Dan glanced round when he heard the faint voice in his mind, looking right up at Blank as the other man waved. He was about to raise a hand and acknowledge that he'd heard Blank, when suddenly the old lady was there.
"I see you, seið-man, and I know you see me," she said, her voice low and soft as she reached up to run a finger down the braid Brenna had put in his hair earlier. Dan held still, especially when her hand was close to his neck, before swallowing nervously. "Your seiðr, it is strong, but it will not help with what you wish for tonight."
"What's that, ma'am?" he replied, unable to keep from bracing himself for when the ghost inevitably turned on him and grabbed him by the neck in order to feed on his Shine. But it hadn't happened just yet, so he just seemed tense.
The laugh was unexpected, because it was loud and hearty, and the old lady's smile that followed was kind. "You seek young Magnus and his daughter, Brenna, but they have long since moved on. The Valkyries chose them, for they fought well, and they feast in Valhalla as we speak. And I tell you this, as well. You will not find Brynhild either."
"No, no, I know that," he answered, still tense but clearly more confused now. The old lady's hand came to rest on his arm, and he glanced down at it before looking back up at her face.
"Follow me, seið-man. I will show you where Astrid and her family go to remember them. And then I will ask for your help. One kindness for another, hmm?"
Dan could only nod, and the ghost's grip on his arm tightened as he was led away from the village and into the hills.