A delicious thrill rippled through Alberic’s entire body. He lifted his embellished chalice, ducked his clean shaven chin, and drank to the positively glorious future. “Once we establish a Frankish colony in thePays de Caux,King Lothaire of West Francia will be most grateful and generous. I shall become the Duke of Normandy. And you, my trusted allies, will be handsomely rewarded.” He plopped a leather drawstring pouch filled with silver coins on the walnut table before each of his honored guests. “Until then, please accept this as a token of my appreciation for your invaluable aid.” He raised his goblet again. “To our imminent triumphant success.”
Chapter 27
Return to Étretat
Elfi withdrew Dag’s flute from her leather satchel and played the lyrical notes that would summon Lugh. Soon, a radiant glow illuminated the dark tunnel, and the towering, silvery blondLjósálfaremerged into the cave portal where she now stood. Agildirstarstone glimmered in the ornate silver brooch which fastened his dark green cloak upon a wide shoulder. Incandescent and pearlescent, Lugh’s dazzling smile was as brilliant as his bright emerald eyes. As Elfi had experienced when she encountered theGallizenaemermaids on theÎle de Sein, hersjóvættirspirit stirred in his otherworldly presence.
Overcome with exuberant joy, she wanted to fling her arms around his corded neck and kiss his luminescent cheek. Unsure of how he would respond to such an amiable attack, she restrained herself and gripped his enormous hands instead. “I can shift into a mermaid!” She nearly squealed with enthusiastic delight. “And hurl giant waves to sink enemy ships.” Her breath came in ragged gasps. “I can call forth the sea dragonMélusineswithle Chant des Sirènes. Or summon my grandmother, the Sea Goddess Rán!”
Lugh raised her trembling hands to his smooth lips, his searing kiss spreading warmth like sunlight up her quivering limbs. “You exude magic from your very essence, Elfi. I sensed it the moment I entered the cave.”
“TheGallizenaeawakened it. They took me—as a mermaid-- into the sea of a secluded cove. A tremendous wave washed over me, like the surfthat crashes against the white chalk cliffs. From that moment on,sjóvættirmagic thrummed in my veins.” Elfi touched the glittering gems at the base of her throat. “I learned this necklace once belonged to Rán. She had given it to her lover, a Persian king, so that he could present it to his daughter. When the king and princess both died of a plague, the necklace ended up in a Byzantine market, where Njörd purchased it for me. He said he knew immediately that it was meant for his mate.The siren with the sea goddess eyes. And here I am—a shapeshiftingmermaid, with my mother’ssjóvættireyes. The Norns have woven the threads of fate to join my future with Njörd’s. He and I both inherited the shapeshifting magic of our parents, which we will wield together in Ísland.”
Lugh released Elfi’s hands and eyed theÚlfbladdagger strapped across her hips. “You will also wield that wolf bone blade. To kill the troll I saw in my Elven Mirror.”
Dread shuddered through Elfi’s shaking body. She wondered if the troll would follow them to Ísland. Or attack her in Étretat. Perhaps the Count of Soissons had ordered the troll to abduct her, since his capture of herfaðirhad failed.Thank the gods—and Úlvhild—I have my trollkors talisman…
Lugh’s mellifluous voice interrupted Elfi’s disquieting thoughts. “Come, let’s return to the castle. Oda and Njörd have planned an elaborate feast to welcome you home.” He offered Elfi the crook of his elbow, and she linked her arm through his. She couldn’t wait to be alone with Njörd. To hug heramma,Sif, Vilde, and Úlvhild. She was anxious to tell them about theGallizenae.And how she now wielded the power of the sea.
****
Fragrantéglantineroses, dried lavender, and mauve blossoms of wild thyme were tucked into deep green ivy garlands woven with pine-scented juniper branches and dark purple berries. Secured to hooks in the wooden beams and rafters of the expansive Great Hall, the festive floral decorations draped the stone walls and windows ofle Château Blanc. A blazing fire flickered in the massive stone hearth, and sweet-smelling rushes with rosemary, mint, and sage covered the bare earthen floor.Dark green linen covered the trestle tables where sumptuous platters of roast pheasant, stuffed with mushrooms and fresh herbs, complimented vegetable pies filled with leeks, onions, and garlic, topped with flaky crusts and melted Norman cheese.
Elfi savored the rich sauce of the roasted fowl, the delightful flavors of garlic, rosemary, and thyme lingering on her appreciative tongue. She sampled the sweet, crisp cider made from ripe apples of the recent fall harvest, swallowing a spoonful of frumenty pottage composed of barley and salted pork, sweetened with honey. While castle attendants served the dessert course—wild plumtartes aux mirabelles,hazelnut pastries topped with cinnamon, and pears poached in white wine, ginger, and cloves—Elfi shared her fascinating voyage to theÎle de Sein.
She told them how she could shift into a mermaid with shimmery scales and green hair who could breathe underwater. How she’d learned to hurl giant waves to sink enemy ships and had summoned the sea dragonMélusineswithle Chant des Sirènes. Elfi shared how the necklace which Njörd had bought for her as a bridal gift had once belonged to the Sea Goddess Rán, the immortal grandmother she’d met in an astonishing underwater cave whose granite walls were embedded with crystalline quartz and shiny ribbons of silver. She explained how Rán had enchanted the gems in her necklace, so Elfi could summon the wrath of the goddess with thesjósongrsong of the sea.
A while later, as Oda chatted with Úlvhild, and guests in the Great Hall finished the sumptuous feast, servants cleared the tables, and musicians began playing lively notes on lyres, lutes, vielles, and flutes. Elfi seized the chance to speak privately to Njörd. “We must leave for Ísland before my fatherreturns.”
