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  Berserk

  by Resa Nelson

  Berserk

  Copyright © 2019 by Resa Nelson

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  Cover Art © 2018 by Eric Wilder

  First Edition January 2019

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the invention of the author, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, event, or locale is entirely coincidental.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Many thanks to my fellow authors, Carla Johnson and Tom Sweeney, who read this novel before publication and gave me excellent feedback.

  CHAPTER 1

  When 8-year-old Benzel’s pet rabbit escaped his grasp, the animal’s race toward the woods saved the boy from certain death.

  “Fluffyhop!” Benzel shouted when he saw the rabbit bound from the sunken floor of the simple wattle-and-daub house. The rabbit hopped up a few wooden steps, and then disappeared outside.

  “Benzel, let that rabbit go.” His full-bellied mother bent over the hearth at the center of the single room that served as their home in the Northlander village of Heatherbloom.

  The boy paused, but his feet danced in place, anxious to run after his favorite pet. “But Mama!”

  His mother groaned when she stood straight and placed a hand on her lower back as if that would help ease her aches and pains.

  Benzel hopped from foot to foot while he pointed at the open door. “He’s right by your carrots. If I don’t get him now, he could squeeze through the fence and eat them!”

  “That wretched creature,” Mama said. The corners of her mouth twitched as if something tempted her to smile. “Go on then, Benzel. Fetch your Fluffyhop, and rescue my carrots from him.”

  “Yes, Mama!” His spirits soared with so much joy that Benzel barely felt the wooden steps tremble beneath his feet when he raced up them.

  Despite the early morning hour, the sun stood halfway to the top of the bright blue sky. Chilly dew beads on the long grass tickled Benzel’s ankles, bare above the tops of his soft leather shoes. He hunched and crept from the house situated at the edge of the village and the fields surrounding it, bordered on the north by a steep mountain. Gentle hills rolled east and west, while a flat plain stretched south.

  Fluffyhop appeared entranced by the fragrant herbs and thick clusters of yellow flowers that bordered the fence, placed there to distract deer and other curious animals. The rabbit sniffed every plant as if trying to decide which one to eat first.

  The thick sound of an axe chopping through wood startled boy and rabbit alike, each looking up at the sound that broke the stillness of the early morning.

  That’s Papa. He’s chopping wood for the hearth fire before he works in the fields.

  Although Benzel understood the source of the startling sound, Fluffyhop didn’t. The rabbit straightened up in alert and looked all around until it spotted Benzel.

  The boy knelt and reached out a closed fist as if it held a treat for the rabbit. “Fluffyhop, look! I have something special for you.”

  Separated by a distance that would take several seconds for Benzel to cross, the boy and the rabbit stared at each other for several long moments.

  He knows. Fluffyhop always knows when I have food and when I don’t. He can smell it.

  The rabbit darted alongside the fence and headed toward the woods at the foot of the nearest mountain slope.

  With a grunt, Benzel sprinted in pursuit. He knew from experience that he couldn’t predict the animal’s escape route or try to cut it off. Best to stay on its tail and be ready to zig or zag during the chase.

  Hope seized Benzel once more when Fluffyhop reached the edge of the woods and headed toward the boy’s secret fortress. Once there, plenty of large tree roots formed a natural wall where Benzel had easily captured the rabbit before. The boy scampered after his pet and shivered at the sudden change of temperature when he entered the shadows of the forest. His frequent trips to the secret fortress had created the worn path that he now followed up the steep slope of the mountain and then over a pile of boulders.

  Benzel slid down the side of the last boulder and landed on the ground, which was covered with a thick layer of dead pine needles. He proceeded to the fortress itself, a natural formation of flat, stacked stones near the edge of a precipice to a small canyon. The drop was short enough that anyone with nimble feet could climb down in a few minutes but long enough that jumping to the canyon floor could produce broken bones or worse. Benzel scrambled up and over his secret fortress to find Fluffyhop munching on weeds that grew through the gnarled roots of the trees growing at the edge of the precipice.

