Curse Of Blood: Gods & Monsters

Chapter XLIV - Brenna

Mímir — (MEE-meer) "The Rememberer" a shadowy being whose knowledge of all things was practically unparalleled among the inhabitants of the cosmos. He is a wise counselor of the gods. His home was a well called, Mímisbrunnr.

Hálfrblód — I made this word up (at least I think I did) or maybe it is a real word? (Icelandic friends? please advice). Anyway, for the purpose of my Lair Of Beasts series, it means half blood. A chimera. Half one thing and half another.

Urðarbrunnr — The Well Of Urd (The Well of Destiny). A well at at one of the roots of Yggdrasil where the Fates (The Nornir) live. Their names are Urd (What Was), Verdandi (What Is), and Skuld (What Will Be).

The snow drifts were now tall enough to swallow even the low lying trees, and the blizzard that had swept through in the small hours, as the people had slumbered, had only compounded the difficulty.

Brenna drew her furs closer to her body as the wind gouged at her cheeks the while she footslogged through the deep ice towards the jarl's hall. She had no need of torchlight this morning, and the inclemency would not have brooked a flame in any event, for the moon, though only halfway filled, was bright enough to infuse the ice with widespread luster. In fact, the woodland and the meadow seemed eerily steeped in its cold and quiet radiance.

She reached the hall betimes for supper, her mother having promised to come later, and deposited her mantle across an empty bench before huddling close to Heida.

She kissed her friend and linked their fingers so that Heida's ready warmth could thaw her frozen flesh. "How is your ankle?" she asked, softly withal. Few were the number who knew how Heida had sustained the injury.

"Perfectly healed."

That was not surprising, considering what she was — Hálfrblód. "And what news of war?"

Heida rested her head atop Brenna's, watching the fire through the dim and smokey room. "You know as much as I." She then pulled away slightly so that she could search Brenna's face more effectively. "Unless you know more than you have let on?"

"I have had no dreams of war." 

But that was not altogether true, for she had seen their great village, and Roth's hall specifically, burning in her dreams. That 'vision' had plagued her for many years. That brand of devastation, however, might be for any number of reasons, so until she could fathom those dreams, she would say nothing for the nonce. There was no reason for their people to live fearfully; moreover her vision might never come to pass.

Heida nodded dubiously.

In sooth,  Brenna had elucidated very little of her dreams. She no longer woke with a throbbing hand of a morning, and had not since Eirik had returned, all those years ago, without his. The meaning behind that phenomenon could well be ascertained now, but hindsight did her no good when 'twas already too late to do aught about it.

She looked up to see Roth watching from where he sat on his high-backed chair atop the dais, his son, Freki, sleeping in his father's lap. "I see he still watches you hungrily," she whispered, before glancing toward's Eirik who, as per usual, had also noticed and was now frowning darkly at the chieftain.

"Shh, he will hear you!" They were both mindful of the vast extent of Roth's preternatural senses.

"I know." Brenna gave a disgusted snort as Roth transferred his scrutiny to her, with the added effrontery of a knowing smirk and an arched brow. "Brute," she hissed quietly.