Summoning Annika_The Viking Witch Trilogies Read online

  “The boat house? Once,” Iris replied, “a long time ago, on a school field trip. To be honest, I didn’t pay much attention to the boat.”

  Stefan laughed, “Well, ok then, I have a seminar there next week as part of the Scandinavian studies course, if you’d like a second visit. I tell the story about the family that sailed to Norway in their homemade Viking ship. Of course, if you come, I’ll make it much more exciting than the last time you heard it, I promise.”

  Iris looked at his deep blue eyes, “Of that,” she suggested, “I have no doubt. I just think they were nuts to try such a thing.”

  Stefan nodded his head as they came to a stop on the other side of the bridge that separated the two cities, “I like to think of them as committed adventurers.”

  Iris laughed, stepping on the gas to take them to downtown Fargo. She pulled into a parking ramp and navigated toward an open spot. “I thought we’d start with a drink before dinner. Wait,” and she looked at him, thoughtfully, “I shouldn’t be so presumptuous. You do drink, right?”

  His eyes wrinkled with a wry smile, “Yes, I do, Iris. but thanks for asking.”

  They made their way out onto the street and Iris angled him toward the corner of the block, “This is a cool bar, it’s a pretty diverse clientele. Let’s grab a seat and then I can run the evening’s itinerary by you to see what you think.”

  “Sounds great,” was his enthusiastic reply.

  The host sat them at a table by the window, the traffic and people passing by added to the scenery. Iris ordered a martini, “Just one, I’m driving.” The server rattled off an overwhelming list of tap beers for Stefan, “I have a tall honey ale.”

  In spite of how busy the place was, they got their order quickly. Stefan picked up his glass as Iris stuck her debit card back into her bag. “Hold up,” she said and picked up her drink and held it out towards him, “To new friends and adventures.”

  Stefan tilted his head slightly and reached out and gently clinked his glass against hers, “Yes. To new friends, and adventures.” Iris couldn’t help but show her amusement as his accent drew out the last syllable of the word.

  Their conversation flowed seamlessly. Iris suggested either sushi or pasta for a light meal and then a visit to a nearby gallery that a friend of her owned. There was a new band opening at the Aquarium. Everything was within walking distance. “Fargo has really developed in the last few years, with the colleges and the business development, we have a pretty fun nightlife to go with it.”

  To Iris’s delight, Stefan jumped at the sushi option. “Excellent,” she said excitedly, “you’re in for a treat.”

  As if to underscore the diversity comment, a student on a longboard came to an unfortunate crashing halt just outside the bar window and a group of little old ladies came to his rescue. They helped him get back up and gathered his scattered backpack. He smiled and offered his board to one of them and they all laughed as one of the got on the board as the young man held her hand.

  “Cute,” Stefan said as he watched them, “I’ll bet that’s on Facebook in about two minutes.”

  Iris agreed, “No doubt. We’re a conservative community, but once you get to know the place, most people are pretty accepting.”

  Stefan nodded, “There’s a heavy concentration of Scandinavian folks here and a lot of history to go with it. That’s what brought me.”

  “Are you going to be here long?” Iris asked, expectantly.

  “I hope so,” he said after taking a long sip of his beer. “I’m at the mercy of funding at the college, but I like the area, and,” he gestured toward Iris, “I have this awesome tour guide to show me around.”

  He winked at her. Iris smiled warmly at him, “Aren’t you the smooth one,” she joked, but she locked her eyes on his and held the stare. She thought he had winked at her the first day, but now there was no mistaking it.

  She picked up her phone and fired off a quick text, her phone chirped back at her almost immediately, “They’re clearing a table for us, we should go. It’s only two blocks, you’ll love it.”

  Stefan looked surprised, “Wow,” he said, “you’ve really got this planned out. What if I had picked pasta?”

  “I had it covered either way,” she confessed with a smirk, “I know the owners of both places and, well, I’m sort of a regular customer.”

