Enid rowed beside Hazel as they approached their target. A village adjacent to the shore of the North Sea. The long boat with its sister ships bit into the sandy beach and everyone jumped off and pulled them onto the shore. Enid was wearing her Atlantean armor under the more conventional Viking armor. She held back while the others rushed forward. The night watch for the English town was taken down quietly then Halvd and his men, and women rushed into the town proper. Cries started to ring out and the churches bell started to ring. The raid would be over before anyone from the surrounding area could make it here. Enid walked up the embankment and saw the battle going. She was of two minds on this, it was the Norse way of life. She didn’t agree with the raids, but it was the way it was. She saw Hazel take down two Englishmen with ease spinning her sword afterwards in a flourish, exactly like Enid had told her not to as a child. She frowned. She scanned the town for the church and headed towards it. Some of Halvd’s men were trying to break down the door. She approached.

“Step away.”

They looked at each other and kept pressing. Enid sighed and waved her hands sending them flying into piles on either side of the door. They scrambled to get up and were looking around confused as to what had hit them Enid thrust her hand forward her strength shattering the thick wood that barred the doors from behind. She stepped back and motioned for them to enter. The men looked at each other and were hesitant.

“Go!”

They jumped at her overt command and rushed inwards. She heard the clash of blades as one of the churches militant orders tried to stop the raid. She waited for the fighting to die down before entering. The church was filled with women and children, along with the priest and five nuns. Enid motioned towards the gold ritual implements and walked to the priest. She spoke in Latin.

“You and these people are safe, so long as you don’t interfere and give us what we want. I need myrrh, and frankincense, where are your stores of it?”

He crossed himself and prayed holding his cross up. Enid rolled her eyes and reached out her hand holding him aloft with her telekinesis.

“Your God isn’t here priest, I am. Tell me what I want to know.”

Enid heard movement to either side of her she flicked her wrist and sent the priest flying into the alter and pulled her shield and blade out. She blocked the first sword blow with the shield and stabbed the other attacker in the heart. They were more of the order militant that had tried to defend the church. The one she stabbed fell to the ground his corpse drained of everything vital leaving him almost mummified. She winced and instead of stabbing with Lucius she slammed her shield repeatedly into her other attacker’s chest and face. Leaving him bashed but alive on the ground. A woman who was close to the altercation screamed when she saw the shriveled face of the drained soldier. Enid slid Lucius into his sheath and scooped up the soldiers long blade and sheath strapping it across her back beside Lucius.

“Sorry Dear, can’t go doing that to humans.”

I understand. I was shocked you used me in the first place.

Enid hooked the shield to her back again. She walked towards the priest and rolled his quivering form over and looked in his eyes.

“Where are is your incense!”

His face grew blank as she took control of his mind.

“We have none.”

“Fuck.”

Enid released the priest’s mind and motioned for the other men that had come into the church with her to go back outside. As they were leaving she heard the twang of bow strings. She looked back and held up her hand catching four arrows in the air. She rolled her hand flipped the arrows and flicked her wrist sending them back at the attackers who dove for cover. Two of them were two late and were hit by their own arrows. She looked to the Vikings who were almost out of the church.

“Go, I’ve got this.”

Enid drew the borrowed blade and ran at the two remaining archers who were taking aim again. She deflected three arrows on her approach to them one hit her but bounced off her armor. She leaped over the women and children who were huddled together for the last several feet and stabbed downwards with both hands on the hilt. She caught one of the archers in the chest and rode him to the ground and rolled off him throwing her sword at the fleeing archer catching him in the back. She stood and walked towards the rear exit of the church yanking the sword from her target’s chest and kicked the door open.

Outside the door were four more of the militant order. They were as surprised to see Enid as she was them. She reacted first, beheading the one to her right. With free hand she grabbed the one directly to her left and used him as a shield as his two remaining compatriots stabbed him with their swords. Enid shoved her human shield at the remaining two and flipped herself up using her supernatural strength to slam into the three of them by kicking off the wall. She grabbed the one nearest her and bit into his neck. She gulped down what remained of his blood and left him drained and dead. The other two soldiers that had been buried under him and started to scream when they saw the fangs and her mouth covered in blood. She grabbed the dagger from her first victim’s belt and stabbed one in the face. The next she tugged out and drained him as well. She stood up. Even her Viking allies who were nearby started stumbling away as she stood up licking her lips. Her long red hair flowing behind her in the wind, her pale white face stained with the blood of her latest victims. The full moon showing them the truth of the monster in their midst. The few remaining Order Militant that witnessed her brutality, crossed themselves and stumbled over each other to flee.

