The Quest for Peace by Saab Lofton: Updated 10/8

[Twin Rose]

Saab Lofton is a sometimes controversial novellist and (former) weekly columnist for the Las Vegas "City Life" newspaper. Now he lives here, in rural washington state, and has become a personal friend of mine. His recent works appear in Seattle's "The Sinner", a monthly periodical.

That said, I'm going to be posting at least weekly his new serial, "The Quest for Peace", a story about Vikings and the afterlife and the many planes which he travels to. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have! (And by all means, share your comments! )

 

[Twin Rose]

An end of all worlds was assumed to be inevitable--the final conflict on the
horizon between the gods and their many enemies would be more than enough to
wipe creation clean of all existence, but one man who grew weary of war
decided to see if he could make a difference ...

The Quest For Peace
a literary serial by Saab Lofton

Episode One

Whereas every member of his lineage has left at least one son behind before
dying with honor, Einheri was too busy filling every waking moment with good
deeds of charity to bed down a fair maiden. For a Viking, Einheri was ahead
of his time in that he abstained from the post-battle pillaging his peers
usually wallowed in like pigs in slop and instead chose to steer women,
children and the elderly clear of any bloodshed. He tread lightly whenever a
temple was in his path--even if it was based on a faith other than his--and
always made sure to share whatever could be spared with the poor.

As a result of the austere life he led, Einheri was the last of his line.
Most of his comrades-in-arms smirked at this whenever it happened to come up
and they often joked about how he'd be better off as a cleric (that is, of
course, when his superior officers weren't chastising him for putting the
evacuation of innocents ahead of gaining territory). However, the snide
comments usually subsided whenever Einheri's prowess with a sword shone for
all to see ...

On such an occasion, a storm with bulbous clouds, swirling winds, a hint of
rain and the echo of thunder enveloped the skyscape--a sign that Thor or
even Odin himself was watching from on high. Down below, splashes of blood
darkened the green grass Einheri stood his ground on. The hill his superiors
had insisted they defend became more and more surrounded--as if two soldiers
sprang forth from every body he sliced open. Given his known contempt for
authority, Einheri would've let the hill be taken had his young subordinate
not fallen. The boy was barely strong enough to hold a sword above his head
and had no business there or in any other battlefield, but since he'd been
cut down and was too wounded to run, Einheri kept him alive while waiting
for reinforcements. Unfortunately, those who would've otherwise came to
their aid were too consumed with berserker fury to notice them.

Then there was a point when, at first, it seemed as though the boy was
trying to get Einheri's attention yet again to see if the time was right to
retreat and regroup, but it wasn't. No, Einheri instead caught a brief,
faint glimpse of the face of a woman when he risked turning his head from
the battle at hand and wondered what such a beauty was doing on that blood
soaked hill ...

... and suddenly, Einheri found himself wondering why were none of his
swings connecting with any of the ever-approaching combatants. He let out an
anguished cry as they swarmed and trampled over the boy he was
protecting--but then fell silent when they literally ran right through him!

Einheri felt something yank him from behind until he had a bird's eye view
of the enemy soldiers and soon of the entire hill he went through so much
over. A series of horns were heard bellowing off in the distance and Einheri
was stunned by what he saw happening all around him: Valkryies--the warrior
maidens of Vahalla--were flying on winged horses and carrying the spirits of
his fallen comrades (as well as those from the opposing camp) just as a bird
of prey would scoop a carcase back to its nest.

"My name is Vara," said the Valkyrie who threw him across her saddle with
all the ease a child would fling a rag doll aside with. "Don't worry, I
won't drop you off in the underworld, you're going to Valhalla!"

Once Einheri got over his initial shock, he finally found his voice: "So, it
seems, are the bastards who just tried to kill me--"

"--and succeeded ..." Vara interrupted.

"--then what difference did I make by leading an honorable life," Einheri
continued without missing a beat, "if any warrior is worthy of Valhalla?"

"Sadly, none." Vara frowned a bit. "Gotterdammerung is coming and Odin needs
as many as possible by his side when it happens. In fact, as you'll find
out, the High Father actually prefers enemies to be in close quarters. Since
fights inevitably break out between them, they stay in good shape tearing
each other apart and become better warriors as a result."

