They reached the abandoned church at Nevyth where they would turn westwards away from the water’s edge and cross the peninsula through a pass that cut through the hills running down its length. As they approached the settlement at Kirkjaster, they would be able to see down the firth of the great river Clut to the islands lying in its waters. The waters stretching north from Kirkjaster were known as theSkipasfjorddrin his own tongue, or Loch Long here — both meant ship loch. North of the shielinglands lay Tairmbert, a village sitting on an isthmus, where those ships could portage into the freshwater loch upon which Car Cadell stood. With friends to the north and his new father-in-law owning all the land to the east, he felt confident he could keep his people safe here for now.
As they crossed the open fields by the shore, he noticed Aoife looking around. Was she expecting an attack? Had this whole thing been a ruse? Did her father plan to rescue her at the water’s edge? After all, his lands lay only a short distance across the sea-loch at this point.
“What is it you seek?”
She jumped when he spoke, a guilty expression on her face. “Nothing… my lord.” Her eyes moved rapidly. She was lying.
He gripped her wrist tightly and wouldn’t let her pull away from him. He scanned their surroundings and could see nothing out of place, nothing to draw his suspicions. Maybe she didn’t know when help would arrive. Maybe she was waiting for a sign. Maybe…
“Tormod,” he said, letting go. “My wife is allowed to call me by my given name.”
A small, dark shape flew overhead and landed on the back of the cart. Tormod turned to stare at it, then faced forward again. He sensed Aoife was stopping herself from looking. Was it just the bird she had been watching?
“It’s just a raven,” he said.
Her eyes met his and widened. “I know.” She twisted around, then watched as it flew away again before landing in a tree a distance in front of them.
“Is that what you were watching?”
Her eyes widened as she nodded. “Yes, the ravens. Both of them. I have seen them many times since…” She didn’t finish the sentence and he assumed she had perhaps seen many ravens on her journey from the abbey. Perhaps this was a good omen.
“When we are at sea, we use ravens to tell us if we are far from shore,” he said. A second raven flew overhead, then landed near the first. “And Lord Odin is said to travel with two ravens.”
“Odin is the leader of your gods?” she asked.
He wondered who had been teaching her about Norse beliefs. “The most important of our gods,” Tormod said after some thought. “He often travels the earth as an old man with only one eye, accompanied by his two ravens, Huginn and Muninn.”
“An old man with one eye?” She frowned in confusion when he agreed. There was a long pause before she continued, “With ravens?”
“The ravens fly all around the whole world, every day, then return and whisper in their master’s ear everything they have seen. Odin seeks knowledge, and knowledge is power. He sacrificed one of his human eyes for the gift of knowledge. Some even say he can change the path of destiny.”
“And can he?” She stared at him.
Tormod laughed. He had seen the priests of her religion praying to their god for things to change. He’d never seen it work. The holy men and women seemed to believe they were invulnerable, that their god, rather than strong weapons, would save them, and so they knelt and prayed—and more often than not, they died. His own gods took a more active role — as did his men.
“It is not enough to simply wish for things to change or even to pray for them. Our destinies are already carved in the Well of Urd. Odin learned to read runes,” he explained. “And when he could read the runes, he could read from Yggdrasil, the tree of life, to find out what destiny awaited. Then he was able to change destiny, although…”
“What?”
“Seidr—using the runes to change destinies—is a pastime usually for women. It is an odd choice for a man, even a powerful god. Seeing the future is not always something to be wished for.”
Her curious expression turned to one of fear.
Chapter Six
Aoife could not getthe image of the one-eyed old man she had seen as she travelled home from Alt Clut out of her head. It couldn’t have been Odin, and yet the thought would not leave her. There was also Tormod’s comment about seeing the future to ponder. Her visions did not always show the future. Sometimes they showed the immediate past, at others the present in another place. Rarely did she see anything in time for any changes to be made. But at least he did not sound horrified by the prospect. Was there a chance then he would not regard her as being cursed? She daren’t ask, at least not yet.
“You have people amongst you who can see the future?” she asked, trying to keep her tone light.
“Those who claim to at any rate,” Tormod replied. “I always consult a seer if I can before I make a decision or leave on a raid. There was to be one in the village. Sadly, she did not survive the journey here. That was not something she foretold, of course.” He laughed.
“Oh.” Aoife swallowed. Would a seer know the truth about her? Would a seer know she was cursed and her family had sent her away because of this? She was relieved she would not have to deal with the prospect immediately. Although… If they truly were gifted, then proximity was not a prerequisite for knowledge, as she well knew.
She shifted her attention back to Tormod as he reached out and touched her white veil. “Why were you at the abbey? What made your mother and father send you there? Were you there to pray for a different future? Your family has had problems these last two years.”
Aoife said nothing. Should she trust him with the truth? Would her curse make him hate her or afraid of her? Not that she thought this man was afraid of very much. Perhaps she should tell Tormod now and throw herself on his mercy. But what could she say to him? Had the old man she’d seen been Odin? She shook her head. Those gods were not real. The church teachings were clear.
“Why were you at the abbey?” he asked again.
