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 →

Sif woke to a pounding on her door. She opened her eyes, groggy, and flipped her blankets off to the side. It was cold. She swung her legs out of bed, stood, and felt the chill of the stone floor … Continue reading →

Sif swallowed. That was bad news. Outwardly, though, she smiled. The elder magiker could have walked by without saying anything. Sif appreciated the effort to make her feel better, and she hadn’t missed Annike’s switch to the informal voice just … Continue reading →

That was a question Sif didn’t quite know how to answer. She looked down and away to buy herself some time. The Shining Hand in the park had been magiker, that she was sure of. Her dream suggested there were … Continue reading →

Which brought her back to history. The grand arc of the Norrman people began three hundred years earlier, when Halfdan King (at the time, just Halfdan, Sif recalled) freed them from the clutches of the ælfr. Though den Holm proper … Continue reading →

Sif’s eyes snapped open. She sat bolt upright, heavy blankets flying off of her. Her breath came in frantic gulps as her eyes darted around the room. A simple bed, a chest at its foot, a slit window with a … Continue reading →

Sif’s eyes snapped open. She still couldn’t see a thing. Ropes looped tight around her, biting into her arms and chest. She struggled experimentally. Nothing came of it. Her heart raced. What was happening? The last thing she could remember… … Continue reading →