“That man is Loki’s spawn,” Freydis said. “I know that much. Very well. I will consult the runes, but first I must speak with her.”
“How do you know you will not feel ill again?” Saga asked.
“I know what to expect now. When I first felt her power, I fought against it. The next time, if she tries to see into my mind, I will let her. I may be able to better understand her as well.”
It all sounded too fantastical for Magnus. The thought of a person seeing into someone else’s mind was illogical and impossible. Yet Freydis was convinced it was possible and happening to the very woman who seemed to hold him hostage in every sense of the word. For he was convinced that he could not leave her side now even if he wanted to. Perhaps he was a part of whatever plan was in place for Elspeth. Perhaps their destinies were linked. What was he thinking? Did he really believe that was possible? Of course not. But what other explanation could there be?
“Did you say the lady smelled of cloves?” Freydis asked after a time.
“She does. It’s in her very essence I’m convinced. Is that important?”
“I use cloves and other herbs before I cast runes. Cloves help attract positive outcomes and encourage sight. If she smells like cloves, she must carry some with her.”
“She does wear a vial around her neck. Perhaps it is in there.”
“What sort of vial?” Freydis asked.
“I haven’t examined it closely. But noticed it when I was looking in that general area,” he said not exactly comfortable sharing that much information about his desires for Elspeth.
“General area,” Saga said. “You were staring at her breasts and happened to see a vial around her neck.” Saga crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. “You men are all alike when breasts enter the room.”
“I was not being disrespectful to her, if that is what you are implying. Regardless, she wears a vial around her neck and that may be the source of the aroma.”
“It could be,” Freydis said. “I will need to speak with her to find out if she performs any incantations.”
“Then let us return to her. I had a difficult time trying to get her to stay with Vigdis, so I believe she is just as anxious to speak with you.”
They left the chamber and walked down the hall to where he’d left Vigdis and Elspeth. He knocked on the door then entered. She was sitting up on the bed with her eyes wide and her skin pale. Perhaps this was a bad idea. He turned to prevent Freydis from entering the chamber, but before he could, she skirted around him and approached Elspeth. Her demeanour immediately changed. Her expression softened as she was fixated on every move Freydis made. When the latter sat beside her and clasped hands, both women gasped.
He may not know what Odin’s or anyone else’s plans were, but he was certain, something much larger than anyone in this chamber was in control here.
* * *
Elspeth closed her eyes hoping the spinning would stop. The hands that held hers were seared onto her skin as if they were bound there. When she opened her eyes again, she didn’t recognize her surroundings. The healer was beside her, but they stood in a dark forest with shafts of light coming through from above. Before them was a small wooden dwelling with no walls, just posts keeping the roof up. A solitary figure sat crossed legged on the floor watching them. When he opened his eyes, they glowed bright white.
A rush of fear coiled around her heart and she closed her eyes again just as she pulled her hands away from the healer. She sat back on the bed and wrapped her arms around her knees and gently rocked herself for comfort.
A firm hand touched her shoulder. She didn’t have to look to know it was Magnus. She placed her hand over his and squeezed, unable to find the words to thank him for being there.
“No more touching,” he said. “And maybe you can sit over there.”
Elspeth opened her eyes as Freydis left the bed and sat by the hearth. Vigdis had lit it a while ago and the warmth now generated around the chamber. For a moment all she could do was stare at the woman. She’d never experienced anything like this in her life and though she needed answers, the intensity of it all was quite overwhelming. Her mind was unable to process sharing thoughts with another person, despite witnessing it first-hand. The phenomenon was certainly nothing she would believe if someone else described it to her. But that shared experience was real. She didn’t have to ask the woman to know it was true. Now what did it mean?
“How do you feel?” Freydis asked her.
“Like I am in someone else’s body right now.”
“What happened?” Magnus asked.
“We were transported to another realm. I suspect it was Vanaheim.”
“But how is that possible?” Vigdis asked. “You were sitting right in front of us.”
“I do not know. And I did not recognize the being there.”
“That was not your god Odin?”
“No, it was not,” Freydis said, now wringing her hands. “That most certainly was not Odin. But why would you ask if it was he? What do you know of Odin?”
