“I know you,” Grandpa added, searching Echo’s face. He’d taken Mother’s chair, and I couldn’t help but wonder how she’d react to that. I had a feeling Mother would never forgive him for the past.
“He was one of the Valkyrie rebels who turned his dying race into Immortals, dýrr mín,” grandmother said. “I never forget a face. And if I remember correctly, your sentence to serve Hel was over centuries ago. Why didn’t you return to us?”
“I chose to stay out of my loyalty to my goddess, Goddess Frigg, but it seems this is where I was meant to belong.” Echo took my hand. “It is my destiny to be with Einmyria, and she is the future of Helheim.”
“So it seems,” Grandfather added. “I guess everything I did led to this moment.”
Grandmother chuckled. “I told you, didn’t I? No matter what we did to reshape the future, we cannot change the threads the Norns have weaved. Is it possible you could travel with our granddaughter and her young man to Asgard, Son?”
And just like that, the conversation shifted to my father, and I learned something interesting—this was the first time my grandparents had visited Helheim and their first glimpse of Father since he’d arrived here.
Instead of answering Grandmother, Father urged me to mingle with the guests. “Let them know you. Echo, you stay here and keep watch. As you can see, you won’t miss a thing from up here.”
My father had a cruel streak, and I had a feeling he meant to make Echo prove himself in more ways than what he’d said. I wasn’t worried. From Echo’s expression and the smile he gave me, he didn’t seem bothered by our temporary separation. He knew he had me.
He escorted me to the foot of the steps and paused to say, “I love you.”
“Love you more.”
He chuckled.
“Rescue me if you see me drowning,” I said.
“No, you’re going to shine like you’ve been doing since you got here. I’m so proud of you.”
He knew exactly what to say to make me feel good. Still smiling, I joined the men stuffing their faces and drinking Mother’s wine and mead. Sure they’d ignore me now that they knew I was unavailable, I was surprised when they flocked around me and tried to outdo each other.
“May I send you an invitation to visit my realm?” someone asked, followed by a description of his realm.
“Yes, I’d love to visit sometime.” More invitations followed, and I gave the same answer. Someone must have told them Echo had a year to prove he was worthy of my love, and I knew the culprit. My eyes met my father’s and caught his grin. He was going to make Echo sweat. I just knew it. I was tempted to tell Mother. No, what Echo and I had was strong enough to weather any storm.
Once again, I had to answer questions about where I’d been all these years. I gave them a shorter version of what I’d told my grandparents. Some wanted to know about life on Earth. They found things we did on Earth peculiar and were laughing at something I’d said when Goddess Eir returned to the hall with members of the Ásynjur Court. I’d wondered where they’d disappeared to. I excused myself.
“How is Celestia?”
“She is up and will join us shortly,” the Asgardian healer said. She introduced members of Frigg’s court, but not a single name stuck. They were all goddesses in their own right and unmarried. They regaled me with stories of their work until silence filled the room, and I saw why.
Mother was back with Eirik and Celestia, who wore a gorgeous hunter-green gown with a Victorian collar and trumpet sleeves. A sheer shawl with lace around the edges completed the outfit. It was Boho and elegant, and it was the same dress she’d worn in my vision when Echo fought the Jötun.
Damn!
Echo was still by the throne, a half smile on his lips. He didn’t seem ready to kill anyone. In fact, he’d worn a benign expression ever since I joined the disappointed suitors on the floor. Raine had said I could alter a vision if I told those in it, and I assumed I’d done just that. Where was she?
The rest of the evening was a blur. I ate and talked, but the worry that I might not have prevented the scene in my visions ate at me. Our grandparents left first, and the hall cleared soon after.
“Are you really okay?” I asked Celestia as we left the hall. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to her since she’d joined us, except for the brief hug.
“Oh, yes. Eir helped a lot by speeding up my energy production. I hope one day I can be as good as she is. I even met the cute little girl responsible for my coma.”
“Baby Hannah,” I said.
She chuckled. “Baby Hannah. She is so adorable and powerful for one so young. I remember hearing baby giggles while in the AP, just before the dark energy reached me.”
“The day you went looking for whoever stole my blanket?”
She gave me a sheepish grin and nodded. “Yes. I think they were chasing her.”
“You knew it was Mother who took my blanket, didn’t you?”
“Yup. I was with her outside your school several times, but she came to the farm on her own to confirm you were the one. Sorry I couldn’t tell you the truth at the time. Even Eirik didn’t know we’d sneaked out to see you. And I’m sorry I messed up your homecoming.”
I chuckled. “You made it memorable. Because of you, our grandparents finally visited Helheim. Because of you, I had to tell would-be suitors not to bother because I’m already taken.”
“I’ll accept the suitor thing, but Alfadir didn’t come to see me.” She stifled a yawn. “Have you seen the guys? I’m a bit tired, but I’m scared of going to bed alone. I know it’s stupid, but I want Eirik around when I do.”
“No, that makes perfect sense, especially with Baby Hannah still around. The last time I saw them, they were with the Asgardian group.”
“Can we ask the parents?” We stopped and looked behind us. My parents were coming toward us, but they didn’t seem to be in a hurry. I caught the knowing gleam in Celestia’s eyes. “What?”
