The Breaker of Curses (Valkyrie Secrets Book 3) Read online

  THE BREAKER OF CURSES

  Valkyrie Secrets #2

  RACHEL TSOUMBAKOS

  VALKYRIE SECRETS: THE BREAKER OF CURSES

  Rachel Tsoumbakos

  COPYRIGHT © 2019 by Rachel Tsoumbakos

  MYRDDIN PUBLISHING GROUP

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  All rights reserved. No part of this manuscript may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or review. For information contact the author at [email protected]

  Cover art credit: © Demanna and fotokostic | Depositphotos.com

  Cover design: © Rachel Tsoumbakos

  Time breaks designed using the Angerthas free font

  Once through clouds | she was wont to ride,

  And battles fought | like fighting men,

  (Till Helgi a captive, | held her fast;

  Sister she is | of Sigar and Hogni,

  Thus bright are the eyes | of the Ylfing’s maid.)

  ~ Section of Stanza 4 from the “Helgakvitha Hundingsbana II” from the Poetic Edda. Translated by Henry Adams Bellows.

  GLOSSARY

  When you first start out in Norse mythology and the Viking sagas, there are a few words you may come across that are unclear in definition. Included below are all the terms from this novel that may need an explanation.

  Draugr: Someone in Norse mythology who is considered neither alive or dead. A person who is considered undead.

  Einherjars: These are the men who die in battle and are brought to Valhalla by the Valkyries.

  Fenrir: (Also known as Fenris-wolf) A giant wolf from Norse mythology. Fenrir is the son of Loki and the giant, Angrboda. It has been foretold he will kill Odin during the events of Ragnarok. In return, he will be killed by Odin’s son Víðarr.

  Frey: (Also known as Freyr) A god associated with sacral kingship, virility, prosperity, sunshine, and fair weather in Norse mythology.

  Freya: (Also known as Freyja, Freyia, and Freja) A goddess who is most often associated with love, sex, beauty, fertility, gold, war, and death.

  Folkvangr: (Also known as Fólkvangr) A mythical field ruled by Freya. She takes half of those slain in battle here while the other half go to Odin in Valhalla.

  Ginnungagap: The primordial void that existed before the world was created.

  Jarl: An earl.

  Hild’s game: (Also known as Hildr’s game) Hild was a Valkyrie. The Valkyries were tasked with choosing who lived and died on the battlefield. Therefore, Hild’s game refers to the act of warfare.

  Hoenir: the Norse god associated with indecision.

  Holmgang: A duel between individuals designed to settle disputes.

  Karl: A farmer or craftsperson. The working class of Viking society

  Mani: The personification of the moon in Norse mythology.

  Muspelheim: One of the Nine Worlds from Norse mythology. It is the homeland of fire and giants.

  Mistletoe: (Also known as Mistilteinn, Misteltein or Mystletainn) A mythical sword belonging to Hrómundr Gripsson in the Viking sagas. In the Gesta Danorum, Mistletoe is also the weapon used to kill Baldr.

  Niflheim: One of the Nine Worlds from Norse mythology. It is the homeland of primordial darkness, cold, mist, and ice.

  Odin: (Also known as the Allfather, Óðinn, Woden) Odin is the head of all the gods in Norse Mythology. He is akin to Zeus from Greek mythology and Jupiter in Roman mythology as all are considered the top of their pantheons.

  Ragnarok: This event is supposed to occur at some time in the future. The gods will be drawn into a massive war using those humans slain on earth and selected to be sent, after death, to Valhalla. Ragnarok will result in the death of most of the Norse gods.

  Shield maidens: (Also known as shieldmaidens) Viking women who chose to fight in battles alongside men. They are also mentioned in some old Germanic stories. It is possible that shield maidens are a human representation of the Valkyries.

  Skald: Someone known to write poetry about heroic deeds and important events. They could be compared to a bard or minstrel as the skald would compose and perform their poetry for entertainment. Although it is unclear whether skalds played musical instruments while performing as a bard did.

  Thing: (Also known in various dialects as þing, ding, and ting.) A gathering of the free people of a community that formed a governing assembly. The meeting-place of a thing was referred to as a “thingstead.”

  Thingstead: See Thing.

  Thrainn: (Also known as Þráinn) A king in Norse mythology who resided in Valland. He retired to his barrow and became a draugr.

  Thralls: Viking slaves. The lowest standing order in Viking culture.

  Valhalla: A hall located within Asgard that is said to house all of the warriors who have died during battle or as the result of other heroic deeds.

  Valkyries: Mythical women who were sent during battle to select who lived and died. Those chosen by the Valkyries would go to Valhalla or Folkvangr after they died.

  Yggdrasil: A tree in Norse mythology that connects the nine worlds.

  A MAP OF KARA’S WORLD

  The world that Kara lived in can been seen in the map below, using the common names for each area in the Viking Age as well as the places we now know them. Names in all capital letters, (i.e. SWEDEN) are the current titles. However, during the Viking Age, these areas were less defined or only known by the other name places indicated (i.e. Gotaland).

  This map was originally developed from a public domain satellite image that was kindly provided by Koyos.

