Joanne Harris - Runemarks

CONTENTS

To Anouchka

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My heartfelt thanks go to the faithful warriors who stood by my side throughout all the adventures and misadventures that have befallen this book. To Jennifer and Penny Luithlen; to Peter Robinson; to Christian, who read it first; to Philippa Dickinson; to my fantastic editors, Nancy Siscoe and Sue Cook; to Melissa Nelson for the jacket design; and to Judith Haut and Noreen Marchisi for publicity. To my P.A., Anne, who runs my life; to Mark, who runs the Web site; and to Kevin, who runs everything else. Most of all, I am grateful to my daughter, Anouchka, who pestered me constantly for four years until I finished this story to her complete satisfaction.

CHARACTERS

VILLAGERS

Maddy Smith , a village witch

Jed Smith , a smith

Mae Smith , a brainless beauty

Adam Scattergood , a bully

Mrs. Scattergood , an innkeeper

Dorian Scattergood , the black sheep of the family

Crazy Nan Fey , a midwife; reputed to be imaginative

Nat Parson , a parson

Ethelberta Parson , his wife

Torval Bishop , his immediate superior

Matt Law , a lawman

DEVOTEES OF THE ORDER

Examiner Number 4421974 , Examiner of the Order

Magister Number 73838 , Magister of the Order

Magister Number 369 , Magister Emeritus of the Order

Magister Number 262 , Magister of the Order

Magister Number 23 , Magister of the Order

GODS ( VANIR )

Skadi , of the Ice People, bride of Njrd, the Huntress; goddess of destruction; principal enemy of Loki

Bragi , god of poetry and song; has no reason to love Loki

Idun , his wife, goddess of youth and plenty; was once abducted by Loki and handed over to the Ice People

Freyja , goddess of desire; once mortally insulted by Loki

Frey , the Reaper, her brother; no friend to Loki

Heimdall , golden-toothed sentinel of the gods; hates Loki

Njrd , sea god, once married to Skadi but now separated due to irreconcilable differences; agrees with her on a single subjectdislike of Loki

GODS ( SIR SEER-FOLK )

Odin , chief of the sir, blood brother ofand ultimately betrayed byLoki

Frigg , his wife; lost her son because of Loki

Thor , the Thunderer, son of Odin; has more than one bone to pick with Loki

Sif , his wife; once went bald because of Loki

Tr , god of war; lost his hand because of Loki

Balder , son of Frigg; died because of Loki

Loki

OTHERS

Sugar-and-Sack , a goblin

Hel , Mistress of the Underworld

Surt , ruler of World Beyond, Guardian of the Black Fortress

Jormungand , the World Serpent

Fat Lizzy , a potbellied sow

The Nameless

RUNES OF THE ELDER SCRIPT

F: Wealth, cattle, property, success r: Strength, the Mighty Ox Thuris: Thors rune, the Thorny One, victory s: the Seer-folk, the sir Raedo: the Journeyman, the Outlands Kaen: Wildfire, Chaos, World Beyond Hagall: Hail, the Destroyer, Netherworld Naudr: the Binder, the Underworld, distress, need, Death Isa: Ice r: Plenty, fruitfulness r: the Protector, the Fundament Sl: summer, the sun Tr: the Warrior Bjarkn: Vision, revelation, dream Madr: Mankind, the Folk, the Middle Worlds Logr: Water, the One Sea

Seven oclock on a Monday morning, five hundred years after the End of the World, and goblins had been at the cellar again. Mrs. Scattergoodthe landlady at the Seven Sleepers Innswore it was rats, but Maddy Smith knew better. Only goblins could have burrowed into the brick-lined floor, and besides, as far as she knew, rats didnt drink ale.

But she also knew that in the village of Malbryas in the whole of the Strond Valleycertain things were never discussed, and that included anything curious, uncanny, or unnatural in any way. To be imaginative was considered almost as bad as giving oneself airs, and even dreams were hated and feared, for it was through dreams (or so the Good Book said) that the Seer-folk had crossed over from Chaos, and it was in Dream that the power of the Farie remained, awaiting its chance to re-enter the world.

And so the folk of Malbry made every effort never to dream. They slept on boards instead of mattresses, avoided heavy evening meals, and as for telling bedtime taleswell. The children of Malbry were far more likely to hear about the martyrdom of St. Sepulchre or the latest Cleansings from Worlds End than tales of magic or of World Below. Which is not to say that magic didnt happen. In fact, over the past fourteen years the village of Malbry had witnessed more magic in one way or another than anyplace in the Middle Worlds.

That was Maddys fault, of course. Maddy Smith was a dreamer, a teller of tales, and worse, and as such, she was used to being blamed for anything irregular that happened in the village. If a bottle of beer fell off a shelf, if the cat got into the creamery, if Adam Scattergood threw a stone at a stray dog and hit a window insteadten to one Maddy would get the blame.

And if she protested, folk would say that shed always had a troublesome nature, that their ill luck had begun the day she was born, and that no good would ever come of a child with a ruinmarkthat rusty sign on the Smith girls hand

which some oldsters called the Witchs Ruin and which no amount of scrubbing would remove.

It was either that or blame the goblinsotherwise known as Good Folk or Fariewho this summer had upped their antics from raiding cellars and stealing sheep (or occasionally painting them blue) to playing the dirtiest kind of practical jokes, like leaving horse dung on the church steps, or putting soda in the communion wine to make it fizz, or turning the vinegar to piss in all the jars of pickled onions in Joe Grocers store.