Chapter 1

997 A.D.

The long ships slid silently down the river, carried only by the current. The silence was occasionally broken as birds fled from trees along the river's edge. In a nearby village, young boys mercilessly taunted each other, playing warrior games.

A lone boy stood just outside the fray. He cradled a tiny rabbit in his arms, gently petting it behind the ears. He was unlike the other Viking boys, preferring the company of small animals and being alone in nature. A whistling sound was heard above the din. And then all hell broke loose.

“Run Rurik! Get to the river!”

Rurik turned just as the sky became bright orange from thousands of flaming arrows raining down on the village square. With the rabbit under his arm, he made a beeline for the edge of the woods. The thatched roofs of surrounding cottages crackled in flames.

Rurik turned around, looking for his father. Smoke and embers obscured his view. Screams of terror could be heard coming from where the young boys had been playing minutes earlier.

"Father!" Rurik shouted.

"Go! Get to the river!"

Rurik could just make out the shape of his father stumbling towards him. He watched as a flaming arrow found it's mark just above the center of his father's chest. The Vikings long beard smoldered for a second and then burst into flames.

Rurik's father screamed in agony. "Run!" he shouted at Rurik one last time. The boy, heartbroken and with tears streaming down his face, turned and ran as fast as he could.

The second Rurik reached the edge of the woods, an arrow struck the tree he'd leaned on to catch his breath. He dove to the ground as another arrow flew by. He'd been seen. His heart raced. Stammering for breath he rolled further into the woods, then sprang to his feet and began running towards the river again.

Rurik heard the shouts of the Berserker's behind him. A volley of arrows swished through the trees all around him. Sweat and tears stung his eyes. He ran faster. The exposed root of a tree narrowly caught his foot sending him sprawling over a ravine. He tumbled downwards. He could still hear shouting. Blood began to trickle from the scratches all over his body . Dazed, Rurik drug himself back to his feet.

He looked around with with child-like hope, searching for his rabbit. It was long gone, having dropped from his arms during his initial sprint to the treeline.

Rurik shivered, finally becoming aware of the cold. Each breath exhaling a small cloud as the adrenaline pulsed through his body.

Exhausted, Rurik began moving slowly along the rivers edge. He winced in pain with every step, finally collapsing unconscious. His future now lay entirely in the hands of fate.