“The trolls, as you call them, aren’t like your trolls,” she informed him. “In our mines, they are at usually under eleven feet tall and the rare one might be twelve feet. We build our tunnels to be about fifteen feet in height, and you might be surprised by how difficult fighting in them can be when your weapon hits the ceiling.”

  Nodding, Einar listened as she continued her real education on how dangerous what they would face really was.

  “Remember, they have a magic that lets them hide. Some call it stone melding. Others call it different things, but a troll down there can remain motionless for days, barely breathing, watching and waiting for the moment to attack.

  “You might pass one and never know it was there until it reached out and plucked you from the ground, lifting your head to its mouth. Since you all are much lighter and smaller, it could possibly shove half your body into its maw.”

  “And they don’t stink, you say?”

  “Not until they reveal themselves,” Bartia muttered. “It’s some kind of magical camouflage or spell. No one knows how it works, but they do have a few body parts your kind likes for runes. Perhaps someone gifted in that area of magic might know how or what better than I do.

  “Your biggest problem that I see is that most of you use axes and spears. Against those trolls, you’ll need hammers… well, perhaps everyone but you. Their skin is like stone and a sharp edge is more likely to chip or break off than do damage to them. Even our dwarven axes are less effective against them.”

  Frowning, Einar tapped his pencil against the journal a few times.

  “Would your people be open to supplying us with a few hammers?”

  “For the right price, I have no doubt. Somewhere, there must be a few that the children practice with that would fit most of you.”

  Her grin made it harder not to laugh as he shook his head and wrote more notes.

  “And the goblins are just slightly worse than those kraku?”

  “Only because they can number in the hundreds and have no problem running headfirst down a mine, sacrificing each other to get to you. If you’re wearing plate armor, it’s not as bad but most dwarves don’t, especially the ones in the mines. A few guards have it but if the goblins attack and you’re just out there searching for ore, it won’t end well.”

  Making a few additional notes in his book, Einar nodded, well aware he was frowning at how dangerous the things they were going to face would be underground.

  “All in the dark…”

  She chuckled and nodded.

  “I can see in a mine pretty well for about a hundred feet. They can see even better. Light is great but it also draws attention so it's a toss-up on whether a dwarf will use it. Some prefer to mine in the dark, using the gifts we have naturally. I’m of the belief since I’m making noise, it’s better to have a few lights set up as well as some guards. That way you can protect yourself better, but not everyone agrees, striking out on their own, believing they will find a lode and not have to share it with others. Old ways and all.”

  “That’s because some ore can only be seen in the dark?” Einar asked.

  Bartia sighed and bobbed her head.

  “Yes, which makes it even worse. Imagine discovering you passed up ore that could have been easily found just because it doesn’t appear in the light. Once a vein was found a few hundred years ago that had been present for at least five hundred years! Since they had large lights and fires going it was never spotted, and only after the mine was shut down and the final torches extinguished did it appear.”

  Waving her hands in the air, the dwarf groaned.

  “I have heard stories about how the king at the time was troubled by such a thing. So now most mines and tunnels are given a moment of darkness to ensure nothing is missed.”

  We need about a hundred pounds or more of that ore… yet I hear it's a king's ransom to acquire it…

  As he made notes, the sound of someone approaching caused him to look up and turn.

  Yawning, Avitue tapped the side of the wagon.

  “Are you going to spend all night with her, or will you actually get some rest? The sun is starting to cast its light, and from what I hear, you haven’t tried to rest yet.”

  She frowned at him, and the narrowness of her eyes left him doubting that she wasn’t happy about that.

  “Being in charge means staying up late sometimes. Besides, Bartia was telling me more about what we are going to face and I need to prove to her I’m just as hearty as a dwarf.”

  Both women groaned.

  “Every now and then I think he’s different, smarter than most men, and then he talks like that,” their dwarf friend said. “I’m sorry you must deal with such a bumbling idiot.”

  Avitue let out a sigh and bobbed her head.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Yes… I thought I married well, but sometimes I wonder.”

  Winking at her, Einar closed his book and stood up.

  “Fine… I’ll rest for thirty minutes or so. Wake me up when it's time to start the real work.”

  Leaping from the wagon, he moved to his wife and kissed her.

  “Oh, gods no,” she muttered. “Go brush your teeth first!”

  Checking his breath, Einar winced at how right she was.

  ***

  “We have incoming!”

  Everyone moved to where Eskil, one of Jepi’s main warriors, was riding toward the collection of wagons, shouting from his horse.

  Einar saw the large dust cloud rising up behind the Viking.

  “How many could that be?” he shouted at Bartia who was running with her hammer in one hand.

  “Too many! Look at the treeline!”

  He had already seen what she was motioning toward and was surprised at how sharp her eyes always seemed to be.

  “Thorodd! Take five and prepare for the north treeline! Vidar take six and go to the south! Everyone else with me!”

