The Beast and The Sibyl

by A. J. Adams

  “Siv, your people are going to be furious. They’ll say I’m trouble, and they’d be right.”

  “Hmm.” I was looking down her tunic, enjoying the view.

  At first she kept going, but as I started stripping her in my imagination, her head came straight up. “Hey!”

  I finally had her attention. “Vala, talk to me.”

  “I am!”

  “No, you’re talking at me. Don’t be Bliss, be the vala. You need to know what I know.”

  For a moment I thought she’d blast me. But then she took a deep breath. “What? You’re thinking of sex! Again!”

  “Precisely. Would I be doing that if I thought my brothers were in danger?”

  “No.” I got full blown evil eyes. “Dammit!”

  “Exactly. This is why you need me, Bliss.”

  Her eyes were narrowed with temper but my girl was thinking clearly. “Let me guess! This is about you being a warrior?”

  “That’s right. Panic and guesswork render your talent useless.”

  “What?” She was genuinely taken aback. “Second sight is hardly useless!”

  “It is if you can’t tell the difference between what you see and what is fear-driven imagination.” I gave it to her straight. “I love you, Bliss, but if we’re to survive, my brothers as well as the two of us, we need your skills without the hysteria.”

  Bliss had always worried about men wanting her for her power or her land, so her eyes narrowed a little. But she was reading me well, so I was certain she couldn’t mistake my feelings for her.

  Well, not entirely certain. I stroked the soft, long, white hair away from her face. “Bliss, I’m in love with you. I’ve lusted after you from the moment I saw you. And when I came to know you, you won my heart. Just looking at you makes me quiver.”

  She blinked, half smiled and then lifted her chin, “Hey, wait a minute! The first time you met me, you wanted to kill me!”

  “A misunderstanding.”

  “Hmm.”

  “As soon as I realised you had talents I could use, I changed my mind.”

  “Huh! I knew you weren’t to be trusted.” But she said it with a sigh and a half smile that told me she knew I was kidding. “Kidnapping me and tying me to the mast was a giveaway.”

  “What can I say? I’m a beast.” Bliss burst out laughing, which meant I got to see those glorious breasts jiggling.

  It also settled her. “So Skull Crusher, what’s your advice to the vala?”

  “If the wind keeps up, we’ll be home in four or five days. The duke will be a few weeks behind us. We use the time we have now to explore your talent. You also try and see more of the future.”

  “I can take some poppy,” she said slowly.

  “No way! I absolutely forbid it!” I was yelling again, suddenly terrified.

  “Okay, okay, stop yelling at me!” Bliss was totally unmoved. “You’ll have Saga falling overboard.”

  I forced down my fear. “You are absolutely not to take poppy! Do you hear me? I’m not having you poison yourself!”

  “Okay, Siv. I hear you.”

  Infuriating, the calm way she spoke! She was trying to blow me off. “It’s dangerous and it’s stupid, too. We need a working vala, not an insane wreck!”

  “Yes, I agree.”

  Stubborn bloody bikkja! That calm tone meant she wasn’t taking me seriously. “If you go near that stuff, I’ll... I’ll...”

  “Wallop me?”

  Her eyes were luminous. The beauty of them mesmerised me. For a moment I was so full of love for her that I couldn’t speak. My sweet Bliss. Also, my idiotic Bliss.

  I gathered my senses. I wasn’t taking any chances. If I weren’t careful, she’d do something stupid. “I’m going to dump that Loki-inspired bottle!”

  At that, I was on my feet but she was clinging onto me. “Siv! Don’t you dare! That’s my best medicine!”

  “I’m not risking you!”

  “I need it for breech births! And broken bones!”

  “You’re not taking it!”

  “Yes, yes, yes, I get it! For goodness sake, sit down you damn fool!”

  “Don’t you call me names!”

  “You just called me a bikkja, stupid, and you thought I was idiotic.” Bliss was completely calm, just hanging onto me. “And now you’re being just the same.”

  “Keeping you safe is hardly stupid!” But I was sitting down again. My hands were shaking, and I could barely breathe. I’m never that way. Never! “Dammit, Bliss, you drive me insane!”

