Between Mortals and Makers Read online

  BETWEEN MORTALS AND MAKERS

  TYRANNI THOMAS

  Between Mortals and Makers

  Copyright 2019 Tyranni Thomas

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover design by The Cover Haven

  Editing by Jenifer Knox

  No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without express written permission from the author. Any unauthorized use of this material is prohibited.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Dedicated to Belinda Hood.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One – Scratching the Surface

  Chapter Two – Perfect Disharmony

  Chapter Three – Call Em Out

  Chapter Four – Curse It All

  Chapter Five – Exile

  Chapter Six – Where the Blame Falls

  Chapter Seven – The Hard Way

  Chapter Eight – Calm Before the Storm

  Chapter Nine – Secrets of the Night

  Chapter Ten – Face the Music

  Chapter Eleven – What is Destined

  Chapter Twelve – This Life and The Next

  About Tyranni Thomas

  Chapter One

  Scratching the Surface

  Zhenni

  Something solid and heavy slid against my palm. I absently curled my fingers around it, only to drop it like it had bit me a breath later. The axe clanked against the bottom of the long boat and I almost climbed over the side trying to get away from the woman before me.

  Zaphori, I think that is what they called her.

  Her children Osanna and Sven watched on, wide-eyed, a few rows away. Her hands came out in surrender between us and her long-bejeweled fingers tickled the air in a silent plea for me to calm myself.

  “I didn’t mean to startle you… but the men are about to throw anchor.” Her head tipped toward two burly looking men that I had only met at the start of the journey. “And... things will be happening quickly after that.”

  Her steely brown gaze shifted to the hills in the distance. Soldiers in shiny armor lined it for miles. They were mounted on beautiful steeds and armed to the teeth.

  “They come to welcome us,” I nervously suggested, even as the air around me started to tingle with testosterone. Men paced in tiny circles, hefting their weapons and working themselves up. “I… I… I don’t know how…” I began.

  My parents had sheltered me from violence. Well, as best they could, considering the climate. Odd, considering how our family came to be formed. You see, I wasn’t their flesh and blood. I was the sole survivor of my own village—the village their people erased from history.

  Father had always blamed my mother’s warm heart for my existence. I had seen enough to know what happens when they raided, just as they might now. I had no doubt he was correct. Her infertility had led to the mercy I was afforded. I was five years old when Cairn and Domhain ripped me away to another life. A Viking life.

  Now, fifteen years later, I sat frozen in shock once again. Destined for dry land that I didn’t know a soul on and reeling from the sound of my mother’s body being thrown overboard only a few short hours ago.

  A sword sang its way out of a sheath nearby, and my attention slowly shifted back to Zaphori’s children. The boy was looking at me like I was nothing more than a dung fly. The girl, however, little Osanna, her eyes were wide and glistened with tears. I drew in the cool salty air and forced myself to sober.

  “It will be fine. It will be over very soon,” I assured them. I gave up on reasoning with Zaphori; the woman wasn’t trying to hear what I had to say anyhow. Even if she was, I couldn’t let the children see how terrified I felt.

  A man with long, braided, blond hair passed in front of me. There were a dozen men on the serpent, but he was different. He didn’t burn with energy or heft his muscles about. He placed a boot on the bench and leaned forward, studying the waves below. His jaw was strong, and his eyes rivaled the water he was staring into. A taller man with similar features came up beside him and clapped him on the back.

  “Thane says he can kill five men before you even wet your sword, little brother.”

  The man with his foot on the bench spat into the water, his eye twitching at the challenge. Before he could respond, a long, loud tone echoed across the water. Both men cringed in response, and the one who had been challenged spat once more over the side of the boat.

  “Fuck the both of you. I bet I get the prettiest wife,” the spitter said before shoulder checking the taller one and drawing his sword.

  “Thorne,” a deep voice boomed from beside me.

  The man who had conveyed the challenge turned, catching the shield just in the knick of time.

  “It will be fine. I thank you for saying that… for Osanna,” Zaphori offered me quietly. The man beside me turned at the sound of her voice. His eyes roamed up and down me, only to settle upon the axe that dangled from my hand.

  “She stays to watch the young ones,” he growled, snatching the axe from my hand so quickly I yelped.

  “Thane, she’s…” Zaphori started. Her words cut short when the man faced her again. His eyes were like ice, but they burned right through her.

  “She’s staying on the long boat. And that’s final.” His voice was low, his brows parked high on his forehead.

  “Zaphori,” her husband Einar called, as he dramatically made his way from the back of the vessel. “You do not meddle in the affairs of men!” His voice rose, like he wanted everyone to hear him scolding her.

  Osanna squirmed her way onto my lap while her mother gave parting glances over her shoulder. I couldn’t blame her. I wouldn’t have wanted to rush off to battle and leave my babies to a stranger either, but her only alternative was to drag them into the mess with her.

  I tried to keep them focused on the skyline behind us and sang a few tunes I recalled Cairn humming when I was young and scared. It was for nothing, Sven was old enough to know what was happening and refused to be redirected.

