"That's when you'd be a fool. If you had behaved differently, you would not have changed future events. You didn't travel through time, you were living my memories. If you'd intervened, instead of standing still and watching, you would have permanently altered my memory of Brann and the battle" Egill said, smiling.
"Then that's why you told me you trusted me..." answered Dag, astonished.
"In your perception, you have been on the battlefield for almost half an hour. Actually, I only entrusted my memories to you for a few minutes. I knew you wouldn't let me down, kid".
Egill put his hand on Dag's shoulder.
Dag looked down, with a sad expression.
"What's up? Would you rather not see it? Didn't you want to know the truth about that day?" continued Egill.
"I was convinced that Brann was different. I thought I wanted to follow his example. Every day, since my sister Gridd first told me about him, he was my staple, my idol. Now everything is different" Dag said.
"Did you notice anything weird?"
"Several things. First of all, why was Brann astonished to look at the emblem he had obtained by defeating the fake Hakon? And what happened to him? Is it still the Warchief of Lies Of Loki?" asked Dag.
"When Brann looked closely at the necklace Hakon owned, he realized that the pendant was a vulture claw. It was the n° 7 emblem" Egill said.
"What?! But he already had n° 6! His was top rank! How did he make such a big mistake?"
"Someone gave him the wrong information. No one has ever known who. A couple of years later, Hakon died from the bite of a snake. The poison killed poison. We learned that he passed his emblem on to his successor, his nephew".
"And what about Brann's emblem?"
"It was never found again".
Dag looked to the side, thoughtfully.
"Before I died, there in your memories... I saw a shadow bending over Brann's headless body. That's when he had the No.6 emblem stolen from him" Dag said.
"That's for sure. Hakon would have no reason to leave it there. Someone stole it" Egill said.
"But who could have been? Maybe someone hiding nearby, waiting for Hakon to move away? Or the only killer left besides him?" continued Dag.
"In any case, it's useless to lose your head. The only identity recognized was that of their Warchief. The warriors of the Lies Of Loki Clan, they are used to fight wearing hoods. You saw it with your own eyes".
Dag kept quiet, stood still and thought.
"You had to know the truth about Brann. I would like this to make you think so that you can make your choices wisely and consciously. Every misstep may be the last. Grow and get stronger. Only at that point, the Clan will regain its lost glory" his Master continued.
"How far is Hevnen?" asked Dag, looking into Egill's eyes.
"About three days on horseback. Why are you asking?"
"I need to talk to Gridd, my sister. She's a strong warrior of the Sons Of Freya. I will tell her what I saw and with her help, I will convince her Clan to join ours to prepare for a future battle against our common enemy" he continued.
"As you wish, you're free to go. But I warn you: our Clan has had no relationship with the Sons Of Freya for years. The last time we had an allied fight was in that battle" Egill said.
"This time it will be different. Gridd will understand. Together we will train the strongest army on the planet"
Egill chuckled: "It's nice to hear you talking with so much energy. I hope you can do what you say. Dargeon and I will stay here, the Temple Of Orn needs our protection. But I don't want you to go alone. Take someone with you, someone you trust".
"The only friend I had died to save me during the Fangs Of Jormungandr attack. I don't know who to take with me."
After approaching Dag, Egill said: "After what you have done for all of us, you have nothing but friends within these walls".
Dag felt his heart warm.
The Temple Of Orn had become his new home. After rejecting him, it had welcomed him with brotherly love.
"I'll take a couple of days to prepare my things and improve the two new skills I'm learning. Then I'm going to leave for Hevnen" Dag said.
They both walked out of the library.
Dag could not get Brann's scene out of his head, which belittled the death of the man whose corpse was defaced and mocked.
"Master Egill" he said.
Egill turned to him.
"Brann's axe. Do you think I could unlock its potential?"
"I can't tell you that. No one besides him has ever used it. Or at least I think so. Do you know where it is?" asked Egill.
"In Jernhest, on my family's farm. Before I chose the Clan and left with Magni, bandits tried to steal it. And they were Lies Of Loki. I managed to help my mother Asa drive them away" Dag continued.
"Lies Of Loki? How did they know the axe was there? And why they wanted to take it?
"I'm not sure, but I think the crystals embedded between its two blades were the main source of Brann's power. Master, don't you know who the blacksmith who forged that weapon is?"
"I don't know. Brann had it already when we met" said Egill, who tried to think about that precise moment.
"I think I should go and retrieve it. I'm not sure Asa will give it to me easily, but as long as it is on the farm, my mother will continue to be in danger. And I have to stop it".
Egill remained silent.
They reached the courtyard: many of the warriors were training. Others continued with the renovations.
"Leaving tomorrow at dawn, I will arrive in less than a day in the capital. After getting the axe back, I will return to the Temple to ask for reinforcements and leave for Hevnen" Dag continued.