Layer by layer she sank deeper into trance. First was the calm, the quiet, the slowing of the breath, listening for the ancient heartbeat, the deep pulse of the earth. Then the gradual withdrawal from the clay self, finger by finger, toe by toe, from soles of feet to crown of head, leaving the body behind: a shell seated there in the dim light, with her back straight and her dark hair flowing over her slender shoulders. That took time; the wisdom of the earth has not been gathered in a year, or a hundred years, or a thousand, but over an age man’s mind cannot encompass, a span greater than the arch of the heavens, deeper than the ocean at world’s end. Long and longer she sat there into the night, until her mind began to merge with an ancient mind that was rock and earth, seeping water and probing tree root, chill air breathing in the underground chamber, a voice that was both within and without. The empty vessel that was Nessa leaned forward, obedient to her will; her hands moved the ritual objects, sprinkling water, letting ash trickle between her fingers to make a pattern, casting the fragments of bone. When the voice spoke, it was her own and not her own. The seer and the vision were the same.

Where is the Wolf?

“The…the wolf…the dog? Upstairs, in the outer chamber.”

Where is the Wolf who shadows the steps of the priestess? Where is the chieftain?

“Not far away. He is a man. He cannot enter this place.”

His helm gleams there in the shadows, another mask of death. He will wear it once more in battle; I hear his axe blade ringing in the chill wind from the sea. He will go down fighting, as befits his kind. He does not know surrender.

“Are you telling me he will die?”

He is a warrior. You need a warrior.

Silence. The husk that was Nessa inclined her head to look at the pattern on the ground before her, the alignment of the bones, the subtle markings of ash and water. Shadows flickered past; whispers haunted the air. The eye of the spirit watched unblinking.

What is to be seen?

“I see death, Mother.”

You see true. But you do not see all. Drink of the cup the wise one set for you, and look again. Your voice trembles. Do not let fear blind you to what is there. That is not the way of the seer. Make yourself empty.