Gods (24 page)

Svana was still upstairs and a quick peek at Uncle Tristan found him asleep. I paced and processed everything she had said before I left to check on Celestia.

Viggo, son of Forseti, had accompanied me to Helheim the first time I visited. He must have told my family in Asgard about my mother throwing me in the dungeons, which meant my grandparents must be judging my mother, possibly even condemning her for her actions, and that was unacceptable in my book. I had to set everyone straight about what she did and why.

Svana came downstairs dressed for freezing temperatures. She reminded me so much of Celestia in her ten winter layers I couldn’t stop grinning. A car pulled up just as I started on the portal.

“That’s Femi. Quickly,” she said. “She’ll try and stop me if she learns about where we are going. I don’t have time to listen to her lectures.”

I opened the portal and led her into the cave. The portal closed before Femi entered their house. Now I understood how their relationship worked. Aunt Svana tended to make spur of the moment decisions and run with it, while Femi was the more grounded one, like Uncle Tristan. Raine was a lot more like her father, but they needed Aunt Svana’s flamboyance to balance them. Because of her, my childhood had been very colorful.

~*~

“Oh my,” Svana whispered the second she stepped out of the cave. She lifted her face to the sky and sighed. “I love it.”

Celestia often did that too, and it had nothing to do with the freezing temperatures or the snowy landscape. The magic in the air was the cause. Like Celestia, Svana was once a Witch. It was that strong connection with magic that had caused the Valkyries to choose her.

She opened her eyes, smiled, and took my arm. She didn’t speak or lose her smile when she spied Oskrud ferrying evil souls to Corpse Strand. Or when Garm decided to block our path and sniff her. Of course, being a Valkyrie meant she’d heard of my mother’s hound and Modgie, and her father.

The giantess grimaced when Svana said, “Nice to finally meet you, dear. Such a lovely young girl,” she added as we walked away, and I fought a smile at Modgie’s expression. No one would dare call her a young girl when she was in her Jötun form. She was fierce-looking and used her size to intimidate.

The second we entered the gate, Svana let out a sigh of relief, which told me she hadn’t been as calm as she’d let on.

“It’s a long way to the hall, but I can carry you if you like and race with you the rest of the way,” I offered.

“No, sweetheart. I’m enjoying the magic too much to want to miss a second of it by rushing our walk.” She glanced at her watch. “Besides, we have time.”

I had no idea what she meant by having time. Once again, she didn’t speak and hugged herself to stay warm. I was sure she regretted refusing my offer halfway down the trek when her teeth started to chatter. Grimnirs hurried past us without slowing down. They were used to seeing strangers around the hall now.

I removed her gloves and took her hands in mine the moment we entered the hall. I redirected heat to her freezing fingers, then her cheeks.

“You give out heat?” she asked.

“Yes, I do.” I glanced up and was surprised to see my mother coming toward us with Echo beside her. She was not going to like this. No matter how much she’d changed, she still didn’t tolerate visitors coming to her hall.

“Mother, I want you to meet—”

“Svana Cooper,” she finished, her expression hard to read. “I’m happy you made it okay. I was just about to send Echo to get you.”

Svana curtseyed. “Goddess, thank you for agreeing to meet with me. Call me Svana, please. I got impatient, and I didn’t mind having Eirik as my guide.” She touched Echo’s arm. “Thanks, darling, for acting as a go-between.”

Now, I was thoroughly confused. They’d arranged this visit. Why?

“Come with me, Svana, ” Mother said. “Echo, I’ll see you later. Son, stop hovering. Find something to do.”

A flash of nervousness crossed Svana’s face, but she patted my arm and followed my mother, her hand gripping the strap of her bag. Concerned, I inched closer. Why would she want to see my mother?

“What’s going on, Aunt Svana?”

“Nothing that concerns you, sweetheart. Like your mother said, find something to do.” She glanced at my mother. “I brought you a present.” She reached inside her bag, pulled out a leather-bound book, and gave it to her. “Some of those I took while others were taken by my Tristan, but the majority are his when he bought a camera with a timer.”