  Both men shouted names as they chose warriors to assist in the direction they had been ordered.

  As the groups began to split, Eskil arrived, his red hair matted against his head, cuts noticeable on his arms and legs, and long gashes on one side of his brown mare’s haunches.

  “We were ambushed… half a mile behind me. They are fighting.”

  Each word was labored, and when Einar tried to figure out why, he saw the bubbling of blood coming from under the warrior’s side.

  “Healing! Thorve!”

  “You need to leave some here,” Bartia shouted as she ran past where Einar had stopped. “Some might loop behind!”

  “Avitue! Take five! Hold the camp!”

  Some of the women began to curse, but when their pack leader shouted, they quickly quieted down, preparing to obey as a screech from the direction of their camp rang out.

  “It’s a Frenzy!” their dwarf shouted, her voice booming across the road and clearing. “They won’t stop till either we or they are dead!”

  Leaving the wounded Viking and his injured horse behind, Einar considered the danger they were racing toward.

  She said once they are like this, the pack of krakus won’t run away… which makes me wonder why so many are chasing Jepi and his men.

  Skardi’s shout rang out as he and the others with Thorodd engaged the group flanking their sides, a pack of at least ten large rats bounding across the packed soil.

  Flames flew to the south, impacting the treeline near Vidar’s men, as Ragna used his spells to help the Vikings about to engage the thirteen or more creatures there.

  Up ahead, Einar saw the rest of Jepi’s men and followers. There were only two wagons in sight. Most of the goods that had been stored on them appeared tossed off as warriors stood in the back, shooting arrows at anything that got close.

  A whole cart and like eight horses are missing!

  “Engage! Support and help them get to our camp! We need to fight as one!”

  Barking out orders, Einar began to draw upon his wyrd slightly, feeling the world and everything become sharper, his vision noticing a few more details much easier.

  It was then that he saw the pack of at least thirty krakus that were giving chase spread out across the road and near the woods.

  “Form walls! Protect each other’s sides and back!”

  Two shield maidens moved near him as he slowed down, shields up and waiting for the horses foaming at the mouth, blood covering a few spots on their sides, most likely from the whip the drivers were using on them.

  As his right hand began to be engulfed in flames, Einar saw just how bad the wagons were under attack.

  Chunks of wood were missing, and a pair of Vikings were spearing a beast that had attempted to jump into the back wagon.

  Loud shouts could almost be made out as the first cart with Jepi drew near, barking out instructions, blood covering his arms and chest.

  “Fall to the wagons! Everyone move back as one! We need to protect the carts!”

  The groups that moved to the woods were attempting to disengage. The giant rats made it difficult as they surrounded them, and they were willing to sacrifice themselves for one of their kind to get in close.

  Sending a ball of fire toward the north, where Thorodd and his group were attempting to hold back the incoming horde, the first wagon was now less than fifty yards away, and he could hear Jepi shouting.

  “There are more! At least thirty or forty!”

  Motioning to those around him, they began to move back, a few arrows flying past him and into the krakus that were running after the wagons.

  “Ragna! Fall back! We need to conserve your wyrd!”

  Einar could see how quickly everything had changed from a simple rescue attempt into a fight for survival as the black shapes moved along the road and open areas, their bodies bounding with each stride. Some scattered into the woods while others kept their pursuit of the wagons and men.

  Sending another blast of fire out at the rats behind the wagon, Einar began to jog, urging those behind him to move quickly.

  “We cannot fall behind! We’ll be overrun!”

  Screeches and shrieks filled the air as the beasts communicated and moved as a pack, each animal almost operating from one mind.

  The sound of combat filled the air and Einar saw Ragna’s body taking on a glow he had only seen once. A dagger was in each hand and the normal red and orange flames there had turned slightly blue.

  “Prepare for this!” the rune caster shouted. “We’re going to need you to master this now!”

  He took a few deep breaths as he flung his shield towards the wagons, pulled out his other axe and called upon his wyrd.

  It was harder than anything he had tried to learn so far, and Ragna commented on how many years it had taken him just to get the faintest idea of control. The rune caster had been extremely impressed that he had so quickly managed not only to begin controlling it but had learned to channel the fire as it was supposed to be.

  Odin… I’m going to need some help here.

  As he said a small prayer to the god that had summoned him, Einar attempted to adjust the wyrd inside him. He didn’t need it to just burn with rage but instead needed it to be like a flame that could burn like a torch through metal. It needed to be focused, direct, and limited in its reach.

  A cry from the camp brought his attention to where he was headed, and before him was a sight he hadn’t been expecting.

  From the woods had emerged more krakus and they had moved toward the wagons that were limited in defense.

  Avitue was fighting with two other shield maidens, trying to defend Thorve, who appeared to be down. A trio of rats was surrounding them, working at getting the prey they had injured.

  Inside Einar, the rage he felt roared, but instead, he focused on helping his wife.

  It was then that the flames around him began to change.