Bodil.

Kara gave me a lesson on what a seer actually was, an awakened that communes with the gods. They received visions of what will be, or can be. They also posses powers that other awakened do not. They can call on the magics to take you somewhere, literally take you from one place to another across the lands. I was amazed when she explained this. They can also create elixirs that will improve your body. I felt a little light headed knowing how much magic existed in our world. The awakened hid themselves from the rest of us for so long that they became myths. Now here I am, flinging spells from my hands as if they were always there.

"Kara, why did the awaken leave the main lands?" I asked Kara as she poured some hot tea. "Who said we did?" She asked me smiling. "A century ago war broke out across the lands. There were battles for land and power before that, but this war almost destroyed everyone. Everything. Not everyone who wields the magics are good, Bodil. Never forget that. The Magus's, the magical rulers, decided they wanted more power. They were tired of sharing the land with people who they viewed lower then us. How it is that these people were brought in as our Magus's are beyond me. In the history of Magus's, it became apparent that people who are in control of that much power tend to become corrupt. As of today, We no long have Magus, or group of Magus that control the fate of the Awakened. We have a council that we gather and decide together what's best for us. Your uncle Cal is on that council. Anyways, the war almost destroyed the world. The people. The land. Genocide. Our people decided to return to Nef, the island of the gods. Where magic was born. Ota, the king of Gods gave us magic as long as we followed his ways. That's another lesson for another time." She took a sip of her hot tea.

I nodded, "Yes, Ota and I are familiar." My cheeks warmed as I thought of the memories of Amaia. How she betrayed him. How I betrayed him. "Kara, Ota is a powerful god. Why would he chose to bring Bjorn and I am back after what happened? Not once, Kara...Twice. I betrayed him twice." I was confused. The feelings I had inside me were both my own, and Amaia's. I could feel in my core how much I craved the power. To be a queen. Who I am now, I am ashamed. I had family, I even had love. "Bodil, You are who you chose to be. You are being given a chance by the fates. Take this and make it your own." Kara said as she took my hands in her, breaking my thoughts of doubt. I could tell that she cared for me. "Kara, thank you." I smiled.

"Now, time for business." She said clapping her hands. "Let's get cooking!" She started to place a few jars, sealed glass tubes, herbs that I recognized and others I didn't. "What is this?" I said picking up a small root. "That my dear, is a the last of a dried nidhogg brain." She told me smiling. I put it back down. So much for being a root. "I see." She chuckled to herself, "We are going to use it to try and trace other threats on the island." She brought out a large rolled up leather strip. She let it rolled across the table revealing a map of the island of Nef. There were markings of each village, a temple, the caves and shores. Everything was here. The land bridge that was only accessible certain times of the year. There were drawn pictures of waters beasts off the shores of the island. I studied the map for a moment in silence.

"What is this?" Bjorn had come up behind me unnoticed. He was pointing to an entrance indication by the Temple of Nef. It was tiny and drawn in beside two runes. One was the rune of protection, the other a warning of death. "That is forbidden. Closed off by the gods themselves before our time. People tried to enter before, ended up being beheaded, drowned, some simply didn't come back." She shrugged. "Why keep testing the gods? We don't go there."

"We will be." Bjorn said looking at me. " Tomorrow." I tried not to look confused and nodded, "Yeah, tomorrow. Sure. "Pepper and Sullevan came in from outside, they were on a mission to train in the surrounding area's so they would best know how to fight if there came a need.

"Pretty sure that we would be best defended here if we were to set up a better perimeter. The two of us could do it easily enough, Sully. Wouldn't you agree?" Pepper asked as she reached for the ladle in the water bucket. "I do, and we will do so in the morning, for now I am hungry and looking forward to some of Kara's delicious meal. I know you are eager to help, Pepper. Young dryads always are." He poked at her jokingly. "The only thing I am eager about is to stop the attacks on our two peoples. We have lost so many already on the main lands. This may all be for naught coming here." She waved to her surroundings. "This could all be a rubble in a day or two." Pepper said in a hurry, then realized everyone was listening. "I am sorry, Kara. I don't mean any disrespect. I just want to ensure your families safety." She finished kindly.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about this old farm and us, this land has been defended for many years, a few extra creatures will not bring about the end of it now." Kara said handing Sullevan a cup of honey wine. "Just what I was hoping for, Kara." Sullevan took it gingerly and took a long sip. "A flavor my soul will remember in the next life, I promise." He said, bowing his head to Kara.

Going back to our map, Kara pointed out a few of the areas to the four of us that have been heavily attacked over the months. Two of the larger villages multiple times by groups of dangerous creatures. Leshys, Imps disguising themselves in cloaks and attacking younger folks, a farming family who happened to be accompanied by a kikimora was attacked, the entire family killed when it turned on them. Other creatures that roamed the island alone long before the awakened returned to its lands. I couldn't lie to myself that I felt like I was living in a dream as Kara told the stories of the attacks.

