CHAPTER 1

Going home—the sound of that was sweet musicto his ears. This was his last day after five years ofservice to the king of the Kingdom Mjolnir. Agnar wasgetting dressed for a party being held in his honor,a custom when soldiers leave the King's Service.Agnar was a member of Fort Hermana, under thecommand of Baldur. I'll miss the men, thought Agnar.Agnar shooed his Sekhmet, a wolverine, off his bed.Lazily his Sekhmet, named Bangsi, jumped onto thefloor and curled into a ball. "Heim Til þinn," orderedAgnar, and instantly, his Sekhmet disappeared into aball of smoke. Agnar, a ferreter by profession, hadthe ability to telepathically talk to his Sekhmet. Thecommand, meaning "home" or "into your cage" wasalways obeyed. All ferreters used Sekhmets; someused lions, others used great apes. If any foes attacka ferreter, his Sekhmet will attack immediately.

Daydreaming, he recalled his youth in Trátop Coven.Such good times were those, playing in and aroundthe Tree of Life, dancing, playing hide-and-seek, andstealing gourd from the vines. He even recalled hisfirst kiss: sweet Björg, beautiful creature she was. Helaughed out loud at the memory of his mother whenshe had caught Björg and him holding hands andtalking innocently about when they got older. Theyhad not a care in the world. Suddenly, he returned toreality when Bangsi snored weeeeeeesnortsnort in thebed.

Agnar looked around his quarters, small, comfortable,with all the regular furnishings. As he was buttoningup his shirt, high-collared white linen with pearlbuttons, he glanced in the mirror to make sure itfit right. The elf-human greeting him back was ahandsome person, with almost human appearance. Ifnot for the slightly elongated points on his ears, helooked like any normal human with golden hair. Hewas abnormally tall for an elf, not for a human. As hetook his tabard from his bed, he heard a knock on thedoor. "Come."

The door opened, and in came Baldur. "Well, well,aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" exclaimed Baldur.Baldur had been his commanding officer for the lastfour years and looked book-perfect as a commander.He was about a head taller than Agnar. He wasmuscular and clean-shaven and was wearing a tabardbearing the symbol of the warrior. "I just came by togive you your severance pay and such. I shall see youat the party. The guys kinda pitched in for a good-byepresent," said Baldur as he tossed a pouch onto thebed. "Oh, yes ... You get to keep your mount aspart of your wages for signing up." Baldur saluted andexited the room.

Agnar went to the bed and grabbed the pouch. Insidewere five hundred Ten-Sheckles, a realm pass, and alooking glass, obviously made by the gnomes in thefort. He smiled, picked up the collapsed looking glass,and examined it. When it expanded, it allowed himto see great distances. He collapsed the looking glassand put it in the rucksack next to the bed. He wasgoing to sorely miss his companions.

Before leaving the room, Agnar examined hissurroundings. With a deep gasp of breath, hewondered if he would miss his lodgings. Beforehim, the sun was winking out for the evening, thepinkish-red skies falling. He stared for a bit at thegarrisons' command post, the sentries lining the wall.To the right were the stables and the blacksmiths'work area. He listened to the singing of the nightcrickets and smelled the dung, which clung in the air.Turning to the left, he could see the serene newlylit campfires and the lances stacked against thedefensive wall. The walls were made from bouldersreinforced with hewn logs ... Straight ahead was themedical facility, and beyond that was the main gate.Just beyond that lay the village. Like any defensiveposts, villages always sprung up because of thesoldiers. There always were the many ladies of thenight, bars, and shops—like any typical shire. Well, Iguess I should get to Boars Head ... Can't keep thepeople wait, thought Agnar as he strode toward thevillage. He couldn't help but notice the air surroundinghim: the pungent smells from the campfires, thesmells from the kitchens, the occasional barking ofdogs.

Entering the inn Boars Head, he was greeted withthe familiar sight of mounted heads—goats, bears,lions, and deer—swords, and blunderbusses. Thelong tables were laden with food and drink; thesmells from the table fare was scrumptious. Theguests—mostly humans but some elves, dwarfs, andgnomes—gave the aroma of leathery sweat, andthe perfumes from the lady guests emitted a tangyodor inside Boars Head. Gagns greeted Agnar witha "G-g-g-g-good evening, join the p-p-p-p-party" inhis stammering squeaky voice. He was a tiny thing,about knee-high to Agnar, with the ability to teleportby blinking. Gagns blinked back to the bar where hewas tending to the till. Agnar spotted the table with aspace next to Baldur that was reserved for him, andhe made his way to it. People were slapping him onthe back, saying "Great to see ye," "Wish it were me,""Miss you," "Hey, short-timer," and such. Eventually,he made it to the seat and greeted Baldur. "This isa fantastic get-together. I'm honored." He could seecountless people that he had worked with, including aferreter with a tiger as his Sekhmet.

Shouting above the din, Baldur responded,"Everyone here will miss you terribly. Here, grab somebriny mead." And he shoved a mug in Agnar's hand."We have plenty of meats, breads, fruits, and most ofall, women! All on us!" he exclaimed.

Agnar grinned from ear to ear as he observed thatthe band was coming up on the stage. With the bandin full gear, the party roared its approval, laughing andshowing its consent. Agnar was subscribed to dancingwith one of the ladies of the night; everyone wasclapping and shouting approvals. As the mead tookcontrol of the night, the partygoers were engrossedin conversations, embellished, of course, withsentry duties with Agnar. The meals were consumedzealously, calling for more meats and, of course, moremead. He was captivated with the companionship, thefriendship of his companions, and the atmosphere ofBoars Head.

Agnar finally made his way and sat at the...