Wolf Within

CHAPTER TWO

Raoul was sitting in the open mouth of the cave watching clouds pass in front of the moon when Dabria approached him. She said nothing as she sat beside him and folded her legs, resting her hands in her lap. Raoul glanced at her, but she was looking at the sky. She radiated calm, and as Raoul turned back to look at the stars, he felt his body relax. They sat for long minutes in the stillness before Raoul had to break the silence.

“I don't understand,” he said softly.

“Which part, love?” Dabria asked.

Raoul closed his eyes and sighed, “Any of this. Mostly I don't understand why you affect me so strongly. I've never felt - or acted - this way before.”

“And you don't believe in the spiritual explanation.” Dabria said it like it was simply a matter of fact.

Raoul shrugged, “It's not that I don't want to believe. A part of me does. But I need…” he held out his hand out as if to touch something. “Proof, I suppose. Tangible evidence.”

Dabria nodded, “Look around you, Raoul. Is this world, full of its complexity and diversity, just a cosmic accident?”

Raoul nodded and then shrugged, “Well, yes. I mean, I suppose it’s possible that it was somehow created, but I don't really believe that.”

“You saw Odin.”

“A hallucination.”

“Yet your body is different now, is it not?”

Raoul knew she was right, but he said, “Power of suggestion.” He looked at Dabria, “Or maybe it's you.”

Dabria’s eyebrows were upturned in amusement, a smile making her full lips curl at the ends, “Very well,” she said.

“You're not going to offer another explanation?”

“Would you consider my words if I did?”

“I won't know until you tell me,” Raoul said evenly, “but I would like to know what you think.”

“I think…” Dabria looked at her folded hands. “I have seen the very best and the very worst of humanity. I have seen starvation, abuse, neglect, murder, suicide, wars beyond count, babies and women sold into slavery, young men sodomized for sport. In a perfect world, the gods would prevent such things. It is said that a woman is at fault for humanity’s fall. She was tempted by her desire for knowledge. It seemed unfair that the gods should know more than mortals. Our punishment for her hubris is to live in a world filled with evil, and our task is to overcome that evil little by little. If you're asking me if I believe in the gods, the answer is yes. I cannot prove to you that they exist. I cannot prove to you what I have experienced. I can only hope that before your death you will have experienced enough to know in your heart what you believe, to have conviction and confidence. The fulfillment of personal enlightenment is a life well lived.”

Raoul considered her words. He wondered what she had seen to convince her that a God or gods existed. Had she been anyone else, he might have been angered by her words or thought her slightly mad. When she said it, however, he believed that she believed it, and that mad or not, she seemed more sane than many people he knew with similar convictions.

Dabria rose and stretched her hand out to him, “Come to bed and relax, love. You must rest your body before you challenge Asger.”

Raoul took her hand and followed her into the cave. Dabria dropped his hand and went to a small shelf with jars of varying sizes. She took one down and opened it, tamping a palmful of fragrant herbs into the bowl of a long pipe. She lit a candle with the fire on the hearth and brought both over to where Raoul sat on the bedding platform.

“Take it,” she said. “I can't promise you won't dream, but this is just to help you relax.”

“Will you join me?” Raoul asked.

Dabria smiled and sat beside him, “Of course.”

In comfortable silence, they passed the pipe back and forth, filling the air with earthy smoke. Raoul felt weightless and peaceful. He felt himself drawn to Dabria like a magnet, his skin warming in the places where they met, arm to shoulder and his right hip against her left. Dabria must have sensed his desire. She set down the pipe and snuffed the candle before laying back against the blankets and pillows.

Raoul stood and removed his clothes. Unlike the first time he had known her, his desire wasn't desperate in the same mad rush of heat and urgency. His body was hard, but as he prowled up the blankets to kneel over her, he felt calm and steady. Her eyes were alight with welcome and her lips met his as he leaned in to kiss her.

He stroked her mouth with his own, pulling on first one lip and then the other, then pressing in. Their breath mingled and their tongues met in luxurious sensuality. Raoul felt reverent as he tasted her, and she treated him in kind. Goosebumps rippled over his skin as she caressed him. Raoul opened her robes slowly.

