Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 624: DCXXIV. The Bark

"King Einar will arrive in Jernhest right after us, Gridd... do you know this?" Karl asked, holding the reins of the horse borrowed from the Crows Of Odin in Skjegg's city stable.

"And so what? What do you mean?" the Shieldmaiden replied with superiority.

"I'm just saying that the information about Dag and our adventure at Krypstorm could be altered by the King, who obviously has more credibility than we do, who are just warriors serving the Clans..." 

"The King doesn't care about Dag... my brother's name will never even be pronounced... he is only interested in claiming Krypstorm under the rule of the crown. He will say that thanks to a winning strategy, he has managed to reach the land of perennial ice and conquer a fort that will serve as a support point for the next missions... a lot of bullshit, of course..." Gridd answered, looking forward and trying to imagine the scene.

"Einar is a clever man... very good with words. Knowing him in person, I can assure you that he will certainly organize an event in the central square of Jernhest, during which he will talk about Krypstorm to all the citizens who will gather before him. Gridd's prediction is correct, I'm sure it will go as she predicted" Egill added, who after Jernhest would reach Mount Torden and the Temple Of Orn, to spread Master Dag's message of hope to his former teammates.

Finally, after many hours of travel without ever stopping, starting from the port of Gurn, the three adventurers passed the mountains that isolated the capital from the rest of the region.

Jernhest, in all its magnificence, was illuminated by the red light of the Sun, which shone on the roofs of his houses and palaces.

As if it was a celestial vision, unable to help but compare it to Tungvek and the desolate places that characterized all of Krypstorm, Gridd and Karl breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling at home.

Egill was also impressed by that vision, thinking that the last time he visited the capital was during diplomatic missions on behalf of his Clan, when he had closer relations with King Einar himself.

The main road that continued straight up to the huge stone gate on which there was the name of the city engraved in the runic alphabet, branched out into many small dirt roads, both to the right and to the left.

Gridd, who was leading the line, almost automatically swerved to the right, heading up the hill of her farm.

Karl followed her without saying a word, while Egill, intrigued by the change of direction, tried to understand why.

"Why didn't we get into Jernhest? Is there anything I should see first?" the elder Master asked, who compared to the two young warriors, was the most tired for the trip because of his age.

"Our houses are located outside Jernhest, right on that hill down there, Master Egill... that's where we're going" Karl exclaimed, pointing his finger forward and showing Egill the hill that was slowly about to be enveloped by the darkness of the evening.

Dag's companions continued to travel following Gridd and in just under thirty minutes reached the top of the hill, on the opposite side of Karl's house, which was on the other side.

The first house on the street was the farm of Asa, from whose fireplace came a thin strip of white smoke.

"While you will stop here, I will continue along the way and go and greet my parents... they will definitely be worried for me and Freydis and will not react well when they'll know that she has chosen to follow Dag to Krypstorm... besides, I hope my father's condition hasn't gotten any worse since I left..." Karl said, slightly pulling his horse's bridles and slowing down his pace, adjusting to that of Light, who next to Aslan opened the line.

"Of course, you are free to go and do what you believe... if you want, when you're done you can visit us on the farm. We have many things to talk about to my mother and I haven't seen her in months too" the Shieldmaiden replied, turning her gaze for a moment towards her partner and smiling as if the atmosphere of that place had made her return to good humor.

Egill also sensed the friendly gaze of the two friends and as Karl moved away spurring his horse and running across the hill, he and Gridd approached the modest dwelling.

As in Dag's vision during his ethereal journey on the Hlidskjlf, few animals populated one of the two small fences near the farm entrance, a few meters away from the drinking water well, where often little Dag had to go and drop the bucket to supply the house.

A ramshackle carriage, one side of which was half broken and patched with two planks of wood of different colors was parked near one of the two fences, the one used as a warehouse, in which a new horse was drinking some water.

"Eirik's carriage is here, my brother must have come back a little while ago" Gridd said, spurring Light and pulling Aslan's bridles, allowing them to tackle the steep, slow-paced climb.

"I didn't know Asa had a third child... isn't he around with members of his Clan?" Egill asked, who ignored Eirik's identity, having never met him before.

"No, my brother is not a warrior. He decided to continue my father's work as a lumberjack. The two of them sold wood at Jernhest Market and when Stein died, Eirik was able to continue with what he had been taught, expanding the stall and creating a real shop. It's only thanks to him that my mother hasn't been completely alone since Dag also started traveling" Gridd replied, trying to give her traveling companion a clear picture of the situation.

"I got it. Well, I can't wait to meet her then! We haven't seen each other for years!" Egill said eagerly, getting off his horse and approaching walking towards the animals' wooden fences.