  Some of the common alternative names for these areas can also be found below:

  Gaular: Gaulardale, Gaular Valley, Fosselandet (the land of the waterfalls).

  Götaland: Gotaland, Gautland, Gothia, Gothenland, Gothland.

  Gotland: Gottland.

  Skania: Skane, Skåne.

  Jutland: Jütland, Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula, Den Kimbriske Halvø, Kimbrische Halbinsel, Cimbricus Chersonesus, Denmark.

  Zealand: Sjælland, Denmark. It should be noted that Zealand should not be confused with Zeeland, which is located in Holland.

  PROLOGUE

  “Tell me something, Loki,” Odin said as he sat down beside the god of tricks. “When did you first dream up this story involving Helgi and his destined warrior breed?”

  Odin had been wanting to have this conversation with Loki for a long time. However, the god appeared to be avoiding him.

  “I am not sure when it first occurred to me,” Loki finally replied after taking a very long sip of mead. “I think the notion had always been with me, though. The fates must have planted the seed of the idea within in me right from when the world began. It was only over time that I realised the idea was there,”

  “Well, could you tell me about the first time you remembered it?”

  Loki giggled at Odin and the god waited patiently while Loki readied himself. He would tell the story, or not. Either way, Odin was determined to find out as much as possible about Loki’s plans, about the situation involving Helgi and the Valkyries in order to create his own counter plan.

  “I think it happened on the day that Svafa was born,” Loki finally said. He didn’t look at Odin, gazing instead across Valhalla at the giant tree called Glasir. Its red leaves dripped down over the entrance gates and Odin always thought of the blood of battle whenever he saw it. “When she was born, I awoke from a dream in which the famed line of the Volsung rose up once more and helped to free us all at Ragnarok.”

  “Can you tell me about this dream?”

  Perhaps the answer lay in what Loki re
membered. Odin hoped so.

  “And why would you want to know so much about the Volsung all of a sudden?” Loki turned to Odin, one eyebrow raised. “Are you plotting something against Kara?”

  “I am merely interested in the story,” Odin replied, taking a sip of his ale and hoping Loki didn’t notice the fact he didn’t answer all of his questions. “I always have been.”

  “I think you are up to something,” Loki continued. “However, there is no harm in my telling you the story since there is no way in which we can alter the will of the fates. You know that as well as I do.”

  Odin smiled at Loki. He may know that was true. However, the fates would learn soon enough that even they couldn’t control the All-Father once he truly wanted to change something in their future. Odin wanted the future to continue on as the stories foretold. The lessons the gods needed so desperately to learn were wound up in their very destruction.

  “Are you going to tell me your dream, or not?” Odin asked.

  “Of course,” Loki replied. “I saw an army like no other, each of them carrying a sword blazoned with the Volsung symbol. They roared into Ragnarok and undid everything we have ever been told about what will happen in our end days. They sliced down the gods we thought would survive and rescued those that are famed to die. I saw the clan renewed and reborn. Over them all, Helgi and the Valkyries watched, smiling as they did so.”

  Odin ran his fingers through his beard as he pondered the dream, trying to figure out whether there was any new information that could be gleaned from the story. Loki could just as likely be spinning a tale, or creating a saga that would be carried on by the men of Midgard when they heard it. He had to wonder if maybe the whole story had been nothing but a fanciful creation to entertain the god of tricks all those years ago, that his plan all along had been to fool the gods and nobody else.

  “The Volsung had a symbol, you say,” Odin finally asked. “What was it?”

  Odin had to be careful with what he said. For Loki must never know that Odin was planning to break the cycle involving Helgi and the Valkyries who loved him.

  Chapter 1: OLAF

  Ravens circled the ship and King Olaf should have known immediately that trouble was brewing. The fact that the sky was a brooding grey and the wind buffeted his longships only added extra incentive for the king to want to leave the location. The sooner he reached Norway, the better.

  However, before he had a reason, a fleet approached him. They bled through the fog and grey clouds appearing much closer than Olaf would have liked. A sense of dread covered him as the wind rushed over the bow of his ship.

  “I see ships,” Kari said excitedly as he rushed up to stand next to the king.

  “I am aware of that,” Olaf replied, irritated at the man for stating the obvious.

  Being so close, Olaf he could already see individuals crowding in to stare back at Olaf’s own men.

  “Look at that hideous mug over there!” Kari said before spitting over the edge of the longship. Olaf followed Kari’s finger and saw the beast of a man. He nodded in agreeance.

  “Oi!” Kari continued, this time raising his voice and beckoning at the ship, which was now slowing and pulling up alongside Olaf’s longboat. “You in the front, the ugly one.”

  The man in question pointed at himself and leaned forward. His face was red, not from anger but because of some sort of birthmark that coloured one side of his face. Crisscrossed over this mark was a multitude of scars. Some were lines from weapons, others looked like the pocks left over from his teenage years. One of his eyes was too round while the other seemed to be permanently squinting down over his bulbous nose.

  “Are you talking to me?” the unsightly man finally said.

  “Of course, I am! There’s no one else on board your ship that is less attractive than you,” Kari replied. “Why don’t you lean on over a bit more and let me cut you up into little pieces. It might make you prettier.”

