Ascension Chapter 7

The field just outside the village near Fin's cottage had been spaced off for the caid match. Loki and Chris led their horses to the community paddock and headed for the crowd that had gathered to watch the match. Loki kept looking for Eidra but didn't see her. Colum saw him though,
              "Loki! Come on," Colum began to guide him away from Chris but he held up a hand and turned to Chris. He drew the Uruz from around his neck and pressed it into Chris's hand,
               "Take care of this for me, it is my most prized possession."
               Chris nodded and only then did Lloki let himself be led into the center of a group of men where he was introduced. "Men this is Loki, he's an outlander and likely to get broken, now we don't want to have to welcome him here formally so go easy will ye?" As Colum explained the rules of the game, he gave a red colored sash for Loki to drape across his chest. He did so, tying his hair back with a leather  strap as well. It would not due to be blinded while playing with these men though since arriving here on the island, doing more physical labor, he had filled out a bit more, worked muscles he'd forgotten he'd had. Of course he would always be lithe, slight but at least now there was a bit more to contend with.
             
               The match was well underway when Eidra and Sally reached the edge of the playing field.     
She sidled in beside Siobhan. "How fares it?" She shouted in her ear to be heard above the din of the crowd as she watched the men running toward the opposite end of the field.
                "It fares well dependin' on whose side yer on." Siobhan smiled at her. She felt a head bump into her belly and arms wrap around her legs. She put a hand down upon Mary's head and ruffled her hair. "Where's Sean?"
          "Ah 'e wandered off with Brian, I warned  'em to take a care." Siobhan shielded her brow against the rare sun. "They shouldn't be far off."
            Eidra scanned the field, spotting Cormac and Colum right off though the boys altogether were spattered with so much mud, the earth fair saturated with the recent rain, it was a wonder they could stay upright, heading toward the near end of the field to the goal on a dead run. The din from the crowd became louder though it scarce seemed possible.
               She picked up little Mary so she could see above the crowd and began to shout along with everyone else. Sally grabbed her arm and shook it, "Looka Cormac...such a fine specimen!"
         A goal was counted and the boys came together in a roar and repositioned themselves on the field.
Eidra looked the team over and saw Jaime as well, he clasping the forearm of one of his teammates and laughing. The teammate turned his head to scan the crowd.
            "Oooh Eidra, 'tis Loki!" Sally cried. Eidra put her free hand to her mouth as Loki caught sight of her, gave a broad smile which lit up his mud splattered face and the boys were off and running again.
       "Looka him go!" Sally shoved Eidra's arm but Eidra's attention was now focused on Loki. He was certainly agile, even graceful as he moved about the field, passing the leather wrapped ball, running interference for his teammates. Mary leaned over to her mother and Siobhan took her in her arms. Eidra was now caught up in the excitement of the match, clapping and shouting. He and Colum collided once and both missed the ball, giving the other team an advantage until the game was temporarily stopped by a commotion down the field. Eidra stretched out over the rope demarcating the playing field to see what had happened, moving a bit further upfield. She heard the shouts,
            "Cormac 'as rolled 'is ankle!" came the call. Two players lifted the burly man up, carrying him off the playing field. She could see his hands into fists, his teeth clenched in pain but he made not a sound. Colum called to Loki and pointed him to another spot on the field and the game began again.
        Two goals later and she could see exhaustion clearly written on the men's faces, pure adrenaline likely fueling their relentless play. Loki had the ball again and slid sideways between two large opponents to rush towards the goal. He nearly slipped in the mud but regained his feet just before another opposing team member tackled him from the right, catching him around his waist and plowing his head into Loki's side. That was all it took to take him off his feet and he was driven to the ground hard. Colum shouted "Hold!" as he saw Loki go down and the players rushed to gather around. Eidra could see little except for the two players still on the ground in the field, the opponent sitting up holding his shoulder, Loki on his hands and knees, hair forward, hiding his face.
         Finally, both men were up on their feet to a rousing cheer but Loki was being supported as they took him from the field.
          "Ah Loki's out of play, 'twould seem, Eidra.." Sally turned her head to where Eidra had been, "Eidra?"

