by Julia Ember
Loki came to stand beside me, and we watched the coin slowly descend. They laughed as the coin crawled to the sea.
“Time’s grasp is more tenuous here in the Neverlands,” they said. “We could be gone weeks or years, and, to the people you leave behind, it may seem only days.” Their hand moved to my head, and they lifted a strand of my blond hair. Under the sun’s glare, it appeared white. “For you, though, you will age with the ship. When you return, you will be different.”
“Will I return?” I asked, biting my lip.
The god shrugged. “I guess that depends on your skills. Steer us well, and you’ll be back before you turn gray.”
They took me by the shoulders and marched me toward the crew. Smyain had taken a seat on the rowing bench beside the man in the turban. The wolf licked his open palm.
“What happens to my crewman?” I asked. “If we run into trouble, I want him to be safe.”
Loki frowned. “I did not invite him aboard this ship nor expect him to be here. But he is not bound by any oath. He can leave at any time.”
“You don’t own his life. If it comes to that, I want your word that he survives.”
Loki sighed. “Agreed.”
“And you must allow me to command as I see fit. You are a passenger. We are allies.” My mouth was dry, and my heart pounded. Loki was a god, but if I didn’t establish my position from our first day, they would rule over me. I wanted to lead. If they didn’t respect me, Loki would try to trap me in an endless string of deals. If they lost their temper and killed me where I stood, death would end our bargain, and my town would still be safe. I would take my chances.
“We are allies,” the god intoned with a roll of their eyes.
“My crew will take breaks. When we are on land, we will hunt and we will feast.” I raised my chin, daring them to disagree with me.
Loki stared at me. Their jaw clenched. They turned away from me and barked to the crew. “Line up and meet your new captain.”
I hid a smile behind my hand.
Abandoning their oars, the crew scrambled to form a line. I braced my hand on my hip and made a show of inspecting them. I paced between the benches. Smyain gave me an encouraging nod.
I rolled up my sleeves. The woman nearest to me gasped; her eyes were trained on my hook. She winced in what I could only interpret as pity. Once, I might have hidden the hook behind my back. But after everything I had gone through, it was a badge of survival. It was part of me. The woman could pity me if she wanted to. She would learn better soon enough.
I whispered to the markings on my forearm. My toes and fingers went numb. The blood inside me seemed to cool. Even though I could still see my island home and the people lingering on the beach, my tattoos shifted. They showed open ocean before the ship’s bow and a path leading to a continent I had never seen on any map.
Loki peered over my shoulder. They traced the path with a long finger.
I pulled my arm against my chest and slowly walked to the ship’s bow. Pointing toward the coast, I said, “We sail.”
The crew picked up their oars. Loki walked to the stern and raised the black anchor. The sail above us blew taut as a gale of north wind broke through the timespell. We coasted for the stretch of beach ahead. I called directions to the rowers, angling our ship so that we would run aground north of the people still standing on the beach.
My markings still showed only ocean ahead. I had trusted my magic this far, and it was my connection to Heimdallr. Loki’s magic had hidden my town in a place that Heimdallr could never find. Maybe my maps showed the world as the god-guardian saw it. If the Norns could build a ship ungoverned by time, what else could it do?
“Are you sure about this?” Smyain called as we neared the coast.
I nodded. The sea breeze rustled through my hair. I stood on the prow and gripped the rail. Would this be the second time I’d steered a ship to disaster? I closed my eyes. A jubilant cheer went up from the crew, as the ship ghosted over the sand.
The End
Glossary
Old Norse Terminology, Gods, and Mythic Creatures
Drekkar—A long, narrow warship with a shallow draft. A drekkar would have space for up to eighteen pairs of oarsmen. It was agile and fast in the water. It was distinct from other light warships in that it always bore a carved prow depicting beasts such as dragons or snakes.
Forseti—The god of justice, revenge, and reconciliation. Forseti belongs to the Aesir gods and is the ceremonial head of the legal court.
Gulltoppr—Mentioned in the Prose Edda as the preferred mount of Heimdallr. His name translates to “golden mane.”
Haust—The autumn season.
Heimdallr—Known as the guardian of the Aesir gods and the god of foreknowledge or prediction. In myth, Heimdallr has nine mothers and is blessed with exceptional eyesight and hearing. The Prose Edda predicts that Loki and Heimdallr will kill each other at the Ragnorak.
Hjarta—Heart.
Húskarl—A bodyguard or warrior in the personal service of a lord or thegn. The actual status of the húskarl varied along with their patron’s status. Those attached to nobility could command considerable influence in their own right.
Jarl—A member of the nobility, translated into English as earl. They were the chieftains of a territory; their influence related to the amount of land under their holdings. In some cases, members of the royal family held the title of jarl before ascending to the position of king or queen.
Jotunn—A strong deity that dwells in an alternative realm from the Aesir gods. In early mythology, the Jotnar took many forms, but in later myths, they appear as trolls or giants.
