I shrugged, allowing her to push me toward the rear wall. Beneath the rug was a trap door, and as Ylva opened it, night air rushed into the room. “Stay in the hole,” she said. “Do not wander.”
I could easily have turned my back and covered my ears, but offered no argument, only dropped into the opening. Almost immediately, I heard the sounds of kissing, and though I was no prude, I had no desire to hear more.
Removing the pieces of wood concealing the escape tunnel, I climbed outside. It was a dark night, the moon and the stars obscured by heavy clouds that smelled of more snow, and I leaned against the great hall as I tightened my cloak against the chill.
Laughs and shouts echoed through Halsar, and I kept to the shadows as several men staggered into the village, arms clasped around shoulders as they sang. From inside, drummers had struck up and there’d be dancing and merriment until dawn. On any other day, I’d be in the thick of it, laughing and singing and drinking until I was sick. But all I wanted to do now was cling to the cold shadows, my heart devoid of cheer.
Born-in-Fire.
I frowned, reexamining my poor humor. On the surface, it felt as though I’d made many concessions, but was that truly the case? Though we’d only just met, I’d spent my life sworn to Snorri as the jarl of these lands. The only thing that had changed was that now magic bound me to the oaths I’d inherited from my father. There was little point in dwelling, for the deal was done. Better to dedicate my mind to understanding how I was expected to achieve the results the gods foresaw for me.
How better to learn that than from the individual who had seen my future.
Lifting my head, I scanned the darkness. What were the chances that Snorri didn’t keep the individual who’d spoken his precious prophecy close? I hadn’t seen Odin’s mark, which I knew was a raven, on anyone at the feast, but that didn’t mean the seer wasn’t somewhere in the village. And this might be my only chance to speak with them without someone looming over my shoulder.
Praying that Snorri would take his time with Ylva, I stepped away from the hall. I kept my head low as I strode down the narrow path between buildings. Mud squished beneath my shoes, my nose filling with the smell of dung and fish and woodsmoke, the homes quiet, for nearly everyone was at the great hall celebrating. From time to time, I passed men standing next to small fires, ostensibly on watch duty, but none paid me any mind.
The faint breeze sent wooden wind chimes swaying, the soft clicks welcome after the noise in the hall, and I walked past building after building, searching for the symbols that would mark one as a seer’s abode. I found nothing, eventually reaching the docks stretching out into the black fjord. Walking to the end of them, I paused to take several deep breaths.
I’d never spoken to a seer before. They were either in the service of a jarl or too expensive for any but the most desperate and wealthy to consult, and my mother always said knowing the future was a curse because, good or bad, you couldn’t change it.
Except that I could. The one drop of blood Hlin had gifted me gave me the power to change my fate.
Though how I’d know whether I was succeeding in changing it was a mystery to me.
Without a clear picture of the future, every action that I took might be already woven by the Norns.
Thinking about it made my head hurt. All I wanted was to stand on the docks with the cold air filling my lungs until my mind cleared. Except Snorri and Ylva might have already noticed my absence, and I’d probably pushed them far enough tonight.
One more moment, I told myself. A dozen more breaths.
Then my skin prickled.
Cursing myself for wandering off without even a knife, I spun on my heel, my heart leaping into a gallop at the sight of a shadowy figure a few paces behind me. My lips parted, a scream for help rising, and then I recognized the height and breadth. “Bjorn? What are you doing here?”
“I might ask you the same thing.” His voice was strange and clipped, and unease filled my chest as I grappled for a lie.
“Ylva was upset. Snorri wished time to make things up to her.”
Bjorn gave a soft snort. “Twice in one night. Didn’t think the old bastard had it in him.”
“What are you doing out here?” I repeated the question, mostly because I wasn’t certain whether I should be worried that he caught me wandering alone.
“Wasn’t in the mood to celebrate.”
He took a step forward and I instinctively took a step back, my heel finding the edge of the dock. “Neither am I.” Hesitating, I added, “This wasn’t where I expected to find myself. Nor the path I’d have chosen, but unfated as everyone says that I am, I still find myself trapped.”