Beyond a Darkened Shore(29)

He strode away without waiting for my response, and I let the sword slip from my hand. I was glad for Leif’s absence, for I was shaking violently. Being trapped in the each-uisce’s mind control had made me realize just how terrifying my abilities were.

The each-uisce was malevolent and powerful, but still, I understood it.

Worse still was the realization that while the battle with the each-uisce had been a struggle, it was nothing compared to what we would face with the j?tnar.





8





With an afternoon sun intermittently hidden by clouds, we rode through a field of wheat, headed south toward Dubhlinn. The wind made the field seem like a golden sea as it blew the grasses like waves. I held out my hand as we passed, allowing the grain to brush against my palm. The wind was strong today; it tugged at my hair like a child before throwing it back in my face. Sleipnir’s mane, too, billowed back onto my arms.

The farther we traveled through Mide, and the farther we traveled from my home, the more depressed my mood became. My father would have made the proclamation of my exile official by now. He would have forbidden anyone from seeking me out, though only Fergus would think of doing so. It wouldn’t be the first time áthair had forbidden others from following me, only this time, he didn’t need to.

I had been younger than Branna then, and it was my second battle. My power was so new to me that I was barely able to understand it, much less able to successfully control it. When my father received word that Northmen were raiding along our northern coast, he took a small contingent of twenty men, including me, to stop them. When we finally reached the village, we were greeted by the dying screams of the people there. Most of them had gathered in the church for safety, but the Northmen had set it on fire to burn them out. They wanted the treasures contained within: the golden tabernacle, the chalice of silver and gemstones, pieces of silver and gold to honor God.

Two women were dragged out in chains, and seeing them plead with two merciless Northmen, their faces twisted with terror, unleashed something within me. Remnants of my own painful grief over my sister’s death and rage over what was happening to the women before me broke over me like a wave upon the shore. I reached out and took control of the Northman who held the women’s chains. I forced him to turn his weapon on himself, slitting his own throat with the edge of his axe. As soon as his blood flowed, I released his mind, delighting in the sheer panic I saw on his face.

Slack-jawed, the other man had watched his comrade kill himself. I reached out and took control of him, too, but instead of having him immediately take his own life, I forced him to slaughter the majority of his unsuspecting friends. Each man reacted in the same way: complete shock and disbelief that one of their own should turn on them.

They were as easy to kill as lambs.

The villagers had reacted to me not as their savior, but rather as a monster to be feared. They ran screaming from me just as they had run from the Northmen. As I stood amid the destruction, the rage that had brought it about disappeared as quickly as it had come. But it was when I saw the fear in my own clansmen’s eyes that I leaped astride Sleipnir and ran.

Tears had blinded me, and Sleipnir galloped without direction. Before long, I was hopelessly lost in my own kingdom. When night fell, we took shelter in a cave, and as I stayed close to my horse for warmth, I told myself my father would come for me.

When dawn broke over the cave, it was Fergus who found me.

“Did my father send you?” I had asked.

He shook his head, the pity filling his eyes. “No, milady.”

It was then I had realized that not only would I have to wrest control of the power within me, I could no longer rely on anyone but myself.

In the distance, white sheep bleated, drawing my attention away from my melancholy thoughts. Smoke from a small, stone farmhouse drifted toward the sky. The wind carried the smell of it to me: wood burning and freshly baked bread. A path cut through the earth toward the little farmhouse, worn down by wagons and horses, but Leif kept Sleipnir firmly pointed south.

“How do you know the way to Dubhlinn?” I asked. I was surprised he was guiding us so easily without well-worn paths or the coast for reference.

“My father has maps of this land, and he had me study them long before I ever sailed on my first longship.”

My jaw tensed. “So you could find the prime areas for raids?”

“Yes,” he said without contrition, “but also because it’s dangerous to sail to a completely unknown land.”

I couldn’t fault the wisdom in that, and it rankled. “Is your father still alive?”

“He is.”

I thought of the many battles I’d fought with my own father. Strange that Leif’s father wasn’t with him. “Does he sail his own longship, then? Laying siege to other innocent monasteries?”

“Not anymore,” he said. The amusement in his voice made my teeth clench. “I sail his longships for him now.” He was quiet for a moment before adding, “One day when he is tired of this world, he’ll join us on raids until he falls in battle.”

I could hear the despondency in his voice, but also pride. “Valhalla again?”

He let out a breath in a quiet laugh. “Yes, Valhalla.”

I knew enough of the Northmen to know that it was impressive that Leif led the raids at only eighteen. We fell silent again, as Sleipnir continued steadily on.