“OH NO,” ERICA started to say but trailed off as she started paying attention. “Are they really fighting? It seems...off.”

Kodran watched everything with a practiced eye and shook his head. “I’d say this is some sort of mock battle.”

“But why?”

He shook his head.

“Wait.” She pointed down the shore. “Look.”

His eyes followed hers to Maeva and Eluf fighting.

“Damn,” she murmured. “Look at them go.”

Kodran sheathed the blade, took her hand and kept her close. “They are impressive.”

Total understatement. In many ways, how they battled reminded her of how they had sex. So passionately you couldn’t look away if you wanted to. It was mesmerizing. Perfect. As though they had been doing it for centuries.

Seconds later, Eluf made the same move Kodran just had on Erica. Maeva released the blade, and Eluf caught it. The only difference was they didn’t speak afterward because he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

“Something tells me she let him do that on purpose,” Kodran murmured.

“No doubt about it,” she whispered.

Half a breath later, Eluf murmured a chant, and all the battling around them faded away. So it had been a phantom battle. Perhaps preparing them for what might be coming? The shore had changed. Now there wasn’t anything but a wide swath of grainy sand with cliffs on either side that swept inland encasing a small lush valley and the most incredible ash tree she had ever seen.

“That’s it, Kodran.” She nodded in its direction, awe in her voice. “That’s the original tree Eluf brought here.”

Massive, it was bigger than a dogwood.

“You’re fighting better and better, Maeva,” Eluf said as his lips brushed hers one more time. “You will be prepared when the day comes...when war comes.”

Both strength and tears shimmered in Maeva’s eyes as they strolled toward the tree and Kodran and Erica followed.

“If it comes,” Maeva said, hope in her voice.

“The time for naiveté has passed, my love,” he said softly. “If the seers would do what they did to Einar’s mate, rest assured there is no stopping the dissention anymore.”

Emotion thickened Maeva’s voice. “Poor Einar.” She shook her head. “To watch his love burned at the stake like that.”

“I just thought...” Maeva continued, shaking her head. “I thought our words at court years ago were heard. I thought they might be making a difference.”

“Sometimes there is no stopping ignorance.” Eluf pulled her into his arms beneath the tree. “Sometimes there is no changing people.” He shook his head. “Now Einar can see no reason but only the rage born of a broken heart. Rage directed at us seers every bit as much as Bard’s is.”

“You do not think they will join forces, do you?” Maeva asked, concerned.

“I think anything is possible when only a broken heart guides one’s way,” Eluf said. “So we must be prepared for that.”

“But surely my grandfather will see reason and stop it from happening,” Maeva argued.

“What reason?” Eluf frowned. “He does not know about us, and he would not be pleased if he did. Bjark might be kind to seers, but he is also very proud to be dragon. You need to accept that if war comes, he will side with his own and likely not try to stop it.”

“I do not accept it, and I think you are wrong.” Maeva shook her head. “He was not pleased with what the seers did to their own. He did not see it as a grand gesture to dragons.”

“Perhaps not,” he murmured.

“What do you mean by that?” She frowned and pulled away. “Because it sounds like you doubt his response.”

“I think your grandfather has always been good at diplomacy,” Eluf said carefully. “He has long been the preferred dragon we seers like to communicate with on important matters.” A heavy frown settled on his face and he sighed. “And he did consult with us over the burning of Einar’s love.” It was obvious he didn’t want to hurt her with his next words but preferred she know the truth. “He was pleased with our actions, Maeva. He thought it a right and honorable act on our part. That we were upholding the laws our people had agreed upon long ago.”

Sadness and anger flickered in Maeva’s eyes as understanding dawned on her. “Our actions,” she whispered and shook her head. “You said you were not part of it.”

“And I was not...directly.” Eluf’s eyes pled with hers. “But I did not stop them when I knew it would be happening. And you know why.”

“Because for all you supported me in court years ago it did not work. And since then, things have gradually gone downhill.” Maeva wiped away a stray tear, leaned against the tree and stared at the ocean. “Now if you go against a big decision such as that, the seers will turn a suspicious eye your way. When that happens, they might discover our secrets...and they might tell Bard.”

“There is no might, my love.” Eluf wiped away her tears and cupped her cheeks. “They would, and your life would be at great risk.”

“So another deserved to burn for that?” Maeva’s eyes met his. “An innocent?”

