Chapter 30 Where death lies

Squak*

The sound of crows reached their ears as they kept wandering in this damned forest where one of them was getting worse as the moment progressed. He was sweating profoundly under their watchful eyes, withering like a dead tree in the darkness.

" Just a moment. We will this damned forest and return home."

Bjorn reassured me everything would be fine despite knowing there was little chance of leaving this place.

Fly away*

Suddenly one of the owls left the tree as they turned their heads to look in that direction. Before they could turn back, a single arrow embedded one of their men's chests as he knelt on the ground with pain and blood.

" Don't move. Raise your shields. Vør, look at his wounds."

Bjorn carefully commanded his men to be vigilant, searching for a man who was responsible for this ambush but he couldn't find his silhouette in the darkness. The cold air was numbing his senses and he wasn't confident enough to leave his men here.

" Tsk* He used a rusty arrowhead. It is a vile and efficient method to kill somebody in a slow way. We need a drink to clean it."

Vør knew alcohol could disinfect wounds since ancient times Vikings used such methods to cleanse themselves. Fire and water were also good ways to disinfect but they couldn't start a fire here and there was no water in the winter.

" Leave it for now. Hold your chest with this cloth and don't move vigorously until we find some wine or water to fix it. I don't know about local herbs but leaves of the pine should block the blood."

Vør tried to get leaves from the pine trees but just before he could do that, Yandal stopped him with his hand. His eyes slowly fixated on the bark of the tree, finding it rather suspicious because he found a trace of sap on it.

It was winter time, so there should be no sap or something similar to this tree, yet there was a sap on it which meant it was a third party job.

" These trees are poisoned. We can't touch it. Look at that clear substance."

He pointed at the tiny substance on the branch, believing it was poisonous and he was right.

Vør's face paled instantly because he was the most important person in this group and there was no chance they would survive if he died here.

" Cumbersome bastard. He played as well. If we can't pass through, might as well burn this place."

Bjorn didn't hesitate anymore before grabbing a stone from the ground. The Vikings seemed to realize his motive, trying to start a fire in the forest to lure Erik who was hiding in the forest.

Although it was foolish to start a fire in the forest, they could control it to some degree which meant they could push it to the direction of the village while minimizing the nearby damage.

" The poison might turn into wind, so let's leave this place after starting a fire. Go back to the starting point. I will end this."

Bjorn's eyes glowed dangerously in the pitch-black shadow as the simple spark of fire landed on the tree. Then he blew the little fire, starting a fire that was sent out to burn everything on its way.

Everything in the winter was dry and it wasn't that difficult to start a fire here despite the snow.

" Let's see who is gonna win in the end. It is me or you."

Bjorn muttered coldly, glancing in the direction of the fire with determination. The birds and animals cried out when they smelled the fire.

The burning woods blocked the way, creating a giant smoke in the air while waking up those who were in slumber.

" This cruel bastard!"

Erik couldn't believe Bjorn would dare to burn a whole forest to kill himself. He never thought this would lead to this tragic ending because most of the animals would probably die here.

" I will kill you by my hands."

He packed up everything while running back to his home for the last defense because he failed there. These radical pillagers were coming soon.