Page 51 of Polestar
They would smell her fear, making her an easy target.
She laughed at herself, tucking her phone away.
She was already an easy target.A human on an island full of powerful shifters, but she also wasn’t helpless.Her fingers ghosted over her weapons before she drew a breath.On its release, she opened her senses.
Time to get to work.
Barentia, like everywhere else in this part of the globe, was comprised of mountainous islands rising out of the steely waters of the north.The world was all shades of gray and blue, white and black, with little variety in between.Even the coniferous trees appeared more black than green.
Without looking at her, Magnus reached out to squeeze her glove-covered hand as several villagers came out to see who’d interrupted their daily routine of coastal life.
Magnus’ name drifted between individuals until a stoic older woman emerged from the gathering crowd of astonished faces.
Surprise, disdain, and hostility rippled through the air.
Magnus’ appearance pleased some villagers, but you wouldn’t know it to look at their craggy, sea-worn faces.
She felt it.
They looked from Magnus to Ana, and moved aside.
The old woman stood at the top of the path.She looked like any of the other villagers.Magnus stopped before her, head bowed.
Ana didn’t understand Barentian, but through observing their facial expressions, body language and psychic energy, she got the gist of what was going on.
Magnus and the older woman exchanged a few words before she turned her back on them.Magnus followed her.Ana followed him.
The elder woman led them to an ornately carved wooden structure where a boy awaited her.With a few sharp words from the woman, the boy’s gaze darted between her, Magnus and Ana, then he set off like an Olympic sprinter along another path that led away from the ocean.
Magnus whispered to Ana as he held the door opened for her to precede him inside the building.“The boy will send a message to alert my father that we have arrived.”
Moving into the space felt like stepping into an energy cloud.The hairs on her arms rose.
Magnus whispered close to her ear.“As a banished one, I’m not welcome in resident’s homes, but the temple is a place open to all.”
With Ana’s senses open, and the high energy of the place, Magnus’ proximity made her skin tingle even through the layers of clothing until he stepped away again.
She nodded, gaze sweeping the beautifully crafted interior lit by braziers.At the far end of the open space, an altar filled the far wall.
The village temple.The woman was no doubt its priestess.
Ana approached the altar.Touching nothing, she inspected the symbols and offerings.
None looked anything like the sigil imprinted on Aksel’s throat.
The elder appeared next to her.
Ana turned toward her, met and held her gaze before offering her hand.“I’m Analiese Ortega.”
“Beyla Jorgansdotter.”The woman shook her hand with a firm grip.The corner of her thin lips tilted upward as she assessed Ana.With a short laugh, she turned toward a table with a pitcher and glasses, speaking to Magnus over her shoulder as she poured.
“She says I’ve brought you here to clean up my mess,” Magnus said.
“What is she talking about?”
Magnus relayed the question and translated the elder’s answer.
“She says things haven’t been the same since I left the clan.My father is different.More conflict among Barentians than is usual.And in recent years, a gang seems to have formed.”
