Running Ember: The Vargr, #8

By Meraki P. Lyhne

They'd expected the run of the North to be just that—a run to pull the biggest bond of Alphas in thousands of years. What none of them had expected was to find secrets of the past buried in the old and scarcely touched nature of Scandinavia.

In one instance after another, the past tosses its puzzle pieces at them for the Völve to work with, and as they gather the clues, synchronicity aids by lining up strange occurrences.

The ones that are hit the hardest are Pack Alpha Steffen and Nol-Elakdon. With help from the bond, they both have to deal with the necessities of going against their ways to figure out what's going on. Digging for answers unearths a corner piece, and they finally have an idea of what they're up against.

Something forgotten. Something they don't know. Something that simply can't be true.

And the wind brings news for the Völve to hear:

"Rigr, Rigr, it's time to rise, for swans to land, and for eagles to fly. Valkyrie, Valkyrie, pick your warrior. It's time for them to burn!"

• Language: English
• Publisher: MarLau Publishing
• Release date: May 20, 2024
• ISBN: 9788793966628

Book preview

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Table of Contents

Title Page

Running Ember

Running Ember

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Character list

About the Author

Running Ember

Vargr #8

Meraki P. Lyhne

Running Ember

Limited exclusive edition

Copyright © 2024 MarLau Publishing

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ISBN 13: 978-87-939666-2-8

Cover design by Mibl Art

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Edited by Laura McNellis

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Find more about the author

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MarLau Publishing

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This book is a work of fiction.

That means I made shit up. All of it.

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They’d expected the run of the North to be just that—a run to pull the biggest bond of Alphas in thousands of years. What none of them had expected was to find secrets of the past buried in the old and scarcely touched nature of Scandinavia.

In one instance after another, the past tosses its puzzle pieces at them for the Völve to work with, and as they gather the clues, synchronicity aids by lining up strange occurrences.

The ones that are hit the hardest are Pack Alpha Steffen and Nol-Elakdon. With help from the bond, they both have to deal with the necessities of going against their ways to figure out what’s going on. Digging for answers unearths a corner piece, and they finally have an idea of what they’re up against.

Something forgotten. Something they don’t know. Something that simply can’t be true.

And the wind brings news for the Völve to hear:

Rigr, Rigr, it’s time to rise, for swans to land, and for eagles to fly. Valkyrie, Valkyrie, pick your warrior. It’s time for them to burn!

Chapter One

Outside of a trip to Liberty Island, Matt had never been on anything bigger than his granddad’s dingy when they went trout fishing on a lake near their cabin in the woods. He’d certainly never been trapped on a big boat for a week. At least it was big enough to run, and some of the uninjured Alpha mates had fun, chasing each other around with Sleipnir. The engines on the ferry were noisy, but outside that, Matt liked it. While still healing from the massive flank wound, caused by the Völsung Warrior he’d gutted at Ting, Matt spent most of his trip toward Tromsø in the sun on the deck, wishing both he and Hati were able to join in on the fun.

Most of the injured Alphas and Völsung relaxed on the deck with them, and they were served meat there.

They’d left six days after Ting. Other than Matt having to heal enough to need less than six days of healing time on the ferry, they’d had so many little tasks to see to before departure.

Regional Alphas and two Völsung had flushed out the eight humans from government positions who worked with them. Most cops had been pinpointed, too.

They’d also gone to the six green packs on Tristan’s map, and the Alphas of all had let the Regionals deal with it, making clear that they favored Tristan’s suggestion. The Pack Alphas had been demoted in their own packs, and a new Pack Alpha and Pack Alpha Bitch had been appointed to each of them. They’d assess later, giving the Alphas time to work. Each pack had also taken in mated Alphas as first line of defense, putting a Geri Freki and a Sköll Hati in the packs, too.

During shadings, more Völsung had marched up from the south, and the pack had grown to almost six hundred. The many Völsung mates had been moved to the farm that housed the Völsung now, and eighty-two Alpha Bitches had decided to stay and back up Tanja. Forty-three Völsung Bitches stayed, too, along with around two hundred Warriors. Patina wasn’t the only Warlord left as other female Warlords chose to stay with her. The rest of the Warlords, which was just over a hundred, followed Matt on the ferries.

