Something went wrong when he opened the way for the Chief to go to the time just before his men got lost in the storm that took them to the Slaver City. It was so much harder to open the way when he wasn't in the strange watery realm of the Black. Then sharp as a needle, he remembered someone grabbed him before he and the Knight could go through the gate. It was the villain Ragmar whom the Aesir Chief defeated so his people could be born. Little Fish sat up with a start that made him lose his balance and fall out of the hammock. Spitting out sand and ignoring the laughter of Marta, he looked out towards the sea and saw nothing but the gentle azure waves rolling in at low tide.
"Are you well? What made you jump up like that?" Little Fish tore his eyes away from the sea and looked upon his mother. She was beautiful as his father Dadisi said. But looking into his mother's cedar colored eyes, he realized she and his fathers were in great danger because he had brought it here. Somewhere out there was Ragmar. Though he'd shaken his grip and was lost at sea, Little Fish had no doubt a man who survived being tossed into the Black at random would be stopped by being left at sea in calm waters not far from land!
"Marta, where is the Kn... I mean Kifo?" Marta was startled by the boy's sudden seriousness. "Why, what's wrong?" There was no way Little Fish was going to explain what all that had happened. Instead he only said, "There is a great danger coming to this island and I need Kifo's help to stop it!" It was odd to Marta how sudden the boy's look and manner reminded her of Kifo. After the awful things she suffered at the hands of Aunt not more than a year ago, Marta knew to keep an open mind when things seemed strange. "They are down at the village pier. Someone's fishing boat came back but the owner is missing." Not far under his breath Little Fish exclaimed, "He's here!"
A sudden shadow passed over Little Fish and then stars filled his eyes. As he fell to the hot sand, his ears were filled with the Screams of Marta and the baby. Looking up from the sand, Little Fish saw the Vanir Chief Ragmar as he held Marta by the throat with a rusted knife poking her side. In the Northman tongue a very haggard and threadworn Ragmar growled, "All right you fucking black demon, now we are going to do things my way!" Little Fish watched in terror as once more Ragmar threatened the future as he held his mother and younger self hostage. He paid close attention to the crazed blood-shot blue eyes as they darted about with Ragmar's every word.
"Ooooh you gave me quite a time demon! First you and that red bastard Svengald turn my own men against me! Then you cast me alive into Niffelheim! I survived on that island alone not sure if I were alive or dead! And then you all appeared on its shore like nothing had happened. I knew then that I had to bide my time and when the moment came, I'd make you send me home! Now we stand here, just the two of us with no interference from that red cocksucker or your damned demon archer friend!"
Marta could not believe her ears! Could the raving lunatic holding her be Ragmar of legend? Her mother Mjarga had told her that story many times as it was her favorite. It was also when her mother met her demon father for the first time. With the madman's grip tightening around her neck, Marta suddenly realized why she felt the boy 'Fish' was so familiar. In a choked voice Marta said, "Little Fish?" Little Fish's blood ran cold. Somehow his mother knew his name! That would have to wait for Ragmar would not be ignored.
"Hey, demon! Your business is with me! You seem fond of this black whore and her pup. How 'bout I let some fuckin’ air in their gullets?" Throwing his hands up and out Little Fish yelled, "Ragmar no! Don't hurt them! What do you want from me?" With a vicious sneer Ragmar replied, "I've waited an age to hear you say that demon. What do I want? I want to go home! I want to see my wife and sons! I want back my lands taken by that bastard Svengald! I want his fucking head nailed over my piss pot so I can show him my respects each night after drinking in my hall! That's what I fucking want. And by all the gods, if you don't give that to me your friend the whore and her pup dies!"
Down in Little Fish's bones he knew it was too dangerous to send Ragmar back to his own time. Not to mention none of the songs Chief Svengald ever sung about his people, no further mention of Ragmar ever came up. Also, it was hard enough for him to open the way outside the Black. How could he stop this without involving his father or the younger version of the Valley Knight? The Knight gave him something the Chief wanted him to have before he went through the gate. The message was, he would know what to do with it when he needed it. What ‘it’ was or what to do with it were something else.