  Careful to make no sound, Benzel slipped toward Fluffyhop and then reached forward to seize his pet. “Bad bunny,” Benzel whispered. He nestled his face against the animal’s soft fur. Fluffyhop nosed Benzel’s cheek until the rabbit’s soft breath made the boy giggle from the tickling sensation.

  A terrible, loud scream made Benzel tighten his grip on the rabbit.

  Fluffyhop trembled and looked in the direction of Benzel’s home, even though the fortress blocked their view of the village.

  In the distance, a man’s voice cried out, “Berserkers!”

  Benzel’s first thought was the game his parents had made up for him: Just In Case.

  For as long as Benzel could remember, his mother and father warned him of the dangers of the world outside their village. Dragons roamed the Northlands, but dragonslayers worked to keep everyone safe. Brigands traveled the roads with the intent of robbing the innocent. But Papa warned Benzel that worse than any dragon or brigand were the berserkers.

  They’re men who have lost any humanity they might have once known. They know right from wrong and don’t care. And when a man loses his ability to put himself in another’s shoes and imagine what it’s like to live in them, he becomes the most dangerous animal alive.

  Papa said you could always recognize a berserker because of the bear-skin shirt he’d be wearing. No one else in their right mind ever wore a shirt made from the skin of a bear.

  Benzel imagined that was because it would itch too much.

  It was because of the dragons and brigands but mostly because of the berserkers that Mama made up the game called Just In Case.

  One day the berserkers might come to Heatherbloom. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. But Just In Case, you must know what to do. We will find a place that can be your special place.

  The secret fortress.

  You will know if something is wrong. Your duty to our family is to keep it alive. The way you keep our family alive is to keep yourself alive and safe and sound. If anything ever goes wrong, you must run to your special hiding place and stay there, no matter what. If all is well, your father or I will come find you. If that doesn’t happen, you must walk to the nearest village, to Bubblebrook, and tell the villagers what happened. Ask for their help. And from time to time we’ll play Just In Case so you can practice hiding.

  Benzel held Fluffyhop close to his chest and the pounding heart inside. He considered the possibility that Mama and Papa were playing a special version of Just In Case by screaming and shouting. Maybe they were testing him to make sure he understood what to do. He swallowed hard and thought about his duty to his family—to hide and stay alive.

  In the distance, many people screamed while men shouted.

  Benzel strained to listen to the voices, but he didn’t recognize the voice of any man who shouted.

  Fluffyhop squirmed out of Benzel’s grasp and sprinted around the end of the fortress.

  Before Benzel could chase after his pet, he heard Fluffyhop give a soft squeal and thud to the ground. “Fluffyhop!” Benzel said but then clapped his hand over his mouth, realizing he should have stayed silent.

&nb
sp; Benzel hadn’t heard any approaching footsteps, but the woodland grounds were covered with dead pine needles from last winter. He squeezed his back against the stones that formed his fortress, knowing that its shadow would help hide him. He closed his eyes and remembered Mama’s advice.

  Don’t move. Don’t make a sound. Pretend that you’re already dead.

  Benzel wanted to run after Fluffyhop to make sure the rabbit still lived. He wanted to face the berserkers attacking his village and fight them, even though he had no weapons.

  But he had to keep his promise to his family.

  When Benzel heard a soft sigh from above, he held his breath.

  * * *

  The berserker boy spotted Benzel, but the sight made him stop.

  He could be my brother.

  The thought confused the berserker boy. For years, he’d begged his father to let him be part of the raids. While his clan attacked the village of Heatherbloom, his father trusted him to come here to the outskirts to make sure no one escaped.

  Everyone in Heatherbloom had to die.

  When the berserker spotted movement, he’d thrown his dagger at a blur of motion. The dagger had spun in the air, and its pommel caught a rabbit in the head.