  “So,” he asked innocently, “you give a lot tours of the city, then?” The tone of his voice was light but then his expression suddenly looked pained, “I’m sorry, Iris, that is none of my business.” For the first time since she had met him, his overall confidant demeanor loosened, and he blushed. That only served to make Iris like him even more.

  “Actually, this is my first tour I have given,” and she winked back at him. He recovered quickly, “Well, I am honored,” as they walked out the door and headed for the corner. The light turned just as they got there but Iris looked down the street and saw an opening in traffic, she grabbed his hand, “C’mon, we can make it,” and they quickly darted through the cars. She laughed as they reached opposite side of the street, “Yes, I’m a little impulsive,” and she shrugged her shoulders. “Here we go, just down the block.

  As they entered the restaurant, they were greeted by an older petite Japanese woman. She smiled and hugged Iris warmly then looked at Stefan, “Well, who do we have here?”

  He held out his hand, “I’m Stefan, Iris is showing me the city.”

  She took his hand with both of hers and looked up at him, “Ah,” she exclaimed loudly, “You’re a Norske?”

  Iris cackled loudly, “My God, Yumi, you make me laugh.”

  Stefan leaned down slightly to Yumi, as if bowing. “Your name suits you, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” The older woman looked surprised at his comment.

  Iris looked puzzled, “How so?” she asked.

  “It means excellent beauty. I’d say her parents chose correctly,”

  The woman also bowed slightly and looked slyly at Iris, “I would hang on to him, Iris, he’s smart and respectful. And, you, handsome Stefan,” she said as she tilted her head toward Iris, “this one is very special to me. Please remain respectful to her.”

  Stefan replied immediately, “Yes, I will Yumi.”

  Iris, who was currently studying the weave of the carpeting, looked up and caught the older woman’s approving expression. “Kaito is here tonight?” she asked trying to steer the conversation back to dinner.

  “Yes, of course Iris. I told him you were on your way,” Yumi answered proudly, “he is waiting for you.

  Yumi brought them to a secluded side table close to the kitchen and away from most of the other patrons. “I will bring drinks. Kaito will begin in about 5 minutes, ok?”

  “Perfect, Yumi, thank you so much.”

  Stefan raised his eyebrows as she left them, “She’s something, isn’t she?”

  Iris smiled and rolled her eyes, “You have no idea. She’s been like a second mother to me since I moved here years ago. She has taught me so much about,” and she caught herself, “stuff.”

  Stefan smiled, “I imagine so. She strikes me as an old soul, we should all have one of those to teach us.”

  And at that, Yumi returned to their table with two glasses of wine. “I believe this will correctly complement the meal,” she said with a smile.

  Stefan looked at her, “Doumo arigatou gozaimasu, Yumi.” The woman didn’t even flinch. She just smiled and looked at Stefan and then at Iris, “You are most welcome, but the best is yet to come,” and she disappeared through the kitchen doors.

  Iris took a sip of her wine, “Ok, really, the language thing, how many do you know?”

  “Fluently? I would say seven or eight. I’ve studied several others, it’s a hobby as well as my job. I’m sort of a geek about it. First, I learn to cuss in the language I’m interested in and expand from there.” He rattled off a long string of phrases but the last one was Japanese.

  “Did you just curse at me, Stefan?” She stuck out her
lower lip in a mock pout.

  He just smiled back at her, “Curse, no. Quite the contrary.” He took a sip of his wine, “But I’ll never tell you what I said.”

  There was that wink again and from the soft tone of his melodic voice, she could feel the color rising in her cheeks again.

  Stefan just sat there and watched her. “You are such a contradiction, I...”

  The kitchen doors burst open and a slender Japanese man flew around the corner, silently placing two small plates in front of them. Stefan raised his head as if to acknowledge him, but Iris put a finger over her lips, “Shhh.” The man was gone as quickly as he had arrived.

  As the doors closed behind him, Iris said, “I’ve known him for seven years and, when he is serving, he never says a word. He won’t say anything to us until the end, if even ...” The doors swung open again and the chef walked through it with a small platter and set it on a turntable between the couple, bowed ever so slightly and returned to the kitchen.