Sure enough, just as Vara said--after an unimaginably enormous
feast--everyone in Valhalla paired off and began killing each all over
again. Only this time, now that everyone was dead, their bodies instantly
healed from whatever injuries were inflicted upon them. Over and over again,
severed limbs and even heads grew back as if they were merely bubbles of
mead. Before long, the whole affair became more and more like an affront to
Einheri. After years of fighting for honor and country, it seemed that
fighting in and of itself was ultimately futile in the grand scheme of
things.

Storming through the sea of bodies hurling themselves at each other, Einheri
managed to find Vara amidst all the chaos and demanded to see Odin, the king
of the gods.

"The High Father only talks to other gods," Vara laid a consoling hand on
Einheri's shoulder. "He'd never grant you an audience. Would you like me to
pass a message along to him?"

"Yes," Einheri narrowed his eyes in determination. "There has to be
something better than this ... I don't care what it's going to take,
Gotterdammerung cannot be allowed to occur!"

Copyright © Saab Lofton, 2006

 

[Twin Rose]

An end of all worlds was assumed to be inevitable--the final conflict on the
horizon between the gods and their many enemies would be more than enough to
wipe creation clean of all existence, but one man who grew weary of war
decided to see if he could make a difference ...

The Quest For Peace
a literary serial by Saab Lofton

Episode Two

The moment Vara left his side to try and gain an audience with Odin, Einheri
found himself jumped by a couple of old enemies he had killed years ago. In
Valhalla, the dead had a tendency to renew old rivalries--if anything, they
were encouraged to since doing so was considered basic training for the
upcoming Gotterdammerung.

Warriors die with their weapons, so Einheri spied a vaguely familiar mace
from the corner of his eye and managed to duck it in time--even though he'd
instantly heal from whatever wound said mace might've inflicted just as all
the other spirits in Valhalla would. In fact, Einheri continued to duck,
flip and dodge each and every swing his two foes delivered. This was done
with a superhuman ease that surprised Einheri at first until he internally
reminded himself of his recent death and chalked up the increased speed to
being a ghost.

At first, avoiding their blows infuriated Einheri's adversaries and only
served to make them try even harder to connect, but after a while, they lost
interest and moved on to a target who'd put up more of a fight. By this
point, Vara had returned and grinned a bit. "Having fun?" she asked.

"No, swordplay no longer thrills me as it once did. I'm seeing everything
through new eyes. For instance, such beauty ..." Einheri looked around and
pointed out the rainbow bridge leading from Earth to Asgard, home of the
Aesir gods, once he saw it in the distance. "... mustn't be destroyed."

Then Einheri really took notice of Vara for the first time since he passed
on and found her breathtaking even though there was no longer any need for
him to breathe. "Besides, it's been said that Valkyries have been to known
to take men from Midgard [Earth] as mates ..." Einheri waited for Vara to
react in some way, but her face showed no change in expression, so he
finished his thought. "Well, it'd be a shame if there wasn't enough time to
see if that was true because of the so-called Twilight of the Gods."

"As soon as I find a Valkryie crazy enough to wed a mortal, I'll let you
know," Vara sneered. "And as far as Odin is concerned, he ignored me and I
don't know why. Maybe he's drunk--maybe I committed some offense that I'm
not aware of, I don't know ..."

At that moment, two rather large ravens caught Einheri's eye since the only
other animals in Valhalla were being served on an endless banquet table.
They seemed to be encircling their elderly master who was leaning on an
enormous spear just as one would a cane. The ravens' master had iron gray
hair and a long beard to match but was also strangely taller and more
muscular than most of the young men fighting and partying amidst the chaos
of Valhalla. After being taught to hold the Aesir in such high regard all
his life, Einheri found himself trembling as he approached Odin, the High
Father of Asgard. Vara's whispered warnings to steer clear of the king of
the gods became increasingly faint in Einheri's ears as he trepidatiously
drew closer and closer to this ancient, armored warrior who--just as legend
described--only had one eye.

Except once Odin's good eye fell on him, Einheri felt as if he was back at
his father's manor being scathingly scolded for having spilled something or
holding a sword the wrong way. How could simply talking to someone be so
much more frightening than going into battle, Einheri thought, but after
summoning his courage, he finally began to stammer, "Odin, I was wondering
... is there any way Gotterdammerung could be avoided? I mean, there must be
a better way for the gods to deal with their problems than to engage in a
war that will destroy the universe and everyone in it ..?"

At first, Einheri thought a storm was coming since he heard the distant
rolling of thunder, but it was merely Odin opening his mouth to speak: "Who
is this lump of clay speaking to me as if I needed his advice?"

