Bride of the Sea (The Prophecy of Sisters #2) - Hayley Faiman Page 0,90

paint him until he tells me that I am finished. He helps me dress, but doesn’t braid my hair the way I did his. Instead, he grunts and turns from me.

“Seeress will do your hair. I must meet with my men before the rituals begin.”

Without another word, he takes a step out of our tent and calls out for the seeress. I do nothing except stand in the middle of the tent, trembling with blue paint still wet on my fingertips.

AARIC

My men gather around, they look just like me, their hair braided, their bodies painted and ready for war. Clearing my throat, I take a step toward the seeress. She smiles sadly as she tugs the animal toward me.

The horse neighs and I dip my chin toward the animal. His sacrifice will not be in vain, I will not allow it. I honor the gods and this beast with the sacrifice and outcome of war. We will persevere and we will succeed. Even if that success means the demise of my brother.

Their ceremony does not last long. The horse does not stay in pain, his death is swift and my heart bleeds that this fierce animal must be sacrificed, but this is the way and the gods will smile down at the sacrifice and guide me to safety on this steed if must be.

When the ceremony is complete, I turn to see Liv standing in the crowd. She has tears shimmering in her eyes, but I know that it is not necessarily for the impending war, but likely for the animal that now resides with the gods.

My Liv.

Soft and pure of heart.

She does not wish to see man or animal in pain. One of the reasons that she will not take slaves, she thinks that they should be able to live a life of their own free will, even if they are spoils of war.

Clearing my throat, I shout to my men that the time is here. I tell them that Fiske is not himself, he is possessed by this demon, that Runa has informed me there is no way to save his human body, while at the same time ridding him of the beast inside.

It must be me who ends him, along with Runa, for guidance. They are not to engage in battle with him, only capture him. Then, I warn them of the other völva who reside somewhere in this land.

“Stay sharp. Keep your wits about you, keep your mind clear, stay together. This can only be successful if we all worth together. You are the bravest men in all of Wolfjour Ail. You will prevail, we will prevail. Dhuis will reward us greatly when we capture the draugr. We must think of our Allfather and our families at home. We do this for Dhuis, for our families, for our future, for our kingdom,” I shout.

The men echo my shout, lifting their swords and shields toward Valhalla. The air around us crackles, and I know that they are ready for war. Ready to defend their konungr, their dróttning, and their homeland.

We gather our items, splitting off into four groups, ready to take over and conquer whatever comes our way. We won’t be far from one another, each group within hearing distance from another.

Marching toward Liv, I wrap my hand around the side of her neck. “Gunnar and Hagen will protect you. They will guard you with their lives. If something happens, you will listen to them, do you understand me?” I demand.

Liv lifts her arm, wrapping her fingers around my wrist as her green eyes fill with wet tears. Thankfully, she does not allow them to fall down her cheeks in front of me. Clearing my throat, my eyes search her own for understanding.

“I will be right here when you return, Aaric,” she says with a smile.

“You will listen to Gunnar, Hagen, and Quest.”

Liv shakes her head. “I will be right here,” she says, her voice a bit firmer.

Clearing my throat, I let out a shaky breath, wondering how my fated wife ended up being such a stubborn one. I wonder offhandedly if all of the sisters are this way, if they are, I feel for the other warriors who will wed them, for this is no easy feat.

“You will be here, but you will also do as I wish if need be, víf. You understand me?”

She lifts her eyes to the sky, then settles her gaze back on me. “You know that I will, Aaric. I will