Winter Solstice Winter - Book I in the Viking Blood Saga

It had been three days since Lucia had arrived at the end of the freezing tunnel. Her hands had been numb since day one, and a few of her fingers had turned blue with splotches of black. Her cough had progressively grown worse and her lungs burned as she hacked away, sometimes even coughing up blotches of blood. All the food that was packed in her bag was gone and she could feel the fever raging through her body.

  She had tried once more on the second day to knock on the gate, but Nora had never come. Lucia had even tried to open the gate, but it was locked from the outside. Returning to the castle was out of the question, because she knew what ill fate awaited her there. Though she was utterly exhausted to the core, sleep had eluded her deprived body for she was too afraid to miss Nora’s arrival, or worse, she feared she might fall asleep—forever.

  When the knock finally came, Lucia thought she was dreaming, but then, as the knock persisted and increased in volume, she realized it was real. She crept up close to the opening and saw Nora’s familiar old face peaking in. “Nora!” she cried, tears of joy brimming to the edges of her eyes.

  “Lucia, my dear, dear child, I am so glad you are still here. I was so worried about you. I shall explain everything later. I am just so glad to hear your voice, my blessed child,” she whispered.

  Lucia started coughing again.

  “Oh dear, you sound dreadfully ill. We must hurry and get you to safety,” Nora said, opening the creaky gate. She grabbed Lucia’s arm and pulled her up and out of the cavern. After Nora made sure the path was clear, they ran across the quiet, blackened, snowy road toward the northern exit.

  “I have my horse outside the walls,” Nora said, breathing heavily.

  Coughing and wheezing all the way, Lucia had a hard time keeping up with the old handmaiden. Finally at the horse, Nora helped Lucia mount it, and when they were both settled onto the mare’s back, she nudged the horse to start moving. The wind was fierce, leaching in through Lucia’s not warm enough blanket, chilling her bare face, and freezing her body to its core.

  “It will be just a little way.” Nora spoke directly into Lucia’s ear, her arms wrapped around her torso. “This road leads down toward the main street and eventually to the church.”

  I hope she is not talking about the Christian Church. Lucia still hated Jesus, for the more she thought about it, the more she believed it was his fault her mother had died, and it was his fault she was in this life-threatening predicament. “I am so glad… ouch, uh… you are here… uh… uh,” Lucia kept saying over and over, her body shaking and jerking with every cough.

  “Oh, my dear princess, we will need to call for a medicine man,” Nora said, placing her hand on Lucia’s burning brow. “Just a while longer now and we will be there.”

  Heavy clouds hovered low over the city, slowly releasing their millions of snowflakes onto the tired, old town. No other people were out this time of night, probably for fear of being abducted by the Vikings who had steadily increased their raids, or for fear of Eiess’ Surtorians.

  Nora steered the horse into a small side road next to a tavern, and Lucia could hear laughter come from the inside. The snow-white path led to a field, where the modest Bergendal stave church stood. Its four-tiered roof was covered in snow. A low rectangular wooden fence, with one pillar at each corner, edged around the church and enclosed hundreds of tightly placed gravestones. There was a clear path stamped out in the snow from another direction and Nora steered the horse onto the path. Lights were lit inside the church, Lucia noticed, but no light was burning outside. Nora directed the horse to enter at the western gate at the church’s rear entrance.

  Right as the horse stopped, a tall, lanky man came out the back door and greeted them. Lucia thought she might have met him before, but could not remember where.

  “Hello and welcome to the Lord’s house,” he said, reaching both palms up toward his guests. “I have been expecting you, blessed sisters.” He lowered his hands, clasping them in front of his hips.

  Lucia was in and out of consciousness now but still coughing often. She finally recognized the man as the bishop who had spoken when she attended church a while back. Bishop Peter. He wore a brown tunic alb and had not bothered to put his overcoat on before he came out. Lucia saw a younger, but very stalky man come out behind the Bishop.

  “This is Anders. He will take your horse and feed him in the stable,” Bishop Peter said.