He spluttered his mead and spun toward her in astonishment. “Why? I thought you wanted to be here to welcome him home. And have the burial tribute for Dag.”
Elfi’s heart hammered in her chest. “Myfaðiris against women warriors. He forbade me from training with a sword. If he discovers that IhaveLjósálfarweapons and that I inherited my mother’ssjóvættirmagic—something she always kept hidden from him—he might very well lock me in the tower again. Like he did the last time the Count of Soissons attacked.”
“He’ll be furious if he comes home toChâteau Blanc,only to find you gone. He might forbid our marriage when we return from Ísland. Perhaps even marry you to a Norman noble as punishment for betraying him.” Anguish blazed like blue fire in Njörd’s desperate gaze.
“Not if you and I are already married.” Elfi flashed him a sly, seductive grin. “TheGallizenaeforesaw that you and I must have aLjósálfarwedding in Ísland.”
Njörd stared at her, mouth agape, with a blend of utter disbelief and unabashed delight.
“We’ll have Oda and Bjarke tell him that we needed to set sail right away, before the seas became too icy for travel. That you had to claim your father’s sword in order to fulfill the prophecy. And that Úlvhild foresaw another Frankish attack by the Count of Soissons—to force a marriage with me.” She brushed a dark brown lock away from Njörd’s beloved, bearded face. “ButAmmawill also explain to him how Úlvhild’s vision revealed that if you and I were already married, we could foil the Count of Soissons and save Étretat. So that’s why I went to Ísland with you.” Elfi leaned forward and kissed his soft, irresistible lips. “We’ll bring a pagangoðiwith us, so ourLjósálfarwedding will also be a Viking ceremony, blessed by the Nordic gods.” Spirit soaring, she whispered with breathless excitement. “In Ísland, I’ll wield the white wolf weapons. Mysjósongrmagic. And my sword,Shadowbane.And when I return to Normandy as your wife,I’ll no longer be my father’s property, something to lock in a tower. I’ll be free to fight at your side to defendÉtretat.As Shieldmaiden ofChâteau Blanc.”
Njörd beamed at her, pride aglow in his pensive gaze. He took a long pull of mead, staring at the jubilant crowd dancing in the Great Hall. After a few moments of silent contemplation, he drained his goblet and nodded, as if he’d arrived at a conclusion. “We’ll take a trio of ships—Drakkúlfr, Hrafnvarg, and Sköllrökr. I’ll have each crew load the cargo, check the hulls and riggings. TheÚlfhéðnarwill sail with us. We’ll depart for Ísland in three days.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. “You’ll meet Íssla, myLjósálfarmother. I’ll reclaim my father’s sword and fulfill the prophecy. We’ll have a beautifulLjósálfarwedding. And—gods willing—return to Étretat to welcome your father, honor your brother, and celebrate our marriage during the Nordic Yule.”
Heart soaring, hand clutched in Njörd’s, Elfi beamed as she scanned the festive Great Hall, absorbing the revelry to welcome her home. When her gaze rested on Bodo dancing with Sif, she remarked again how his limp was totally gone, his maimed foot no longer hindering him in the least. As she swayed to the music, blissfully content to be back home and reunited with Njörd, she was delighted to see Bjarke dancing with the pretty daughter of a widow who had lost her husband in the recent attack on Étretat. Perhaps he, like many of Njörd’s Danish warriors from Ribe, would soon marry in a mass Viking wedding on Frigg’s Day.
Oda, escorted by Vilde as she headed to bed, came over to say goodnight. “I am glad you are safely home,elska.” She brushed soft lips against Elfi’s cheek and smiled at Njörd, who had risen to his feet to greet Oda and kiss her gnarled hand. “Tomorrow, we’ll prepare to welcome Skårde, Ylva, and their daughter, Vivi, who should arrive in the next day or two. Perhaps with their son Skjöld and thevitki, Haldor Falk..” She grinned at Úlvhild, seated at Elfi’s side. “I know someone who would be overjoyed to see theFalcon of the Faroe Islands.”
Thevölva—without the ominous blue woad paint and black runes streaked across her striking face—actually blushed as she stifled a laugh and concealed a smile.
“Goodnight,Amma.” Elfi stood, kissed Oda’s crinkled cheek, and hugged her tight. “See you in the morning.” She sat back down beside Njörd, watching Vilde guide her aging grandmother across the rush-strewn floor of the Great Hall and out into the vestibule which led to the stairwelland the bedchambers on the second floor.
“I’m going home now, too.” Úlvhild rose from the table. “Don’t get up,” she said, placing a hand on Elfi’s shoulder. “I’ll join the others who are headed back to the village.” With a jut of her chin, she indicated the procession of celebrants preparing to depart with an escort of castle knights. “Tomorrow, come to my cottage afterdagmáland I shall cast the runes. And seek aseidrvision for the upcoming voyage to Ísland.” Her golden eyes glowed in the flickering flames of the tapered beeswax candles centered upon the trestle table.
“And I shall tell you more about theGallizenae. And their vision of the prophecy.” Elfi embraced Úlvhild as thevölvabent to say goodbye and joined the group gathering near the exit. When they left the Great Hall, Elfi asked Njörd if he wanted to go thevölva’shut with her tomorrow.
“Nei, I’ll need to help prepare our ships for the voyage, since we are leaving so soon. You go to visit Úlvhild—with an escort of armed castle guards.” He kissed her hand and rose to his feet, as if to lead her toward the dance floor, just as Sif and Bodo rushed up to join them.
“It’s so good to have you home, Elfi.” Sif gave her an affectionate hug.
