Free Master of Umbra (The Valhalla Series) by Poppet Page B

common misconception. As usual history has the bull by the udder.”
    “What the frig is Fingalian?” I ask, running an appreciative hand over the wall of volcanic glass again.
    “ Simply translated it means territory of foreigners . But more precisely it's known as territory of Vikings . The word Fingal comes from Fionn gall, which translates as fair haired foreigner . That would be us because it's also a term for giant. There's even the legend of Fingal the giant from the Hebrides on Staffa Isle. The language Fingallian is a hybrid of Old Norse and Gaelic. And just because some of our kin lived in what is now modern day Dublin, history recorded it as an Irish settlement, but that's total pish.”
    “ Norse?” I squeak, finding that hard to believe.
    He gives me his signature scandalous smirk, pulling me close with an arm around my shoulders, forcing me to sit with him next to the glowing quartz. “Deliah, our history in these isles is legendary. The isle of Man, Orkney, Caithness, Cumbria, York, Dublin, Northcumbria, and Shetland, were all Norse territories. The king of the Picts and Scots, Kenneth mac Alpin was our ally, and we didn't leave this fair land until well into the 1200's. There was a horrific battle beyond what is now named Glasgow and it put us off to be honest. But we love it here, it's our home and we didn't stay away long.”
    “What battle?” I pry in my quiet voice. He looks blistered from his lungs to his testes with the recollection. He looks in pain.
    “ The Battle of Largs. We made up the bulk of King Hakon's army, not to mention our Norwegian brethren. Darling, it was Norse Scots who settled Iceland donchaknow? Just read their sagas, even our distinct horse saddles are written into them.”
    I can't believe this. I'm sure he's just teasing me with his straight face on.
    “I'm not falling for it,” I mutter, grinning at him conning me.
    “ Ever heard of King Robert Bruce? You must have heard of Robert the Bruce.”
    Crivens, yeah, somewhere in my past. I wasn't raised here but I vaguely recall his name, so I nod.
    Squeezing me closer, he explains, “His sister was the queen of Norway. He only got to the throne because of the ruler of the northmen in Caledonia. Without the help of Angus Og Mac Donald who was then Lord of the Isles, and Jamie (The Black) Douglas, he wouldn't have made history the way he did. The Norse element in Scotland was obvious right into the 1900's, and they continued to speak Norn. When I say we left, it was just the clan of Eagle who moved away for a time.” He gets a faraway look in his eyes, saying softly, “After Odin left... We'd lost Skadi, then to have her husband leave too, it just sucked sour balls.”
    “ So you're not kidding then? The Northmen really lived here all this time?” I say, to distract his rheumy introspection.
    He gives me a half-smile, inhaling deeply as if to shake off the cobwebs of battles past, “Don't take my word for it lass. The government ran a genealogy survey last year in which they proved the Norse gene was established here in c3000BC, by females. It is a female genetic marker which only serves to validate the legend of how this land was started, by a giant female who left the land of the everlasting sun while having a temper tantrum.” He gives me a naughty wink, “A wee bit like you.”
    “A woman?” I smile, a little pleased with that, ignoring the tease.
    “ Aye, according to the chromosome map a third of the men born in Scotland have northmen ancestry. That Y chromosome doesn't lie. The name Norman stems from the title Nor|thm|an. It's pretty basic when you know ancient history because anyone could walk to Scotland from Doggerland back in 8500BC. That channel was open until 4500BC which is why the northmen gene is in so many of the ancestors scattered in our land now. I'm not spinning you stories, this is well documented fact.”
    “ So how does the lighting work? These glowing stones are a bit flakey and new age for