Rebirth and Second Chances

The Vikings weren't entirely taken by surprise. They would have been if I hadn't sent an Azi-fey disguised as a Norse hunter to warn them. The Mongols were surprisingly adept at minimizing any noise as they rode.

The Norse were better protected than the Mongol camp had been, having a palisade of logs to retreat behind. A fortress that Ogedei had anticipated. He had his people scouting the area, their reports informing him of numbers. He had dismissed the log barricade's functionality and effectiveness, believing it was easily overcome using fire if nothing else.

The town the Mongols were about to sack was not large, but I doubted any Norse village or town was any larger at this point. The town was located near the Kemi River and had been first established as a trading hub, so it had more artisans and hunters than expected.

The location gave the Norse access to rich farmland, abundant forests, and a river teeming with fish. And just as vital, a method of transportation. The river allowed the Norse freedom of movement while providing a natural barrier to protect against Beastkin invasion. The river was broad enough that it had given the Mongols pause, forcing them to find a place to ford that was safe enough to bring their horses across.

The fortification that had been built was crude, at least compared to the walls of Rome, but they were effective. The climate kept the logs from drying out, making burning them almost impossible without first coating them in some type of accelerant.

That didn't mean the Mongols wouldn't try. They sent a rain of flaming arrows at the wall as soon as they arrived. Arrows that had been crafted and dipped in pitch to keep the flames burning even after they were embedded in logs. Their tactic of overwhelming the enemy with numbers was stymied for the moment as the Vikings turtled behind their walls of protection.

No plan survives the enemy, and that was true for this engagement. The Norse would not be sallying out, engaging fleeing Mongols only to be ambushed and slaughtered by the people Ogedei had hidden.

The Vikings retaliated from the top of the palisade, releasing their own flight of arrows. Their bows of ash, elm, or yew were enhanced with magic. Magic powered with the sound of drums, and the clanging of metal as their shamans danced and sang in concert. Their ritual magic was able to give buffs to the men defending.

The arrows they released had been primed, crafted with the arcane. Each arrow glowed with magical intent, the song of shamans demanding they fly true and strike deep. Every arrow released found a target, the magical energy expended as they struck in an explosion of force that killed whatever they hit.

The front line of the Mongols was decimated as men and horses were slaughtered. The Mongols were forced to retreat a few feet until they were out of range of the Norseman's longbows.

Their own composite bows had a greater range and were suited to use with light or heavy war arrows. "Target those walls," Ogedei ordered, causing confusion on my part. They were already launching volleys of burning arrows at the wall. His order to target the walls seemed counterproductive.

It instantly became apparent that his order resulted in a different response than I'd anticipated. What followed was a [Shaman Ritual] that made use of the connection between rider and horse. A bond of the soul and one of the reasons the horses of the Mongol people were so important to them.

A contingent of riders broke off and began what might be considered synchronized dressage. The horses moved in established paths that allowed them to leave patterns on the ground, patterns that started to resonate and fill with shamanic magic. As the riders and horses moved in formation, the horses' hooves began producing their own drumbeat, resounding in a synchronized staccato in counter-point to the Viking drums.

The Azi-fey had never mentioned the Mongols were capable of this type of magic. Soul magic, a confluence of horse and rider that would spark and power whatever spell the Shaman might manifest as he channeled these energies.

The earth seemed to pulse in time with the changes in each horse's gait. Earth magic began coalescing as the riders created a crude but effective array. The formation of magic filled the grooves and ruts the horses had left on the ground. With one final maneuver, more a stampede than the advanced dressage that each rider had orchestrated to summon power, the horses charged at the palisade of logs.

The earth buckled as waves of energy blasted forward in front of the animals' charge, the earth magic powerful enough to tear logs from the ground and open rifts that toppled longhouses and destroyed the military formations of the Vikings fighters.

The screams of people and horses tore through the village as the Vikings replaced their bows with spears. Men were trampled, and horses were savaged as the Norse took advantage of the town's infrastructure to bait and attack, withdrawing methodically to take advantage of tight places and their extended reach.

Their attempts at forestalling the Mongols were fruitless, and the Norse were soon decimated. They never had a chance against the superior magic and overwhelming numbers of warriors that had been levied against them.

The Mongols were relentless in their slaughter, their actions revenge and redemption for their fallen comrades. Unfortunately, war often claimed the lives of the innocent, but in this case, those lives were targeted purposefully. The Mongols believing their camp of women and children had been killed by the Vikings, were determined to return barbarism with barbarism.

Ogedei couldn't have stemmed his forces' bloodlust if he wanted. The town went up in flames to the cheers of his men and the lamenting wails of his enemies. The savagery and brutality of this incursion were a first step and a prelude to what was to come.

The Mongols didn't come out of this attack unscathed, of course. The first volley of arrows the Vikings had released had killed hundreds. Hundreds more died as the Mongols fought their way inside the palisade and began burning and looting the town.

But those numbers were trivial before the raging frenzy of an army at war. An army that could taste its enemies' blood and see that the battle was all but won.

"Strof," I said, gaining the attention of one of the Azi-fey, "send a few of your people to the closest villages and towns. Have them disguise themselves as wounded and desperate Norseman and let them know of this attack. I want them reporting what the Mongols did here so they can prepare for any future incursions by Ogedei and his people."

The Sidhe did not lie, and I hadn't asked that of them. They would speak the truth and report what had happened here, but they would do so cloaked in illusion. It was ironic that a people that relied on illusion and glamour, lies and dreams made manifest, were barred from uttering any words that were not true.

The Azi-fey would report today's events. They would tell the tale colorfully and with great verbosity, detailing how the Mongols had attacked and slaughtered this town's people. And they would report, truthfully, that the Mongols had done so with no provocation from the town or the town's people.

"Should they include information about the use of horses to collect and control earth magic?" Strof asked.

"Absolutely," I replied. "The shamans on both sides called upon the Divine to infuse their spells with an added boost. If the Norse are aware of that, perhaps we can get Odin and Tengri, the ruler of Heaven and the supreme Mongol deity, involved in this dispute.

"That would be all the better.

"I would like to get Odin's attention focused elsewhere. I want his focus away from the Sidhe. If he is distracted, it will make my tasks easier."

The interplay of Divine magic within the confines of shamanic spell structure was unique. I had always been able to detect when the Divine was blended and made part of any spellcraft. I hadn't known it at the time, but that insight into the auric helped me identify Zeus' agents on Talahm.

Shamanic casting was at its roots naturalistic and primal. The practitioners called upon nature spirits and elements to fuel their magic. That both the Norse and Mongols had added a hint of the Divine, calling upon Odin and Tengri to help power their casting, was an unforeseen development and was different from my understanding of how this magic was used.

I wasn't surprised. There were enough historical differences between this world and the Earth. I remembered that I had expected new knowledge and insights that would have to be explored and accounted for.

So far, I hadn't come across anything that worried me or gave me greater pause than I'd anticipated. The quests to infiltrate Asgard and Olympus were already approaching impossible. To find that the Divine was used in the small magics Man could cast was interesting but hardly meaningful.