“A whole day,” Thorodd muttered. “I can’t wait till we have to do this again.”

  “Would you rather not have the trophies and reagents?” Einar asked as he watched the last barrels get tied down. “You and I both know we can’t stay here any longer either. The smell is already drawing wildlife and we don’t want to have to deal with another event like last time.”

  His second in command grunted, bobbing his head.

  “I’ll take care of the stuff back here. Get up front and tell Vidar and his men we’re ready to go. This just proves you don’t play favoites, sticking us at the back of this caravan.”

  Laughing, Einar walked away, having already dealt with a few grumbling men from his pack and the smells they would have to endure.

  No time to properly clean the bones… even with Ragna using his fire to burn off so much, we’re still going to smell like a slaughterhouse.

  Workers waved and shouted greetings as he passed by, smiles on all of their faces. He had already spoken to everyone, telling them all that in time, they would each earn a rune. That alone had them working harder than usual this morning as the real work began in the rising light of the day.

  “You’re looking a bit sluggish this morning,” Jepi called out from the top of a wagon. “Did you rest at all last night?”

  Shaking his head, Einar watched as the pack leader checked the ropes on the wagons he was responsible for.

  “Not much. I was out of wyrd early in the evening but Ragna felt the need to keep me working all night. My insides are screaming at me to rest and I may have to tie myself to the saddle in case I fall asleep.”

  The red-haired Viking laughed, giving one of his men a thumbs up before jumping down and moving to where Einar stood.

  “That boon… this… my men still don’t know how to respond. While it’s not as good as the one you and your warriors received in Alpheim, the knowledge that they won’t suffer as much has them almost itching for a fight. I’ve told them not to be stupid, but you know how stubborn Vikings can be.”

  “Welcome to leadership. The true problem is people. If people didn’t act like fools, argue, and just did what was right, anyone could have our spot.”

  Jepi chuckled and pointed at the two wagons ahead of them.

  “We’ve got the special ingredients there. I’ve checked the wagons three times, and only certain workers are allowed to work on or near them,” he whispered. “You still think someone might mess with them?”

  “I’m not taking any chances,” Einar replied. “We’ve come so far and dealt with our share of pain. Right now I just need to ensure we can get some of these items home. What’s in those wagons could change everything for all of us.”

  Nodding slowly, Jepi stroked his red beard.

  “Having eight runes is something most warriors dream about, but knowing I can replace a few in the coming year and possibly have a full set of advanced….” The large Viking choked up for a moment before clearing his throat.“Sorry, all this dust.”

  Smiling, Einar nodded and patted the warrior on the shoulder, continuing his trip toward the front of the wagons.

  ***

  “There’s the town!” Bartia exclaimed, pointing through the clearing that was appearing through the forest. “You can see the walls!”

  “What walls? All I see are mountains,” Skardi said.

  “Forgive him, he’s blind,” Osvif teased. “They’re right there, carved into the mountains.”

  Once more the large Viking lifted his hand and squinted, staring in the direction their dwarven friend pointed.

  “I… I got nothing.”

  Einar couldn’t help but laugh as he saw the outline of the walls, each of them flowing up and down a little, blending into the mountain behind them.

  “Those aren’t a solid piece, are they?” he asked.

  “No. But the dwarves who fashioned them were skilled with stone. The capital has buildings you would believe are from a single piece of stone, not a seam to be found. Only a few dwarves possess that talent anymore, and most of them are so old they probably don’t have many teeth left.”

  Einar motioned to Thorodd, who took the other two Vikings with him as he and Bartia rode a little further ahead of the caravan.

  “So I’ve spoken with the other pack leaders and they all understand the gift we’ll give Gromm. Are we going to have any major problems in Mighahm that you haven’t warned us of already?”

  “As long as your warriors don’t go picking fights, the gift you're giving along with the giant you just slew will earn you a lot of favor,” Bartia replied, shifting in her saddle. “Just don’t press too hard about getting anything crafted. Gromm is known for being shrewd when it comes to haggling and he’ll smell your need before you walk in the room. Anything you get right now will be extremely overpriced. With the ore shortages being what they are… I still believe he’d charge you four or five times the normal prices.”

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “I saw some of that occur when the dwarves came to Katenes. They were trying to set the rate on items far beyond normal. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t sold anything at all. Do you all really trade like that with yourselves?”

  She snorted and nodded.

  “Do you not attempt to get the best deal from your own people? If someone wanted a rune do you simply give it away or do you charge the most you can in order to acquire more supplies?”

  “Some are like that, but I am not,” Einar replied. “The path I’m on doesn’t give me the freedom to try and slowly build wealth and acquire things. While I don’t want to trade everything we have for some weapons and armor, if it comes down to it, we will. The need is so great that eventually I’ll have no choice but to sell and trade everything I have for what is needed in the coming days.”

