Shield Maiden Page 4

  Chapter Three - The Horn is Found

  Suddenly, the sound of whirling filled the room.

  “Get down!” Ellette shrieked.

  As Anna ducked, a stone flew through the air where her head had been, so close she felt it stir her hair. It smacked into the snake’s neck and the creature hesitated, but then drew back to strike. Unable to draw her seax in time, Anna glanced behind and saw Ellette spinning a sling around her head preparing to release another stone. This one missed, whirring past to clatter off the far wall.

  The snake lunged.

  Recoiling from the snapping fangs, Anna smelt its fetid breath warm upon her cheek.

  “Get back, Anna!” Wilburh ordered as he strode forward, one hand still holding the torch and the other held up, palm facing the snake. “Dēor áflíeh!” he shouted, advancing towards it.

  The creature froze in mid-lunge for a moment, either dazed or confused by the spell. Then it appeared to recover and pulled back in readiness to strike again.

  “Dēor áflíeh!” Wilburh repeated, and this time the snake recoiled and slithered away towards the dark corner of the room.

  The children gaped at the boy in astonishment. ‘So it is true,’ thought Anna, ‘he has been studying magic.’ None of them had seen him use it before and it was both frightening and amazing at the same time.

  Over in the darkness, the snake hissed once more and Anna, realising this was not the best time to discuss the matter, shouted, “Get out quickly!”

  She and her brother scrambled to their feet and started backing away towards the door, but Ellette either had not heard or took no notice. In fact she moved deeper into the room, her gaze flicking to where the snake lay coiled in the corner.

  “Ellette, come on!” Anna cried, but the small figure crouched down and scuttled into the opposite corner furthest away from the snake. The creature seemed to be recovering from the charm Wilburh had used upon it, because it started to uncoil and move towards her.

  “Ellette, what are you doing? Come on!” Anna repeated, drawing her seax and moving up behind the little girl.

  “Just coming,” Ellette said. She reached forward and now Anna could see that she had picked something up off the floor: something that glowed in the light cast from Wilburh’s torch. Anna stretched out her hand, grasped Ellette by the shoulder and dragged her towards the exit.

  The snake put on a spurt and lunged towards them, but Anna swung with her seax and the blade almost caught the creature beneath its head. It rose up, jaws wide, hissing at them in anger, but then retreated once more into the darkness.

  “Get out!” Anna shouted and they all scampered back to the doorway. Once in the courtyard they forgot about the two remaining doors and headed towards the main entrance. Anna was last out, guarding the doorway until the others had left the villa and then stepping outside into the circle of light projected by Hild’s fire

  Once outside she spun round to Ellette. “What on earth were you thinking?” she shouted, but Ellette was not listening. She and the others were focused upon the object she had found in the snake’s chamber.

  “What is it?” Anna asked, moving forward so she also could get a look. Ellette turned towards her and held up her hands. Cradled within them was an object so beautiful that Anna felt as if she would cry just looking at it. It was in the shape of an ox horn, like those the villagers used to drink mead and ale from, but made of solid gold. Its outer surface bore runes and etchings, shapes and patterns. Anna recognised a wild boar - the symbol of the Goddess Freya - the spear of Woden and the hammer of Thunor, the god of thunder.

  “It is wonderful,” she said.

  “Yes, and worth a pretty sum,“ Lar added, his eyes full of awe, but also tinged with a touch of greed.

  “What... what does it sound like?” Hild asked.

  Ellette shrugged and raising it to her lips took a deep breath and blew.

  Nothing happened. Not a sound, not a single note.

  Puzzled, Anna frowned, but Lar snatched the horn away from Ellette. “You are not blowing it hard enough, little elf,” he said. “Let me try.” He puffed out his cheeks and blew, but again nothing happened. Not even a peep. Lar blushed and seeing Wilburh was grinning, handed him the horn. “You think you are so smart with all your magic and tricks, you try!”

  Wilburh gulped, tried and failed. Hild gave it a go next with the same result, then passed it at last to Anna.

  “Looks like it’s broken,” Anna said, holding the horn in her hand but not trying it. “I mean, it looks nice and all that, but it’s just an ornament; it’s not meant to make a sound.”

  “Oh, give it a go, Anna, why don’t you,” Ellette said.

  Anna shrugged and taking a deep breath blew hard, expecting to prove her point. The note that sounded from the horn seemed to start deep in the earth beneath her feet. ‘No,’ thought Anna, ‘deeper even than that.’ It was as if it vibrated upwards from the very rocks and stones of Midgard. The sound grew louder and louder as it seemed to shake their bones and rise up through their bodies until it flew out into the air around them and echoed on and on through the skies, even upwards towards the heavens. As the notes died away they all heard something else - a word spoken by a voice just loud enough for them to hear, as if someone had uttered it from afar and it had been carried here on the wind.

  The word was ‘Chosen’.

  Anna took the horn away from her mouth and stared down at it. The other children gawped at her and the horn too.

  “Merciful Woden!” Lar exclaimed. “What was that?”

  Before Anna could say anything, the skies above them were shattered by a ferocious burst of light and a terrifying clap of thunder. A moment later the heavens opened and a torrential downpour started.

  “Quick,” Anna shouted, shoving the horn into her belt, “back to the ford.”

  The children set off running across the fields towards the Roman road. The rains continued to fall heavily around them and soon the field was like a bog. As they struggled on through the storm, fighting against the driving rain, their feet sinking into ground that with every step was turning into a quagmire, Ellette, who was in the lead, suddenly stopped, screamed and pointed ahead of her.

  “What is it?” Anna yelled, trying to make herself heard over the fury of the wind that now howled around them.

  “Look!” It was all the small girl could manage as she gestured again into the gloom.

  There was another flash of lightning and there, between the children and the road, was a shape. It was a dog ... a hound as large as a pony. Its fur was jet black; black as only the night can be when there is no moon, or as dark as the deepest caves. The only other colour was in its eyes and these were red like the embers of a fire, glowing as they gazed upon the children. Then the dog growled and they felt terror seep into their bones.

  “Another one!” screamed Lar, this time gesturing behind to where another huge hound loomed towards them out of the night.