The Lady (53 page)

And there are many tales of the wars against the devils, and of the kings and the heroes and the wizards, and the terrible deeds done. And these can all be told, if there be golden rings, or silver cups, or wine and flesh and bread by the fire.

The kings and the wizards believed their war with the devils was over, and that their sons and daughters could lead their folk in peace. But time weakens all bonds, and men and women and even wizards forget, and only we skalds remember.

It is said that the seven devils did not sleep but lay ever-waking within their bonds, and they worked against their bonds, and weakened them, and they worked against their captors, and they slept, or they died, as even gods and goddesses can die, when the fates allow it.

But from the skalds of the north the winds from the north come bearing new tales to the road, and from the Western Grass to the ports of Nabban the bards and the storytellers repeat them: they say that the devils are free in the world, and the sword of the ice is hunting them.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © Chris Paul

K. V. Johansen was born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, where she developed her lifelong fascination with fantasy literature after reading
The Lord of the Rings
at the age of eight. The love of landscape and natural history that appears in her writing also traces to an early age, when she spent countless hours exploring woods and brooks with her dog. Long family camping trips back and forth across the country (and the continent) may have had something to do with the epic scale of the journeys on which she sends her characters. Her interest in the history and languages of the Middle Ages led her to take a Master's Degree in Medieval Studies at the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto, and a second MA in English Literature at McMaster University, where she wrote her thesis on Layamon's
Brut
, an Early Middle English epic poem. While spending most of her time writing, she retains her interest in medieval history and languages and is a member of the Tolkien Society and the Early English Text Society, as well as the Science Fiction Writers of America and the Writers' Union of Canada. Her previous works for adults include
The Leopard: Marakand Part One
, the Sunburst-nominated
Blackdog
, and the short-story collection
The Storyteller
. She is also the author of two works on the history of children's fantasy literature and a number of books for children and teens. Various of her books have been translated into French, Macedonian, and Danish. Visit her online at
www.kvj.ca
.