  “Yeah, well, what was that about fighting and fucking?” Bliss wasn’t worried at all. She was smiling, actually. “Look, you’re making a lot of sense.”

  “Of course I am.” Then I realised what she was saying. “Oh, right. You’re going to be sensible.” But it was a puzzle what had so suddenly changed her mind.

  Bliss grinned at me. “I saw your thoughts,” she said apologetically. “The concern’s on top, but there’s also conviction, almost certainty, that your brothers would be victorious if it came to a fight. Also, you don’t think it will.”

  “Oh.” It was a relief and also fascinating. “Well, you got that right.”

  “Hey!” Bliss was looking right into my eyes and laughing. “You don’t mind?”

  “What?”

  “I said I looked, and you weren’t afraid!”

  “Hey!”

  “Sorry!” But she clearly wasn’t. “I sensed it,” she said softly. “The first time, you felt so invaded that your instinctive reaction was to kill me.”

  I didn’t like that. “But I didn’t!”

  “I know. Your self-control is amazing.”

  “Yeah, right.” Bliss sounded sweet, but there was that flash in her eyes that told me she was managing me.

  She was smiling at me. “I felt that rejection until just now. You were happy, relieved, accepting, really.”

  “What did you see, exactly?”

  “Rune will negotiate,” Bliss said promptly.

  It was fantastic. I hadn’t even consciously thought about it, but it was correct. “You’re seeing beyond my thoughts!”

  “Hmm.” She was closing her eyes. “And now I can’t see a thing except for you being all happy about how useful I’ll be.”

  I was hugging her. “Yeah, you’re some asset!”

  “And we’re back to fucking!” Bliss sighed mockingly.

  We sat together, looking out over the bow. I could feel her concentrate, so I let her be. If she was rummaging around in my thoughts, it was all good. The wind was up, pushing us along the rip rapidly. If we kept this up, we’d be home in no time. I fell to thinking about home and hardly noticed when Bliss got up and went to sit by Saga. It must have been an hour later when she came back to me.

  “I can’t see a thing,” Bliss sighed. “Nothing.”

  “Never mind. It’ll come when it comes.”

  I spoke gently, but I was disappointed. It would have been nice to pull up visions at will. Funny, right? Considering that a few days ago any vision would have been a miracle, that kind of yearning was pure greed. I felt ashamed of myself for thinking it.

  “I get frustrated, too,” Bliss said. “The thing is, when I push, it just gets worse. When the goddess doesn’t want to share, there’s no forcing her.”

  “But the mind-reading is working great!”

  I got a smile and friendly punch on the arm. “You know,” Bliss said slowly. “I’ve a lot of questions about that part of my talent.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, sometimes I can read you, and sometimes I can’t. Sometimes it’s because I’m upset but not always. Also, I think I’m stuck to seeing only what you’re thinking about, but maybe not. Maybe I can push further, like with visions. Oh, and I was thinking, if I can only see what you’re thinking, and you’re deliberately thinking a lie, would I know?”

  For a moment I was totally taken aback. Bliss had always been so reluctant to talk about her talent, yet now she was op
ening up completely. It was a sign of complete and total trust. Bliss had looked into my soul, seen all of me, even the evil that I had done, and yet she trusted me. I didn’t deserve it, but Bliss was mine.

  Swept by unaccustomed emotion, I put an arm around her. “Sounds interesting. You know I love your brown eyes, don’t you? Also, I was a virgin till I met you.”

  Chapter Fifteen: Bliss

  I woke up to a light patter of rain. It was half light, but I could feel Siv’s excitement surging around me. It was so strong that I was getting to my feet, shrugging off the cloaks that had been wrapped around me.

  “We’re here!” Siv’s eyes were blazing with joy and anticipation. “Look!”

  All I could see was mist and some grey cliffs. But then Siv put his fingers in his mouth and whistled, three short blasts and a long one. Within seconds a fire arrow blasted into the air, followed by a piercing response: three short and one long. Then there was a faint roar.

  “Not far now, Bliss!” Siv was so intense that Saga was up in the bow, yipping excitedly. Bygul and Trigul were with her, tails fluffed up, clearly hoping they were in for more fish. In the week we’d been at sea, they’d been spoilt rotten, sleeping all day and waking up at dusk to demand Siv catch fish for them. He had too, the soft bugger. Bygul was rapidly turning circular and Trigul’s bum was more beaver than wildcat.

