The Extremely Epic Viking Tale of Yondersaay Read Free Page A

buried in his earthly life would be his once more. His true armor, weaponry, or wealth stayed buried in the earth while its ghostly copy awaited him in the afterlife. So it was, every Viking, before he died, buried his prized weapons and his most coveted jewels in preparation for this final battle.
    “Now, the stories go, this lost island in the middle of the sea happened to be the place where all the Viking warriors of old went to bury their treasures. The riches buried on the island were said to include the most intricate and exquisite objects ever invented, mined, or styled. Some of the weaponry dated back to the first-ever pieces of forged iron, and other pieces displayed the most modern sophistication. Since these riches were sung about the world over by the skalders and other storytellers, the stories eventually made it all the way to the southern lands of Brother Brian’s home.
    “Yondersaay was widely believed to be the burial place not just of the treasures of generations of Vikings but also of the Gifts of Odin.”
    “Tell us about the Gifts of Odin again, Granny,” Dani said.
    “The Gifts of Odin are weapons, jewels, and treasures that were given to the Viking god Odin, the father of all Vikings, throughout his many lifetimes. Some of the gifts were specifically crafted for Odin, and some were imbued with enchantments and powers. Not all the gifts were of this world; some were presents from other gods. Of course, you’ve heard of a few—the Black Heart of the Dragon’s Eye, for instance, and the Violaceous Amethyst. Then there’s the Tome of Tiuz and the Fjorgyn Thunderbolt. And there are other, more obscure ones, like the Sword of Lapis Lazuli and its mate, the Asiatic Shield, and the Cup of Memory, to name the most famous of the least famous.
    “Rumors of this magnificent cache of treasure traveled far and wide. To ensure the island would not be sacked and plundered, Odin cast an enchantment upon it. The island disappeared from sight and became unreachable. Or, to be more specific, almost unreachable,” Granny continued as she unfastened her seat belt and pulled down her tray table. The Millers were all together in the middle of the plane in a row of four seats. Granny had taken off her hat and coat upon entering the plane, and Ruairi could see she was wearing her stretchy trousers.
    “Granny,” Mum said, “you’re not supposed to pull down your tray table until they serve the food. It’s not safe in the event of an emergency landing.”
    Just at that precise moment, Ruairi saw a very smiley, very tanned flight attendant turn out of the galley pushing a trolley piled high with trays of food.
    “You were saying, Mum?” Granny grinned at Mum.
    “Never mind,” Mum mumbled.
    The flight attendant pushed her trolley down the aisle, handing out trays of food. “Chicken or beef?” she said to Granny with a big smile when she got to their row.
    “Yes, please.” Granny smiled back at her. The flight attendant held the chicken tray in one hand and the beef tray in the other. She seemed confused.
    “You can just put them both down here, thank you.” The flight attendant looked at Granny. Granny did not break eye contact. The flight attendant hesitated for just a second, then put both trays in front of Granny.
    “Oh, and the vegetarian option too, please.” Granny manoeuvered the chicken tray halfway on top of the beef tray to make room for the vegetarian. She turned back to Dani and Ruairi and continued with her story before the flight attendant had a chance to object.
    “Dudo’s favorite skalder’s tale tells of a great king who would one day breach the island’s enchanted fortifications. A lone warrior with neither weaponry nor army with no council to advise him and no magic to aid him would conquer the jewel-filled island and become its king and master. It is not known how he was to achieve it, what power or ruse he would employ, what deal he would strike, or indeed, whom he would fight.