"Hi-High Father," Vara nervously sprinted to where they were. "This is the
warrior I was trying to tell you about; the one who wanted there to be peace
among the worlds?"

While his face turned red from rage, heat radiated from Odin as if he were a
camp fire. "Warrior?! How is it that someone who wants to avoid a war
standing in Valhalla; in my very presence, no less? Surely you must've made
a mistake by flying him here, Vara; surely he needs to be cast down to the
underworld with the rest of the cowards, doesn't he?"

"I'm not a coward," Einheri protested. "While I was alive, I--" Vara slapped
a hand over Einheri's mouth before any more could be said and drug him past
the gates of Valhalla--making sure she kept her head bowed the entire time.

"Shut up, mortal," Vara hissed in a hushed voice directly in Einheri's ear.
"Do you want to get us both laid to waste?" She then raised her voice a few
octaves and said to Odin, "I'll take him to the underworld at once, my
lord!"

Copyright © Saab Lofton, 2006

 

[Twin Rose]

An end of all worlds was assumed to be inevitable--the final conflict on the
horizon between the gods and their many enemies would be more than enough to
wipe creation clean of all existence, but one man who grew weary of war
decided to see if he could make a difference ...

The Quest For Peace
a literary serial by Saab Lofton

Episode Three

Einheri imagined that Niflheim--the infamous underworld where the dishonored
go--would be harsh, but the righteous indignation he felt after having been
summarily dismissed by Odin somehow superceded any dread stemming from the
prospect of being tortured for the rest of eternity.

"How dare that pompous old man call me a coward?" Einheri fumed while Vara
spirited him away from Valhalla on her flying horse. "After all I've been
through while I was alive--the gall ... why, I was the very model of a--"

"He is the king of the gods, you know," Vara cut him off. "He can do
whatever he wants."

"Even start a war that will destroy the entire universe?"

Before Vara could answer, howls and screams were heard in the distance. As
her winged stallion galloped across thin air, Einheri looked down and saw a
point far below them where there were no clouds, stars or sky--just a
swirling mass of darkness forming a whirlpool. Only then did Einheri's tone
change a bit. "I-Is that the underworld ..?"

"Uh, huh."

"A-Are you going to ..?"

"Drop you off? No, we're going to find some sanctuary." Vara turned her head
for a moment to make eye contact with Einheri and smiled--the power she
wielded over him was too tempting and intoxicating to let go of easily. When
a sigh of relief escaped his lips, Vara felt something she had never
experienced before, but buried it deep within herself for the time being in
order to be savored later. "What do you know of the Vanir ..?"

In contrast to the Aesir--who defined themselves by their wars against
giants and trolls--the Vanir lived in peace amongst elves and fairies. Some
of the Vanir ruled over mild winds and gentle rains--unlike a storm god such
as Thor--while others saw to it that flowers bloomed on time. As Vara's
stellar steed flew into Vanir territory, Einheri was immediately stunned and
utterly overwhelmed by all the beauty around him. He never knew so many
different colors existed or that nature itself could look more like a work
of art than an actual landscape.

When Einheri finally gained his composure, he laid a hand on Vara's shoulder
as if to secure his footing. "Why are you helping me? Surely Odin will
punish you for doing so."

One of Vara's eyebrows thoughtfully raised slightly above the other as if
she wasn't sure herself, but then answered, "Maybe because I'm just--curious
... or maybe I just feel sorry for you, mortal. Who knows."

Einheri and Vara looked around and found themselves being surrounded by what
initially looked like fireflies from afar, but upon closer inspection,
proved to be miniature versions of humans. The rocks on the ground by their
feet began to overturn by themselves, and from underneath them, gnomes
crawled out into the open.

"See?" Einheri waved and fanned his hand across the scape before him. "This
is how life should be--all the time."

"We're glad you approve, mortal."

Both Einheri and Vara spun on their respective heels to see a shimmering
beauty of a woman glide in and land near them. Evidently, an enormous falcon
had sunk its talons into her forearm, but once she was safely on the grassy
plain, it let the woman go and bolted into the sky. In one motion, Vara then
knelt before this glowing female and dragged Einheri to the ground in order
to make him do the same. "This is Freya, goddess of love and fertility,"
Vara whispered.

Einheri dared to rear his head up a bit when he heard the squeal of a pig,
and sure enough, a giant boar with golden bristles touched down from
overhead nearby. Upon it was a man who looked to be part elf and resembled
the woman that falcon just dropped off enough for Einheri to think they were
related. "Don't forget her brother, Frey, Vara!" the boar's rider bellowed.