              She pushed her way through the throngs of people until she saw where they had taken him. They had set him on the step of a wagon and a young man with bright copper hair, a physician who went by the name of Gorm who had newly arrived in the village but two weeks hence, was standing in front of Loki who looked milk pale, enhanced no doubt by the mud covering his clothes and most available exposed skin. She stood back a bit,watching them.
            "Take his tunic off, gently, mind ye." Gorm said to Colum.
             Loki raised his arms gingerly, his teeth set in a grimace of agony. He was breathing hard but shallow. "It feel like daggers, gods!" He rasped. The tunic lifted, she could see dark black and blue bruises where he'd been hit, the largest ones blooming fresh across his rib cage. It was then that she noticed a large scar running diagonally across his chest from his right shoulder blade to just under his breastbone on the left. It seemed about the width of her pinky. It was not the only scar on his body but it was the largest by far. She was burning with curiosity as to how he had gotten such a gruesome injury but held her tongue as Gorm felt about his sides until Loki yelped at his palpitations.
              "Ye seem to have cracked a rib or two. Yer out of the game for the duration."
              "Damn!" Colum cried but he patted Loki on the arm and nodded as he sped off back to the field and Loki leaned forward, holding himself stiff as he wiped the mud from his face. She lingered a moment longer then turned and wound her way back through the crowd to find Sally. The last thing she wanted him to see had been her standing there, staring at him. She searched the crowd, looking for Sally and Siobhan.
              Loki had wondered if she was going to approach him when he saw her out the corner of his eye, a few deep in the throng surrounding him but when he looked again for her, she'd left. He groaned and sat back, leaning at the edge of the wagon. Chris came over to him and patted him on the knee.                         "Fine work out there, lad. Pity you had to give up the ship when the tide was turning."
Loki eased himself down from the wagon, "Come on, let's get you home and washed up. I've got to build up a ready supply of wood to rekindle the fire tonight."
             Eidra watched Chris and Loki head to the community paddock from further down the field seeing Loki chance a look back at the crowd though they kept walking.
            "Don't twist around, my boy. You'll do more damage than is already done, I'll warrant." Chris chided him.
            "She was there," Loki said as Chris undid the paddock gate and strode up to their horses to untie them.
             "So she was, I saw her meself. She went straight away to see if you were hurt."
              Loki nodded, "But said not a word to me, she stayed well away."
              "Baby steps, lad, baby steps." He watched as Loki pulled himself up on the horse before he mounted his own steed. "Let us be off."
             

              Eidra had shoveled the coals from the hearth and buried them in a hole outside in the yard to smother them. Then she and Sally had built up the new pile of wood in the fireplace, readying it to be lit from the two communal bonfires that were now being made in the center of the village. She grabbed her cloak from the peg by the door.
            "Sally!" Eidra shouted, "I shall fetch Corrine, you may take Brenna. Hurry, people are already gathering. I do not wish to be late."
             "Nearly there!" Came the call from Sally's bedchamber.
              Eidra opened the door and peered out into the waning daylight. She caught sight of Colum, though it was a wonder, he was covered in a white ragged robe, his face streaked with stripes of black soot,  and called to him.
              "Eidra, what might I help ye with?" He trotted over to her doorstep.
              "Nothing, I wondered...." She hesitated,
               "I often wonder though there's sure to be something I'm wonderin' about." Colum leaned against the doorframe casually.
               "I  wondered who won the game." She finished.
               "Ye didn't stay for the end? Why we did, o' course."
               "C'mon Col!" Came a yell from the road. It was Cormac, a crutch beneath one arm, his injured ankle held in the air. "Get on with it, flirt later."
                Colum rolled his eyes and smiled, "I'll see ye there then. I'm called away." She watched him go, then headed out to the barn.
                