Knarr—A large vessel with a deeper draft, often used by merchants. The knarr had a large sail that allowed it to sail with less dependence on oarsmen.
Loki—The trickster god in Norse mythology. Loki is often portrayed as an instigator or betrayer. In all legends, Loki is shown caring about self-preservation of above all. They can help or hinder, depending on their whim. Loki is genderfluid by canon. Shown in a male form in many legends, they are also described as the birth mother of the Sleipnir and Fenrir.
Norns—Female deities who control human destiny and, in some myths, time. They are usually represented as a trio of giantesses.
Odin—The ruler of the Aesir gods and a being that Vikings considered full of contradictions. He was considered a god of war as well as poetry. He was a ruler who often journeyed far from his kingdom in search of knowledge. He is sometimes referred to as Alfaðir or “Allfather” and considered the father of the gods.
Óðinsdagr—Literally “Odin’s day” in Old Norse. The Old English equivalent was “wōdnesdæg” which became Wednesday.
Ragnorak—An “end of days” event for many Norse gods. It is predicted to culminate in a great battle that will result in the death of several major gods.
Skuld—One of the trio of Norns. Her name means “debt” or “fate.”
Sleipnir—An eight-legged, white horse. The Sleipnir is portrayed in the Prose Edda as Odin’s steed. Loki is described as giving natural birth to the creature.
Snekke—The smallest type of warship and the most common in a Viking fleet. Like the drekkar, it was small and narrow with a very shallow berth. In some cases, its draught was only 0.5 meters. It could carry up to twenty men. They were so light that they could easily be sailed directly onto the beach.
Styrimaðr—A title similar to “captain” that was conferred on the leader of a ship. It means “steer-master” in Old Norse. Unlike the modern role of captain, the styrimaðr often was involved in the physical construction of the ship and was responsible for its maintenance.
Thegn—or þegn, was a title given to the retainers of a king or a lord.
Vár—The season of spring. Could also refer to the minor goddess Vár, who was associated with pledges and oaths.
Verðandi—Part of the trio of Norns. She is a goddess of time. Her name means “present” or “happening.”
Acknowledgments
To the amazing team at Interlude, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have given me so much support and encouragement as a writer, and you have transformed this duology into books I am so proud of. Annie, your patience and dedication to this story have been crucial. Thank you for talking through so many ideas with me and always listening. Nicki, Cameron and the rest of the editorial team, your insight and attention to detail have been invaluable. Choi, I admit now that when you first described your ideas for the cover of The Seafarer’s Kiss to me, I was skeptical, but these covers are masterpieces. I didn’t think you could outdo yourself for The Navigator’s Touch, but somehow you have! Candy, thank you for going above the call of duty to promote my books. I am so grateful to you for getting this book in libraries and into the hands of teens.
Thank you:
To Alex, Ava, Chasia and Jen for offering such insightful feedback while this book was in progress.
To Laura, Lizbeth and Rebecca, and so many other amazing people in the Edinburgh-based author community, for providing so much emotional support and letting me bounce ideas off you over a pint at the pub.
To #TeamRocks, Author Mentor Match Fam and the Fight Me Club for giving me space to vent and sharing your knowledge.
To my partner for believing in me when I wanted to give up and for getting me up in the morning to write, even though I am the worst before eight a.m. and Diet Coke.
To my family for your constant support over the years and enabling me to pursue a dream.
About the Author
Born in Chicago, Julia Ember now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland with her partner and their city-based menagerie of pets with names from Harry Potter. Sirius Black and Luna Lovegood the cats currently run her life. A world-traveller since childhood, Julia has visited almost seventy countries. Her travels inspire her writing, though she populates her worlds with magic and monsters. She has worked as a teacher, a wedding cake decorator, and a bookseller.
Julia began writing at the age of nine, when her short story about two princesses and their horses won a contest. In 2016, she published her first novel, Unicorn Tracks, with Harmony Ink Press. It also focused on two girls and their equines, albeit those with horns. She has subsequently published three further works for young adults.
The Navigator’s Touch is the sequel to The Seafarer’s Kiss, which was released by Interlude Press in May 2017. It was heavily influenced by Julia’s postgraduate work in medieval literature at the University of St. Andrews.
Content Warnings
Due to some of the nature of some of the content in The Navigator’s Touch, I’ve decided to include this list of chapter specific content warnings for readers who might need them.
General warnings: violence, depiction of kidnapping.
Part 1, Chapter 4
Murder of a child, beating with a belt.
Part 1, Chapter 11
Discussion of torture.
Part 2, Chapter 1
Animal death, graphic depiction of battle injuries.
Part 2, Chapter 4
Depiction of a human-eating monster, graphic execution.
Part 2, Chapter 5
Abuse and imprisonment of children.
For a reader’s guide to The Navigator's Touch and book club prompts, please visit duetbooks.com.
@duetbooks
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