like that, my friend.” He clapped David on the back.
No, not David. His name was Gudbrand, and this was obviously not Scotland or the twenty-first century.
“Herleif,” he spoke his friend’s name. “Go back to your wife.”
“It’s not safe for you to go alone.” Herleif ignored the command and kept pace with him.
Was Gudbrand him, though? Or was David dreaming someone else’s life?
Like a drifting mist, David’s waking life receded, and the dreamscape solidified, becoming his only reality.
He knew this place.
It was his home.
Every snow-laden tree and every jagged stone was familiar, as was the path he was walking on. He’d made the same trek countless times before.
Gudbrand was the eldest son of the Skilfing clan’s chieftain and his successor, and he was on his way to visit Ania, chieftain Bogen’s adopted daughter, the holy woman of her clan, and the earthly embodiment of the goddess Frella.
Ania’s beauty had no equal, and many had sought her favors, which as a priestess of Frella she provided quite freely but discriminately.
She wouldn’t take just anyone to her bed, and any man who hoped for the honor had to scrub himself clean, wash his hair, and put on clean clothes. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be allowed to even enter her tent, let alone petition for her favors.
Frella demanded cleanliness, and so did her priestesses.
Most were lucky to gain Ania’s favors for one night, and some were luckier and were summoned again. But ever since she’d chosen Gudbrand, Ania had summoned him every night and had not taken another into her furs.
Like all chosen of Frella, Ania was barren and forbidden to marry or even keep the same lover for more than one moon rotation. The only exception was the man who would be blessed by Frella and impregnate Ania. That lucky guy would then become her husband for one year. Gudbrand was determined to make the most of what time he had left with her, or at least that was his official stance. Secretly, he hoped to be the one chosen by Frella to impregnate Ania and own the magnificent priestess for an entire year. Given Ania’s incredible sexual prowess, he might not live to see the end of that year, but he would die a happy and revered man.
Not a bad way to go.
Except, Herleif was wasting his time.
“We have a peace treaty with Bogen’s clan. Besides, Ania’s lovers are granted divine protection. You know that.”
“I do. The question is whether the bears and the wolves know that as well.”
Gudbrand snorted and looked down at his much shorter friend. “Don’t worry about me. I can handle a bear. I’m not a maiden in need of protection.”
He was a big man and a fierce warrior and hunter. Still, he wasn’t as reckless as Herleif was making him out to be. The animals shied away from humans, and as long as he stayed on the path, he had nothing to fear.
Herleif was just using him as an excuse to be free of his wife for a couple of hours, or maybe he hoped for a glimpse of Ania.
She didn’t show herself to just anyone. Only those whose petition was accepted got to see her face. Everyone else saw her with a veil made of a sacred fabric that the goddess gifted her priestesses with.
The mystery only made Ania more desirable, especially given the rumors her petitioners were spreading about her unparalleled beauty.
Gudbrand had thought the men had been exaggerating, but everything they had said was true. Ania’s beauty would make goddesses envious.
“What if a pack of wolves attacks you? How many can you kill before they get to you?”
“They won’t. Frella’s protection of Ania’s lovers is not limited to just humans. The goddess will keep me safe from animals as well.”
“And you believe all that nonsense? Ania is just a girl. A very beautiful one, but she is not the embodiment of Frella.”
“Show some respect, Herleif. It’s not wise to anger the gods.”
Strangely, even though Ania looked no older than eighteen summers, Gudbrand never thought of her as a girl but as a mature woman.
He was twenty-four and a seasoned warrior, but sometimes he felt many years younger than Ania. Perhaps as a priestess of Frella she’d had access to knowledge that had aged her beyond her years.
Wondering whether Ania was a witch, a cold shiver ran down his back that had nothing to do with the freezing wind. What if she was hundreds of years old and kept herself young by stealing the life energy