“Many have died in the long strife between seers and dragons,” he said. “Do not put another death on yourself, Maeva but remember that like us, Einar and his mate knew what they were doing and had been doing it long before you and I came together. It was their choice, and I am sure they would agree that it was worth every moment they had together.”

Maeva didn’t respond but buried her face against his chest and wrapped her arms around him before they faded.

Erica didn’t say anything but tried to process the sad truth behind what they had just witnessed. Eventually, she murmured, “Every life was a bitch for us, wasn’t it Kodran?” She stopped beneath the tree and stared up through the branches.

“It seems we have faced some trials,” he agreed as he stood beside her and looked up as well. “Yet here we are again. Together. Three lives later that we know of.”

“Here we are,” she echoed, more aware of him by the moment. It was safe to say she had been drawn to Kodran since the minute she met him, but something far more intense was happening now. A quick and comfortable connection that she realized they had always shared. 

“So now we know it didn’t go all that great at court.” She leaned against the tree like Maeva just had. “Or if it did, prejudice had already taken root in far too many people.” She shook her head. “So sad...what a waste of what could have been a flourishing community had they worked together. They might have seen a better outcome and not be hidden nowadays. If things had gone differently, they might have found a way to get along with each other as they progressed instead of becoming stuff made of myth and legend.”

“Some things aren’t meant to be,” he said softly. “Yet we found a way. Eluf. The seers. Maybe even the dragons. Because so many of us have been reborn and found each other again.”

“I know.” Her eyes went to his. “I hope we find out how that happened while we’re here.”

When he said nothing but simply stared at her, she cocked her head. “What is it?”

“You’re so much like Maeva...or the other way around,” he murmured. “That look in your eyes just now. So hopeful...always looking for the best in people despite how difficult life has been for you...” His voice dropped to a whisper. “You’re beautiful, Erica.”

She said nothing, couldn’t, as emotions overwhelmed her. Not just what she felt now but had likely felt in her other lives as she looked at him. He had been her husband and soul mate on a different world and her greatest love on this planet. Time and time again. While she meant what she said in regards to her Trojan horse theory, she prayed that things would happen differently. That she would have a chance to know and love him in at least one life without the enemy sinking his teeth into what they shared. At least one life without Bard destroying all they had together.

She took Kodran’s hand and pulled him closer until he was less than a foot away. It was time to take this to the next level. She could tell by the look in his eyes he was ready. That waiting any longer was only putting off the inevitable.

Though she meant to lead and direct because she thought what Hallstein had done to her would require it, that wasn’t the case at all. Kodran had proven that he would let her have all the control if she wanted it. He would again and again as long as she needed it. It was for those reasons that she trusted him completely not to take more than she could give. And to stop if she needed him to.

Clearly sensing that she wanted him to take control, he cupped her cheeks and searched her eyes. “Are you sure?”

“God, yes,” she whispered and closed her eyes seconds before he kissed her.

While the kiss they had shared before had been astounding, this one felt a thousand times more intense. Deeper. More passionate. The feel of his lips and the way he moved his tongue made things come alive in her she had never felt before.

His lips eventually trailed down the side of her neck as his hand caressed between her legs, and sparked knee-weakening desire. Before she lost her balance, he lowered her to the warm grass between the massive roots twisting and turning toward the shore. He continued kissing and touching her until she was squirming in desperation and yanking at her clothes. She was burning up and wanted to feel his skin against hers.

“Shh,” he whispered between kisses as he kept stroking her. “You deserve...”

“No,” she moaned as she shook her head and yanked her shirt off. “I know you want this to be all about me and to show me affection, but we can do that later.” She tugged off her boots. “I just hurt too damn much right now if you get my meaning.”

It seemed he did because he was yanking his clothing off just as quickly.

In record time, she finally got what she had been waiting for when he came over her again but this time with nothing between them but heat and anticipation. She spread her legs, so ready she was about to scream. Desperate, their lips came together seconds before he began to fill her.

She gasped against his lips and then met his eyes. He didn’t thrust hard but took his time, worked his way in slowly and let her adjust. Nothing had ever felt like this. So engulfing. So unbelievably potent. She started trembling as she simply felt him.

His eyes never left hers but churned with all the same things she felt. Unfiltered intensity. Raw emotion. A need to remain in this moment but at the same time an addiction to what they might feel next. What it would become once he started moving.

“Erica,” he whispered before his lips found hers again, he started to move and took them on a journey far more poignant than merely traveling back in time forty-five thousand years or so.

