THE TWO MONTHS FOLLOWING that kiss passed in a blur. I’d resumed my classes at Viking Academy with a slight change in schedule—at Erik’s insistence, I’d enrolled in an additional combat course and agreed to twice-weekly private training sessions. And, at my own insistence, I’d added on Survival and Subterfuge. If I was going to be around for a war, I was determined to do everything in my power to see that I was on the winning side.
We’d spoken to Freia about the dagger, and after she’d gotten over the shock of finding out she’d summoned me from the future, she’d assured us that we had done everything right. Maybe the dagger’s magic had run out, or the gods weren’t inclined to grant me a return ticket. Either way, it looked like I was here to stay. But Erik promised he’d keep trying. He was adamant that I be given a choice. What I did with it would be up to me.
Axel still hadn’t returned. He’d sent word a few weeks back that security in Bjorn was really tight, and he was staying on-site to look out for his troops—the code name he used for Ingrid and Vidia. But we hadn’t heard from him since, and we were starting to get worried. Again.
Beyond stressing about Axel, war, and the as-of-now dysfunctional dagger, I kept busy trying to adjust to my new reality. Since calendars as I knew them weren’t in existence yet, I didn’t notice my eighteenth birthday had passed until the castle began preparing for the winter ball, which would be held a few weeks after the longest day of the year. Since solstice fell in December where I came from, I became an official adult weeks before I realized the big day had come and gone.
Yay, adulting.
I shared my news with Erik as we wiped down our swords after a particularly grueling workout.
“You mean to tell me where you come from, you aren’t considered an adult until eighteen?” Erik furrowed his brow. “How do you fill your armies?”
“It works.” I shrugged. “And before you ask, no, I’m not an old maid where I come from, either. People there don’t get married until they’re, like, thirty.”
Erik shook his head. “Your world is very strange.”
“Back at you.” I stood on tiptoe to hang my sword, and turned to Erik with a smile.
“Regardless. Happy birthday, min kjære. Clearly, we’ll need to celebrate your official entry into adulthood. How are birthdays marked where you come from?”
“Mormor always baked me a chocolate cake, and my cousins would come over, and we’d eat a ton of ice cream.”
“Ice cream?” Erik tilted his head.
“Oh, God, we have got to get your explorers to discover ice cream. And coffee. Maybe that’s why I’m here—to improve your quality of life through food.”
“Possibly.” Erik hung his sword before snaking an arm around my lower back. “Though I like to think you’re here for other reasons.”
“Oh, yeah?” I reached up to trail my fingers along his bare chest. Erik preferred to train shirtless, a life choice I had zero issue with. “And what would those be?”
“Devising a defensive infrastructure, for one. I saw the schematics you drew up for reinforcing Valkyris East, and I must say—I’m impressed.” Erik widened his stance, halving the full foot differential in our heights. “And giving my cousin someone other than me to obsess over Zaan with—she nearly drove me mad before I agreed to sneak into the headmistress’s office and change his course schedule.”
“So, you’re the reason they’re lab partners. Helene owes you, big time.”
“She does.” Erik lowered his forehead to mine. “And then there’s the matter of you keeping me company . . .”
“Mmm.” My knees weakened as he nipped lightly at my bottom lip. He tightened his grip around my back, pulling me closer so my waist pressed firmly against his. What little blood remained in my head rushed due south, settling just below my navel. I stood on tiptoe so our hips were aligned perfectly. Erik’s groan let me know he didn’t mind in the slightest, and I slid my palms down his chest, raking my fingernails across the defined abdominal muscles that had spent the past hour taunting me. Training with Erik was a master class in self-restraint. I got to spend the entirety of our sessions ogling his naked chest, but I was never permitted to touch him.
But now . . .
I sighed as Erik’s tongue parted my lips. It moved against mine while the hand not holding my back snaked slowly down my bare arm. His palm settled on my butt, and when he hiked me against him, I couldn’t stop my moan. We hadn’t gone all the way yet—apparently that was strongly frowned upon in polite Viking society, owing to unreliable contraception and the plethora of blood feuds spurred by pregnancies out of wedlock. But I didn’t have any local family to feud on my behalf, and odds were slim Mormor would ever find out. And when Erik did that nibbling thing on my ear . . .
