Odaria is a witch, meaning a herbalist and healer, on a
small island inhabited by Picts. She has become the target
of a supposed cleansing act and is about to be burned alive
when she conjures up a force from the sea to protect
herself. The party of marauding Vikings subdue the
villagers and Odaria, believing that she is responsible for
wreaking the havoc of the Norsemen on the island, is
terrified. She is about to become THE VIKING'S WITCH.
One of the Norse, a jarl, or respected landowner, had
previously retired from going a-Viking but has gone to sea
again to search for the king's son whose ship went missing
and is rumoured to have gone down in a storm. Rothgar is
searching for any news so orders the villagers kept alive.
He picks Odaria when he finds her in hiding, to prepare
food and drink. Having been married, then widowed, he has a
different attitude to women from the majority of his
group. Odaria first tries to fight her way out but then
realises that it would be better to be under Rothgar's
protection than given to the mob of seamen.
The monastic settlement of Lindesfarne has recently been
destroyed and Brennan, the village leader, has no reason to
co-operate with the Norsemen. He refuses to say where a
ship may have been wrecked. A few items of flotsam are
found however, such as a shield, and Odaria uses her gifts
to divine what became of the owners of these objects.
Convinced that the king's son was washed up on this island,
Rothgar finds it increasingly difficult to control the
Vikings and needs the aid of a feared 'bersekr' whose leg
Odaria saves from blood poisoning, to prevail. The trust
that grows between Odaria and Rothgar soon leads to desire,
though they get interrupted so many times that a physical
union takes a good while longer.
There is much detail in this tale by Kelli A Wilkins; whale-
oil lamps, silver and jade brooches, graves dug with
sword blades, all combine to produce a lively picture of the
times. The village must have been prosperous because they
had stored up a great deal of food and drink; their
persecution of a herbalist is explained by saying that
Odaria had refused to convert to the new religion. The
bloodthirsty practices of the times are more than hinted
at, so not for the nervous.
Scotland, 803 A.D. About to be burned at the stake by her
fellow villagers, Odaria does what any betrayed witch facing
certain death would do. She calls down a curse. Within
seconds, rampaging Norsemen raid the village, capturing
everyone except her. But her reprieve is short-lived, and
Odaria lands in the clutches of the Norse leader Rothgar.
Can she remain true to herself and fight her growing
attraction to this domineering man, or will she fall under
his influence and be used for his ambitions? After Rothgar
witnesses Odaria’s powers firsthand, he strikes a bargain
with her. The raven-haired beauty will use her magical
abilities to help him with his quest in exchange for safe
passage off the isle. But can this cunning woman be trusted,
or is she using him to exact vengeance on her village?
Together they must fight bloodthirsty villagers, battle a
mutinous band of Norsemen, find a missing Norse ship, and
learn to trust each other . . . before time is up.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy