The Last Shaman Read online

  The Last Shaman

  By Dallas Jessica Owen

  Amazon Edition

  Copyright July 2019 D J Owen

  Amazon License Statement

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cover licensed under Pixabay License

  Original cover photograph here

  https://pixabay.com/photos/woman-human-young-sensual-longing-4319015/

  No changes were made apart from adding a title and author name.

  Check out the very talented artist Christine Engelhardt as well.

  https://pixabay.com/users/stine86engel-11826059/

  Table of Contents

  The Last Shaman

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Excerpt from Banshee

  Excerpt from Wolf & Raven

  Contact Me

  Also By Me

  The last shaman

  The Northland Saga Book 2

  Chapter 1

  Kari watched as Yngrid moved. For a moment she was taken back to a moment mere months ago when their life had been relatively safe. A moment where she stood like this, watching the woman she loved practice her craft. A moment before she had professed her love to the fair-haired warrior. A moment before both their worlds had broken apart. Then the moment was gone as a cold bitter wind blew against her skin. She did not feel the cold, but the wind caressed her skin like an omen and sent shivers down her spine.

  Yngrid’s long toned limbs moved with a grace that Kari knew she could never have. It was a dance she did not understand. Feet moving to stand just so, arms moving slowly through the air as her hands swung the sword that meant so much to her. Sun-Fire, the sword made for her by her dead father. Imbued with the forge fire that made it, it glowed faintly in the air powered by the passion of the woman who wielded it.

  The warriors long blond hair was tied back, in a warriors braid and once it would have swung free, as wild as the battle lust that would have powered Yngrid’s strokes. The wolf’s gift they called it. It was the call of battle, the bloodlust roaring through your veins and the desire to kill your enemy. It was strength and weakness, survival and sacrifice, life and death and it was no longer hers. Yngrid was no longer Wolfs. She was Ravens and she fought with Raven’s measured stance and skill.

  Total concentration was in Yngrid’s eyes as she went through the drills. Always warriors trained in pairs, sparring to find the strongest and learning from each other. Kari watched as Yngrid jumped in the air, her muscles sending her high as she speared downwards with her sword point to stab an enemy only she could see. You always were different though weren’t you Yngrid, sparring by yourself because no one was worthy to face you. Am I worthy of you my love?

  The wind blew cold and her breath fogged the air but she did not move, did not stop watching. Standing in the leather trousers and dark top she had made for herself on the mountain she crossed her arms across her chest and smiled as Yngrid twisted, parried the cut she saw coming in her mind and returned the hit with a backhanded slash across the wind.

  “She fights well. You could do worse than ask her to train the young men in the village. We have no warriors to protect us now.” The voice that spoke to her was gruff, old and deserved to be seen yet she refused to turn to him, refused to take her eyes from the sparring warrior.

  “I could ask her Jonar, and she would do it for me. But unless we break the hold this winter has on the land there will be no need for warriors for we will all die.” Then she did turn, her eyes meeting with the old villager who she had come to trust. “But Raven will not let that happen. He will let me know how to break this curse. Bright sunlight and warm air will come again my friend.”

  “I pray you are right shaman. We did not see you break Hare’s curse but we were there that night, locked away as the darkness split apart and the howling winds came. We heard the screams and when morning came and we found you and your warrior the only ones alive, we were scared. But you showed compassion, healing those you could and helping end the suffering for those you could not. You are our shaman and she,” Jonar nodded with his chin towards Yngrid, “Is your warrior.”

  “And the rest of the survivors of Hare’s madness, do they to understand she is my warrior?” Kari’s voice was soft as she spoke, smoky and she waited for the answer.

  “Aye, they see how she follows you, how she is always by your side and they see you both share a cabin. There is no shame in it, though some do not understand this new way of doing things yet.”

  Yes we share a cabin, we sleep in the same bed, under the same covers yet still we have yet to take that final step. Why do I wait so? She nodded, lost in her own thoughts for a moment and Jonar stood with her, waiting for her words.

  Around them villagers moved around, repairing the buildings that the warriors had let go to ruin. Made ramshackle and broken by the indifference of Hare, the inhabitants now looked to her for instruction. Her dark eyes glittered as the villagers shouted out greetings as they passed and she nodded distractedly. “You are right, as usual, Jonar. Safety would make everyone feel stronger. When next the traders come we should be prepared to trade for tools, so we can set up a forge. Then we can start looking at weapons and training warriors,”

  “Aye, as you say, shaman,” She felt no joy in his words. She was shaman, destined for the role since birth. She had been set apart from her people, treated as something different, something otherworldly by everyone. Only Yngrid saw her for her. With eyes that were as grey as storm clouds when the warrior looked at her Kari knew she was a woman still.

  Jonar walked away and Kari returned to her watching of Yngrid. Oh, my love, there is a shadow on my heart. I came so close to breaking so many times. I am not worthy of it all.

