LOGINIslaI don’t know how long I’ve been in the root cellar, but I’m sure that the sun is skimming the far horizon. My leg is aching like it does in the coolness of the evenings. A chill has settled in the root cellar and my body shivers to ward off the cold.There is no light here, no way to know what is going on. Reaching out through the dark, I try to call to either of the dragons. Our connection is faint, almost like it has been broken and now only a thread remains.Aegir had brought me a dress shortly after I was locked in here. It is not warm; the chill is slowly seeping into my bones. But the new dress and small blanket are keeping my teeth from chattering. For how long, I don’t know. Small shivers are running through my body and my leg begins to ache more.Metal scrapes against metal as the door leading down to the cellar is unlocked. Light streams through the door, blinding me as Aegir appears with a skein of water, a bowl of stew, and a blanket. I want all three. I will take non
BjornTappen’s blue dragon lands in front of Magnus and me. I’m already upset and now one of my men is disobeying me. He was supposed to stay in Drekiby and keep Isla safe. Instead, he is here, running towards us without a single stitch of clothing on him. If I wasn’t mad at him being here, I would be amused at the situation.“My lords! You must come home. Isla is in trouble. Dagmara plans to kill her at sunrise.”A loud angry roar fills the air. I’m shocked to realize that it’s my dragon making the noise. Beside me, Magnus joins with the same angry cry. I don’t even strip out of my clothes; I just let them shred as I shift and launch into the air.“Pack up the camp and leave with the morning tide,” Magnus commands the warriors that came with us. “Once you’re out to sea, away from the shore, push the boats.”My beast chuffs in appreciation as we move further away from the camp. I’m thankful that he had the presence of mind to stay and command the warriors. The thought of losing Isla i
IslaSomething is wrong.I can’t explain it or even tell anyone why I think that something is wrong. I just know. It is kind of like the same way that you know when it is going to rain. The air feels different. But you can’t really explain how.The dragons usually come to me a few times during the day. Of course, I never see them. I just sense them, sometimes I can hear them. This is something that seems odd, because I have never heard of dragons communicating with people. Not even their own shifters.Yet ever since I started calling them Ragnvaldr and Guðmundur, they have slowly started talking to me. It was not as if they had to learn the language. They speak quite well.When they first started speaking with me, they were not certain that they should. Ragnvaldr even said as much. Guðmundur told him that he was wrong. They needed to speak with me.A tension has been building between them over the last few nights. I feel it even with the men. There is something that cannot reach an ag
MagnusOur camp stretches along a low bluff overlooking the sea with our dragon longships resting in a sheltered inlet with white cliffs to the North. Our ships have been pulled high above the tide line; the high tide stretches in to touch them but cannot. The tall square sails, striped with a faded red and cream with the thunder’s black mark on them, are furled tightly against sturdy masts.Instead of the towering mountains and fjords of home, the landscape is distinctly southern. I can’t complain about the sheep roaming the green hills. My dragon has feasted on them for the last few days. I would willingly give them up if we could head home.Wild grasses and purple heather grow along the dunes between our camp and the beach. Looking at them, I wonder if we should take some back for Isla. Would she like them? Can she do anything with them? Do they have any type of healing properties?Strong oak and ash grow on the backside of the camp providing shelter and protection. I’ve already g
IslaThe men have now been gone for a full cycle of the moon. The dragons come to me every night and take me to my men on that other plane. Between them, I find pleasure that I never knew could be experienced. The last few nights, they have taken turns with me before taking me together.It’s getting harder to keep my face hidden from them. Especially Magnus. Last night, he begged me for a kiss. Gods do I want to give him what he asked for. But I know I can’t.Both men have traced my mark, so I know that they have seen it. If they figure out that I’m the one with the mark, I’m afraid of what will happen to them. Everyone that I have ever cared about and knows about the mark has died. Or have been taken away from me.As I wash and pull on my new blue dress, I notice the bruises on my hip. Last night, Bjorn lost himself as he took me from behind. He was chanting something as he gripped my hips. It was the first time that he had really and truly let himself go.I wrap my thigh because whe
MagnusAfter the morning meal, the attendant, Thessalonica, I think, takes us out to the paddock where the sheep are. We work on the fence until the sun is high in the sky. The attendant returns with skeins of water twice before we are finished making the repairs.Carrying our shirts and the tools that Agnetha and her attendant provided, we head back towards the small cottage. Before leaving the water with us the last time, Thessalonica told us that a midday meal would be ready when we were done. We are all hungry and hoping that it is hearty.“When I said that I needed to come with you,” Sven says, “I was hoping for answers. Not to provide free labor.”“Not exactly how we intended for this to go either.”I scoff at Bjorn’s tone. Nothing about this trip has gone according to our plan or expectations. We intended to come, find the old priestess, get answers, and return to our warriors for some raiding and trading.Yet here we are. Mending fencing and paddocks for an old woman and her y
BjornWe returned to the temple hall the morning after the second night. The seer and priestess sit in almost the exact same places. Once again, the seer is tending the fire and the priestess…. It looks like she’s making a pair of socks but that is a very un-priestess-like thing to do.Magnus and I
Priestess HanneI have watched the two young males for the last two nights and days. They work well together. Share the responsibilities of their Thunder. Even watching them with the young boy, Lars, they are leaders. Protectors.The two men move in tandem, and I doubt that they even realize that t
BjornServants from the Temple are sent over to dress me for my wedding. The young women wear the simple corset and skirts that are standard in the southern temples. Golden chains on their ankles show their virtue. Marks on their arms and backs indicate that they belong to the temple.None of them
IslaThe sun has started its trek into the sky and the farm is awake, getting ready for the day. Vola told me of a healing spring and took me to the clearing where it is. She stripped off her clothes and slipped into the water.I see the mark on her arm, and I can’t stop myself from staring at it.







