Algiz, for the protective strength of the elk. Laguz, the rune of water, the essence of my sjóvættir power from the sea. And Ansuz, the rune of divine communication and connection with Odin, whose Völsung blood once flowed in this sacred white wolf.
The sleek length of the elegantly curved, pointed blade shimmered like pure silver, etched with Elven markings and intricately inscribedwithLjósálfarscrolls. At the crossguard, where the carved bone handle met the razor sharp blade, a clear oval gem sparkled like a captured star. Luminous and iridescent, it exuded radiant light, like the glittering gem in the silver clasp which fastened Lugh’s dark green cloak.
TheLjósálfar’s deep voice interrupted Elfi’s reverie. “Agildirstarstone. Like the gem in my brooch. And the stone in Dag’s Light Elven sword,Galadir.”Lugh’s long finger lovingly traced the astral orb. “Imbued with enhancedLjósálfarmagic, capable of killing a troll. Use thegildirgem to reflect sunlight during the day. Or starlight at night. Either will kill aDökkálfarDark Elf or a troll, petrifying them into stone.” He slid his lean finger down the sinuous silver curve inscribed with intricate scrolls. “Or kill them with this enchanted blade. By hurling Light Elven magic straight into their darkened hearts.”
Lugh turned to Njörd. “Give me your hand.”
Njörd complied without hesitation.
Placing the new dagger onto Njörd’s outstretched hand, Lugh withdrew his own knife from the sheath at his waist. He carefully sliced the tip of Njörd’s finger and meticulously placed three droplets of blood into each of the three Nordic runes inscribed in the wolf bone handle. Fingers floating over the runes as he murmured an incomprehensible incantation, Elfi surmised that Lugh spoke in an ancient Light Elventongue. Thegildirstarstone glimmered and glowed with brilliant, otherworldly light.
When Lugh had finished adding three drops of blood into each of the trio of runes, he took Elfi’s hand and placed the dagger onto her flattened palm. “A trinity of Nordic runes,” he explained, sheathing his own Elven blade. “Imbued with three drops ofÚlfhéðnarblood. The sacred number nine.” His radiant smile illuminated the entire opalescent cave. “Like the nine days that the Allfatherhanged himself from Yggdrasil, the World Tree.” With a luminous fingertip, Lugh traced the blood-etched runes. “Inscribed into the jawbone of the sacred white wolf, thehámranimal spirit of Njörd’s fatherBrökk. A Völsung warrior with the blood of Odin.” Lugh’s otherworldly gaze entrancedElfi. “Thrice the protection of the wolf. Your mate’sÚlfhéðnarblood. His father’s wolf spirit bones. Both descended from the divine Allfather. A sacred trinity of the wolf, blessed with the blood of Odin.”
Limbs shaking, mouth parched, Elfi stammered, “A priceless gift. Thank you.” She sheathed herLjósálfardagger into the dark greendragonscalescabbard and handed it reverently to Njörd. “Please hold this for me while I unbuckle my belt. I want to wearÚlfbladstrapped at my waist when I go to theÎle de Sein.” Elfi unfastened her leather belt, and Njörd handed the dagger to her. Feral pride blazed in his fierce lupine eyes as she slid thedragonscalescabbard onto her leather belt and secured it on her hips.
“And now, the second weapon.” Lugh retrieved a long, curved ivory instrument that tapered to a sharp point, suspended from a thin black leather cord. Carved into the smooth, polished bone were three runes which Elfi recognized at once.Uruz, for strength. Algiz, for protection. And Tiwaz, for the valor of a warrior.“Úlftiri.Wolf whistle,”Lugh announced, handing the leather cord to Elfi. “It produces a sound that only wolves can hear. Blow it to summon the warrior wolves of theÚlfhéðnar.And wolves from the sacred grove and the enchantedForêt du Loup.”
Elfi held the long, slender bone whistle in her hand. Beneath the shaped mouthpiece at the top was a hole, with a second, smaller one at the bottom, just above the sharp endpoint. She glanced up at Lugh, questioning him with her eyes.
He laughed, the deep notes of his velvety voice like a mellow, otherworldly harp. “Don’t try it now. With their extraordinary lupine hearing, theÚlfhéðnarwill detect the wolf call from twenty leagues away. As will all wolves in the sacred grove andla Forêt du Loup. And with theLjósálfarmagic I have embedded in theÚlftiri, they will be compelled to come to your aid.”
Elfi wondered if she would need to summon wolves on theÎle de Sein. She’d heard tales that the remote island was uninhabited, except for nineGallizenaemermaids who controlled the tumultuous sea and the tempestuous storms ofla Mer de l’ Ouest.The Celtic people of nearby Bretagne believed theGallizenaewere shapeshifting Druid priestesses who commanded the tides and lured enemies to their deaths by shipwreck along the rocky, craggy coast. Among the Vikings of Normandy, sailors warned that all ships who had ventured into the impassable passage known asLa Chaussée de Seinhad been sacrificed to the Sea Goddess Rán. Elfi looked up at the towering, silver-hairedLjósálfar.“Will I need my wolf weapons on theÎle de Sein? Could I encounter aDökkálfaror a troll?”
“Nei,the island is enshrouded by defensive wards of ocean magic, with dangerous tides, hidden rocks, and perilous shoals. It is only accessible by sea—or through the waterfall cave of this Mermaid Cove. Protected by Dúva’ssjóvættirspirit.” Lugh’s luminous smile flooded Elfi with reassuring light, as comforting as her mother’s essence which swept over the waters of the sheltered inlet and into the cave to caress Elfi’s cheek.