It had caused some trouble with the Alphas, whose mates had been killed in the attacks on the cities. To steer their bloodlust, Matt had sent them south to give Völsung the opportunity to walk north and join Patina, or the Alphas could...fight them. He knew they’d die if that ended up being the outcome, but they were in so much pain now that death would be a kindness. At least they seemed to know that Völsung on their territory ran with the same embers that spoke to theirs and that the Völsung running south were the enemy. Unless they joined.

The thought of sending Alphas to their possible deaths still hurt Matt, but after he and the Völsung had merged and they’d seen home, it was easier to compartmentalize those emotions and see through what was needed to accomplish the mission.

And Matt’s eyes were human again. Unless in Warlord mode, as Rasmus called it. Matt could also shift his eyes at will just like Thyra and even Tristan could. It was like with Daniel, whose eyes shifted between his human green, the red-blue mesh of the Incubus, and the golden color of the Royal.

It made things easier—especially when meeting with the many Alphas.

Freki had spent a lot of time with Kresten, talking to the fifty or so humans they’d spotted working against Wolf during the shaded blackouts. Before leaving it to the Wolf Platoon, Freki had known for sure that half were onboard, the other half was trepidant, but most were capable men and women, who he’d definitely call Rigr. Kresten had been introduced to David and Kim, and Kresten was now working on making a council for himself, except he’d been inspired by the tales of King Arthur and wanted a round table of Rigr along with a council of Earls, Karls, and Thralls as they’d decided to call them.

Isbait had stomped around, calling sixty-eight Stallions to respond to his task. Those Stallions had driven their bands to Aarhus, interrupting more traffic, and they’d run in their Sleipnir form. No one doubted that there were centaurs anymore. Both Vargr and Völsung had run with Sleipnir coming up from Germany.

Mares would run the North with them, too, but those with foals stayed at the farms. The rest were on the ferries. Elakdon had mused about having to buy another ferry, but the government had secured them one, and Rasmus had drawn more dragon heads. The paint had barely dried on the third ferry before they set out from Frederikshavn.

Geri and Freki had run the distance from Aarhus and up through Jutland to the ferries with everybody else, side by side with the ambulance bringing Matt and Hati. Their synched embers had cried out with theirs, pulling more Alphas, while Matt and Hati had struggled to lie still because they wanted to run.

Daniel and his lovers had come to Frederikshavn to wave them off, but they’d now continue the diplomatic work to prepare everything for when the Alphas, Völsung, and Sleipnir had run down through the North and gathered as many followers as possible.

Pulling Völsung, though? That was the one part of this trip he still felt insecure about. Not fearful—they’d just conquer them—but he hoped to do it as calmly as possible to see to the safety of the Cubi, humans, Sleipnir, and Vargr running with them.

A text rolled in, making Matt’s phone vibrate against the metal floor. He picked it up and saw that it was from Tanja. It had an image attached of Patina, looking skeptically at the camera, but six pups lay with her, suckling. Patina’s sure a Warlord isn’t that interested, but I promised her a Vargr would be. Born around 3 AM.

Matt grinned as he leaned over and showed Hati.

Damn, they’re cute! Hati exclaimed.

What’s that? Tristan asked.

Patina gave birth. Matt handed his phone over. Look at the fuzz down their backs.

Freki crouched next to Tristan and leaned in. Wow. I’ll need ankle guards when we get home.

They laughed.

Are you claiming them as yours, too? Tristan asked.

Of course, Matt said. She’s my Völsung’s mate. They’ll be strong pups.

"We usually claim them after they’ve proven strength," Thorleif said.

Matt chuckled. That’s the Vargr in me being optimistic, then. He accepted his phone back from Tristan and saved the picture to his phone, smiling at the image and especially Patina’s grumbling expression. Oddly enough, he missed her epic-level pessimism and how she could make everything sound like an insult. When’s the Omega due?