  Iris stifled a laugh, both at Stefan’s expression and because she so enjoyed the chef’s performance. “…even at the end,” she finished. “Pretty cool isn’t it?”

  Stefan looked at the presentation in front of them. “I don’t want to eat it, I just want to look at it. This is artwork”

  “Yeah, he gets that a lot.” She reached over and pulled a section of Ahi that was dressed in an overlapping weave of colored sauces. “Dig in, we have about six minutes until the next plate.”

  “What?”

  “Oh yes, this is all part of the presentation, another selection is headed our way. So back to 'You're a contradiction...'”

  Stefan grinned just as he bit into a salmon that had been braided together with tuna, “I don’t think I can eat and talk with a deadline,” he said, “You’ll think I’m a pig.”

  “Hey,” she said, “Don’t leave me hanging, you started it.”

  “Ok, you’re interesting, maybe intriguing is better.” He took another bite and seemed to chew forever, he was clearly toying with her.

  “Really?” was her deadpan response.

  “Ha, what I meant was, and this is a bit of a confession, when I first saw you at the coffee shop, you looked so professional, but still approachable, I had to sit by you.”

  Iris stopped chewing, “That’s intriguing to you?”

  “I was surprised when you spoke to me right away, clever opening by the way. Here’s what interested me, you look so together and confidant and,” he hesitated slightly, “beautiful.” He stopped again and looked at her.

  “And there it is,” he said as her cheeks once again signaled her feelings, “Beautiful. So strong and edgy but vulnerable as well. You are a puzzle.”

  She thought for a moment and then took a sip of her wine, her eyes locked on his. She was buying time.

  Stefan returned her gaze, “Did I make you feel uncomfortable, that was not my intention.”

  She tilted her head and opened her mouth to speak, “I..”

  The kitchen doors swung open again and Kaito placed two small bowls of liquid in front of them. Iris smiled at the interruption and waited until the doors closed. She picked up the small bowl and held it in front of her, “I’m uncomfortable, yes.” She took a small sip of the contents of the bowl, she looked up and smiled, “but, I have a confession too. I’m enjoying it.”

  Stefan blew out a little breath in relief, “Tell me more.”

  She directed him to his bowl, “Drink up, to cleanse the pallet. Hurry, you only have a few seconds.”

  “That’s cheating,” Stefan protested, “I don’t know the time schedule here.”

  Iris grinned and looked the doors, waiting. All she could hear was some pots and pans being banged around behind them. And she waited. Nothing.

  She looked over at Stefan. He leaned toward her, “Looks like we have extra time. Tell me more.”

  Iris looked at the doors, hoping for a rescue. They remained closed.

  “Alright, you win,” she said to the closed doors, rolling her eyes. She looked back to Stefan, “Ok, how to say this?”

  “I’m a very private person. I pride myself on inner strength. I like to be in control,” she could feel herself getting warm again, “God, I make myself sound like a selfish bitch, right? I like projecting that I am strong.”

  Stefan smiled warmly, “It works, believe me. It’s not an illusion, by the way.”

  “But the moment I heard your voice, Stefan, I knew that I would meet you, and,” Her voice broke ever so slightly, shit, she thought. “And, that I wouldn’t have to be strong all the time with you. I can’t believe I am even saying this.”

  Boom, Kaito blew through the kitchen doors with a large cart filled with utensils and seafood, Yumi followed behind him with simmering pots of oil and a small grill. They parked by the couple.

  The sudden interruption gave Iris time to dab at her eyes before anyone noticed. Stefan could have sworn he saw the chef crack a tiny smile at Iris as he presented them with a wooden platter of seafood choices. He tilted slightly to Iris and she chose both salmon and shrimp. He then shifted, ever so slightly toward Stefan and waved his hand over the choices. Stefan also chose shrimp but then he pointed to the octopus. The chef spun his wrist and produced a spatula out of nowhere and placed their selections carefully on a small cutting board but then he suddenly returned to Stefan and offered the selections again. Stefan happily pointed to the eel. Another spatula materialized, and the chef transferred the meat to the cutting board.

