Page 21 of Song and Sword
“Come around the hearth, and sit down,” Ignetha ordered them briskly. “Ulf, get the bowls and spoons. Breca, make sure everyone has something to drink. Thorulf, you’d better get the dogs settled back down, or they’ll be barking all night.”
Ignetha, a beautiful woman who had aged gracefully, was a serene center in a storm of activity. Finally, everyone was settled, each with a bowl of warm stew and a cup of ale. For a few moments, there was nothing but the sound of hungry people enjoying food.
“So,” said Thorulf finally, “hail, and well met. To what do we owe this delightful surprise?”
Gunnar nodded at Hakon, directing the attention of the room towards his brother. Hakon set down his bowl.
“We follow the fate that Freyja has laid out for us,” said Hakon. “It began with a vision in a dream. Sif?”
Sif took up the tale, telling the assembled people of her dream and her subsequent conversation with Baedi.
“So,” said Ignetha, “you mean to travel on to the Ironwood?”
“That’s the plan,” replied Sif. “So much of this threat is hidden in shadow; we need to discover the nature of what comes. My Elder Sisters see farther than most.”
“Some signs are there for all to see,” observed Thorulf in a low tone.
Hakon frowned. “Go on,” he said.
“This damnable weather, for one,” replied Thorulf. “Grey skies, all day and all night, for a fortnight or more. The more superstitious are already beginning to talk of Ragnarok. They say a great wolf has swallowed the sun.”
“It’s nonsense, Father! It’s just clouds,” protested Ulf.
“So would I say,” agreed Thorulf, “but now there are reports of an orange glow to the north, that can be seen in the night. For myself, I do not think this means the twilight of the gods, but I do wonder what is going on in the North.”
“You know,” said Breca suddenly, “when a barn burns, the rats flee. I wonder what kind of barn might be burning in the North, and what kind of rats are fleeing.”
There was silence as everyone contemplated this thought.
“Whatever this may mean, there is nothing that will trouble us tonight within these walls,” said Ignetha firmly, gathering the empty bowls. “I’m sure it’s been a long day for everyone, and that things will look better in the morning.”
“Yes, Mother,” said Gunnar with a grin, receiving an affectionate clout on the head from his foster mother in response. Before long, everyone had settled down to sleep, the sheer amount of warm bodies driving away the unseasonable cold.
Chapter Five
Sif woke early the next morning, opening her eyes and listening to the snoring chorus of five different men; a far cry from the night-time sounds of the Ironwood hall.I’m never getting back to sleep.It was not just the “snorus,” as she thought of it. There was too much on her mind.
It had been days since she had conferred with the Elder Sisters. Who knew what had happened, what they might have discovered? Perhaps—an alarming thought—they had been trying to contact her but had been blocked somehow. She thought of Freyja, and the wolf outside her hall, penning her in. Sif needed to reach out.
She couldn’t do it here, as the “snorus” inhibited any kind of deeper concentration. The only option was to find a quiet place outdoors. Hakon’s injunction against leaving his side crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. She would be back before he knew it.
Carefully stepping over recumbent bodies, Sif made her way to the door, unlatched it, and walked outinto the fresh air. She took a deep breath. With so many people indoors, the atmosphere had been rather close.
Closing her eyes, Sif brought the song of peace and calmness to the surface of her mind. She repeated it under her breath until she had the proper rhythms then sang it softly as she walked past the dog pen. The animals watched Sif silently then their eyes grew heavy, and finally they fell back asleep.
Sif felt jubilant as she walked towards the nearby forest. Every time she tried a spellsong, she felt her powers and her confidence grow. After walking around for twenty minutes or so, Sif found a clearing suitable for her purposes. There was a fallen tree in the middle of the clearing, shorn of its branches. Sif sat down on it, gave a quick look around then closed her eyes and summoned the song of greeting.
The distance the song had to travel was much shorter this time. Before long, she felt another person pick up the thread and join her, and soon the face of Baedi appeared in her mind’s eye.
Sif, it’s you! Thank the Goddess!cried Baedi.
Sif felt a plunge of dread in her stomach.Of course it’s me!she said.Why? Has something happened?
There is much to tell you. We have tried to reach out to you, but it is as if the very air resists us. Some new power is growing.
Even I have felt it. Something is wrong,replied Sif.But I did not feel any difficulty in my sending to you—it happened in mere heartbeats. How can this be, when you cannot reach me at all?
You do not know your power, young Sister. Your sending was like a great hunting horn, blowing through the woods,said Baedi.
