They had walked what felt like nearly a mile when small trees along the rough trail ahead of them were felled. Erik looked at the stumps as he stepped over the first of them. It had been sheared off smoothly and the top was singed black.
“Well, she was definitely through this way.” Tove looked at the stumps. “I’m not sure how I feel seeing this, Erik.”
“Me either.” There were scratches on the trees deeper into the forest, deep cuts burned into the wood. “I hope she’s calmed down by the time we find her.”
The felled trees eventually stopped, replaced by divots in the ground, cut by the same weapon. There were large squares pounded around them.
“Why’s she so pissed off?” Erik mumbled the words to himself, marveling at the destruction.
The signs of violence disappeared and they were still making their way slowly along the same trail. Erik began to worry she’d flown up and out of the forest entirely. There was still time to turn back and make it to Völundr’s by nightfall and they were well away from safety in the woods, if Göll had given him the truth before. He was at the edge of convincing himself to turn back when he heard a distant, rhythmic thundering. It stopped for a few seconds and then came on again.
Erik started running toward it, making sure not to let Tove fall behind. He wanted to squeeze the grips and run as fast as the power would let him, but he couldn’t. If Göll was fighting other valkyries as she’d done before, Tove would definitely suffer in his absence. He heard the sound of splashing water and saw a small lake through the trees, a waterfall along the north edge of it. He waited in the trees until he saw that only Göll was there, striking the ground with her fists, sending the earth under them shaking with each blow.
“Wait here.” Erik held a hand up to Tove as he started off forward.
He came into the clearing, his fists lightly wrapped around the grips, not sure if he would need them.
She stood up, looking at him and screamed, her face in anguish. “What are you? Who? Are you another of their tricks?” She stomped the ground, sending dirt flying. “Have you come to laugh? To mock me?”
Erik held his hands up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Göll. I’m just… you saw how I lived.”
She grabbed at her blonde hair with her hands, pacing back and forth. “Then there is some mockery. They… they have some plan. They will all laugh again. ‘Oh, a berserker? You should have known, silly Göll. And yet you brought him here. No doubt he is unworthy.’” She screamed at the sky. “I can hear them now! Come out, all of you! I’m on to your tricks.”
Erik walked closer to her. “Göll, look at me. I don’t understand.”
She looked at him, her eyes narrowing and her lips tightening. “A berserker cannot be. Not in Helheim.” She went back to pacing.
“Why not?”
She walked up to him, looking into his eyes, her voice serious and her breath heavy. “A berserker is blessed by his god. The power flows only when their god wills it.”
“So… my power…”
She gritted her teeth, calming herself as much as she could. “A god has granted you their boon. And surely, Odin will not allow one with such a boon into his hall. On a power not earned?!”
“You say surely…”
Göll turned away from him and then back. “There… there has never been a berserker in this place. Hel would not allow it.” A look of realization. “Or it could be one of her schemes! How had I not suspected it?” She went back to pacing. “I should have run at her the moment I saw her.”
He went to Göll, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her around. “Calm down and let’s think through some things. You said something about feeling me? Right? Like, you can track me?”
She looked at him as if she’d had an epiphany that wasn’t altogether reassuring. “Yes, it is… I can feel you still. Stronger than I’ve ever known.” She put a hand over her heart. “It’s… why?”
Erik dropped his head, letting out a relieved sigh. “Okay.” He looked back up at her, taking his hands off her shoulders. “Maybe it’s not so bad. Maybe I can still prove myself.”
She smiled. A real, complete, toothy smile. “I… It could be possible.” She looked at him. “I have never— all my chosen until now— I have never made it so far.”
She hugged him suddenly and Erik almost screamed, not having expected it. The hug was too tight and too long. She realized, pulling herself back and straightening back to her stoic norm, swallowing hard. It seemed almost mechanical, the smile disappearing from her face.
“I apologize for my outburst, chosen.”
He felt the metal in his palm twitch as she said the words, but bit his tongue, sure she would say nothing of value about her sudden change in demeanor.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ve got a long walk back.”
Göll nodded stiffly. “It is dangerous in these woods. We should return immediately.”
Erik agreed, heading back to the tree line to find Tove waiting where he’d left her. Göll walked along ahead of them and Tove turned with Erik as he passed, keeping her place beside him.
“It seemed to go well.”
Erik watched Göll’s back as she walked. “It went well, yeah.”
Tove watched his face, her own growing concerned. “Is something wrong?”
He gave a sideways smile, unsure what to