Looking down at her body, he moaned. Her light olive skin was pristine and supple. Her soft breasts rose and fell with her breath, peaked with perfect, rosy nipples. Raoul drunk in the details he'd been too rushed to notice the first time.

Raoul’s eyes wandered to the apex of her thighs where light curls concealed her softest flesh. Dabria opened her legs and Raoul had to bite his lip to stifle the sounds that crept up his throat. He smoothed his hand up her thigh, shivering as she gasped in anticipation. He lightly passed his fingers over her glistening cleft and Dabria’s quiet moan of desire sent tingles up his spine.

Raoul stretched out below her and bent his head to her sex. Dabria arched as his lips touched her. He slid his tongue into her warmth and felt his temples throb at the taste. She was exquisite. The honey that flowed from her might as well have been the nectar of the gods. He could have lapped at it until he expired of old age and still not had his fill. Dabria’s moans brought his mind into focus and he honed in on the knot of flesh at the top of her sex, flicking and sucking, feeling swollen with power as Dabria’s body surged and writhed in pleasure. Finally she cried out, her voice echoing against the stone walls and Raoul felt the pulses of her release against his tongue.

Licking his lips, Raoul rose to embrace her, burying his face in her neck. Dabria ran her fingers through his hair and over his muscles, her touch growing urgent. She rolled him to his back and slid out of her cloak, tossing it aside. She kissed him thoroughly and spread her legs over him. When her hand closed around his swollen flesh, Raoul cursed, his head kicking back against the pillows as Dabria guided it inside her. Raoul’s hands slid to her hips as she sunk down onto him.

The rhythm of her body was hypnotic. She executed both his pleasure and her own with erotic perfection. Her sounds made Raoul’s body react in ways he'd never even known it could. It was as if he had been missing a part of himself and in this bed, with this woman, he was finding it for the first time.

Briefly he wondered if it had anything to do with her body at all, or if it was the woman herself that made the pleasure so great. The thought hovered for a moment and left as a wave of pleasure engulfed him.

Straining with the tension in his body, Raoul barked a curse as he spilled into Dabria, feeling her own climax throbbing around him. She stayed entwined with him as they rode out the moment before laying beside him with a satisfied sigh.

Raoul pulled her against him, tucking his face against her hair as her warm back pressed into his chest. Never having felt more at ease, Raoul slipped into sleep before he even realized he’d closed his eyes.

Strange dreams flickered in and out of his mind’s eye. At times he thought he was awake, hearing Dabria’s voice, but sleep claimed him again. When he woke at last, Dabria was gone.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Raoul rose and pulled on his trousers. He walked to the mouth of the cave and blinked in the dim early morning light. No one was out and moving around yet. Raoul rubbed his bare arms and walked towards the pond to the west of the camp. He smiled when he saw Dabria. She was lying on her back in the water. Her dark hair fanned around her as she floated there. Her eyes were closed and she almost looked asleep. Raoul drank her in.

Kneeling beside the water, Raoul scooped it up and splashed his face, the cool water waking him fully. He swished a mouthful to clean his teeth and spat it in the grass. He considered joining Dabria but he decided not to disturb her.

Returning to the cave, Raoul drew his sword from its sheath. As a lad, he'd been trained by the weapons master at the fief in various martial arts. He'd never thought he'd really need it, but he still remembered the exercises. He started a pattern dance to warm up his muscles, parrying and thrusting his sword against an imagined opponent. He weaved and turned, practicing blocks and cuts and swipes designed to disarm. He gripped his weapon with both hands, but it occurred to him that he should practice with a shield as well. He was damp with sweat by the time he finished.

“We’ll make a swordsman of you yet,” Dabria said from behind him.

Raoul turned and saw her standing with her back against the wall, hair still wet from her swim. She was wearing a long, white dress that hung perfectly on her. Raoul smirked.

“I never thought i’d be preparing for a duel, much less challenging a man to lead his people,” Raoul admitted. It's only been a day since I even decided to embrace this lifestyle after months of merely observing it, yet here I am.”

Dabria shrugged, “Life leads us to unexpected places.”