She gripped his shoulders and wrapped her legs around him as a myriad of sensations washed over her. Gooseflesh raced like a tidal wave over every last inch of her skin, and everything turned hypersensitive from her inner thighs to her breasts to the tips of her toes.

He was making her come alive in a whole new way.

Not only did everything feel so much more vivid but her sense of scent and sight seemed to be sharpening as well. She inhaled deeply as their scents mingled. The sweet, spicy, singular scent that was all theirs. The way it marked him every bit as much as it marked her...became her. Then there was sight. How much more intense it became. How brighter the blue of his eyes. How much more vivid the green of the leaves above.

Something was happening that went well beyond sex.

A transcendent feeling.

Evolution.

Metamorphosis.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as his thrusts increased and she moved in rhythm with him. It was as if they had done this a thousand times before. Just like Eluf and Maeva but somehow better because they had suffered through so much and persevered. They had found one another again in not just one life but three, and somehow this time there was a new strength within them.

One they were just discovering now.

Ripples weren’t just spanning out from her core to her outer extremities but seemed to be ricocheting right back to where they were joined. She dug her nails into his shoulders as her body started to climb a wave of sensation so strong it didn’t seem to have a beginning or end.

Their breathing grew harsher as he thrust harder and she welcomed it.

His hips rolled and ground every bit as much as hers as they met each other in a dance that had been theirs since the beginning of time. He wasn’t just driving her up a cliff toward release anymore but catapulting her.

“Oh...oh...” she started gasping because she felt so much she was losing touch with herself...with reality maybe. Then it happened. He started shaking, thrust deep one last time and roared in release.

Then everything exploded.

Or so it seemed.

She cried out as her body locked up then let go in a spasm of pleasure she never could have anticipated. Colors grew a thousand times brighter. Sounds grew sharper and more beautiful. What was this? Euphoria? No matter, she was part of it, him, and wanted to stay there forever.

He continued to shake as he spent himself in her. Even that she could feel so vividly. His hot heat inside her. The way it warmed her womb. Her eyes slid shut as she enjoyed it. The feel of him becoming part of her somehow. Merging in a whole new way.

She knew somehow at that moment, as his seed filled her, that they never had children. They had tried on another world, but it hadn’t happened. Then they didn’t dare on this world. If nothing else, it could put the child in mortal danger.

Then Bard did what he did so even if they wanted to it was too late.

Though Kodran breathed heavily and his cheek rested beside hers, she sensed he was following her every thought. When he lifted his head and met her eyes, she knew he was. Children had been important to them.

Their own child.

“Kodran,” she whispered as the leaves overhead caught her attention. “Look.”

They were glowing gold against the blue sky.

“Well, isnae that something, aye?” came a soft burr.

Kodran did his best to pull their clothes close while he shielded her and scowled at Adlin. Meanwhile, the ghost admired the tree.

“Turn around, Adlin,” Kodran growled.

“Och.” Adlin rolled his eyes before he leaned against the tree facing the opposite direction. “Do you really think I care about your nudity?” There was a grin in his voice. “All I care about is that you finally got around to solving your mystery.”

Erica rolled her eyes and yanked on her clothes before she started on her boots. “Not sure if you’ve heard, but people generally like to have some time alone after they’ve solved their mystery.”

“So you say,” Adlin said.

“So I agree,” Kodran mumbled as he yanked on his boots.

“I dinnae see why me being here is such a big deal,” Adlin said. “When you already have spectators.”

“What?” Erica and Kodran said at the same time.

“Aye.” Adlin turned and motioned toward the shore. “I think they’ve been waiting for you to notice them.”

They stood and held hands as Eluf and Maeva did the same and looked right back at them.

“Is it me or are they really looking at us?” Erica murmured.

“Oh, aye, they’re definitely looking at you,” Adlin said.

Kodran pulled her closer and drew his blade as not only they approached, but another young woman appeared beside them.

“Oh my God,” Erica whispered. “It can’t be...”

“Welcome,” Eluf said in greeting as the three stopped in front of them. “We have been waiting for you.” His eyes dropped to the Gungnir blade. “And we are so glad you got our message. The caves below this tree will keep you safe as long as you are here as will that blade.”

Erica and Kodran remained speechless as everyone eyed each other. It was the other woman, however, that she ended up staring at. “Mema Angie?”