  Anders stepped forward and grabbed the horse by the reigns.

  “I’m Bishop Peter.” The two men of God helped both ladies off the horse, but they had not anticipated how weak Lucia was. Lucia collapsed the instant her feet hit the ground.

  “Oh heavens!” Bishop Peter said, picking her up immediately and lifting her inside. “I apologize in advance. The church is not very well heated, I’m afraid. I will have Anders put some more wood on the hearth.”

  Lucia’s eyes were shut, but she noticed they had stepped inside now. It was warmer inside the church but not warm enough for comfort.

  “The girl is very ill,” Nora said, walking over to Bishop Peter. “Can you send for a healer or medicine man?”

  “I am educated in the art of healing. I will do my best. Let me place her in my chambers. You may both sleep there tonight and until she is well. I will take the back room.” He started walking through a narrow hallway.

  Nora followed closely behind.

  “Ivar said you would be arriving several days ago. Was I mistaken?” he asked.

  Lucia could hear Anders come back inside, stomping the snow off his boots in the entrance.

  “Boil water immediately, Anders, we need to bring this girl back to life,” Bishop Peter yelled in Anders’s direction.

  I am in a Christian church. The gods will curse me, as they did my mother.

  “I was captured by a Viking,” Nora said.

  So that was why she was late. I could have died because she was not careful enough not to get caught. Lucia surprised herself how bitter she felt.

  They entered a small room with a humble looking bed at the end of it. Wool throws covered a straw mattress.

  Bishop Peter turned around. “How on earth did you escape?”

  “I told him I would return with my mother’s gold amulet if he released me,” Nora said.

  “Do you have such an amulet?” Bishop Peter asked.

  “No,” Nora answered. “My mother is not alive either.”

  “So, how did you get him to believe you and let you go?” Bishop Peter arrived at the bed and laid Lucia down on it.

  Taking Lucia’s shoes off, Nora started massaging heat into her numb feet with her wrinkled, gnarly hands. Her feet were frozen cold, swollen, and some of her toes had turned blackish purple.

  “You poor darling,” Nora said to Lucia. She turned to Bishop Peter. “I kept serving the Viking strong mead until he could not think straight.”

  “Thank the Lord for mead,” Bishop Peter said, folding his hands as if he were praying.

  It was not quite the reaction Lucia had anticipated from Bishop Peter. She thought men of this new God did not believe in excessive drinking.

  Bishop Peter sat down on the bed and studied Lucia for a while, listening to her heart and lungs. He stood up and signaled for Nora to follow him to the corner. Nora stood up and approached him.

  Lucia could hear their conversation even though they were whispering.

  “This girl is very ill,” Bishop Peter said. “How long has she had this fever and cough?”

  “I do not know, but longer than I would like to think,” Nora whispered back.

  “Her lungs are not well. I will do my best, but unfortunately, there is not much I can do for her other than pray and hope for a miracle,” Bishop Peter said.

  Had Lucia been able to speak up, she would have told the godless man to do no such thing for the truth was, she would rather die than have herself any way bound to a contrived idol such as this white pretend god.

  “Surely, there must be something you can do. She is the princess!
” Nora pleaded in desperation and then she lowered her voice. “And she is the Great Sentinor!”

  Bishop Peter’s eyes widened. “The Great Sentinor? Oh, Lord. The only man I know who may be able to help her is not here. It would take weeks before anyone would be able to reach him.”

  “Soren,” Nora said. “Yes, he would be the only one.”

  “How do you know Soren?” Bishop Peter asked, sounding surprised.

  “He is Lucia’s betrothed. I first met him when I contracted ergotism. He was the only one who could heal me. If Soren knew that Lucia was here, he would come for her immediately. Should we send for him?”

  “Nora?” Lucia said. She could feel the warmth starting to breathe life into her body.

  “I am here, my dear. You are safe with us now.” Nora hastened toward the bed.

  “I have a letter from my father, uh… uh… uh…” she coughed. Her hands searched her bag for the scroll.

