Page 15 of Alien Viking's Passion

There was a careful knock on the door, and Valtyrr bounced to his feet with surprising speed for such a big man. He strode to the door and opened it. “Yes? His Highness is still breakfasting!”

“He sent for me,” a creaky old voice said.

“Let her in, Valtyrr.”

The huge man opened the door fully and admitted the Soothsayer Signe. “Very well, Your Highness. May I take myleave, if there is no other business?”

“You may, Valtyrr. Go and check on the ship they’re building.”

The warrior straightened, his head almost hitting the ceiling. “Yes, my prince!” The house shook with his roar.

The door closed firmly behind him, and Craxon hid a smile with the mug. His friend was scandalously free from courtly protocol when they were alone, but the moment someone else came along, he was strictly formal. It didn’t fool anyone.

The soothsayer came into the room, moving smoothly around the furniture despite her blind eyes. Signe was the best soothsayer Craxon had, trained by Hjalmarheim’s own oracles decades ago, long before Bragr became earl. She had even been given the unusual honor to look into the oracle crystal, and she still talked about that as the most profoundly wonderful experience of her life. It had blinded her, but she didn’t seem to need her eyes for anything.

Now she was a soothsayer, able to see what was going on in Ragnhildros despite being many days’ sailing across the ocean. But while Bragr’s remarkable seeresses could see the future, Craxon’s soothsayers could only see current events, although from a long distance.

“Your Highness,” she said, giving him a little bow and rearranging her thick red robe.

“Great Soothsayer Signe,” Craxon said warmly, knowing that these old sorceresses were always dancing on the edge of another world and could sometimes lose touch of reality, never to regain it. “Thank you for coming. I wish to know about my principality. Is there news about Ragnhildros and its people?”

The old woman half-turned to stare blindly at the cold fireplace. That must be the direction of Ragnhildros seen from here. “The land of Ragnhildros still stands and prospers. I see your people tending to their farms, the warriors practice and sharpen their weapons, the children play and learn. It is a well-kept land, Your Highness. But it needs its prince. They are asking where you are during this time of Big Shine.”

It was a variation of the ways the soothsayer had to say that everything was fine back home. And it made Craxon’s urge to go home all the stronger. There were soothsayers in Ragnhildros who could gaze the other way and see what Craxon was doing in Hjalmarheim, but nobody could command them to do so and they would only obey their prince. His people wouldn’t know when he would be back.

“Any signs of Kofraks, the draugr?”

Signe turned to the side, slowly, as if searching. Her whole body suddenly jerked hard. “Oh…”

Craxon rose to his feet, worried. She had never done this before. “Are you all right, Soothsayer Signe?”

“Kofraks is strong,” Signe said, her voice tense. “He is strong, and he is… looking at us! Atyou, my prince. I see his white skull with the terrible light in his eyes!”

Craxon felt coldness go down his back. It was customary to ask about Kofraks, the greatest enemy Ragnhildros had, but no soothsayer had ever been able to tell him anything about the terrible draugr.

“What else do you see?” he asked, afraid of the answer. “Is he flooding our homeland?”

“He is not.”

“Is he causing our ships to founder?”

“He is not.”

That was something, at least. “Why is he strong?”

“It’s the Big Shine, Your Highness. It gives him strength. And he… my prince, he is… he islaughing! Holy Zhor, protect us!” The old woman shuddered and seemed to struggle as if she were being held fast by some invisible grip. She managed to writhe around until she was facing Craxon, then held onto a chair to stay upright.

Craxon quickly came around the table to grab the thin, impossibly light woman before she collapsed to the floor. “I have you, Signe. You’re here in Hjalmarheim, safe in the realm of Earl Bragr.”

She stared up at him with the pure white of her eyes. “Safe… yes, safe for now. He is strong, my prince.”

“But we are stronger,” Craxon said calmly, automatically falling into his role as the leader who must always be sure of absolute victory. “Now we know he’s strong, Soothsayer! We are forewarned about any mischief he might attempt. Once more you have rendered priceless service to your prince and your people. Here, try this.” He pressed a mug of the hotgrutinto her cold hands.

Signe recovered quickly. “It’s the first time I see Kofraks this clearly, my prince. The Big Shine gives my gifts power, too. He is terrible to see. I extended myself too far, went into his power for a short moment. Next time I will know to pry carefully and he will not see me.”

“Of course,” Craxon said soothingly. “You did what had to be done, Signe. Perhaps he is as afraid of you as you are of him.”

“Perhaps,” the old woman creaked. “But I doubt he has the wisdom. My prince, if there is nothing else, I desire to go to my bed and rest. I must also report my vision to the Royal Chaperone.”

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