“I’m sorry. I’m just fascinated, shocked. I… I thought I had received Volva training. I had no idea Volvas held such power.”
“Few Volvas do, not many at all. Most claim to see the future or whatever.”
“Do they?”
She grins.
“Some can, surely. If only glimpses.”
“Can you?”
She raises her eyebrow at me, like I’m a foolish child asking a parent a way too intimate question. I don’t care, I need to learn, so I continue asking.
“You can control temperature, what more can you do?”
“Let’s say I can Thrust, like Odin. Or I can be Cloaked, like Loki. As a Volva, you will learn not to divulge all your secrets at the first opportunity. Kind of like lifting your skirts the first time you are alone with a man. It’s better to know him a little first.”
I laugh.
“I’m surprised you don’t tell me to sleep with every man I see.”
She laughs with me.
“Oh, I enjoy sex, as you know, but it has to be… good. And not just pleasurable, but also… good. You will see. Elof and I are very close.”
“I can tell. How did you meet him?”
Her eyes burn into mine, suddenly serious.
“That is a story for another time. Now enough with your questions.”
She stands, grabbing two wooden cups from her table. My pulse is racing. So much to take in. Magic is real. Not just some invisible wisdom, but a real physical thing. I’ve never felt so ignorant. I have never felt so informed. How lucky I am to end up here with Ylvin. After everything. The world isn’t fair, but thepath we tread has many twists and turns. Could it be? That I was meant to be enslaved? To meet Ylvin? To learn the secrets of Seidr?
“I see you thinking, girl. I’m sure it’s not easy.”
“It’s… it’s… like my brain is melting.” I laugh and grin at her.
“You have lost your virginity now,” she says as she hands me a cup. “For the second time.”
I throw my head back in laughter, like Ylvin might. It’s just us. The valley would judge me. Ylvin? Never. She will never judge me. We are Volvas. We are women.
“Thank you,” I say, smelling the liquid she has offered. It’s a pungent smell—heavy. Not a light flower tea like the one yesterday.
“Just swallow it. Don’t taste it,” says Ylvin.
“Why? I just want to?—”
“Shut the fuck up, girl, drink it.”
My entire body feels lifted. My core is vibrating. Ylvin has initiated me. Blessed am I to learn the secrets of the feminine. The secrets of nature. This is but the first step on my journey.
I toss my head back and swallow the liquid in one big gulp, choking on the bitter taste. Ylvin does the same. I’ve never tasted anything like it. My tongue instantly starts tingling.
“What’s this?” I ask, smelling the cup.
“Just give me a second of silence, child, let my head rest.” She lies down, closing her eyes.
I do the same. Seconds pass in silence. With my eyes closed, the darkness shifts. Lights fly about like sparks. I’m spinning.
