Chapter 17: Mother

It was the last hour of our last school day. Mr. Walters handed out the final grades and said.” This is the last time I am doing this for you. When you return next year, a new teacher will try to pound some knowledge into your thick skulls. I am going to be transferred to another school, still on Nilfeheim but they thought I be best suited to try my hand on the even wilder Neo Vikings of the South Pole.”

He then shook everyone’s hand and said a few words to everyone. When he reached me he swiped my grades into my PDD. “Your grades have improved, but there is much room for even more improvement.” Quieter he added. “It is sufficient for the Academy Pre entry test however so keep it on this level, good choice and good luck Mr. Olafson.”

I was only a little surprised that he knew as he was a frequent guest at Hogun’s and I was sure he and my Uncle had talked.

He dismissed us and we went down in the basement past the Cafeteria where Fight Class would take place. Our Instructor, Balder of the Darken was of an eastern clan that was far enough away not to have too many ties with the ones in our region. and he was especially proud of his first name.

It was very rare that someone was named after the Gods. As no one felt they could live up to the name. No one else but me I knew had the name Thor, but it never really came up and no one ever used my middlename. As far as I knew it was taboo to be called Odin, but I knew of a few girls named after Loki. I myself had chosen Freya for my alter ego and thinking of that made my mood sink to the bottom.

Balder was a fair fighter and well skilled in all traditional weapons. Due to my training with Richard and Carl, I was without being self confident way past his level and he admitted that freely, but there was no such thing as wasted training as Carl would say, while he passed out wooden swords and padding he said as he came to me. “Go home Eric Olafson. There is nothing more I can teach you. Our swimming instructor Gunter Eikson has returned to his rock already and won’t be here until next period, so there won’t be any swimming and diving.”

“I don’t mind training, Sir.”

“You train too much in my opinion. It is worthy of praise for a New Viking to excel at these skills, but you are not even sixteen yet and there are few that could match you, fighting should never be an obsession.”

So my school year ended rather nonceremonial and I had no real plans for this summer break, but I had not heard from father or any orders to return to the Burg.

After an extended swim, I went back to the Inn. Uncle Hogun was not there and Hein one of his helpers said he went to the Xchange to get fresh fish and other supplies. I actually met Aunt Freydis who was as usual in a hurry to leave. She wore her blue dress and the white apron. She had a basket with her things on the counter and smiled with her rosy face. “Oh good my favorite nephew, just the person I need.”

She had never talked to me much so I was surprised but came closer. “What can I do for you, aunt Freydis?”

“I am about to fly out to the Bredenbergs. Snøfrid is soon delivering her first and it’s going to be twins. She is a delicate woman you see and in this case I rather rely a little more on Union Med Tech than usual. She took two devices out of the basket. This is a Sterilization field generator and this one is my Medical Expert PDD. I use it but it has to be updated somehow and I don’t know how. Without the PDD the Field Generator won’t operate. I had to hide my surprise to learn my simple aunt was using a SII Gynecology Expert Adviser. Not that I had ever seen one but it said so right on the housing.”Let me have a look, Aunt Freydis. I am no real expert in Off world things as you know but I can give it a try.”

It was a wonderful and yet frightening tool as it, when activated showed Holos of various reproductive processes and problems. My appetite for a nice piece of fish was suddenly gone. It combined a variety of scanners and med sensors and finally I found, all you had to do is ask the device to go into the self diagnostic and upload cycle.

It connected to GalNet via Uncles console and I was absorbed in deleting the entries on non human races as I was sure that was not needed and added a few things from the wide catalog of related subjects. It took only a few minutes and wanted it to hand it back to her. “All done, Aunt Freydis. I set it to automatic update so this won’t have to be done again.”

But she was no longer behind me, she was no longer standing there but by the door arguing with a drunk who wanted to get more drink and she refused him, saying the Inn wasn’t open for business just yet. Hein came from out the kitchen where he was scrubbing the floor. Without Hogun to compare her was neither weak nor small. I didn’t feel alarmed or anything. This sort thing happened more often than not and the drunks usually went their way.

But the voices became louder. “No woman and no low man can refuse my will! I got up just to see better and try to find out who it was, when Hein screamed.”Nooo!”

