The moon illuminated the ship, falling upon the resting men and joined by countless stars. The light was so beautiful, so pure, and it shimmered silver on the dark waters. I stepped forward, and the men of my army parted again for me.
The Northmen slept in long bags made of leather and trimmed in fur. Not all were sleeping—Arin and another Northman, one who was not much older than I, sat playing a game near the mast. I found Sigrid beside the cage of ravens, and the birds seemed agitated in the light of the moon. Their feathers were so ruffled they resembled blades, jagged against the night sky.
“You wish to know more of seidr,” she said, her voice just loud enough to be heard above the waves.
“I do, but more than that, I want to know how to control it.”
“There is darkness in you,” she said, and I could feel her eyes on me, “enough to destroy everything you care about. You will be a great and terrible queen.”
For a moment, her words cast a spell upon me, showing me what could be. With my own abilities and my army of men, I could rule all of éirinn. Mentally, I pulled myself free from the net of ambition. I would not fall prey to power-hungry visions. “My will is far greater than the darkness within.”
“Tell me,” the seer said from within the shadows of her robes, “is your mind control strong enough to take over the j?tunn’s mind?”
I stiffened. “How did you—”
“You have great powers, but you only use them when you’re impatient and desperate during battle. You have practiced them, but you were forced to do so and reluctant. The number of seidr abilities you have is on the same level as a god’s—mind control, sending your spirit from your body, summoning the dead—and yet you have mastered none of them.”
Then what am I supposed to do? I thought but did not say. My tongue lay limp in my mouth—dumbfounded by the seer’s words.
You must put your full efforts into mastering them as you never have before, she answered in my mind, and I jerked in surprise. “You wanted to ask me how I know these things about you. I know them because I have mastered the only seidr I have: visions and fate.”
Then how can you hear my thoughts?
Because we are connected by the seidr we both practice, she answered in my mind, reminding me eerily of the Morrigan. “You have much to learn,” she added out loud.
“I don’t have long to train,” I said, my thoughts slow and confused. “How am I to master so many skills?”
She shook her head as though frustrated with me. “You’ve had the key to doing so all along. Tell me, how is it that you control another’s mind?”
“Because the Morrigan is my mother,” I said, unsure what answer she wanted.
“Your immortal blood is what gifted you the ability in the first place, yes, but how do you control another’s mind?”
I glanced up at the clear night sky as though it held the answer. “It’s hard to put into words. I sink into myself and reach out with my mind. . . .”
“You are doing it wrong,” the seer said, her tone becoming increasingly emphatic. The ravens beat their wings against the cage in response. “Your power lies not in the recesses of your mind, but in your spirit. Your mind is but a pale echo of what your spirit can do.”
Her words resonated so strongly within me that I could feel the hum of their truth, along with a twinge of horror. I’d been wielding my powers wrong since they first manifested—could I have saved the Northmen who fell to the j?tnar?
“Yes,” the seer said, and my gaze jumped to hers and narrowed.
“Get out of my mind,” I said in a growl.
“Detach your spirit from your body. It’s the only way you’ll be able to control a being as powerful as the j?tnar.”
“And how am I to do that during battle?” I demanded. “My body will be limp, unconscious—unprotected.”
The seer’s pale white hand shot out and pointed toward my undead clansmen behind me. “Do you not have powerful warriors who can stand guard? If you want to win the battle against the j?tnar, your only hope is to stay safely apart and detach yourself from your body—only then will you gain control.”
“I cannot abandon the others! How am I to remain safely apart while they battle for their lives?”
“Do not be a fool,” the seer said, her tone sharp now. “Are you so great a warrior, then? You believe yourself to be more skilled at swordplay than the jarl’s son?”
“No,” I said.
“Then it’s time you learned. Come with me.” She walked to the side of the ship, and I followed, close enough that the spray created a fine mist on my face. “Look into the water.”
I gripped the ship’s side and leaned over, momentarily mesmerized by the moon sparkling over the water’s surface. The next thing I knew, a dagger was held to my throat.
I didn’t dare move. “What are you doing?” I asked carefully.
“Call your warriors—you have an army of undead at your command,” she said.
“Or what? You’ll kill me?” I didn’t think she would kill me—Leif would kill her in retribution, for one thing—but I also didn’t know her well enough to say for sure. Tentatively, I reached out with my mind toward hers.
“Perhaps,” she whispered just behind me. “You don’t know because you haven’t the strength to breach my mind.”
Before I could respond, she pushed away my attempt to enter her thoughts as easily as a grown man bats away a curious bee. It was clear her mental prowess was far greater than mine. My heart felt like it would break my ribs it was pounding so hard.
How do I call them? I wanted to shout at her, but I didn’t want to waste my breath. I had a feeling she wouldn’t answer me.
I tried to ignore the cold feel of metal against the sensitive skin of my throat and let my eyes fall closed. I reached out with my mind, but this wasn’t like trying to take control of someone else—I wasn’t making eye contact with anyone, for one thing, so I didn’t have a specific target—but I could feel them. I could see them, though my eyes were closed. Shadowy forms wreathed in smoke. I could just make out their skeletal forms beneath.
Help me, I thought, and when nothing happened, I thought more desperately, Help me!
I could sense them appear just behind Sigrid, but with surprising speed, she spun us around so that I faced my warriors. Fergus—I’d recognize him anywhere—and Séamus. The two I’d had the most connection to in life? Whatever the reason, they were here now, ghostly and strange and magical.
Sigrid dropped the dagger from my throat. “Call them off now,” she said.
“You took a great risk just doing that,” I said, rubbing my throat. “What’s to stop me from having them rip you to pieces?”
“You’ve learned to summon your warriors to guard over your body when you’re vulnerable,” she said, “but there is still much to learn. You need me.”
I did need her, and I let out a hiss of frustration. “Did you really have to threaten me with bodily harm? Would it not have been easier simply to explain how to summon them?”
“I could have, but it would have taken you twice as long to master. As I said before, you only use your power when you’re in a desperate situation. This was the only way to contrive a situation where you felt threatened so that you might finally recognize how to access your power.”
I shook my head, inwardly cursing the Northmen. Only they would think putting someone’s life in danger was the best teaching method. I hated to think how they taught their children.
“We will continue tomorrow night,” the seer said, already moving away toward her seat at the bow of the ship.
“I hope I survive,” I grumbled.
“I do as well,” she replied, “for I sense a storm is coming that will test us all.”
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