Veiled Enchantments

by Deborah Blake

  Doorways on either end of the foyer led out into other areas of the house. From the one on the left, she could detect delicious scents wafting down the hallway, so she guessed that way led to the kitchen and dining area, among other things.

  “You have a lovely home,” Donata said as Magnus dropped her bags by the front door with a thud. “Thank you for having me.”

  “It’s my pleasure,” Astrid said, shooing them ahead of her into the living room. “Can I get you something to drink? Dinner won’t be for another hour or so; I’d be happy to put together something for you to nibble on.”

  “I’m fine. We stopped for lunch about halfway here,” Donata said.

  Magnus opened his mouth to say something when a large man clomped into the room, entering from a side door Donata hadn’t noticed. He was enough like Magnus that they could have been brothers, except for the few silver strands in his hair and closely trimmed beard. She’d heard it said that if you want to know what a man will look like in thirty years, look at his father. If that was true, Magnus was going to age well. An old scar crossed one weathered cheek, and the lines around his mouth and eyes were deeper, but Magnus’s father was still a handsome male who radiated command like some men did aftershave. Even in worn jeans and a green-and-blue-checked flannel shirt that shed bits of bark from the stack of wood he was holding.

  “Oh, Halvor,” Astrid said. “Good. Magnus and his friend Donata just got in.”

  Halvor dumped the logs in a holder by the fireplace and stared at Donata with a blunt and impassive gaze. “Huh,” he said to Magnus. “So this is the Witch who is supposed to save us all. Somehow I thought she would be more impressive.”

  She stared back at him. “The Witch is standing right here,” she said. “And somehow I thought you’d be more polite, so I guess we’re even.”

  After a moment of tense silence, Halvor nodded at his son. “Well, she’s got backbone, I’ll give you that. Maybe this won’t be a complete disaster after all.”

  “Halvor,” Astrid said in a disapproving voice, only to be interrupted by the sound of high-pitched yelling as two children, a girl who looked to be around four and a boy maybe a year older, ran into the room like a couple of tiny tornadoes. The girl held a soft red ball the size of a tomato over her head as she fled from her brother, blond braids streaming behind her. They both wore variations of the jeans and flannel their grandfather had on.

  “Give it back,” the boy yelled. “It’s my turn.”

  The girl looked back and stuck her tongue out at him. “Not if you can’t catch me, it isn’t!”

  They both ran up to Magnus, weaving between his legs and shouting, “Uncle Magnus, Uncle Magnus!” He chuckled and plucked the ball out of the little girl’s hand, tossing it to Donata without looking and, in the same motion, grabbing both children around their waists and dangling them upside down. They shrieked with laughter as he held them up about six inches from the floor.

  Donata caught the ball more by instinct and years of training than by any conscious thought, amused and a little more touched than was good for her peace of mind by the ease with which Magnus interacted with his niece and nephew.

  “Put us down, Uncle Magnus,” they yelled. He just chuckled more.

  “Yes, do put them down, Uncle Magnus,” said the woman who followed them into the room. Like the rest of the family, she was tall and blond and attractive, although at the moment she wore a scowl that spoiled her good looks. She walked with the slightest of limps, but the muscles under the blue cotton turtleneck the color of her eyes made it clear there was nothing weak about her.

  “What have I told you children about running in Grandfather’s part of the house?” she said.

  Magnus reluctantly lowered his niece and nephew to the floor. “Hello, Kari. This is my friend Donata. Donata, this is my sister, Kari, and these little monkeys are Jerrik and Iona.”

  “Hi,” Donata said. Kari nodded, barely, but the kids ran up and stood at Donata’s feet, gazing at her in curiosity.

  “Can I have my ball back?” Iona said, giving Donata the innocent-cute act for all it was worth. Adorable, but not remotely believable. It reminded Donata of when Ricky the Kobold had done something he knew she wasn’t going to approve of.