Enid sighed and wiped the blood from her face. She’d gotten lost in the bloodlust and hadn’t been behaving as she should.

“Fuck.”

She chased after the three fleeing Order Militant and cut them down with ease. She couldn’t leave witnesses. Or at least credible ones. She sighed and looked back at the church. She frowned and sheathed her borrowed sword.

“I can’t. I can’t fucking do it.”

She threw up her hands and caught up with the Halvd’s raiders who were heading back to the beach with their haul. She walked amongst the still living injured men and women and healed each of them before joining Hazel and Halvd on his longboat. Within minutes the boats were back in the water and heading further inland from the ocean. The men who had seen her feeding were looking at her with fear in their eyes. Hazel noticed and looked to her mother.

“What did you do?”

“I used a lot of blood I had to eat. I was careless.”

Hazel sighed and nodded. Enid glanced back at Halvd who obviously hadn’t heard what she’d done. Hazel looked at her mother again she spoke quietly knowing her mother’s supernatural hearing would pick up every word.

“What is going on with you mom? You’re having sex with Halvd and his sister, teaching Frida how to murder people, now you’re using your powers recklessly, draining humans dry. You’re not yourself lately.”

Enid glared at her daughter and spoke in Latin.

“I’m an adult woman I can have sex with whomever I want. You don’t know me; you know the weak ass mortal that raised you. I’m the first Vampire. I’m a goddess among mortals and vampires alike. I drink blood. You don’t like me? Maybe you should have stayed behind when I told you too, then you’d still remember your mother the way you liked her.”

Hazel blinked at her mother’s tone. She couldn’t recall her mother ever speaking like that to her. Hazel fell into silence and looked away from her mother out at the water. They would make landfall again in their temporary camp then raid again the next night. They had four planned. This had been the second raid. Enid slid backwards and laid her head on Halvd’s leg while he held the rudder. He looked down at her.

“Daughter trouble?”

“She’s finding out who I really am, and she doesn’t like what she’s seeing.”

“I did not understand your words to her, but they sounded angry. One parent to another, harsh words rarely work as intended with our children.”

Enid frowned and nodded her head still on his thigh. He touched her curly red hair and pinched her ear gently.

“I may have said some things I can’t take back. Well, I can but…well it would prove the point she was trying to make. Damn her for being right.”

Enid moved forward again and put her hand on Hazel’s forearm. Her daughter pulled her arm away.

“I think you said enough.”

Enid sighed.

“Hazel I’m sorry I snapped at you, you’re right. I haven’t been myself lately.”

“Maybe you should have said that fifteen minutes ago instead of making me feel like a disease you can’t get rid of.”

Enid sighed and let her daughter be.

*****

Enid crawled out of Halvd’s tent. He was asleep. In her efforts to forget her argument with her daughter she’d been quite demanding of his time. The rest of the camp slept. Preparing for the evening when they would start their raiding again. She saw a figure on top of the rock formation they had camped beneath. She could only make out a female silhouette in the midday sun. She climbed up the curve of the rock and blinked the woman. She was wearing a shimmering white dress. She motioned Enid forward and Enid walked to her. The woman’s hair was made of pure silver and her eyes were like rubies. Her ears were pointed. Enid stopped as she started making out facial details. This was no woman, it was a sidhe. She’d heard of them but never…seen one with her own eyes.

“What do you want sidhe?”

“Are you the one the spirits call Slays-Demons?”

“Yes.”

Enid watched the creature carefully. If she had the same body language as a human she was sure she saw something akin to hope in her face.

“You are out in the daylight, they said you would be a vampire.”

“I’m a daywalker. Why do you seek me?”

“A fallen one and his entourage of vampires have taken over a village. They…are going to sacrifice all….”

She trailed off her eyes had crystalline tears forming in them.

“I will kill the fallen one and the vampires, but why do you care, from what I know you types don’t have much love for mortals.”

“My daughter…she is there.”

Enid quirked her head to the side.

“You left your daughter with mortals? Why would you do that?”

“It is complicated.”

“It always is. Where is the village?”

The sidhe pointed northwards.

“If you…save her I will do whatever you want to repay you.”

“You have already repaid me by telling me of this…problem.”

Enid, father always told me to never trust the fair folk. They are always up to something.

Enid frowned.

“Lucius, my gift tells me she’s telling the truth, not the whole truth but there is a fallen one and there are vampires worshiping it.”

The sidhe quirked one of her arched eyebrows and looked at Enid.