  “You’re so different than what most Vikings are described as,” Bartire said. “But from what your men and women have shared in the days we have traveled together, it appears what you all expected a dwarf to be and what I am didn’t match up either.”

  Laughing, he shook his head and smiled.

  “No… no you do not. In my foolishness, I believed dwarves were small… shorter than Guat, yet here you are, towering over Skardi and all the other Vikings.”

  “That is one of the hardest things for my people to deal with when visiting the other realms. Everyone sees us as less than them because everyone measures others by size and appearance. Often it takes time to see beyond that… a lesson I learned first hand with you.”

  As they rode and spoke, Einar studied the fields around them. He couldn’t help but notice how the giant they had killed had torn up the area.

  Huge gashes ran through the soil, and it was an absolute mess for what looked to be a half mile toward the city.

  Trees littered the fields, some sticking up at weird angles, their dried roots pointing toward the sky. The occasional boulder was near an invisible border, with deep rivets where it had rolled and come to rest in the soil.

  “Your siege weapons reach out here?”

  She nodded, pointing to one of the boulders larger than his horse off to the left.

  “That’s been here for at least a good two months. You can tell by the buildup of dirt and moss. I believe there’s another giant rumored to be out here but I could be wrong. Usually they don’t fire at them unless they hope to hit because these are smart enough not to risk getting struck by one of these. I’ve heard stories of a few that would venture closer to the cities at night, silently raiding the houses and destroying more farmland during the safety of night.”

  “But you can still see them.”

  “We can,” Bartrie said. “The problem is it’s a game. We sacrifice some land and homes to build a sense of safety. The giants know we are doing it. Most don’t attack the walls anymore without at least six or more traveling together, but those haven’t come in generations. If they did…” See frowned, eyes scanning the grain that had rotted in the field as they passed a no-man's area. “Six like the one we faced could possibly breach these walls and cause great damage to the city and those who live there. With the trouble in the tunnels and mines, our people would be limited in places to flee to.”

  ***

  “Open the damn gate you blind bastard!”

  “Shut your hole!” a gruff voice replied as Bartia gestured at the dwarf looking from a window halfway up the wall. You should have told us you were coming!”

  “Because you’re blind and no one could see the dust rising from all these wagons? Seriously, I thought they finally had someone of value manning these gates when you got this job!”

  Laughter echoed inside the opening where a redheaded dwarf found their skin matching their hair.

  “Wait till you get inside Bartia Shatterplate! I’m going to thump you again!”

  The sound of gears and metal grinding against stone continued as the pair of dwarves shouted at each other.

  “Are we like this?” Thorodd asked. “I mean… I feel like we are.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” Thorvee said, cutting in before Einar could reply. “Each of you wags your dick, pretending to be bigger, always talking about the other. It’s obvious their friends just like when you two do this.”

  “We don’t compare sizes,” Einar said. “Everyone here knows I’ve got the biggest set.”

  Avitue laughed as their healer grunted, rolling her eyes as the second in command opened his mouth.

  “Don’t, she’s about to come over here,” Osvif said. “You two can have a contest later and let the dwarven women judge if you want.”

  “Yes mother,” Thorodd joked as their dwarf arrived.

  “I'm sorry you had to witness that. She’s an old friend, and it's been a while since we’ve had a chance to talk.”

  “I can see why it’s been a while,” Einar stated. “So everything is good?”

  “Yes. It’s not her fault. They’ve been working on getting the gates open for a while. With no giant chasing and those bones sticking out on the one wagon, they have already summoned someone from Gromm’s house. I told you they’d keep us waiting. All part of the dwarven way.”

  Einar nodded and just kept his eyes on the gates that moved like a puzzle.

  Thick metal doors swung outward slowly, and as they did, a gate rose up. He could just barely see a large stone block sliding down into the ground.

  “How many pieces are there to this thing?”

  “The gate? There is the outer gate, the grate system, a three-foot-thick section of stone that lowers, another metal door that slides into the walls and then one more grate. All those parts require a bit of work to move.”

  “That many pieces? But these walls are sixty feet tall and the gate is over twenty!” Thorodd exclaimed. “How… how do you move all that weight? The stone part must weigh… a lot!”

  Bartia nodded and shrugged.

  “Old magic. The dwarves of old created levers and gears that can easily lift and move them. A few can still make similar things while also repairing them, but I believe there is only one smith in the capital capable of feats like that now. Her life is spent constantly working but I’m certain she wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “Could you imagine if we had access to someone with that kind of ability?” Osvif whispered to Einar. “The siege gear we could create wouldn’t be as heavy and would most likely fire faster and further.”

  “Perhaps one day, but we both know that’s not the first item on our list. Besides, I doubt they could finish something like that before Ragnarok came. From what I’m expecting, I hope to get a belt buckle crafted before it comes.”