  Donata widened her eyes and held out both hands, empty, in front of her. “What ball?” she said. “Did you lose a ball?”

  Both of the kids looked at her with open mouths. “But—but Uncle Magnus threw it to you,” Jerrik said.

  “Are you sure?” Donata asked with a straight face. “After all, you were hanging upside down. Maybe he threw it to someone else. Or into the hallway.”

  “Never mind the ball,” Kari said. “You have homework to do before dinner. Scoot now, back to our rooms.” She shooed the children in the direction of the doorway they’d entered from, then looked briefly at Donata with narrowed eyes.

  “Magnus shouldn’t have asked you here,” she said bluntly. “This is Ulfhednar business and nothing to do with Witches or the Alliance Council or anyone else. I suggest you go back where you came from and leave us alone.” She tossed her long blond braid over her shoulder. “And leave our men alone too. My brother doesn’t need any distractions right now.” She turned and walked away.

  Without even thinking about it, Donata reached under the back of her jacket where she’d tucked the red ball while she was teasing the children, and flung it at Kari as hard as she could. It hit the other woman square between the shoulder blades and bounced off onto the floor.

  Kari whipped around and glared, first at Magnus, then at her father. She never even looked at Donata. “That’s not funny,” she said, and stomped out of the room.

  Magnus doubled over with laughter, tears streaming out of his eyes. His mother bit her lip, and even Halvor made a noise that might have been a smothered laugh before shaking his head and following his daughter out.

  “I can’t believe you did that,” Magnus said, walking over to scoop up the ball and hand it to Donata. “Here, you might want this again. I’m just glad your gun is still in your backpack.”

  Astrid slapped him lightly on the side of the head. “Don’t encourage her,” she said. Then she turned to Donata and the smile slid off her face. “I am sorry that you did not get a warmer welcome from the rest of my family. Sometimes they forget their manners, but they mean well. They will come around, I promise.”

  Donata had her doubts, but she didn’t want to antagonize the one other person in the house who seemed happy to have her there. “I’m sure,” she said in a neutral tone that made it clear she was anything but. “I really am here to help.”

  “I believe you are, dear, or I wouldn’t have encouraged Magnus to bring you here.” At Donata’s surprised look, she smiled and said, “Didn’t he tell you that both his father and I sit on the town’s Assembly of elders? No? Well, he does often leave out more than he says. Never mind.”

  Astrid nudged her son. “Why don’t you pretend we know how to treat a guest properly and take your friend to her room? I’m sure she’d like to clean up and rest a bit before dinner.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Magnus said. His mother smiled at Donata ruefully and wandered off in the direction of the kitchen. Magnus picked up the bags and guided Donata down the hallway to the right.

  “Well, that was fun,” he said cheerfully. “I can’t wait for dinner, when we’re all gathered around the same table, with no escape.”

  Donata just hoped there would be wine. Lots and lots of wine.

  Chapter Four

  Donata’s room turned out to be a cheerful, sunlit space with the same polished plank floors and handcrafted furniture as the rest of the house she’d seen so far. The double bed was covered with a patchwork quilt in blues and greens, and matching curtains hung over the single window. There was a small dresser, a rocking chair sat in one corner with a crocheted throw tossed over it, and a rag rug was
placed next to the bed. A few simple paintings—all of them with a nature theme—decorated the walls, but mostly the room was just plain and comfortable.

  “There is a shared bathroom next door,” Magnus said as he put her bags down inside the door. “And I’m right across the hall in case you need anything. Anything at all.” He winked at her. She ignored both the wink and the way it made something flutter inside her belly.

  No more men, she reminded herself. Two disasters in six months were enough for any girl, especially her. She was there to get a job done, and that was it. Magnus couldn’t afford to get distracted and neither could she. Thankfully, it sounded like he’d be gone most of the time doing his Ulf training. Of course, that meant she’d be alone with his family. Great.

