The attack came without warning.
It was a clear night with stars sharp as knives. The village had settled early after a day of hard work. Fires burned low in the hearths. Dogs slept under the tables. The three boys were together in the barn because Gunnar had kicked Eirik out for talking back and the others had joined him.
They were telling stories when the first scream cut the air.
Eirik sat up fast. "What was that?"
Alaric was already on his feet. "Raiders. Or something worse. I can feel it in the ground."
Soren grabbed the rope they always carried. "We stick together. Oath first."
They ran out into the night. Flames were already licking the thatch of the nearest longhouse. Men in dark cloaks moved between the buildings with torches and swords. They were not ordinary raiders. Their armor was too fine. Their movements were too planned. This was no random raid. This was a political strike meant to look like one.
Eirik shouted and charged toward the nearest attacker. He had no weapon but his fists and his rage. He tackled the man and they rolled in the dirt. Alaric and Soren followed. Alaric picked up a fallen pitchfork and swung it like a staff. Soren used the rope to trip another man.
The village was chaos. Women screamed. Children cried. The air filled with smoke and the smell of burning wood.
Eirik's guardian Gunnar fell with a sword in his chest. Eirik saw it and something inside him snapped. He fought harder. "They are killing everyone!"
Alaric felt the power rise in him again stronger than ever. A dragon roared in the distance drawn by the fire. Without thinking Alaric raised his hands and whispered the words. A gust of wind pushed the flames away from the children running past. He hid the motion by pretending to throw a bucket of water. No one noticed. But the dragon calmed and circled away.
Soren saw his own guardian Harald cut down. He felt the weight of the secret on his shoulder like a brand. This was because of him. He knew it in his bones.
The boys fought their way toward the center of the village. They saved who they could. They dragged an old woman from her burning house. They carried a small girl to safety. But the attackers were too many and too organized.
In the middle of the square the leader of the raiders pointed straight at Soren. "There! The royal whelp! Take him alive!"
Eirik stepped in front of Soren. "You will not touch him!"
Alaric stood on the other side. "We are brothers. You take one you take all."
The fight turned desperate. Swords clashed against pitchforks and stones. Eirik took a cut to his arm but kept swinging. Alaric used his hidden power to make the ground tremble just enough to knock two men off their feet. Soren fought with quiet fury using a fallen shield as a weapon.
Then a flaming arrow struck the barn they had just left. The roof collapsed in a roar of sparks. Eirik's family home the only place he had ever known was gone. His guardian was dead. He screamed in rage and grief.
Alaric saw the danger closing in. He felt the magic burn in his veins. He pushed it out in a single burst. A wall of invisible force knocked the attackers back giving the boys a moment to run.
They ran toward the cliffs. Smoke choked their lungs. Tears stung their eyes. Behind them the village burned.
Royal guards on horseback appeared at the edge of the chaos. They wore the same blue cloaks as the scouts. They cut down the remaining raiders with practiced ease. One of them spotted Soren and shouted "The heir! Protect the heir!"
Strong hands grabbed Soren and pulled him onto a horse. He fought but the guard was too big. "Eirik! Alaric!"
Eirik lunged but a horse knocked him down. He watched his brother being taken away. "Soren! No!"
Alaric tried to follow but exhaustion from the magic hit him like a wave. He collapsed in the dirt.
Enemy clan warriors appeared from the other side of the village. They were the rivals from across the fjord. They grabbed Eirik and dragged him away calling him one of their own now that his home was ash.
Alaric lay still. The dragon monks found him there unconscious and carried him into the night.
The three brothers were torn apart in the smoke and fire.
The oath had been spoken.
The war had begun.