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Returning to the royal chambers where Signe waited, she asked if the news was good. I told her about seeing Thor alive and well, but wanting to send the ravens out with Thorsten. She questioned what I planned to do, and I admitted I'd only seen through Huginn and Muninn's eyes when they returned – never while they were away.
"That would be amazing if you can do that," Signe encouraged. The ravens perched on my shoulders after eating and drinking, and I apologized for sending them out again so soon. They took flight, and as they disappeared into the distance, I took a deep breath, lay down in bed, and asked Signe to let no one disturb me. She bowed respectfully, leaving me to concentrate.
CHAPTER TWENTY
THORSTEN
I sat inside the transport vehicle, waiting for the last of Váli's squad to enter. These soldiers were a rough group of men and women eager for battle, handpicked by Váli himself for this mission. He claimed to trust them with his life, and I had no choice but to take him at his word, since I hadn't met any of them before. Many came from humbler backgrounds than me, and I never mingled much with the common folk. Though times were different and I was now a new man thanks to my experiences in the human realm and my falling in love with Kal. It was difficult to go back to viewing others in terms of their rank and class. But none of them knew that. To them I was royalty...more than that, I was their King.
Some of them shifted in their seats and stole brief glances my way. I wondered if I should say or do something to ease their minds but right now I wasn't in much of a mood to assuage anyone else but Kal's fears. I had no time for anyone else, not even myself. Perhaps when this was all over, I would take the time to get to know these soldiers, but now wasn't that time.
As we set off, I tried to relax, but my mind raced with uncertainty about whether my children would still be alive when we reached the half sunken ruins in the red marshes. Kal's report of the soldiers being clad in various colors and lacking identifying flags or banners suggested they could be mercenaries, if I was lucky, they could belong to Skadi. In the worst-case scenario, they were Undvik soldiers hiding in plain clothes. If these were indeed King Falka's soldiers, I vowed to kill every one of them to save my family.
Since Thor was spotted alive, then the chances of both boys still being alive by the time we reached the ruins were high. but for Skadi, it had been days since Kal last spoke to her. Who knows what could have happened between that time and now. I hoped it wasn't too late to save my her. If she weren't inside those ruins, then I planned to have the enemy survivors interrogated until her whereabouts were revealed.
I took in a deep breath. One thing at a time, dammit. I scolded myself. I had to take this step by step out of fear that I was going to trip over myself.
Right now, I needed to focus on what was assured. That's saving Thor's life and making up for my failure to keep my sons safe.
"We're entering the red marshes," announced the driver. "Stay vigilant for signs of Draugrs."
The foreboding landscape stretched out before us, a twisted expanse of crimson soil and murky water that seemed to bleed into one another. The air was heavy and oppressive, carrying a sickly-sweet stench that clung to the back of my throat. Breathing it in felt like inhaling the very essence of decay. The red marshes earned their name from the rust-colored minerals that tinted the soil and water a deep, bloody hue.
"By the gods," I muttered with an involuntary shiver, unable to shake the feeling that we were venturing into the maw of some monstrous beast, its blood-red innards waiting to swallow us whole.
As we rolled deeper into the marshes, our transport vehicle suddenly lurched to a halt, jolting me from my thoughts. It seemed our journey would not be as straightforward as I had hoped.
"Soldiers!" Váli hissed, peering out the window. "But they seem to belong to Falka."
I squinted through the glass, taking in the sight of heavily armed warriors emerging from their hiding spots among the twisted trees and murky waters. They wore no unifying colors or symbols, making it impossible to discern their allegiance.
"Draw your weapons but quietly" I ordered. I was on edge, but I couldn't afford to show any weakness now.
"Thorsten, don't get out," Váli warned. "Let me handle this."
I ignored him and stepped out of the vehicle, raising my hands to show I was unarmed. "Be prepared to fight if we have to," I said over my shoulder, hoping that it wouldn't come to that.
The tension was intense, a thick cloud of dread hanging in the air as more of the soldiers emerged from the shadows.
It was then that a large man emerged from the group, his face adorned with intricate tattoos of flowing flowers. He approached cautiously until his jaw slackened in surprise upon seeing me.
"By Yimir's braid, you're Thorsten! Ain't ya!" he exclaimed; his demeanor unexpectedly friendly which threw me off.
I eyed him warily, taking in his imposing frame – a true titan male with bulging muscles, his long white hair streaked with purple from the poisonous pokeberry. Despite his friendly tone, I remained on guard.
"Who are you?" I demanded, trying to maintain my authoritative air.
"Name's Gunnar," he replied, grinning. "Second in command of the Spectral Raiders."
I could hardly believe my ears. The Spectral Raiders were Skadi's mercenary band! I remembered Gunnar now – he was the man I had seen greeting my sister just before I crossed the portal into the human realm. Relief washed over me, and I signaled for Váli and the others to stand down.
"Seems we have much to discuss," I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the sudden surge of hope.
"Indeed we do," Gunnar agreed. "Follow me, we will escort you safely to our camp."
"Wait, is my sister there? And two children, do you have two children there?"
He chuckled slightly. "So, the lil brave bugger belongs to your camp? We found him wandering the marshes alone, about to take on three Draugrs with nothing but a dagger," Gunnar chuckled.
