“Well done, Sif Hrothgarsdottir!” Leifsson called. He canted his head sharply. Sif felt the blow in the weave a split-second before it arrived. A scything draft caught her by the ankles. Arms waving frantically, she fought for her footing and … Continue reading
Worth a try. Sif bit at the inside of her lip. An idea came to her, but it seemed to her to be a bad thing to say with her classmates in earshot. If Leifsson expected her to do better … Continue reading
Sif knew Lilja much better. ‘Timid’ seemed to her too mean a word, but it wasn’t wrong, if she was honest. Lilja was nearer the bottom of the class than the top, Sif would admit, but that didn’t justify how … Continue reading
Half a lap later, on the north side of the courtyard, he faced his first- and second-year students. Baltasar Rasmussen had already corralled the others. The students left with him stood in the shadow of the poles: an array of … Continue reading
Ansgar Leifsson circled the Akademi’s courtyard, walking in the shadow of its outer wall. The fog had nearly gone. Off to the south, he could see Yngvar’s, perched atop its distinctive tower. His students were beginning to gather for the … Continue reading
She placed the quill into Tyrssen’s outstretched hand with bad grace, and stared at Falthejn’s letter. One moment, there was nothing. The next, there were two new postscripts. A moment after that, there had always been three postscripts. P.P.S. … Continue reading
Lilja and Einar crowded around, reading over her shoulder. “How did he—” Lilja began. Sif held up a finger. “I’m not done yet.” A few moments passed while she read through the last paragraph. “I guess he just looked into … Continue reading
Sif approached the bar, Lilja and Einar following in her wake. The lodgekeeper circled the stove to meet her. “Get something for you?” Sif produced her letter from the sleeve of her robe. “I have something for the föraningsmagiker Falthejn … Continue reading
Sif forced herself to relax as a pair of city guardsmen passed them. Even though she was on the right side of the law for the first time in her life, they still made her nervous. They came to a … Continue reading
She saw the purpose of it. If pressed, she would even admit it was good for her. That didn’t mean she had to like it. There was a well in the courtyard, up against the outer wall. Her fellows gathered … Continue reading