  I hastily combed my hair and straightened my clothes. My knees were shaking. Despite Siv’s assurances, I wasn’t convinced his brothers would accept me. I was so nervous about it that I was blocked on my visions. Even with daily effort, I’d not had a glimpse of what might happen.

  On the other hand, the mind-reading games had worked splendidly. I had a very good idea now of what worked and what didn’t, and I could read Siv pretty much anytime I wanted.

  “Come here,” Siv was reaching an arm towards me. He was reading me pretty well, too. “This is it, Bliss. Home.”

  We sailed around the bluff and into a sheltered bay dominated by a half-built longship. It was huge, half as long again as the duke’s ship, and twice as tall. The dragon’s head alone was bigger than me. I was gasping just looking at it.

  “Siiiiiiiiv!”

  A roar came from the shore, followed by whistles and the clamour of axes and swords clashing together. Beyond the longboat, a crowd of inked giants was piling onto the sand. They were dancing, screaming and yelling.

  “Skull Crusher!”

  “Siv, you bastard! Where the fuck have you been?”

  The cats took one horrified look and dashed into their basket. I hastily replaced the top. I didn’t want them running off in a panic.

  As we approached, the Beasts were diving into the water, grabbing the lines and towing us in. Their joy was overwhelming, rising in a wave and enveloping us. I found myself weeping in sympathy. Saga was frightened though, standing next to me and growling nervously.

  We came ashore with a bump. “Ymir’s icy breath, am I glad to see you!” A monster of a man with bright eyes and black hair was pulling Siv out of the boat and hugging him ruthlessly. “What happened? Where were you? We looked everywhere!”

  “Got caught in a storm.” Siv was laughing. “Rune, you bastard, I missed your ugly face!”

  “Odin’s hairy balls, am I glad to see you!”

  At the sound of Rune’s rumbling roar, Saga raised her head, standing in front of me protectively. The giant caught sight of her, gasped, and then his eyes went to me. As if by magic, all the Beasts spotted me at the same time. They all fell silent. Dead silent. It was so absolutely still that I felt my blood freeze. The joy vanished, swiftly replaced by naked hunger.

  “Is she–? Did you–?” Rune was eating me up with his eyes. With horror I realised he was hoping against hope that I was one of their cousins to the west. The others were, too. The sheer volume of tension and need flowing from them was driving my emotions into screaming point.

  “Bliss is a raider’s child,” Siv said quickly. “From Salvation, a fishing village near Brighthelme.”

  There was a long moment of silence, and then a sigh went up from the crowd. The tension vanished as yearning was replaced with acceptance. But I felt deep undercurrents of sadness in the mass. It was disconcerting, like seeing gaping holes of darkness in a clear horizon.

  I was dragged back by Rune who was smiling at me, “Welcome, Bliss.” His eyes went back to Saga. “For a moment I thought you were a shield maiden.”

  “Hey Siv!” A raucous voice yelled. “Found yourself a she-wolf?”

  “Whoohoo! Skull Crusher goes fishing and nets a Valkyrie!” another whooped.

  “Have some respect!” Siv roared, “or you’ll have to face me, Hakon!” But he was laughing.

  “No problem! Bring it on!”

  “Later!” Rune shouted. “We can all challenge our Skull Crusher later!”

  “A feast!” a dark-haired Beast with snake tattoos galore yelled. I recognised him from Siv’s memories. This was Brant, his best friend. “We’ll celebrate your return in proper style!”

  There was more chatter, and the joy was flooding back, washing away the darkness.

  The crowd surged again, and girls appeared, pushing in from the back of the crowd. Compared to the Beasts, they were small and slight. Most wore skirts and a tunic like me, but some were clad in leathers like the men.

  Siv was turning back to me, ready to help me out of the boat, but Saga was looking worried, upset by the noise and the crowd. I put my hand on her head and stroked her ears. As she sat down, the crowd hushed again.

  “Is that really a wolf?” a red-inked Beast asked.