“That is certainly true,” Raoul said.

“Have you eaten?” She asked.

“Not yet.”

Dabria hung a kettle over the hearth and threw a handful of tea leaves into the water. She walked over to a long table against the wall and opened a basket. She pulled out a loaf of soft bread and a wheel of cheese and some apples.

“This is what I have,” she said. “Will it suffice?”

Raoul nodded, “Indeed.”

“You are not… obligated… to stay here,” she told him. “I will not be offended if you join the men for your meals and rest. I will still aid you in your endeavors.”

Raoul frowned, “Perhaps on occasion I will join them, but not two days ago I was simply an invisible servant in their midst, playing for their merriment. Not an equal, and certainly not a leader.” He walked over to Dabria and made her look at him, “Do you resent my company?”

She pulled away, “No, I don't resent it. You are welcome here.”

Raoul looked at the cave, really taking it in as he hadn't before, “Why do you stay in this place? Why do you not have a pavilion among the villagers as Asger does? Surely you are as important as he is.”

Dabria smiled slightly as she sliced the apples, “I am not an equal to them, either. As a Valkyrie, I am feared and awed, but also outcast. They will not have me walking among their tents at night, working my magic upon them.”

Raoul snorted, “Fools.”

Dabria shrugged, “Perhaps.” She handed him a wooden board with his food on it, “Eat.”

Raoul’s eyes twinkled at her, “Yes, mistress.”

Dabria laughed, “Don't test me. I’ll feed you like a babe if I must. You can't die in your first fight.”

Raoul chuckled and sat on a chair by the fire, resting his feet on the warm hearthstones. The bread was surprisingly flavorful and filling. The cheese tasted fresh and mild. The apples were crisp and bright. His tongue savored them as though he was tasting for the first time. His profound sense of new life was unnerving even as he reveled in it. He couldn't deny the new light in which he was now perceiving the world, and he churned over the possibility that there was some greater force at work. Finishing his breakfast, he dismissed the thought. There was nothing miraculous about enjoying the small details of his existence, and if he'd been too dim to notice them before, it could be written off as youthful folly.

Raoul was roused from his thoughts as Dabria’s voice filled the cave with song. She had eaten only an apple and some bread and was crushing herbs with a mortar and pestle. Her voice was husky and filled with emotion as she sang. Raoul listened rapturously. He moved quietly so she wouldn't stop and went to pick up his lute from the corner where he’d set it.

Sitting down again, Raoul strummed along with Dabria’s song. She turned to smile at him and continued singing as she worked. They played and sang together through two more songs before Asger’s voice broke through their reverie.

“Well, isn't this quaint?” Asger laughed. “Will you be fighting with your instrument, lad, or do you intend to face me as a man?”

Raoul snarled and leapt up from his chair, but Dabria stopped him with a hand on his chest.

“What do you want, Asger?” she asked.

“I merely wondered why our king-to-be didn't join us for breakfast,” Asger sneered. “I thought perhaps you’d changed your mind about him and turned him into a mouse.” Asger winked at Raoul, “No matter. I'm heartened to see that he's working so hard at his warcraft. I'm terrified by his obvious prowess.”

Dabria drew herself up and seemed to radiate force as she stepped towards Asger, “You will mind your tongue in my presence, mortal. You think your status now will ensure you Valhalla, but mere title doesn't earn you a seat at Odin’s table.”

Asger’s face flickered with anger, but he spoke less sarcastically, “We will see what Odin thinks when I die in battle. Surely you won't have to bear my body to him the night after next. That much is clear.”

“You assume much,” Dabria hissed. “Perhaps it doesn't occur to you that I have more interest in where you end up than Odin does. He probably isn't even home at the moment.”

Asger blinked and turned to stalk out of the cave.

Raoul calmed the enraged trembling in his limbs and set his lute on the table.

“Ignore his taunting,” Dabria told him. “You will defeat him.”

“You sound so certain.”

“Whether you choose to believe it or not, I know what you are, and your mind and body will act accordingly. Your soul refuses to be beaten by that man, and the flesh will follow. The berserker rage that takes over is incredibly potent. Yes, he is strong, but he is not wise or cunning. You will win.”