              Eidra led a reluctant Corrine into the village street with Sally and Brenna close behind. As they neared the center of the village, she could see the two bonfire piles waiting to be lit. Fin was holding the torch and speaking to the throng of people gathered around.
              "We honor our ancestors," He nodded to the crowd, "And thank them for the bountiful harvest each year. Now we dispel the darkness and unite our village in the warmth of fire and friendship."
             Fin set the torch first to one pile which began to blaze, then the other, and stood back while the people around them cheered.

           Loki stood with Chris, his hand on the older man's shoulder to steady himself. He was in pain, a goodly deal of it but had insisted upon going with Chris even though he'd purged twice on the way home from the game, the agony in his side making him nauseous the pain magnified ten times over as he heaved, once blacking out, only prevented from meeting the ground by a diligent Chris. Still, he had stripped his muddy clothes from him, lain down on the cot and slept for an hour before he arose again and the pain had subsided enough for him to wash up and put on a fresh change of garments.
          Riding his horse had been a necessary evil but the jolt of its step finally overtook him and he had walked his horse the last half league to the village while Chris rode slowly alongside him.
         "I know Bettina would have gone bawling into the night if we'd tried to bring her here." Chris muttered. Bettina, his milk cow, had in fact, stayed far across the pasture. When she saw him coming towards her, she had trotted further away. Being usually tractable, he was sure she knew what was up.
         "Besides, I wasn't about to chase her around the field either. We'll throw a burning stick at her when we get home and call her purified."
           Loki smiled, "The lighting of the bonfires in Asgard have much the same meaning though we light them in the spring to celebrate the return of summer and longer days. It is also the end of the wild hunt."
          Jaime floated up to them in a white robe, grinning. "I see we did no' speed you to yer afterlife this afternoon."
           "Ah no, I survived, sadly."
            Jaime roared with laughter, then took his fingers, rubbed them on the stripes on his face and transferred them to Loki's cheeks. "There now yer properly made up." He did the same again only this time to Chris. "I'll see ye at the guild hall then?"
          "Of course lad," Chris cried, patting his large belly, "How does one say no to a feasting?"
           Jaime laughed again and with a wave, was off towards the bonfires.
            At that point, they were passing Eidra's cottage but it was dark. "They must be up here, boy. Waiting with their cattle."
             The heat of the bonfires could be felt yards away, the lowing of cows filled the air as they were driven  or led between the great towering blazes to purify them in the heat and light. He spied Eidra and Sally in line to take the walk next and he took the opportunity that the bustle of activity afforded him to gaze at her. She wore a blue dress, her favorite color, he knew would bring out the blue in her eyes. She had pulled her chestnut hair back from her face and done it up in a loose chignon. He recalled many a time he had thrilled to pull it free only to watch her curls tumble down to her soft shoulders. She had leaned over to Sally and whispered something in her ear, then turned to look about the crowd until Sally shook her arm and they walked between the fires, Corrine sending up a nervous bellow but Brenna ambling along without a sound.
            Once on the other side of the fires, Eidra drew a small torch from a sack around Corrine's neck and lit it from the bonfire. "Let's get the fire going in the cottage and put these ladies back in the barn."

          Eidra watched the fireplace blaze to life, tossing the torch in to join the rest of the wood, then she walked to the window and turned the turnip she'd carved out that morning, towards her. "We shall light these when we return."
          She moved to the cupboards, opened one and took out a muslin wrapped loaf of bread. "We have to get to the hall."
          Sally nodded, "I am ready when ye are."

            She saw him as soon as she walked into the hall. He and Cormac were surrounded by their teammates from that afternoon and they were all talking and laughing. She noted how gingerly he held himself, smiling more than laughing. Sally tapped her on the shoulder as she stood just inside the doorway, "You're blocking the way in, Eidra."
          She scuttled out of the way and Sally bumped her with her elbow, "Why do ye not go and ask him how he is?"
          Eidra frowned, "For what reason. He is obviously fine or he would not be here."
          "Woman, ye do have a heart of stone..." Sally took the loaf of bread from her and headed for the tables already groaning with the feast.
            She started to follow along then stopped and stamped her foot drawing strange looks from the people surrounding her. She most definitely did not want to approach him when he was surrounded by half the men in the village. She glanced back only to see he was standing alone at that point. She took a deep breath and started to make her way towards him.