"What are you doing in the land of the Vanir, my child?" Freya asked.

"T-This mortal spirit seeks sanctuary and amnesty," Vara stammered. "He
enraged Odin when he asked was it possible for there to be peace between the
nine worlds and for Gotterdammerung to be avoided altogether."

"Well, I don't see why not?" Frey guffawed. "And here I thought all mortal
men were bloodthirsty savages! I'm glad to see there's at least one with
vision! This calls for a celebration!"

"If the wind changes direction, you think it's call for a celebration,"
Freya lowered her head in shame and muttered under her breath. "Damn
drunkard ..."

Copyright © Saab Lofton, 2006

 

[Twin Rose]

Episode 4

An end of all worlds was assumed to be inevitable--the final conflict on the
horizon between the gods and their many enemies would be more than enough to
wipe creation clean of all existence, but one man who grew weary of war
decided to see if he could make a difference ...

The Quest For Peace
a literary serial by Saab Lofton

Episode Four

Einheri was pleasantly surprised to find that the effects of alcohol worked
its magic upon the dead as well as it does on the living. What made feeling
this way all the better was how only an hour ago he was certain his soul
would be flung into darkness. Now an equally inebriated Frey was continually
slapping Einheri on the back and guaranteeing him sanctuary from Odin's
wraith. He had never felt more safe and free in his life or afterlife.

Vara, on the other hand, wasn't in the mood to wallow in revelry and Frey's
sister Freya noticed this. Then again, even if the Valkyrie was inclined to
join the drunken men, this goddess would've pulled rank, as it were, and
demanded an audience just the same. "I sense what you're feeling, Vara,"
Freya probed. "You're in love with this hairless ape, this lump of clay,
this heap of dust--aren't you?"

"You really don't like mortals, do you?" Vara usually didn't speak to any
goddess in such a tone and manner, but Freya's words stuck a nerve.

"As a matter of fact, I don't," Freya reasserted her authority by raising
her voice. "I don't see why there were created in the first place. They're
all addicted to the taste of blood, but unlike a giant or a troll or some
other, similarly horrid creature, they always deny how bloodthirsty they
are. At least a dragon is honest ... and yet, you seem to think this one is
different somehow?"

Vara lowered her head and blushed. "I do, my goddess."

"I don't need to remind you what you'd have to sacrifice in order to be with
him, do I?"

Vara shook her head. "No, my goddess, I'm well aware." She then looked up to
glance at Einheri and wondered for a moment whether she had just lost her
mind for even contemplating the sacrifice Freya spoke of.

"I suppose," Freya continued, after taking note of the look on Vara's face,
"it would be nice if all men went through so much to avoid bloodshed ...
Humph, by the rainbow bridge, I'd even settle for a world where most men
were so willing ..!"

All manners of creatures of light danced about the realm of the Vanir and
while Frey was slurring as he attempted to introduce some of them to
Einheri, one creature in particular wasn't what it appeared to be. A gnome
who stayed under his rock and never stepped forward as most of the others
did to shake Einheri's finger (they weren't big enough to actually shake his
hand) was not a gnome at all. Lowering the rock back onto his head, the
gnome transformed into a worm instead of simply burrowing underground as
gnomes usually do. The worm slithered its way with a supernatural quickness
closer to where Freya and Vara sat and talked so it could hear their
conversation. After that, the worm inched out of everyone's view, and once
it did, a bird sprang forth from its place and took off ...

... but once the bird took to the air, it laughed in Loki's voice, which at
first confused and then frightened all the other birds in the sky since they
knew what the Norse god of mischief was capable of ...

Back on Vanir soil, Frey stopped talking about drinking more mead and turned
the subject of discussion to Einheri's mission. "Now, my boy--you do realize
of course Odin's going to smash you and your girlfriend over there to atoms
if he ever finds out you're not dwelling in dark Niflheim, don't you? In
fact, if anything, he's probably already wondering why one of his Valkyries
has been missing this long ..."

"I'm sorry," Einheri was caught off guard by Vara being referred to as his
girlfriend, but as if that and being absolutely tanked wasn't enough,
something else had completely stunned him: "What's an atom?"

"Oh, yeah," Frey slurred. "You wouldn't know what that is, huh? Anyway, I'm
going to give you a shield. It's fitting since you're a man of peace and
you're only interested is defending yourself, right?"

