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SUMMER
The weather warmed up enough to dry out the inside of the house as well as the outside. Their mother had picked up a few extra hours work in a nearby horticultural centre, leaving Tammy and Freya on their own a lot. She was going in for a morning’s work this Saturday, which would mean money for groceries. Tammy was officially in charge of Freya. Freya was still slowly eating breakfast, trying and failing to convince herself that a bowl of porridge was delicious without milk and sugar.
“And no leaving Freya alone, this time,” cautioned their mother as she stowed a wrinkled apple in her bag for lunch. Freya glanced up at her in surprise. Had her Mum noticed Freya being left alone when her sister went out? Mum usually seemed oblivious to that sort of thing.
“You’d know where I was if I had a phone,” Freya suggested.
“Maybe so, but who’s going to pay for one?” said Danae.
Money is always the problem.
“I’d have more friends if I had a phone, too.”
“If they are only not your friends because you don’t have a phone, they’re not worth having as friends.”
That was depressingly true, but it didn’t help Freya feel any better.
Phones are pretty much essential for life, why doesn’t Mum realise that?
“Enough about phones, Freya. Stay with your sister, and I’ll be back in time for dinner. The shift shouldn’t go on any longer than that. Look after each other, girls. I’ve got to go now, or I’ll be late.”
Freya watched her mother’s retreating back for a moment, feeling her tension release as the front door closed. This was the first time in a while they’d had a whole day to themselves to explore the surrounding area without being pressed into finding food as well, or having to sit through extra lessons. The sky was blue, and the hills were inviting. It was too good an opportunity to miss. She took the last bite of porridge and stood up, shoving back the rickety chair that you had to sit on just so, or it wobbled unbearably.
“Come on Freya, hurry up!” Tammy was waiting by the door.
Freya shoved a couple of precious flapjacks into her rucksack, double checked that she had a water bottle, and added a light coat.
“I am hurrying, I’m just packing a few things so we don’t have to survive off the land today.”
“Oh, alright. I’m not in the mood for whatever’s growing at this time of year anyway.” Tammy returned to her phone.
Mr Fluffbum sauntered over to investigate Freya’s rucksack, and rubbed against her legs.
“Sorry Mr Fluffbum, you can’t come with us this time. You look after the house.” Last time Freya had let Mr Fluffbum wander, he’d disappeared for hours, then when she returned home from a fruitless search for him, she’d found him gnawing on the remains of a brownie. Now, Freya didn’t trust Mr Fluffbum at home unless he was shut in. One mangled brownie was one too many as far as Freya was concerned.
“We’re going out for a walk, not on a camping trip, Freya.” Tammy was obviously impatient to go, waiting by the front door and flicking irritably through some app on her phone, glancing up at Freya from time to time as though she was an irritating intrusion. Tammy’s phone was so frequently in her hand that it was practically an extension of her sister. “Come on, slow poke,” Tammy said when Freya finally joined her. “I found something interesting to check out, but we won’t get to see it if you don’t get a move on.”
Freya looked at Tammy in surprise.
“I’m not convinced it’s something I want to see, if you’re so keen. Can’t we just see if there are lambs on the hills, that sort of thing?”
“Boring. Come on, you’re always wanting me to do things with you. This is your chance.”
“I guess.”
Freya hastily slid her feet into dishevelled trainers, wondering what Tammy was so animated about. Usually, she protested at having to look after Freya. She certainly didn’t want to show her things.
“I’m ready.”
I hope this is going to be worthwhile. Maybe I’ll see some lambs anyway.
Tammy led her away from the town - their cottage was on the edge of town, but not far enough out to be considered a country house. They passed the town’s allotments, verdant with spring growth. Freya spotted young onions, crawling tendrils of peas, and lush potato tops. She craned her neck, trying to see their plot from the road. Had the lettuce sprouted yet? She’d spent the past week helping her mother do the weeding after school. She hadn’t been thrilled about being pressed into helping to destroy plants, but she was glad that her mum was enjoying herself, humming as she worked – such a change from the bitter lines Danae’s face had often assumed in recent months. The allotment gave Freya something to do after school apart from worrying about whether she’d make any friends. It was also a less tension-filled pursuit than demi-hunting expeditions, the only other thing her Mum seemed inclined to do with her these days. She wished her Dad was around still, to take her out for chips and feed the gulls. That had been a much more relaxing way to spend an hour or two.