“A spirit was warning me off of helping you. I know you’re not telling the whole truth, but you have told me there is a demon…though what aren’t you telling me?”

The sidhe stepped back when Enid inched forward.

“Tell me the whole truth or I will mark your daughter out for the villagers.”

The sidhe’s eyes went wide.

“The fallen one, it told me it would spare my daughter if I lured you there…it’s a trap.”

“Fool. It will betray you at the first opportunity. Get away from here. I’ll save the village and your daughter, but next time tell me the truth or don’t bother approaching me.”

Enid walked down the rock outcropping grumbling about the world being full of liars no matter what the species.

You obviously can’t go, it’s a trap, my love.

“Whether it is a trap or not the fallen one needs to die. There was never one in England before, if there had been I would have known.”

Then take Hazel with you, take the raiders.

“I’m not letting Hazel anywhere near that thing.”

She heard Hazel’s voice behind her and cursed her lack of supernatural senses in sunlight.

“Anywhere near what mom?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Nothing like, you’re a blood goddess and don’t need your wolf-born daughter dragging you down?”

Enid spun around.

“You need to watch your tone young lady.”

“Watch my tone? What are you going to do mom? Sun’s out.”

Enid growled. Hazel shifted to her half-wolf form and growled. The noise caused the birds in the area to pop out of their nests and off of their perches.

“You go back to human form this instant!”

“Make me.”

“I’m sure your boyfriend is going to love it when he sees he’s been snuggling next to a fucking werewolf.”

Hazel’s form fluidly collapsed into her human shape, and she looked around her cheeks bright red.

“There is a fallen one in a nearby village, I was telling Lucius I’m not letting you anywhere near it. Because it’s too dangerous. Like I told you for your whole life, the problem with eavesdropping is you often miss out on important details and context. Go back to bed.”

“No. I’m not letting you go alone.”

“You are the daughter in this relationship, I’m the adult, I will go where I please when I please and you will do as your told.”

“Fuck that.”

“Language!”

“I’m just as strong as you.”

“I can’t trust you to behave. You just proved that by shifting to your half-wolf form in the middle of a mortal camp because I annoyed you. You will go raiding with Halvd’s men and I will slay the demon and its vampire worshipers. There is no argument or debate. That is the way it is.”

“No, it is not.”

Enid closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Hazel, this battle is not yours to fight. One day you will fight at my side, but today is not that day. You do not understand the power these things wield.”

“So instead of taking help you go alone?”

“I have Lucius. I have my Atlantean armor, and I have some other weapons that will slow it down weapons you do not understand. If you want to help me, invoke the spirits.”

Hazel frowned at her mother.

“Talk to the spirits. They’ll tell you the same thing. You’re not ready.”

As if prompted by Enid’s words a black raven flew down and landed on Enid’s shoulder. Surprising the pair. It cawed and then flew off. Hazel stormed off and kneeled on the beach she started marking runes in the sand. She closed her eyes and began chant in the wolf-born language. Hazel found herself in a darkened grove of trees. An old man with a deep hood standing in front of her holding a great golden spear. On his shoulder a raven sat and cawed at her.

“Odin?”

“Yes sister?”

“Why do you refer to my mother as your mother?”

“She has always been and will always be. From her, all spirits were birthed and to her all spirits return.”

“Why do you answer and not the Winter Wolf?”

“It is summer my sister, and his time of prominence has passed, now is the time of the Gods of the Norsemen. In time our power will wane.”

“Why does my mother not let me fight at her side?”

“She has a mother’s intuition. She knows you are not ready for this battle.”

He walked forward pulling his hood down.

“Sister. You will be ready in months to come. Our mother will need your strength soon. It is in our past and your future. You will know when you are ready. Let it come in its own time.”

“Why is she…changing all-father?”

“Her true form will be revealed soon. Her mortal shell can no longer contain her essence. It is starting to fail. She is so much more then even she realizes.”

“I do not understand.”

“You will when the time is right, sister. We all will.”

“I…have not been able to summon spirits before.”

“You have grown in strength and knowledge sister. You must believe in yourself. You are capable of far more then you know. We all are.”

“Halvd will not let her fight alone.”

“Nor should he. My raven will be the sign that you should aid your mother. Not before.”

“Why not before?”

Odin laughed and tugged his greying beard.

“So curious sister. Blame the moon for she was shadowed at your birth. It is a curse as much as it is a blessing. It is so, because it is so. Your mother must slay Fenris before you can help. Before, you and the men you fight with will be slain including the one you lay with. Only the dead can survive Fenris’s breath.”

