“Raine,” Torin urged, his arms tightening around my waist.
He was tense and edgy, and being this close to him was making me edgy, too.
Gripping his hands, I pulled them away from my waist and moved from his lap to the adjacent empty chair. He leaned forward as I explained what happened.
“It was just so weird,” I finished. Torin scowled as though he could see through me to the parts I’d omitted, like the part he, or the man sounding awfully like him, played. “Anyway, that’s it,” I said. “My pitiful first vision.”
“There was no pentagram inside the circle?” Andris asked.
I shook my head. “Just the inscribed runes, the fire, and the feathers.”
“That’s Seidr,” Ingrid murmured from my right.
I glanced at her. “Say-what?”
Ingrid’s cheeks grew pink. “Seidr, the magical practice of my people,” she said. Ingrid was originally from Norway and still spoke with an accent. Unlike the others, she’d only been an Immortal for about a century.
“You sacrificed chickens?” Andris asked.
Ingrid glared at him.
“Raine mentioned feathers and blood,” Andris protested and shot her an apologetic look. “It is not a stretch, right?” Ingrid’s face said she wasn’t forgiving him. “Tell us about Say-der,” he urged, pronouncing it slowly.
Ingrid shrugged. “Maybe I’m wrong.”
Ingrid didn’t talk much. She’d been used to living in the shadow of her more beautiful and magnetic older sister Maliina. Then when Maliina went psycho and started working for the evil Norns, Ingrid crawled farther into the shadows. She probably felt ashamed of all the mayhem her sister had caused. This was the first time I’d heard her offer an opinion on anything.
I kicked Andris under the temple and gave him the behave-or-else glare. “I don’t care if you are wrong or right, Ingrid,” I said. “Tell us about this practice.”
She glanced at Torin and blushed even harder. Torin, I’d noticed, tended to make her more nervous.
“Pretend they’re not here,” I urged her. “I do it whenever they act like morons.”
She smiled. “It is a trance magic,” she said. “We use it for many things, but what you heard was probably a Seeress in a trance seeking guidance from the spirit world.”
I wasn’t sure I liked that. “Why did she appear to me?”
“I don’t know,” Ingrid said, but I had a feeling that she did.
“I think it is the other way round,” Femi said from the counter. We all looked at her.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Torin said. “Raine is a Seeress.”
News flash, love of my life. I haven’t seen anything yet to warrant that title.
“I know, but I think the Seeress reached out to Raine.” Femi stepped down from the stool. She was about five-six, the shortest of all the Immortals I’d met so far. But she knew how to command attention with her personality and voice.
She pushed her hands into the pockets of her nurse’s tunic and studied our faces. The uniform wasn’t really necessary, but she insisted on it. How had she put it? She was covering all bases in case our nosey neighbors wondered why Dad wasn’t in a hospital or nursing home.
“How much have you learned about the path of the Valkyries, Raine?” she asked.
“It is a journey and only a select few make it,” I said. “Spiritual people are chosen by priestesses and taught about magical incantations, spells, and runic magic. If the high priestess deems them worthy and receptive to the idea of immortality, they are taught about the path to the gods. In olden times, it took years to get to that point. Now?” I shrugged. I was the poster child of high-speed transition to Immortality. “Anyway, from these priests and priestesses, a select few are chosen to become Immortal and given artavo for etching runes. Some stay on earth to serve humans, while others become Valkyries.”
Femi nodded. “Those not chosen to become Immortal continue to practice magic. Now, there all types of magical practices out there, but Ingrid is right. What you heard or saw are used in Seidr.”
“Whoa, I didn’t go through all that to become a Valkyrie,” Andris interrupted.
“It is a bit different for you boys,” Femi said. “You were chosen in the battlefields, but Lavania made sure she chose well.” She slanted Torin a look then Andris. “You are both very spiritual.”
Torin nodded impatiently.
