While they traveled Vali further explained the political disputes among the fae and the division the forbidden practice of sedir had caused in his land to prepare her for what she might see. The elves weren’t the types for violence or civil debates, but the darkness bleeding over from Frey’s power was corrupting the Light inside each of the fae, replacing it with something stronger, something difficult to resist once a piece of it was experienced. The problem with sedir was its strength, as was the reason it was so tempting to those with a form of magic that came from the life of the land.
“You seem pretty powerful to me. How does sedir compare to your magic?” Ailsa asked.
Vali’s ego flourished with the smallest of smirks. “I am more powerful than most fae because I am part Aesir. I have the immortality of a god, and the power I have access to in my blood is deeper and richer. I can manipulate the natural world as well as control objects through my will alone.
“Full-blooded elfin draw power from the world, not their blood. It is weaker, like a shallow pool compared to an ocean. Sedir is like another well they can draw from, one that is bottomless. One can have the control of a god without the blood. But if fae magic is considered light, then sedir is darkness. They both cannot exist simultaneously; one soul cannot serve two masters. This is the source of the division among my people.”
“Will the Dark Elves not be angry when Frey leaves and you forbid sedir from the land?”
He shrugged. “Alfheim is a land of Light, and they can go to Vanaheim if they wish to continue practicing it.”
“What about me?” she asked. “Do I not carry sedir inside me?” The weight in her lap shook with disagreement.
“You carry Gullveig’s power and the secret knowledge of sedir. It is not the same. You do not have black magic inside you, but the source of it. Knowledge is far more powerful than any kind of magic.”
“Then why can I use it? What about all those times I let it slip?” she asked.
He leaned his face into her palm, his breath warm. “Possibly because Gullveig’s knowledgeisher power. It is what gave her the ability to manipulate the very strands of time, to create life and take it away. She somehow tapped into the secrets of creation, before the birth of the Tree of Life. One must first understand the laws of nature if they wish to break them.”
“But she didn’t want to break them. Odin forced her?”
“Yes. The god is obsessed with knowledge, and he does not enjoy it when others know more than him.”
Ailsa chewed the inside of her cheek and looked up at the sky covering the Realm Between Realms. “I’m going to end up just like Gullveig. But I won’t know how to come back to life like she did. Odin is going to destroy me.”
Vali sat up suddenly like something had bit him and looked at her hard. “He will not. And if I must travel to the Lowest Root of the Tree and drink from Mimir’s well to figure out how to separate this power from you, I’ll do it. Until then, the runes on your skin hide you from him. He cannot see you until you are physically placed in front of him. That gives us time to find a new way.”
Ailsa eyed the black marks lining her forearm as they disappeared beneath her sleeves. Odin had nearly killed himself to learn the ancient language of runes and the ability to read them. The only one beside Gullveig, the original author, could translate the combination of swirls and lines written across her body. “I wonder what else they do,” she wondered out loud.
“Other than attract trouble?” Ivor muttered from across the boat. “Perhaps there is a rune there that makes a person blind to other’s shortcomings.”
Ailsa scowled at her but said nothing. Instead, she stared off into the distance and watched the landscape pass around them. Vali sucked a sharp breath but remained quiet, and she was grateful for the rare appearance of his self-control.
Seela pushed the boat toward a seemingly random place on the shallow bank. The river was thinning as they pushed upstream, and in the distance, Ailsa could spot a towering waterfall sourcing the iceless river. Mountains whose height alone would be impossible to climb stretched beyond it, hiding the sky with the multitude of peaks.
“We travel the rest on foot, I’m afraid. But we should be able to reach the gates of Alfheim before nightfall. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to see the realm in the daylight, but it is imperative we get out of the wilderness. Sightseeing will have to wait.” Seela organized her pack as they stood on the shoreline. “The trees will warn our enemies we are almost home. And I will not feel safe until we cross the borders of our realm.”
Ailsa nodded in agreement and stepped closer to Vali.
“You still have the dagger I gave you?” he asked.
“Of course,” she said, patting her leather belt to prove it.
“Good. Keep your voice down and try not to say any names. Stay in front of me. You too, wolfie.”
The wolven muttered something but complied. Seela led the group along the tree line until they came upon a path, leading to a dirt padded road. The miles seemed to pass without her noticing, not when the company was more agreeable than last time. They walked without speaking, fearful the trees would hear them and stir, but Ailsa was not afraid of them like before. They brought her back to Vali when she was lost. If anything, the trees were onherside. She felt indebted to them.
It was warmer here despite traveling north. A thin sheen of sweat coated her skin beneath the heavy fabric lining the gown the giantess donated to her. The dress was a deep red, reminding her of their youngest daughter’s hair. Beautifully structured but meant for colder climates.
She wiped her brow and reached for her tankard. A few drops fell from the spout, teasing her parched tongue with barely a sip of water. She cursed under her breath, feeling the fluid in her lungs thicken as she sweated off the rest of her hydration.
“Let’s stop,” Vali muttered. “I need to refill her tankard.”
“This is the fifth time in the past hour,” Seela groaned. “We’ll never make it home before sunset at this rate.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just…”
Vali interrupted her with a placating hand behind her neck. “The Highest Branches are closer to the sun and sky. The weather is warmer and understandably more difficult for your condition. It’s fine,Stiarna. I’ll fill your tankard as much as you need.”