Page 42 of Her Viking Master

Camille and I sat in stunned silence as we absorbed this information. The holographic displays continued to shift and change, showing different angles of the worksite, streams of data, and projections of potential outcomes. It was almost too much to take in.

Finally, Sven broke the silence. “Do you think you understand the gravity of the situation now?” he asked, his blue eyes intense as they moved between Camille and me.

We nodded mutely, still trying to process everything we’d learned. But even as I acknowledged the enormity of the threat, a nagging thought tugged at the back of my mind. The vision I’d had while Sven fucked my bottom—the frozen landscape, the ship in the ice—how did it fit into all of this?

“I understand,” I said slowly, “but…Herra, what about the vision I had? The one with the metal cathedral and the Viking ship? I don’t see anything like that in these images.”

Sven’s expression softened slightly, a hint of pride gleaming in his eyes. “Your vision,lille en, shows that you will have the power to intervene. The details may not match exactly what we see here, but the essence of your prophecy rings true.”

I felt confusion wash over me. My mind reeled as I tried to reconcile the high-tech satellite imagery before us with the mystical visions I had experienced.

“ButHerra,” I said hesitantly, my voice barely above a whisper, “does that mean… was the vision I got somehow from some supernatural realm? The gods or something?” I felt foolish even asking, but I needed to understand.

Sven reached out to cup my cheek gently. “Thevölurhave always walked between worlds,lille en. Between the physical and the spiritual, the seen and the unseen.”

I shook my head, still struggling to make sense of it all. “But I don’t see… you know, a cathedral or a ship in these images,” I protested. “It must be a coincidence, mustn’t it?”

Erik stepped forward then, his imposing presence commanding attention. “Mary,” he said, his voice low and serious, “the Sons of Odin have never been certain whether thevölurreceive their visions from the gods or from some other source. But we know that though the details are never exact, the intuition is almost unerring.”

I felt a shiver run down my spine at his words. The weight of this new responsibility, this strange power I seemed to possess, settled heavily on my shoulders.

Sven nodded in agreement with Erik’s words. “From some sense humans will probably never fully understand, your unconscious gathered the data and put it together. You identified the threat correctly, even if the specifics of your vision don’t match precisely with what we see here.”

I stared at the holographic displays, trying to reconcile the cold, hard data with the vivid imagery of my vision. “So the Pretorian Guard really is building something like a cathedral?” I asked, still uncertain.

“In a manner of speaking,” Sven replied. “These massive underground structures they’re creating could certainly be seen as a kind of cathedral—a monument to their ambition and hubris.”

“And the Viking ship?” Camille interjected, her voice tinged with skepticism.

Erik’s eyes gleamed with a fierce light. “That, my dear, represents us, the Sons of Odin. It is our destiny to intervene, to sail into this frozen wasteland and confront the threat that lurks beneath the ice.”

I felt a strange mix of emotions swirling within me—fear, excitement, and a growing sense of purpose. But still, doubt gnawed at me. “How can Camille and I possibly help with something like this?” I asked, gesturing to the complex data displays surrounding us. “This seems like a job for commandos or spies, not… not bed thralls.”

Sven’s expression grew serious as he regarded Camille and me. “I understand that you don’t see it yet. But you and Camille possess unique abilities that make you perfect for this task.”

He manipulated the holographic display, bringing up an image of a distinguished-looking man in his late fifties. His salt-and-pepper hair was perfectly coiffed, and his tailored suit spoke of immense wealth.

“This is Étienne Beaumont,” Sven explained. “He’s one of the wealthiest men in the world, a key player inGroupe Synergistique. He’s also under close surveillance by the Pretorian Guard.”

My eyes widened as I began to understand. “You want us to get close to him?”

Sven nodded. “Exactly. We will arrange for you and Camille to be ‘placed’ with Beaumont as his newest acquisitions. Given your backgrounds and your… talents, the Guard will immediately recognize your potential value as intelligence assets.”

A chill ran down my spine as I realized what he was suggesting. “You want us to be captured by the Guard,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes,” Erik confirmed, his tone grim. “It’s the only way to get you close enough to uncover what’s really happening in Hudson Bay.”

I exchanged a worried glance with Camille. Her dark eyes reflected the same mixture of fear and determination I felt churning in my gut.

Sven continued, his voice gentle but firm. “Once you’re in the Guard’s custody, you’ll need to use every skill we’ve taught you—both as bed thralls and asvölur. Your instincts, your ability to read people and situations, will be crucial.”

“But how will we know what to look for?” Camille asked, her brow furrowed in concern.

Erik stepped forward, calling up a new set of images on the display. They showed complex schematics and technical diagrams that meant little to me. “We’ve prepared a series of seemingly innocuous questions that will help you gather the information we need,” he explained. “You’ll be trained in how to ask them without arousing suspicion.”

My mind reeled at the enormity of what they were asking us to do. We would be walking into the lion’s den, armed with nothing but our wits and our bodies. The thought was terrifying, yet I couldn’t deny the thrill of excitement that coursed through me.

“What about extraction?” I asked, trying to keep the tremor from my voice. “How will we get out once we have the information?”

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