Raoul cursed, “Why must I fight him at all? You and I could be free of all this. We could have our Valhalla here and now. I have no need to earn it in battle.”

Dabria's eyes were sad as she looked over her shoulder at him from her work table, “You must do this and choose a place fitting for you. You will do well here. If we leave, war will always find us. Better to seek it out and minimize the casualties than turn a blind eye and allow the world to fall to smoldering ruin ruled by tyrants.”

Her words cut like a knife and Raoul knew she was right. Still, he felt defiant even as he picked up his sword and put it through its paces once more.

When Dabria had finished with her own tasks, she surprised him by pulling a sword from the wall behind her bed and standing across from him.

“Guard,” she said grimly.

Raoul barely had time to lift his sword before Dabria attacked him, her curved silver blade nearly too fast to follow. Raoul defended effectively but he was powerless to do anything but block her sword.

“Let it out,” Dabria admonished him.

“Let what out?” Raoul panted.

“Unleash the beast!” She shouted.

“I don't know what to do,” he said.

“Yes you do,” she said, pressing him down the tunnel and out of the cave. She came chest to chest with him, locking their swords between them. “Let the rage in and fight me.”

She flung him off and he stumbled backwards. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that they'd caught the attention of the others in their camp and he heard a few snickers from the nearest spectators. Raoul flipped his sweat-damp hair out of his eyes and stretched out his sword arm, keeping the blade between him and Dabria as she circled him. Her eyes were merciless and Raoul felt his heart race.

Rage.

Raoul thought about his father’s attempts to force him into a life he didn't want. He thought about his wealthy cousins teasing him for wanting to be a bard instead of a wealthy earl. He thought about how hard he'd had to work to balance his responsibilities with his passions. He thought about Asger’s men grabbing him on the road, thwarting his race to freedom. He thought about Asger violating Dabria’s body just moments after hailing Raoul as an equal.

With every memory he felt a shift in his body. Dabria was nodding at him. In his mind’s eye he saw his body change, taking on the claws and fangs of a beast. He felt himself grow in stature, brimming with power. He saw Dabria’s feathered black wings unfurl from her back, outstretched and ready to batter him into submission if he proved too weak to fight.

His rational mind rejected the images, but as the bloodlust filled him, the images in the fore of his mind took over. He was the beast. He let out a feral war cry and attacked.

Dabria blocked and kicked him in the chest. He grabbed her ankle and twisted. She twirled around, her wings outstretched for balance, wrenching her foot away and driving her sword toward him as if to cleave him in two. He roared and swept her feet out from under her. She scrambled back and twisted around, her sword aimed at his side. He blocked and hacked at her too quickly to follow. On and on they fought, seemingly at a stalemate, but Raoul’s intensity only grew. At last he had the opening he needed and he kicked her to the ground. Her sword flew out of her hand and her wings twisted underneath her, making her wince in pain. Raoul held himself in check, fighting the urge to feast on her blood where she lay. He trembled with rage.

Slowly, reason returned to him and the ecstasy of battle faded. He helped Dabria to her feet and blinked in surprise as he helped her brush the grass off of her back. Impulsively he ran a hand over her smooth shoulder blades. Not even a feather remained of the wings he was so sure he had seen. He rubbed his face as Dabria retrieved her sword.

“Am I going mad?” Raoul asked her softly when she returned to his side.

“Are you?” Dabria asked him.

Raoul turned his focus inward and felt nothing amiss. He shook his head, overwhelmed.

Asger clapped mockingly as he approached them, “Well met, lad. You beat the Valkyrie.” He held his hands up in mock surrender. “I'm properly frightened.”

Raoul ignored him and walked to the pond, handing his sword to Dabria. He stripped and dove into the cool water, feeling better as it soothed his overheated skin. He replayed the fight in his mind. He knew what he had seen and felt, but it had to have been a projection of his feelings and not what really happened. Still, he felt more capable than he had before, and that was real. Perhaps there was some benefit to this newfound spirit within him.

