[i](Collab Road, Igraine and Kuro)

Trelleborg, midmorning, Healing house [/i]

Vigi jerked his head around after watching the last person leave, sweeping his eyes over the healing house to see who was left. His gaze quickly fell on the fire haired slave he met yesterday, clutching a screaming child in his arm and rushed forward to help. One of the draugr instantly turned its attention to him when he approached and he didn’t hesitate to strike out and stab the creature through it’s open mouth. 

Jerking the long blade out of the limp corpse he backed away, glancing over to see the red headed Pict disappear outside. [b]“Everyone is out!”[/b] He shouted to Haakon, moving quickly toward the door, eyes moving around wildly at the newly turned draugr rising from where they’d fallen as live humans. 

Haakon swept the hall to confirm what Vigi had said, then began backing towards the door. The room seemed to be filled with draugr; it seemed like no matter how many were killed, they just kept coming. An approaching beast snarled at Haakon, and the raider snarled back, lunging forward with his sword and taking its head cleanly from its shoulders. 

He backed towards the door, using his shield to force back the approaching dead, occasionally lashing out with his blade to hack at arms and legs as the creatures closed in. After a few seconds that felt like hours, he cleared the door and stumbled backwards out into the morning light. Haakon hurriedly rammed the tip of his sword into the snow and grabbed the door, hauling it closed and throwing his body against it to keep the draugr from getting out.

Hallerna’s shot a glance over her shoulder, toward the sight that caught Svala’s attention, and swore every last curse she’d ever known or heard under her breath. But between Harald and his curs descending on them and the draugr trying to escape the healing house, there wasn’t much of a choice between immediate emergencies. She and Svala both bolted to the door Haakon was holding, throwing their own weight and considerable strength against the planks that suddenly felt not much more substantial than some of Orran’s invaluable parchment.

[b]“Company behind us too, Haakon,”[/b] Svala hissed through gritted teeth, her back planted firmly against the door, knees bent and booted feet dug into the snowy mud.

Vigi rubbed the back of his hand across his sweat covered forehead, smearing the dark blood over his skin but not caring. His eyes were intent on the door and those holding it shut. He glanced around them and nearly froze seeing Harald and his men approaching. 

[b]“Freya’s cunt!”[/b] He hissed, tearing his eyes away. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe that Harald would provide aid without some kind of cost. Everything was chaotic and in the chaos so many things could happen that could be passed as ‘accidents’.

His eyes landed on the dark haired slave of Ragnar and Sigrid and the spear in his hand. Without a word he rushed forward to yank it from his hands then ran back to the door. With Harald approaching they needed to be on alert, especially Haakon. 

[b]“Here!”[/b] He grunted moving around the three holding the door shut and driving the spear into the ground and then wedging the other end against the door to keep it shut. 

Haakon sighed with relief and briefly leaned his forehead against the door, heedless of the clawing and moaning of the beasts on the other side. He’d fought in more than a dozen shield walls, killed armed and armored men in open warfare often enough that it had become routine, and yet nothing chilled him like the creatures locked in that hall. 

After taking a moment to gather himself, Haakon straightened and reached up with his right hand to brush his sweat-soaked hair back out of his face. Then he grasped his sword, hauled it from the earth, and turned to confront the new threat that was approaching.

As the raider’s eyes played over the line of armed warriors walking towards him, each of them bristling with gleaming weapons, he felt his confidence return in a rush. These were men. While men were fiercer, faster, and far more devious than any draugr, in the end, they could only kill him. If he fell to Harald and his animals, at least he wouldn’t suffer the indignity of rising again as a shambling shell.

[i] Valhalla awaits, [/i] Haakon thought to himself, stretching his shoulders briefly. The raider glanced at Svala, giddy with a sudden adrenaline rush, and gave her a cocky wink before stepping out in front of the group of survivors, his sword held low but at the ready as he moved to confront the false Thegn in his own leader’s stead.

Vigi was already focusing his attention on Harald once the spear was securely in place. He switched his saex to his other hand so he could clean his dominant hand of draugr blood and sweat. Next he cleaned off the handle to be sure it wouldn’t slip in his grip and then followed Haakon’s lead. 

He tried to steady his breathing as much as possible so that when he spoke his voice was steady. [b]“Harald,”[/b] He began, pleased that his voice was only slightly breathless. [b]“You’ve come to aid us I take it?”[/b] He kept his tone neutral even though he felt like scoffing as the words passed his lips. He kept his saex drawn but held it much like Haakon did, low so it wasn’t an obvious sign of hostility but still at the ready.