"I have been trying to scry for these attacks. Foresee them. They are coming so often that villages are starting to bunk up. And that's not a recipe for peace." She handed me a small crystal attached to a leather string, runes were sewn to the string one after the other climbing the string, and a ring at the end. I slipped it onto my middle figure and examined the crystal and runes. Runes I didn't recognize. "Do you think I have the power to be a seer, Kara?" I asked her. "I am guessing you might have the ability to at least detect a threat. The magics are mysterious!" She smiled. "Now hang that over the map, and let us see what happens." She took my hand and held it over the map with her own.

Looking at the map I was waiting for something to happen. Anything really. Nothing did of course, and I was a little disappointed. I looked up from the map to Kara ready to ask her what I should be doing. Her eyes were white. A mist started to fill the room, except everyone around us didn't seem to notice it, they were still talking amongst themselves and pointing towards the map unaware. The mist smelled like sage, and pine. As it grew thicker I could hear voices growing louder. Panicked, screaming. A small child stepped out from the mist beside me. She was dressed in a green dress, and clutching a small poppet. She was a mess, the braids in her hair pulled out in spots and looked possibly burned, her face covered in black dirt and soot, a small mark peaking out from under the dirt. She was talking but no sound escaping her mouth. The floor around her started to glow orange, then darker red. Fire of the earth flowed around her. It started to swallow her as she reached for me, sinking into the burning lake.

I screamed, kicking the chair back as I stood and stumbled. Sullevan catching me before I hit the floor. Sweat was dripping off the sides of my face, the heat still against my skin. I desperately looked around the room, sure we were all dead. Kara stood over me and held out her hand. "A warning." She said as I hesitantly took her hand. Getting to my feet made me feel dizzy. "Kara..." I didn't know what to say. Bjorn pointed to the map a village near the mountain cliffs had a burned circle around it. "Look at this." "The village Mons." Cal stated tapping it. "That's where the next attack will be?" He asked looking at Kara. She nodded, "I do not think there is much we can do to stop this one, Cal. The mountain will open, and the land will burn." She said sadly looking at her son across the room, "We can only try to get as many out as we can. I will return, Bodil and I must go there, now." Kara turned and collected a bag she hung over her shoulder, "I will take us to Mons, We will go to their seer and warn them. We don't have long." "How are we travelling?" I asked her as I slid my axe into the strap around my waist. "Horse back?" "I am seer, I do not need a horse." She said smiling. "Now let us leave." She stuffed a few more things into her bag as I did my own and made her way to the door. "Bjorn..." Kara started and then sighed in annoyance, "Bjorn listen to Cal, do as he tells you. Understood?" She was stern about it. Bjorn nodded confused, "I will." Cal and Gallion were chuckling to themselves. "What?" Bjorn asked them shrugging his shoulders.

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Kara and I left the house and she turned and grabbed my arm. Once again mist started to surround us, only this time it was only for a moment, and no child visitors. As I looked around waiting, the mist was already disappearing and we were standing in front of an entirely new house. Kara let go of her tight grip in my arm. I was a bit dizzy from the change in surroundings. This was going to take some getting use to.

"Surprise!" She said in a whisper. I couldn't help but laugh a little. "Yeah, that defiantly puts you off, doesn't it?" I said as I took in my surroundings feeling slightly dizzy. The cabin we now stood at the door of was covered in moss and vines. Wild plants and flowers growing all over them. It was pretty in its own way, and gave an inviting feeling. Kara knocked against the door and waited. "Just let me talk, Sigris is old, a lot older then me." Just as she finished talking the door crept open slowly.

A man stood in front of us smiling a toothless grin. His eyes were squinted almost shut, his hair was only growing in certain spots on his bald head. There were runes tattooed all over him. Head, neck, arms. Every where you could see. He was dressed in a white robe that wrapped around him, a leather belt holding it in place. It was also decorated in runes. "Kara!" He croaked out. "Kara, I am so happy you have come." He reached for her hand. "I have been trying, you know? Trying to get the vision." He said as he shuffled towards a table in the center of the room. A wooden bed in the corner of the room with furs and other blankets. A cat was sleeping on the end of the bed happily. Sigris practically fell into the seat he took. I was worried this man was going to keel over any second.

"Worry not, I have a little longer in this world!" He said waving his hand at me. " He smiled. "Tea?" He asked pointing to a pot of water boiling over the fire place. "Would you?" He asked. I figured he was talking to me so I walked over and took the pot off the fire. There were three cups on the table already set out filled with Tea, so I filled them. "You knew we were coming then?" I asked him. "Of course. Somethings I don't need a vision to tell me, at my age I can feel a visitor coming days away." He explained.

"What's this about a vision, Sigris?" Kara asked. "Yes, yes the vision. It wont come to me. Not fully. Gaps. Like paged torn into bit and thrown at me." he was frustrated. " I know its a warning, Kara! Faces, burning arrows soring, people running. That's all i get" he said sadly. "I knew you would come to me. "Kara nodded, "Ota has showed us, we have come to help. Its this great grump of a mountain. Rumbling away all these years, now she is bent on killing us all. As if we don't have enough problems."

