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Runestone keeper tips5/5/2023 ![]() More braid decorated the hem of her linen tunic. Tablet-woven braid straps secured her dress at the shoulders. She carried her bone flute in a separate bag, attached to a leather strap that crossed her body from shoulder to hip. She straightened her overdress and adjusted the belt hung with decorated pouches, baubles, remedies, and charms that she would sell to customers before the night was out. ![]() Reggin wasn’t looking forward to another night in a boisterous alehall, fending off patrons who assumed that she offered services beyond spellsongs, healing, and prophesy. First, the nattmal, a supper consisting of lamb-and-barley stew. Some patrons were already knocking back cups of mead and ale, but this was a brief respite before the madness began. He never missed the last night of an engagement, when the money really rolled in and it was time to collect her takings. Of all the talents she claimed (and there were many), only the music was true magic.Īsger would be here tonight, for sure. There’s nothing honest about any of this, Reggin thought. “Just keeping you honest, meyla,” Asger would say, pinning her with his ember eyes, his hair flickering like flames around his head. “Why do you do that?” Reggin said, when she plucked up the courage to ask. She never knew when he would appear out of nowhere, and she would feel the kiss of flame on her skin. Any one of the patrons could have been him, glamoured to resemble a sailor, a farmer, a herdsman. He was like one of those lizards that could change colors to match its surroundings. She hadn’t seen Asger all week, which might mean he had business elsewhere. Especially because she’d offered to perform for bed and board and tips alone. He’d been happy to accept Reggin’s offer of singing and flute playing and healing and foretelling during the weeklong festival. With the holiday, nearly all of the town’s lodging places were at capacity, including Gunnar’s. Reggin could hear Gunnar the hallkeeper bustling around behind her, excited about the commerce he expected to come through the door. Unfortunately, Reggin’s demon followed her wherever she went. It was as if Asger was on the run from unseen demons who might catch him if he lingered too long in one place. Had they been to Langvik before? The venues all ran together after a while.Ī week was as long as they’d stay anywhere. Her master, Asger, liked harbor towns because there was so much coming and going. Or a tight berth on another sea crossing. Tomorrow, there would be a long walk to another town. It was Reggin’s sixth night at Gunnar’s-and so it would be her last. Though ice still bobbed in the harbor, it signified the beginning of the shipping season.įor most, even those who cared little for goddesses or plows, it was the first excuse since the Yule to drink themselves senseless. Here in Langvik, the largest port on the big island of Muckleholm, it was also the Feast of Ships. It was the Disting, the blessing of the plows, the gathering of the goddesses, and the festival of new beginnings. The harbor resembled a shorn forest, studded with trading ships with their masts taken down and secured to the gunwales. Reggin Eiklund stood in the doorway of Gunnar’s Hall, looking down the crowded street to the quay at the foot of the hill. Read a sneak peek excerpt of Runestone Saga: Children of Ragnarok below! It will require every gift and weapon at their command to prevent it. When Eiric’s, Liv’s, and Reginn’s journeys converge, they soon realize that a great evil lurks beneath the dazzling surface and that old betrayals and long-held grudges may fuel another cataclysmic war. After one performance that amazes even herself, two wyrdspinners in the audience make Reginn an irresistible offer: return with them to the Temple to be trained in magic and set free of Asger. Spellsinger, musician, and runecaster Reginn Eiklund has spent her life performing at alehouses for the benefit of her master, Asger, a fire demon she is desperate to escape. Then a powerful lord steps in: He will pay the blood price if Eiric will lead a mission to find the fabled Temple at the Grove-the rich stronghold of the wyrdspinners, the last practitioners of sorcery. Also at risk is Eiric’s half-systir, Liv, who’s under suspicion for her interest in magic. But he stands to lose everything when he’s wrongly convicted by a rigged jury of murder. Sixteen-year-old Eiric Halvorsen is among the luckier ones. Since Ragnarok -the great war between the gods and the forces of chaos-the human realm of the Midlands has become a desperate and dangerous place, bereft of magic. While you eagerly await the next Marvel movie, step inside the magical, action-packed, Norse mythology-inspired fantasy duology that begins with Runestone Saga: Children of Ragnarok by New York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima!
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