Raoul surfaced and gasped, swiping the water out of his face before swimming to the shore. The audience was dissipating, but he saw grudging respect on the faces of the few who remained. Dabria stood away from them, still holding their swords. Her face was an unreadable mask. Raoul trudged up the shore to her and retrieved his clothing.

Taking his sword he asked Dabria, “What did you see?”

Her eyes were bright with emotion as she looked at him, “I saw the birth of a warrior.”

CHAPTER THREE

The day of Raoul’s duel dawned foggy and gray. The warm spring mist clung to the cool earth in a hazy blanket that cast the world into a dreamscape. Dabria woke him with a kiss and began cleaning his weapons, polishing them to mirror-brightness. Her shoulders were tense, but her eyes were steady. Raoul took her calm into himself as he prepared himself to face Asger. He warmed up his muscles and sunk into a nearly meditative state as he contemplated the fight that stood between him and a destiny he had never anticipated.

“You must eat,” Dabria said, jarring him out of his trance.

Raoul nodded, too winded to respond, and sat beside the hearth. He accepted the platter that Dabria handed him and began shoveling the food into his mouth as his stomach roared. There was meat and colorful vegetables and fruit.

“Where did you get all of that?” Raoul asked when he’d eaten every last morsel. “That was better by far than anything I ever had at Asger’s table.”

“I made it myself,” Dabria admitted. Her eyes flicked to a bowl with a few stray mushroom caps left in it. “I was worried they wouldn't feed you well enough.”

“Aren't you going to eat?” Raoul frowned.

Dabria laughed, “I ate while you were preparing yourself. You were too busy to notice.” She took a mushroom from the bowl and bit into it, “These are my favorite.” She held out the bowl to him, “Take one.”

Raoul smiled and accepted, “Well if you insist.” He ate it and winked at her.

Dabria raised an eyebrow, “Remind me to do extra lessons on plants, once we have time to really delve into your… education.” She held a mushroom in her palm, “For centuries, warriors of your class have been using these tiny blessings to prepare them for battle. It…” she hesitated as if searching for the right words. “It enhances your senses. Broadens your perception. These are what I put into your bowl on the day that you met Odin.”

Raoul felt a twinge of trepidation, “I lost consciousness. I can't afford to lose any of my faculties during this fight, Dabria!”

Leaning forward to put a hand on his knee, she said, “I also put herbs to help you sleep in that stew.” She smirked, “Like I said, you need a lesson in botany.”

Raoul looked stricken as he considered what she'd told him. Dabria’s eyes darkened and she motioned for him to lie down.

“Let me rub your muscles down,” she said. “It will help you relax even as it stimulates your blood.” She sighed, “I am sorry I didn't tell you what I was doing to you. That isn't generally how I like to do things. However, Asger cast you in here to be judged and I did the only thing I could to help you. If I hadn't, he would have killed you the next day without ever giving you a chance to defend yourself.”

As Raoul laid facedown on the bed, tucking a cushion under his cheek, he asked, “Is that what the ritual was about. Some sort of repayment for not getting to kill me?”

Dabria’s fingers were slick with oil as she rubbed his back, “Perhaps it was. The ritual was a common one. It is symbolic of the sharing of power between a Viking and a Valkyrie. As he said so crassly, he thinks I get my power from him. He's not really correct. It is true that his offerings and worship give me strength, but it is I who made him, and I could unmake him.”

Raoul looked over his shoulder at her, “Why haven't you?”

“Tactics, strategy, and unfortunately because I have no choice. I have the power, but I am forbidden to use it. Odin may be lost in his questing, but he is jealous for power and he would be… most displeased, if I disobeyed him. It is my job now to care for his chosen warriors. I cannot slay them. Then you came along and I knew my god had given me a gift for my service.”

Raoul chose to overlook the idea of a god being involved in his meeting Dabria and asked, “Tactics and strategy? How so?”

“Asger is a powerful man with many of Odin’s chosen serving him. As divine as I am, I could not defend myself against them all. My duties obligate me to them as much as to you. Fortunately I am mostly ignored. I may be their spirit wife, but I'm also a reminder of their mortality. They're not all so eager to visit Valhalla as they claim,” she began massaging his legs as she considered her words for a few moments, “To get rid of Asger I needed a warrior after my own heart. Someone of a like mind who would rise to the occasion and become the beast without losing his humanity. Someone who wouldn't be bought with Asger’s trophies and promises of luxury and indulgence. I have waited a very long time for you, Raoul Ujarakson.”