Aunt Freydis stumbled back and fell to the floor. She was clutching her stomach and the man in the door held a long Skinner knife, dripping with blood!

I crossed the distance in no time and knelt next to her. She was alive but was losing a lot of blood.” Hein load her into the flier. We need to get her to the Hospital very fast!”

The man growled.”Let the wench die! I am a lord and require mead! Serving me is all you concern!”

It was one of the men who had held me while father beat me to an inch to my life. I did not remember his face or his growling voice at first, but kneeling by my Aunt I recognized the boots! He recognized me as well and roared laughing while he kicked me! Oh how delightful, Lord Isegrim will reward me for every bone I break!”

I avoided the second kick and said. “You are still but a lackey in the House of Olafson and I am for ill or curse the first born. Stand aside now or be spitted by Mördaren!”

He did stop and said nothing as I rose to my feet, the sword drawn and I said.”Hein you take my Aunt to the doctors by all haste. He will not stop you. This is a coward who hides in corners, stabs women and kicks those helpless to defend.”

I actually had to raise the sword against Hein.” Do as I told!”

He struggled with her body but carried her out the door. The lieutenant of my father’s clan still eyed the sword and then his knife. From the outside I heard more voices and the usual rough laughing and talking when a bunch of men had a too much to drink and felt they has to prove to the world how strong they were. Another man in Olafson red stuck his head in, Vanslow what is keeping you? You said you be right out with a tankards and bottles!”

His name was Vanslow and he backed up to the door. “Get the others in here. The Lords mistake is here holding a sword against me! The rewards will be great if we report to Isegrim we have wiped this offensive stain from away for good!”

Four more came in and they all were armed. No sword, but knives and axes.

“You dare stand against me? What is it to see five in my clan’s colors drunk in the light of day, trespassing and wounding women? This besmirches the honor of my name and it will not stand! Go then and report to the Lord what transpired and you shall indeed get your payment.”

Even I could not believe that this happened with my evil father’s knowledge. I was full of rage but tried to keep myself calm as much as possible. Much had bottled up inside me and I suddenly felt eager cut them up in little pieces.

Mördaren no longer a simple sword but it felt like an extension of my own arm. I could somehow feel its very tip, its eagerness to drink blood, but then there was a scream like I never heard before. Uncle Hogun appeared on the kitchen door and seeing him in like a raging giant thunder across the room was a sight I would never forget. “You have hurt my wife! You have dared to hurt my wife. You will not see another day!”

A heavy stone wood table in his way kicked away so hard it shattered in thousand pieces as it collided with the wall. The five men were pale as corpses, when a sudden crack stopped my Uncle in his tracks. One of the men held a small off world weapon! Uncle Hogun looked at the smoking small hole in his chest, and then kept on going! The man fired again before I had a chance to reach him. Mördaren severed the man’s arm holding the weapon. There was nothing that held me back.

I was afraid to look back to look after Uncle Hogun and all my anger, my pain found release. Until a voice reached me through the red veil that had lowered before my eyes and really came to my senses. Four of the five men were dead, not just dead but it looked as if a Fangsnapper had torn them apart! My Uncles body laid face forward on the floor not moving and I saw the two black holes in his back. The man who had shot him knelt by his own arm and simply shivered and rocked back and forth. Two Elders out of breath, Hein and Class and Father himself stood at the door. I still held Mördaren and pointed it at him. “You triumphed over your brother by sending drunkards to harass his wife and wounding her. There he lies shot by one of your best men, who like a coward used a gun! You want me dead and gone now is the time father, I am here come and face me!”

Father trembled and his hand on the whip.” You cannot challenge me yet, Whelp!” For some reason this all seemed to amuse him!

“It was no challenge. I will avenge my uncle and you need to shoot me to stop me!”

Uncle Hogun groaned.”Don’t give speeches Nephew! Get me to the bloody hospital!”

Hein, Class as well as I and even father helped to load Hogun onto the bed if his own flier.

