by Andrew Kurtz The rancorous stench of death emanating from the Viking longboat reached up to the Halls of Valhalla and Fenrir’s nostrils. The dead don’t always travel on land, but sea. The re-animated corpses of the Viking warriors, putrid flesh blanketed with maggots and worms, crew the ship littered with the bones of their […]
by Stephen Herczeg Dark skies greet me as I wake. Pain strikes my flesh. ‘Tis nothing compared to that of my friends, my comrades, my enemies. Dead, littering the battlefield, unmoving. I am the last one. The conqueror. Gold shimmers above the corpses. Their spirits stand as one. The great gates of Valhalla open. Silently, […]
by Kailey Alessi “Don’t touch me!” I back up, my knife comically small compared to the sword brandished by the invader. “You’re brave, girl.” The invader removes her helmet and blonde braids cascade down her shoulders. She glances at the cooling body of my father and grimaces. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. He was a worthless […]
by Martin Murray Oein awaited the Witch on the grounds where his slaughtered army lay. She promised him their return in exchange for his daughters. The Witch appeared from the shadows, her face the color of the moon. She took the girls’ hands, leading them towards the darkened woods; her purpose for his children, Oein […]
by Jameson Grey “This cur does not deserve the blood eagle,” Harald, the clan chief, declared. Having once witnessed the ritual, I considered him not tearing out my ribs and ripping out my lungs to be almost merciful. “I want a memento of my greatest victory,” Harald added. Still, I hoped my end would be […]
by James Rumpel Thor Rorakson hesitated before opening his eyes. He felt calm, as if he were floating. Perhaps he was on his way to Valhalla. The village’s resistance had been surprising, and he had taken a hard blow to the head. An explosion of pain at the back of his skull verified that he […]
by David D. West Broðir grunted as they made the incision in his naked stomach. His captors reached two fingers in, hooked a section of long intestine, and pulled. Broðir shuddered at the squelching sound, the painful heat spreading through his midsection. They staked the organ into the earth beside the oak. “Walk,” they commanded, […]
by Tannis Mills Did she regret it? Estrid gazed below. Her husband on the dock, arms crossed, cold, as always. Refusing to meet her eyes, even knowing it would be the last. The ropes tightened across Estrid’s chest and hips. She looked left. Her lover similarly lashed to the ship’s prow, eyes blazing. “I will […]
by Jeff Currier Fleeting spectral images taunted Sigurd’s memory. Opening a man’s throat. Striding through crimson spray. Quick slashes ending children’s caterwauling. A golden-haired beauty screaming Valkyrie threats. Laughing, swatting away her knife. Slinging her over his shoulder. And dying—her second blade embedded in his spine. Sigurd’s hand still clasped his sword. A Viking’s death […]
by Ryan Van Ells The stew looks delicious. My stomach rumbles. I look at the babysitter. “Not yet,” she says. “It needs mandrake root.” I hand her one. “Now?” “Not yet. It needs sage.” I hand her the bottle. “What about now?” “Not yet. It needs lizard guts.” I reach for the lizard, his stomach […]