"We have lived here since the time when the stories of Odin and Thor were first inscribed upon the rocks. We have set our laws and lived by them since that time. The contest had no victor, so the fight must continue. Our Healers will do what they can to heal both the body and the spirit of the two fighters. If the Healers are successful, the fighters will be healed in both body and the mind. Once that is done one will yield the contest to the other."

"If the Healers are unsuccessful then the fighter's body will remain broken and weak and the fight will continue. Now comes the time to test the will of each. To weigh his and her connection to our way of life and to our past. That alone will decide the contest. That is our way."

"If you're looking for that, Hysminai can heal their bodies at least," Michelle said. "Let him do it. There's no point in anyone dying here today."

"And yet," the council member said gravely, "that was the price that each was willing to pay when they stepped foot in the combatant's circle."

The council member led them back into the great hall and there, on prepared tables on either side of the hall, lay the two fighters. Yrsa had her hair laid neatly over her head so that it hung straight down off the table that she was resting on. Latham lay still, breathing shallowly on a table at the far end of the hall. The only clothes that either of the fighters had on was a loose short strip of leather that resembled a skirt or a kilt, and Yrsa wore a strip of leather over her breasts. The councilman held the pack on the landing next to the big double doors, not allowing them deeper into the hall.

Next to each unconscious fighter was a single person, a male for Yrsa and a female for Latham. The Healer was softly touching and probing the broken bodies of the fighters. They were applying some sort of salve over the open wounds and dressing them with clean cloth bandages.

With Yrsa, the man was softly feeling her ribs. He pressed hard and a sickening crack was heard. Yrsa's face twisted in pain as a moan escaped her lips, before her breathing returned to a deep steady rhythm. Huan Li had seen his share of hospitals and knew that the broken rib Yrsa had suffered had just been set expertly. There was a similar crack and gasp from the far end of the hall as Latham's leg was set and wrapped.

The pack watched as both Healers finished their work and then sat down next to their patients. The man sitting next to Yrsa leaned in close to her and began speaking in hushed tones to the woman. Yrsa still had her eyes closed and was breathing normally. She did not respond to the Healer.

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"What are they doing now," Javier asked watching.

Their guide turned to them and ushered them back outside the hall. The pack looked a bit worried at being so suddenly and quietly dismissed but they followed Keva's lead and left as the council member closed the door on the two wounded people.

Javier looked questioningly at the councilman as he turned around to face them. He gazed evenly into their eyes as he spoke, "Now comes the time for the Healers to begin their real work. They must stay with the patient and find the true cause of the injury. Once that is done, they must create the galdr."

"What's the galdr?" Michelle asked.

The man answered, "it is the magical connection between us and the gods that will allow the Healer to heal his and her patient. It is a deep connection between patient and Healer. Through hours of questioning, meditation, and trance states the Healers then creates a poem speaking to the injury of the patient. The patient must deeply connect with and understand what the poem is saying. The poem is then written by the Healer and it is transcribed through runes on a piece of wood or bone."

"And then what?" Javier asked.

"The rune stick is held by the patient," The council member stated. "The galdr is then sung by our Healers."

"Are you such a Healer?" Huan Li asked.

He smiled and nodded, "I am. I'm Rorric Jørgensen. I was born here and I learned our healing magic from my mother, who learned it from her father. Both of the Healers inside were taught by me."

"No offense, but if you grew up here, why do you speak such good English?" Michelle asked.

Rorric smiled, "You will find that we are not so totally cut off from the rest of the world as we try to appear. I was educated at Stockholm University. I got my degree in musculoskeletal medicine. I came back here and aided my home as best as I could."

"How does a medical degree mesh with the 'magic' that you were just telling us about?" Keva asked, not unkindly.

Rorric smiled broadly, "It meshes perfectly well. I learned a lot of what modern medicine had to offer. It was very rational and I came back here, ready to show my elders the folly of their ways. That magic didn't exist." He shook his head at the memory.

"I take it you were the one who had your ideals challenged?" Huan Li asked.

Rorric nodded, "I was such a young fool. The galdr is real and it speaks to what connects our soul to earth and the gods, the one who would heal, and the one that needs the healing. It is a mesh of the rational, and the necessary non-rational worlds. The trance state relieves the Healer and the patient of their own selves to connect more deeply with each other. It is through that shared experience that the Healing takes place. I thought I knew how the world worked. Then I felt that connection, that ecstasy with a patient of mine, and I was left wondering if I had learned anything at my medical school at all."

"How long will the galdr take?" Soter asked gruffly.

"Days, at least," Rorric answered, "sometimes weeks."

They all collectively turned to Keva. The redheaded Alpha asked, "Is it alright if we stay here? I'd like to know if Yrsa pulls through or not."

Rorric nodded, "Of course you may stay. But we will expect you to pull your weight with hunting, wood chopping, crafting and repair work around the village. We have many storms left before Spring is truly upon us."

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