Jane awoke slowly, the cold air biting at her face. Blinking a few times, she sat up and yawned. She heard sound coming from the main room, which meant that Edrun was awake and there was work to be done. With a light groan, Jane swung her feet over the side of the small cot and reached for her boots. She laced them up quickly and stood, walking out into the main room. Edrun stood in front of the hearth, slowly stirring broth in a pot. When she heard Jane enter, she smiled and turned to face her.
"Good morning, child. Did you sleep well?" Edrun asked, patting Jane's cheek before returning to stirring the contents of the pot. Jane hummed in assent.
"I did. The chill in the air woke me."
"Then that's one less thing I need to do," Edrun said with a light laugh. Jane smiled and worked on pulling her hair back into a loose braid.
"What do you need me to do, Edrun?" Jane asked. Edrun pointed to a few clear vials and powders.
"Mix the contents of the vials with the powder, then take them back to Carita's boy."
"He's still here?" Jane asked as she started her task.
Edrun nodded. "Poor dear. The fever hasn't released him from its wretched clutches. I'm hoping that this broth and that mixture will help its progression."
Jane shook her head in pity. "That poor boy…have you seen Carita since he was brought in?"
"I haven't. I told her to stay away; she'll not want to be around him while he's sick with fever. I told her that if her son were not home by tomorrow, I would send you to tell her that he'd be here longer. Would you do that for me?"
"Of course. I'm hoping he's well by the morning. No child should experience this kind of fever at such a young age," she said, heart heavy as she finished her task. Edrun moved from the pot to the cupboards on the wall and pulled down a wooden bowl for the broth. Once she poured it, she handed the bowl to Jane with a spoon.
"Pour the mixture in the broth and stir it around a few times, then take it to the boy. Wake him if he's sleeping, and force him to eat it. It's important that he finishes it to the last drop, you hear me?"
Jane nodded and did as she was told. She pulled back the curtain to the sick room, the closed it again. The young boy stirred in his fevered sleep; he began to thrash about wildly, and Jane's chest tightened at the sight of it.
"Heaven and earth," she whispered. She sat down at his bedside and set the broth down, exchanging it for the cool rag lying in a basin just beside him. She gently pressed it to his forehead and took his hand in hers. She hummed a soothing tune, attempting to quell the boy's spasms. He eventually stopped thrashing, and evened his breathing. Jane removed the cold compress and placed it back in the basin, then gently shook the boy awake. He whimpered, but Jane was persistent. His eyes eventually fluttered open, and Jane gave him a sweet smile.
"Hello there, darling boy," she greeted softly. He studied her face.
"Where's Edrun?" he croaked. "Who are you?"
"I'm her apprentice, Jane. You can call me Janey if you like. What's your name?"
"Gunnar."
"It's very nice to meet you, Gunnar. Come now. I need you to drink this for me. Can you sit up?" Jane asked as she picked up the bowl once again. Gunnar struggled to sit up, but he was eventually able to prop himself up on the pillows.
"What's that?" he asked, eyeing the broth.
"It's only broth. You have nothing to fear," she replied with a smile. Gunnar nodded. Jane began to feed him, and he diligently drank the broth he was given.
"How are you feeling, Gunnar?" Jane asked between spoonfuls.
Gunnar swallowed the broth. "Not good." Jane fed him another spoonful of broth, and he gulped it down.
"What do you mean by 'not good'? Can you tell me what's the matter?"
The boy nodded. "I feel very sick. My belly aches and my head hurts."
"Anything else?"
"I get awful cold when I sleep," Gunnar explained before consuming more broth. "And then there are nightmares."
Jane's eyebrows shot up. "Nightmares? Can you tell me about them?"
Gunnar's eyes widened; he looked absolutely frightened. His gaze fell to the bowl in Jane's hands.
"You're going to think I'm silly," he mumbled. Jane shook her head.
"I promise I won't. It can be our secret, Gunnar."
"You swear?" he asked hopefully. She nodded.
"I swear it."
Gunnar took a moment to gather his thoughts while Jane continued to feed him broth.
"I have dreams of a serpent that surrounds the entire world; sometimes he swallows it whole. Other times, I dream of a man chasing me on an eight-legged horse. But those aren't the scariest ones, Janey," he explained mournfully. "I see a girl without eyes, and she calls out to me. She tells me she will take care of me, but I'm so frightened of her. Her skin is the colour of snow, and her hair is as dark as a raven's feather. She frightens me."
Jane nodded and reached for his hand. "They're nothing but dreams, Gunnar. Nothing can harm you in a dream."
"But what if the girl comes back again?" he asked desperately.