  The boat rocked, and the boy groaned. His impatience rivaled my anxiety every step of the way. Each time a gull cried, I clung a little tighter to Osanna, forever mistaking them for the heavily anticipated first clash of steel.

  Perhaps an hour crawled by, before Zaphori signaled, and we were rowed to shore.

  “They did not fight,” Sven scoffed. I cut my gaze toward him, but the boy showed no remorse, nor did he make any attempt to soften his disappointment.

  “My mommy says that we are coming to a blessed land. A fertile land. She says we won’t have to go to bed with noisy bellies ever again!” Osanna chattered on as her anxiety began to bleed into excitement. “Are you going to have chickens and a farm with your family too?”

  The girl’s words left my mind swirling manically. I snapped my gaze up in search of the shore. How much time did I have to figure out what I would do? Or even where I would sleep tonight in this strange, foreign land? Where would I go once the boat slid onto the sand? Panic sent warm waves through me. I had lifted my head, but I still couldn’t open my eyes.

  “Zhenni?” A soft maternal voice pierced the anxiety attack long enough for me to comprehend that it was Zaphori standing before me. Her children flanked her. People moved around them casting awkward looks toward me as they set about their new lives. “Thank you. For watching over my children. I just wanted to say that Cairn was a good woman. Surely, she will carry the favor of the Gods into the next life, just as she carried it in this one.”

  Nausea threatened. For se
veral moments, I was too afraid to attempt speaking. She squatted down next to the boat and reached out to gently grasp my forearm.

  “You knew my mother?” I whispered, tearing up in disbelief. I hated myself for it. I had to be strong. That’s what she had made me promise, and it was what I would figure out how to do.

  “Yes, of course. A few years back, we fought together in the Battle of Galena…” Zaphori’s finger pointed up the shoreline indicating that the village in reference was somewhere nearby. “We banded together, all of us, for this. She helped secure this place for her family. For you. It is only right that you stay and share her portion. It is as she would have wanted!”

  “Damn right it is,” Thane testified. His voice held a low grovel that once again captivated me.

  “You knew her too?” I asked, but he had already started to walk away.

  “He admired her. You two were the only ones? From Olaf’s Fjord?” Zaphori’s children had long since taken to prodding in the sand with sticks, their attention waning along with the sun. I nodded despite the lump in my throat.

  “After my father passed...”

  “Passed?” Zaphori’s husband piped up from behind her. “Is that what Olaf’s Fjord calls what happened to Dom?”

  His menacing laughter boomed from the darkness. He didn’t bother to join us, but he wanted his presence known. The man made my flesh crawl, even his own daughter cast a look over her young shoulder when she heard his tone. Zaphori’s face scrunched up and she scowled back at the shadows.

  “Remember who cooks the shit you ladle into that maw,” Zaphori warned. Her fingers were already curling around my arm, a lift encouraging me to my feet beside her.

  “Einar has been promised a farm house. Come, you can sup and sleep under our roof tonight.”

  Her fingers suddenly felt like ice. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to walk through the shadows with Einar standing in them, let alone to sleep under the same roof as him, but what could I do?

  ***

  The village was close enough that we could still hear the whisper of the waves if we stopped and listened closely. The isolated farm I had pictured was nothing like the clusters of long A-framed cabins we found waiting for us. They were solid in structure, but long vacated. A staleness lingered within, and a damp ugly, green stain clung to the edges of the neglected log walls.

  About six feet from the end of the building, someone had placed a few extra logs and fashioned a separate room. It would be a luxury in some parts. At the very least, a structure of any kind that offered protection from the elements and animals should have been worth something, but all I felt was apprehension.

  A whoosh sounded beside me, causing me to gasp so loudly that Einar laughed at me. It festered the dislike I already harbored for the man. The snap swoosh noise came again, and I turned in time to see Zaphori laying out furs before the hearth. I settled upon them with the children who were asleep before their heads had even hit the feather stuffed pillows.

  The unfurling sound came twice more from the back room. Something told me not to look, not verbally, but in that way that sends a chill up your back and pricklies across your neck. Einar was propped with several downy pillows, his furs centered toward the doorway. He smiled like he had won the village lottery when Zaphori slithered in beside him and promptly closed her eyes.

  I tried to do the same, but my body kept whispering warnings to me. I wanted to toss, to turn, to chase slumber or anything really that would provide some escape, but I was convinced that he was watching. I wouldn’t give Einar the satisfaction of knowing how uncomfortable he truly made me.

  Chapter Two

  Perfect Disharmony

  Thorne

  It was only two rooms and a loft, but it seemed like I would never be able to warm them. The village children scampered in and out around my brothers as they struggled to haul our belongings up from the boat. After a round or few of near catastrophes, my brother Thane started to get pissed.

  “Out. Out!” He walked toward them but stomped his feet so hard it sounded like he might have been barreling. A chorus of screams and giggles erupted into the night as they fled to their respective lodges.

