CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO ORKA

CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

ORKA

O rka stared at the sea of frost-spiders and the trolls lurking behind them.

"Remember, do not let those spiders bite you," she said to Breca, who stood at her side, staring.

"I think that is some advice you should remember, too," Breca said with a small smile.

"Heya," Orka grunted in agreement. The sensation of ice-venom flowing through her veins, numbing her limbs, fogging her head was not one she wanted to repeat.

Some of the spiders took a slow, tentative step towards them.

Orka heard Elvar shout something, and then a horn was blowing, sounding the call to retreat. Somewhere a hilt punched onto a shield, and again, and again, setting a rhythm, and as one Elvar's shield wall began to move backwards, stepping in time to the pounding rhythm.

"Whatever happens, stay with me," Orka grunted at Breca.

"I will, Mama," Breca breathed, clutching his battered shield and spear, a short-axe thrust into his belt.

Voices from the rear of the line, rune-words, and Seier-spells of frost and flame arced overhead, exploding amidst the spiders. Limbs and ichor erupted, but there were so many of the spiders that the spells disappeared like pebbles cast into a pool.

A frost-spider scurried forwards, raised its forelegs and bared its fangs, let out a high-pitched, ululating screech, and the sea of spiders was lurching forwards in a stuttering surge. The twang and hiss of arrows from behind Orka, a volley arcing overhead and curving down, another volley loosed before the first one hit, then another, the waves of arrows punching down into the horde of spiders, more Seier-spells hissing overhead and crashing into the spiders in eruptions of flame and frost. High-pitched shrieks, spiders rolling and curling, and then they were on the shield wall. Leaping, legs grasping with sharp barbs, fangs clacking. Spears snaked out, axes chopping, swords stabbing, shields punching, and spiders fell.

Spiders hit the wall before Orka, leaping at Varg, R?kia and Svik. They were stabbing and chopping with their blades, spiders falling away in eruptions of blue-tinged fluid, but more scrambled over their corpses, hurling themselves at their shields. A spider wrapped its legs around Varg's shield, one barbed leg snaring Varg's coat of mail and heaving him off balance. Orka's long-axe and R?kia's sword pierced the spider at the same time, and it fell away like a stone, Varg stumbling back into line.

A new horn call and the shield wall retreated faster, the rows at the back peeling away, turning and running, leaving the front few rows to stem the tide of spiders. Warriors were screaming, some dragged from the front row by spiders that clung to them, their shields and all, dragged crashing and rolling to the ground, spider's fangs stabbing. Lif and S?unn stabbed a spider as it leaped at Breca, skewering it and throwing it from their blades. Another horn call and the shield wall was splitting through the centre, the Berserkir and úlfhéenar striding through them towards the frost-spiders, fists filled with sharp-edged steel, their bodies twitching, muscles bunching, eyes glowing. They broke into a loping, slavering, growling run and hit the frost-spiders like an avalanche, hurled bodies flying into the air, hacked and chopped and sliced and stabbed all about them in a savage frenzy, carving through the spiders, severing limbs, puncturing abdomens, ripping bodies apart with their hands.

"Run for the gates," Orka said to Breca, and he set off, S?unn and Lif keeping pace with him. About to follow, she saw Varg still staring forwards, even though the press of spiders was gone, all of them turning to their new foe. Orka grabbed Varg's shoulder. "You need to run, now ," she said.

He looked at her, a fierce, primal twist to his features.

"I think I see him," he snarled, pulling away, staring at the enemy shield wall, Orka following his gaze to where Ilska stood in the front row of the shield wall. She saw Brák Trolls-Bane beside her, Drekr in the row behind.

"If that is Brák Trolls-Bane, he killed my sister," Varg growled, and Orka could see the wolf prowling through Varg's blood.

"Aye, that is Brák," Orka said. "He gave my son the scar he carries beneath his eye." She drew a line with her finger across one cheek. "And you see that man behind him, dark-haired with the long-axe. He is Drekr and he slew my husband." She felt her own wolf growl and snarl, felt a rush of rage, the need for blood and vengeance almost pulling her towards them. "But if we go at them now, we will die, and they will live. That is not vengeance for those we love. That is foolishness." She glowered at Drekr and Brák. "Soon, but not now," she growled.