Another few months, Tristan said.

Matt hoped he’d be home for that. He texted Tanja back that Hati was in love with the fuzz, that Freki needed help shopping for ankle guards, and that he, himself, couldn’t wait to get home to see his claimed pups. Oh, and for her to send more pictures.

Someone shouted somewhere, making Matt look up, and all Völsung turned to face the railing. Something about the waters. The ship began to roll on the waves.

Port side! Elakdon sprinted across the deck almost naked, sending a whiff of sex to mix with the salty air of the sea, but it didn’t linger as the wind picked up and water sprayed them. A few Alphas helped haul Matt and Hati to their feet to join the old King by the railing.

Aren’t you glad I had Rasmus paint me pretty dragons to appease Jörmungandr now? Elakdon asked.

Matt stared agape at the whirlpool, seeing that the other two ferries were being pulled closer to it, too. Just under the surface, something shimmered, and he could easily recognize the shape of a huge sea serpent swimming in a circle. A huge head broke the water, and they were glared at by an enormous eye.

And the dragons will appease them? Matt asked, shouting over the roar of the sea, while clinging onto the railing. It hurt his flank. He was not a seafaring man, and this caused fear as he was more than aware that this was not an enemy he could attack.

The Völsung growled from the depth in him, so he relinquished his form to the Warlord.

The huge eye blinked at them once. The waters stilled, and the shiny shape of a serpent seemed to sink. The head disappeared, too, leaving the ferry on calmer waters, but all three of them were pointing in different directions.

Sköll heard the humans shout something near the cockpit about getting them back on course.

Okay... Freki clicked his tongue, still staring at the water. He looked at the old King, whose gaze was still locked on the waters, but he was smiling, and his eyes shimmered the way a Cubus’ did when moved to tears.

Why do you cry, old King? Sköll asked.

Elakdon looked at him and smiled. Because the sight of a sibling race long feared dead brings me hope. He looked at the waters again. That Fenrir are alive, too.

Sköll looked at the waters. The King’s words awoke hope in him, too, and the remembered sight of home stirred a deep feeling in Sköll. When he’d finally merged with the human in him—when the boy had declared he’d simply love the Völsung—the sight of home had stood clear, and he yearned to walk with the Völsung, surrounding the grand Fenrir, as they took them home to once again occupy the territory of Wolf.

Now do you believe? Elakdon asked Freki.

Freki snorted. Well, seeing it with my own two eyes does seem pretty good evidence.

Elakdon chuckled, patted Freki on the shoulder, and looked at Sköll. You, dear Warlord, should be healing. We arrive in four days.

Sköll agreed, so he returned to his spot, shifted to human, and curled up with Hati.

Wow, Matt whispered. Jörmungandr are quite beautiful.

Wildly so, Hati said. They look nothing like I’d imagined.

Matt merely shook his head. He hadn’t even tried to really picture one. But he shared Elakdon’s hope. If Jörmungandr had survived, hopefully Fenrir had, too.

The sea serpent was way smaller than he’d imagined from the descriptions in lore. Why was that?

THEY’D BE ARRIVING in Tromsø around two o’clock in the afternoon, and everybody stood on the deck and watched as they turned into the fjord. Matt kept glancing at Steffen, who stood gaping and staring at the mountains, and Tristan looked goofily happy on his mate’s behalf, holding him from behind and absentmindedly rubbing his chin on top of Steffen’s head.

Matt remembered Steffen as a pretty tall man when he’d first met him, but Matt had outgrown his Pack Alpha by two inches now. It still impressed Matt just how tall his tank uncle was when he could do that, and getting hugged by Tristan could still make Matt feel like a pup being bundled up in protective arms. Steffen seemed to enjoy that same sense of security while staring at the mountains. He’d never seen mountains in real life, but he’d found his Vargr side by one as he’d suffered the pain of the Bite. He’d told Matt that once, and Matt was happy for Steffen that he finally got to see a mountain.

