Blader lifted his shield, feeling the heat blasting all around him as he prayed for the best. Beside him Skalfi was gritting her teeth, eyes closed against the torrential fire. Erik was on his other side, anger etched across his features. He couldn't see Wolfsted, on the other side of Skalfi.

The fire streamed all around them, pouring off their shields and forming a circle of flame around the four recruits. The dragon stopped its downpour of fire and watched as they lowered their shields slightly, glancing around at the thin ring of fire encircling them, the flames licking at the air.

"I don't remember there being a circle of fire in that myth about the gold," Wolfsted said.

"It's in a different myth," Skalfi murmured. "The one with the Fallen Valkyrie."

Blader tilted his head to look at her. Fallen Valkyrie. "The one with the mortal hero."

Skalfi nodded. "I don't remember their names, but there was a ring of fire or something in the myth, guarding her so only the noblest could rescue her."

"That was considerate of them," Wolfsted muttered.

"Brynhild was the Valkyrie," Erik said. "Sigurd was the hero. Odin gave the sentence."

"I don't remember that one," Wolfsted said. "But then again, I always found mortal exploits in the days of past not as exciting tales to read about compared to the gods."

"Does anyone remember how to escape the circle of fire?" Blader asked.

There was silence from the other three. The dragon cocked its head, eyeing them almost lazily. It seemed to be waiting for them to act.

"As I said, I didn't read it," Wolfsted defended.

"I don't think it matters how they did it in the myth," Erik said quietly. "But that dragon won't sit there and watch us forever."

"No, he won't," Skalfi agreed. Quickly, she unbuckled her shield from her arm. "So let's get out, now, and take care of the dragon."

"What are you doing?" Blader asked her.

Skalfi glanced over at him. "Getting out of here. Follow my lead. Once we're out of the fire, attack the dragon, keep his fire on you so I can get close enough to kill him."

Without waiting for their response, she threw her shield down and kicked it so it skittered into the line of flames. The fire moved away from the object and Skalfi leapt over the shield, avoiding the fire.

Blader, Erik, and Wolfsted followed her, jumping over her shield to avoid the worst of the flames. Wolfsted kicked her shield up and handed it back to her as Blader and Erik formed a line before them, shields up.

Skalfi slipped her shield onto her back, securing it into place before drawing her dagger from her belt. As Wolfsted joined the other two guys, glancing back at her in consternation, she took up her place behind them. "Go!"

The three started toward the dragon, Blader hoping that Skalfi knew what she was doing. He didn't want to lose his friend. As the dragon blew fire at them, they ducked down behind their shields again and gritted their teeth against the pain, leaning into the stream of fire.

"I need to get close enough to stab it," Skalfi said to Blader over the roar of the flames, her voice rising in order to be heard. "With only my dagger and sword, the dragon can't throw me like it did Brunna."

As soon as the fire stopped, the four recruits charged forward, Blader in the center. When they reached the dragon, Blader slammed it in the face with his shield, instantly rolling off to the side as it recoiled, still keeping close to the ground. Erik went to the other side of the dragon, slashing at it with his sword, and Wolfsted followed Erik, choosing to feint with his shield but then jab his blade into its nostril.

Skalfi then lunged forward, moving in the direction Blader had taken, dagger clutched in a backwards grip as she plunged her blade up into the dragon's mouth. Bringing her dagger around, she stabbed it into the dragon's eye, holding on for dear life as the dragon suddenly whipped its head up, lifting her up into the air.

"Skalfi!" Blader yelled as her feet left the ground. Wolfsted raced along the dragon's side, cutting at its wings as the dragon began to unfurl them. Erik ran after the Aldrian, helping him strike at the wings as the dragon attempted to leave the ground.

Skalfi swung from the blades embedded in the dragon's eye and mouth as the dragon cried out in pain, spitting out a gust of fire. Just in time she let go of her sword in the dragon's mouth, swinging to the side from one hand as the fire shot past her, narrowly avoiding it.

Wolfsted and Erik continued to hack at the dragon's wings, Blader starting on the other side, as the dragon screamed and turned to snap at the two recruits who had done the most damage to its wings so far. As its head came closer to the ground, Skalfi wrenched her dagger through its eye, yanking the blade out and rolling as soon as she hit the ground. She came out of her roll and spun around, one knee on the ground, bloody dagger gripped tightly in her hand.

Wolfsted charged the beast, lowering his shield at the last moment and dropping his sword. Reaching into the beast's mouth, he grasped the hilt of Skalfi's sword and drove it upward, further into the mouth of the creature, just as Blader and Erik ran up to the dragon's head and thrust their blades into its eyes.

Quickly, all three withdrew their swords, right before the dragon jerked its head upwards. Skalfi seized Wolfsted's blade and the four recruits watched as the dragon fell over onto its back after trying to fly, squalling and coughing up fire.

"We need to get out of here," Blader said grimly as Erik raced over to Brunna's broken body. He stared down at her for a moment before kneeling and closing her eyelids.

"Rest well, einherjar," he said quietly, and then turned to the others. His eyes were pained. "Let's go."

The four sprinted across the chamber after snatching up their dropped lanterns, heading for the archway opposite the one for the gold room, running through it and into the tunnel beyond as the dragon continued to scream.