“Will you just take me up to your room already?” I groaned. “I promise I’ll be really quiet.”
Erik’s throaty chuckle vibrated against my neck. “When I finally take you to my room, you will most definitely not be quiet.”
Oh. My. God.
I threaded my fingers through Erik’s hair and pulled his mouth to mine. I’d just decided to plead my case again when the wail of a horn made me jump. It was different from the long wake-up horn—now, three short blasts were followed by one long one. The pattern was near-deafening, as if it had been magically amplified to blast every room at top volume. And it made Erik’s spine go completely and totally rigid.
“The alarm.” He pulled his lips from mine.
I reluctantly released him. “Is this a good alarm or a bad alarm?”
“Bad one.”
Skit.
Erik reached for the wall and retrieved two swords. He held one out to me, then thought better of it and pulled one of the bows from the opposite wall. I grabbed a quill of arrows, and snatched the sword from his hands. If we were weaponing up, I was going to be doubly prepared.
“What’s it mean?” I threw my cloak around my shoulders and sheathed my sword.
“It means we’re in trouble.” Erik grabbed his tunic from the ground and ushered me through the door. “Valkyris has been invaded.”
We tore through the castle, Erik throwing on his tunic as he ran. Chaos erupted all around us, doors opening and people suiting up as they charged for what I could only assume were their battle stations. In all my strategy classes, we’d never once talked about security on the island—our border guards and the warriors at Valkyris East were supposed to keep anyone from finding us. How had someone gotten through?
“I don’t suppose you’d stay in the castle if I asked you to?” Since we were running, Erik’s words were clipped.
“One of the intruders may already have breached the castle,” I pointed out. “I’m safest wherever you are.”
Erik grimaced. “Stay well behind the front lines. If the riders attack, keep yourself out of the reach of dragon fire. And for Odin’s sake, don’t die.”
“Wasn’t planning on it.” I held tight to my bow, and pulled an arrow from the quill at my back. I was still a far more effective archer than a swordswoman, and if Erik wanted me behind the front lines I’d be more useful with a bow, anyway.
“If the intruders take the island, find one of the dragons and fly the hell out of here. They’ve been trained for evacuation drills, and they’ll take you to a safe house. I’ll know where to look for you.” Erik pushed through the back door of the castle, and charged across the snow.
I loped uneasily after him, my sword swinging against my hip. “I have no idea how to fly a dragon,” I called.
“Hold on real tight.” Erik hung a right at the Dragehus, and sprinted for the beach. “And whatever you do, don’t fall off.”
It would be trial by fire, then. Dragon fire.
Erik slowed to a jog as he neared the shore. Fierce waves lapped at the island, their grey–blue shade indicating a storm was brewing. A slew of Valkyris warriors took their places on the beach alongside Erik, each staring at the horizon with their swords at their hips. Some were male, but I noticed a solid representation of female fighters alongside the men. Steely determination lined everyone’s faces.
Here we go.
As I stepped closer to Erik, a gust whipped my cloak across my body. “Now what do we do?”
“Status?” Erik barked at the warrior on his right.
The man pointed two fingers at the sea. “The western watchman reported a single ship bearing Bjorn’s banner sailing through the passage. He shot a full two quills of arrows, but the winds were unusually unfavorable. And the dragons refused to engage it.”
Good Lord. If the dragons were afraid of whatever was coming, we were completely and totally screwed.
Erik raised a fist, signaling his troops to hold. “The dragons wouldn’t fire on the ship?”
“No, sir.”
So screwed.
At that moment, the blood-red sail of a midsized ship appeared on the horizon. The boat sailed steadily toward us, wavering with each fresh gale of wind. A storm was definitely coming in. It was going to be a big one.
I ripped an arrow from my quiver and readied my bow. But Erik’s raised fist held my fire. “Look at that ship,” he murmured. “It’s barely controlled—either its seamen are injured, or . . .”
“Or they’re inexperienced.” I lowered my bow, and squinted at the boat. It barreled toward Valkyris, its speed far too high for a safe approach. If it didn’t slow down, it was going to crash.