  The wind blew her dark hair and she felt a caress of ice against her neck. “She is a good companion for my shaman. She is a great warrior and is willing to keep you safe whilst you undo the damage that Hare did to the land. Even if it costs her dearly,” The voice said quietly in her ear, brought to her on the wind. It echoed with the faint whisper of dead warriors and underground tombs. “Yet you still hold yourself apart. Why so?”

  “Will it cost her dearly? Have you seen such a thing then Raven? Do I ready myself for more heartbreak? I have seen her near death so many times. Be it from the cold of the wind, from the hatred of spirits and from the ice of steel. Is there no hope for us?” She talked quietly, unwilling to break the concentration of Yngrid with shouted words.

  “Your heart beats for the warrior but you so little understand the warrior’s path. She sees you as the person that brings her life meaning. Without you, everything would be for naught and she would be fighting simply for the joy of the fight. That once would have been enough but now she fights wit
h my talons and not Wolf’s claws. Now she needs a reason to fight. As long as you are by her side no price would be too high for her to pay as long as you are safe. Is any price too high for you to pay in return? Is her love so unrequited then shaman?”

  Raven’s words stung her as they always did. Her heartbeat fiercely with anger and she whispered harshly, “You know there is no such price. You promised me I could be together with my warrior. Her memory gave me strength, her presence brought me hope. I only wish to know if our fate is fixed and destined for sorrow or if there is hope to hold onto.”

  “There is always hope shaman.” The quiet voice that only she could hear on the wind brought with it the smell of grave dust and of ice. “That you two are fated for each other is fixed. There is no power in the land strong enough to change that. For how long you are fated for each other, however, is up to you both.”

  She sighed, “I hold myself apart because I fear Raven. You saw the damage Hare was able to cause because your shamans felt apart from their people. That needs to change yet I fear I am not strong enough to put the land first over her. If I am to train new shaman in your ways, will they be allowed to be one with their people even if it causes more grief?” Her dark eyes shone and her heart raced, “Am I strong enough for her?”

  As if something had tripped her warrior sense Yngrid looked up, her eyes suddenly sharp and she locked eyes with Kari. The shaman saw a heat within them, a heat that made her skin hot. Then Yngrid looked over her shoulder and gave a slight nod. Closing her eyes she went back to her practice, moving with new strength as if a sign she had been waiting for had come.

  “I am Raven. My word is my sacred bond. The old rules no longer work to keep my people safe. So I will leave it to your wisdom. You know these people, teach them new ways shaman. Let go of your fear and embrace her. She is your strength shaman, do not fear it. I will trust your heart in this but no longer will shamans be asked to keep apart from their people. They will walk among them, taking partners as they will.”

  “Good.” Kari’s eyes never left Yngrid. Her heart still beat in time to the swings of the warrior’s arm. She smiled as she remembered a time; a time on the mountain when she had nearly failed as Yngrid’s arms surrounded her. She could still remember the heat she felt in her breast, the joy she had felt at the warrior's touch, and the fear she felt when Hare’s forces had attacked them both. “To be apart is too much to bear for so long.”

  “But you are mistaken in one thing young shaman.” Her eyes sharpened as she felt a sliver of cold run down her spine. The voice had taken on a dusty tone and she heard the weight of ages within it. “You will not teach those who are to come my ways. You will teach them all the ways. Wolf and Hare as well as Raven,”

  Kari frowned, “Why would you want me to do this Raven? Hare killed all the shamans but her servant and I killed him. Wolf refused to help, only wishing the fight. Only you cared enough to stop Hare and I am yours. The land and everything within it is yours to take if you so wish.”

  She could feel eyes staring into the back of her head and smelt the smoke of funeral pyres upon the air. A shiver of anger ran through Raven’s voice as he spoke. “Have you learned so little young one? There must be a balance in the land else all will suffer. You defeated Hare’s forces but still, she seeks for something and ignores the land's needs. Wolf still refuses to help, preferring instead the chaos this winter brings.”

  Kari frowned as she felt Raven over her shoulder, a touch of ice she could not ignore. “Is this how we end this winter then Raven? By bringing the two spirits back into balance? I do not know the lore of Wolf or Hare. I do not know their secret rituals or their teachings. How can I teach that which I do not know to the shaman to come? How can I bring them back into balance to end this winter?”

  “Did you see, your warrior saw me over your shoulder little one,” Kari nodded and Raven continued, “I have always been over your shoulder. I have shown you the truth of things and you have walked with the dead Kari Tomb Friend. Your shining warrior gave up much to me for the chance to save you. She has the sight you have now. Together you will seek out that which you do not know.”

  “She is to accompany me in this then? Who will stay with the village to keep them safe? They look to me for leadership in this. If we both go I am unsure if they will survive.” Yet Kari felt a happiness she rarely felt at Raven’s words.