"That's right!" Einheri shot straight up from his seat as if to accentuate
his point and then fell right back down.

Frey whistled and his horse-sized boar lumbered forward. On its side was a
shield which was strapped near Frey's saddle. Once he undid the buckle that
fastened it, the shield was handed over to Einheri. "This will deflect most
spells and projectiles well enough," Frey assured, but then warned, "still,
don't get arrogant with it--as you mortals always seem to when it comes to
this sort of thing. I've never tested it against a god before."

"You can count on me," Einheri mumbled before passing out altogether.

Copyright © Saab Lofton, 2006

 

[Twin Rose]

An end of all worlds was assumed to be inevitable--the final conflict on the
horizon between the gods and their many enemies would be more than enough to
wipe creation clean of all existence, but one man who grew weary of war
decided to see if he could make a difference ...

The Quest For Peace
a literary serial by Saab Lofton

Episode Five

The next day wasn't welcome since Einheri's hangover was as painful as the
previous night was pleasurable. Both Frey and Freya were gone but Frey's
golden boar was asleep by his side and snoring loudly.

"Damn pig," Einheri grumbled in his stupor. "Shut your hole ..! Oh, my
skull--"

"Then don't drink so much!"

The one thing that would've made Einheri forget all about his splitting
headache was the sight of the boar's lips moving and the sound of audible
words emanating from them. "You can talk?!"

"I'm Gullin-Bursti, formerly Frey's servant and now yours, I guess,"
Gullin-Bursti snorted and foul bits of phlegm spewed out. "If you're hungry,
you can kill me, skin me, fry me up, line my bones on top of my skin and
I'll come back to life ... but I swear, if so much as one of my bones is
broken, I'll take it out of your arse and bite it off again as soon as it
grows back. Even though you're dead it'll still hurt."

"That's ... fine, I'm not that hungry." Einheri stared incredulously.

"I can also fly as fast as that horse of hers ..." Gullin-Bursti's voice
trailed off as he gazed skyward and saw Vara descend on her steed from on
high.

Once she landed, Vara looked at Einheri for a moment and quickly turned away
before speaking. "I've been surveying the Vanir plane and I can't spy anyone
heading this way. I'm actually surprised Odin hasn't sent anyone after us
yet."

"We're probably beneath his notice," Einheri felt at his head and squinted
to get a better view of Vara in the glaring, morning sun, "but we won't be
for long. I do my best thinking while I'm drunk, believe it or not, and it
occurred to me that if we can go from world to world recruiting people to
our cause then there won't be anyone to participate in this ... final
battle. Imagine ... what if Odin declared a war and no one came?"

"And what if someone had to defend themselves from attack--or even an
invasion?" Vara countered. "The nine worlds aren't as risky to live on as
the mortal plane, but they still have their hazzards."

"I'm only talking about keeping Ragnarok, Gotterdammerung or whatever it's
called from happening. There's a big difference between self-defense and
laying waste to all there is ..."

Gullin-Bursti blew snot-crusted air out from his nostrils as a way of
cutting into the conversation, disgusting both Vara and Einheri thouroughly.
"If that's your plan then may I suggest recruiting Thor first?"

"Why Thor?" Vara asked.

"Because Thor is always flinging that hammer of his at the heads of giants.
If you can end that ancient feud, you can gain the notice of all the nine
worlds?"

"Yes ..." Einheri wearily rose to his wobbling feet. "If the storm god of
all gods--if Thor himself were to lay down his hammer, then it would prove
that anyone could live in peace."

Vara then raised this concern: "And what if the giants use the opportunity
to attack Asgard or even Earth?"

"Then ... we'll simply have to convince them not to take advantage of a back
that's turned to them. They too will have to declare peace--this will work!
Thank you, Gul ..."

"Gullin-Bursti," Frey's former boar reminded. "So are we off to Jotunheim?"

Einheri took a quick look at whatever was wiggling from the corner of the
boar's lips and said, "I think I'll ride with Vara, as I have been."

Vara thought back to her discussion with the goddess Freya the night before
and snapped, "no, why don't you go ahead and ride with the boar?"

Einheri was clearly, visibly broken hearted and spirited over this proposal.
"B-but why?"

"It's as you said," Vara shyly refused to meet his pitiful stare. "We can't
take advantage of a back that's turned and my back is turned to you whenever
we ride." It was a cold thing to say, but she already risked enough being as
close to him as she was and didn't want to tempt fate any further ...

Copyright © Saab Lofton, 2006