  “Thane. Leave them, it’s been so long since I heard the pitter patter...” Mother longingly began.

  Wonderful.

  She hadn’t even had time to wash the salt and sand off her ass, and she was already dropping grandbaby hints.

  “Oh, fuck me,” he groaned, running his palm across his face. “Look, you already dropped one on its head…” He motioned to Alexavier, the youngest of us three.

  Alexavier narrowed his eyes toward Thane but didn’t take the bait. Indignation sparked in Mother’s eyes, probably wanting to tell him about that mouth of his. How could she when her own convulsed against a smile?

  “You’re horrible. The lot of you.” She finally sniffed and wrapped her shawl tighter around her shoulders, coming to stand near me and the fire I had finally managed to build.

  Two frail pieces of wood lay near the hearth. Not enough. I’d have to get up early in the morning or she wouldn’t have the means to cook with. I thought about taking a quick walk and gathering something before I lay down, but the moon was crawling past its midpoint already.

  A faint breeze flustered my hair when my father struggled to shut the door behind him. People said I took after him, in looks and battle. He was tall, his hair long, and his eyes missed nothing. It was said he saved my grandfather’s life, and in return, was allowed to take my mother as his woman. Anyone who watched their familiar, yet distant way of interacting, could tell relationship was an arranged one. One forged by a shared roof and children, but little more. It was their oaths that kept them together, that and the fact that neither of them had much of anyone else to call family anymore.

  It was just the five of us, and a few dozen of our friends from the homeland. They gave us this land to forge a peace, but I hoped to build so much more. A future. A saga of my own.

  ***

  The Gods blessed me with a morning melody. Two birds lingered on the window sill competing to be heard. I sniffed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes before remembering the firewood. I nearly broke my neck rolling from the furs. I slung on a pair of britches and boots and hauled my ass outside.

  It was almost fully light. I hadn’t paid attention to who was sprawled out in front of the hearth when I scrambled out, but the lengthy pieces to the left of the door told me that Thane was already out hunting and tracking. I sighed, thankful that he had done half my work and began to set up the logs.

  The air had a chill to it, but after the first few swings, I was starting to sweat. I brought the axe up and sent it sailing for the center of the piece at hand. It connected with a snap, about the same time as a fat hare was hurled in front of the chopping block.

  I lurched backward with a start, and Thane’s throaty laughter chased me.

  “Scared to break your fast, brother?” he taunted.

  Before I could quip back, the door of the shack creaked open and Alexavier stumbled out with my father. They started down the path for the boat without any explanations.

  “The fuck is that about?” Thane grumbled.

  “They’re going to steal our ships and leave the rest of us stuck here to look after these hens.” I snorted.

  The yards were already coming to life. Younger women moved about, fetching water and gossiping. It seemed that was all they did back home, sit in the circle and cut each other to the quick. I had no patience for such. Then again, I had no patience for the cold bitter types like my mother either. It was a sign I was meant to war and give the sagas something to write about. I would rather trade blows than insults across a dinner table.

  The thoughts channeled through my axe, echoing the thunk of each bite. I took my tunic top off, wiped my brow with it, and threw it at Thane. “Take that rabbit inside, I’m fucking hungry already.”

  His attention was already spoken for, however, so the shirt landed with a slap to
the side of his face. Indignation flashed in his icy blue eyes before he elbowed me and subtly tipped his head to the yard across the road.

  The woman, Zaphori, walked arm in arm with another lady. She was a few years younger than Zaphori, but no less beautiful. They settled on a bench in front of the house, and I returned to my chopping.

  “They like what they see,” Thane said with a low, suggestive whistle. His eyes were full of shenanigans, but he took his ass inside rather than entertaining the village.

  Thank the Gods... He was right, though. When I peeked up, both women were staring at me.

  Zhenni

  A dull ache settled across the front of my head. My eyes hurt. Every limb in my body had suffered during the night on the dirt floor. So, I was relieved when Zaphori asked me to sit with her a spell.

  She showed me around the yard where we found a fascinating flower bush that only bloomed in the mornings. After an hour or so of the sun being up, things started to lose their frost. The scent of spring carried us to the bench out front.

  As we settled in, I couldn’t help but admire her clothing and hair. She was a much finer seamstress than I. Her dress could have been mistaken for a Saxon trade if it weren’t for the mismatched thread that held the buttons in place. She seemed to be a calm soul. A woman who knew who she was and exactly what to do if things went wrong. I felt better just being in her company. Even if I didn’t know her or how long I would be under her protection.

  “I told you that your mother fought for this land with us. There are many homes to choose from.” She indicated the many A-framed lodges we had passed last night. “You will find, that many are in desperate need of repair, and of course come with little to no furnishing… You will need daily fire, food, water…”

  The more she rattled, the wider my eyes got. I couldn’t speak. Panic washed over me, and my vision clouded with tears. I didn’t have anything to trade. Not really. A trunk or two of personal effects and sentimental items.