Not only was the main ship capable of anything Thorsen could desire, underneath, there were four dock pads where smaller spaceships were carried. When all four ships were docked, a walkway provided access to the main ship. Thorsen had gifted one to him, and the other three had been gifted to Ulf, Bjorn, and Njal.
To celebrate the maiden journey, all the clan members who had wanted to had gone along. Thorsen had asked Grandfather for Reva to come also, wanting rather than taking an older, more experience one, knowing unlike the other married seeresses, she wouldn’t have a husband on board and spoil the fun they were determined to have.
Reva had repeatedly refused, wanting her sister to go, only complying when their grandfather had given her no choice. So, with her sister’s encouragement, Reva had boarded the ship.
Spending weeks traveling from planet to planet that they had never visited before, with the cargo holds full, a transmission had been sent for them to return to Raum.
Wanting to enjoy their last night of freedom, the warriors had spent the night drinking and had still been deep in their cups when they came within eyesight of home.
“That’s enough, brother.” Skars had taken the cup that was filled with a gold and glittering liquid that had cost him two pouches of silver from Thorson. “We’re almost home. I don’t want a repeat of the last time you drank too much and crashed Father’s ship on Leron.”
“Be thankful I did.” Thorsen raised his chalice at him. “Grandfather wouldn’t have gifted us our ships if I hadn’t. You especially with your own ship, we no longer have to live under Father’s roof.”
Unable to disagree, Skars had downed the contents of the cup, regretting spending good coins on what tasted like sparkly piss.
“I say we give this glittery piss to the women and kids as souvenirs,” Ulf said, sprawling his giant body out on the long bench that curved around one of three walls of the main room. The bench was so padded that Ulf’s ass sank until it could no longer be seen, with a soft, creamy material that a handprint could be seen when lifted.
Skars raised a brow at the boots on the expensive table that his mother had commissioned as a gift for Thorsen.
At his glower, Ulf lowered his boots back to the floor.
“Já,” Bjorn, Njal, and Arne all chorused together. Their agreement on the quality of the drink in their cups didn’t stop any of them from tipping up their chalices to finish them.
“Ulf, your wife would drink her own piss before she’d drink this shit.” Skars, unable to finish his own, moved to dispose of it. Moving to the wall of the ship, he was tipped his cup so the suction from the disposer would suck it inside. He then went to the cabinet where the liquor was kept and took out one he had made for himself. It didn’t sparkle, but at least it was palatable.
All the men on the ship howled with laughter.
“Já, she would,” Ulf said, touching his chest, but the moment he did, he screamed out in pain. He practically ripped his shirt open to reveal the chest tattoo.
Dismayed at his actions, they all started to go to his aid. Bjorn and Arne jerked Ulf’s arms back so they could better see what was happening. Helpless, they all watched as the black ink under the skin slowly started to burn. The putrid smoke wafted out of his chest, the smell gagging them so badly that it brought tears to their eyes. It left a freshly raised scar where all ink used to be.
A bellow of excruciating pain escaped Ulf, dragging out his throat at the never-ending grief he would have to carry until his dying day.
Each of the warriors knew what it meant for the tattoo to disappear, as all of them carried a distinctive one on their own chest. Still stunned at what had happened, they slid their gazes to the doorway as Reva ran into the room, clutching her chest, blood seeping through her fingers.
“My sister …” She was pale as death as her eyes flew around the room, looking for Ulf. Rushing toward him, she stared at the open wound where the tattoo used to be.
Before anything else could be said or done, the ship gave a sudden jerk as glowing red lights started blinking from inside, showing the alarm system had been activated.
Helping Thorsen to his feet, Skars and the rest threw themselves toward the closest window so they could see what had caused the alert. The other warriors were doing the same when another blast came from the planet they called home.
They were hundreds of miles away, but the ship felt the blast.
Thorsen slapped the wall. “Thane!” he shouted the warrior’s name responsible for navigating the ship.