            He had closed his eyes for a minute, taking shallow breaths. Chris had wandered off to the long tables covered with food when Loki had waved him off. "Go stuff yourself, my friend, I shall be along."

             She cleared her throat, waiting for him to open his eyes. He seemed surprised to see her and she searched for words, finally finding them though they sounded foreign to her. "You did well at the game today."
            He smiled at her and she was struck again at the familiarity which temporarily stoppered up her thoughts.
             He bowed slightly, winced. "Thank you, I was enjoying myself until I took Shane's head to my ribs."
            She looked down at her shoes, "Have you ever played caid?"
            "No, but we have similar games in Asgard."
            He had moved closer to her to let people pass behind him and she found herself staring at his boots. He was close enough now that she ventured to ask in a quiet voice, "What terrible accident gave you that large scar across your chest?" She started to redden then, realizing that he would know she had been there when he'd been injured.
            He didn't answer at first and she raised her eyes to see him closer than she wished. She backed up and waited for him to say something.
            "I received the scar in battle with the Dökkálfar when we aided Freyr in a border dispute."
             She tilted her head, "I do not recall any border disputes in my lifetime. It must have been after I came here. Tell me, did we win?"
             Loki bit his lip, "Yes."
             "Ah that is good to know. Tell me, did you know my father, Eldan?"
             "Not very well, I did meet him a few times." he wanted to scream but only gave her a gentle smile.
              She returned it but it faded swiftly as she read his face, "Loki, speak your mind. There is little you have said to me in the past that would shock me now."
              He started to speak, stopped, sighed, "You were with me when I received the scar. You saved my life."
              Eidra shook her head, "I am no warrior."
              "I never said you were in battle with me. You were in my tent as my servant."
              All at once, Eidra giggled, "Well you have me there. Once again I am shocked. A servant to you?" She hissed.
              "You asked me to speak my mind."
             "Then the fault is mine, excuse me." She turned to walk away.
              "Please do not go." She heard him plead and she stopped, "Let me bask just a bit longer in your company, I promise I will say nothing more of the past...of anything."
               "I have to help Sally."
                Before he could protest further, she had slipped into the crowd. She turned once more to look at him and saw that he had disappeared. She felt angry, but more than that, she was upset, scared. When he had told her where the scar had come from, an image had flashed in her mind of a small field tent. An old man bent over someone laying on a cot in the flickering torchlight, her brother Danar watching him and it felt not as a dream but real. It frightened her, not because of what had happened but that there could be the merest hint of truth in what he was saying. She gazed about the hall again but couldn't find him. As she helped the women with the food, she kept an eye out for him but he was absent the rest of the evening.
            When people began to leave the hall, heading for their homes, she spied Chris and called to him. He loped over to her, bowing low, "What does my lady wish with me?"
            "I have not seen Loki since we spoke earlier."
             Chris shrugged, "He took me aside and told me he was too much in pain. He said he would meet me at the cottage."
             Eidra put her hand on Chris's arm, "Tell him I am sorry, will you? He will ken your meaning."
            Chris bowed again, "I shall, and then I shall ask him whatever he did you make you sorry. Madam."
            
            Eidra sat alone by the fireplace that evening. Sally had long retired to her bedchamber and she could hear her soft snoring as she rocked in the rocking chair, her thoughts far away to her family still in Alfheim. They would be spared for many years from this place, the gods willing, then she made an effort again as she had countless times to recall how she had passed from the realm of Alfheim to Tir Na Nog. Siobhan knew the exact date and day of her passing, Colum, Jaime too. She felt so frustrated. It had occurred to her that perhaps Loki would know how she'd passed on and that irked her even more. Had she really forgotten a large chunk of her life? Was it possible? She wrapped her shawl tight around her, banked the fire and retired to her own bedchamber, burrowing under the heavy quilt that lay atop her bed, forcing the thoughts from her mind as sleep overtook her.