Every gift comes with a price. What would you give to keep the one that you love safe? I did a bunch of research into the fylgjur before writing this story. What I found was that there were some things that overlapped and others that were pretty fluid over time and dependent upon the source. Some said they appeared as animal representations of a person's character, others as a woman guardian or precursor to one's death, and still others as shape-shifting guardians with ties to the Fates and Dìs and Valkyries. They could be tied to only one person, or a family down through the generations, or a clan. They were also said to be tied to the person/family/clan through an object that would become warm or hot to the touch in the fylgja's presence, whether they were currently visible or not. I have taken a few liberties, and I have combined things from different stories and sources, but I have tried to stay true to the spirit of the legend. Cover: The Valkyrie's Vigil by Edward Robert Hughes