  “Thanks,” she said. “The room is nice. In fact, the whole house is charming, and so is your mom.”

  “Unlike the rest of my relatives, you mean,” Magnus said, not sounding as though he was disagreeing with her.

  “Oh, I don’t know, the kids seem pretty harmless.” She sighed. “What’s with all the antagonism from your father and your sister, though?”

  Magnus leaned against the door frame. “My bringing you here wasn’t exactly a unanimous decision. The Ulfhednar aren’t very good, on the whole, at accepting help or playing well with others. Hell, we rarely play well with each other. There was a certain amount of resistance to the idea of bringing in an outsider, but we’ve been trying for months to deal with the problem ourselves and getting nowhere, so a majority of the Assembly finally agreed to my suggestion. The others will come around once they get to know you.”

  Donata wasn’t so sure, but in all the time she’d known Magnus, he had very rarely been wrong about anything important, so she decided to take his word for it for now. Besides, what was she going to do? Take a bus back to the city? She’d promised to try to help, and she always kept her promises. Mind you, she wasn’t sure how far she was going to get if no one wanted to talk to her.

  “Why don’t you get washed up for dinner and put your things away, and I’ll come get you and escort you to the dining room when it’s time,” Magnus suggested.

  “Are you escorting me to protect me from them, or them from me?” Donata asked, giving him a crooked grin.

  “Yes,” he said, and blew her a kiss on the way out the door.

  Everyone else was already seated at the table by the time Magnus led Donata back down the hallway, through the foyer, and past the huge kitchen, which looked like it had been built to feed a cast of hundreds. Luckily, there weren’t that many sitting around the massive, scarred, oval oak table: Halvor at the head, with his wife opposite him on the other end, Kari and a man Donata assumed was her husband placed on the right side with the hellions (as she now thought of them) in between them, and two young men in their late teens who were obviously twins and just as obviously related to the rest of the family on the left side, closest to Halvor. Two empty seats between them and Astrid were waiting for Magnus and Donata.

  Magnus pointed to the boys and said, “Donata, you haven’t met Enar and Erik yet. They’re cousins who live here. Guys, this is my friend Donata. Try and be nice to her, will you?” He pulled out the seat next to Enar, or maybe it was Erik, and held it for Donata, then sat down in the chair next to his mother.

  “Hey,” said Erik (probably). “We’re always nice. Especially to pretty women.” He grinned at Donata. “No wonder Kari is so crabby about having you here. She hates not being the best-looking one in the room.”

  “Erik, be nice,” Astrid scolded. Then muttered under her breath just loud enough for Donata to hear, “As if that is ever going to happen.” She shook her head and pointed across the table. “And this is Lars, Kari’s husband.”

  “Who always thinks she is the prettiest woman in the room,” Lars said with a shy smile aimed at his wife, who actually turned pink, much to Donata’s surprise. It was good to know that Kari wasn’t horrible to everyone. Just the special cases, like her.

  Halvor cleared his throat meaningfully and raised the metal goblet in front of his plate. The rest of the family lifted their glasses, so Donata did too. “We give thanks to Odin for this food and for his protection,” he said, then drank. Everyone else followed suit.

  Astrid raised an eyebrow in his direction, and he added begrudgingly, “And we welcome our guest to our table.”

  “Thank you,” Donata said, and they all started to pass around huge platters of meat, bread, cheese, and roasted vegetables. Apparently all Ulfhednar had very healthy appetites, not just Magnus. Donata wasn’t exactly tiny, but in the midst of all these blond giants, she felt almost dainty. She didn’t like it much.

  “So Kari tells me you’re going to try and get to the bottom of our ghost problem,” Lars said in a cheerfully disbelieving tone. Unlike the rest of the people at the table, Lars was only a little more than average height, and muscular without looking as though he could wrestle an ox and win. His hair was light brown and his expression pleasant and slightly haggard, as might be expected from someone raising two small hellions.

