies took the fallen's places, never losing track of each other's moves. Just like when they were little kids, playing in the forest, but now, instead of the scent of the salty winds coming from the sea the nauseating, thick smell of blood and death filled their noses. The sounds of many birds singing were replaced by shouts and the thunder of weapons filling up the cave all around.

In the loud charade of people constantly moving, Lìfa spotted the figure of Ingolf sneaking to the exit. Leaving Sveinn's side, she made a rush for the man she hated from the bottom of her heart. Avoiding some mercenaries, and jumping over the dead bodies piling on the ground, she made her way to the exit, blocking Ingolf's way.

"Ah, it's you again. I should have killed you the moment that boy brought you to our camp. Bad luck and curses were just radiating off of you, witch," he pointed his sword toward the symbol hanging from Lìfa's neck. She didn't let Ingolf trick and distract her, just tightened her grip around her axe and steadied her feet on the ground.

"I should have killed you the moment I saw you back in Heilaholm," she replied with thick venom dripping from her voice.

"Just barking, not biting. Like your pitiful jarl!" Ingolf's lips pulled into an ugly smile as he lunged forward, trying to stab Lìfa.

She blocked with her axe in the last minute, stopping the edge of the blade only inches from her body. Turning it to her advantage, she used the short distance to ram her forehead hard into Ingolf's nose. He backed away in agony, but never lowering his sword.

"You'll pay for it, bastard! I wanted to give you to Rufus to play a little, but now I'll finish the job by myself!" He spat some blood to the ground and took up fighting position again.

Lìfa saw him slowly losing his temper, so she waited for him to move first. Just as she predicted, Ingolf dashed ahead with full force, leaving his side unguarded. She ducked below his arms and with a powerful spin, she buried her axe into his side.

She watched the light leaving his eyes and the dead body collapsing to the ground. This was it. She killed the man responsible for all of her agony. She killed the man who destroyed her town, the reason for her father's death. Lìfa felt like a part of the undying, ever flaming rage within her soul could finally rest. Her father could finally find his peace in Valhalla, drinking with the Allfather.

She took her revenge.

Suddenly a huge hand wrapped around her arm, snapping her out of the trans she fell into.

"C'mon, Lìfa! We can't hold 'em back anymore, we need to go!" Carolus pulled her towards the mysterious tunnel under the ramp, where the rest of the crew stood their grounds against the mercenaries.

When they reunited with the others, Frode ordered them into the dark tunnel, slowly retreating. The wild, beast-like Thorvald with his mouth foaming fought the enemy back as his friends one by one piled into the tunnel. When the darkness swallowed everyone, he swung his axe into the stone columns holding the ramp, making it all collide to the ground, closing up the entrance.

Lìfa heard the enemy's shouts from the other side, trying to break through the stone. Someone grabbed her in the dark, pulling her deeper into the hallway, forcing her to run with the others.

"What is this place? And where are we going?" She asked the two most urgent questions from the many racing in her head. As she ran along her friends, she felt sweat dripping down her neck, soaking in her red locks and clothes.

"It's a secret passage to the shore," came the answer from a rusty voice, probably Frode's.

"But how? The shore is at least two days away from here!" Lìfa was still confused by all the happenings of the last few hours. She was tired and it became hard to keep the pace up as the adrenaline slowly left her body.

"For them, maybe! The map had a secret shortcut directly to the cave which Ingolf didn't know about. It was Egil's plan all along. Some of us followed you through the forest, while the others secured the ships and this passage to the shores. Brilliant, isn't it?" Lìfa heard Carolus' voice by her side.

Suddenly it all made sense now. The ravens in the forest, but her friends never appearing. Ivar in the cave and the grand entrance of Egil. It was all planned out. Lìfa just now understood how great of a leader he was. He earned his place by the side of Odin, the wise.

Moving ahead in the dark, Lìfa bumped into a body which turned out to be Sveinn. She took his hand, not wanting to lose him again. She missed her best friend so bad during the last few days, she didn't want to spend a moment without him.

"You know, I met your lover back there." Sveinn's words hit Lìfa in the chest. She felt her heartbeat skipping a beat at the thought of Finn being injured or even worse, dead.

"He's not my lover," she tried to sound as careless as possible, but Sveinn knew him too well.

"Sure. Anyway, I may or may not had broken his nose." Even if she couldn't see him, Lìfa felt the mischievous grin on his face. As an answer, she punched the boy's arm, making him stumble upon Thorvald, causing a smaller commotion.

When they finally saw the light on the end of the tunnel, the group slowed down to a comfortable jog. In the afternoon light, Lìfa could finally see her friends from close again. They were all covered in blood and small scars, but everyone seemed to be in one place.

When they reached the shores, she saw two giant ships harbouring at a small bay. The ship of the mercenaries and Sleipnir, the mighty ship of Ingolf. It was the greatest and fastest ship that ever sailed the North seas, worthy for its name.

"Halfdan, the Silver Fox was yours. Since Njord took the Fox from us, the honour to choose our new ship is your's too." Bjarne clapped the back of the steersman with a wide smile.
Halfdan stepped ahead with childish joy shining in his eyes as he pointed at Sleipnir.

"I'd be a fool if I didn't take this gem! From today, our new ship is Sleipnir! Let's set the other one on fire, we shouldn't leave a chance to those bastards to escape!" He turned to the other ship with a frown on his face, already reaching for a torch to use.

"No! Please, no!" Lìfa blocked his way with a desperate cry. "I owe one of them big time."

For a few seconds, Halfdan stood her gaze then turned away with an annoyed growl.

"Everyone on the deck! Just get out of here already!"

Everyone piled on the ship which turned out to be full of money and weapons. Lìfa even found the Troll Cutter among Ingolf's things. It warmed her heart that her father's only legacy didn't get lost at the sea. She took her place on a trunk behind Sveinn and grabbed the paddles.

The sea was calm and silent as they paddled away from the deadly shores. While everyone sank deep in thought, Carolus sang them a song to honour the memory of their leader.

"As your eyes search the distance, what do you see?
The rainbow of Bifrost shining bright,
Above lands and oceans see us fly.
Into Valhalla we march, so don't you cry!

The night wind howls as we sail,
A ballad of our glory along the way.
High above the seagulls scream
As a battle takes over the seas.

Here comes the storm with the roar of thunder
As Odin races on Sleipnir to plunder.
We are his people, blessed by steel
So say your last prayers and follow me.

As your eyes search the distance, what do you see?
The rainbow of Bifrost shining bright,
Above lands and oceans see us fly.
Into Valhalla we march, so don't you cry!"

Lìfa watched their faces as they paddled. Sorrow dwelled in her friends' eyes. While their thoughts travelled to the skies to meet their beloved leader, hers drifted away to somebody who once sang the same song to her. She wondered if they'll meet again. Maybe in another life. Maybe in Valhalla.

"Where are we exactly going now?" Bjarne's question broke the unsettling silence.

Carefully looking around, Lìfa pulled her left sleeve down, covering her scarred arm.

"We are going home."

TO BE CONTINUED - BOOK 2 OUT NOW

Notes:
Ymir - in Norse mythology the first giant. The mountains rose from his bones, the earth from his flesh, the sea from his blood and the trees from his hair.