Having finally figured out why Matt had woken up in a cave, he understood the significance of the vision born with them. Matt had not seen his vision until the human, Vargr, feral, and Völsung side of him had merged, and the memory of the overgrown ruins of Fenrir’s home still brought out a strong sense of devotion toward the giant beings of old that he’d never met. And unity. Uniting Wolf. Not just Vargr. Wolf.

What’s the name of the Pack Alpha here? Hati asked.

Regional Alpha Kjell and his Alpha Bitch Maja, Tristan said. They’ll meet us at the ferries.

How did they take us traveling with a bunch of Völsung Warlords, Sleipnir, and Cubi? Matt asked.

I, uhm...didn’t warn him about that.

Matt looked at his uncle. Hiding? Why?

"Because I didn’t think that belonged on a phone call. I asked for passage to begin the run of the Alphas of all there, and he said yes. Who we run with is irrelevant, considering they run with you. Tristan looked at Matt. An Alpha of all who just happens to also be a powerful Warlord."

And we hope you guys firing up your embers will see all Alphas follow us, Steffen mumbled, still looking like a pup taking in new marvels of the world.

As advised by Vargr, we will approach this with Völsung hospitality in mind, Thorleif said. Sköll has accepted that I make the offering.

Never come empty-handed, and never come with too little.

A few cows still hung in the biggest cooler on the ship, and Thorleif had the size to carry one to the Regional Alpha alone. It had been wrapped, and all the big tarp really needed for it to look like a gift was a bow. But Völsung were not that poetically humorous.

It’s so beautiful, Steffen whispered.

That it is, my mate, Tristan murmured and hugged Steffen closer. We will run some of those mountains as we move south.

Steffen smiled broader.

I hope we get time with the pack, Hati said. Pups. I hope we get to see how packs live up here.

Matt took Hati’s hand and squeezed it. He hoped they’d be welcomed, too, even with hundreds of Warlords with them.

Warlord, if I may... Thorleif looked at Matt. We should shade as soon as we make berth.

"We should. But if we want to stay friendly with the pack, we at least have to ask."

Thorleif grunted. And this is due to the precarious balance for cooperation?

It is.

The big Völsung merely nodded. We will treat it as our territory nonetheless.

It’s Vargr territory, so...yes.

Meaning?

Any territory of Wolf is Völsung’s to protect. Whether they cooperate or not, that can aid us in gaining goodwill.

I see. That’s not how it’s usually done, but...we’re trying new approaches?

Yes. Unifying Wolf is how we take back our original territory.

I will relay that to the others. Thorleif walked off.

Matt hoped that that purpose would keep the Warlords on their path. Also, Matt had dreamed it that night. Not directly like that, but he’d dreamed about Fenrir and that they were in the North, thus the territory of Wolf was currently Scandinavia, considering it was where the lore of them had settled in latest memory. That would mean all of Scandinavia was currently the territory of Wolf, but it wasn’t their original territory. There was something special about that territory. His Völsung side had awoken with the purpose of gathering Fenrir and walking them home to that original territory of Wolf. Matt just didn’t know what made it so special.

He didn’t dare say anything to the Warlords as the hope and yearning in them was so strong that if they didn’t find Fenrir, they could lose hope like the delusional Warlord had. Matt feared that loss of hope would make them independent Warlords without that first prime objective as their clear goal. That they’d start fighting each other to simply cut out new territories for themselves. If that happened, Elakdon would be right in his initial notion that Völsung would then not share. They’d slaughter everything on their new territories and take what they needed to build their own packs.

Matt desperately wanted to keep that option off the table. He desperately needed to gather all Völsung, and those who’d lost sight of home needed to be eradicated as enemies of Fenrir. That was how he secured his mate’s vision for a future of prosperity.

In him, his Völsung drooled to taste the blood of his own, but Matt had gained greater insight into why. It was not merely their combatant birth genes that made them fight amongst themselves. It was hope that made them turn against anything that seemed a threat to them experiencing home.

That was the goal he had to focus on so hard that he’d win the rest over. It was what he had to find a way to properly balance against the Vargr’s territorial instinct, as they didn’t remember home, and they merely needed territory and peace.

