Eric Olafson, Neoviking 28

Chapter 28: Aunt Freydis

The masked woman in the red Cloak said.” Welcome Eric, or should I say welcome Freya ?”

I blushed despite the fact that my secret was no secret here and they probably all laughed as they used me back then, but I tried to concentrate and said. “I don’t care if you make fun of my secret and I told Astrid I am tired of being played and taken for a fool. It was you or one of you who wanted me here to discuss the very serious problems you have. I can leave right now.”

She got up from her Chair. “Eric you misunderstood. We are glad you came and I believe you came because you care about your friends. I know you well Eric. This is why we want to offer you a chair in the Circle. Our rules prohibit a man to be present but Freya would be welcome.”

“As much as it intrigues me and at another time I would have said yes, I don’t trust you to be frank and on top of all that I will not commit murder and acts of

terrorism. I sympathize with your goals and your cause very much especially in the light of my mother’s death but I believe there is another way to gain all your rights and much faster, and without any violence.”

“We don’t want you to commit crimes for us Eric, but our little theater here is our own little tradition as an answer to the oppressive laws of man. You always displayed a great sense of personal honor so honor us and let Freya take part so we can discuss the matters at hand we would not discuss with a man.”

“You sure know to make an argument, it is against all common sense and I should not indulge myself in this sick and unworthy behavior.”

“Come with me Eric!” the red cloaked woman said and waved her gloved hand and then, walked with billowing cape before me and out of the lighted circle into the darkness behind, before my eyes could adjust to the darkness I suddenly had a clear picture in my head how the room looked like. I saw doors and furniture, felt the ceiling and the floor. The sensation was gone as my eyes had adjusted and I saw what I just had felt and wondered if that was affected by the sensory organ growing in me.

The woman let me through a door in a smaller room with a dresser, mirrors and warm light from a few brass colored lamps. She pulled the hood back and rolled the mask of her face and I could not have been more shocked to see who she was.

My lips formed her name but I was so surprised I could not speak it, but then whispered.

“Aunt Freydis?”

Before me stood uncle Hogun’s wife! The merry faced, seemingly simple minded mid wife duty woman married to my uncle!

She nodded.”I told you I k now you well! I am the sixth First Daughter of Nilfeheim and we all have been Midwifes as it gives us the perfect reason to travel and talk to women behind closed doors without men present.” She gestured upwards. “Thus is Bredenberg Castle Eric, it is empty as the last male member of this family died almost twenty years ago, my father!”

It all made sort of sense and fit together, then I bit my lip and wondered if she knew. If my Aunt was a Bredenberg, then Snøfrid had to be a younger sister of her.” Aunt Freydis I have bad news for you!”

Tears glittered in her eyes. “Yes I know, my dear sister Snøfrid. I do not know what came over her. The attack was not planned at all!”

“I know what came over her. Or at least I am pretty sure I know. There is a dead alien Woman in my boat, she was out to kill me I think and she disguised herself as Sif and used some sort of psionic powers to make Snøfrid and the others do what they did.”

Aunt Freydis said. “I called you to tell you about a killer woman Brunar Bendixen hired, she was the one who installed Tech Stop projectors in his boats and then she disappeared. He hired her to protect his secret pearl business and to send a message to the Olafsons and Lindbergh’s. My source at the Bendixen Castle did not know about the psionics however.”

“We need to present the killer woman to the Assembly and get Hedda freed, before they execute her.”

“Hedda is in no immediate danger right now and she deserves some punishment for revealing the names of the others. While we wait for more of our members to arrive you will have time to become Freya. You should find everything you need in here. Your secret is known only to Sif, Elena, Astrid, Hedda and me and it is safe with us. Your Identity will remain hidden to the rest of the daughters, but all need to hear what you have to say and then we decide what to do.”

It was strangely elating and I was certain now there was something wrong with me. All the time I tried to proof to myself that I was a real Norse, a warrior in the eyes of my peer and yet the very idea to be Freya again excited me more than it was natural. I decided to talk to Dr. Dwyer about it after all. I had to find out why I could not get rid of this. I should have refused and told Aunt Freydis that I am a man and if they wanted my help they needed to accept me as a man or forget it. While I put on the dress I shook my head. Aunt Freydis! She was the meek and simple wife, Uncle Hogun was so afraid of to lose and she was the Leader of a secret society and while she still had the same rosy face and the somewhat corpulent body, she seemed a different person.

