The Dragon Hammer (Wulf's Saga Book 1) by Tony Daniel

Author:Tony Daniel [Daniel, Tony]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fables, Legends, Action & Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Norse, Fantasy & Magic, General, Myths
ISBN: 9781476781556
Publisher: Baen Books
Published: 2016-07-04T15:00:00+00:00

Ravenelle, for her part, was trying to think about anything except where they were going. They rode on the huge horses the buffalo people bred to hold up their bulk. Although the gait left her sore, Ravenelle liked the height the horse gave her.

Maybe I’ll ride one of these when I’m queen. It might be a good thing to bring some of the northern things with me when I go back. They’ll think I’m half barbarian anyway.

It often worried her that she had very little idea what anybody would think of her in Vall l’Obac. She hadn’t been there since she was a year old. And, though she was able to pick up images of Montserrat from her mother and her mother’s bloodservants when the queen visited Raukenrose to see her daughter, she couldn’t put them in any kind of perspective since she didn’t know the city.

Messengers had been sent galloping ahead, and most of the village of bear people turned out to see Wulf and Ravenelle ride in.

Ravenelle sat as expressionless as possible, while Wulf nodded to the crowd, trying to look serious. He did wave at the cubs, though.

“How’re you doing?” he asked Ravenelle out of the side of his mouth.

I’m surrounded by bears, she thought.

“They seem pretty well fed,” she replied.

“It’ll be fine.”

They finished the ride through town and approached the eastern mountainside. High above on the mountain, Ravenelle could see white splashes of waterfalls through the budding trees.

Then they arrived at the yawning cave entrance. Beside this opening were two statues that were carved from gigantic oaken trunks as big around as the Olden Oak. The pole on the left was painted dark red. It was shaped in the image of the divine being Sturmer—although Sturmer had a very bearlike look to his face. On the right was a black pole. It was carved as Brenner, divine being of the fire and the wife of the Allfather. They didn’t stop to look, but rode into the cavern.

The cave was not dark. Torches were set in wall holders, and they lit the path. The walls seemed to sparkle with crystals of quartz embedded in the rock.

After they’d come far enough in so that the entrance was a round circle of blue daylight behind them, the bear man who was leading them dismounted and signaled them to do the same. More bear people appeared. They took the reins of the horses to lead them down side passages.

“What are they going to do with my horse?” Ravenelle asked. She had gasped when the reins were taken from her unexpectedly, and she knew she’d let a trace of panic creep into her voice.

She couldn’t help imagining that the creature was being led off to be eaten.

“They’re going to the stable,” said their escort. His voice was deep pitched, and his valley accent was thick as honey. “They’ll be well taken care of, m’lady princess.”

“Oh,” Ravenelle replied. “Well, that’s all right, then.”

The escort indicated that they should follow him farther into the mountain.

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