Tammy hustled her past the allotments, seeming anxious not to be spotted.
“Come on, Freya,” she repeated. “We’re not stopping to garden; we’ve got better things to do.”
She led the way up the hill, pressing on faster than Freya’s still-shorter legs could manage, then waited at the top of the slope. There, she pointed to a stile leading into the fields. A walkway went through the valley and disappeared into some woods near a stream in the distance.
“That way. Quickly though, there were cows in here last week and I don’t want to be bothered by them. There might be a bull.”
Freya hastily climbed over and half-walked, half-ran in the direction Tammy pointed. She didn’t want to be bothered by a bull, either. They reached the next field without incident, and without glimpsing either cows or bulls, to Freya’s relief. She didn’t mind them, exactly, but they were so big and curious. There were sheep, and lambs, too.
“Oh, look, Tammy! Lambs! They’re so cute the way they bounce over the grass.”
“I guess. They don’t do much for me.”
Freya was disappointed when Tammy hustled her past the lambs.
Over the next stile, and they were closing on the woods. The sky was mostly blue on this spring morning, a welcome change after a week of rain and grey skies. The sound of the swollen stream rushing through its bed reached their ears.
“Nearly there,” Tammy encouraged Freya. Tammy left the path right at the edge of the woods, leading the way behind some bushes which hid them from the road. She seemed to be taking care not to be seen by anyone.
“We are allowed to be here, aren’t we?” Freya asked nervously. She didn’t want to be shouted at by some irate landowner.
“‘Course we are, it’s a public footpath. I just don’t want anyone joining us.”
Freya wondered who might join them in such a lonely spot. Sure, there were always ramblers, but not many bothered to come near this village. It wasn’t renowned for anything in particular. Tammy set down her own bag by the stream edge, and told Freya to do the same. There was a bare patch of ground there, too trodden down by cows to grow things. A small weir slowed the stream just after the bare patch, and the sound of water rushing over it was loud in Freya’s ears. Beyond that, the stream disappeared into the trees, dark and uninviting. Freya shivered, although it wasn’t cold.
“Alright, now has Mum taught you anything about Norse magic or summoning yet?” Tammy asked. Freya shook her head.
“Just demi-spotting and folklore. You’ve been in the room half the time, surely you know that.”
“Me being in the room is not the same as me paying attention,” said Tammy.
Freya rolled her eyes.
“I keep hoping Mum’s going to tell me more than myths and how to identify other demis. But she’s always too busy or too tired, these days,” she said.
“Well, then you’d better listen up. This is probably the most fun thing you can do with a summoning, but Mum won’t tell you about it. It works best with more than one of us, which is why I need you. And don’t tell her I told you, or else!”
Tammy was fierce, her gaze holding Freya’s eyes until she nodded.
“Right. The first thing you should know is that you definitely do need to follow the rules. Do everything I say, and nothing else, got it?”
Freya nodded again, an unexpected thrill coursing through her. What was Tammy going to show her? Would she finally learn something of her own powers? Perhaps the Tammy would know a trigger that Lio hadn’t been able to think of. She felt a pang of loneliness, knowing that she was too far from the sea to see Lio.
Tammy selected a long stick of fennel from the weedy area at the edge of the field, pulled a pinecone out of her jacket pocket and lashed it onto the fennel with some lengths of ivy from the edge of the woods, then returned to the stream’s edge.
“This part I learnt from Dad when he was celebrating a big wine sale one time. It’s Dionysian, sort of. I’m pretty sure Mum never, ever does this. This is top-notch fusion, not traditional Norse stuff. Although it’s got a bit of that, too. And I don’t want you blabbing to her, OK?”
Freya was more concerned with Tammy having learnt something from their Dad that he hadn’t shared with her. How come she hadn’t been included?
“When did Dad teach you? He never taught me anything about his demi heritage.”
“He probably thought you were too young. It was a couple of years ago, at least. And you were probably out with Mum.”
“And he didn’t argue with you? Wow.”
“Well, I guess he showed me because I was arguing that he never taught me anything, but that’s not the point.”
Tammy found a section of bank where the young grass was still thin, and drew a circle in the dirt around herself and Freya.
“Stay inside the circle. Don’t even poke your finger out, or I’ll be going home alone to tell Mum you were eaten.”
Freya’s thrill turned to dread; a cold hand clenched in her stomach.
“Should we be doing this then? If it’s so dangerous?” She hated the quiver in her voice, but couldn’t quite control it. “I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to let your sister get eaten while you’re in charge.”
“Don’t be such a wimp. We’ll be fine if you follow the rules. But I think you should know about this, and Mum won’t ever tell you. And like I said, it’s fun. So, as your big sister, it’s my job to educate you about the possibilities. Just stay in the circle.” Tammy was dismissive, despite the danger she’d just highlighted.
“I don’t want to be eaten.”
“So, stay where you are. Next thing. I’ll be making a song-web. Don’t say anything, or make a sound. Not this time. Hit the wrong note at the wrong time and my song-web won’t work, so sit still and listen.”
Freya nodded once more, afraid to say anything that might make whatever this was go wrong.
“OK, Freya. Last thing, if anything does go wrong, there’s a packet of salt here.” Tammy pulled a paper sachet of salt from her pocket and deposited it in Freya’s hand. “If it looks like something is going to eat either of us, throw the salt on it - without letting yourself out of the circle. I’ll go out, but don’t you. I have experience. You don’t. I’ve waited till I could bring you for this summoning, and I’m not sure exactly what we’ll get. But salt should sort it out if it’s not as fun as I think it will be.”
Freya obediently clutched the small paper packet of salt. Her sweaty hands dampened the packet. She hoped that wouldn’t affect any anti-eating properties it might have. Wasn’t salt usually used as a seasoning for food? Maybe whatever Tammy was going to call was like leeches, which curled up and dropped off when sprinkled with salt.
“All set. Let’s do this!” said Tammy enthusiastically.
Tammy turned away from Freya to face the stream. Her eyes were alight, her whole body seeming to vibrate with suppressed excitement. Freya wondered what could possibly be so exciting - and so potentially dangerous. She almost missed Tammy’s first notes, as she started to sing. Tammy was quite quiet about it, despite her evident excitement. Tammy held her phone near her mouth, recording herself sing. Freya saw her stop the recording after a few low notes. Then she switched to playback mode, and as the recorded notes played, she sang in counterpoint. She repeated this a few times, till the recording was almost a chorus. Glancing at Freya, she put a finger to her lips, and sang one more time along with the recorded song. At first Freya was too busy watching her sister with envy to notice anything else. Her sister’s voice was rich and full, especially in chorus with herself, much more resonant than Freya’s own.
How did she learn to sing like that? I’ve never heard her singing at home.
However, after a few minutes of listening to what she assumed was what Tammy meant when she said a song-web, Freya realised that something was happening in the stream. Immediately above the weir, a sort of whirlpool formed in the muddy brown stream. It deepened improbably given the size of the stream itself, then inverted into a watery tower, so abruptly that Freya gasped.
Tammy glanced at Freya again, irritably. She gestured for Freya to cover her mouth with her hands. The watery tower moved out over the bank in front of them, forming itself into a humanoid shape as it did so. A large humanoid shape, with a horse's head and chains around its arms and legs, all outlined in brown water. Little wavelets muddied the bare areas of the bank and swirled the low vegetation in circles. The edges of the water-being lapped around their drawn circle. The being looked at them with an expression that forcibly reminded Freya of her father in a bad mood, despite being made of muddy water.
“Why have you disturbed me, young ones? Is your mother near? You are clearly not of an age to be useful to me.” Its voice was full of rushing sounds like the stream was making, which made it hard to understand.
Tammy looked profoundly irritated. Freya tried not to giggle.
“I am so old enough. I’m practically seventeen,” said Tammy.
The being, who must surely be a river god, shook his head.
“No. You are too young to master the power you have summoned. Release me.”
“Why should I?” Tammy said rudely.
“Because if you do not, we will be here for a good few years until you are old enough that you can deal with the likes of me. I can wait. Can you?”
