Sigyn's Song

by Meg Trotter

  “What were you doing in there?” she snapped.

  Maera opened her mouth and then shut it, frustrated with her limited communication skills. To her relief, Valka popped out of the longhouse, coming to her rescue once again. Maera hadn’t even noticed her inside. Her hair was freshly braided in a design that wound around her whole head in an intricate pattern. She offered Freydis a small smile. “She was the one who pulled Prince Erik from the sea, did you hear? He’s been asking for her.”

  “Asking for her how?” Freydis snapped. “We don’t even know her name.”

  Maera frowned at this. Even if she could get the hang of the gods’ speech, she wasn’t certain she could translate her name. It was made of clicks and squeaks. How did you translate a name like that to a language spoken with the tongue instead of the throat?

  Valka attempted to change the subject. “Your father fared well, didn’t he, Freydis? Best of all of them, I hear. You must be proud.”

  Freydis gave a curt nod, but didn’t seem to want to follow that conversation further. She sighed and some of the rigidity faded from her posture. “I was thinking of going back over to Kaupangen to walk around for a bit today. Since father is home to keep an eye on things, I can make it a trip for pleasure this time instead of for business. Want to come?”

  This lit Valka up almost as much as a strip of bio-luminescence. She nodded, then paused, with a glance at Maera who was watching the conversation go back and forth. “Would you like to come too? I’m sure it would be nice to get out of that stuffy sick-house for a while.” Her eyes flicked over to Freydis for approval, which the other goddess gave, though grudgingly.

  “You best not wander off though,” Freydis said, pushing past them and heading toward the beach. “I’ll gladly leave you there if you decide to go off on your own.”

  Valka smiled and winked at Maera as she turned to follow her friend toward the docks. Maera trailed behind, pausing when she passed the circle of women where Luka still lounged. The witch raised an eyebrow at her. Maera gestured for her to follow. Luka dragged herself from her resting place and trailed after them. Once far enough away from the gossping women, while still far enough back from Valka and Freydis, Maera dropped back into her native tongue. I’ve chosen who I want, she clicked.

  Luka raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Find a good-looking half-dead guy in there?”

  She nodded. The one I rescued last night. The prince.

  Luka snorted. “You’re really going to go after the hardest person in this whole village to catch? Literally anyone else would be easier.”

  He’s what I need.

  “What you need?” Luka rolled her eyes. “What you need is some gods-damned perspective in your life.”

  Maera ignored the comment. They continued down the path, passing the rocks with the etched images. I’m going over to a village with Valka and Freydis. It’s called... She paused and attempted to make the word in the gods’ speech: “Kau...Kaupa...” She sighed and shook her head. Well, it’s called something long and complicated. You want to come?

  This made Luka stop short. She wrinkled her nose. “Kaupangen? Yuck. No, I’ll pass.”

  What’s wrong with it?

  Luka shrugged. “Too crowded. Too many hammer worshipers.” Before Maera could ask about the last comment, the witch turned down a side path. “You go have fun. I think I’ll go nap somewhere.”

  Nap? Maera laughed. It’s still early. We’ve barely started the day. Besides, I thought the whole reason you made this bet is so that you could watch me attempt it?

  “Your beloved prince is currently unconscious back at the longhouse,” she said, gesturing the way they’d just come. “I would also like to be unconscious for a while longer to recover from the near drowning you subjected both of us to last night.” Luka waved her off. “Go play with your new friends, Little Fish. I’ll be here when you get back.”

  Maera shook her head with a smile as the witch disappeared down the path. Before continuing on her way to the beach, Maera peered at the nearby etched rocks. Now in the full light of day, she could see it clearer. Her gaze strayed to the gods’ writing carved into the stones.

