"Is this not the same Taft that you do not speak to? Is not this the same one who swore not to have anything to do with our clan because you supported his rival? Come on, Astrid, think this through."
Astrid didn't answer him. Instead, she got up and walked out of the house. The clouds were rolling in and it looked like there would be rain soon. She went to feed the chickens before the rain came.
Inside, Bjarni picked up the roots that Eira had dropped and put them away. He felt sorry for the poor girl. His wife was so stubborn that she usually got her own way when it came to a disagreement. He wished that Eira could be accepted for the lovely girl he knew her to be. Why couldn’t she just lose that gift of hers? It had caused her nothing but trouble. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. This wasn't going to end well, he thought.
CHAPTER 2
E ira sat by the riverbed, trying to make sense of the awful news that her mother had just delivered. This was where she was always free. It was her own special place where she could commune with nature; listen to the birds sing, watch the opening and closing of flower buds, even feel the wind against her skin. Here, she was as free as a bird in the sky. She peered into the water, trying to spot any insects or small fish swimming in the cold water. Instead, her reflection stared back at her and brought back the misery of her situation. It wasn't her fault she had an unusual ability that no one else did; people just didn't understand. If only they would give her a chance, maybe they would see that she could help them. She splashed the water and the reflection distorted into dozens of ripples. But they don't understand, she thought. No one does. Not even her own mother whose best idea was to send her to Taft. Taft!
"Whatever have I done to deserve this?" she said to a bird as it sang its pretty song in a tree above her head. "Why can't they just leave me alone?"
The bird cocked its head and looked at her, then flew away.
"Even you would leave me all to myself," she said to the retreating bird.
Nothing made sense to her anymore. Every time she had tried to explain herself, it had ended badly. She was ridiculed and made the object of suspicion and mistrust. She was no evil witch. She had no power to curse anyone or do evil. She was simply able to read the emotions of those around her with a high degree of accuracy. And she had felt compelled to warn people who would have otherwise become victims of some kind of crime or evil plot. But her abilities were not appreciated by the members of her clan. They were regarded as strange and sinister, a view propagated by those whose malicious intentions she’d foiled.
As a young girl, she had dreamed of being loved by a strong and noble warrior, one who would make her his queen and share his whole life with her. She wanted someone who would give her many sons and daughters and be content to have only her as his wife.
Hadn’t the priestess said she would be blessed with many children? Why was it so difficult for things to turn out the way she had expected? Not a single family had considered her father’s offer of marriage even though it would have meant sharing in the wealth and prestige of being connected to a clan chief. Everyone feared that she would taint their bloodlines with whatever was wrong with her and had declined her father’s offers of marriage. She had brought disgrace to the respected name of her father, all because she had an unusual gift.
Deep in thought, Eira didn’t see the men as they approached. It wasn’t until they surrounded her, each of them stepping as quietly as he could, that she sensed the stench of resentment. It was so strong that it almost overpowered her. She leapt to her feet and tried to run but one of them tripped her and she fell. Strong arms grabbed her and pinned her down while they forced a bag over her head.
"Your options are simple, evil one," one of them said, his voice filled with hatred. "You either come with us peacefully or we can do this the hard way."
Eira stayed silent. She knew she had little chance if she tried to put up a fight. Despite the resentment, she could feel some remorse amongst them. Maybe she had a chance if she went along with them.
"Good. I see you've decided to cooperate," the man said. "Well, then. Let's go, men."
The walk back to the village was very short. The men were silent as they marched her forward, dragging her occasionally if she failed to keep up with their pace. As they began to enter the village, the noise started, shouts and screams of anger and hatred. The villagers all knew who was under the sack and for many, it was the perfect chance to take out their anger against her. She was the ideal scapegoat for all that was wrong in their lives. One of them threw a handful of eggs at her. Another threw leftover food and one was even bold enough to pour water over her.
"Stop that at once!" one of her captors shouted at them.
"She's illr!" a villager yelled.
"She must be burned to cleanse this land of her evil!" another one cried.
"She is armr!" Burn the witch!" One of the villagers began to chant and soon everyone else joined in.
Bjarni heard the noise from inside the house. He didn't pay much attention to it and continued his