“Whoa, are those my pictures?” I asked.

“Go away, Son. Find something to do or go visit Celestia. Svana and I have a lot of catching up to do.” She opened the album as they walked away, their heads close together. “How old was he here?”

I stared after the two women, then turned and went to find Echo. Syn was leaving the gym and pointed me in the right direction. Echo’s unit was a few doors from Rhys’. He mumbled something when I knocked, which I assumed meant come in.

He was lying on his bed and didn’t sit up. Like most senior Grimnirs, he had a spacious bedroom with a sitting area, a case where he kept drinks, and on his wall was an enlarged picture of Cora. I studied it. I believed I took it.

“You snapped my neck.”

“That was last week, Echo. You should have gotten over it by now.”

“Don’t do it again, junior.”

“Sure, old man. I know it’s unfair seeing how age has slowed you down.” Just as I expected, he took the bait and came after me. I’d like to say I let him, but that would be a lie. He was faster and had me in a chokehold before I could prepare. I knew he was going to snap my neck to prove that he wasn’t slow. If I were here to stroke his ego, I would have let him. I wasn’t.

I went into a partial shift and let scales replace skin. I knew my scales had to be digging into his arm, but he was so stubborn he refused to let go. I extended the shift to my shoulders, neck, and arms, bones snapping and muscles expanding. I reached over my head for him, but he let me go and moved out of reach. I chose not to stretch my arm and grab him. When I glanced over my shoulder, he was staring at me with a frown.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you shift. Does it hurt?”

“Yep.”

“Good.”

“I can absorb the pain.” My voice had grown deeper. “Are you ready to talk now?”

“Not to Rhys if that’s why you are here.” He went to the table at the corner of the room, poured amber-looking liquid into a glass, and tossed it into his mouth. He was in a shitty mood again. “They knew Maliina escaped and never told me.”

I wasn’t here to talk about another soul. “No, this has nothing to do with you or Rhys. What does Svana want with my mother?”

Echo smirked. “They’re keeping you in the dark, too?”

“What do you mean ‘too’?”

“Svana warned me not to tell Cora about her trip here because Cora would tell Raine.”

“So what is it about?”

“Why should I tell you?”

“I’ll owe you.”

Echo chuckled and poured the same alcohol in two glasses this time and offered me one. I sipped and grimaced. The second sip wasn’t so bad. It was obviously an acquired taste.

“You ask for my help with anything and you’ll get it. No questions asked.”

Echo studied me and nodded. “Deal. When Tristan Cooper dies, he’s not going to Asgard.”

“Why not?”

“Because I was supposed to reap him last year, but Torin convinced me to give him more time with his family. The man is terminally ill and emaciated. When he dies, he’s coming down here.”

I put my drink down. Raine was going to go nuts when she learned about this. “But Svana is a Valkyrie. For them to be together, she needs to take him to Valhalla.”

Echo shook his head. “Your father is a god and he still came here.”

“Things are different now.”

“Things never change. Not when it comes to souls. She’ll have to let him go, or ask to be reassigned to Hel.”

“Is that why she’s here?”

“I don’t know. She told me she was making arrangements. Could be anything.”

I left Echo’s place and went back to my parents’. Svana and my mother were still talking. Raine was going to go ballistic when she realized her father was coming to Hel. As a Ragnarok announcer, she had leverage over the gods. She should insist her father stay with her in Asgard.

“No,” Svana said when I suggested it to her while we were on our way back to her place. “Raine has accepted that her father is dying. She’s helping people and is finally happy. I don’t want her to spend the little time she has with Tristan worrying and fighting the gods. Angering the gods now when we’re going to need their help is not wise.”

“Then she should visit Eljudnir and see for herself that it is a comfortable place. Uncle Tristan will be okay here. He could rest with the gods and royalties.”

Svana stopped. We were on the bridge and the boat to Corpse Strand was pulling away. She stared after it. “This place is really amazing, and your mother is nothing like they say.” She took my arm. “Yes, Raine should visit you and see Eljudnir for herself. She will love your mother. She should come after her honeymoon.”