Again, Matt squeezed Hati’s hand because that was the dream his mate brought. And he once again wondered how much had been weaved into their strings of life by Urd, Vedande, and Skuld, the three Norn sisters spinning every person’s life thread before they were born.

What did the Nornir have in store for them?

ANOTHER FEW HOURS LATER, the first ferry was about to dock on the mainland side of Tromsø City. It was the ferry with Matt, Hati, Geri, Freki, Isbait, and Elakdon, and they stood below on the top car deck, ready to disembark first, waiting in their human forms. They knew that the Vargr Regional Alpha couple were coming to meet them. They half expected to slip into Tromsø as undetected as possible and be led to the Vargr pack. Depending on how they’d take the meeting with Völsung, of course. Maybe they had to start running immediately to cross the territory as they’d been promised they could.

"Okay, Alphas. Apparently, you’re awaited because the docks are booming with people, and a few signs are up, welcoming Sköll and Hati," a voice over the loudspeakers on the car deck said.

Matt and Hati looked at each other.

Well, there went our inconspicuous plan, Hati said.

Tristan, did you only tell them about Sköll and Hati? Freki asked.

Yes and no. We have no idea what things are like up here, so I didn’t want to test that over a phone, either, but I referred to you as Alphas of all, not by names.

You hide a lot, Thorleif commented. Matt clearly caught the dissatisfaction in the huge Warlord’s tone. The Warlord in Matt agreed.

I do, Tristan acknowledged. In this case, please trust in my knowledge of Vargr and respect that I, too, am skeptical about who I let in on our secrets before we’ve had a chance to gauge their reactions and thus possible loyalty.

Thorleif nodded and sent him a glance with a warning burning brightly. "Never hide anything from us."

I won’t, Tristan said. "You are my allies, bonded to my first bond and nephew. Keeping anything from you would be the same as saying I don’t trust him, and I do trust my nephew and the Völsung side of him just like I trust my mother and the Völsung in her. I expect the Regional Alpha here to have followed along on the news, though, and he’ll then have seen Sköll and Freki stand together on more than one occasion."

So, epic departure style? Freki pulled out his phone. Should we ask the captain to see if he can play this loudly enough for everybody on the docks to hear? The musical soundtrack that Freki and his litter sibling Jacob had made started playing from the crappy loudspeakers in Freki’s phone, barely surviving the hum of the ferry’s engines.

Matt chuckled. Nah. But he could see the epic cinematic version play out before his mind’s eye. Life wasn’t cinema, though.

The ferry docked and rocked, making them stumble a bit, and a few horses neighed and stepped around.

With a welcome committee, you decided upon epic departure, correct? Elakdon asked, sauntering over with Randr and a bunch of Guards.

We did, Geri said.

Isbait tossed his head yes.

Shall we, my dear allies? Elakdon cozied in between Hati and Freki and draped his arms over their shoulders.

We shall, Freki said. But he didn’t pull out his phone again.

I’ll get the cow and get people lined up. Thorleif sauntered off.

Thank you, Warlord, Matt said.

Steffen’s many what-ifs had been fun playing with as they lay together on the deck and healed. Their many possible plans to hide Völsung the likes of Thorleif, who didn’t hold human form, and the many horses and Cubi had been fun, but knowing it was the full departure of epic creatures of lore made Matt nervously excited.

"The news is here with lots of cameras," the captain said over the loudspeakers.

Elakdon grumbled and pulled out a pair of shades. We are not revealed yet.

Will you be? Hati asked. I mean, is there a way around that now?

No, but we wait as long as we can to give the Royals time to negotiate with their nations, Elakdon said. Unlike Vargr, we’ve lived secluded and dependent upon treaties, and what Nol-Beaudon is setting up isn’t ready yet. Our reveal would mean we have to mingle and find new ways of hunting. The world isn’t ready for us, and the moment we’re no longer a hidden people, new treaties will need drafting since the current ones are predicated on us staying hidden.