  Nora helped her find it and gave it to her.

  “From my father. He said to read it as soon as I was safe.” She felt the anticipation of reading his words energize her. Holding it up so Nora could see, she asked, “Will you read it to me? I am too tired.”

  “Of course, my love,” Nora said, looking over at Bishop Peter.

  “I will leave you to your privacy.” He bowed his head and walked out, closing the door behind him.

  Nora tucked a brown, itchy pillow behind Lucia’s back, so she could sit up in a semi-reclining position. When she opened the red Bergendal-sealed scroll, two additional smaller scrolls fell out. One of them read Lucia and the other, Ailia.

  “Ailia?” Nora said, a tone of excitement in her voice. “Do you remember that Ailia was the name your mother spoke right before she died?” she asked Lucia. However, Lucia picked up on that it was not so much a question as it was a reminder.

  Nora began reading the main letter first, smiling as if she knew something Lucia did not.

  My dearest beloved Lucia,

  I have sat down to write this letter many times over the years, but have not been able to due to my lack of faith. Now, as I am imprisoned by Eiess in my own castle and am preparing for your escape, I am forced to write it in a hurry. Please forgive me if I come across abrupt, but time is not my ally and I must inform you of many essential things.

  You may not understand everything I am about to say to you or understand why your mother and I chose to do things the way we did. It does not mean we loved you less than your sister.

  Nora looked up. “Did you know you had a sister?” she asked, caressing Lucia’s cheek.

  Lucia opened her eyes. “Yes, I always knew,” Lucia said calmly. “My mother spoke to me about her from time to time, but she died when she was just a baby. She was my twin.”

  Nora nodded and continued reading.

  Your mother spoke to you of your twin sister who died at birth. The truth is that she did not die, Lucia. She still lives, even here in Bergendal.

  “She is still alive?” Lucia perked up a bit. “I have a sister! We must find her!”

  Nora looked up again, lowering the letter to her lap. “I am sorry we have all kept this a secret from you, Lucia.”

  “What?” Lucia said. “You knew my sister was alive and did not tell me?” Why did Nora know this and not Lucia? Every direction she turned, there was another lie, another deceit. But the worst of it was that the lies came from the people she thought she could trust. Nora. Her father. And worst of all, her mother.

  Nora nodded her head, took a deep breath and read on.

  To protect Ailia’s identity, we gave her away at birth to a loving couple. To protect her identity even further, your mother and I did not know of the couple’s identity.

  Ivar, our faithful guard, brought Ailia to the family and even to this day, the family still does not know who Ailia is. Your mother and I do not know where Ailia lives, only Ivar knows.

  My dear Lucia, your sister is the Light—the Light in which you need to bear—the true Great Sentinor. Eiess still believes you are the Great Sentinor and she will be hunting you until the day you die, or until she discovers the truth. Please forgive us in protecting your sister and endangering you by creating an illusion that you were the Great Sentinor. Try to understand that this decision was an attempt to save her life and ultimately, the life of all people in Midgard, including yours, from the evils of Eiess. If Ailia does not defeat Eiess in this lifetime, we are all doomed.

  Your sister needs you. She does not know of your existence or of her royal lineage and she is unaware that she is the Great Sentinor. You must find her and tell her. We gave the same Bergendal crested gold ring to her adoptive parents to keep in an unopened chest until we claimed her back. Ask them for it, for this will be proof to you that she is your sister.

  Lucia twisted her ring around her finger, a festering ache growing in her bosom. They used me? They used me!

  Nora continued reading.

  On the morrow, Eiess has planned for my execution. Please forgive me for deceiving you, yet again. But I feared you would not have left my side had I told you. My sacrifice is getting you out safe and it is a happy sacrifice indeed. Rest assured, I am joyful, now having been reunited with my wife and your mother Maud and our unborn son in Valhalla. I am looking down on you with love and hope, and I will always be with you, watching over you until we meet again one glorious and bright day.

  Your loving father,

  Olav