The Future
More applause. I almost fainted. Gunilla held me up. When the noise died down, Helgi continued. "Ruby May, do you know your parentage?"
"I never knew my father." It was the truth. I had been raised by my mother, then she had married my stepfather. He was a good man. Not knowing my father had never bothered me.
Helgi nodded. "That is not uncommon. We will seek wisdom from the runes, unless the All-Father wishes to intercede." Everyone turned towards the unoccupied throne. The ravens ruffled their feathers and squawked. The throne remained empty. Helgi didn't look surprised, but his shoulders slumped with disappointment. He motioned towards the fire pit. From a cluster of servers and cooks, a lady in a green hooded robe shuffled forwards. Her face was hidden in the shadows of her cowl, but, judging from her stooped posture and her gnarled hands, she must have been ancient.
I murmured to Gunilla. "Who's that?"
"A vala. A seer. She can cast spells, read the future and... other stuff."
"Is this really necessary?" I asked. The vala approached our table. She stopped in front of me and pulled a leather pouch from the folds of her robe. She plucked out a handful of runestones and muttered something under her breath. She cast the stones at her feet. They landed the floor - some face up, some face down. One rune in particular seemed to catch everyone's attention. It was projected to everyone in the hall The mark meant nothing to me, but hundreds of warriors cheered with approval.
"Ruby May is mortal!" the vala announced. As the cheering subsided, the vala raised her withered arms. "Ruby, rejoice! The runes say you shall fight well at Ragnarök. And tomorrow, in your first combat, you shall prove your valour and be decapitated. Within two hundred years, you will rise to the thanes' table and save the world on multiple occasions within the next fifty years." The audience cheered and laughed. Great. Just great.