his joke and it was at my expense.”
My mother looked deep into my eyes. “Linea, listen to me.”
I folded my lower lip between my teeth. “Mmh?”
“What others say or think about you is irrelevant. All that matters is how you view yourself. Today we’re giving these young people a gift. What they do with it is up to them. It’s not our place to force our gift on others. But I want you to know…”
I waited for her to finish her sentence.
“I’m proud of you, sweetheart.”
Blinking my eyes a few more times, I tried to take in my mother’s kind words.
“Linea, you are gifted beyond anyone I’ve ever met. Your energy work is practically as strong as mine and you’re twelve. What I’m asking you to do is control your ego. Pride, jealousy, and judgment have no place in your heart.”
“But it’s difficult.”
“I understand, but facing Thor provides a great teaching moment. Can you go back in there and meet him without anger and judgment?”
The knot in my stomach told me “no,” but I wanted to make my mother proud, so I nodded.
“Good.” She pushed gently at the small of my back. “I believe in you.”
I walked over to Thor. “Do you want my help?” I offered him in my attempt to be brave and compassionate.
“Nah, I’m good.” The way he wrinkled his nose felt like a hard rejection.
I defended my honor. “Energy work is a powerful tool to have.”
“Yeah?” Thor laughed and looked to Mason. “Who do you think would win a fight? A smoke tamer or a ruler with an army?”
Several of the French and Northlanders laughed with him while I felt my blood start to boil.
My mother might be a gentle priestess, but I was also the daughter of an Nman, and my father, Finn, had taught me not to take shit from anyone. In a firm tone, I told Thor, “An army is destructive and causes pain and suffering. We energy workers can heal and bring people relief.”
Thor shrugged. “When you know how to control people, come talk to me. That would be useful.”
I stepped closer with my hands folded into fists. “If I knew how to control people, I would make you kinder.”
“Kinder. Ha!” Thor’s face twisted into a grimace. “I’m the son of Khan Aurelius. My role is to make sure that the Northlands remain the country of free men. You can keep your kindness shit on this side of the border. We don’t need you to soften us.”
I stared at Thor wondering how it was possible that he was Pearl Pilotti’s son. As he continued to make fun of me, the infatuation I’d felt for this handsome boy for as long as I could remember turned into strong resentment.
“Oh-oh, I think the smoke tamer lost her tongue,” Thor taunted me.
I wanted to retort and tell him what a giant turd he was, but the glance from my mother made me spin on my heel and walk away. Never again would I admire Thor’s beautiful eyes or find his big ears cute. My mother might be able to control her ego and pride, but I was too much of a Northlander for that. If I never saw Thor Aurelius again, that would be more than fine with me.
CHAPTER 1
Freedom
The Motherlands – January 2467
Thor
The sand beneath my body felt nice and warm. With my eyes closed, I enjoyed the soothing sound of the waves rolling in and out while seagulls shrieked in the distance.
The isolation and tranquility of this remote beach was just what I needed. Huginn and Muninn, my two large black dogs, were playing in the water twenty feet away. With no other people around, there was no reason for me to ask them to quiet down. They loved it here and so did I.
For centuries, we Nmen hadn’t had access to tropical beaches like this one. It made me angry to think about the way my forefathers had been forced to accept the lands to the north back when they refused to be ruled by women. Four hundred years of isolation had followed.
A whisper of a thought, in the back of my mind, reminded me that I was as much a Motlander as a Northlander. It came with being a child of mixed parents.
I groaned low, wishing my thoughts could be light and happy instead of filled with regret.
A tropical beach far away from my father had to be the antidote to the default mood of anger I’d suffered from for this