Defending Her Vikings

by Skye MacKinnon

  The Archivist had been listening to our conversation from afar, but now he stepped closer, his expression unreadable.

  “Lainie. A word.”

  I looked at him in surprise, but then followed him into his studio flat. I was way too intrigued to do anything else.

  As soon as I’d closed the door behind me, he turned and stepped towards me, invading my personal space.

  “Hjalmar will be back soon,” he whispered, his eyes roaming up and down my body. “Then you’ll have two Vikings vying for your attention.”

  I laughed, trying to diffuse the tension that was building between us. He was too close, this was too intense. I was fighting both the urge to touch him and to run away. This man was doing things to me that I couldn’t control.

  “Are you going to give me dating advice?” I joked, my voice trembling. “Tell me who to choose?”

  His ashen eyes turned to molten silver. “No. I’m going to stake my claim before it’s too late.”

  And then he kissed me.

  *** The End (for now) ***

  They’re almost united again! Lainie now has three men vying for her attention, but will it become too much for her? And where will they end up, in the past or he present?

  Find out in the next episode of the Norsemen Academy, Betraying Her Vikings.

  Read on for a list of handy vocabulary (including translations for ‘I am single’ and ‘I love you’). And don’t forget to leave a review once you’re done!

  Also, as part of the Time Travel Academy world, there will be other books coming soon where new characters travel to different time periods. Have your say in this poll and help me decide where to travel next!

  Old Norse Vocabulary

  As requested by several readers, here are some handy Old Norse phrases, just in case you get to meet your own sexy Viking(s).

  First of all, this is just a basic list that doesn’t cover all the declinations needed to differentiate between addressing a man, woman, or group of people.

  For example, a simple ‘hello’ would have to be declined in the following five ways:

  Heill! - to greet one man

  Heil! - to greet one woman

  Heilir! - to greet a group of men

  Heilar! - to greet a group of women

  Heil! - to greet a group including both sexes

  Since doing that for every word would make this book twice as long, take these phrases with the knowledge that you may not be using perfect grammar – but I’m sure your Norseman will be happy to correct you.

  EK ANN ÞÉR – I LOVE you (lit. I grant you [love]) - ᛁᚴ ᛅᚾ ᚦᛁᛦ

  Já – Yes

  Nei - No

  Hei - Hi (informal greeting)

  Góðan dag/Góðan daginn - Good day

  Góðan morgin - Good morning

  Góðan aptan - Good afternoon

  Gott kveld - Good evening

  Sofðu vel - Good night (sleep well)

  Allt er gott - That’s okay

  Hvaðan ertu? – Where are you from?

  Ek em frá ... - I am from ...

  Ek em einhleypr ♂ / mey ♀ – I am single

  Gørðu svá vel - Please

  Dey! - Die!

  Hvar er hjálmr minn? - Where is my helmet?

  Fífl! - Fool!

  Hel taki þik! - May Hel take you!

  Far þú í arsgat! - Fuck off! (lit. Go into the arsehole!)

  Hrafnarnir munu hafa þik! - The ravens will have you!

  Resources

  Here are some resources that I found particularly helpful while studying Old Norse and Runology. This is by no means an extensive list and I’m sure there are some great other resources out there that I’ve not come across yet (if you know something good, email me!).

  My favourite book:

  ‘Viking Language 1: Learn Old Norse, Runes, and Icelandic Sagas’ by Jesse Byock. ISBN 978-0988176416

  A free Memrise course teaching the most important 246 Old Norse words mentioned in the book:

  https://www.memrise.com/course/365561/the-246-top-old-norse-words-audio/

  Some short videos about Norse culture and studies:

  http://www.vikingnorse.com/old-norse-teaching-videos

  English to Old Norse Dictionary:

  http://www.vikingsofbjornstad.com/Old_Norse_Dictionary_E2N.shtm

  The Futhark song (like the ABC song but for the Futhark):

  http://www.sassafrassmusic.com/songs/norse-mythology/futhark-song/

  Dr Jackson Crawford’s Old Norse YouTube channel (lots of fun stuff):

  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXCxNFxw6iq-Mh4uIjYvufg/featured

  The Orkneyinga Saga in English translation: https://archive.org/details/orkneyingasaga00goudgoog/page/n12

  More information about runes:

  https://www.omniglot.com/writing/runic.htm

  All sorts of interesting Viking facts:

  https://www.vikingrune.com/

  Including a fascinating article on Viking hairstyles:

  https://www.vikingrune.com/2014/03/viking-hairstyles-is-ragnars-haircut-historical/

  Love and Marriage in Viking times:

  http://avaldsnes.info/en/viking/kjaerlighet-og-ekteskap/

  THE ELDER FUTHARK

  Also By

  You can find all my books at skyemackinnon.com/books. Most of them are also available as audiobooks and paperbacks.

  Daughter of Winter Series (Paranormal reverse harem)

  Winter Princess

  Winter Heiress

  Winter Queen

  Winter Goddess

  >> Box set

  Mother of Gods (prequel)

  Demon’s Revenge (spin-off)

  SEVEN WARDENS (Paranormal RH co-written with Laura Greenwood)

  From the Deeps

  Into the Mists

  Beneath the Earth

  Within the Flames

  Above the Waves

  Under the Ice

  Rule the Dark

  Prequel: Beyond the Loch

  Spin-off: Through the Storms

  CLAIMING HER BEARS (Dystopian bear shifter RH)

  Polar Destiny

  Polar Fates

  Polar Miracle

  >> Box set

  THE MARS DIARIES (Sci-fi RH linked to the Drowning series)

  Alone

  Hidden

  Found

  >> Box Set

  DEFIANCE (contemporary dark RH)

  Abandoned Heart

  Broken Princess

  Stolen Soul

  INFERNAL DESCENT (paranormal RH based on Dante’s Inferno, co-written with Bea Paige)

  Hell’s Calling

  Hell’s Weeping

  Hell’s Burning

  CATNIP ASSASSINS (urban fantasy)

  Meow

  Scratch

  Purrr

  ANTHOLOGIES AND BOX Sets

  Hungry for More – charity cookbook

  Captivated – contains my post-apocalyptic shifter RH Three Arrows

  About the Author

  Skye MacKinnon is a USA Today Bestselling Author with a slight obsession with bunnies, dried mango and Scotland. And when she says slight... her friends are trying to find ways to trick her into not having a book set in Scotland.

  Whether it's set in space (Scottish space, obviously), fantasy worlds (Scottish fantasy worlds, obviously), or Scotland, Skye's tales are full of magic, romance and adventure. Oh, and unicorns. There's a few demons, too.

  Follow her on social media:

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  innon, Defending Her Vikings