Raoul felt awed that this woman… this goddess… would see in him the kind of man who could breathe life into her desires and help her shape a new breed of warrior. He'd never considered himself to be a man of vengeance or hatred or bloodlust, but to fight for justice, to fight for freedom - that was a war worth having. In that moment he fell in a kind of love with Dabria. He wanted more from her than just her knowledge and wisdom and guidance. He wanted to know the why of her; her thoughts and feelings and experiences. He very much wanted to be the man she saw when she looked at him.

Raoul felt a wave of weightlessness wash through his body. His vision blurred for a moment and then came into sharp focus.

“How long until the duel?” Raoul asked.

“Not long,” Dabria said. “We should get you properly outfitted.”

Raoul sat up and gasped when he looked at Dabria.

“What is it love?” She asked him, smiling.

Raoul reached out to her as he stood and turned her around, “I can feel them,” he breathed.

The massive black wings protruding from Dabria’s shoulder blades spread, filling the space between them with smooth, matte black feathers.

“Touch them,” Dabria said. “Don't be frightened.”

Raoul reached out and slid his hands over the muscular structure of Dabria’s wings. It felt surprisingly intimate and he could feel the wings trembling slightly as they stayed outstretched.

“I feel as though the veil has been lifted,” Raoul said. “Yet this cannot be.”

Dabria folded her wings and turned toward him, “Why is this experience any less real than what you normally perceive?”

Raoul frowned, “My mind has been altered,” he closed his eyes and swayed. “It can't be real.”

Dabria’s voice was distorted and seemed to come from all around him, “What is real? Is what you see and smell and taste and hear right now not happening? You are experiencing it. How can it not be real?”

Raoul felt like snakes were slithering under his skin. He was awed and moved, but was also uncomfortable. Dabria’s words were so reasonable. She wasn't being fanatical. She hadn't forced him to believe anything. Was there any denying what he was seeing and feeling?

He wondered if he could learn to perceive this without the assistance of Dabria’s plants.

Dabria handed him a heavy tunic and he slipped it over his head. She fitted light scaled armor over his chest and thighs, leaving his arms exposed for full range of motion.

“Soon,” Dabria said, “we will hunt together and you will have a magnificent wolf’s hide to wear into battle so that all may know what you are. Until then, this will have to suffice.” She looked into his eyes, her normally brown irises swirling with red. “You can annihilate him without having to destroy his body. He must die, and you must live. It will not be pleasant, but it is necessary.”

Raoul felt anxiety rise within him, “You will be there?”

Dabria nodded, “Always.”

Raoul took several deep breaths to steady himself and took Dabria’s hand as they left the safe confines of the cave.

The entire camp was assembled to observe the duel. Asger was already present, looking relaxed and confident as he laughed and joked with his comrades. He too, wore light armor, but his back was draped with the heavy brown hide of a huge bear, the massive paws of which were belted over Asger’s chest.

Dabria kissed Raoul’s cheek and let go of his hand, walking to the center of the dueling ground, black wings extended above her head. She seemed to shimmer with color and every head turned to stare at her.

“It is time,” her voice echoed. “Asger Arvidson will duel the unblooded newcomer, Raoul Ujarakson, to the death. If Raoul should be victorious he will assume all of Asger’s power and status and lead us into a new era of justice and forbearance. If Asger succeeds we will continue on as we have.”

“And YOU will bear me a child,” Asger shouted.

Dabria looked at him coldly, “That is the arrangement.”

Raoul's vision tinged with red as Asger laughed.

“Warriors,” Dabria asked, “are you prepared?”

Asger bellowed a war cry. Dabria turned to Raoul, who nodded solemnly.

Dabria stepped aside and Raoul and Asger walked forward, beginning to circle each other. Asger held a double headed axe, swinging it in slow circles. Raoul gripped his sword.