Elfi released the breath she was holding and placed theúlftiriback into the black leather pouch, securing it with Dag’s flute safely inside her satchel.
“I shall escort you through this portal,” Lugh said, indicating the tunnel concealed behind the curved wall of the waterfall cave, “to the mouth of the sea cave which opens onto theÎle de Sein.” He adjusted his long, dark green cloak, thegildirstarstone in his ornate silver brooch glistening in the early morning light. Verdant and mystical as a sacred forest, Lugh’s emerald eyes entranced hers. “But only females may set foot on the island. And only women seeking the divine wisdom of theGallizenae. For prophesies, healing, or wielding magic.”
A shiver shuddered through Elfi.My mother’s sjóvættir power.Pulse pounding, legs trembling, she turned toward Njörd, who pulled her close, wrapping her inside his white wolfskin cloak.
He leaned down and brushed his bearded lips against hers. “Embrace your fate, daughter of Dúva. My siren with the seagoddess eyes.” Njörd glanced up at Lugh. “You said that Elfi’s training would last three days. Will she play Dag’s flute to signal her return and summon you?”
Lugh nodded, his Elven eyes fixed on Elfi. “And I shall escort her safely back to the castle.” He grinned at theÚlfbladdagger sheathed in the dark greendragonscalescabbard at Elfi’s waist. Thegildirstarstone in the wolf bone hilt glimmered like the gem in Lugh’s brooch. And the trio of enchanted stones in thedragonscalesheath pulsed with power like the jewels in the necklace around her throat. “But now that you have taught her to wield a dagger,” he grinned at Njörd, “and she has theLjósálfarwhite wolf blade…Elfi can defend herself against theDökkálfaror even a troll. As well as you or I.”
Elfi’s shieldmaiden heart soared like swan wings of a Valkyrie.
Rising up onto her toes, she kissed Njörd one last time. “I love you, myWolf of the Nordic Seas. I’ll be back in three days.”
When he nodded, his fierce lupine eyes fixed upon her, Elfi hoisted her satchel firmly onto her shoulder and adjusted theÚlfbladdagger at her waist. She strode across the rocky floor of the waterfall cave, casting one last glance at Njörd, filled with all the love in hersjóvættirmermaid heart.
She accepted Lugh’s proffered bent elbow, hooking her arm through his.
And disappeared into the dark, otherworldly portal which led to theÎle de Sein.
Chapter 23
The Île de Sein
“As a male, this is as far as I can go.” Lugh’s luminous face and radiant eyes glowed like a beacon in the dark tunnel. “When you exit this portal, you’ll be facing west. Cross the island to the opposite eastern shore, and head north until you come to a sheltered inlet. The entrance to the hidden sea cave of theGallizenaeis tucked inside the curved shore.” His dazzling smile revealed perfect, pearlescent teeth. “In three days, when your training is complete, come back to this portal and play your flute. The music will summon me fromÁlfheim, and I shall escort you safely back to Étretat.” Lugh lowered his silvery blond head to kiss Elfi’s trembling hand. “You will be safe here. The entire island is enshrouded withsjóvættirmagic and protected by the Sea Goddess Rán. In this otherworldly realm, you will learn about your mother, Dúva. And discover how to wield your inherited power. Farewell, Elfi. May the gods bless you until we meet again.” Tucking his arm across his broad chest and ducking his clean shaven chin, Lugh bent at the waist in a gallant bow. With a swoop of his long green cape, he turned away from Elfi and disappeared into the dark portal.
Pulse pounding, legs shaking, Elfi emerged from the tunnel into a cave which opened onto a rocky beach. Thunderous waves crashed against the craggy shore, sending salt spray and sea foam high into the cloud covered sky. As if recognizing hersjóvættirspirit,la Mer de l’ Ouest—thesavage Western Sea—called to her very soul.
The strident squawks of gulls, gannets, and guillemots sliced through the salt-laden wind, their black and white wings soaring in the bleak, overcast sky. Perched along the edge of a rocky clifftop, a group of puffins, their bright orange beaks in sharp contrast to the grey stone of the craggy bluff, dove skillfully into the turbulent waters in search of fresh fish.
Elfi inhaled the salty spray of the sea, the cool mist nipping her cheeks as the harsh wind slapped her skin and whipped strands of long brown hair across her face. The pungent tang of seaweed—scattered across the slick, slimy stones—tickled her nose as she glimpsed in the distance a colony of seals gathered on a large outcropping which extended from the rocky coast. Remembering Lugh’s instructions to cross the island and head north, Elfi left the biting winds and stinging spray behind and headed toward the eastern shore.
Here, on the sheltered side of theÎle de Sein, the sea was calm, with sandpipers, herons, and oystercatchers searching for shellfish in the shallow coves along the sandy beach. Fragrant wildflowers and hedges, some with plentiful fruit, grew on the cliffside among mosses, lichens, and grasses near a bubbling stream which flowed from an underground spring. Elfi recognized the wild roses which the Norman French calledéglantines,the familiar pink and purple blooms of heather, and the bright yellow blossoms of poppy and gorse. There werejuniper shrubs and blackthorn hedges, bursting with dark blue berries, as well as small trees which Elfi had never seen before, filled with tiny, bright orange fruit. In the soft white sand along the shore, she spotted pink scallop shells, the purple and white hulls of discarded oysters, and several species of crabs in crevices and small puddles among the rocks.
