Shortly after their heat had finished, new scores were posted on the board. Anders walked up beside Max and Bo to read the results. He shouted with excitement upon seeing his new score, “Yes!” He had gained another ten points, making his score forty-eight-and-a-half. Max and Bo congratulated him while the large warrior scowled at him, clearly frustrated. The Islander had fallen short in his performance. The judges awarded him nine points; he was now tied with Anders for the lead. Max scored nine-and-a-half-points, which had him tied for second place with two others, one of whom was the dancer. The rest of the competitors had fallen further behind in the rankings after the specialty skills portion of the competition.
The contestants were given a one-hour break before returning for the start of the mountain race. Anders took this time to sit alongside his family and quickly devour some of his uncle’s famous ‘gue’ sandwiches before he had to be back. The ‘gue’ recipe was a Southland tradition where peanut butter was mixed with honey; not only tasty, the gue provided an excellent boost of energy. Together they marveled at the possibility that Anders had a good chance of winning the competition this year. He could hardly believe he had done so well.
When it was time for Anders to head back for the race, he heard someone call his name. Turning around, he saw Maija jogging toward him.
“Hey,” she said, getting closer.
“Maija,” Anders said, happy to see her.
“I wanted to wish you luck in the final event. You’ve been doing so well. I’ve been cheering for you from the crowd,” she said blushing. “And…” she paused.
“And what?” Anders asked, curious about what she would say next.
“And this,” she said. Maija leaned in close to him and kissed him on the lips. It was soft, gentle, and at the same time contained an intense passion he had never experienced before. He kissed her back, and for a moment he forgot about everything else around him. Pulling away she smiled as she looked into his eyes.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since yesterday,” she said.
Anders stood there with a whimsical expression on his face. He couldn’t find words to tell her how he felt.
“Good luck,” she said and ran back into the crowd.
Anders could hardly believe what had just happened. His mind was no longer on the mountain race. It was on Maija. He stood there, adrenaline pumping through his body from having the unexpected and welcome kiss. Then he remembered he needed to be at the starting line soon.
It was late in the evening and the sun hung low in the sky. Anders stood tall next to the others who’d also made it to the final event of the Grandwood Games. Fifteen people were left, which meant there would be only one heat for this final event. He tried to focus on how he needed to set a steady pace so he could outlast the others as they ran up the mountain.
The judge at the starting line shouted in a loud voice so all could hear, “Runners, on your marks!” Each lowered into a running stance. “Get set!” Anders bent his knees and leaned forward. “Go!” the judge yelled.
Taking off quickly, they dashed across the beach to the trail that wound up the mountainside. Anders, Max, and the Rollo warrior were in the front of the pack. Max pulled ahead of them, setting the pace. They slowed as the slope increased, creating more strain on their bodies and building fatigue. The contestants fought, pushing and pulling each other as they climbed higher up the mountain. At times Anders and the warrior swapped places back and forth behind Max, who kept up his steady pace.
Exhausted, the three leading contestants fought their way up the mountain, putting more and more distance between them and the rest of the pack. Darkness surrounded them as they neared the top. Anders slowed and all three of them struggled to reach the peak. He forced himself to keep his burning legs moving.
He passed Max for the lead and was the first to reach the top of the mountain. Relieved to be at the top, he stopped and took a moment to catch his breath before making the descent. He looked down at the little dots of light scattered across the beach where people huddled around their warming fires.
Something in the distance caught his gaze. He strained to make sure he was really seeing what he thought it was. To his surprise, just off the coastline of Grandwood a fleet of ships sailed toward the shore. There were at least twenty of them altogether. Each one had black sails masking its approach at night. Instinctively, he knew what was about to happen. Just as the Rollo warrior and Max reached the top of the peak, their dark hair blending into the night sky, Anders heard the loud booming of the first round of cannon fire. Bright explosions followed, speckling the shoreline where the race had begun. Anders’ heart sank and he sprinted back down the mountain, forgetting the games as the fear for his family’s safety consumed him.
Chapter 3
The Attack
Anders’ lungs burned as he ran back down the mountain. Many of the remaining contestants had already turned back after hearing the cannon fire, never reaching the mountaintop. Max and the Rollo Island warrior were close behind Anders. All three had made it to the top of the mountain when Anders saw the masked ships launch the attack. Now all of the competitive thoughts that had driven them up the mountain were lost.
