Destiny Enslaved (editing)

Part 16

Light. There was pure sunlight refracting on the ripples of his irises when I said his name. they were as beautiful as the sea- I wanted to fall into their depths and bath in their comforting warmth.

But the moment was over far too soon as thunder cracked in the sky. Such ferocity echoed through the air that my hands jumped to hold my upper arms- cradling myself. Bjorn glanced at my reaction before he moved with the other men to gaze down from the edge of the cliff to their ships. While the men communed over the effects of the oncoming storm on the progress of their journey I remained behind staring at their backs. Apprehension gripped my stomach as I felt my sight being drawn from the firm and stable backs of the four men who were grounded on the plateau upwards lifting to the far-off sky.

The tumbling clouds approached with haste and as I stared into their churning depths I suddenly heard the haunting squawk of the raven. My vision tightened and zoomed across the sky to hyper focus on the black swarm who were heralding this peculiar tempest. A hoard of ravens flew in the blue sky trailing their black clouds which consumed the sunlight. They were a being of numerous bodies- one and many. A part of the storm and yet twisting and gliding on the winds with their own mission.

And with another clap of thunder and distant streaks of lightning, he appeared. It was a tingle down my spine which told me he was there; familiar and ever foreign. I turned from the sky to meet his one-eyed gaze. Clad in his black robes with a raven on each shoulder he stood in a haze. He was 15 foot away no more but the eldritch vapour which clung to his figure made it hard to concentrate on his face for long before I had to avert my eyes to the sky once more. The birds squawking was getting louder and louder in their cacophony.

I looked to him again. Odin was a figure of darkness- dark garb dark hair and a dark complexion which gave him a rugged handsomeness that had a beauty in it like the majestic mountains. He was truly inhuman. I made to speak to voice my questions of why we had met and why he was he now had I been brought into another vision- surely he was not real. But before a syllable could pass my lips he raised a finger to his lips and smiled warmly. It was a warmth I remembered from childhood when my parents would welcome me home. I wished to soak in its warmth but it soon disappeared as his eye flitted to fix on those behind me.

I followed his line of sight only to turn and find both Bjorn and Hvitserk gawking at the man who had infiltrated my life. I want to ask them if they knew Odin- was he significant? But I thought better of revealing that I knew their language through some sort of sorcery unknown to me. Floki and fine hair remained seemingly unaware of our discovery.

Overhead the raven mass had arrived; called to their master. their chorus of a thousand scrambling cries unified to echo a familiar message through the air.

''how the little piggies will grunt when they hear how the old boar suffered''

A shiver possessed my body upon hearing the words which dragged me into this world.

Bjorn and Hvitserk were awestruck as they remained in stony silence staring at Odin with conveyed reverence. Odin was new to me but it easy to tell that these men had known him their whole lives. I glanced back to see Odin's stare boring into their souls and with a nod he had answered the question which had been playing on their minds since I spoke in the harem.

Suddenly the horde of flapping feathers descended upon Odin and he was carried away like smoke on the wind.

I looked back to Bjorn and Hvitserk whose eyes followed the creatures as they ascended and faded into the distance.

They turned to share a look of knowing before Bjorn whispered to his brother in a solemn tone ''Ragnar's voice- Odin delivered father's dying words'' the words were tinged with sadness but the brothers looked to each other with determination as they knew what their next step was to be.

It was then that I wanted the earth to swallow me whole. Gods damn this world for cursing me from the day I was put on it. I knew then that the vision was different- no I knew that when I walked in that strange wood that was saturated with death. I had been set on a path carved in fate and I doubted it would be easy to step off of it.

I felt tears sting my eyes and walked to the cliff edge to face the winds of the storm. As soon as they fell the tears dried; disguised by the biting gale. I couldn't really say why I wanted to wail and beat the ground. It wasn't just senseless anger at being chosen to suffer by beings beyond my comprehension. No there was more to it- relief. I was vindicated and if the path that I had been set on was assured then I could believe that with this display I was finally and truly safe. I could sleep without worry of being murdered.

But it wasn't only that. It was the feeling that this life of mine that robbed me of my faith where I believed my life was mine to shape even if I did predict other people's fates. But this small piece of existence inside my head that which made me, me- it wasn't mine anymore...

I had been truly told that I was a puppet. Could I trust that the doubts I have weren't put there to guide me towards something planned? The whole thing hurt my head as thoughts ran in circles.

Beside me, I eventually noticed, floki had stopped studying his ships who were beginning to rock more violently on the choppy waters and now stared at me. I could just see his face in my periphery. Those crazed eyes were hooded as he keenly appraised me- not my body in and of itself but its language I suspected. Could he read my mind if he kept staring?

The wind sent my loose fitting clothes billowing. If I closed my eyes as the wind roared with the sea below then I could pretend I was alone. Pretend I was home watching the thunder roll towards the village below our mountain refuge. I was mesmirised when our clean azure skys churned with blacks and greys like paint stirred to create something new.

If I leaned forward maybe I could go home.

It would only take a few inches to break free from this caged life that kept growing with out taking the bars away. I breathed deep and felt my chest expand filling with the cool salt air that hummed with energy. My arms rose on the winds like wings itching to fly...