Allies of Wolf who can see behind our shade will not stand alone, the Völsung in Matt growled.

Matt smiled. You stand shoulder to shoulder with us in supporting Wolf in obtaining our objective. Matt looked at Elakdon. "You will not stand alone when facing what will come Cubi’s way."

Elakdon returned the smile. I never doubted the loyalty of Vargr. But I’ll not be the cause for you to fight two battles and see my own dedication to you falter if it can be avoided. As a Royal, I would have to tend to my own people first.

We understand, Geri said.

The High Mother of this area has been told of our trip here, and her House is open to us. It’s our first stop. Elakdon looked at Freki, grinning. Many a Succubi would love to learn of the stamina of Freki, I’m sure.

Freki smothered a grin. And knots in general, I’m sure.

Oh, they know. Up here, Vargr sometimes stop by when running. But yes. Elakdon grinned. Knots are an intense delicacy.

The nose of the ship started opening, so Matt and the other three slowly walked forward but stayed where the ferry worker told them to wait. The fresh air hit them, carrying new scents of nature that they didn’t know from home, and Matt closed his eyes and took a deep whiff, savoring the freshness after almost a week of having been surrounded only by the saltiness of the sea.

Finally, the many waiting people came into view, and as they were allowed to step forward, the mass thickened, revealing hundreds of people waiting. Humans and shifted Vargr stood shoulder to shoulder, and two in Vargr form stood on the road leading from the ferry. But they stood with a human man and woman. None of the Vargr wore clothes or even the tatters of them as if they’d just shifted there.

Guess we shift. Freki pulled off his shirt.

Matt, Hati, and Geri followed suit, and they shifted to their iconic forms.

Murmurs ran rampant among the many waiting people.

Sköll stepped forward, and the others followed. Close behind came Tristan and Steffen, while the other Alphas stayed on board. Once they stepped off the ramp and onto the asphalt, Isbait shifted to his Sleipnir form, fired up his body, and reared to hammer his hooves onto the ground.

Sköll felt the shockwave ripple through the soil, and the Völsung in him heard a whisper in the air rapidly grow fainter. He couldn’t make it out, though. It was not for his ears to hear.

THE SCENT OF THEIR prey kept them at the hunt, and the world narrowed to the scent of the trail and the sensation of vegetation whipping past them as they pursued their prey.

The sound of many hooves in a thunderous run in the distance pulled at their attention, and Bragr broke off, leaving the hunt for the rest of the Vargr, even though a few followed.

Up on a cliff, they stopped and watched.

The air whispered, and the trees revealed that Sleipnir were running hard south and had for a week now. They were gathering for a major piece of work—one Bragr hadn’t heard of.

Continue the hunt. I will have to return and inform about this.

A shockwave raced over the landscape from the north, making the huge band stop.

Work, work to be done. Join Chaos as I plow and prepare the foundation for Change.

Bragr gasped as the band stopped and set route north, but what excited him greatly was the one turning to run through the band and take up the lead.

The Matriarch was going to her Stallion.

We need the Völves together for this. Why haven’t we heard whispers of this yet?

That’s a good question. Bragr shifted and set off toward the village.

SKÖLL CONTINUED FORWARD with Hati to meet up with the two Alphas and humans waiting about fifty yards from the ferry. Regional Alpha Kjell? Mother Maja?

Yes. Welcome Alphas Sköll and Hati. Kjell leaned to the side enough to peer around Sköll. With Alphas Geri and Freki?

The Scandinavian sibling language wasn’t one Sköll easily understood.

I’m sorry. I grew up in the States. I have a difficult time understanding Norwegian.

We usually speak English, then, Hati said.

Oh. Maja nodded. We can do that, she said in English. We saw you run together in Denmark. Maja motioned between Sköll, Hati, Geri, and Freki.

We did. Sköll turned his head, and Freki came over, while Geri stayed with Isbait. Alpha Freki rose from my pack. My pup bond.

Regional Alpha. Regional Alpha Bitch. Freki held out his paw for a friendly slap.

And...Sleipnir? Kjell asked.

"The Chaos