Raoul’s muscles trembled with anticipation. He felt a growl build in his throat and let it ease past his bared teeth. Asger’s eyebrows raised for a moment, but his reply was a feral roar, very like the bear he had chosen to possess him.

Raoul tried to imagine how a wolf felt when facing a bigger, more powerful enemy, but his body felt inadequate. He tried to summon the wild, emboldened power he had felt before, but it was like trying to remember a dream. It was there, just beyond his reach, slipping through his fingers.

Asger lunged, swinging his axe in a wide arc. Raoul caught the shaft with his blade and stepped out of reach. Raoul watched Asger’s body for cues and managed to avoid Asger’s advances.

“You cannot win a fight by defending,” Raoul thought he heard Dabria whisper. “You must attack.”

Dabria’s voice rose in a haunting melody, filling the air around them. Raoul could almost feel the collective shiver pass through the hushed crowd. Raoul felt the tremor himself and latched on to the song, abandoning his higher reasoning in favor of instinct. The melody filled him. He thought of Dabria singing with him in the cave. She had so much to offer the world, Valkyrie or not.

For a moment, Raoul imagined what would happen if he allowed his barbaric opponent to slay him. Images of Dabria being forced into her bed with Asger, powerless to break her vow to endure his graceless rutting. He could see her belly, swollen with child, only to give birth to a misshapen baby that Asger rejected and slaughtered. Though he’d never experienced Dabria’s grief, the endless well of tears in his mind's eye nearly crushed him.

Raoul sidestepped another of Asger’s swings and felt his body fill with raw force, as if another had stepped inside him and wore his body like a suit. He laughed a low, malevolent laugh and unleashed his rage.

Raoul could feel the beast waking within him. His senses sharpened. Where before he could see a position to defend, he now saw openings where Asger’s undefended places were exposed.

With a powerful crack, Raoul severed Asger’s axe. Asger looked surprised but he smiled evilly and tossed the broken shaft aside. Raoul considered cleaving Asger in two with his sword, but something within him demanded more than just a swift death for the ruthless man before him. He tossed his sword into the dirt and lunged. Asger bent to absorb the impact, but at the last second, Raoul twisted and smashed his elbow into the back of Asger’s skull.

Asger stumbled forward and Raoul helped him fall with a punishing kick to the spine. With a tumbler’s grace, Asger rolled and leapt to his feet, turning to face Raoul. With a mighty howl, Asger became the bear and threw himself at Raoul. Raoul lunged, his tongue snaking through his teeth as he snarled.

They met body to body and for a moment, Asger’s superior weight overpowered Raoul, but he was faster than Asger and more cunning. Raoul ripped the belt free of Asger’s chest and the bear cape fell. In the moment it took for Asger to react, Raoul had twisted behind him. Raoul kicked the back of Asger’s knee and sent him tumbling to the ground. Raoul knelt on Asger’s spine and looped the leather belt around his neck, pulling it tight.

Asger fought, trying to twist and throw Raoul off of him, but Raoul held on.

Slowly, Asger’s movements stilled, and Raoul felt a sick joy thread through his veins as Asger’s life force flowed into him. The uncomfortable sensation was nearly unbearable and Raoul threw back his head and screamed.

For a moment, silence reigned as the crowd drew their collective breath, and then, with a bloodcurdling war cry, they gathered around Raoul, lifting him onto their shoulders and carrying him into the hall to feast. Raoul looked for Dabria, and she was there, smiling at him and watching him go. He beckoned to her and after a moment of hesitation she followed the crowd.

There was a feast prepared for the victor, and the women brought in platter after platter of steaming food and jugs of ale and wine. The men carried Raoul to the throne table and set him in the huge chair at the head of the room. Everyone cheered when Dabria joined him, and Raoul reached for her hand to kiss it, rousing another joyful cry from the crowd.

Dabria’s eyes sparkled, and she laughed.

The meal was hearty and filling, the wine and ale flowed freely and the company was loud and rowdy. Raoul felt oddly calm about it all. He felt none of his usual apprehension about being so visible. Instead he truly enjoyed the feast, and took care to make sure that Dabria enjoyed it as well.

