Prologue

PROLOGUE

Early evening, before Eldberg's ship arrives on the island of H?y

Something is wrong!

Frida sensed it in the air, in the turn of the wave and the clusters of stars far above. She could no longer allow the judgment of others to cloud her instincts.

Closing her eyes, she drew in a steadying breath and summoned her focus. It was time to surrender to the powers she'd been given. If danger was close, Frida had to know.

Shivering, she clutched the tiny pieces of stone, animal tooth, and bone. The gods would not forsake her. They'd been sending signs for days, from the energetic flicker of a flame to the way pebbles aligned on the beach.

Something is about to happen, and this time, I have to be ready.

The runes would bring lucidity, whereas other omens brought noise and confusion. With a thundering heart, she cast them upon the dirt, then opened her eyes again to behold the divination.

Deep inside, she recognized the relevance of the moment, hungrily devouring the messages.

"Hail, Freyja." Her brow furrowed as she leaned closer. "What warning do you bring? What must I know?"

Each runic symbol offered meaning, but her attention was drawn immediately to the three closest pieces. Touching her fingertips to the engravings, she interpreted their story. Pertho spoke of the future, while Inguz was linked to fertility.

For an island whose men had up and departed, their message was one of hope. H?y desperately needed a new generation of inhabitants—an impossibility without males to sire them.

The third rune was blank, its lack of markings conveying a sense of destiny. Whatever came next would be of monumental importance. Something was coming that would offer fertility.

Or someone?

Was she wrong in her trepidation?

She took in the position of the other fallen runes, her gaze drawn to the center of the reading. A gasp escaped her lips. There, in all its glory, was Hagalaz.

Disruption!

Hagalaz was not always the bearer of bad tidings, but it warned of dramatic change. Its position beside Nauthiz, the rune of constraint, spoke of discomfort and potential conflict. There was much to heed.

"What else must I know? What is the one message I must take from this?" Holding her palm over the pieces, Frida closed her eyes once more, waiting for guidance from the one goddess who always gave answers. For good or ill, Freyja could be depended upon.

The warmth in the middle of Frida's palm bloomed as she passed over the runes. Freyja was near, and her counsel was not far behind. The familiar tingling heat told Frida it was so. When she could abide the intensity no longer, she would know she'd reached the rune that superseded all others.

The ferocity of the heat flourished faster than she expected, causing Frida to cry out. Wide-eyed, she grasped at the symbol to which the goddess had directed her.

"Ehwaz." The stone's message was loud and clear, as though Freyja herself had called it into Frida's ear.

Trust.

Pulling in air, Frida willed her pulse to slow.

I must learn to trust in order to ride this storm. Trust in Freyja, and trust the gifts bestowed upon me.

"Thanks be to Freyja." Lifting the rune to her lips, Frida placed a kiss upon its hard surface. After years of denying her abilities, filled with shame by the very thing that set her apart, Frida knew she must embrace her gift.

Chosen by the gods to bring clarity to the community, she was both blessed and burdened with the responsibility.

In the past, her failure to truly decipher the signs had left her people unprotected. The women of H?y had been unprepared for their men abandoning them. The guilt lay heavy upon Frida, even now, as she recalled those dark times. She blamed herself. The omens had been there, but Frida had refused to see them. She'd refused to trust them.

This time, she would do better.

This time, she'd seen the signs and recognized their meaning.

This time, she'd consulted the runes with haste.

This time, Freyja herself was urging Frida to trust them.

Trust them I shall.

Resolve filled her as she gathered the small pieces into their cloth bag. "The water calls to me, so I shall go to the coast and watch the stars."

She sensed it in her heart. A greater discovery would be found by the ocean.