  If she couldn’t pronounce her name for the gods, maybe she could make herself a new one that they could pronounce. She reached out a hand to the nearest rock. It looked older than the others and was covered from top to bottom in writing. She set her finger against a random group of markings and waited for the magic to provide the word to her waiting mind. Sigr. Victory. She frowned at this, confused. Maybe the gods had more than one language and the magic was producing both the sound of the original word and the translation? Sigr. She shook her head. She didn’t like the sound of it for a name. Too rough.

  A call from down the path broke her concentration and Maera hurried off to catch up with the others. She found them down at the beach, taking a small path further down from where she and Luka had first popped out of the sea. A platform stuck out into the water, and along it bobbed two large ships with a handful of smaller ones. A pair of tired-looking young gods were pulling in a net full of fish from one of the smaller vessels. The exhaustion dropped from their faces when they noticed the goddesses approaching.

  “Morning,” one muttered, dipping his head in a show of respect. The second echoed the greeting. His eyes followed Freydis, but when she met his eye, he turned his attention swiftly to Valka. “What brings you ladies down to the docks so early?” His long hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck and was shaved short on both sides of his head. There was something familiar about his dark eyes, but Maera couldn’t decide why. Maybe he reminded her of the large rogue male back home. His hair did somewhat look like a small fin sticking up out of his head.

  “Good morning, Skarde,” Valka said. “We were hoping to catch somebody headed to Kaupangen and tag along. I’ve some extra coin I’m itching to spend.” She smiled at him in a shy way.

  Skarde considered her only a moment before returning her smile. “Well, what a coincidence. We were just heading up to Kaupangen after we finished unloading our catch.”

  The other god sneered at this. “You lying son of Loki,” he spat. “We’ve been out fishing since before dawn. I’m sure as Hel not heading out again to take a bunch of women shopping.”

  The smile never left Skarde’s face. He didn’t even look at the other male when he hefted his net full of fish into his arms. “And that’s why you’ll die alone. Here, if you’re not going, take that ashore for me, I’ll take the ladies. Freydis can help me guide the boat, I’m sure.” He gave her the briefest of glances. Freydis looked annoyed, but nodded her consent.

  The other god grumbled, but carried the fish out while the goddesses climbed inside. Skarde helped Valka in first, but ignored Freydis. She didn’t need the help. When she stepped in, her body swayed for a moment with the rocking of the waves, but she found her balance and took a seat in the middle. Maera wasn’t so graceful. She might have been adjusting quickly to the movements required to walk, but the same was not true when the ground pitched beneath her. She stumbled and fell into Freydis, who grunted and shoved her off onto the bench beside her. Maera squeaked an apology before remembering to speak with her mouth. Either way, Freydis didn’t seem to care. Her mood had darkened again in the short walk from the village.

  Skarde unhooked the lines from the dock and then pushed the vessel off into the water. They glided over the waves with ease, keeping land in sight as they went. Small islands dotted the water around them and Skarde expertly navigated them through with barely any attention — most of that was snagged on Valka and the sunlight in her golden hair.

  The cool wind tickled against Maera’s face as birds called out overhead. She leaned over the side of the boat to inspect the water and was startled to see a face peering back at her. It took her a moment to realize it was her own face. She’d known that Luka had changed her appearance to make her fit in with the gods, but she hadn’t known how extensive the changes were. Not that she had ever seen her
own face before under the sea, but she knew what the others of her pod looked like, and this was starkly different.

  Her eyes were smaller than what was common on merfolk and they were shaded a grey-blue color. Her hair, twisted up on her head, was as golden as Valka’s, though not so intricately braided. Her nose, instead of being a small slope ending in a pair of slits, jutted out from her face. A spattering of spots covered it, similar to merfolk’s scent spots, but without the function of bringing any scent in. From what she could see from under the edges of her clothing, the spots covered her neck and shoulders too.

  A fish jumped through the barrier, startling her and disrupting the reflection. She’d almost forgotten that her own world lay below. Maera wondered if her father, grandmother, and sister were worried for her. She hated to think they were distressed. Maybe one day she could ask Luka to temporarily restore her fin so she could visit after she’d captured Prince Erik’s heart. Or maybe Luka could temporarily grant them legs so they could see this world themselves. She would love to show Jersti the stars.