"If the little girl comes to visit you again, tell her that you are in my hands, and no one else can take care of you. Okay?"
The boy didn't seem so sure, but he eventually nodded. "Is there any more broth left?" he asked, changing the subject. Jane shook her head.
"I'm afraid you've eaten it all. I'll bring more later on this evening. Does that sound acceptable?" she asked with a smile. He nodded. His eyelids began to droop in exhaustion, and Jane pulled the blankets over him.
"Get some rest, Gunnar, and remember what I told you. Don't be afraid of her." The boy nodded once, and fell back against the pillows. Jane picked up the empty bowl and made her way back into the main room.
"All finished?" Edrun asked. Jane nodded, brows furrowed. Her expression did not go unnoticed. "What's troubling you, child?"
"The boy, Gunnar. He tells me he's had strange dreams."
"What kind of dreams?"
Jane relayed the descriptions of the young boy's nightmares. When she was finished, Edrun sat down without a word.
"It makes sense," Edrun trailed off.
"What does?"
"Jane, are you familiar with Jörmungandr, Sleipnir, and Hela?"
"Of course," she replied. "They're the children of Loki. But what do they have to do with Gunnar? Why would he have nightmares involving them?"
"Perhaps Loki is up to something. Do you recall the winter your mother died?"
Jane's throat tightened, and she nodded. "I do."
"That winter was very similar to this; a sickness took the lives of many villagers. It's been said that Loki is responsible. He is prone to stirring up trouble—"
"Causing a fever is not exactly 'trouble'," Jane said.
"Allow me to finish, child! The village elders believed Loki to be the one responsible, for many of the villagers that caught the fever recounted very similar visions to the ones you've just told me."
"But how can they know it was him?"
"He does not like for his work to go unrecognized; if he is responsible, he will make it known."
"What does he look like?" Jane pressed, becoming curious.
"Those that say have seen him describe him as a tall and pale man. His hair is black as night, and his eyes shine like brilliant green gems. He has a wicked smile and a penchant for trouble. Other times, people say they've seen him dressed as an old hag. Be careful, Jane; you never know if he'll turn up."
Jane narrowed her eyes. "I thought you didn't believe in that nonsense?"
"When you get to be my age, child, you will have seen enough to make you superstitious."
Jane shook her head and stood. "Is there anything else that I can help you with, Edrun? If not, I'm going to go and check on Erik. Just to make sure he made it home safely."
Edrun waved her off. "Go ahead, Jane. Be back in a few hours to check on Gunnar. He'll need another dose of tonic in a while."
"Thank you Edrun," Jane said with a light smile. The older woman chuckled and shook her head as her apprentice left quickly.
"Bless her heart."
oOoOo
She felt good about the day; the sun shone brightly, and there was scarcely a cloud in sight. The winter winds died down to a gentle breeze, making the morning much more enjoyable. The snow crunched beneath her boots with every step she took.
It took Jane almost no time at all to reach Erik's home; after all, she had the path committed to memory. Upon reaching the front door, she pushed it open without a second thought. She was surprised to find Erik up and about so early in the morning.
"Good morning, Erik!" Jane greeted cheerfully. He gave her a halfhearted smile. She didn't notice that he was unable to meet her gaze.
"You won't believe the night I had last night; it was so strange!" Jane continued, moving to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
"Was it?" Erik asked absently. He fidgeted where he stood, and quickly took to pacing the room. Jane continued to talk, but Erik stopped paying attention. I have to tell her soon.
Erik steeled his resolve and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted as the front door opening.
Olav stood in the doorway, frozen. His gaze flickered between Jane and Erik, and he smiled knowingly.
"I haven't missed anything, have I?"
Jane frowned. "What are you doing here?"
Olav only continued to smile, and he nodded toward Erik. "I believe you are about to find out."
Jane turned toward Erik. "What is he talking about?" Erik cast his gaze to the floor before taking a deep breath.
"Jane, there is something I have to tell you."
A/N: Hi readers! This chapter has been a long time coming, I know, but I do have an explanation. Originally, this chapter was going to continue on from where it stopped, but the entire chapter was getting out of hand. It was nearly 21 pages! I decided to cut it off where it is now and post the next chapter in the next week or so! I don't mean to leave you on a cliffhanger, but if you've been with me this long, surely you know that it's a common thing ;) Now that I'm off for summer break, I'll be able to update more frequently. Thank you guys for being incredibly patient with me! I know you've been anticipating this chapter for a while. I promise that the next one will be more exciting. If you have the time and the inclination, I'd love to hear from you! Deuces!