Maybe that was the plan?
“Erik!” I cried. “They’re going to hit us.”
“Skit. Everyone, clear a path,” Erik ordered. “When the ship grounds, we’ll seize its occupants.”
“It’s not a kill mission?” The warrior to Erik’s right lowered his sword.
Erik narrowed his eyes. “I haven’t decided.”
We retreated to the higher ground, the seconds ticking by as the ship drew closer. Clan Bjorn’s banner flapped fiercely in the wind, but something didn’t feel right. Valkyris was supposed to be unlocatable—how had Bjorn found us after all of these years? Moreover, if these really were the barbaric, brutal warriors come to kill us, why weren’t they already launching their assault?
Or at least putting up their shields?
When the ship was a hundred yards out, I noticed its occupants’ flailing arms, and caught the voices shouting above the waves. A hoarse male called out navigational instructions—ones that clearly weren’t being followed—while a female’s warbled scream betrayed her terror. “Don’t kill us! Please! We’re not intruders!”
“Don’t shoot!” the male added. “It’s us!”
Erik’s eyes narrowed. “That sounds like—”
“We’re going to crash,” another female shrieked. “Oh, my gods!”
“It could be a trap.” Erik shook his head. “Keep your weapons at the ready and wait for my orders.”
But my bow had dropped to my side, shock reverberating from my ears to my feet. I’d have known that voice anywhere. It had sung me to sleep, soothed my terrified tears, and given me the encouragement I’d needed when I’d thought my life had reached its breaking point. It was a voice I’d never forget . . . and one I hadn’t expected to ever hear again.
“No way,” I whispered. I threw my bow to the ground and jogged toward the water.
“Saga!” Erik’s arm snaked out, hooking mine and pulling me back. “What are you doing?”
I wrenched my arm free. “Erik, call off your warriors. They need us.”
“Who needs us? Saga, what’s going on?”
“Help! Oh, gods! Aieeeee!” The cry pierced the air, panic echoing across the beach as the ship dredged through the shallows. The crack of splintered wood was punctuated with the fierce whoosh of a wave as the ship crashed on the shore. Thumps and groans emanated from the boat as bodies were thrown together. The ship was still lurching from side to side when a disheveled redhead popped over the edge of the boat. Wild, green eyes scanned the shore, widening as they roved over the bevy of Valkyris warriors.
“Please don’t shoot!” the girl blurted. “I come in peace. And I have your Axel!”
“Ingrid!” I cried out.
“Saga?” She leapt from the boat, wading through the shallow water. The too-bulky dress of the Clan Bjorn slaves slowed her movements. “Oh, my gods, it’s you!”
“How did you escape?” I reached the edge of the water and charged right in, not caring that it was freezing, or that I’d probably just ruined my only pair of boots. “Oh, Ingrid—I’m so glad you’re okay!”
Ingrid launched herself at me, enveloping me in wild red curls. “I am not okay. I’ve been on a boat for two weeks with Vidia, who it turns out has terrible ocean sickness, and Axel, who claims he was sent to rescue us, but has ended up being far more trouble than he’s worth.”
I craned my neck to see into the boat.
“Saga.” Erik’s low growl came from the shore. “If you don’t tell me what’s going on right this minute, I’m going to lose my mind.”
“Sorry! This is Ingrid—my friend from Clan Bjorn. The one you sent Axel after.”
Ingrid lifted her hand in a wave. “Hei.”
Erik gave a tight nod. “I still need to search the boat.”
“Erik!” I placed my hand on my hip.
“It’s protocol.” He directed three of his warriors to oversee the inspection.
“Sorry about him.” I turned to Ingrid.
“No. He’s right to be careful.” Ingrid clasped my hands in hers. “Let’s get Vidia and Axel off the ship—preferably to a healer if you have one. And then you and I need to talk.”
Oh, God. “Okay.”
“The boat’s clean,” one of the warriors called out. “But Axel is wounded. And the maiden is . . . unwell.” He paled as Vidia sat up, leaning over the edge of the boat to puke.
“Bring them to the healing unit, and see that their injuries are tended to. Then alert the rest of the island that we’re not under attack. Though we’ll need to increase security on the western watch.” Erik barked his orders while I guided Ingrid out of the water. We stood on the shore as the warriors helped Vidia and Axel off the boat.