  Fluffyhop. That’s what he called it.

  Now the rabbit would be his dinner. The berserker boy had no qualms about that. But the idea of killing someone who looked like his brother twisted his stomach in knots.

  His father would be furious.

  The berserker boy looked back at the village. The raid was in full force, and no one had the time to look his way.

  Father never has to know.

  Before anything could tempt the berserker boy to change his mind, he picked up the dead rabbit by its ears and headed back toward the village.

  * * *

  Benzel heard the sound of leather shoes crunching through dead leaves, which struck him as odd. Soft pine needles covered his path, but dead leaves collected in the long grass on either side of the path. Why would anyone walk off the path where their footsteps could be heard?

  Curiosity tempted Benzel to peer over the edge of the fortress, but he knew he couldn’t.

  Don’t move. Don’t make a sound. Not until one of us comes to get you.

  Riotous sounds drifted from Benzel’s home village of Heatherbloom throughout the morning: shouting and banging and chopping sounds. The wind carried the smell of acrid smoke and other stinky smells that made Benzel want to cry. But he stayed still and waited.

  By mid-morning, the sounds disappeared although the stench in the air remained.

  Benzel didn’t move. He didn’t make a sound.

  When Benzel felt the sun warm his face, he dared to open his eyes and look skyward. The sun now hung directly overhead.

  If all is well, your father or I will come find you.

  Benzel climbed to his feet and dared to peer over the edge of his fortress. Through the trees of the forest, he saw no movement.

  Benzel didn’t want to leave the only home he’d ever known. He wanted Mama and Papa to come get him right now. He wanted things to be the way they were early this morning.

  But no one came and nothing changed.

  Benzel looked all around and saw no one. “Fluffyhop,” he said in a quiet voice. “Where are you?”

  The boy saw where his pet had left tracks in the dirt. Benzel followed those tracks around the edge of his fortress and toward the path that had brought him here. The rabbit tracks came to an abrupt end, as if something unexpected had happened. Benzel then saw the tracks of a man that came from the path and toward where Fluffyhop had been.

  Benzel remembered hearing the soft squeal that Fluffyhop used to give when held too tight.

  Someone killed him. A berserker killed Fluffyhop.

  Benzel climbed on a nearby rock to get his first view of the entire village of Heatherbloom in ruins. Smoke lingered above it. He saw no signs of life except for a few chickens roaming the edge of the village. He heard no voices.

  In the place where Benzel thought his home should stand, he saw broken walls.

  Benzel stood far enough away that he couldn’t distinguish the faces of the dead lying on the ground. Deep down, he knew his parents must be among the dead, because they hadn’t come looking for him.

  Not knowing what else to do, Benzel shifted his gaze back at the rabbit tracks in disbelief. He finally understood the game of Just In Case and why it had mattered so much to Mama and Papa.

  “I wish I’d taught you how to play Just In Case,” Benzel said mournfully to the tracks left by favorite pet. “Then you’d be alive, too.”

  Benzel’s stomach rumbled again.

  You must walk to the nearest village, to Bubblebrook, and tell the villagers what happened. Ask for their help.

  Benzel knew how to get to Bubblebrook because Mama had taught him the way. With nothing left but the clothes on his back and the shoes on his feet, Benzel climbed up the mountainside toward the pass that would lead him to the neighboring village.

  CHAPTER 2

  Trudging up the steep mountainside, Benzel squinted in the dim light. Back in Heatherbloom, the sun stayed in sight during high summer and peeked through the hills at night.

  Here, shadows filled the forest, making it difficult to see.

  What if the berserkers find me?

  The world felt strange and unfamiliar. This morning, once he captured his escaped pet, he should have gone back home with Fluffyhop in his arms. Mama should have scolded him for letting the rabbit get away because it could have ruined her new crop of purple carrots. Papa should have come in and kissed Mama before going into the fields for the morning work. Benzel should have helped Mama with her chores because her big belly weighed her down and made her back hurt. Mama should have continued her lessons in teaching Benzel how to help with the baby because it would be coming soon. Papa should have come home for lunch and then dinner and then kissed Benzel goodnight when he went to bed.

