Chapter Sixteen

"Are you certain we are ready to do this?" Katla voiced her concern again as they approached the karve, where it sat peacefully bobbing on the gentle current of the river. Her nervous glance turned back to the simple comfort of their tiny homestead. The pigs had been left with extra food in the form of mushrooms and raspberries that were still firm enough to last for several days. The freshly constructed portal peeped just over the top of the wooden wall that surrounded the cottage, garden, and animal pen. 

"Now or later, it isn't going to be any easier." Confidently Bjorn stepped onto the rocking deck of the small ship before settling himself confidently at the tiller. She sighed in resignation before following suit moving towards the middle of the boat where she could curl her fingers around the strong mast post to support herself. Her stomach tightened as the sail unfolded enough to catch the light breeze pulling them into the gentle current of the river. 

"I know, I just... If we die before we can get the new portal up.." There was the source of her concern. They were sailing into the unknown to try and find a place to set up a secondary homestead closer to the point on the map marked for The Elder. Her eyes closed as the hull of the small craft slammed against the water as they crested a larger-than-expected wave. A grunt escaped her as her teeth clicked together at the force of the impact. 

"The odds of both of us dying are low. Don't bring trouble on us." Bjorn attempted to alleviate her fears while starting to plot their path across the channel. As he randomly looked down he could see the occasional flash of silver, red, and green scales as the various species of fish came to the surface to feed on the small harmless insects that swarmed over the water in the early morning. The clear skies at dawn promised a good start to their journey. 

"We don't exactly know what lives in the water. I think some level of caution is required here." She couldn't help but insist despite his attempt at calming her down. Each wave was glared at like it held some evil monster from their myths and legends. The rises and jolting drops of the ship against each wave they cut through jarred through her bones, yet she refused to relax or turn her gaze from the harsh glare of the ocean.

"You act like Jǫrmungandr is going to jump from these waves. Look, you can see the shape of the mountains across the waves. Land will always be in sight." Subtly Bjorn adjusted their tack, dropping the sail further. The small ship shot forward as it caught the wind. The spray of brackish water along his cheeks, and the heat of the sun brought a familiar joy until he found himself grinning in enjoyment.

"Considering the branches of Yggdrasil fill our skies both day and night, it would be the least of surprises to run across." Katla groused as she turned her attention to the shoreline. Nothing more than a faint purple cut out in the distance, it promised the safe end of their journey, but she wouldn't relax until they were closer. A flash of something bright red jerked her attention away from the horizon. Bright red fish darted through the waves, small bright yellow-spined fish seemed to roll through the currents too fat to swim through the current themselves. Schools of silvery fish darted just barely in line of sight, occasionally breaching the water as the swells rose and fell. 

Distracted from her anxiety Katla found herself relaxing as their journey continued. The sun shifted in the sky yet Bjorn kept them firmly pointed towards that distant shore making small adjustments as needed. Slowly the forest came into focus. No longer an implied outline the landmass took firm shape. A sigh of relief escaped her as he pulled them to run parallel along the shoreline. Small outlets of streams broke over the glinting hint of tin deposits. 

"Sunsets soon. We are better off staying here, where we can see anything approaching during the night." Bjorn spoke for the first time in hours. Katla sighed as she slumped against the side of the small ship. The lapping waves rocked them gently side to side as they drifted slowly along the coast as the sunset. As the darkness enveloped them so did the cold, causing Katla to shiver, huddling further under her deerhide cloak. The thin unlined leather offered little in the way of warmth and any chances of sleep were quickly lost. 

As the night continued the cold dry air turned into cold wet air as a storm rolled in sending the once gentle waves into furious things that shoved and threatened to tip over the small boat. Wide-bellied with a shallow keel the karve rode the angry storm as Bjorn fought against current and wind to keep them along the shore. Soaked and shivering Katla clung to the mast to avoid being tossed from the ship into the waves. 

The torrent continued into the rising of the sun. The light only brought their danger into stark view. Instead of the familiar trees of the Black Forest, they had skirted into the boundaries of murky water with skeletal black trees jutting out of the water. Beneath the surface black sluglike things could be seen, racing along the bottom of the river, darting into the edges of the clear water before returning to the murk.

The smell of rot, both plant and animal, filled the air along with the signature scent of stagnant water. In the distance, she could see vaguely humanoid figures surrounded by a glowing green fog. The rain continued as Bjorn fought against the tide's demands to slam them against the shore. 

"Bjorn! Bjorn we need to get out of here" Katla shouted over the rain. Her fingers reached out to curl against his knee as she pointed towards the approaching trees and stagnant waters. Startled she watched as a deer that wandered too far into the water suddenly disappeared before flashing into meat and hide, slain by some unseen force.