“Nah,” Andris cut in. “I’m not buying this spiritual crap. I didn’t learn about the gods and runes until after Lavania healed me and turned me into an Immortal. It was a life-or-death situation. In fact, I was in a bathhouse getting my—”
“We don’t want to hear about your bathhouse adventures, Andris,” Ingrid interrupted sharply. “Let Femi talk.”
I was so liking this new Ingrid. She was coming out of her shell and kicking ass. Even Andris gawked at her.
“I wasn’t talking about that,” Andris protested.
“You always do,” she said. Then, as though she realized she was once again the center of attention, she blushed. I reached for her hand and squeezed.
“I agree with Ingrid,” Torin said and gave Andris a look that said if he opened his mouth one more time, he was going to flatten him, which was like waving a red flag at a bull. I really didn’t need their testosterone crap right now.
“Down, boys,” I said. “I want to hear this.” Silence followed as our attention shifted to Ingrid. She hesitated.
“Tell them, sweetheart,” Femi urged her.
Ingrid gave her a small smile. “Seidr is a trance magic because you can only do it when you are in a trance. It can be used for good or evil, so some consider it a dark magic,” she said.
She had all our attention. Even Femi pulled out the last chair and sat.
“The Vanir people and gods practice Seidr, but Goddess Freya, a Vanir, is the one who brought it to Asgard and taught it to the Aesir gods. Odin, his wife, Frigga, and even Thor’s wife, Sif, now practice Seidr. Odin is known to go into a trance or to appear to be asleep when he’s off in different realms. He uses spirit guides to see things, including his birds.”
Lavania had mentioned Odin’s birds and how they gathered information for him. She never said how Odin used them. Ingrid gestured as she continued to talk, her cheeks flushed. This was the most animated I’d ever seen her.
“But Freya will always remain the goddess of Seidr. She shape shifts into other animals and even owns a magical coat of falcon feathers that turns her into a falcon when she wears it. That’s why Seidr Seeresses cover themselves with animal cloaks or sit on cushions made of feathers.” She peered at me. “The blood you saw was probably from the Seeress being killed.” She glared at Andris. “We don’t sacrifice chickens.”
He smirked. I wondered if he’d deliberately mentioned sacrificing chickens to get a rise out of her. He was the one who had runed her and Maliina, making them immortal. Surely, he must know about their practices.
“While in a trance state,” Ingrid continued, “a person takes spirit journeys. Some use familiars, like Odin’s birds. Others use spirit guides. They can conjure images, good or bad, and project them into the minds of others. Deliver spells. Blessings or curses. But the more advanced practitioners and the Seeresses can travel to other realms. Just like Odin and Freya.”
“Can they visit Asgard?” Blaine asked.
“Still planning to visit your girlfriend?” Andris teased Blaine.
Blaine sat up, eyes narrowed, but one glance from Torin and he sank back into his seat. But the look he gave Andris could have neutered any grown man. Andris just smirked.
I kicked him under the table again.
Andris glared. “Do that again and you’ll be sorry.”
Torin smirked. “Really?”
He could convey so much with just a word. This one had whoop-ass written all over it. Andris just shrugged as though saying “whatever.”
“Uh, the journeys can take them anywhere, but most of them go to H
el,” Ingrid said. “All our ancestors are in Hel’s Hall. So when you want to know something, they are the ones you talk to. Some Seeresses communicate with the Norns.” Ingrid paused then added slowly, “I think the Seeress probably connected with you, Raine, instead of a Norn.”
If she’d reached over and slapped me, I wouldn’t have been more surprised. Norns were the bane of my existence. It was my job as a Seeress to see their secrets, damn it. Not become the go-to person for magical people who couldn’t communicate with them. I crossed my arms and pressed against my stomach, feeling a little sick.
“Why in Hel’s Mist would she connect with Raine?” Torin snapped, and Ingrid jumped. “She’s not a bloody Norn.” His accent tended to grow stronger when he was pissed. I reached for his hand under the table and interlaced our fingers.
Ingrid threw me an apologetic glance and shrugged. “Maybe the Seeress is a novice and didn’t know what she was doing.”