When it was over, a few of the men took them aside. They bowed to Raoul and Dabria and the oldest of them stepped forward to speak.

“My lord,” he said, “your home is here now.” He indicated the large pavilion tent where Asger had lived.

“Thank you,” Raoul said. He held up a finger, “A moment?”

The men nodded and stood to one side as Raoul turned to Dabria.

“Will you stay with me?” He asked her.

Dabria looked at the tent and then back at Raoul, “For tonight?”

Raoul shrugged, “For forever.”

Dabria’s eyes filled with something like fear and she quickly looked away. For long moments she was quiet.

“I will stay here. With you,” she said.

Raoul took her hand and then nodded to the men, “Thanks lads. We will discuss the next step when we’ve slept off our ale, eh?”

The men laughed and clapped him on the back, wandering off to their tents.

Raoul led Dabria into the tent and was surprised to find it well lit with pleasant smelling candles. Asger had lived very comfortably. Though there were maps and scrolls to the back of the tent, the majority of the structure was full of plush bedding and cushions and fine fabrics as well as proudly displayed animal furs, war spoils, and caches of wine and potent drugs. It was clear that Asger’s motivation for serving Odin was for material gain, not for the betterment of his companions.

Dabria took it all in for a moment and then turned to Raoul, “I must deal with Asger,” she said. “I’ll be back later. Try to sleep.”

Raoul frowned, “Let me help you.”

Dabria smiled but she shook her head, “This is my duty. You have done enough today.”

Raoul wasn't happy about letting her deal with the dead on her own, but he dropped onto one of the sleeping mats and stretched out.

“I’ll be here,” he said.

Dabria left, and Raoul listened until he couldn't hear her footsteps before closing his eyes.

The dream was so vivid Raoul was almost certain he was awake. He could see Dabria lighting a pyre under Asger’s wrapped body, her soft chanting riding the breeze. The fire burned hot and fast and blazed so brightly that Raoul had to look away.

When he looked back, Dabria was carrying Asger’s body over a flat, gray plain. Distant cries of agony wrenched the still air and the flapping of huge wings overhead made Raoul cringe. He looked for a source but the sky was an endless expanse of rolling black clouds, punctuated by red streaks of lightning. The atmosphere was dry and hot and Raoul felt his skin begin to crack and peel.

Dabria dropped Asger’s body onto the dry, dusty, colorless dirt. To Raoul’s surprise, Asger gasped and got to his feet.

“Where am I?” Asger panted. He touched his neck and winced as he felt the bruises.

“You are on the deserted shores of Hvergelmir,” Dabria said, her black wings opening with a snap. “For your failure to live honorably or die an honorable death in battle, you have been denied Valhalla. With any luck you will become lost, never to be consumed by Nidhogg and reborn to new life.”

Asger blanched, “No! You must bring me to Odin!”

Thunder echoed across the empty expanse and Dabria laughed.

“Odin cares naught for you, nor was he impressed at your failure to defeat Raoul in single combat,” she said. “Should you ever be returned to the world of the living, you will never again be among his chosen.”

Dabria pushed off from the ground, her powerful wings carrying her aloft. Asger’s cries of agony grew quieter as Dabria disappeared into the clouds. The heat lessened as she flew up through an enormous cavern filled with clinging fog. The eerie whispers of the dead filled the air, like the clicking of old bones. Dabria flew on and the air grew colder than ice. Dabria paused and approached a huge throne made of bones.

An enormous female crowned with the massive black horns of a ram sat on the throne.

“Hel,” Dabria said, inclining her head.

“Greetings, little sister,” Hel said. She stood and the dim light revealed half of a strikingly beautiful face. The other half was blackened bone, etched with runes and ancient spell work. The bizarre fusion was offputting and made the ancient goddess hard to look at. Hel continued, “You venture far from Valhalla. I thought Odin had sent you to watch over his chosen.”

“He did,” Dabria said.

Raoul woke up with a gasp, throwing himself out of the dream. Dabria was sound asleep beside him, smelling of smoke. Raoul sighed and curled himself around her. Dabria sighed in her sleep and relaxed against him. Raoul felt like he would never fall back to sleep, but at last his eyes fluttered shut.