Running, the three emerged near the edge of the forest. The expansive field where the race had started was unrecognizable, as cannon fire had torn the landscape apart. Explosions dotted the shoreline, leaving behind smoldering craters.
Anders squinted through the darkness. Among the blazing tents and wreckage, he could see the silhouettes of armor-clad men wielding swords and axes running across the beach. The laughter of people who had been enjoying the festival had turned to blood-curdling screams and cries for help.
The first to run out of the woods and into the field of debris, Anders moved quickly across the field and slid behind an overturned wagon, timing his move to stay hidden from the attacking soldiers.
I have to find my family, he thought trying to stay focused.
Poking his head around the edge of the wagon, he peered over to where he’d last seen Thomas, Kirsten and Theodor, hoping he might spot at least one of them hiding amidst the rubble. Several bodies lay scattered on the ground near where his uncle and cousins had been cheering for him before the race.
Picking a moment when no soldiers could see him, he ran out from his hiding spot. Rushing over to the bodies, he began searching for his family. Despite the darkness, Anders could make out enough to tell that none of the bodies were his uncle or cousins. He felt some relief and hoped that they were still alive. His thoughts went to Maija and the brief moments they had together. He hoped she’d made it to a safe place before the soldiers made landfall.
Anders turned to run back to his hiding place behind the cart, but to his surprise three soldiers now stood between him and the cart.
They stared at each other for a split second before one of the soldiers pointed a crimson hand at him and shouted, “There’s one, get him!”
Anders knew he was out-numbered and had no weapon. The soldiers rushed at him as he quickly searched the ground around him for something to defend himself with. The best he could do was a wooden table leg lying at his feet. He quickly picked it up. As soon as he gripped the sculpted piece of wood, the first soldier swung his sword at him. Anders blocked it, reacting out of instinct. Spotting a spear thrust from the second attacker, he spun to the right dodging it. As the soldier leaned forward following through with his stab, Anders smashed him with a backhanded swing of his table leg and he fell unmoving onto the ground. Unprepared to defend himself and lacking the reaction time to block the third soldier’s sword descending rapidly toward his exposed neck, Anders feared his life would soon end.
Out of seemingly nowhere, Max tackled the soldier and disarmed the man. Together the two brought him to a swift end. The first soldier to attack Anders regained his poise, rushing toward him for a second assault. His sword in hand, the man raised it high above his head. Anders crouched, bringing the wooden table leg skyward to defend them. The Rollo warrior came from behind and grabbed the soldier by the arm, stopping him from bringing his blade down on Max and Anders. Turning around to see his attacker, the soldier was at the mercy of the large warrior. Still holding him by the sword arm, the warrior pulled a knife from his belt and thrust it deep into the soldier’s chest letting his body fall lifeless to the ground.
Anders couldn’t believe what had just happened. He was glad to be alive, while simultaneously horrified by the violence it took to do so. He walked up to the dark-haired island warrior who’d just saved his life, “I am in your debt. What’s your name so I may thank you properly?” he asked.
In a thick Rolloan accent, the man said, “Red, clan leader and son of Chief Jorgen.”
“Thank you, Red. You are a good man to have in a situation like this,” Anders said as he extended his arm and shook the warrior’s hand.
“That was down-right brutal,” Max said, looking down at the destruction they had just caused.
“I’m in your debt as well, Max,” Anders said thanking him. “But first, I must find my family, then I’ll be able to repay the debt I owe to you both.”
Together they quickly gathered the weapons from the deceased soldiers. Max grabbed a sword and dagger, while Red picked up an axe he found on the ground. Anders grabbed a short-sword and a knife from one of the soldier’s belts. Brandishing the found weapons, they could now properly defend themselves against the attackers. Though Anders was exhausted from the competition, the adrenaline coursing through his veins made him feel more alive than he’d felt all day.
“We should make a plan before more soldiers spot us,” Red said, crouching behind a battered vendor’s cart. He motioned for the others to get low and out of sight.
“If my family made it out of here before the fighting got too thick, they would have tried to make it back to the farm, just north of town. I’m sure they would have gone there first before fleeing,” Anders said, joining the Rollo warrior with his back against the cart.
“Our ships are docked near the north shores of Grandwood. I’ll help you to that point, but then I must leave you to search for my clan,” Red said.