  Donata shrugged. “Magnus is an old friend and he asked for my help. I do talk to ghosts for a living, but this particular situation is a little outside my normal purview. I’ll do what I can.”

  “It’s really true?” Enar said. “You can actually talk to dead people? Cool.”

  “It’s not as much fun as it sounds like,” Donata said. “Especially since the ones I usually contact have all been the victims of some kind of crime. Still, at least that makes them eager to talk to me, mostly. We’ll have to see if your ghosts are that cooperative.”

  “It seems unlikely,” Halvor said, his expression grim. “So far they have only appeared to those undergoing the Ulf training. It is extremely disruptive, but I fail to see how your interrupting those who are involved is going to be any less disruptive.”

  “I will do my best not to get in the way,” Donata said, “but I’m not sure I understand the importance of having as many Ulf as possible. Does it really matter if some of those working on it this year don’t finish until next year?”

  “You never explained this to her?” Astrid said to Magnus with surprise. “I thought you said you were close.”

  Magnus grinned. “We had better things to talk about at the time.”

  Donata blushed and kicked him under the table. She knew perfectly well that when they’d been going out, the Ulfhednar life he’d left behind him had been a sore subject, and he hadn’t wanted to discuss it in any detail, but she figured that it probably wouldn’t help to point that out to the family who had turned their backs on him when he’d refused to finish his Ulf training years before.

  “Initially, it was a matter of survival,” Kari explained. “The Ulf are strong warriors and hunters, and the more a clan had, the more likely their people were to triumph in battle and survive through the harsh winters of our homeland. Only a few Ulfhednar are born with the gene that enables them to make the transformation into a true Ulf, although many attempt the training and rituals that will get them to the point where they can undergo the final trial.” She glanced around the table with pride. “Our family has historically had a much larger percentage of those possessing the gene than the average Ulfhednar.”

  “But if it isn’t necessary for survival anymore, why is it still so important?” Donata asked. “I mean, clearly it is, but I don’t see why.”

  “That is because you are not Ulfhednar,” Halvor said.

  “Or maybe it is because no one has bothered to enlighten her,” Astrid said, passing a bowl of potatoes in Donata’s direction with a sympathetic smile. “These days the Ulf are partially a matter of status, but there is also a political component. The clan with the most Ulf at the time of the winter solstice chooses one of their people to lead all the clans for the coming year.”

  “The Bear clan has been victorious for the last ten years,” E
rik said, eyes gleaming. “Our people make the best leaders. If we have the most Ulf this year, our fa– I mean, Uncle Halvor may be chosen to act as Chieftain.”

  Halvor glared down the table. “Let’s not have any bragging, boy. If we are fortunate enough to triumph at the solstice, the clan will choose whomever they feel will do the best job for all the Ulfhednar.” In a milder tone, he said to Donata, “Different clans have different ideas of what the future path for our people should be. While I do not believe that the Bear clan will maintain control forever, now might be a bad time for some of the other clans to gain leadership.”

  Donata glanced down at her plate to hide a smile. She was pretty sure Erik had almost called Halvor “father.” Cousins, my ass.

  “Ah,” she said. “That makes things clearer, thank you. I guess I’ll start in the morning by trying to talk to the men and women who have had unwelcome visitations, and also just try and get a feel for the area. Sometimes when there is a sudden upsurge in spectral activity, it is due to some kind of disturbance in the local environment.”

  “There has been nothing like that here,” Kari said. Her lips thinned. “The Ulfhednar, unlike Humans and some other races, have respect for nature and the world we live in.”

  “Besides,” Enar added with a perverse kind of cheerfulness, “nobody is going to talk to you. Fa– Uncle Halvor told Magnus that before he went to fetch you.”

  Donata put her fork down slowly, feeling her appetite slip away. “Really? And why is that?”

  Enar either missed the sudden silence around the table or purposely ignored it. “Because everyone thinks you’re a spy for the Alliance Council, of course.”