I left Svana at home early enough to make quick stops in New Orleans, Rio, and Melbourne, where it was still daytime before visiting the other Guild centers. By the time I was back at Celestia’s school, I knew there would be enough Witches attending Raine’s wedding. When Celestia left the school building, I was waiting by her car.

CELESTIA

Finding Eirik waiting for me outside the school was sweet. The parking lot was deserted since I had to stay behind and see the teachers about homework. Daiku and Ranger had stayed cloaked the whole day, but were never far whenever I turned around. Even now, I could see them from the corner of my eyes as I hurried across the street to the parking lot.

“I don’t know how long I can stand having them around the school every day,” I griped. Eirik grinned. “It’s not funny. Every time I turn around, I see them. They try to be inconspicuous, but that’s impossible in reaper clothes and Ranger’s cowboy hat and boots. Worse, I’m the only one who can see them.”

“Hayden does, too.”

“She doesn’t count because she thinks the whole having personal body guard thing is romantic.”

“That’s me, Mr. Romantic.”

“Mr. Overprotective. No one is going to hurt me around here, Eirik,” I insisted. “Not the students, teachers, or the staff. They know we are together and they fear you.”

“Danger can come from outside.”

“You mean the Norns? Did they want the dagger like in my vision?”

“Not this time. The Wise Ones wanted a meeting.”

He didn’t seem worried. “Did you go?”

“No.”

“Are you going to?”

“Yeah, just not today. Or tomorrow. They have to agree to a few things first.”

Oh brother.
“Don’t you think you’ve pissed them off enough?”

He laughed. “I just need them to do the right thing. I explained and they listened. They were nice. I never thought I’d ever call Norns nice. This was my first positive experience with them.”

“See? I don’t need the guys to shadow me. Even the Norns aren’t interested in me. Nothing can step onto the land because of the warding. Can’t you feel the magic around the school?” Eirik’s expression said he didn’t feel anything, and even if he had, it wouldn’t change a damn thing. “The entire place and the surrounding land is protected by powerful spells, so the guys hanging around here is pointless.”

“Then allow me to be the judge of what’s pointless and what isn’t, Dimples. It’s either the guys or me.”

I shook my head. He’d distract me, and we only had six weeks to go. “It’s not fair to them, Eirik. Ask them.” I glanced over my shoulder, but the Grimnirs were gone. I tried to find their energy, but couldn’t. Eirik had probably signaled them to leave. Wait a second. What was that? I tried to find the energy, but it was faint. It was the same energy I associated with the Norns I’d seen at the mall. Could they be the same ones he’d met?

“I’ll drive.”

“No. My car, so I’m driving.” I slid behind the wheel and slammed the door. He was impossible. What was the point of arguing with him anyway? He always charmed his way in and out of situations.

“Are we having our first fight?” Eirik asked, adjusting the front passenger seat to accommodate his long legs.

“No. We are agreeing to disagree, which is not surprising since you are so stubborn. Buckle up.” I waited until he was seated before turning the key. A clicking sound followed. I tried again, and the damn engine still refused to kick in. Third try wasn’t a charm. I hit the steering wheel. “Stupid car.”

“Do you want me to check the engine?”

“No. I have this covered.” I popped the hood and got out of the car. Eirik was already standing by the hood, arms crossed. He really thought I knew nothing about cars? I lifted the hood and checked the wiring to and from the starter for a loose connection.

“How do you know so much about car engines?” he asked.

“Dad. He made sure I was self-sufficient.” I closed the hood. “My battery is dead. What are you doing?” He was at the back of my car, his head tilted to one side as he studied the fender.

“Trying to fix your engine problem.”

“By staring at the fender to death?”

He chuckled. “No, smarty pants. Someone etched a few runes to make your car stall. All you need is a rune or two to counter theirs.” I was by his side before he finished speaking.

“Who would do this?”

“Someone who wanted you stuck out here.” He turned and studied the surrounding trees.