Tammy did not look happy. This experience was clearly not going as she had anticipated.
“Don’t you want to be released from your chains?”
“Yes, but by one who can survive the consequences of releasing me. You, girl, are not that person.” The being rippled. Freya looked away for a moment, feeling dizzy.
“What consequences?” asked Tammy.
“If you were old enough and trained enough, you would know. Release me.”
“I don’t see why I should.” Tammy looked mutinous.
“Maybe one day you will return without your sister and I will take you. Maybe another will do so. But now, alas, I must wait. Release me. Find another of your own age. I am not for you.”
What does that thing mean, take Tammy? Freya wondered. She didn’t dare ask, though. She didn’t want the grumpy water being paying her any attention.
“Not likely. And what’s my sister got to do with it? How do you even know she’s my sister?”
“Without her power, I would not have come today. Except perhaps to take you and your power for myself.”
Well, that answers that question. But what power is he talking about? I didn’t even sing.
The river god didn’t answer Tammy’s other questions. Instead, it drew more and more water into itself, losing much of its shape in the process. It now towered over them, surrounding their circle on all sides. There was a tiny hole in the water where Freya could see the sky, with its head in the centre. It no longer looked remotely humanoid. It looked as though they were about to drown on dry land.
“Freya, the salt. Now!” Tammy commanded her. Freya wasn’t sure that throwing salt was going to help at this point, given how grumpy the being was already. But she also didn’t want to deal with an irate Tammy, so she tore open the salt packet and threw it. As the salt crystals hit the watery being, the whole thing abruptly washed back into the stream, drenching them as it fell out of shape, back into regular water. The drawn circle was washed away, leaving them alone on a muddy bank, gasping with the shock of cold water. Tammy looked at Freya, then away.
“Just don’t say anything, OK?” she said bitterly.
On the way home, chilly and wet, Freya asked
“Why did you think it would be fun?”
Tammy looked at her, then away.
“Last time, with a different stream, the river god was younger. And... fun. You know.”
Freya didn’t know, but she thought she might have an idea of what Tammy meant, given Tammy’s interests.
“So, the last one didn’t cover you with water and ask for Mum?”
Tammy laughed aloud.
“Well, I did get covered with water. Thank goodness that doesn’t hurt anymore. But no, the last one certainly didn’t ask for Mum. Definitely not.” She smiled to herself.
“And last time it really was fun. Next time, we won’t go after a big rainstorm. I’ve never seen a water deity get so huge. And I probably shouldn’t have chosen a section by a weir, either. Being chained up like that is bound to be irritating to a kelpie or naiad. It was good you threw the salt, too. He was too distracted by arguing with me to notice you. I’ll take you next time too, just in case.”
Tammy was obviously regaining her cheer. Freya wasn’t sure that she was regaining any cheer, and was even less sure that she should be going, next time, but she didn’t want Tammy to get drowned by an irritable river god either. Tammy didn’t seem to have paid attention to the river god’s threats to take Tammy and her power if Freya wasn’t there. How many risks had she run already? Freya sighed to herself, and didn’t tell Mum why their clothes were still damp when Mum returned from work that day.
Tammy dragged Freya along next time they had a day off together, and the next as well, later in the spring.
“We get more things happening when you come along,” said Tammy. “The deities are more talkative. And it usually only works once for every two or three streams or pools I try, but with you there, it’s first time, every time. You have to come.”
Freya went, but more to protect her sister if need be. However, Freya saw that Tammy did, indeed have fun when the river deity was younger (at least in appearance - who knew how old any of these river deities actually were?) and less irritable. Freya thought that she was probably too young for that sort of ‘fun’.
“Tammy, I know we’re descended from a fertility goddess, but are you sure you should be doing that? With them? And with me right here?” Tammy looked up from her position half in, half out of the stream. The latest river deity was giving Tammy a back massage. Tammy had removed her clothing to avoid the bother of having to dry it later. Freya sat out of reach of the water, half-turned away so she didn’t have to watch, but ready to throw salt if things went awry.
“There’s no harm in it. And like you say, we’re descended from fertility deities. Dionysus was a bit of a fertility god too, and he was big on rituals as well, you know. So, we’re practically born to do things ‘like that’. And a good deal more than what I’m doing right now.” She addressed the watery deity. “Keep going, don’t stop yet.”