“Or maybe she knew exactly what she was doing,” Femi said slowly, and we all focused on her. “Maybe she wanted Raine to witness her death. Like Ingrid had said, Seeresses do other things, not just travel to different realms. They roam this realm too and do things, good and bad. Drive people crazy with spells or protect them from harm. Find missing children and dogs. Cheating spouses. Those with powers over elements can mess with nature. They can cause winds, storms, drought. Seeresses communicating with each other is something I’d never heard of before, but she may have chosen to connect with Raine instead of a Norn for a reason.”
O-kay. She wasn’t helping. Torin looked like he wanted to rip something apart. Why would a Seeress want me to witness her death? Everyone was staring at me as though waiting for something.
“My watch said it happened at three in the morning. Maybe I’m supposed to find this Seeress and help her before she is killed,” I said.
Femi nodded. “That’s possible.”
“Do you remember anything about the city, landmarks that could give us a clue about where she lives?” Torin asked.
“No. It’s still blurry, but the landscape was flat. No mountains and hills. No water. Lots of tall buildings.” Kayville’s tallest buildings were only four stories high.
“That could be anywhere,” Torin said and leaned back into his chair, but I could tell his mind was racing and searching for a solution. “The death of one Seeress will go unnoticed by the magical world. Several could start a ripple.”
“He said another Seeress had sent him, or something along those lines,” I said.
“Maybe we should warn witches not to hold a séance for some psycho killer at three in the morning,” Andris suggested.
I liked that. “Can’t you guys talk to the other Valkyries?” I asked. “So they can warn the Seeresses in their reaping grounds?”
Torin looked like he was about to argue, but then he nodded. Reluctantly. “Valkyries don’t socialize with witches, unless they’re about to turn them.” He glanced at Blaine. “But the Immortals can help spread the word. I’ll be back.” He squeezed my arm, jumped up, and disappeared toward the portal.
“So what was the purpose of the fire, the runes, and the circle?” Blaine asked.
Ingrid glanced at him, her pale blond hair swinging across her cheeks. She’d recently chopped her long strands into a bob cut. Andris hated it. Personally, I think it suited her. Gave her that polished Upper East Side socialite look.
“The circle contains the energy and magic within that narrow space and protects it,” she explained. “Unlike other forms of magical practices, Seidr witches don’t have covens. There’s no drumming or frenzied dancing. We sing a special song, and that’s it.”
“The song I heard?” I asked.
She nodded. “A Seeress chooses an elevated place somewhere where there’s very little distraction, creates a protective circle around her, and burns recels to purify the space and clear her mind of all things worldly. In most cases, someone sings the Seidr song to relax the Seeress and help her drift into a trance. The runes help her channel her visions.”
I was so going to need lots of runes, because even when summoned, everything had been blurry. Not only was I supposed to get visions, I had to worry about other Seeresses contacting me for help. My life couldn’t get any weirder.
I glanced toward the portal, wondering where Torin had disappeared to. The conversation around the table revolved around magical practices. Blaine had something to say about Gaelic magic, which his people practiced in Ireland.
“Don’t ask me how our magic works because we’re sworn to secrecy and any Druid or Druidess worth their salt will keep that to their death. That’s why your people came after us.” He glared at Andris. “You didn’t just hate that the entire Gaulish society depended on us. You hated the fact that we refused to share our knowledge.”
“Before my time, Chapman, so put a sock in it.” Andris blew him a kiss. He was born in Rome, just before the Ottoman invaded and captured Constantinople. “By the time I arrived, you guys were extinct.”
“Gone underground,” Blaine retorted.
“Whatever, dude.” Andris glanced around the table. “I wish I had cute anecdotes to share. We had pentagrams and covens and witch hunts, the worst time to be a witch.” He glanced at Femi. “May I borrow your laptop?”
Femi waved toward the counter, where she’d left her computer. Andris left the table.
“What was your magic like, Femi?” I asked.