Little Fish held out his hands to calm the deranged Northman as he said, "It's not my fault you got banished! Remember, you broke your oath as a Chieftain." Ragmar's clouded blue eyes narrowed as he retorted, "I didn't break my oath you demon whelp! The duel with that red sheep-fucker wasn't over. I still had plenty of fight left I'm me!" Little Fish's eyes also narrowed as understanding seeped in past his fear.
"Ohhhhh yes it was! You fell down the beach into the water after you lost both your sword and shield! Then when the fight was over, you got mad and wanted to keep fighting though everybody knew you lost. Your men turned against you when you broke your word 'cause you wouldn't admit defeat. That's why you got banished! Now you're threatening a woman and a baby because after all this time, you're still mad at everybody else though everything was your fault."
Little Fish could see his words burned the Northman like a hot bronze knife. In a way he felt sorry for him. How would he be after living alone on an island for years with only his mistakes to keep him company? Tears fell from the man's eyes and strands of sticky snot streamed out his nostrils as Ragmar screamed, "No! That's not true! I was wronged! Nothing I did was bad enough to be cast into Niffelheim!" Little Fish had him for always Chief Svengald said, 'oathbreakers would suffer the worst the gods could throw at them. Oathbreakers never went to Valhalla and could expect to spend eternity in Niffleheim.
"What always happens to oathbreakers?" asked Little Fish dryly. Ragmar was at the breaking point. He held Marta a little tighter as the baby she held screamed louder. "Shut that damn thing up you black bitch or I'll kill it myself! With an unexpected toss, Marta lofted the baby towards Little Fish. Enraged, Ragmar shoved the rusty blade into her side with all his strength!
Time slowed to a crawl as the now screaming baby completed his flight to land in the outstretched arms of the wide-eyed boy. While Marta watched her baby land safely in the arms of the boy who would one day become her father, she felt the blade as it went into her side. It forced two of her ribs aside and dug its way into her lung. The sudden burning within her chest came from the air escaping and the lung tearing itself further as she tried to gasp. Her mother's warning as she boarded the ship headed for the southern trading routes barely two years before had come true.
Marta suffered much after the ship she sailed aboard was set upon by that terrible storm. The ship broke up upon unseen rocks and she hung on to the wreckage for dear life. She washed up on the shore of a vast desert and was rescued by southern traders following the coastline over land. For months she travelled with them to the great southern cities. Though the traders treated her well, the caravan was attacked by slavers and those who weren't killed found themselves on the long march to the City of Golden Towers. It was the place Marta had been looking for it was where Mjarga said she would find her father.
Marta didn't find her father after all, but her mother's other predictions were correct, She would find great misery and two great loves then ruin. Marta suffered at the hands of slavers, then by the unholy actions of the Demon Witch Aunt and was raped by the skull-faced demon. Yet, she was rescued by the warrior Kifo who fought the Skull-Face but had been defeated. Together they made their way out of the City while the ruling class tore each other apart to fill the throne left empty by the murdered King and the demise of the Demon Witch. The two of them settled here in this fishing village by the sea with the man Kifo freed from slavers on the way.
She had given birth and Kifo had accepted the child as his own though he knew the boy named Dadisi was the son of the Skull-Faced Man. Through the baby, she'd found her second love and life had been good for them all.... But now the final part of her mother's warning had come to pass. After finding her two great loves, Marta had now found ruin.
Little Fish watched in horror as his mother fell away from the Northman to land silent upon the sand. Ragmar with bloody knife in hand, growled viciously at the boy as he edged closer to him and the baby. "Put that squallin' brat down and send me back home or both of you end up like its mother!" Little Fish was overwhelmed with all that was happening. He'd just watched his mother killed and now the murderous Ragmar threatened both his past and current selves! Once more, the thing the Chief had passed to him came to mind.
