Lord of the Runes by Sabrina Jarema

and she spun out of the way. As she passed, she smacked the flat of her sword into his back.
    He yelled, and came after her, but she stood her ground, unflinching. “I have first strike, Magnus. It stops at that.”
    He stared at her and the room grew quiet. Then he smiled and bowed. “I concede. This time.”
    â€œYou mean, you concede again .” She gave him a sweet smile.
    The men hooted with appreciation, then broke up into pairs to train. Asa and Magnus discussed her movements, why she did as she had done, and what he wanted her to try next. They moved together, slowly, going over each turn of the blade. He repositioned her hand on the hilt and she nodded, loosening her thumb and first fingers, gripping it harder with her fourth and little fingers. Magnus told her this would allow the sword to flow more with her movements and let her use its momentum for more force. She’d grip it completely only at the instant of impact when she pulled the weapon back in a slicing motion. Eirik listened, fascinated. He’d never heard of this technique before.
    They sheathed their swords and Magnus drew her into his embrace, saying something in her ear.
    Eirik watched as she accepted the compliments and more teasing from the other warriors. It was obvious it was only the jests all comrades give each other. She stood tall among them, confidence pouring from her, as though she was one of them.
    Speechless, he looked at Leif, who grinned. “Don’t you know a shieldmaiden when you see one, rune caster?” He rose and went into the cooking room, no doubt in pursuit of the serving girl he’d smiled at.
    A shieldmaiden? Asa? He’d fought beside them before. In fact, Rorik had six of them among his warriors, one of them his sister. But they were all tall, elegant, bold, strong.
    Everything Asa was when she held that sword. She always sat with the warriors during meals, seldom with the other women. He’d assumed it was because her brothers were there as well, but what if that wasn’t the reason? What if she fought alongside them in battle? If she was as lacking in household skills as it seemed, she might have very little in common with the women of the village.
    It was difficult to believe that two brothers who loved her as much as they appeared to would allow her to endanger herself this way. And why had she learned weapons to begin with?
    â€œRune master?”
    His head still whirling with what he had seen, it took him a moment to realize Estrid had taken Leif’s place at the table across from him.
    â€œI’m not a master. Only a rune reader.”
    â€œOh, but I think you could be a master of anything you desire.” She leaned forward, smiling at him. “Or anyone.”
    Her eyes held a strangeness, a wildness. Just a hint, but it raised the hairs on his neck. “Did you want something, mistress?”
    â€œOh yes. But I’ll settle for a reading, if you’d like.” She let her icy-blond hair spill forward over her breasts.
    She was very beautiful. Yet her beauty left him cold, like looking at frost-lit night. Pretty to see for a short time, but something much warmer lay elsewhere. He looked again at Asa as she laughed with the men, her hand on the hilt of her sheathed sword. The tunic and pants outlined her slender body, and her long legs seemed to stretch like the fjords through the mountains. Her bare arms were toned and strong and it was obvious she had trained for years. Such speed and accuracy. She would have to make up for her lack of male strength and power.
    Estrid slid into his view, blocking his sight of Asa. “So, will you read my runes now, Eirik?”
    She was being very familiar, using his name like that. It wasn’t proper and he needed to prevent any problems with Magnus. She was fast becoming a problem.
    â€œI’ll give you a reading this evening when I do the others. You can be first.” If there were others waiting for