Immediately, he moved his hand and grew quiet. The flood of embarrassment pooled inside her, and she wished she had not reacted thusly.
“I am sorry,” she said. “You startled me when you touched my shoulder.”
When he made no reply, she wondered if he had gone. She waited a moment and finally opened her eyes, turning back to look at him. When she did, his face held the iron cast of anger.
“Tell me what he did to you, Katarina.”
Night descended, and Eric trudged toward the shoreline. An amber moon rose above the horizon, no longer tinted red. It reflected upon waves of gold, and the wind slid over him like an invisible caress.
Katarina had refused to tell him anything, but her reaction spoke of a woman who had been attacked. It explained many things—her uneasiness around him and the way her hand went to her blade any time she was caught unaware.
Somethinghad happened to her. And though it was none of his affair, he was certain that her marriage to Leif was a direct response to it. But though he’d questioned whether the Viking had harmed her, Katarina had vehemently denied it.
Eric had stopped pressuring Katarina for answers and had brought her home again. Although he was meant to return to his father’s house, he’d remembered the oldvolva’sbidding. Because of it, he had come to the shoreline for the answers he sought.
Though she was likely a superstitious woman who knew nothing, he was more and more convinced that he had switched places in time with someone else. It was not simply a reweaving of the years—he’d stolen another man’s life. The silver coin was ancient, with a hammered image upon it. He believed he’d seen samples such as this in the British Museum. Yet, this coin hardly seemed old at all. It was physical evidence that he was no longer in the nineteenth century.
That, coupled with the priest’s claim that it was the ninth century, made it all the more plausible that he had traveled through time.
The old crone was standing near the water’s edge, her hands outstretched. Her hair had fallen back, and the golden moonlight gleamed on her face. For a moment, he was leery of approaching. Yet, thevolvahad vowed that she would tell him what he wanted to know.
She might tell you nothing but lies.
That was true enough. And yet, she had spoken English to him, when no one else could. When he looked into her milky gray eyes, he’d sensed that she understood what had happened. At this moment, he was willing to listen to anyone. The idea of being trapped in Viking-era Norway was a prison he had no desire to embrace.
With reluctance, he walked over the rocky ground until he stood just behind the old woman. “You have journeyed far,” she said quietly, in the Old Norse language. “Across a thousand years.”
He gave her no indication that she was right, but simply looked into her eyes. She was well aware of the truth she spoke.
“The moon will pass through its phases once, and that is all the time you have remaining. Use it well.”
Her prediction unnerved him. One month of life—was that all he had? A chill crept over his skin, the hair rising up. He didn’t want to believe it—and yet, she had known that he was not from this time period.
Or was she speaking of one month in purgatory? Was this a test before he would pass on to eternal life?
“Am I already dead?” he asked.
“Not yet. You wanted more time, and this, you were given. But it will not last.”
He didn’t understand what she meant. The time he’d wanted was a second chance to return home, to apologize to his father for the grief he had caused. And though he would never become the Duke of Somerford, neither did he want to die before seeing his father again.
Eric took a step closer and regarded the old woman. “Do you know why was I brought to this place?”
Thevolva’sface turned solemn. “To change what was never meant to be. And to bring back what was lost.”
The words meant nothing at all to him. But when he questioned her further, she merely said, “You will never set foot upon East Anglia again during this lifetime. Abandon your quest to sail away, and see the truth before you die.” With that, she began walking back to the settlement.
“Wait,” he called out. “How did you know English?” The language did not exist in ninth century Norway—or in any part of the world. Was it possible that thevolvahad traveled through time as well?
But she did not turn back, nor did she give him the answers he wanted. Cursing to himself, Eric picked up a stone and hurled it into the sea. He barely heard the slosh of water amid the waves washing over the shore.
His thoughts were in turmoil, and right now, exhaustion was roaring through him. He wanted a warm hearth and a place to sleep where there would be no questions.
He gazed up at the moon, knowing exactly where he would go.
