Infinite 01 - Infinite Sacrifice

sleep.
    I ask Hela, “What does thrall mean?”
    She looks down at the fire and takes a moment. “When someone owns your body but not your soul.”
    “Why did Rolf call me a thrall?”
    “Rolf is our master. We have all ended up here by chance, and we must do what we can to survive.”
    I go to take my sack and goose out to find my own place to sleep when Hela makes a shushing sound and puts her hands down to the straw. “You will sleep with us.”
    I’m happy to stay here, since it’s already dark out. The old, hunched woman helps lay my blanket on the straw and pats my back reassuringly when I settle down with Borga.

Chapter 4
    In the morning, I wait by the house for Thora to appear and make a face instantly when I see she steps out with Rolf heavy around her shoulders, dragging her down awkwardly.
    He notices me and yells, “Get to the shovels, boy!”
    I take off toward the barn, hearing the flip-flopping of Borga’s graceless feet. I shut the door behind me, and Borga goes wild, pecking on the other side of the door frantically.
    Thora says behind the door, “Liam, let us in.”
    I wait and almost laugh at the noise Borga is making. I open the door, and she comes flying in, honking at me with her neck overstretched.
    Once she calms down, Thora says, “I’m sorry, Liam. Rolf doesn’t allow any workmen in the house.”
    “You mean thralls.”
    She looks surprised I know that word but nods. “I don’t like being here either. I’m forced to do whatever my parents choose for me. We are both thralls.”
    I soften a bit and say, “I met the oldest woman I’ve ever seen. I think she is an elf.”
    Thora laughs. “Hopefully she is a good elf.”
    “I think she is. She made me supper and let me sleep with her and Una.”
    “I’m glad you and Borga found a nice place to stay, then. I worried about you all night.” She opens up the door to the barn. “Things will be better for both of us when Rolf leaves for the sea.” She pulls her reindeer comb out from her pocket, secures her hair up with the comb, and starts to run. “Come on! Let’s explore this place!”
    I run after her with my goose flapping behind.
    Rolf does go away eventually, and Thora jests about finding his hoards he’d buried all over the farm. We take shovels and dig in all of the places someone would pick to bury a fortune. One day we’re shocked to unearth one below a tall fir. We find metal pieces all wrapped in linen: jewelry and coins from countries Thora can barely pronounce. Thora puts on a few of the necklaces as I wrap a gold armband around my skinny arm. I see dark red paint all over the side of Thora’s necklaces, and when I point to it, Thora yanks them off. We hurry to put it all back and try to cover it all like it has never been disturbed.
    When Rolf comes home and Thora can’t spend time with me, I play with Una after her chores are done. She has to feed the animals, collect the eggs, milk the cows and goat, and make the butter and cheese. I help her get through them, and toward the end of the day, we have time to run off into the horse fields. Borga grows so large that she’s the fattest goose on the farm. She catches the attention of Rolf one day as he watches her waddle her large rump behind me.
    He calls out, “I’m going to butcher that goose before she gets too tough.”
    I spin around, not knowing what I can say to him. “She’s a fine egg layer, Master. This morning, she laid one of the largest eggs we’ve ever seen.”
    He shakes his head. “We have got plenty of eggs from the hens. No, I will see to her tonight.”
    The door opens, and Thora flies out. She must have overheard through the open gables in the roof.
    She yells out, “That is my goose. She is part of my dowry and I will say what we do with her. Borga is an egg layer!”
    She draws both hands out flat, turns, and goes back inside. Rolf sneers at me and rubs the bottom of his whitening beard but says nothing. I grab Borga’s fat body up and run away with her to tell Hela and Una what happened.
    Months later, Rolf leaves again, and since his red-haired sister, Inga, goes away to visit her dead husband’s family, Thora lets me in to have supper with her and sleep on her featherbed. I’m careful to watch Borga’s warning tail-wagging closely, in fear of an accident that will give Rolf reason to butcher her. Even with all the darting outside with Borga throughout the night, it’s worth it to be back with Thora. I notice Thora’s