Hazel blushed.

“Do not be embarrassed sister. It is the natural order of things.”

He touched her shoulder.

“You will see me again soon little sister.”

Hazel came out of her trance and smelled food cooking. She stood up and turned to the busy Viking camp. She walked to Halvd.

“Can we talk in private King Halvd?”

“Of course, Hazel.”

Hazel led him to the beach and kneeled down beside a longboat and pretended to be doing something with the ropes. She glanced up at Halvd. He looked at her with curious eyes.

“What is the matter with this boat?”

“It is not the boat that I need to speak to you about, but I do not want my mother to overhear or be suspicious. She seeks to slay… Fenris tonight. He is in a nearby village with a group of undead worshippers.”

Halvd looked back at Enid who was wearing a simple dress and helping prepare the evening meal.

“Surely she is no match for such a beast?”

“I have spoken to Odin… There are things you don’t understand about me. Things you don’t understand about my mother. She is no Valkyrie, Odin calls her mother as do all the Gods.”

Halvd’s eyes went wide. He looked back to the youthful red-haired woman who was laughing with one of his shield maidens and turning fish over the fire.

“You are trying to deceive me, and I do not find it amusing.”

Hazel stood up and grabbed his arm.

“Halvd, you must listen to me. I tell you this because your life and your men’s life depend on it. Odin told me that my mother will need aid, but not until after Fenris is dead. He told me that his raven will be the sign to aid her. If we go before, we will all die.”

“What manner of prophecy is that?”

“He told me that only the dead can survive Fenris’s breath.”

“But your mother is as alive as you and I.”

“No, after dark she can be the walking dead if she wishes. It is why the men whisper of her devouring men’s souls and drinking their blood. She is a…blood goddess.”

“We have heard stories of pale ones who walk the night drinking blood, but the sun burns them to ash, how can your mother be one, the sun is out, she is cooking and laughing as we speak.”

“My mother is…what she wants to be. In the day she chooses to be alive, at night she chooses to be a huntress of the night. When she married my father, she chose to be mortal. Maybe chooses is the wrong word. I do not understand it, all I know is that she must face Fenris alone and that afterwards she will need our help and that…I might… I might need to reveal my true form.”

“You are a girl…I’m not sure what you speak of.”

“I am half wolf, king. I live in two worlds. Usually, I would be with…my own kind but my mother, she holds such power and sway over the Gods that she forced them to let her keep me.”

“She is so small. How can she hold so much power?”

“I don’t know King Halvd, but I do know that Odin calls her mother and if he says we must not fight Fenris at her side, then I’m going to listen, and you should too.”

Halvd looked at Enid’s smiling face and sighed. He looked back down to Hazel and nodded.

“She seems so…normal.”

“She tries very hard to be human and live a normal life, but I think the… Christian God keeps pulling her back in to his service.”

“You think so?”

“I do not know, I just know that she was happy with my village, loved my father, liked being a mortal.”

“What happened?”

“A fallen one appeared, she gave up her happiness and mortality to make that sword and to fight it.”

Halvd leaned on the longboat, crossed his arms and looked back to Enid who was laughing again, she noticed his glance and blew him a kiss and showed him some thigh playfully. He blew her a kiss back.

“Your mother is a woman of deep feelings and a sense of duty it seems.”

“She is. I am scared her anger will… I don’t know, it just feels like her power is growing out of control. Odin said as much.”

“She is a strong woman. Trust her as she trusts us. She is starting to grow suspicious we should go eat.”

Hazel stood and dusted her knees and hands off.

*****

Enid crouched in the high grass that surrounded the village. She felt the twisting in her stomach telling her that out of sight a fallen angel was squatting inside somewhere. She could also smell the fear and sweat of many mortals. The unmistakable smell of corruption that Pugmentia brought as well. She frowned. Her shadow powers had been less then successful against more powerful demons in the past. If it knew she was there, then its Pugmentia would as well. She silently cursed her arrogance at not bringing Hazel with her.

Told you so?

Enid made a face in response to Lucius’s words. She wasn’t willing to speak and possibly reveal her position. She reached into her pack and pulled out a flash bang and a silver nitrate grenade. She got low to the ground and snuck under several homes that had been raised to avoid being flooded if the river overflowed its banks. She heard the bulk of the voices coming from the lord’s home. She slipped along the wall as quickly as she dared. The humans weren’t inside their stench was confined to the other homes around the area. She found a window and glanced through the low-quality glass. She saw a giant ass wolf with glowing red eyes. And mouthed the words ‘What the fuck’

Fenris?

