The hill rose gently, almost kindly, as if the land itself did not understand what it was about to witness.
Anders rode at the front, boots in the stirrups, posture straight, eyes forward. The army behind him moved in disciplined silence—no songs, no war cries, no pounding of shields. Only the sound of thousands of feet and the low creak of leather and wood.
When they crested the rise, the world opened.
Below them lay Olav Drekason’s village.
It was smaller than Anders had imagined. Old. Tired. A place that had survived more on stubbornness than strength. Thin smoke drifted lazily from a few hearths. The palisade leaned inward in places, its logs weathered grey. It was not a fortress. It was a ho that had outlived its era.
And there—just beyond the gate—stood the pike.
The head was unmistakable.
Even at this distance, even without ceremony, even stripped of na and body, the ssage was clear.
Beneath it lay the broken crossbow, snapped and discarded like an insult carved into wood.
The column stopped breathing as one.
Anders did not shout.
He raised his hand.
The army halted instantly.
No confusion. No lag. Thousands of n and won froze in place as if the earth itself had clenched.
Anders stared down at the pike. His face did not contort. He did not grimace. But sothing inside him hardened, locking into place like a bar dropped across a door.
"So," he said quietly.
Those closest heard it. Those farther back felt it.
He turned slightly. "Begin encirclent."
The command flowed outward, carried by officers and runners who did not need clarification. Units peeled away from the main force in practiced arcs, moving down the slopes and around the village with speed that spoke of repetition, not improvisation.
No one ran wildly.
No one charged.
This was not a rush.
It was containnt.
"And raid," Anders continued, voice steady. "Take everything of value. Food. tal. Weapons. Livestock. Dig if you have to."
A pause.
"Do not burn the village," he finished, "until there is nothing left worth burning."
There was no cheer.
No hesitation.
The order was accepted as fact.
Inside the village, Olav Drekason stood with his sword planted tip-down in the dirt.
Thirty-four n gathered around him.
They were old by the standards of war. Scarred. Grey-bearded. Bent in places that never healed right. But they stood straight now, armor strapped on with hands that rembered how.
They had not always been so few.
Once, there had been sons here. Nephews. Loud youths who argued and laughed and believed the world would wait for them.
Most of those had left.
They had followed rumors. Opportunity. A boy who built walls and ships and discipline where there had once been mud and hope.
Olav did not curse them for it.
He understood montum.
He looked at the n before him—his last.
"This is it," he said simply.
No speech. No lies about odds.
One man chuckled softly. Another adjusted his shield. A third spat into the dirt.
They ard themselves without hurry.
Then Olav turned and walked toward the gate.
They followed.
When they stepped out beyond the palisade, the world seed to widen impossibly.
Across the fields and slopes stood Anders’ army.
Not a horde.
An instrunt.
Ranks upon ranks. Shields aligned. Crossbows slung and ready. Lines deep enough that the eye lost count.
Soone behind Olav inhaled sharply.
Another laughed—short, sharp, disbelieving.
"Well," one of the veterans muttered, "that answers the question."
Olav smiled faintly.
He raised his sword.
"Shield wall," he called.
The n obeyed.
Old reflexes snapped into place. Shields locked edge to edge. Feet planted. The line held—not wide, not deep, but proud.
Then movent rippled at the edges of their vision.
More soldiers appeared.
From the left.
From the right.
From behind low rises and tree lines and gullies they had not even known were occupied.
The circle closed.
Olav’s n exchanged glances.
Not fear.
Understanding.
Anders stepped forward just enough to be heard.
His voice carried, clear and even.
"Olav Drekason," he called. "This is your last chance. Lay down your arms."
There was no insult in it.
No mockery.
Just a door, held open one final ti.
Olav barked a laugh.
He raised his sword higher. "You should’ve been born sooner, boy."
Anders nodded once.
He raised his hand.
The signal dropped.
The crossbows sang.
The sound was not like arrows. It was heavier. Sharper. A snapping thrum that seed to tear the air open.
Steel-tipped bolts slamd into the shield wall.
Wood exploded.
Iron buckled.
Shields that had turned aside a lifeti of blades shattered like kindling under the force.
n were thrown backward as if struck by invisible fists. One went down screaming, shield split clean through. Another collapsed without a sound, bolt buried in his throat where the rim had failed.
The second volley followed before the echoes of the first had died.
And Olav’s shield wall ceased to exist.
Blood struck the ground.
The world answered.
And Valhalla opened its gates.
Reviews
All reviews (0)