Obsidian by Suzie Wilde

Author:Suzie Wilde [Wilde, Suzie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783526437
Publisher: Unbound
Published: 2019-02-11T16:00:00+00:00

17

Egill took up her oar and Bera would not let Cronan do more than his share, despite her sore palms. As they neared the island, she sent Heggi forward to release the bee but he kept his hands cupped. Soon he would have to let it go.

Egill leaned towards her. ‘Bera… when we get to the Abbotry I want you to leave the talking to me and Cronan.’

Everything in her rebelled. ‘Oh no! If I’m supposed to help then I have to make my own decisions.’

‘You don’t understand our religion.’

‘I don’t even know what the word means but if it’s to do with Brid, I don’t care. I know why I’m here and so must they, or why send for me?’

‘You don’t know who they are and they didn’t—’

Cronan stopped Egill. ‘I will need to persuade them that you are Brid.’

‘And who are they?’

‘Westermen,’ he replied. ‘They came from Iraland but this… stern order has held sway here for many years.’

Egill nodded. ‘They won’t take orders from a woman. They despise women. They won’t even like having a woman in the guest quarters.’

‘I am a Valla, but why do they not despise you?’ Bera asked.

Egill put a finger to her lips. ‘I’m a boy to them.’

Bera kept her secret. It seemed as if she was always the one who made provision for Egill’s nature but argument would solve nothing. They shipped oars and drifted, with Bera making lazy strokes to keep them following the coast.

‘It’s gone!’ Heggi was upset that his bee had deserted him.

‘Come, Heggi,’ said Cronan. ‘I’ll tell you all about giants in Iraland.’

‘Are they troles?’

‘No, these are no troles but flesh-and-blood men.’

Heggi was rapt and yet again Bera was grateful to Cronan.

‘Who was the first giant?’ Heggi asked.

‘He built a walkway from Iraland so he could fight the giant on the other side.’

Bera had a vision of bundles of tall stones, like tapers in a jar, pale and shaped at the top like honeycomb. They were left from an old, old eruption. Before time.

Egill put her lips to Bera’s ear. ‘I’ve seen a giant with flame-red hair. Brid is as real to her followers.’

Bera shook her head. ‘I don’t understand you, Egill, leaving the old ways behind.’

‘No one has ever understood me, except Ottar. Your pa used to say I was a thinker because I spent so much time alone.’

Bera was studying the strange stone buildings on the island. ‘What are those skep things?’

‘They call them beehives in Iraland.’

‘Skeps, beehives; means the same thing.’

‘They’re not skeps, though, or the bees would be as big as us!’ Egill laughed.

Bera was not to be won over. ‘So what are they?’

‘Cells. Where ermites live.’

‘I know what cells are.’ Bera shivered, catching Heggi’s eye. He did not need any reminder of being shut in one by Hefnir. A cruel punishment for a child.

‘What are ermites?’ she asked.

‘They live in them.’

Bera wanted to throw her overboard.

Cronan spoke so softly that they had to lean in to hear him. Clever.

‘Holy men leave Iraland to go to many places.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.