“Witches don’t have runic knowledge, so this could be the work of the three girls from the mall. They were here.” I looked around. The parking lot was empty, but I found traces of the blonde’s energy.

“Norns don’t use runes.” Eirik pulled out his artavus and etched several runes on the car. “This should protect the car against theft and tampering, and this should fix your engine problems.”

“What if they were not Norns? They moved at super speed, so we ruled out evil Witches. They could be Immortals.”

“Then I’ll deal with them. I didn’t think they’d dare come after you after the little chat we had. On the other hand, they might be factions of Norns that are renegades. Rogue Norns. A subunit of mean, terrible Norns.”

I studied his face. He had every reason to hate the Norns after everything they’d done to his family, but his feelings might be clouding his judgment. I was convinced we were dealing with evil Immortals.

“You think those were the ones at the mall?” I asked, not wanting to start an argument.

“Yep, which means Daiku and Ranger stay. Can I drive now?”

“No.”

“You know I can always open a portal or run beside your car.”

I shook my head. “I’m driving, you sit in the front passenger seat and talk. I want to know what you told the Norns.”

The more he talked, the more I was amazed at the depth of loyalty to his family and his love for his mother. If I weren’t already in love with him, I’d be a puddle of goo at his feet.

I entered the street that ran in front of our house just as an ambulance came barreling toward us. I indicated and pulled to the side. It zipped past us, the siren wailing. I stared after it and pulled back onto the road. I stepped on the gas.

The next second, something hit my car, causing cracks to fan out like a spider web across my windshield. At the same time, something black slithered off my hood. I lost control of the car, swerving to avoid driving over whatever I’d just hit and almost landing in the drainage. I slammed on the brakes and our bodies jerked forward.

“Are you okay?” Eirik asked.

I nodded, too shaken to speak.

“Stay here.” He stepped out of the car and walked to the front to see what I’d hit. My heart still thundered and my chest hurt. Despite my fears, I pushed opened the door and stepped out, imagining the worst. Cats climbed trees, didn’t they? Or maybe it was a wild animal—a raccoon or a squirrel.

I closed the door and went to join Eirik despite his orders to stay put. He was holding a crow. It was still twitching, but the head lolled at a weird angle. I’d killed it. Eirik gently stroked its neck as though soothing it. Did birds have souls? Did their souls go somewhere nice? I had no idea where the thoughts came from or why. Maybe it was because I’d killed it.

“I think it is gone,” Eirik said. “Its neck is broken.” The bird had stopped twitching. “Sorry, black bird. Guess your number was up.” He laid it on the ground and straightened.

I wasn’t crazy about nature, but leaving the bird there in the gutter just seemed wrong. “Poor thing.”

“Birds die in the wild all the time, Dimples.” Eirik stepped over the bird and joined me. He rubbed my arm. “I’ll drive the rest of the way.”

“No. We can’t leave it here, Eirik.”

“Of course we can.”

“You said birds die in the wild, but this one didn’t. I killed it.”

“Don’t, Dimples.”

“No, I’m not going to burst into tears or anything like that. I just want to give it a nice burial.” I shuddered at the thought of touching it. It was dead, so I should be okay with it. Blowing air, I squatted and reached for it. I hesitated.

“Are you sure about this?” Eirik asked, joining me.

“Yeah.” I looked up at him. He probably thought I was being childish. “I refuse to leave it here.”

“Okay. Fine. Want me to carry it?”

Yes.
“No. I’ll do it.” I should do it. Biting my lower lip, I lifted the dead crow from the ground and carried it to the car. “Open the door, please.”

I sat in the passenger seat and wondered whether I should put it in the backseat, or on the floor by my feet. Eirik sat behind the wheel, but instead of gunning the engine, he studied me.

“Are you okay?”

I started to nod, then shook my head. “I feel bad I killed it. Its body is still warm.” I stroked the black feathers the way he’d done minutes ago. “Do you ever wonder if bugs, birds, and animals have souls?”

“No.” He started the car and eased back into the street. “I’m still wrapping my head around souls walking, eating, fighting, and having babies.”