  The man sneered at Kari and reached for his battle axe. “I’ll cut you if I get my hands on you!” he roared in challenge.

  “Now, that sounds like a solid plan,” Kari laughed as he pulled his own weapon.

  The air around them thickened and Olaf knew that this was the trouble he had felt brewing. The ravens had known it also and now they squawked high above them.

  “I’ll see you on the shore,” the man threatened as the ship eased further past them.

  Kari turned and looked at Olaf who simply shrugged. There was no point telling Kari he couldn’t fight him. After all, the stranger had suggested it. To step back from such an offer would belittle Kari. Plus, a scuffle would do them all good. None on board had drawn blood for many weeks and they were all on edge with each other. This fight would help stop all the heckling that had been occurring between the men over the last few days.

  Chapter 2: HRONGVID

  Hrongvid had always been the ugly one, for as long as he could remember. His brother on the other hand, well, when someone carried the moniker of “Valiant” it was a good indication that they were attractive.

  He sighed. It had always been easy for his brother, Helgi. Not that he disliked him, quite to the contrary. Helgi was so likeable that everyone loved him, Hrongvid included. Plus, Helgi was called valiant for a reason, and his elder brother had always defended Hrongvid whenever trouble arose. Not that he wasn’t capable of looking after himself, he was. However, Helgi went out of his way to make sure Hrongvid had as easy a life as was possible.

  It was guilt, likely, that made Helgi that way. For everything Hrongvid was lacking in, Helgi had it in abundance. Not only was he handsome, but he had been blessed by the gods when it came to women.

  Hrongvid spat over the deck as the ship hit the bank.

  The caw of ravens pulled Hrongvid from his musings. As the birds flew overhead, he wondered whose corpse they were waiting to pick over.

  “I see you are dragging your heels!” the man on the other ship called out to him and Hrongvid looked up.

  “I very much doubt it,” he replied as he clutched his battle axe and readied himself to jump overboard. “I have lived for thirty-three years and fought in sixty battles. I have always had victory, so why would I dally over the likes of you?”

  The man laughed in reply and Hrongvid felt his blood rising in anger. Jumping from the ship, Hrongvid rushed forward.

  Immediately, the clash of weapons filled the air and Hrongvid clattered his way through the fray trying to get to the man who had offended him. Heaving his battle axe from side to side, he had already ploughed down a few men before he had a chance to look up and search for his antagonist.

  Ahead of him, he could see the one who offended him. He was reaching out with a giant sword, smashing down what seemed like eight men at a time. Hrongvid paused for a moment, horrified at the destruction.

  How was he supposed to contend with such viciousness?

  But then, he saw a group of his men split out and encircle the antagonist. Hrongvid raced forward as the group closed in.

  Turning, the man reached out, swinging his weapon and trying to take out the group. But these men were clever enough to keep just out of range of the huge sword. Instead, they danced around the man, giving Hrongvid time enough to rush in and stab him through while he was distracted.

  The man turned as he fell and the look of confusion on his face made Hrongvid laugh out loud. “So, you are surprised I have cut you down?”

  There were no words from the man, though, only the hacking cough of blood. As he crumpled, the man seemed to take on a new lease on life, or he attempted it, anyway. His eyes suddenly brightened as he gazed at something behind Hrongvid.

  Hrongvid knew a second too late that trouble was coming up to greet him from behind.

  As he turned, he saw the broad side of a club coming quickly into focus right before it slammed into his face. It felt like he had been hit with a boulder and he staggered back, swinging his axe as he did so.

  “Such a blow,” Hrongvid
gurgled through blood and a broken jaw. “I have never felt such strength before.”

  He looked up and saw the owner of the club. A tall, dark-haired man was approaching, raising the club once more. Hrongvid reached up with his axe, ready to defend the blow but was caught too late once more. This blow came down hard, over his head and an almighty crack filled his skull.

  Hrongvid fell to the ground, feeling as heavy as a mountain. A fleeting image of his brother darted through his mind and he called out with the last of his strength to one of the warriors off to his side.

  “Find my brother,” he said hoarsely. “Tell him to avenge me.”

  The next strike was the end of him and Hrongvid crumpled to the ground.

  CHAPTER 3: KARA

  The sky was oppressive as Kara gazed down through the fog of clouds.

  She had been born in the midst of a storm just like this, Freya once told her. Her mother had laboured for days until she died shortly after bringing Kara into the world. And so, she had been handed over to her father, who promptly called down the Valkyries to claim their daughter.

  Her mother’s death had nearly broken her father, Halfdan. Apparently, before her mother perished, he had been much kinder than he was now. To Kara, though, it was no excuse for the bitter terror he inflicted on the lands.

  A blaze of lightning lit up the sky and for a moment Kara saw a small figure down on the lands far below. She leaned forward on her steed and wondered who was there, if this man was the one that she was looking for.

  As the rolling boom of thunder shook the earth, Kara could feel it shake her body, a feeling deep inside that always excited her. Her eyes glistened with excitement as the thunder struck again and again, never really rolling away, always rumbling in the background.