I put on the cloak and gloves and went outside. Aunt Freydis was waiting for me. She handed me one of those white fabric tubes. “You need that too.”

I put it on and she draped my hood around my face.” Remember you are a Daughter of Nilfeheim. No one needs to know you are Eric Olafson. No one here, but you knows who I am. It’s part of the whole Secret Society thing, you know.”

“I guess it’s good. So no one can reveal much. I hope Hedda won’t tell them about Freya or where she got the harpoon guns from.”

“Not to worry. We took steps so she can’t reveal that or the location of our meeting place.”

“You killed her?”

I could see the outlines of her mouth smiling.” No of course not, she just sleeps for a few days.”

Then Aunt Freydis explained. “Go in the circle, ring the bell and sit down on any free chair. It is a circle and all look alike so there is no seating order and then I want you to tell us how we can achieve our goals as you said, without violence.”

“And what about Hedda and Sif and all that?”

“It too will be discussed, but I want you to hear some of the information as well.”

I did as she had told me and after perhaps twenty minutes nine of the Chairs were occupied and Aunt Freydis in her red cloak announced the meeting to be in session and sat down. After that another stood and spoke, I was pretty sure it was Sif. “Recent Events have gravely endangered our Sisterhood and our goals. One of our members,” she pointed at me,” was able to apprehend and eliminate an Off World Agent hired by Brunar Bendixen to find the killer of his father and to eliminate his competition in the fishing and crab business. This Off World woman used Psionic Hypno-suggestive powers to make them act against their will. We must discuss what is to be done to free our Sister and limit the damage to our cause.”

The Red Cloak spread her arms.”As it is our custom. We share now the information we have gathered in the world of man.”

Another woman stood up and I was sure was Raghild despite her mask.” From the House of Olafson I bring these tidings: “The wife of Isegrim Olafson schemes with someone Off World and she obtained advanced Psycho Drugs. She uses them to control her husband and laced the same drugs now in the drinks of Adolph Lindbergh and plans to do so with other Clan Chiefs as well. The drugs allow her, to plant suggestive blocks.”

The information I received was quite shocking to me. Someone in the circle asked.” How does she know such things?”

“She was Off-World and use dher sister to obtain means of revenge, she also uses GalNet and we think she meets someone in town who supplies her with the Shail psycho drugs. She learned much about Kermac and Shail methods. I don’t know what her exact plans are, but I think she plans to kill her husband. His servant Harkun has found out about the psycho drugs and is treating Isegrim with antidotes. Gretel is afraid of the day he is again fully in control over his own will.”

All this made my head spin and I wondered if anything I knew was actually based on facts or if there always was another layer behind. I wanted to get to the bottom if it all. I needed to find out for my own sake if father killed mother on his own or if he was under the influence of alien drugs. I needed to find out before Gretel had a chance to kill him. What was Harkun doing messing with drugs instead of having the local clinic take care of it. I was sure Dr. Dwyer would know more about it than Harkun or at least would know someone that could help.

I was also amazed about the level of information these women had.

Aunt Freydis motioned me to stand.” Daughter of Nilfeheim, you mentioned an alternative way to gain our goals. Now speak to the Assembly so we all may hear.”

I stood, the tight fabric rubbing at my lips as I spoke. “You all are Union Citizens and women rights are only impaired on Nilfeheim. Long ago Holger Olafson went to the Union Outpost to complain that the decisions made after Nilfeheim’s Pirate days were only made by half of the population. The Union Judge agreed and they formed the Circle of Elders with representatives of all Clans. Why not simply go to a Union court and claim the very same thing? Women are half of the population on this planet and they have the same rights in Union terms as men. Nilfeheim would be forced to come to a decision or loose Union membership and I assure you not even the Elders want that.”

There was silence.

Then Aunt Freydis stood.” So simple! So very simple! We should have taken a lesson right out of our own history! Yes you are right, that is what we need to do and it promises better and faster results than fighting and terror.

A new voice spoke. It was the voice of a man!” Wise decision girls!”

Two Old Men stepped out of the darkness into the middle of the ring. It was Egill and with him was the Old Keeper!

It was as if a big boulder rolled of my shoulders as I saw him. The women all jumped of their seats and Aunt Freydis actually drew a small blaster.” I didn’t think you would betray us in this way!” She aimed it at me.