Enid shrugged. She smashed the glass with her fist and armed both grenades tossing them inside and got low. She heard screams as the silver started to eat away at the vampire’s skin and dead lungs. They were fleeing the building clutching their throats. Some would die. She lept up and smashed through the rest of the glass rolling on the floor drawing Lucius and picturing a large round energy shield forming. Her armor’s plates clicked into place and the shield appeared. The wolf was coughing too. She’d apparently used the blessed silver nitrate grenade. She swore under her breath she hadn’t wanted to waste that one. It noticed her and leaped in her direction. She bashed it away with the energy shield. A second head appeared out of its neck and managed to grab her calf. Its demonic teeth burned as they tore through the Atlantean armor as if it were cloth. Enid cried out and smashed it with her shield. She kicked the wolf with her other foot, and it smashed through the wooden wall howling in pain. She rolled and lunged after it wincing as she put pressure on her torn calf.

Unseen by Enid, Hazel, Halvd and his men were watching just over a rise. Gasping as the giant wolf appeared. Halvd pointed to Enid’s limb and moved to join her but Hazel grabbed his shoulder and held him down.

“Not until Odin’s sign.”

The wolf now only possessing one head rolled on to its legs and howled at Enid a green miasma flowed over her and grass and trees around her wilted and fell into black ash. Enid was unaffected and continued onwards towards it limping to avoid putting too much pressure on her torn calf. It feinted at her, and she went to block with her shield, and it got her sword arm with its teeth tossing her to the ground with strength she couldn’t match. The shield vanished and Enid’s arm was ripped open. The wolf howled again. End rolled away from another bite and grabbed Lucius with her left arm.

“You’re getting slow sister. Come with me to Hell, he’s not after you he’s after Lilith you’ll have a place of honor.”

Enid spit at him and brought her torn leg around like a club catching it in the jaw. The strength of her blow tore the bottom of his jaw off and it wimpered. She elbowed it in the ribs with her right arm breaking several and the wolf collapsed its form shifting to a humanoid shape.

“I surrender sister.”

Enid flipped Lucius around in her left hand and thrust him into her twisted brother’s heart.

“Too late.”

The fallen angel screamed and twitched. His form evaporating into a green, black miasma. She felt burning in her chest and looked down. The last vestiges of a demonic sword were disintegrating from where the angel had stabbed her near her heart while it was pretending to surrender. She stumbled backwards and fell down. The remaining Pugmenta were starting to surround her with bloodlust in their eyes. They could smell the power in her blood which was leaking out of her wounds.

On the field a man in robes appeared, spear in hand he motioned, and a Raven flew towards Enid. The Pumgmentia were distracted by the bird momentarily and suddenly found themselves overwhelmed by Vikings. Hazel yelled out.

“Behead them and you’ll destroy them. They are undead monsters!”

Hazel’s Atlantean blade lopped off the first vampire’s head. The eyes still wide in shock as it rolled along the ground. Enid felt strong arms around her. Halvd had scooped her up into his strong arms. She put her left arm around his neck and he smiled down at her. She looked up at him.

“I told Hazel not to come. I told you not to come.”

“Odin had other plans.”

Enid laughed softly then stopped and clutched the burning wound in her chest.

“You need aid.”

Enid shook her head.

“You tend to us after battle let us tend to you.”

Enid coughed up blood as she tried to speak. Her lungs were lousy with it. Eventually she cleared it.

“I’ll heal I just need to be out of the sun. I’m sorry I slowed down your raid.”

“Nonsense. To see you fight Fenris! It was glorious. Besides there is plenty to take here and for once we’re the ones rescuing people.”

He laughed then his face grew serious as he saw how much pain she was in.

“I thought you invincible in battle.”

“I know how to fight humans, not wolves that grow random second heads. Fallen ones…they can match me in every way and have been fighting longer. It is why they are so dangerous. I can move faster then humans can perceive but so can they. It comes down to a physical challenge every time. And it nearly kills me every time because they always have more tricks than I do. Well except for the one I threw a grenade down its throat…that was pretty easy.”

She started feeling around.

“Where is my blade?”

“You daughter picked it up. She’s just cleaning up the rest of your enemies.”

Enid’s eyes went wide.

“Mortals can’t wield that sword.”

Whomever I wish can wield me, but she just picked me up and put me in her sheath. She fine.

Enid sighed with relief and leaned against Halvd’s chest. She closed her eyes and decided to let the healing sleep take her. She trusted he would keep her safe. Something that rarely came easy to her.