  “Your people will not survive without the balance that Hare and Wolf can bring. You were saved for a reason young shaman. Your fate is tied with the warrior you love. She may not have Wolf’s gift anymore, but she still knows him and together, you will discover Hare’s secrets.”

  Kari felt the touch of bones against her shoulder, she felt the hard coldness of them and it shocked her as the familiar voice whispered, “Understand this young one. We are powers as old as the land you stand upon, older than the gods that came after. We are tied to the earth itself. Seek out ancient truths shaman. Seek and you will find what you need to know.”

  Blood was thick on the air and she gagged as the scent caught the back of her throat. “Where should I go then, Raven?” Silence answered her and she turned, saw no one. “What ancient ways and where do we go?” She whispered it but only wind and cold met her gaze. Sighing she turned back to her warrior who danced on crisp cold snow with a blade that reflected the sun.

  At least I will not be alone this time she thought and she moved, treading the cold crisp snow towards Yngrid who still danced her practice dance of steel. “My love,” Kari moved to stand in front of Yngrid and watched her pant as she sheathed her sword.

  “He came, didn’t he? I saw his dark form behind you. Stronger than last I saw him, but still battered and broken.” Then she shook her head and her long warriors braid whipped around. “He took his sweet time. It has been two weeks since you broke Hare’s hold on the land. Do you have what you needed?”

  Kari nodded and then gave Yngrid a shy smile. “Yes, he leaves the teaching of new ways in my hands and he has kept his word. No longer will we shaman have to be kept apart from the ones we love.” Then she linked her arm through the warriors. “Come, I need to speak to the villagers. Raven has told me what I must do to end this winter and they will not like it.”

  Chapter 2

  As she felt the slim arm of Kari slip through hers Yngrid felt her blood run hot. Will we finally take that extra step? She thought as they walked. At the thought of the dark-haired woman at her side pressing naked against her, she blushed, fought to push the image away but failed miserably.

  “So what does Raven say you have to do? What new impossible task does he set you and by extension me?” She felt her heartbeat faster than any fight as Kari brushed against her.

  “I have to bring the other two spirits back into balance. Only the three of them working together can end this winter.” She heard Kari sigh, “It seems an impossible task but still we must try. At least we will be together though, even if the villagers don’t like it.”

  “They will complain but they will listen. You are their shaman, their leader. You saved them from Hare’s scheme.” They began to walk and with each step, Yngrid felt the arm linking with hers acutely. Her hand, so familiar with the pommel of her blade, so calloused from long hours of practice felt clumsy whenever Kari touched her. Yet I will learn she thought smiling Oh how I will learn.

  “I did not do it alone my love. They look to you for safety as much as I. Jonar came to me while you practiced, asked me to talk to you about teaching the younger ones how to fight. You have become a leader yourself in this village of refugees.” Kari laughed suddenly and the sound made Yngrid’s heart race. “We always promised each other we would be worthy of our tale. I never saw it coming true like this.”

  “I merely gave you the opportunity. I did little else.” She shrugged, “Certainly not enough to warrant being looked up to. I am simply a warrior, not a leader. Where you go, I follow. What you order, I do. It is that simple.”

  “Yet if we are su
ccessful and break the hold this winter has, if we are to make a life here we will need to lead these people. That means they will need warriors, for protection and I cannot think of anyone more skilled than you.” They stopped and Kari turned to look at her. Long dark lashes covered her eyes and her hair fell down her back like night. If I asked it, would you train them?”

  Yngrid sighed, “For you, I would train them.” Her body ached from where she had been practicing her swordsmanship but she felt her body ache for a totally different reason as the dark black hair of her shaman blew wildly in the wind. You still have a vow to keep. Raven’s words echoed in her head and she smiled grimly. “There mayhap be an occasion they would not like it though!”

  “They would like it less if we saw more raiders. We only know what has happened to the villages and towns around Sky Roost Mountain. Hare attacked Raven’s sacred mountain but we do not know how much more of the land she got to. Is there other Shaman out there? Does Arvonfell still stand as the capital with Alfric our king? Does Morvalake still accept trade ships from over the seas? There is much we do not know and won’t know until the traders make the trip and that will not happen whilst this winter persists.”

  She turned and started to walk and Yngrid followed. “Call the people,” she heard Kari shout out as they walked and she saw Villagers running, passing the word that they were to meet in the communal meeting hall. She is no longer the young woman I knew in the village. She has been through so much, learned so much and now is the leader I always knew she would be whether she likes it or not.

  You are my love, Yngrid thought as she followed the shaman towards the meeting hall of the village. And I have failed so many times to protect those I loved. I failed to protect my parents and my village from Hare’s raiders. I failed to protect you on the mountain when they came for you. I failed Wolf, giving his gift to Raven, so I could save you from the shaman Obon. My life has been a catalog of failures. If I train your warriors, will I not fail again? Yngrid shook her head to clear the grim thoughts, I must not fail again.