  “Well, look at you,” Iris said nonchalantly as she tapped a well-manicured fingernail against her lip. “I think you got the brave boy octopus bonus.” She laughed heartily.

  The chef cleared his throat as if to silence the banter and reached to his belt. He pulled a long thin bladed knife from a thin sheath and began to spin the blade in his fingers like a drumstick. He reached out over their table as they watched the demonstration. Stefan narrowed his eyes to watch the spinning blade.

  What he didn’t notice was that Kaito was busy slicing their seafood with his other hand and Yumi was putting both in the oil and on the grill. He suddenly stopped the knife and its polished blade reflected off the lights in the restaurant. It was balanced on the tip of his finger. He locked his eyes with Stefan as he drew the knife through the air and stuck it dramatically into the cutting board. Stefan heard Iris mutter, “Perfect as usual.” And he looked at the cutting board. The point of the blade had pierced the eel’s head, right between the eyes.

  Stefan’s eyes widened in delight, but he restrained himself. He locked eyes with the master chef, “Shokunin no senshi,” he said quietly to the chef.

  Kaito smiled at Stefan and with a voice barely above a whisper, “Senshi no Shokunin,” and he bowed toward Stefan. Stefan nodded his head in return.

  Iris looked at Yumi and raised her eyebrows with a ‘what just happened’ look on her face. She just winked and transferred the remaining meat to the grill. Kaito watched silently as the meat cooked. He removed the pieces as they finished and placed them on plates that Yumi had set out. With measured skill, he artfully arranged the meat and then garnished the plates with an artistic flourish worthy of a five-star sous chef.

  He put the finished platters on the table in front of the couple, bowed again and vanished through the doors. Yumi took their wine glasses off the table and followed him.

  Stefan looked at his plate, “Unbelievable,” he said, “That was amazing. I have never seen anything like it.” Iris picked up her fork, “Wait until you taste it. What did you say to him? I can’t believe he spoke to you.”

  Yumi returned with more wine, “Yes, that was most unusual." Stefan smiled at her respectfully, “I called him an artisan warrior, but he corrected me, and rightfully so. He is more of a warrior artisan. I have never seen blade work like that in my life. He is truly a master.”

  Iris watched Yumi as she passed through the swinging doors. One of the doors swung farther back and she caught Yumi looking at her with a
big smile on her face.

  They finished their dinner in relative silence. Iris begged off the opportunity to sample Stefans’ grilled octopus when he playfully offered her a bite, “No, not gonna happen,” but he did accept a bite of her salmon.

  “I’m suddenly feeling unfiltered again,” she warned him with a quiet laugh, “Maybe it’s just the wine, but let me know if I overshare. Luckily, it's about time to head up the block, the band takes the stage in about twenty min...”

  Yumi came through the kitchen doors with two small bowls.

  “Oh, I get it now,” Iris said loudly. “You stand back there listening and you just let me twist in the wind. Thank you so much!!”

  Yumi smiled slightly and stared at her, “Are you done, yet?” she said and that caused Iris to burst out laughing, “Nope,” she looked at the handsome young man across from her, “I’m just getting started.”

  The old woman smiled, “I can only imagine, here, have a sip of this, it will clear your heads a bit. The evening is young.”

  Iris looked at her phone to check the time, “Yes, we need to move on to our next stop, Yumi, what are the total damages?” as she reached for her bag.

  The old woman stopped her short, “No, sweetheart. Kaito would like you to enjoy your meal together with his compliments, and mine as well.”

  She turned to Stefan, “Remember my request?” He knew what she meant. “Yes, Yumi, respectful.”

  “Very good,” she bubbled pleasantly, “Now go have fun on the rest of your date.” And she was gone.

  Stefan smiled and stood up, “That was very nice of them, and hey, I guess we’re dating. How about that?”

  “I guess so, I could think of worse things, I guess.” Iris put her hand over her mouth, “That was lame, give me a minute and I’ll think of something classier.”

  Stefan laughed, “You make me laugh, that’s classy enough for me.” He picked up his sweater off the arm of his chair and offered her his arm, “Lead on, my dear.”