Prologue: Nowhere to Run

  Nina raced through the forest. The Northmen had found her and were now chasing her like a pack of predators chasing down their prey. They found me! How?! She turned briefly. Four blurry silhouettes chased after her. They must have followed me! The world around her promptly vanished, her entire focus being solely on the narrow trail ahead.

  Her heart thumped, and her lungs pumped. Her feet moved on reflex, tearing through the woods as if the devil himself was after her. Her breathing was hard, and she panted so loudly that she wondered if they could hear her.

  Her mind raced just as fast as her heart, but there was no time to think. The Northmen were getting close. She spotted a rather broad chasm just a few yards ahead, and promptly jumped down the ravine without hesitation.

  Nina landed on the sandbank of a stream. A soft spot on the sand cushioned her fall. This has to be the stream Verkan mentioned! She jumped on her feet and promptly took cover against the cliffs.

  The Northmen soon caught up with her. She took a deep breath and watched them from below. She glimpsed the four figures again. She heard their murmur. They seemed confused. She had lost them for now. Good.

  But she couldn’t stay there forever. Nina took advantage of their confusion, and followed the stream down, trying to make as little noise as possible. She carried on until she no longer heard them.

  She spotted an old, giant log bridge over the stream connecting the chasm and quickly hid under it to catch her breath. Her body was starting to feel the effects of exhaustion. She rested against the banks briefly, praying that her pursuers had indeed lost her.

  Nina hid between the tangling roots and shut her eyes, clutching her legs in front of her tightly, trying to become as small as possible. All she could hear was the nightly choir of the forest but no sign of the Northmen.

  She waited for a few minutes that seemed hours. The area seemed safe for now. Nina crawled out from her spot, and followed the stream, as Verkan had said it would lead to the next village. The stream’s loud current and the wind howling through the forest came as a blessing, greatly helping to mask her trace.

  She was making steady progress until a rock tripped her, diving face-first into the waters. Nina got up instantly, shaking her head, and cleaning the mud out of her face. Damn it! The stream became deeper at this point, making it impossible to follow it.

  She scanned her surroundings, looking for a way out of the gulch. She spotted a narrow trail going up the ravine’s walls, and decided to climb it. She just reached the top when something suddenly splashed the waters below.

  Her heart jumped inside her chest. What was that?! She jumped behind nearby bushes, carefully looking over them but found nothing. She let out a loud sigh. She was about to get up when her fingers noticed something strange on the ground. She looked down to check what it was. She froze.

  It was a massive footprint.

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  Now Nina began to panic. It wasn’t just any footprint. It was the dragon’s. She recognized it immediately. Just when she finally thought she was evading the Northmen, now some wild animal joined the chase?! Great, just great.

  Hearing distant voices again promptly stirred her up. Shit! Nina followed the narrow trail downhill. But her face met the ground after her entire leg fell into a deep hole in the ground. The whole forest cracked with the noise of broken branches under her body.

  Damn it! She cursed, her body aching. She looked down. Her leg just got stuck in a vermin’s den. She tried to stand but her clothes got tangled with the branches. She heard the voices getting closer.

  Shit! Shit! Shit! Nina panicked. She froze, holding her breath, and watching in absolute horror as lit torches emerged from the woods, slowly walking down the trail towards her.

  There was nowhere to run.

  The torches’ light slowly cast away the darkness, revealing four Northmen clad in chainmail and swords in hand. The leading man didn’t see her until practically stumbling on her. He looked down, finding a pair of big, watery eyes staring at her. Her heart stopped.

  -“Den flicka,” he whispered.

  She ran. Her body moved on its own. The Northmen soon chased after her. She raced down the trail, dodging roots, and branches in her way, praying to the Gods that the Northmen would trip on them.

  She looked behind her and never saw the Northman that tackled her from the side. He pinned her to the ground, letting out a painful cry as the man’s weight crushed her.

  Nina tried to free herself but it was in vain. Soon the remaining Northmen caught up with them. Someone dragged her by the hair to a clearing at the side of the trail. A foot came from nowhere and kicked her in the stomach. Another one kicked her thighs and her back. They had her at their mercy.

  They had shown no mercy at the villages, so she expected to be killed soon. But they had something else in store for her. They lifted her off the ground. -“H?ll henne hart!” the eldest one commanded.

  The others complied immediately, each one restraining an arm. The sheer realization of what they were about to do filled her heart with disgust and despair. NO! The man began to unbutton her tunic, and ripped her clothes beneath, groping her body shamelessly.

  Nina fought back as hard as she could. She bit her captor’s hand only to earn a slap in the face. She then kicked the man trying to force her legs open in the face just to get a punch to her stomach.

  She then tried to reach the dagger in her boots in a last desperate attempt to free herself, or end her life before the Northmen had their way with her, but they had her firmly in their grasp.

  -“Vad g?r du?!” a young Nord boy yelled, trying to stop his brothers-in-arms. Everyone turned to him. They didn’t say a word but their eyes screamed for him to just shut up.

  He tried to pull their leader away from her only to earn an elbow to the face. -“Hall dig borta, Gonn!” the man yelled. She looked at him, their eyes locking just briefly. Sky blue eyes pleaded icy blue ones for mercy.

  The Nord boy gripped his sword but couldn’t bring himself to unsheathe it. They just stared at each other, weeping. He was simply too scared to stand up to his fellow Northmen. He couldn’t bear it any longer and looked away, horrified by what the others were about to do, but powerless to stop it.

  Her heart sank, and she finally gave in to despair. They were just seconds away from ravishing her. -“Please, No!” she implored, being just mocked with laughter. She then turned to the Nord boy. -“Please, help me!” she begged at him, but he just looked away, crying.

  Finally, she looked at the heavens and begged the Gods, putting all her anger, the fear, the sorrow, and despair into one last desperate prayer.

  Merciful Father, creator of all. Please, open your arms and receive this soul,

  They tore her last piece of clothing, spread her legs, and took her from her waist. Her spirit had completely left her as only a miracle could save her now. Nina let out a painful wail, cursing the heavens, and surrendering to her fate. Now death would be welcome.

  Her life flashed before her eyes. She saw the mother she never met, her mentor Verkan, and others she cared about that had left the mortal world. They were looking at her, waiting for her in the endless fields of Prydain. She begged their forgiveness as she would soon join them.