“It doesn’t look - I don’t know, dignified?” Freya was unconvinced. But she went along with her sister when Tammy asked her the next weekend.
“So, when do I get to learn how to summon things? I want to ask my own questions. It’s not fair that you always get them to do what you want. I want to know what they think!” said Freya after a long, boring-for-Freya session with the latest naiad. This one was a female, and not nearly as grumpy as the chained kelpie had been.
“What they think isn’t important. And you can learn when you’re older.”
“That’s not fair. It sounds like you learnt when you were my age!”
“I was older than you are.”
“But you said yourself that you get better results with me around. Can’t you teach me?”
“Oh, I suppose so. Stop nagging, and bring my bag over here. These clothes have got all wet. I’ll teach you next time.”
As the spring wore into summer, Tammy and Freya went out most weekends. Their Mum’s few extra hours had turned into a regular thing, which was good in terms of having enough food to eat, for themselves and for Mr Fluffbum, and less good because Freya had no-one but Tammy and her cat to spend time with. Freya grew bored being a bystander on their outings. She and Tammy had discovered that the river nymphs in the area seemed to have strong emotions. Tammy enjoyed herself. Freya was not so happy with the situation, but she didn’t want Tammy going out without her. What if Tammy encountered a deity that was too strong for her? Freya felt curiously protective of her big sister. Sometimes, Tammy simply asked the water deities they summoned about local happenings. That was interesting, although often what the deities said reminded Freya of the one time she’d decided to try a cryptic crossword. Nothing made any sense, even though the words were all English. Most times, they both ended up soaking wet.
Every time, Freya asked to be taught more.
“Come on, Tammy, you promised. And you said it’s our heritage.”
“I suppose it could be useful. Maybe. But...”
“You just want me there to rescue you if you need it.” Freya was bored of being dragged along to throw salt if something didn’t go the way her sister wanted.
“Partly.” Her sister grinned. “It is helpful not having to worry about seasonings. But this my thing. I don’t want you taking over. I just want a helper.”
“Please, Tammy. It’s like you said, Mum never teaches practical things like this.”
“I’ll think about it.”
At long last, at the side of a small river, Tammy made a start on teaching Freya.
“It’s more about layering in your will with your voice,” she said. “That’s why I use the phone to make a song-web. That way, I get several layers of voice and will, which makes it stronger.”
“So can I use your phone?” ask Freya.
“No. If you really have more power than me, you’d better start with just your voice and command.”
Freya frowned. That didn’t seem fair. But she opened her mouth to sing anyway, wishing she could sound half as good as Tammy did.
The water dimpled almost immediately, forming itself into a proto-deity.
“Yes!” Freya exclaimed in excitement – only to slump with disappointment as the incipient deity disappeared with a splash.
Tammy looked at her with something like resentment on her face.
“What?”
“I just can’t believe you got something with a single note. Next time don’t interrupt yourself, the deities want surety.” Tammy turned away from Freya, tension informing the lines of her neck and shoulders.
Freya hardly noticed, eager to try summoning again. She experimented with humming, singing notes aloud, and with songs. Everything seemed to work, making the river swish one way then another. She settled on a sequence of notes that felt right, and called up the river deity to its full height. This time, she was able to ask all the questions she wanted.
“It’s not fair,” complained Tammy on the way home. “I’m the one who showed you how to do this. So how come you can do it easier than I can?”
Tammy might not be happy about it, but Freya was thrilled. At last, there was something she could do well. Tammy was so often better than her - able to grow things, better at identifying edible plants, better at attracting friends. This time, she was better. It was a heady feeling. Freya had never felt so powerful. She had always wanted to be able to do something better than Tammy - if she discounted Tammy’s ability to attract boyfriends. Freya didn’t want that ability. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
After that, the Freya asked Tammy to go out walking with her most weekends, and sometimes after school, too. Danae didn’t seem to notice - on weekdays they were home before she was, anyway. And if they brought foraged foods to help feed everyone, then she was pleased with their thoughtfulness - so long as they didn’t bring back anything poisonous.
***
