The air was crisp and the ship moved through the waves with ease. It would have been a lovely day at sea if it wasn't for the fact that I was supposed to be riding to my maðurs and not sailing on a raid.

I sighed and gazed out at the horizon where the blue sky met the darker water, remembering the messenger who'd brought us the news of Bjarke's latest accomplishments. According to Liv's friend, he was hiding in a village, and I had decided to go after him, without Vidar and Freke. I knew it was stupid, but I coulden't sit there and wait for them to come and rescue me like some weakling. I needed to do this for my son and for my lover. And for my own self respect.

"I'm surprised that Liv stayed in Skal voluntarily," Dag sniggered as he walked up beside me.

"She despises me," I chuckled and gave him a wink, "she's probably convincing everyone to make her jarl while i'm gone."

"And you're laughing about it?" Ivar said more seriously from where he sat and crafted a wooden idol with a small knife, spreading flakes all around his feet, "she would make a terrible jarl."

"She would," Dag agreed, "Noora would be a better choice."

"Says the lovestruck boy," I teased and gained a confused look from Ivar. "But you're right, if I die Noora would be the best choice."

"You need to put another child in her belly," said Ivar and joined us by the mast and handed me the small statue of the god of war he just made me, "you need more heirs."

"I'm not sure I do," I said with a shrug of my shoulders, but thanked him for the gift.

I could sense Ivar's frustration and I knew he let his emotions speak. "You've spent too much time with the wolves," he scowled, "they've been a bad influence on you."

"You are wrong, my friend," Dag disagreed, "Tyr is stronger with Freke."

The conversation ended as we started to see land, and we prepared our bodies and minds for battle and a possible death.

With my friends close behind, my feet landed in the shallow water and I started to run towards the men who were coming towards us. Their eyes black from hate and bodies filled with rage.

"You need to be careful Tyr," Dag yelled towards me, "there's no healer with us, remember?"

How could I forget? Every second without my wolves was pure agony, and in a situation like this, I felt lost.

I swung my axe, then raised my shield blocking a few hits with it, only to stumble on rocks and dead bodies. The fight was even. They were skilled, but so were we. I stepped to the left and parried a blow, ducked and pushed the oponent with my shield. He staggered backwards and I got my chance to smash my weapon through his jaw. He instantly fell to the ground, screaming like a wounded pig.

A kick from someone forced me off balance and onto the ground. I was quick to stand – only to be attacked by two men from behind. A long spear flew through the air and landed in one of their chests, just in time for me to spin around and push the other with my shield and run to my friends. I needed their backs against mine.

Blood rushed to my brain as I pressed forward, somewhere Brokk's son was hiding from me. He was no one, a maggot who fled from me because he feared me, I told myself. He cursed my lover, my village and my son because I killed his father, but he was too scared to meet me face to face and avenge him. The coward! May he rot and never reach Valhalla!

Arrows soared through the air and I raised my shield to protect me. "Shieldwall!" I screamed at my men, and they gathered around me and raised a massive wall of shields in front and above us.

The smell of sweat and blood took over my senses. My eyes peered through the slots between the round shields, noticing the advancing men. "Prepare yourselves!" I roared and dug my feet into the ground as their weapons collided with our wall, "For Odin!" I screamed and my men joined me in my call.

"FOR ODIN!"

My arm was aching after holding it in an upright position for so long. Beside me a warrior fell, and the man next to him took a step to the left and closed the gap. The shields over our heads opened up on my command, and we smashed our axes at our targets, then closed the wall for protection. We pressed forward, "left foot, right foot, hooold!" We paused while their arrows fell down upon us, around me men screamed from the hits. "Close the wall!" I screamed and my men roared as we pressed forward.

We were advancing, when I heard a warning from behind. I broke the wall as their reinforcements gathered between us and our ships."Shieldwall!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, but for no use, we were surrounded.

My axe hit a target instantly, then another and another. But as I was turning, almost out of breath, rage filled and with a ringing sound in my ears I was pushed down by a falling man. The weight of his body pulled me down with him and as I tried to stagger back on my feet something hit my head hard.

I fell to the ground and everything turned black.

"He's got a fever."

Dag's distant voice reached me in the darkness. I felt a cold hand on my face and then water filled my mouth. I tried to drink, but I was just too weak. I tried to open my eyes, but my body wouldn't react to my wishes. So instead I returned to the pleasant darkness and fell back into my slumber.

The next time I woke up, the sun was shining around me and someone was pouring water into my mouth again. I managed to flutter my eyes open and see the contours of Ivar against the bright light. His calming voice was trying to tell me something and I had to concentrate not to fall back into the darkness.

"It was a trick Tyr, Bjarke wasn't there." The words echoed through my head over and over again. If it was a trick, then why would he lure us there?

For each day passing, my body started to ache even more. I managed to stay awake more often and even open my eyes, but the waves always seemed to rock me back to sleep whenever my friends were telling me something important. I only heard fragments of it and even then I had trouble remembering their words for a longer period of time.

At one point I prayed to the great wolf. I knew deep down that I should pray to my own gods. But for some reason it felt more appropriate to ask her for help. And that night a blue shimmering creature came to me in my dreams, it curled around me much like Freke had laid around my son, and the morning after I was strong enough to finish the mug of water that I was offered by a much relieved Dag.

"It's good to see you with your eyes open, friend," he said with a nervous giggle. "You scared us."

"Stop lying," I chuckled weakly, "you were already planning on proposing to Noora and the life as jarl of Skal."

"Pft! I would never," he said and gave me a wink, "I would at least wait until you were feasting with Odin. That's the respectful thing to do."

"That's so sweet of you," I began but ended up groaning in pain, "Now let me go back to sleep."

"Haven't you slept enough?" Ivar called out as he walked up to us with a smile on his face. "We will be back home in two days time, and we need to prepare for what we'll meet."

"What happened? How many dead?" I sighed and tried to look around the boat.

"Fifteen," Dag answered, "five wounded."

"There was something wrong with their warriors, Tyr, there was some sort of madness in their eyes." Ivar said and I watched him shudder before me.

"By Odin's lost eye," I sighed, "I thought you said he lured us there to kill us? But how could he possess them if he's not close by?"

"I have no idea," Dag muttered," maybe he's got an apprentice?"

I pressed my hand towards my bandaged head and flinched from the pain, "If Bjarke lured us away from Skal to take it, we won't stand a chance."

"I wish Vidar and Freke were here," Dag chuckled, "Tyr; wolf tamer."

"So, do I," I mumbled and rested my heavy head against the wood. "So do I."

Ivar peered thoughtfully at me for a while. "So, send a message to them. Tell them to hurry."

"I would, but I'm stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean, remember?" I chuckled but Ivar looked unamused.

"Send a raven," he said, pointing at a crate with two black birds.

"I can't," I sighed, "Bjarke controles birds. At Least that's what Freke thinks."

"May the murderer die and descend to Nadastrond where Niddhog will chew on his body for all eternity," Dag hissed and glared angrily at the closing land at the horizon.

"Yes, but first we will make him suffer so much that he'll beg to be taken to the afterlife," Ivar smiled grimly.

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