“Oh, Vidia.” I shook my head. “I’m so sorry—we’ll get you fixed up.”
“I’m just happy to be off that gods-forsaken boat,” she moaned. “Is it really safe here?”
“It is,” I assured. “I promise.”
“Thank gods,” she whispered. Then she leaned over and puked all over her shoes. Poor thing.
“Take her to the healing unit immediately. See to it that she’s adequately hydrated,” Erik ordered. “We’ll follow shortly.”
“Good Lord, Axel. What happened to you?” I winced at the gaping wound on Axel’s right arm. The gash was a full five inches long, and framed by a horrifyingly vivid bruise. A bloodied piece of cloth hung from what used to be his sleeve.
“Clan Bjorn is no joke.” Axel limped toward me.
“You need to see a healer.” Erik held out his arm. “I’ll take you.”
“That can wait.” Axel winced as he clutched his arm, seemingly overcome by a fresh wave of pain. “This can’t. Saga, Erik—you need to hear what Ingrid has to say.”
Oh, God.
Ingrid squeezed my hands. Her eyes flickered from me to Erik as she spoke. “You humiliated Lars and Olav at the Ting. They swore they’d track down your tribe and make you pay, even though nobody’s been able to find Valkyris for . . . we don’t even know how long you’ve been in existence.”
“Good,” Erik said.
“Well, someone approached Lars after you left the Ting—they said they’d sell information about your tribe on the condition that, if they were ever found out, they’d be made a leader in Clan Bjorn. Lars took the deal. He sent two scouts with the spy, and waited for news. But the scouts never returned.”
Erik’s eyes shot venom. “I killed them.”
“Actually, I killed them,” Axel corrected.
I ignored them both, and focused on Ingrid. “Continue.”
“That would have been the end of it, but Axel arrived just as Vidia and I were finally about to escape. We’d taken the arrows from where you told us we’d find them—decomposing bears are disgusting, by the way—and we’d stolen enough supplies to support ourselves for a few weeks. We were a day away from making a run for it, when he showed up.” Ingrid jabbed her thumb toward Axel.
“And your life became infinitely better for it.” Axel grinned through his pain.
“To be determined.” Ingrid rolled her eyes. “Anyway, he told us he was with you, Saga—and that if we helped him, he’d make sure we had a home where you lived. Of course, at that point we thought you’d been taken by brutish thugs, so I did what you told me and . . . um . . .”
“She shot me!” Axel exploded. “She. Shot. Me! And of course, Erik sent me with no healer, so I had to extract the arrowheads myself. Hurt like a mother-freaking—”
“I said I was sorry!” Ingrid shouted back. “And I steered all the way here, so you wouldn’t make your injury worse.”
“I still had to row the bloody ship!” Axel yelled.
I covered my smile while they bickered. I knew the dagger had gifted me some magical inner-ear translator when it had dropped me here—one that most definitely modernized its language. But Axel and Ingrid’s back and forth was so refreshingly normal—even if the subject matter wasn’t—that for a minute I felt like I was back in high school, watching my cousin bicker with her crush.
Wonder how things will play out with these two . . .
“Enough arguing,” Erik interrupted. “Axel, you probably deserved to be shot. Ingrid, continue with your story.”
“Thank you,” Ingrid huffed. “The short of it is, once Axel convinced us he wasn’t a thug, Vidia and I agreed to help him. We talked to the thralls who were working the Ting tents, and we passed on the information we could gather. But the spy didn’t show up again . . . and after a while, Lars became suspicious. He put us on lockdown, and when Axel couldn’t reach us, well.” She pointed to the assassin’s right arm.
“Of course, I came for them.” Axel sighed. “And of course, it was a trap.”
“Axel.” I cringed. “What happened?”
“Well, the girls are here, so it ended fine. But those monsters killed my dragon. And banged up my arm pretty bad.”
The remaining warriors gasped. Murmurs of, “They killed a dragon?” rocked the beach.
“Is that really bad?” I whispered to Erik.