"Okay! I'll help you get home! Just don't hurt the baby!" Ragmar froze in his tracks and snapped, "This better not be a trick!" Shaking his head Little Fish replied, "No Northman, no tricks." Gesturing towards the baby with the bloody knife Ragmar barked, "Put down the brat!" Turning to put the still crying baby in the hammock Little Fish gave a gentle push and whispered, "Don't worry, it will all be over soon." Impatient, Ragmar snapped, "Quit fucking with that thing and come on!" When Little Fish turned back towards him, Ragmar's blood turned to ice.
Gone was the frightened boy. In his place was the black demon he remembered long ago! Ragmar recoiled at the sight of him illuminated by the white light of the giant fish scale hanging on his chest. He held the knife in front of him defensively and said, "Keep away!" The demon halted and with both a blank expression and tone of voice asked, "You want to go home don't you?" Those deep black eyes bored through Ragmar and seemed to force his answer from him despite his fear. "Yes... please send me home." Little Fish reached into his small belt pouch and pulled out a colorful conical seashell. He held out the shell to Ragmar and said, "Take this shell. Go to the waters edge and think of home."
As if in a trance, Ragmar took the shell in hand and went down the beach stopping at the water's edge. Little Fish emotionlessly stood beside his mother's murderer and said, "Think of where you want to go." Suddenly, Ragmar's mind filled with memories of home. The flood of memories were a jumble of times from his youth, his prime and the long years he spent on the island. Out in the gently lapping waves just beyond arm's reach, a whirlpool appeared. White light emanated from the vortex and then he saw the blue sky and grass covered rocky shores of his homeland.
"Ragmar wept as he saw blonde haired men and women loading ships with goods and boarded as they waved farewells to those onshore. As he took in the wonderful sight of home the demon said, "Those are your people who fullfilled the bargain made by the man who ruled after your defeat. Ten men and ten women of healthy, marriageable age are headed off to live with the Aesir people. They were successful and joined their blood with those you sought to destroy. Eventually, the Aesir and your people became one and some of your people moved on to other lands never to be seen again.
Your name is remembered in only one song, the one where you met defeat at the hands of Svengald and were cast into Niffelheim for all time. When the Aesir call someone an 'oathbreaker', they use your name." Ragmar snapped out of his reverie and turned to the demon. Those dark eyes reflected the light of the lowering sun and the whirlpool as he said, "How do you survive falling into a pit with a lion and you don't have a knife? Teach it some tricks...."
A sudden sharp pain struck Ragmar's hand. The seashell he held was now open and the snail within withdrew the harpoon-like barb from the meat of his palm. The shell fell from his instantly numbed hand. Ragmar was horrified as his body would no longer respond to him in the wake of the spreading numbness.
Ragmar watched helplessly as the vision of his home vanished and the whirlpool changed to a harsh blue light. Unable to move his mouth or lips in his mind, Ragmar screamed 'NO!' The demon stood beside him as he fell to his knees and calmly said, "Once more oathbreaker, your actions have doomed you. Your pledge to not harm the woman if you got what you wanted was a binding agreement. In killing her you broke your word yet again." Ragmar's heart began to beat irregularly as the snail's poison ravaged his body. The black demon got right in his face and said, "Unlike you, I keep my bargains. I'm sending you home."
Ragmar suddenly felt himself being shoved and then he was surrounded by blue light. After tumbling end-over-end, he landed hard on a sandy shore in time to see a most horrific sight. Ragmar landed mere inches behind himself as he rushed towards the two black demons and the Aesir leaping into the whirlpool! He had been so close that his former self kicked sand in his face. Ragmar did his best to cry out to warn against what he would attempt, but the poison had paralyzed him completely.
Unblinking, the former Great Chieftain of the Fjords watched himself grab the young demon and the tremendous flash of red-blue lightning that occurred afterward. His flash burned eyes eventually recovered but could not close. He lay on the beach not far from the tide line and saw the sinking sun. Just as he resigned himself to his death, Ragmar saw one last horror coming towards him... crabs. Lots of them.
