Chapter 6
Ivar
After Ailis braided my hair that morning, I heard a knock on the door. When I turned, it was my personal guard, Ake. Though I could fight to protect myself, my Papa still wanted me to have a guard.
"What, Ake?" I asked.
"You have been summoned, My Lady," he said, and Ailis stopped braiding my hair. It only meant one thing when Ake would summon me at this time of morning—something terrible had happened.
"At Lord Knud's house."
I quickly stood up from the stool, and without wasting any time, I left the room and the house with Ake. When the other guards saw me with Ake, none questioned where I was going. They just watched as we walked away.
Glancing over at the tree where a man and woman chatted under the shade, my heart squeezed at the sight of them. This could have been me and Ragnar. I shook my head at his name. I shouldn't think of him.
Everyone in this village knows of my ability to heal those bitten by the beasts that lurk in our forest every full moon. My special power is summoning the goddess Eir to bring the strength to heal those bitten by the beast.
I only discovered of this four winters ago. My Papa wanted to keep it a secret, but Uncle Ragnar advised against it, saying the goddess gave me the ability. It would be cruel not to use it to help those in need. Since then, I have been doing this.
We arrived at Lord Knud's house, and Ake knocked on the door. Seconds later, we heard footsteps, and the battered door creaked open as a servant girl stepped out. She might have been in her twenties, the same age as me, but the fine lines on her forehead made her appear older.
The scent of burning herbs drifted into my nostrils from inside the house.
"Hirðkona," the servant girl went on her knees. Her eyes were puffy from crying for a long time. She stood up, closing the distance between us. "My Lady fares ill."
"What has befall her?"
"Two nights ago, she went to the forest for farming, and there she was bitten."
"Where is she now?" I asked.
"She is at rest in her chambers," she replied. "Please, come in."
We followed her inside the house, and through the long narrow corridor, we made our way to the chambers of Lord Knud's wife.
In the dim room, my eyes fell on a small mat on the ground, where the woman lay. A maid was sitting beside her, pressing a wet cloth on her forehead.
The woman was older, with long silver hair and a frail body that shuddered on the mattress. Her skin had taken on a pale color, and dark circles lay under her eyes. Her skin was damp and sticky with sweat. I feared we might be too late. Taking a deep breath, I went down on my knees.
I knew she was in great pain—I could feel it from here. The venom of the beast was slowly spreading throughout her body.
The maid shifted, giving me space beside her Lady. The woman shook her head profusely, and when I tried to touch her, she snapped her eyes open.
"No… No…," she murmured. "Please do naught slay me… Please do naught take my life."
"I am naught here to slay you," I said.
She looked at me closely, and her eyes went wide. "Hirðkona."
"I am here to help you," I said, feeling a tightness in my chest. "You shall soon be fine."
She slowly turned her head to the other side, and my breath caught at the sight of the bite. The wound was deep, on her neck. She'd been bitten by a wolven. The skin around the wound had red bulging veins spreading to her collarbone.
She slowly turned her head, opening her eyes to reveal just how close she was to transformation. Her eyes were a light shade of yellow. She was already changing. Her face was becoming more animal-like. I looked at where her hands rested on the mat. They were slowly turning into sharp claws, with small amounts of animal hair on them.
If I couldn't heal her, she would turn into one of those beasts. She would become a wolven overnight, driven by rage and primal hunger to kill everyone in this village. And if anyone was bitten by her, they would become like her.
My Papa believed the wolven were creations of the goddess of Hel, used to punish our people after the former chieftain cursed her. The wolven were like pests. No matter how many we killed, more would come, and they were very hard to kill.
This poor woman had fought against the bite. She was in the final stages, experiencing hallucinations and animal-like features. Though she was still breathing, everyone in this room knew she was as good as dead. We would have to kill her.
Sighing, I turned to see Lord Knud standing at the doorway, his eyes wide and burning with tears.
"Hirðkona," he bowed his head.
"Do you…?" I called out. "Do you know what is befalling her?"
He quickly fell to his knees. "Please do naught slay my wife. Please."
"She stands in the final stage of transformation," I said, furrowing my brows. "Why did you naught call upon me sooner?"
"She came home two nights ago and would naught say a word of what had passed with her. She did naught tell me of the bite until last night when she turned very sick," he said. "Please I beg of you, promise that you won't slay her."
"I shall try, but I can naught promise you," I said.
"Thank you. Thank you, Hirðkona."
"You should thank me naught," I said. "Praise the goddess Eir instead."
Turning back to the woman, I placed my palm on her skin and called upon the goddess to help her.