Beneath Frozen Fields (Mythic Series Volume Nine)

The onward plow tested

Patience of a man,

Cold flames blister in the wind,

Shards of ice erupt, collapse

From the hole or words elapse,

Razor heralds a grim committal

Above the cluster, over hills

A plummet we must endure,

No control over life or flesh,

In this void another test for us to face,

A beast so venial

Its own kind has cast it this far north,

And so the descent commenced,

On shield some took to like sleds,

Others stumbled mightily,

With feet snared by gripping snow,

The hour approached

When dusk removes its cloak

From this air, brittle and persistent still

Blustering pieces traversed the wind and hail,

Upon solid foot once anew,

I felt the ground beneath our feet to move,

Wind it did, like a worm does through the sand and skin,

Wisdom dictates to vanquish a beast,

Without weakness, and never seen,

To strike quick, to amend our journey

Intrinsic and forcefully,

So with my bandaged arm,

Plunge it deep and within reach

Coarseness I had never met before,

Scales so thick and rough to hold

The landscape changes shape around,

Yet release I would not grant this beast,

We had it by shock,

It could not arise as it were,

I cast the men to each side

They looked to me to guide them through,

Breathing fierce and spitting blood

I was not sure how long I could withstand,

The thrashing beneath this frozen land,

Pierce, thrust deep my friends,

I screamed in bitter rage

Do not release until I feel it cease to beat,

And so it did, no mercy did we spare,

Ensured we did to end this well,

And we did, then began the excavation,

To which a golden tooth was found,

Another compliment for Odin’s chest,

The third would not be as tame,

We know its face,

We’ve seen tales from its name,

From ice to flame we move again,

To face a dragon with three heads,

Surely some would not meet the fourth test ahead

Tonight we feast, tomorrow we return to where we should