“I swear. Ylvin, the Volva, told me to practice other types of enchantment.”
Eidunn’s body leans away from me. She grips her knife tightly, as if she’s ready to defend her life if necessary.
“What type?” she whispers.
“She mentioned Cloaking, like Loki, and Thrust, like Odin. I’ve been thinking about what experiences to anchor them to.”
I scratch my temple, looking up, raking my mind for ideas.
“And?” she asks, pouring water into the iron pot.
“I have an idea for Cloaking. Thrust will be harder.”
“What do you mean by cloaking?”
“Supposedly, it’s a concealment charm. Hiding, blending in. Invisibility, even.”
Eidunn laughs, smacking her hand on the table.
“That should be a breeze for you then, sneaking in the night!”
“Aw, come on, I?—”
“You’re my favorite thief,” she says, chopping cabbage.
“I had to steal so I could?—”
“Though that’s not hard, since you’re the only one I know.”
Her voice is chipper. Though I am slightly offended—stealing is not honorable—I understand that I should give Eidunn space to feel we are equals. Even if Sigurd has ordered her to obey me. I want her friendship. I want her loyal.
“Okay, fair enough,” I say, lifting my palms at her. “I’m a thieving scoundrel, a menace, a?—”
“Stop it, I’m just teasing. Do your magic, I’ll do mine. I also brought dried juniper berries.”
She resumes her cooking, turning her back to add rabbit meat and vegetables to the boiling water and stirring. She adds spices—salt, thyme, dried juniper berries. I’m grateful to have a friend like her. And a cook, if I’m honest.
Okay. Sharpen up. Or ease up, perhaps. Stop thinking. Mind of a Volva.
It’s time to practice. Find focus. Breach the veil. A bone left over from the rabbit will do the job. Rabbits are fast, elusive. Like me. Untouchable. Asbjorn captured me, true, but not in the act. His men were impressed by my stealth. I close my eyes, drifting back to that fateful night.
Everybody thought I was sleeping. My shadow on the wall. Masked. Unknown. I snuck along the wall. The door—a simple task. I enter their private space. They don’t even know. They sleep. I prowl. A predator.
A lynx.
The house is dark, best for me. The smell of boiled meat. I remember it, I’m hungry for more.
Waves of vibrations ripple through my body as I manifest my memories.
My feet test the floorboards. Avoid the creaking ones. Silence, my closest ally. The mist of night permits me. Through the fog, I see no lights.
I know what I am. Just a simple trickster. A thief. I belong in the night. The night belongs to me. The strings of fate brought me to my position.
My decisions.
“Uh… Kilda?” says Eidunn, jolting me from my trance. Like tossing a pebble into a serene pool. “You here?”
My eyes are opened. I turn to Eidunn with a raised eyebrow. I was entering the calm, centering my mind. I need tranquility to practice. Bad time to interrupt me.
