Page 76 of Kingdom of Embers and Ruin

“This past new moon, the gods seemed to have awoken Bjorn’sgalder,” Mikel finished for his wife. “We had been burning a sacrifice to Freyr so that he may bring a plentiful harvest this month for the Betrothal Ball. Bjorn had been playing in the clearing close to the sacrifice we had burnt and had cried out in frustration at his toy breaking.”

“When we went to him, we saw that he had burnt through the play bow and arrows we had gotten for him. We feared he had gotten too close to the sacrifice, but as we looked closer, we saw that he still had fire burning in his palms,” Iona said, the words rushing out of her like water falling over a cliff.

The receiving room was silent as the couple recounted what Herrick had felt was impossible. Before his mother and father could speak, Herrick asked the family, “Are you saying that your son, Bjorn, has firegalder?”

The couple was quiet, tears staining Iona’s face.

“Yes,” Mikel whispered. “We don’t know where this could have manifested. We asked our families, and they have confirmed that there have never been any fire wielders in our families.”

Iona crouched to Bjorn and whispered a few words to the child. More solemn than a child his age should be, Bjorn stepped forward and held out his palms. After a few short seconds, a small flame began to burn in the center of his palms. Herrick straightened as he recognized the similar energy coming from the child that enveloped Maude when she burned.

“How is this possible?” The King asked sharply.

“We do not know, Your Majesty. He shows no signs of earthgalder, only the flames,” Mikel answered.

Bjorn stepped back into his mother’s embrace, burying his face into her skirts. Herrick looked to his mother, who had been uncharacteristically silent. He found it odd that just as his mother had warned him of bloodline mixing being forbidden by the treaty, a family brings news of their son’s firegalderpopping up out of seemingly nowhere.

The Queen stood and motioned for spectators to leave the receiving room. Herrick ordered soldiers to stand posted at the entrances, allowing no one in. His mother descended off the dais and moved to grasp Iona’s hand.

“Do not allow this event to plague this moment of joy for your family. Bjorn may have firegalderin a family of farmers, but he is your son, and it should be celebrated that the gods have gifted him hisgalder,” his mother said gently. “I will consult our seers in the temples and ask if they are inclined to understand Bjorn’s fate planned by the Allfather, but you and your family need not worry about breaking any treaty laws. Bjorn’s fire was the will of the Allfather.”

The Queen walked with the family and escorted them to the doors, where she instructed a soldier to lead them home. The Queen crouched down and whispered more assurances and congratulations to Bjorn, who seemed relieved at his showing being over.

Once the family departed, his mother turned back to where Herrick and his father stood and let out a huge breath.

“Well, it seems that there has been some infidelity amongst our farmers,” she sighed, her eyes rolling as she made her way to the hidden exit behind the dais.

Herrick felt disbelief wash through him.

“Mother, you can’t possibly believe that they were lying,” Herrick said to her as they all made their way into the main hall of the palace.

“Galderdoesn’t just show up in family lines strong with a certain element, Herrick,” she said.

They were walking up the stairs to the fourth floor, where his mother had appointments with the Royal Seamstress for Hakon’s Betrothal Ball. Herrick was reluctant to follow her any further so he could avoid the seamstress’s claws, but he needed to understand why his mother was brushing this news off.

“And you think that Iona was unfaithful to her husband with a fire wielder.” Herrick’s incredulity was heavy in his voice.

“Her husband had mentioned they had been unsuccessful in having children for many years; it is not a stretch to believe Iona took matters into her own hands,” his father added.

“So, what you said to her about going to the seers in the temple was a lie?” Herrick asked, disgust at his parents' disregard growing as the conversation continued.

“No, I plan to go to the seers and ask that they confirm Iona’s adultery,” his mother responded.

The Queen moved to turn toward her wing of the palace on the fourth floor before she paused and faced Herrick.

“I do not intend to share the woman’s secrets with her family; I only want to confirm that the reason the child has firegalderis that his true father is not Mikel. Bjorn only has firegalder, thank the gods, but should he develop an affinity for earthgalderas well, then we will have to intervene as the treaty demands.”

His mother at least had the good graces to appear guilty as she spoke the hateful words.

“Station soldiers near the family’s farm and order them to report back on any changes in the boy's abilities,” she told Herrick, a Queen ordering her General.

Herrick forced himself to place his fist over his heart and bow low to his mother before saying, “Your Majesty.”

He turned and left before she could order anything else of him. The vines of the scattered greenery in the halls began to bend toward him as he walked away from his mother, following his heightened emotions as he tried to outrun his disgust. Herrick successfully forced the rise in his emotions down into the depths of his heart by the time he breathed the ocean air outside the palace.

The barracks were empty when Herrick arrived at his office. Choosing a smaller room at the base of the building, Herrick had maintained to his soldiers that he wanted to be close to them should they need him for anything. The small space was nestled into the corner of the barracks, with the entire back wall behind his desk open to the cliffs that overlooked the sea. The gardens that lined the pathway to the cliffs and down the beaches provided privacy for his office and allowed him to still feel connected to the life around him through hisgalder.

The walls of his office were sparse, his desk containing reports and lists of recruits for the Kingdom of Rivers armies. Herrick walked to his desk, pushed aside all the documents littering its surface, and chewed over what his mother had said to him about Iona and her family. While he knew that what his mother suggested was plausible, he did not believe it. His instinct told him that this was not a natural occurrence that could be explained away through infidelity.

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