  Benzel felt as if someone he loved and trusted had smacked him across the face. He wanted to go back to the life he knew, but it was impossible because the berserkers had destroyed his home and family and everything he had ever known. He knew little about the world outside Heatherbloom. All he had left of Mama and Papa was what they taught him.

  Benzel didn’t like thinking about the fate of his family and neighbors, so he focused on what his parents had insisted he do should the worst happen: save their family by saving himself.

  I know these mountains. I bet the berserkers don’t. They don’t live here. They’re not from here.

  That advantage gave Benzel new confidence.

  Here in the Northlands, the sun stayed above the horizon most of each day at this time of year, and the nights were warm enough to do without a fire. That meant Benzel could walk for as long as he wanted and wouldn’t freeze to death if he got tired and fell asleep.

  Brittle, dead leaves crunched under Benzel’s feet when he veered off the narrow trail made by deer and other animals. When the trail became even steeper, he leaned forward and dug his heels into the ground.

  Last week a traveling merchant came to their village of Heatherbloom to trade for the early crop of purple carrots that grew so easily in the surrounding fields. Like most villages, nearly everyone in Heatherbloom worked the crops, and Mama had the best talent for growing purple carrots. Everyone else tended crops of orange or white carrots, along with beets, potatoes, yams, and other root vegetables, along with a wide array of fragrant herbs that bloomed and thrived from spring through fall.

  But when it came to purple carrots, Mama had the magic touch.

  Thinking about his mother made Benzel sad and confused.

  My family is dead.

  Benzel puzzled over his parents’ insistence that he do whatever it took to stay alive for the sake of keeping the family alive. A new thought occurred to him.

  Maybe I’m my family now.

  Although that thought made him sad, Benzel understood it. I
f the berserkers had killed him, too, then they would have destroyed his entire family. By hiding to escape the berserkers, Benzel had foiled them.

  And because his parents had taught him how to save himself, Mama and Papa had tricked the berserkers, too.

  Benzel felt better, but at the same time he felt hatred for the berserkers. He wanted to do more to foil them, but he didn’t know what else he could do.

  Finally, Benzel stepped out of the dark forest and onto the mountain pass, grateful to see a clear twilight sky above his head instead of a leafy canopy. Despite his hunger and thirst, the boy pressed on and headed in the direction he’d taken with his mother on several occasions in the past. He knew he could look over his shoulder for a final glimpse of his wrecked home, but the thought of doing so made Benzel so queasy that he thought he would pass out.

  During high summer evenings, the sun was useless for gauging time. It dipped among the rolling hills below. Benzel didn’t know if he walked the mountain pass in the early evening or midnight or the dawn of a new day. He continued walking and kept a sharp lookout for a glimpse of Bubblebrook, which would appear below the pass.

  What seemed like hours later, Benzel heard the village before he saw it. The piercing cry of a baby echoed up from below.

  On the mountain pass, Benzel saw nothing but forest below. He remembered that the downward trail leading to Bubblebrook would appear after a sharp turn on the pass. Renewed with hope, Benzel broke into a run and raced along the pass. Sure enough, after he negotiated a sudden bend, a valley and the village of Bubblebrook appeared below.

  But the sight of it made Benzel skid to a stop and stare.

  Bubblebrook looked like Heatherbloom, broken and quiet and still. The walls made of wattle and daub had been burned into piles of ashes. The pens built to corral cows and goats and pigs stood empty. The dirt roads were littered with people sleeping on them.

  They’re not asleep. They’re dead. The berserkers killed them, too.

  Benzel didn’t know what to do. Mama said the people of Bubblebrook would help him. But the people of Bubblebrook were gone. Now what would he do?