Page 5

Together with Ms. Verdandi, the genealogy researcher from Inverness, Holly walked towards the edge of the bare green coast that spread to the left and right. At the edge of the cliffs in front of them, in the middle of the green grass, stood a giant ash tree. Holly felt a strange pull towards the tree, as though she needed to touch it. Maybe it was because there were no other trees in sight for miles and miles.

Holly sped up, cautious not to overwhelm the old lady, whose lilac suit was a strange contrast with the wildness of the sight. But she didn’t need to worry. Ms. Verdandi looked eighty but seemed to have more agility and strength than Holly.

Behind the tree and the cliffs was the North Sea, dark blue now in the sunlight. A breeze brought the scents of sea, sun, and warm rocks, and Holly inhaled it deeply, a smile spreading on her face. The air here was very different from Orlando. It felt cool and fresh, and even the scent felt green. It was the scent of freedom.

“So, this is where it happened?” Holly said when they stood by the tree. “Vikings kidnapped my great-great-great…” Holly laughed. “I don’t even know how many ‘greats’ I need to add to ‘grandmother.’”

Ms. Verdandi echoed her laugh.

“Yes, they did,” she said in her strange accent that was definitely not Scottish. “Northern Scotland has always had a deep connection with the Vikings.” Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

“Near the ash tree, there was a big village that went from here down to the beach.”

Ms. Verdandi gestured to the left, where the green surface of the cliff descended to a small, secluded white-sand beach.

“Later, Clan MacKay would rule here. Your ancestor who was kidnapped, she would be a MacKay. You have both Scottish and Norse blood, dear,” she said.

Holly raised her brows. “Well, yes, that’s what the DNA ancestry test said.”

The woman smiled. “I did not need a DNA test to tell you that. Norse heritage is written all over you. That steel in your eyes. The strength. The honesty. The honor. The endurance and commitment you have to protect your loved ones no matter what.”

A small shiver ran through Holly’s skin. The words rang true and reverberated within her deeply. “You can tell all of that by just looking at me?”

The edges of the woman’s eyes creased in many small wrinkles. “You just need to know where to look. I also see that you have magic in your blood. You have quite a few völvas and witches in your line.”

Holly laughed. “Right. And the sky turned red and there were dragons breathing fire. Oh, you do not seriously believe that, do you?”

The woman arched one eyebrow and said, “Look at the tree. What do you see?”

Holly studied the tree. It was massive, tall, and thick, with big roots gripping the rocky soil. How had it even managed to grow on these cliffs? Bare branches rustled in the wind.

Bare tree. Bare land. Barren like Holly.

Tears pricked her eyes. God, why was it so important to her? She didn’t even have a man in her life.

But she’d always wanted a child of her own. Flesh and blood. Although she loved her parents, maybe that feeling of being broken, being faulty, was because she had been rejected by her biological mother.

She looked at the trunk and frowned. Something was carved on it—an intricate, ornate, interwoven pattern. Something Celtic or Viking. How had she not noticed this before? Holly looked closer. Something long and sharp at the edges.

A spindle.

Holly glanced for a moment at Ms. Verdandi, puzzled. “What does it mean?”

“Just look,” she said, a sly smile spreading her lips.

Holly looked again and gasped. Instead of the wooden spindle on the trunk, it was golden, and the patterns weren’t carved anymore but engraved. She stepped closer and brushed her index finger along the length of the spindle. It was smooth, and it buzzed slightly. Holly pulled her hand away.

“Neat trick,” she said with a nervous laugh. “How did you do it?”

“Ah, you’ll learn. You were looking for a tree, dear? You found it.”

“I wasn’t looking for a tree. I was looking for information about my ancestors.”

“A genealogical tree, dear.”

Holly smiled. “Ah. Well, yes. If you put it that way.”

“Your roots lie with the Vikings…but also your future.”