The jarl held up his hand to silence whatever retort she planned to spit out. “Stay your tongue, Randi.”
The witch gave him a side-eye glare, but listened to her chief.
“Bjørn, how do you plead on these accusations?” Rune asked.
“Innocent,” Bjørn said without hesitation. “As does my family. We are wholly loyal to you, Jarl. Never once have I had thoughts to conspire against or held conversation, even in jest, of such treason with my family or anyone else.”
My body hummed with the energy from his conviction. The scales of justice leaned, and I knew whose favor it was in.
“Nor would I ever believe you ever could,” the jarl said, his voice warm. It was clear the two held each other in high regard outside of the jarl’s status. Perhaps they were even friends. “However, I must wait for Týr’s judgement, as he has offered his services for such a matter.”
All eyes fell on me, but the weight of Astrid’s felt heavier than any other. Her soul-piercing eyes stared through the armor I wore, as if peering at my core where I held my most closely guarded secrets.
“These accusations are unjust.” My voice echoed through the waiting crowd. “And the means by which they were accused are suspect and cowardly.”
Murmurs rose through the crowd. A smug smile graced Randi’s lips; Astrid’s relieved breath enveloped all my senses. I strove to make the right calls—not based on my own personal feelings, but on how the scale tipped. If the scale hadn’t tipped in her favor, I wouldn’t have hesitated to state as much in my verdict. But hearing how my decision had impacted her positively, a sensation I didn’t have the words for sparked through my body.
Arne gaped, and then his face reddened with newfound fury. He turned on Bjørn. “You bewitched the gods with foul magic!”
My brow rose. Even if that was possible, this man couldn’t honestly believe his own words. He had to be desperate, for whatever reason he had for this whole farce.
“Arne, please be reasonable,” Bjørn said. “We have known each other since we were boys. I can be willing to overlook this slight to me and my family, and only require minor compensation, if you would—”
The crazed man wouldn’t hear it. “You will suffer for your transgressions at the hand of my blade!”
“Father, stop this madness!” a warrior who had returned from the battle shouted. He was around Astrid’s age, by the looks of it.
Still, the pleas fell on deaf ears. Arne brandished his axe at an unarmed Bjørn. My own axe appeared in my hand out of nothing, but before I could flex a muscle to strike, Astrid shrieked. And then things happened around me so quickly that if I weren’t a god, I’d have missed most of it.
Randi flung up her arms, and the unmistakable taste of magic coated my tongue as it wrapped around me in a protective shield. Then, a concussive force blasted through the town. Anything not protected by the witch’s magic—fences, buckets, loose boards meant for building—was sent scattering.
Arne flew back several favmner and crashed to the ground with a sickening thud. His body rolled with the momentum and then stilled.
I snapped my gaze to where that blast had originated from. Astrid stood rigid, her breath coming out in heavy gasps. Then she listed to one side, her eyes glassy.
Her brother reacted with lightning reflexes and caught her before she fell. “Astrid…”
“I’m fine, Leif,” she mumbled. “I’m fine.”
She clearly was not. And nor was I. Not only was Randi a true witch, but Astrid, the woman who called me here, was too.
I took a moment to glance at Bjørn and then Randi. Both radiated pride in their daughter.
Rune grunted. “Seems Astrid has come into her abilities, just as you predicted, Randi.”
The witch clacked her tongue. “Have my predictions been wrong yet?”
The jarl’s lips spread into a thin line. “No. That would make three since last winter.”
“The fourth will happen soon.” Randi’s eyes flicked to me for the briefest of moments, before focusing back on her children.
What was that look for?
“Leif, take Astrid home,” Randi ordered. “She used all her magic in one release. She needs to recuperate.”
Her son nodded and repositioned his grip on Astrid, but she fought him. “Astrid, please don’t be stubborn.”
She shook her head. “I’m not leaving until this is over.”