  In no time at all they arrived Kaupangen. They pulled up to the dock, and Skarde jumped out to secure the vessel. He helped Valka and Maera up, and Maera sighed a breath of relief to be on solid ground again.

  As soon as they stepped off the docks, Maera could feel a difference in the air. Unlike the sleepy village where she had washed up, this place was vibrating with energy. Everyone was hurrying — some carrying loads to docked ships, some going in and out of buildings, and some calling for others in the streets.

  Skarde strolled away from his secured boat and inserted himself between Valka and Freydis. He bent towards Valka in private conversation, smiling when she laughed at something he said. Freydis frowned at this. Maera shared her vague annoyance. This male was taking too much of her new friend’s attentions. They walked through the streets for a short time this way until Maera decided she’d had enough of this. She hooked her arm around Freydis’ arm, ignoring her protests, and pulled them both up level with Valka. Maera hooked her other arm around Valka’s and smiled when the goddess turned to her in mild surprise. Maera tilted her head toward the nearest building with its door propped open and other goddesses trickling in and out.

  “Show me?” Maera asked, proud of how clear the words were this time.

  Valka smiled and then turned to Skarde. “Let us duck in here quickly, if you don’t mind,” she told him.

  A look of annoyance flickered across his face, but he stifled the emotion. Skarde eyed the building, obviously debating on if he should insist on coming with them. He finally decided against it and nodded at Valka while pulling up an easy smile. “All right. Catch up with you soon. Don’t be long.” His eyes met Maera’s for a moment but he kept his smile as they disappeared into the building.

  When they entered, Maera was surprised to not find beds and fires like in her own quarters. Instead, she found walls lined with things she’d never seen before. She pulled away from the other two girls and did a turn to fully appreciate everything in the room. There were clothing pieces draped here and there, containers of different foodstuffs stacked in layers, and people everywhere, milling about. Valka went straight for a display of colorful stones strung together and picked up different strands to hold up to her neck. She chose one and dug into the recesses of her cloak to pull out something that looked like small, flat pebbles. Coins.

  Valka handed them to an elderly goddess who inspected them, nodded, and added them to her pockets. Valka draped the loop of multi-colored rocks around her own neck and turned to show Freydis, who made an attempt to admire them. Freydis exchanged her own coins for some kind of food wrapped inside a small cloth pouch.

  Valka picked up another ornamental piece — what looked like a tiny, glittering blue fish set into something that had long teeth like a shark. She motioned to Maera to lower her head and slid the teeth of the thing into her hair. When Maera inspected herself in a faintly reflective surface, she saw that it looked like the little fish was swimming through her tresses. She smiled.

  “Oh, it brings out the blue in your eyes” Valka said. “Let me buy it for you.” She turned back to the goddess who had accepted her first trade of coins and presented her with more.

  They all left together in good spirits, Freydis even offering to share some of her food with the other two. Maera popped the treat into her mouth, licking the sweetness from her fingers as they passed a small crowd composed mostly of children seated on the ground. They were gathered around a god in the middle of an animated tale. Freydis and Valka paused to listen, and Maera used the opportunity to snag a few more pieces of the sweets from the satchel held in Freydis’ loose grip before turning her own attention to the storyteller.

  “All-knowing Odin knew something was not right,” the god said, closing one eye and squinting at the children with his open one. “He called his fellow gods to travel to a hidden alcove, where they found something that made their golden blood freeze in their veins. A giantess with her three vile children — all of them sired by the trickster god, Loki.”

  Several in the crowed hissed, followed by snickers of others.

  “The Aesir killed the giantess, but at the command of Odin, brought the monstrous children back to him. He had received strange dreams of their dark powers and thought he might could put them to use. He studied them as they stood before him, quietly awaiting their fate.”