She grinned, studying her charm bracelets. “Egyptian magicians were powerful in the old days. They didn’t just communicate with the gods; they controlled them. When we wanted to know something, we channeled the powers of a particular god. Say I wanted to know about the harvest, I channeled Hapi, the god of the Nile. We created statues of the gods, which acted as oracles. Or we got visions through incubation,” Femi said.
Everyone wore a perplexed expression.
“What is incubation?” I asked.
“Sleeping in a god’s temple to get visions through dreams,” Femi explained.
Torin returned, and the room became quiet. “It’s done. I talked to a few Valkyries, who agreed to pass the info to other Valkyries and Immortals. Others weren’t home, but the word is out.”
“I’m done, too,” Andris said. He turned the laptop around. On the screen were several open windows. “Message boards for witches. I just posted a warning anonymously under Seeresses Beware.”
Torin gave Andris a back slap. “Good job, bro. That should cover things for now.” He stopped behind me, slid his hands down my arms, and whispered, “Do you want to go for a ride?”
Anything was better than sitting here worrying, talking, and thinking about visions. “Sure. Can I be in charge?”
“Aren’t you always?”
Yeah, for about five seconds. “Okay. Let’s go.”
“But I ordered dinner,” Femi said when she realized we were leaving.
“We’ll eat when we come back,” I said. “Rides tend to make me hungry.”
Andris whistled. “Oh, I need that kind of ride.”
Torin smacked the back of his head. I just shook my head. Andris always reduced everything to something lewd.
***
I loved the Harley since the first time Torin had offered me a ride to school and showed me what he could do with his runes. It was like hurtling down on Formula Rossa without safety straps. Dangerous, but exhilarating.
Torin went to get another leather jacket when we arrived next door. He hadn’t changed the décor even though Andris, Ingrid, and Lavania moved to the mansion. The white and gray furniture and framed nature pictures on the walls weren’t really him. He was more leather and chrome.
“Are you ever going to move to the mansion?” I asked, adjusting the leather gloves.
He adjusted the collar of my jacket, lifting my hair out of the way. “Do you want me to?”
“No.” I adjusted his collar too, my hand lingering on his wide shoulders. “I like looking across the yard and seeing yo
u tinker in the kitchen.”
“That’s insulting.” He lowered his head until his lips were inches from mine and whispered, “I don’t tinker.” His warm breath teased my lips.
“But you look so adorable doing it.”
“Adorable is you chewing your lower lip and looking unsure about what to do next. Adorable is you scolding Andris because he’s being a turd again or having one of your heated debates with your… dad.”
Dad and I hadn’t had one of our debates in weeks. “Okay. You look sexy. Let’s go.” I pushed open the door to his garage, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. He lifted my chin.
“You’ll have to start talking about him, Freckles.”
“I know he’s dying, but…” I sighed. “I just don’t want to talk about him as though he’s gone. He might never cook for me or debate or go for runs, but… but he’s still here.”
“I know.”
“And I hate saying ‘Dad used to do this or that.’ I want him healthy, yet I know it’s never going to happen.”
“Come here.” Torin started to pull me into his arms, but I jumped back.
“You are just trying to get out of letting me take the first seat.” I wagged my finger. “Not happening, mister.” I ran into the garage with him hot on my tail. When I glanced back, the look on his face said he knew I was bailing.
I wanted to be as far away from here as possible. Put distance between me and my problems. It was irrational. No one could outrun their problems, but I was going to try.
We grabbed helmets and goggles. His hair had grown long. I tucked in a few strands and got rewarded with a kiss on my nose. He pressed the keys in my hand.
“It’s all yours,” he said.
Grinning, I straddled the bike and turned the key. The purr of the engine filled the garage. I’d never get tired of feeling the power of the modified Harley engine. Or Torin curled onto my back with his masculine arms wrapped tightly around me. I always felt safe when he did that, even though I was the one controlling the machine.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
We only have an hour or so of daylight, but that shouldn’t be a problem. “Uh, Portland? It’s only an hour away and I can practice weaving between cars in a big city.”
Seeress: Book Three (Runes Series) Page 3