[----]

It took a while before the recruits slowed to a walk, content in the knowledge that the dragon couldn't follow them. They were silent as they walked, Wolfsted leading the way with his lantern light flickering off the walls.

Brunna had died so quickly. They'd barely had time to process it before moving on with the fight. I suppose that's how things are in war, Blader reflected as he trudged along behind Wolfsted, Skalfi behind him and Erik bringing up the rear. You aren't given time to mourn your comrade before the next swing comes at you.

"I still have your sword, Wolfsted," Skalfi said suddenly, her quiet voice sounding loud in the silent tunnel.

"That's right," Wolfsted answered. "I have yours." Without a word, he passed Skalfi's sword back to Blader, who handed it to Skalfi and took the blade from her and handed it to Wolfsted. The two sheathed their swords.

"Do we have any plan?" Skalfi asked.

"Just walk until we find an exit," Blader said.

"I only want to get out of here," Erik said quietly.

The recruits lapsed back into silence as they continued walking. Blader now felt like he was starting to understand his father's silence on his time with the einherjar better. He must have seen so many of his comrades and friends die in battle. How do you simply walk away from that? How will I walk away from that?

I don't know if you can.

Thor's Bridge had taken Blader a long time to recover from, and that had been only one traumatic event. What would happen when he was exposed to one such event after the other? Would his fireshock become permanent, inescapable?

Will I, too, never speak about my days in the einherjar?

But his father had been proud to see Blader enlist, no matter what his mother thought. How did that work? Did Karl Thrym not speak about his time in the wars because Gunil hadn't wanted him to? Or was it his own fireshock that prevented him from deliberately reliving those events? Then why would he want his son subject to that? Was it simply that Blader was carrying on the family legacy?

Blader only knew details about one of Karl's battles, the Battle of Folr Wood. His father had never spoken of it himself, but he had heard the story from a neighbor.

Folr Wood was the battle where Dyr Gunar himself had been killed. He had taken refuge within the forest, along with his closest advisors. Blader now wondered if Saga, Loqé's mother, had been there with Gunar that day. He wondered if Loqé had been there, too.

The einherjar had received word of Gunar's whereabouts and had instantly planned to strike. The god Magni had assembled his elite squad of einherjar warriors to lead an assault through the forest directly on the hideout, the rest of the soldiers coming in behind them. Modi, Vali, and Vidar had all been there, ready to lead their units of einherjar into the forest.

But first Magni's squad had to sneak in.

According to the neighbor, the squad had successfully made it in, eliminating Gunar's defenses and fending off the wolves that slept outside the compound. One of them had killed Gunar, with a sword blow through the chest, and several of his advisors had also been killed, the rest taken as prisoners of war.

"The squad was disbanded after that day," the neighbor had told Blader as he and Ivan sat at the neighbor's kitchen table, lowering his voice to a whisper. Night had fallen and Blader's parents had had to make an urgent trip to Gunil's ailing mother's house, in a village near Drottning. "Magni hasn't had such an elite group since. It's a shame, really. The Hammer Squad was always able to get the job done, and spent the year of the Wolf King hunting him ceaselessly. If it wasn't for their Valkyrie liaison always being too hasty, they would have killed Gunar before Folr Wood."

That shield was gifted to me by the god Magni after the Battle of Folr Wood.

Blader remembered his father's words, the day before his assessment, telling him about the shield. Magni gave Papa a shield after Folr Wood. Was Papa one of his squad?

It would make sense, since the shield was gifted after that battle. Perhaps a parting gift with the disbandment of the squad? Blader glanced down at the shield, still on his arm, and wondered.

I know he fought that day. Could Papa have been a part of the Hammer Squad?

"Look!" Wolfsted cried suddenly, gesturing ahead of them. "Is that light?"

Blader, Skalfi, and Erik all looked up. It did seem as if a light was shining up ahead, looking more natural than any of the light they had seen in the tunnels thus far.

"Perhaps it's a way out!" Skalfi exclaimed.

"Or another trap," Erik said, yet his voice sounded hopeful. "We should see!"

"Yes, we should," Blader seconded. "Let's go."

Wolfsted picked up his pace, the other three keeping right behind him, heads up in anticipation. Blader desperately hoped it was the exit. All he wanted was to be out of the cramped, stifling darkness of the tunnels and breathe the fresh air, see the sun – or even clouds, he didn't care – and be free at last.

The light grew as they approached its source and Wolfsted broke into a jog, the lantern swinging wildly in his hand. Blader, Skalfi, and Erik ran behind him, eyes trained on the light. It was so close, so close.

Then the recruits were ducking through the archway and stepping out of the tunnel into sunlight, warming their faces. The sky was bright blue, wispy white clouds drifting across it in the warm breeze, the grasses at their feet swaying gently. They had emerged into a meadow, filled with grass and flowers nodding in the sun, the mountain rising behind them, covered with green growth.

Blader took a deep breath. "We're finally out of the tunnels," he murmured. He glanced at the flowers, all beautiful colors, and smiled as he was reminded of Freyja. She'd love this. He thought of the promise he had made her, to return so he could see the flowers. I will return home. I will see my family again.

/**/

What did you think? Of the fight with the dragon? Of their escape through the tunnels and entering the meadow?

If you have any constructive criticism, I'd love to hear it! Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed! Please vote and comment!

Skylar Wittenborn