“Not only is it extremely difficult to kill a dragon—which means our enemy has either skill or weapons exceeding what we previously believed—but it’s a violation of the covenant between man and the gods.” He exhaled heavily. “Dragons are sacred.”
Oh.
“That’s why we had to sail, instead of flying. Since Axel was rowing mostly one-armed, and Vidia and I had never steered a ship before . . .” Ingrid shrugged. “It was rough.”
“How’d you steal a ship from Clan Bjorn?” I was impressed.
“We’d found an herb in the forest that Vidia recognized from her old tribe. Apparently, it knocks people out for hours.” Ingrid’s emerald eyes flashed. “Another thrall snuck it into Lars’ stew for us, and we had our window to escape.”
Pride filled my chest, and I beamed at Erik. “I told you they were amazing.”
“That you did.” Erik rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I guess we’d better get you settled in the castle. You’re probably going to want rooms near Saga’s, so I’ll have someone check on the availability in the academy wing, and—"
“She’s not done,” Axel interjected. “The bad part’s coming.”
Skit.
Ingrid wrung her fingers together. “Before we drugged Lars, we overheard him talking with his warriors. He was really angry about what happened at the Ting.”
“I gathered,” I said drily.
“No, really angry. He was counting on his scouts to come back with information on how to find this place, and when they didn’t . . .” She shook her head. “It wasn’t good.”
Erik glowered. “What does he want?”
Ingrid turned to me, worry lines framing her eyes. “He wants you back, Saga. He wants Erik dead. And he wants Valkyris destroyed. And . . .”
“And?” I held my breath.
“And he’s vowed he’ll kill anyone who stands in his way.”
My. God.
An angry growl ripped from Erik’s throat. “He’ll never lay a finger on Saga.”
“He won’t get close enough to even try.” Axel cracked his knuckles.
“Niklas,” Erik barked at one of the remaining warriors. “Send half a battalion to the western border, and another to the east. Asta, see that the riders double patrols—I want a dragon in the air at all times. The rest of you, report to the war room for further instructions. And Saga—” Erik’s voice cracked as he faced me.
“I’ll be okay,” I lied. My stomach had commenced Olympic-level gymnastics routines, and my heart thundered like a pack of terrified rhinos. But Erik’s eyes carried enough panic—I didn’t want to add to his worry.
“Jævla right you’ll be okay. You and I are moving to twice-daily trainings. Swords in the morning, hand-to-hand at night. I’m not going to lose you.”
My rhino herd heart melted at the words. “No.” I smiled. “You’re not.”
Erik nodded once before ushering us toward the castle. He held out his hand as he walked, and as I fell into step beside him, I laced my fingers through his. I took what comfort I could in his focused determination.
I was a thousand years from Mormor and Olivia and the only life I’d ever known. I was being hunted by a vitriolic Viking. And I’d just agreed to two-a-days with the least sympathetic trainer in the history of ever.
I snuck a glance at Erik, whose barely contained fury was etched on every inch of his beautiful face. He looked down at me and winked, a thousand words packed into the silent communication. He had my back. He always had . . . and as crazy as it sounded, maybe he always would.
I squeezed Erik’s hand and marched determinedly at his side. In that moment I was safe—harbored by a tribe that was improving the world one small step at a time, and educated by a school that challenged its students to be the best possible version of themselves. I was surrounded by friends who looked out for each other every bit as much as my family had. And I had a partner who was prepared to do everything in his power to ensure not only that I was protected, but that I didn’t need protecting. As uncertain as my future was, right then I knew that I had every tool I needed to face the challenges that lay ahead.
It would have to be enough.
How to Viking
by Saga Skånstad
- Learn all the things.
- Don’t brag once you learn all the things—everybody else knows all the things, too.
- Do for yourself all that is in your power to do. But at the same time . . .
- Support others.
- Say yes to adventure.
- Try not to lose your heart to the Valkyris heir. (Too late!)
I hope you enjoyed the first book of Viking Academy! You can read book two HERE. And join my Reader’s Group to get freebies, prizes, and sneak peeks at upcoming books.
While you wait, meet Axel Andersson’s not-so-mythical Asgardian relation in Perfekt Order. I guarantee he’ll make you smile.