Chapter 24
Valfoor turned to Borghild. “Now I have to decide what to do with you. I cannot allow such treachery to go unpunished.”
“But it was all Lucky’s idea,” she complained. “I never would have cheated if she hadn’t told me to. I don’t need to cheat to beat this spoiled little brat you keep protecting.”
“Okay,” said Crystal. “We can have one more contest if that will shut you up. You and I both know that you are a cheat and a coward. I guess now is a good time to prove it to everyone else.”
“Fine,” snarled Borghild, her face twisted with hate. “I challenge you to a Viking canoe race.”
“You don’t have to do this,” said Freyja.
“I cannot allow you to take canoes out on squid infested water,” said Valfoor.
“We can set up two canoes next to each other on the beach,” said Crystal. “The last person standing wins.”
“Fine,” said Borghild.
“Fine,” said Crystal.
The canoes were all in a jumble from Eiti falling on them. Borghild insisted on using the red canoe with the red paddle. Crystal didn’t care which one she used; she just wanted the contest to start. When the canoes were in position, the girls put on their life vests and helmets.
As soon as Valfoor rang the bell to start the contest, Borghild swung her paddle high and brought it down hard. Crystal used both hands to hold her paddle up over her head to block the strike. The two paddles hit violently, and Crystal’s paddle broke in half.
Crystal’s arms tingled from the impact. She knew that she would be at a disadvantage with a broken weapon. Did she still have a chance of winning?
Crystal quickly flipped the two broken paddle pieces around so that it would be like she was holding two small axes. She looked over at Borghild and saw a look of triumph on her face. She also noticed that Borghild’s paddle was slightly bent. The pole must be made from metal. Maybe the blades were metal too. Borghild was cheating again.
Crystal knew she was in a dangerous situation and began to run over her options. She could give up and avoid injury. She could call for help and complain about Borghild cheating. Or she could once again take Eiti’s advice and make the bully afraid.
Borghild certainly had an advantage at long range, but the length of her pole would be a disadvantage if they were in close to each other. Then Crystal realized what she needed to do. Eiti had not only given her good advice about dealing with bullies but had given her the right training to win this fight.
Crystal surprised Borghild by jumping into the red canoe, forcing them to fight about three feet apart. Then she started chopping at Borghild with her paddle blades, just like she had chopped that large log in Eiti’s workshop. Borghild brought her pole up to block the blows, but Crystal didn’t mind. As long as she kept chopping Borghild wouldn’t be able to attack her. And she knew from experience that she could chop for a very long time.
Crystal noticed that when her blows landed on the bent part of Borghild’s pole it caused the pole to bend some more. Now she had a target. With every strike, Borghild’s pole bent a little more, and as the pole bent it helped guide Crystal’s blades to exactly the best spot to strike.
Borghild’s face began to betray real fear. It wasn’t just that she was afraid of losing this fight, something much deeper was going on. Soon her pole had bent into a V, and it was increasingly difficult for her to do anything but stand there and take the punishment. Her arms ached and tingled from the constant blows, and she instinctively took a step backward trying to get some breathing room. Her legs tangled, and she tumbled into the bottom of the boat.
Crystal stood over Borghild. Her squid cuts had opened up and were freely bleeding. Sweat mixed with the blood and formed small rivers, drawing red lines on her face and arms before dripping into the bottom of the boat. She quickly tried to figure out the best way to resume her attack. Should she drop to her knees and continue chopping on the pole? Should she stop aiming for the pole and start chopping on Borghild’s legs? Should she try to roll Borghild out of the canoe?
Borghild could see that Crystal was no longer just a spoiled brat from America; she was a real Viking warrior, moving in to finish off her opponent. “I give up!” Borghild screamed in fear, throwing her bent and useless paddle over the side of the boat. “I give up. I take it all back. You do belong here; you belong more than I do.”
None of the girls noticed the group of Viking ghosts standing behind Crystal, cheering, or slight ripple in the cold fjord water as they returned to their resting place once the contest was over.