"Open the damn sail!" The scream tore from her before Bjorn jerked the tiller pointing the karve diagonally against the waves and opening the sail. Suddenly they were lurching forward, the small craft catching in the air before slamming down between each crest. The direction took them back towards the open ocean and the deeper waters but further away from the ominous swamp. Shivering Katla clung with both arms around the mast until at last the storm abated leaving them once more in the calm with a limp sail that only half fluttered with the light breeze. 

 Halfway back up the coast, they had gone further north of where they had first intended to make land, but Katla could see the reassuring openness of the meadows, the thin stands of birch and beech trees, and random jutted stones. Bjorn tacked the sail to make the most of the wind as he brought them closer to land before selecting a shoal to land their ship on.

"Hold on, this is going to be a bit bumpy," Bjorn warned as he adjusted their angle to beach the boat against the shallow banks. The sudden stop jolted them both forward, both of them catching themselves on the bench ahead of them. The moment the karve was steady Katla jumped out into the shallows, still shivering and wet, to help Bjorn shove the ship further out of the waterline to keep it safe. 

The spot picked was close to the boundary of the Black Forest and was open and sunny. The warmth of the midmorning sun penetrated against the cold wet and went toward drying her sodden clothing. Bjorn quickly gathered some stones and wood to make a workbench and then a firepit for them to further dry off. Unable to speak through their chattering teeth food was handed out silently for them to eat as the cold was replaced by the combination of sunshine and the fire. 

"That place..." Katla broke the silence between them. The crack of the fire chased away the last of the fear that had filled her seeing that swamp and its monsters through the downpour. 

"Not a place to vacation." Bjorn attempted to joke and Katla gave a soft snort in reply before shoving her shoulder against his. Tired she was tempted to curl up and sleep there under the safety of the warm sun and the soothing heat of the fire but there was too much for them to do. 

"Should we go further inland and see what we can find?" Katla yawned as she stretched out on the warm ground, uncaring that grass and mud clung to the blue leather of her clothing. It would dry and flake off later, but right now all she could think of was that she was cold and so very tired. "If we stay still I am going to fall asleep right where we sit." 

"Slave driver, up we go then." Bjorn snorted before snuffing out the fire pit with his hammer, then the Karve, followed by the temporary work bench he had thrown up. Evidence of their camp and ship removed they both sighed and adjusted their packs to head inland. Giddy over the fact that they hadn't been eaten by a sea serpent or been stranded in that swampy area with the vicious creatures in the water, Katla rose and followed at his heels.

Their pace was fast, taking them over the dips and rises, their stride easily able to clear the gentle rolling lowland hills of the meadow. Occasionally Katla would pause to snatch a handful of tart raspberries from their bushes offering some to Bjorn as they ate while walking. As they crested one hill something caught their attention, the faint haze of smoke that seemed to be rising from a dip in the terrain. 

"Another human?" Katla looked at Bjorn, confused and hopeful at the same time. 

"Unless the dwarves have figured out how to make fire." He couldn't think of anyone else who would be using a fire to heat or cook with. The gray dwarves were afraid of fire, trolls tended to live in dark caves, and skeletons had no need for heat. The only logical conclusion was another human encampment. 

"Well, we have time to get there. Even if it is abandoned it would be a good place to camp." Katla tried to sound neutral on the topic; even if she was excited to join up with other humans. There had to be others in this realm besides herself and Bjorn. As they worked their way across the meadows signs became clearer that there were or once had been other humans in the area. Stumps of trees, small saplings planted in organized rows, and berry bushes stripped of their berries. 

The next rise saw a small cluster of houses nestled in a circle around a central courtyard. A few pig pens were nestled along the outside of the circle broken up by farmlands of merrily waving carrots. Movement stirred from the low doorway of one of the houses as a leather-shrouded figure stepped out to peer in their direction. The movements were human and Katla could feel the pressure that teased along her mind slowly easy.

"Shall we go say hello?" Katla shrugged to settle her pack a bit firmer between her shoulders. Bjorn's expression was blank, his brows pulled together and his mouth tightened. The look of someone trying to decide how to feel through conflicting emotions. 

"It would be rude not to. Just don't get too hopeful alright? They may not be looking for two more strays." Bjorn kept his tone carefully neutral, not ready to commit himself to this venture fully. Intellectually he knew Katla was capable of holding her own and these other warriors were honorable enough to get their opportunity to achieve Valhalla by defeating Odin's enemies here on this plain, but he felt unreasonably protective towards her. 

"I know. We will be careful, worst case it will still be just the two of us." Katla twined her fingers through his, holding his hand before leading him down the hill and towards the small village.