I was remembering the vision. The moment the girl was sinking into the fire water. I remembered a voice behind me whispering in my ear. "Who is Tao?" As if I had asked something shocking, both of the seers silently looked at me. "Tao..." Sigris started. " How do you know that name?" He asked me. "I could hear the name when I was shown the vision." I shrugged. "Who is he? He knows something." "Tao is my son. He is unreliable." Sigris said sadly. "People say he has lost his sanity." He went silent. "I still disagree with that, Sigris, I think what was shown to Tao, never left him. That it changed him." Kara said. "Shown what?" I asked.

Both the seers looked at me curiously. "That isn't something that anyone but Tao could tell you." Sigris said slightly sad. "I see, so where can I find him then? Does he live with you, Sigris?" I asked. "Oh no, he lives on the shore line to the west of here. A day at a good pace." He replied. "What do you think Tao has to do with this?" Kara asked me. "I don't know. I just heard the name being whispered as the girl sank." I told her. "The girl that sank?" Kara asked. "I did not see a girl. I seen the mountain cracked, fire flowing from within." She said curiously. "What did the girl look like?" "Oh..." I thought for a moment. "Dark long hair, dark eyes, she had the rune Wryd on her forehead, marked in blue like yours's." "A mark like ours?" She waved to Sigris, who was covered in the blue tattoos. I nodded, "Same color." "The fate rune you say?" Sigris asked. "A maiden of Fate...Kara. This is Ragnarök!" Sigris got to his feet surprisingly fast, and grabbed Kara's arm. "Where have you been?" Kara asked Sigris annoyed. Pulling her arm free she started for the door. "Let's get Tao, The council will have to get everyone to the shore. For now, we have other things we must attend to."

Only moments later we were on horses heading into the forest that surrounded the village after Kara had sent a message to the council with Sigris's neighbour, Erik.. The trees were thick making me wish we were on foot rather then horse back. "Isn't there a path we can take? Or can we at least walk the horses?" I asked. "This thick bush is only so much, it does even out a bit." Sigris croaked over the sounds of the horses hooves cracking the branches and dead foliage. "And if we do take the easy way, we are bound to run into things we do not want to. The awakened have never been alone on this island, and we never will be. I think the creatures that have been attacking us, are doing it because they are lost and looking for new territory." He went on to say. "What? Why do you think that?" I asked him. "Think about it, nidhoggs especially, they live in denser, more prey populated areas and have rarely been dealth with over the centuries, 'cept they haven't go any prey left because they are dying. So where do they go?" He asked smiling. "However, they isn't prey here for them either. They eat frag's, deer, caribue. Not Humans." Kara pointed out. "Until they do." Sigris added. "Wouldn't you eat something new, if it meant living? Changing?" Sigris actually had a point. "So you think their food source is no longer providing for them? What of the other beasts? The demons that you talk of?" I asked. "What if they are simply scared of the Udøde? Know they are coming? Do you think we are the only ones who have godly enemies? Or companions for that matter?" Sigris raised his eyebrows, or what was left of them, at me and pointed to the dark sky. "Not all Gods are good, Bodil. You should know this more then anyone." He said.

His words stung a little. I wasn't ready for so many people to know my past, I only just learned it. Was Amaia really that evil? "What if my life of Amaia wasn't what people thought it was? What if there was more to her story?" I asked them both. "She knew love... I knew love" I said softer. "What if indeed." Said Kara. "Amaia's story started long before her betrayal. "I nodded. It did.

There was a time when Amaia, I was known as a great Goddess of the people. It was Aadi and I who stopped the Udøde before they destroyed Nef, with the help of the others. Ota, Loa, Gorn, Saf... Desius. His name hurt my heart. I remember the love I felt for him. The life time we spent together. How he was always there with me through everything. He watched Amaia spin into darkness, but never let it cloud his view of her. Who she was, deeper then being a god. As I thought of Desius, reminding myself of the way he looked, sounded, felt, his death. A wave of sadness ran over me, it was my fault. The despair of Desius's death was something Amaia couldn't get past. It drove her insane. I can say that now, as an outsider to my own life. After my failed take over of the Kingdom and realm of Nef, being banished for thousands of years alone. All that was left was hate. Hate for everything that lived and breathed. Especially Ota's pets, the awakened. Now here I am, one of them. Aadi my brother, whom I murdered out of greed, gaining both of us another chance at living. I had alot I needed to make up for. At least, I felt that I needed to make up for it. I could never be who I was as Amaia again. Never.

The thick trees did break up after a short while, and we were moving faster towards Tao's. " The council better be ready by the time we get back there, Or there will be heads rolling among the burning bodies." Kara muttered then looked at me and smiled. I couldn't help but laugh. Kara was great. I am happy that we have been brought together.