“I am sorry.” The woman looked from Maeva and Eluf to Erica. “I do not know who you speak of. My name is Eydis.”

“Which means goddess of good luck,” Erica whispered, not sure how she knew that. 

Eydis only looked confused.

“Eydis is one of my head apprentices,” Eluf said in introduction.

“She’s seer and demi-god,” Kodran said softly. “I just don’t know which god.”

“Which gods do not matter,” Eluf said.

Which gods? Plural? How was that even possible? Hell, Mema Angie had been keeping secrets, hadn’t she?

“You both have come far in life. We are very proud,” Maeva continued. It was clear that she was older and wiser though she hadn’t aged. “You will see far more difficult things very soon. Things that we wish you could forget but are the only way to learn the truth and finally accomplish what we couldn’t.”

“What happened?” Erica shook her head. “Why not just tell us?”

“Because that is not how the power of the tree and blade work,” Eluf said. “The only way to get to the truth is to witness it,” a frown settled on his face, “feel it.”

That didn’t sound promising.

“We cannot stay much longer, not like this,” Maeva said. “This will be the last time we can contact you. As it were, we are but ghosts of ourselves sent from the afterlife. Part of a spell cast to help everyone reconnect. After this, we will no longer know you are watching us...reliving with us.”

“Then why come forward at all.” Kodran frowned and shook his head. “If you’re not going to help us on the rest of our journey.”

“We will still be helping you.” Eluf gestured at Eydis. “Through my apprentice.”

“So you’ll be speaking through her?” Erica asked.

“No.” Maeva’s eyes met Eydis’ in gratefulness before they went to Erica’s. “Now that you have lain beneath the tree, your powers will grow quickly. She will help guide you on the remainder of your journey before Bard ever becomes the wiser.”

Erica had a thousand questions and knew Kodran did too, but neither said a word. It almost felt like sacrilege to do as much, and she couldn’t quite figure out why. Something had been set in motion.  Events that would end up spanning over forty-five thousand years. And she had a feeling it was the same something a young, innocent Maeva had presented to Eluf in the dirt beneath a tree one day.

Peace.

“Then thank you,” Erica said to both of them. “For all you did for us so long ago.”

“And thank you,” Eluf said to both she and Kodran. “For getting our message.”

Erica and Kodran glanced at one another. Had they gotten the message Eluf spoke about? She hoped so. Because there had been many. She was about to mention that, but it was too late. They faded away. So had Adlin for that matter. The only one remaining was Eydis.

Curious, Erica eyed the woman. “So you have no idea who you will become?” She shook her head. “The child you will have? Namely my brother.” She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. She wouldn’t mention what else she knew right now. “Which means you’re going to end up having sex with Einar’s reincarnate at some point.” She narrowed her eyes. “I take it you know who he is, right? One of the original dragons?”

Kodran’s hand came to the small of Erica’s back. “Maybe now’s not the time—”

“It is okay,” Eydis said, her eyes never leaving Erica’s. “Einar is a dear friend. One who already foretold that he would need my help someday.”

“Help?” Erica cocked her brows. “That’s sort of an understatement, don’t you think?” She shook her head again. “I love you to death in the far future, but this is sounding pretty damn devious especially considering how much he loves the woman who was just burned at the stake.”

Sadness filled Eydis’ eyes. “It was a very sad thing.”

She sounded genuine.

“So you’re not involved with him in this life?”

“Involved?”

“Intimate?”

“No, of course not.” Eydis’ eyes widened, and she shook her head as she reiterated, “We are but good friends.”

If so, Einar certainly liked to keep company with seers.

“I believe her,” Kodran said softly. “We should give her the benefit of the doubt.”

He was right. What choice did they have anyway?

“So, what’s next, Eydis?” Erica cocked her head. “Now that you’re in charge of our magical journey through the ancient world.”

“We should move away from the tree,” she said softly. “It is drawing...attention.”

Kodran gripped the Gungnir. “What kind of attention?”

Soon enough they found out.

“Where the hell am I?” came the first aggravated voice.

Samantha?

“What on Earth?” came the next.

Lauren.

“Oh no, this can’t be good.”

Shannon.

“For fuck’s sake,” came the next mutter. “Where am I now?”

Kage.

“There you are, Sister,” came a soft murmur right beside her. “It is good to see you again Erica.”

Her eyes whipped to the right, and she finally locked eyes with the sister she had walked away from a long time ago.

Cybil.