I relaxed against the seat for the rest of the drive. He pulled up in front of the house, and I got out. Funny, I suddenly felt tired.

“Dad keeps lawn tools in the shed. I think I can find a nice place to bury…” I gasped as the crow twitched. Within seconds, it was struggling to escape my hands. I dropped it and jumped back. “It’s not dead. How?”

The crow landed on the ground, made a weird sound and wobbled as though its legs were weak. The crow was still on the ground, one of its wings dragging at a weird angle.

“It’s alive,” I whispered.

“It wasn’t a few minutes ago. Its neck was broken. I checked.”  Eirik walked to the crow and picked it up. I was surprised it didn’t take off. I took a step back when he turned toward me. “It needs your help, Dimples.”

“What do you mean?”

“Put your hand on it and find out.”

I blinked. “What?”

“I’ll explain later. I have a theory. Trust me on this, please.”

I swallowed nervously, but did it. I trusted him. Eirik covered my hand, pressing it against the bird. The body twitched. I had no idea what was going on, but I felt weird. Woozy. The crow grew restless, kicking and pushing against my hand with its wing.

“Don’t do that. Your wings are broken.” But it kept struggling. Claws dug into skin and left a cut. Eirik released my hand, lifted the bird, and threw it in the air. This time, it flapped its wings and headed up instead of down. It did a loop and cawed before taking off.

“How do you feel?”

“Woozy. What just happened?”

Eirik studied the cut on my wrist. It wasn’t healing. “You know what happened, Dimples. The bird was dead and now it is alive. You brought it back to life.”

“No, that’s not possible. I didn’t use the spell.” I pulled my hand from his and took a step, almost losing my footing, but Eirik was there to catch me. “Not this time.”

“You don’t have to use a spell. Let me see your hand.”

“It’s nothing.” I hid my hand behind my back and moved away from him. I was by the patio steps. “Of course I have to say the spell. It’s how I healed Tammy.” I cringed. I had just blurted out the truth. “Hayden didn’t bring Tammy back. I did.”

Eirik stared at me for a moment after my revelation.

“I know, but you didn’t do it using a spell, Dimples. You have the gift to heal and raise the dead, no spells necessary. It is a rare gift, but you have it. When you heal someone, it drains your energy. That’s why you feel lightheaded now.”

“I can’t be a healer. There’s something inherently dark and evil inside me.”

“Dimples.” Eirik shook his head and grinned. Why was he smiling? He should be repulsed. “You could never be evil.”

He didn’t understand. I turned, ran inside the house, went straight to my bedroom, and closed the door. I headed to my childhood hiding place. My bedroom might be different, but a closet was a closet. I crawled in the corner, pulled down a coat to cover me, tucked my knees to my chest, and curled up.

Marguerite had been right about everything. I was the harbinger of death. First were the dead Witches. If I hadn’t issued the Call, they would not have died. Now I was raising the dead. Who was to say I wouldn’t step on an unmarked grave and raise a decaying corpse and start the zombie apocalypse.

Eirik appeared at the entrance of my closet. “Dimples—”

“I don’t want to be a necromancer,” I whispered. “You should not have let me bring that bird back to life.”

“You’re not a necromancer,
Stjärna mín.
You are a healer. A beautiful, gifted healer. There’s nothing evil or dark about you.”

Of course, he’d never believe I was evil. And even if I were, he would stand by me because he was that kind of a guy. I could see his legs by the door as he waited for my response.

“Go away, Eirik.”

“I can’t.” His voice was low, throbbing. “Ask me to do anything, but that. I could never walk away from you, Dimples. Don’t you get it? You are my world, the light in my darkness.”

“Why?” I whispered.

“Because I loved the possibility of you before we met. Then when we did, you fulfilled every dream, every hope, every craving I ever had. You are my reality. And you are not evil. Because someone so beautiful and gifted, so selfless, kind, and forgiving could never be anything but good. Look at how you are willing to give your mother a chance after everything she did to you? Would someone evil and dark do that?”