Born a Monster

Chapter 59

Drumhead Court

With the exception of one mother and her husband, who showed up to collect their son, swearing that he would be in court shortly after dawn, the night passed without incident. We did have to gag the children afterward, but generally speaking the weather was light rain, and we could repair our hammocks.

We did bundle up our belongings and take them with us, and Dimmihammas was on watch from a few trees over. Just in case.

“You can’t march us around tied up like this and with our willies out. That’s cruel and unusual punishment.”

“We SHOULD chop their willies off as rapists.” Madonna said.

.....

“Less talking, more walking.” Gamilla said, yanking on the rope that tied their wrists to each other.

Rather than being offended, the local girls took note of and mocked the genitals of the captives.

Their parents were there, with disapproving glances, and pants.

Serving as the jarl’s voice was a gray-haired and bearded man named Sindre Eriksen. He was dressed in layers of linen and cotton, and muscled more like a village champion than village elder.

“Let me do the talking.” Gamilla said. “I’ve studied law, and you come across as... just let me do the talking.”

Rather than quote everything said, let me summarize. The fact that this happened outside the town walls didn’t matter at all.

The parents and criminals spoke first, painting us as abductors and kidnappers, who shunned normal society and were otherwise suspicious.

Gamilla spoke, painting them as vandals and would-be murderers and rapists. “And you lot would have honored them for this, to show the strength of Norvik over foreigners.” She ended.

And then, there were a few questions asked by Sindre, which were answered briefly.

He stroked his mustache. “Boys will be boys.” He said. “But what is shameful is that this matter is even here, in court. Do ANY present desire to fight the outsiders for perceived loss of honor?”

“I’ll gladly take...” sack boy was cuffed by his father.

“Silence, boy. Adults are talking.”

“As they were caught in the act, value or equivalent goods are owed to the foreigners.” Sindre said.

“I can fix up their tent and other fabrics, better than new.” A seamstress said.

There was a smith, and a net mender, and others. In the end, the boys owed us only a few tin. The inn that claimed they had no open beds would host us until our tent was repaired.

“Now,” said Sindre, “as to the other matter, kidnapping. Does any present deny these weapons are sharpened to inflict actual damage? Good, then I find that the outsiders have acted with restraint and decorum, since they have been provoked.”

He got a cruel smile. “Now, if you can just present your camping permit...”

“What is the fine?” Gamilla asked.

“Fine? This isn’t some barbarian realm where coin is valued over blood. You shall be granted a camping permit, good for all Norvik-claimed lands... but you shall do us a kindness, first.”

Gamilla squinted. “What manner of kindness?”

“A simple affair.” Sindre said. “There is a wolf of unusual size. Surely named champions such as yourselves will have no problem bringing a mere beast to heel.”

#

Eating a lot is expected of champions and heroes in Norvik culture. Being able to eat as much as three normal men... not so much. I could see the innkeep and his wife looking at me sideways.

“Bastard. We walked right into his trap.” Gamilla said.

“Knowing what we do now, how would we have avoided it?” I asked.

“We couldn’t have.” Madonna said. “I’d be surprised if camping permits actually exist.”

Gamilla’s nostrils flared. “They had better. I intend to get a full suite of papers.”

Kismet leaned back, sipping on a mug of mead. “We have nothing but theory for the next two days. Either this Fenris thing is friendly or it isn’t. We won’t know which until we find it, or hey until it finds us.”

“Hey, guys. Family’s important to these guys, right?” Narces asked.

“What are you thinking, Narces?” I asked

“Well, if the governor has a habit of killing families, there may be families allied to those. They can’t be happy with the situation.”

I shrugged. “If we have time to look into that, then we have time to look into that.”

“Mapping out bloodlines for any of these colonies is a work of weeks if not months.” Madonna said. “Besides, if they aren’t hiding their heads, Findseth and his cronies would have taken them off.”

“I don’t understand how someone like that holds power.” Kismet said. “If he’s hated that much...”

“Ah, but he is feared more.” Madonna said. “Never underestimate the value of intimidation.”

“Look, we’re going to overthrow a government. If we’re not staying here to rule it, we need to be of a mind who’s going to be governor of this colony.”

“I support Sindre.” Gamilla said.

“Well, then, let’s be sure of who he is, and that he really is the candidate we want for the position. Who supports him, whom he is allied to, that manner of thing. And...”

“And?” Kismet asked.

“And we should have a backup candidate or two just in case he’s strongly allied to the Findseths. Or just... someone we can’t stand being in charge here.”

“Igrun Sivert.” She said. “I’d like to look into who she is, and who she was before her family was crushed. If we make her the mayor, then we’ve accomplished restoring her status in Norvik society.”

“Romance novels, but I concur it’s worth looking into.” Madonna said.

“I must be missing something.” Narces said. “If Norvik is a warrior culture, won’t they want a warrior in charge?”

“Women can also be warriors.” I said. “This isn’t something we need to do in the next week or so, and it’s something we need to do right rather than fast. So, let’s gather what information we can, where we can.”

#

“So, you want to wield an axe?” Thorfin asked me. He was a retired warrior who sometimes taught the axe to young warriors.

“I want to learn what the axe is to a Norvik. Or, if that’s too much to learn in two days, at least how to hold it.”

“I can teach you how to hold the thing, aye. And perhaps how to strike with it as well. But first, tell me why. Why do you wish to learn of the axe?”

“I can’t very well serve the Bearer of the Legendary Axe if I am ignorant of what that means. Learning what an axe is, how it prefers to be used, this seems to be a critical thing.”

“And why do you speak of the axe as though it is a living thing, a thing with feelings?”

“For the same reason we name weapons, I suppose. You can’t use a sword like a spear, or a spear like an axe, or an axe like a hammer. Each must be used differently with a shield than without. I need to understand how the axe is meant to be used, and perhaps more importantly, how it is not to be used.”

“Well, little steps. Show me how you would hold... Ah, no, lad. That’s the carpenter’s hold. You can swing an axe like that, but to fight with an axe, you need to hold here ... and here.”

And there was the axeman’s stance, which I kept going into my knife stance by reflex. One could parry with the haft, but blocking steel with wood was just the sort of thing you did only if your meaty flesh would be hit otherwise.

As I may have mentioned, it is a more aggressive weapon. It is prone to strikes rather than parries, and though you can thrust with some axes, most are meant to be swung in arcs. Long, slow, powerful arcs. Which makes them easy to block with a shield.

And the maintenance! Axes, like hammers, tend to come loose from their hafts when used. Worse when used wrong. That was even before one considered the blade itself, which was difficult to keep sharp when it was cleaving shield or bone or... well, anything else.

But yes, it was the tool of the berserker. Of the warrior who wanted things to be over. I could see how Rakkal’s personality matched that of his weapon, for better and for worse.

Damn it, but Hortiluk was clever. Oh, perhaps I should mention him. He’s the red-skinned hobgoblin who did a bunch of the political and espionage stuff that Rakkal and his siblings just weren’t good at. He walked the line of treason, and laid plans that would kick off only after Rakkal died.

An axe is not a defensive weapon. Even clad in field plate, if Rakkal did everything himself, sooner or later, he would fall in combat.

Once I understood this, I knew I needed to wrap things up down here in the Isles, and get back home. Rakkal needed a shield, and he wasn’t likely to seek one out on his own.

#