Bride of the Sea (The Prophecy of Sisters #2) - Hayley Faiman Page 0,26
is she?” I demand.
Runa takes a step forward, her eyes meeting mine. She looks determined, she looks irritated and she also looks a bit, forlorn.
“She is real, Konungr,” she says firmly. “She is not of this world. There are others, I don’t know what they are, but spots in time, different worlds. The gods have brought her here, they have found their great warriors in all four corners of our earth. You have been chosen by the gods, Aaric.”
The way she says it, this all seems like something special. But all I can think about is the fact that I have been deceived.
“What happens now?”
Runa grins. “She holds magic, have you seen it, yet?”
My entire body jerks. “The sea,” I whisper.
“Oh, yes I did see that strange arrival you had. This prophecy will only come to light with the two of you together.”
Flicking my gaze over to the house, I grunt as I shift it back to the women. “What happens if I decide not to make her my dróttning?”
Neither of them speaks immediately. I wait for what feels like long minutes for them to say something. “We do not know,” the seeress finally announces. “The ramifications are uncertain.”
“It is best not to poke the beast, this is what you are not saying?” I ask.
Runa clears her throat before she inhales a deep breath and lets it out on a loud exhale. “Until we have more information, not just on her magic, but on this prophecy itself we cannot be certain. What we do know is that you must love one another and the sisters must be brought together for the prophecy to unfold completely.”
“If that never happens? If I never love her or find these sisters?”
“We don’t know, Aaric. It could mean devastation. It could mean nothing. Until we do some research, we will not know the depths of any of this.”
I need to think. “Keep an eye on her. Keep her safe. I’ll return for her later.”
Without another word, I turn my back to the women and I walk away. I need to talk to my men, to Gunnar. This information is too much for me to go over myself, I need their words of advice and wisdom.
Gunnar is not hard to find, he’s in the öl bær, a drink in hand. Luckily, Hagen, Kjeld, and Sten are sitting with him. Making my way toward them, I don’t bother sitting down.
“We need to talk now,” I demand.
They do not question me. Instead, they stand to their feet and follow behind me as I lead them out of the building. We cannot talk in my hall, or anywhere that we could be overheard. Jerking my chin toward the stables, I walk toward my steed.
“Our spot, yeah?” I ask.
They all grunt, grabbing their horses’ reins and mounting their beasts. Without another word, we head toward the woods. There is a small hunting cabin several miles out. It is mine, my family’s, and it is where I meet secretly with my most trusted men on any issues that I don’t want to be overheard.
Living in a large community, there is always someone around. There is always an opportunity to be overheard. As the king of several islands, I need to strategize and cannot guess as to who is a spy and who is not. This is the only way I can talk freely.
The cabin appears after only an hour’s ride. Dismounting from my beast, I tie Viggo up to a tree next to the river so that he can drink and rest before we return. The other men do the same and together we make our way into the cabin.
“Tell us what this is about,” Hagen demands.
Clearing my throat, I jerk my chin toward the wooden table with five chairs surrounding it. We all take a seat, then I close my eyes for a moment before reopening them and I tell them what Runa and the seeress have just explained to me.
Their eyes all widen as they sit in silence after I’ve finished with all that I know. “Another world?” Gunnar asks. Nodding, I let out a grunt. “It explains her clothing that we found her in, her strange hair and eye color.”
“So, she is not human?” Sten asks.
“The witch, Runa, said she was sent to me by the gods, created for the purpose of fulfilling this prophecy. I believe she is human but from another time or world.”