  The storyteller paused and gestured to a child who jumped up from her seat and stood beside him. “The eldest, the female, was beautiful on her left side, with dark ringlets of hair and a sweet smile,” the storyteller said, pointing to the child who had similar features. “However, on the right, her face was twisted and deformed into a permanent grimace.” The girl promptly made a terrible face, to the delight of the other children. “Hel was her name. Though terrible to look upon, she bowed to Odin and swore her allegiance to him. He gave her dominion over the realm below where those who have died outside of honorable battle go to live until the end of time.”

  As the little goddess reclaimed her seat, Maera attempted to slip her hand into Freydis’ bag of treats again, but found that the goddess had clinched it in her fist. However, Freydis wasn’t trying to protect her food. Instead, her eyes were focused on the storyteller with unusual intensity. On her other side, Valka’s fingers dropped down and slid into her friend’s free hand, squeezing their palms together. Freydis let their hands stay clasped. Maera abandoned her attempt at another handful of sweets and turned back to the crowd, wondering what about the story had upset Freydis.

  “The middle child, Fenrir, was not as beautiful as his sister,” continued the storyteller. A little boy popped up from the crowd and ran around on all fours, making strange growling noises. “He was a wolf — a giant beast with fangs and glowing eyes that refused allegiance to the All-Father. He was tricked into being bound, but the god Tyr lost his hand to the beast’s jaws in the process. Though locked up, the wolf is not defeated. He grows in power every day. Prophecies say it is he who will be the end of the world one day.”

  Several boys in the crowd chanted “Rag-na-rok! Rag-na-rok!” before being shushed by others. Maera wasn’t sure why, but the word made her skin prickle. The child on all fours yipped happily and returned to his seat.

  “The last child,” the storyteller said, “was not as vicious as his brother, but still refused to bend the knee to Odin. Jormungandr, the great serpent, was as slippery as his evil father. Seeing his siblings’ unkind fates, he slipped away from the gods and plunged himself into the sea where, like his older brother, he continues to grow in size and strength.”

  Another young god, this one barely more than a baby, wiggled his on his belly to the giggles of the children around him as the storyteller paused in his tale to take a drink.

  “Ah, there you are,” said a voice. Skarde appeared behind Freydis and Valka, who unclasped hands to let him slide in between them.

  Valka flushed in pleasure at his arrival. “Oh, sorry! We
were just coming to find you. We got distracted by the story.”

  “Nah, I managed all right. What’s that?” he gestured to the string of small stones around her neck. She picked up one end and held it up from him to inspect. He nodded, running a finger over them before letting it fall back against her chest. “Nice. I saw one girl walking around with one that had a miniature hammer of Thor on it. Really beautiful craftsmanship. I stopped and talked to her about it while you were away. Nice girl.”

  Valka’s smile faltered a bit with this news, but within moments she dismissed the comment. She tapped the stones around her neck before sliding her hand around Skarde’s arm and tugging him away from the crowd. “Well, now that we’re all together again, let’s see what else we can find in the stalls.” He folded a hand over hers where it rested on his bicep as they led the way further into the town, while Freydis and Maera followed silently behind.

  They spent the rest of the morning traversing in and out of various buildings and stalls, admiring the goods and tasting the food. It was well after midday when they finally made their way back to the boat. Maera’s legs ached from the exertion. Just before boarding again, Skarde presented Valka with a necklace that held a small shining gold pendant at the bottom. A hammer, Luka’s magic told Maera.

  Valka laughed and clapped, delighted, before pulling off the necklace she had bought herself and bending her head to accept the new one. As she gushed her thanks, she let the string of stones drop into the sand, forgotten. Maera paused and picked it up as she passed by her way to the boat.

  When she stood up, Skarde’s dark eyes met hers for a moment, and in that instant she realized why he had seemed so familiar at first. She’d stared into similar dark eyes when she was fighting for her sister’s life.

  They were the eyes of a predator.