"The Skullsplitter is right," Svik said, putting his hand on Varg's arm, and R?kia grabbed his wrist.

"Live, No-Sense, and stand over his corpse later," R?kia snarled.

Varg stared at Brák a long moment, then nodded.

"Aye," he said.

A buzzing sound, growing louder, and Orka looked up, over the frost-spiders and Lik-Rifa's shield wall, saw a cloud swirling towards them. Realised what it was.

"HYRNDUR," she yelled, and then she was turning and running with Varg, Svik and R?kia on her heels.

The buzzing grew louder, and Orka felt the ground shaking, snatched a look over her shoulder and saw the trolls lumbering, breaking into a run, roaring.

Then the hyrndur were overhead, swirling in looping circles, some sweeping down upon the Berserkir , úlfhéenar and fleeing warriors from the shield wall. Orka saw a cluster of the giant hornets swirl around a warrior's head as they ran, flying into the gaps in their helm, the warrior stumbling, ripping at the helm, tearing the leather strap and hurling it away. It was a fair-haired woman, huge swollen lumps already showing on her face and neck. She opened her mouth to scream and a hyrndur flew into it, the sting on its abdomen striking at her tongue. She staggered and fell, batting at her face, eyes bulging. More screams rang out throughout the fleeing warriors, even Berserkir roaring and frothing in agony.

" Eldnet, gríptu tá, brenndu tá, breyttu í ?sku, " Orka heard voices cry out and runes were crackling to life ahead of her, before the stone doors of Wolfdales. They spun in the air, rolling slowly forwards like wheels of fire, growing, merging, turning into a net of crackling flame that stretched across the length of the road, protecting the retreating shield wall. It scythed through the hyrndur in the air, a ripple of sizzling hisses and pops as the hyrndur were incinerated, reduced to flakes of ash. The first of the trolls was almost upon them and it swung its great club at the rune-net, wrapping it around the club and dragging it from the sky. The stench of scorched wood, the club burst into flames, and strands of the net draped across the troll's head and shoulder. A hiss and sizzle of burning flesh, the troll bellowing its pain, throwing the burning club to the ground, pulling the remnants of the net with it, ripping great tracks of blistering flesh from the troll's head and face. It dropped to its knees, thrashing in a frenzy of pain, and slowly toppled to the ground, flattening a handful of frost-spiders beneath it, a cloud of dust and charred smoke erupting around it.

Orka ran on, Breca ahead of her, Lif and S?unn with him and Vesli winging above them, a short spear in one of her long-fingered fists. There were shouts and screams behind her, and glancing back she saw a troll stabbing at Svik with a spear as thick as a sapling. He swerved, the spear grating sparks on the stone road, Svik leaping over a fallen warrior, snaring his foot and falling, the troll rearing over him, raising its spear.

Orka snarled, hefted her long-axe and ran back.

Varg hit the troll first, dropping his shield and leaping, swinging his cleaver two-handed over his head, burying it deep into the meat of the troll's knee. It bellowed and swung the spear at Varg as he dropped to the ground and rolled, the spear hissing over his head, then R?kia was there, scoring a red line with her sword down the troll's calf, turning and slashing at its hamstring. The troll took an unsteady step and stumbled, dropped to one knee as Orka swung her axe two-handed, chopping into the meat of its waist, carving deep. She ripped the axe free, a gush of blood and the troll roared its pain, swiped at her with a fist large as a boulder. Orka threw herself away, crunching on the ground, rolled, came to one knee and saw R?kia clambering up the troll's back. The troll flailed at her but R?kia evaded the grasping hand and climbed nimbly onto its shoulder, stabbed with her sword deep to the hilt into the meat between neck and shoulder, ripped her sword free and leaped from the troll's back. It stumbled a few steps, swayed, let out a roar and toppled to the ground, blood pooling around it.

Svik scrambled to his feet, looked at Orka, Varg and R?kia and grinned, "My thanks, but I could have taken him."

R?kia rolled her eyes and they all ran for the gates.