Aunt Freydis wound was actually much more severe than Uncle Hogun’s as she had lost a lot of blood. To him the Weapon beam did much damage, but instantly cauterized the wound channel and prevented bleeding. Thanks to his body mass, that no live giving organs was seriously burned he did not go into shock. According to the doctor it was wound shock that usually was the cause of death when hit by an energy beam. It was strange to see Uncle Hogun in the Re-gen tank despite all his might, he looked vulnerable hooked up to all the hoses and see the spidery arms of machines prod and poke him.

Aunt Freydis was already gone and on her way to the Bredenbergs. The doctor shrugged and sighed. “Nothing short of actual death will stop her from performing her duty.”

I also learned that there were always two Elders on duty so to speak, to act and speak law in times of dispute and in a way we did have a police force now. They were already alarmed by another Inn keeper and on their way to investigate and called father to rein in his men. No word of explanation was given by my father why they were drunken so early and causing ruckus.

The one who had lost his arm was also treated but he would have better been dead. The Elders had preserved his old arm still holding the weapon and they would find him guilty and he would be sentenced to death. Even though father repeated he had no knowledge of the weapon the whole thing did not reflect well on the Olafson reputation. Yet in all this father not once seemed concerned and kept grinning whenever he saw Hogun. He kept completely ignoring me.

By the time Uncle Hogun came back from the Hospital, Hein, Class and I had the place cleaned and looking as clean as before, well almost, Pit was trying to mend the completely shattered table with Bondmaster Stick and fix, but he had a long way to go.

Uncle Hogun kept the Inn open and everyone wanted to know the story and everyone seemed to know a bit and knew more than what really happened. The general consensus was that they celebrated a big catch and went celebrating without Isegrim’s knowledge. I did not stay around to hear more and helped in the kitchen. It was very late when the last guest left and Uncle Hogun waved me over to the family table. He was sitting by a mug of warmed ale; he liked when he did not feel well or when he wanted to sleep fast.

“Sit for me a moment. Uncle Hogun was very serious and he finally spoke. “I saw the footage of the security sensor and you saved my wife’s live. No question about it. Later on you saved mine” He sighed and I began to get a strange feeling in my stomach I knew I would hear bad news once again. “You faulting me for what happened aren’t you?”

“Eric I love you like I would love a son, but you are not my son. I want eventually raise my own children. I don’t care if they are sons or daughters, first or last born. I want children and I only want them with one person and that is you’re Aunt Freydis. No you did not cause what happened tonight.”

He pushed the mug around as trying to find the right words. I got up.”Do you want me to leave Uncle?”

“Sit down and listen!” He snapped and I saw he was immediately sorry for that. “You weren’t even supposed to be there. I cannot prove it, but Aunt Freydis was the target all along. The one carried a gun to stop me in the first place, he never fired on you. It was meant as a show of force. Someone we both know wanted to show me that he could get to me if I ever opened my mouth or interfered again. You getting older and by the time you reach the age, Eric you will be very rich and your word will make and break not one but many clans. There are oaths taken and vows made for and against that day, and everyone who thinks they can twist fate or events to get a share, will do so.”

He spoke hastily unlike his normal settled self. “They wanted to kill Aunt Freydis tonight and perhaps me too. They know you need to live, but that does not hold true for your friends. An old friend will soon arrive and take you to the south for the summer break and there you will be out of reach for them. When the summer break is over Eric, you must return to the Burg or find another place. I alone would stand behind you, but it is for the sake of my gentle wife I must choose and I am sorry Eric but I must choose her over you.”

He then embraced me in his big arms and he cried. “I am only physically strong Eric, inside I am big soft wuss and I it breaks my heart what fate and the gods have thrown on your small shoulders to bear, and I would gladly die for you, but I cannot ask my wife to do the same.”

I could not cry. My eyes remained dry but I wished I could have simply ended it all. I knew Hogun was right. This was no accidental stabbing. They could not have known I left school so much earlier, but Uncle Hogun’s routine was the same and to watch the Inn until he left. Yes this sounded like a plan they came up with at the Burg. Hogun would lament the loss of his wife, or be dead as well, ambushed with an off world weapon. Without Hogun who was watching over my inheritance, my father would once again gain control over much and without Hogun watching out and three weeks of summer break he could have tortured me every day until I broke and did whatever they wanted. The more I was thinking about it the more it made sense. Uncle Hogun with all his strength was in mortal danger because I remained in his house.