  “Yes, this is Saga.” I pointed to the laundry basket. “Bygul and Trigul, my kisa, are in there.”

  “This is going to be different,” Brant laughed. “I thought only the gods had pet wolves and kisa.”

  “Bliss is a vala,” Siv announced.

  My heart just stopped. Somehow I’d imagined him telling his mates Rune and Brant, quietly, at some safe comfortable point in the future. Now I stood exposed in front of the crowd.

  “What’s a vala?” a girl with long chestnut hair asked.

  “It’s a witch,” a little redhead answered.

  “Hey!” Siv was bristling instantly. “Have some respect!”

  “Well, I’m not saying we should burn her at the stake, am I?”

  The redhead snapped back at Siv fearlessly and stood her ground, but the other girls were backing off. The fear that came off them was palpable. At the same time, the attention of the Beasts focused. They were cautious yet hopeful. I was relieved that none were reaching for their knives.

  “A vala? Well now, Siv, you’ve brought home a treasure.” Rune was reaching out, putting friendly hands on my shoulders. It can’t be true! Is our luck finally changing? Can this girl really give us the security we need? His thoughts hit me like a brick wall, powered by need and hope. Please Odin, let this not be a fraud! I don’t think I could keep them together if they’re disappointed once more.

  “I’m not a fraud and I can prove it.” I stood back a little breaking the contact. “But–” My words were drowned by the press of Beasts, all reaching out to me at once.

  “Vala–” Did my sister survive? And her children?

  “Have you seen our future?” Will I have sons?

  I need to know if my brother made it to the west.

  “Vala, can you heal my girl’s arm?”

  She loves me, I think. But has she forgiven me?

  “Vala, my mate’s pregnant. Is she going to be okay?”

  Did they reach the west? Was it all worth it?

  They surrounded me, their spoken and unspoken hopes and fears surging through me, battering at me as they crowded against me, touching me with their hands and minds. The sheer strength of their need made me reel. I was breathless, beginning to see spots. I could hear Saga begin to growl protectively.

  “Everyone stand back NOW!” Siv was hooking his arms around me protectively. “Move!”

 
In Salvation they would have yelled back and swamped us, but to my amazement the Beasts obeyed as one.

  “Is she okay?” Rune’s eyes were concerned. “Is she sick?”

  “No!” I spoke quickly, terrified Siv would reveal what was going on. “It’s just that we’ve been at sea a few days. I need to find my land legs.”

  Siv was holding me up and petting Saga, giving me time to catch my breath and calming her. I could tell by his frown that he knew I’d lied, but when I gripped his hand, he nodded. Siv wasn’t going to force the issue.

  “Of course.” Rune nodded. “Yes, go and get some rest.”

  “I don’t want a wolf in the house!’ The girl with the chestnut hair definitely didn’t like me. I knew who she was now, Tawny, Brant’s girl. They shared a cabin with Siv. And the redhead was Rune’s mate, Wynne.

  “Wolves are dangerous,” Wynne agreed.

  “And I don’t want kisa, whatever they are, either!” Tawny added.

  “We’re not living with you,” Siv said calmly. “We’re taking one of the cabins up the hill.” He patted Saga. “The girls need a bit of space.”

  “We’ve just completed three new cabins,” Rune mused. “But they’ve all been assigned.”

  “Take mine,” a tall rangy Beast with red squid inked all over him said. “It’s high up the hill, with a lovely view, and it backs straight into the woods.”

  “Thanks, Turid.” Siv punched his friend in the shoulder, which seemed to make them both happy. Then he raised his voice, announcing, “Also, I’m calling for a hunting ban on all wolves and kisa.”

  “You can’t do that!” Tawny squawked. “They’re dangerous!”

  “Saga isn’t, and I’m not having her hurt.”

  “She’s a damn wolf!”

  “So are you, and yet you’re standing here safe and sound!”

  I could see Siv was ready to get into it right there and then. Apparently Brant and Rune did, too, because Brant pulled Tawny away, and Rune was raising his hands for attention. “We decide in conclave,” he announced. After Siv and Bliss settle in,” he added.

  Rune nodded. “And nobody hunts today. That shouldn’t be hardship.”