Little Fish held Marta's lifeless body cradled in his arms. He had found his mother in time only to lose her. If the Priestess were here she would no doubt say, 'Be happy you found her in time.' He took another moment to stroke her smooth black hair. When all this was over, he would ask the Knight to tell him more about her. The baby version of himself was nearly cried out with weariness. "Don't worry, you won't remember any of this." Looking up from where his younger self lay in the hammock, Little Fish saw the man who was his father and the man who will bring up him running towards the hut.
It was strange watching the man who would become the Valley Knight shed tears as he held the murdered Marta close to his broad breast. Looking over at Little Fish with murderous eyes Kifo growled, "Who did this?" Little Fish did not have a good answer. He could not tell him the truth about Ragmar. Though Little Fish made sure the oathbreaker got what he deserved, he knew it would not satisfy the one day Knight. However, the Knight's past self could know nothing of Ragmar or any of the events in the city or even about the Valley! The Knight had to follow a certain path for everything to happen as it was meant to. With a straight face Little Fish tearfully gave the man he admired the only answer he could. "He had... a skull-face."
The man called Kifo said nothing as he stood up and took Marta's body into the fishing hut. Right. behind him carrying the baby was his blood-brother Dadisi adamantly asking who the Skull-Face was. When Kifo stepped back out, he was carrying a black hornbow, a black quiver full of black arrows and hanging from a wide cow-hide belt was a short curved sword in a black lacquered scabbard. He didn't look at Little Fish when he asked, "Which way?" Little Fish pointed out to sea and said, "He told me 'you'd know where to find him." Facing the sea Kifo said gruffly, "Brother, look after them."
Little Fish watched the two men say their goodbyes and Kifo put to sea with tradesmen headed to the nearby port on the mainland. He knew the man called Kifo would never return to the fishing village and Dadisi would become his father. While the village folk were focused on the departing boats, Little Fish went back to the hut. Marta lay beneath a plainspun blanket still beautiful but cold with death. Using his father's fishing knife, the boy cut a lock of his mother's hair and put it in his belt pouch. When he turned to leave there was an all-too familiar presence in the doorway.
"She's quite lovely. Shame what happened to her. Shame you didn't get to know her better." Little Fish was too numb from all that happened to be afraid of Death. All he wanted was to find the Valley Knight and the Chief so they could all go home. Death walked behind him as he made his way down the beach talking to him the entire way. "You can try to ignore me all you want. Now that you can see and hear me we're going to get well acquainted in the coming decades! Don't worry, I'll see to your mother. I'll find her soul a nice place to rest."
Little Fish called up the whirlpool easily this time, but took no joy in it. While the swirling water and the fish scale shined with white light, the sun was beginning to set. The tide had come in and the surf resisted the whirlpool giving it an angry restless feel. As he stood watching, no image appeared and Death stood beside him. "I meant for you to die that day on the dam. I wanted to spare you what this power will bring. Instead, all I did was send you straight to it. Sorry." Little Fish grunted and in a voice far older than his years said, "So even Death makes mistakes."
Death managed a chuckle and waved a hand over the whirlpool. Suddenly, Little Fish saw blue light emanate from the fish scale and then the whirlpool. An image of the Chief sitting on a beach watching the setting sun appeared and Death quietly said, "Go to your friend. We'll talk again soon enough." Little Fish calmly walked through the churning surf and dove into the whirlpool without acknowledging Death's assistance. After the last ray of light faded and the whirlpool was overrun by the waves Death said, "You better hurry, the brother and the baby will be back soon." Looking thoroughly dismayed was a disheveled, but very much alive Marta. Death looked at the young woman as she struggled to understand what was happening. Giving a long sigh Death grumbled, "Trust me..., you're not dead."
© 2011 H. Wolfgang Porter. All Rights Reserved.
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