“I love that you’ve embraced them. Eirik was worried you might not because your parents back at home are awesome. His were lacking, so it was easy for him to open his heart to the goddess and Baldur.”
I guessed Mom and Dad would always be my first parents, but I didn’t see why I couldn’t have two sets of them. “They aren’t perfect, my Kayville parents, but they are loving. And the ones here are pretty awesome, too, and also imperfect. It’s easy to love them.”
“Who is easy to love?” Baldur asked, having heard the last sentence.
“You and Mother.” Surprise flickered across their faces. “This evening would have been a disaster if it weren’t for you two. Thanks for making sure everything went smoothly and for accepting Echo.”
Father shook his head. “We haven’t—”
Mother backhanded his chest and cut him off. “Echo is an honorable man, and you two are perfect together.”
Father chuckled, placing one arm around my shoulder and the other around Celestia. “The success of this evening rests solely on your shoulders, beloved daughter. You accepted invitations from every single suitor on the floor and made them feel like they still have a chance with you.”
“Oh no.” I covered my face. “I was trying to be polite.”
“Next time, tell them you’ll discuss it with me,” Mother said. “That should stop them cold. Otherwise, the evening wasn’t bad.”
“They finally came,” Father reminded her.
“Doesn’t change a thing,” she retorted.
I knew they were talking about the Asgardians.
We reached the rotunda, and Father dropped a kiss on my temple and Celestia’s. “Are you two waiting up for your boys?”
“Yes. Where did they go?”
“They escorted your grandparents home,” he said. “They used a different portal, not the one at Gjöll Pass.”
“We’ll wait for them.” I hugged him. “Goodnight, Father. Don’t give Echo a hard time, or we’ll elope.”
The look on his face was priceless. I could have
threatened him with moving back to Earth and never coming back, but I couldn’t be that cruel. Besides, I knew I could never walk away from them. They were my parents as much as Mom and Dad back in Kayville.
“I’m just messing with him,” I whispered to Mother. “When I marry, I want your support one hundred percent, my two dads walking me down the aisle and giving me away, and my two moms playing matrons of honor.”
“I will?” she asked, pink tinging her normal cheek, and the runes on the other sped up.
“Absolutely. Matron of honor is reserved for mother of the bride. That means you will manage everything. Echo doesn’t have parents, so you’ll have to make sure he and the gentlemen are dressed and ready. You have to make sure everything goes smoothly, flowers done perfectly, the correct music selected, food for all the guests done to perfection, seating arrangements, and, above all, take the stress off me. You will be the second most important person at the wedding.”
“I think you should elope,” she said with a deadpan expression. Celestia and I laughed. She had a dry sense of humor, but this time, I wasn’t sure whether she was serious or not. I wanted a wedding. The bigger the better.
“Are you serious?” I asked.
She chuckled. “No, Daughter. I’m joking.”
“But we’ll give you our blessing in a couple of centuries,” Father said.
“Our daughter wants a wedding a year from now, Baldur, so we will give her one. The bigger the better.”
“Mother! Did you get that from my head?”
“No, dýrr mín. I promised your father I’d never read your thoughts or your brother’s. I just knew you’d want a big wedding.”
“I do.” She was an enabler. It was not bad having one mother who was. I gave her a hug and a kiss. “Love you, Mother. Father, you have one year to get used to sharing me with Echo.” I kissed his cheek and took Celestia’s arm.
“I’m so happy I didn’t have a wedding. Once our parents accepted our decision, we moved in together and Eirik gave me this.” The ring looked ancient. “Grandma Frigg gave it to him just before we left Asgard.”
She really didn’t know they were planning a wedding for her? I couldn’t wait to see her face when she found out.
Raine, Trudy, Jess, and Hayden were in the living room, talking. Baby Hannah was missing.
“Where’s Celestia’s baby?” I asked, and the others laughed.
“Mother is taking care of her,” Hayden said.
“And mine is helping so she doesn’t shift into energy and float away until Raine finds her body and her family,” Trudy added.
“She is powerful. I carried her and felt a tug,” Raine added.
Celestia nodded. “She attached herself to my astral image when I was trying to find the person who stole Cora’s blanket.”
“Einmyria,” Hayden and Trudy chorused.
“She likes to use Einmyria here and Cora when she’s back in Kayville,” Trudy explained, and Hayden nodded.
“I didn’t say that,” I protested. Then I remembered these two sifting through my memories. “Never mind. You two are never getting inside my head again.” The grins they traded said they’d seen more than enough. “What did you two see in the head of Celestia’s baby?”
“Hey,” Celestia protested. “She’s not my baby. The little imp hijacked me. I’ve never seen a child that powerful.”
“Says someone whose powers manifested themselves when she was a baby,” Hayden cut in. “Mom says there are powerful orphans out there who lost their parents when you guys fought the Immortals in Kayville, Raine. Their parents didn’t tell them they were fighting or supporting Lord Worthington or who they really are, and some are younger than others. This baby could be one of them.”
“Mother said she has a brother, Wes, and two sisters, Lana and Talia,” I added.
“We saw them while hiding her memories,” Trudy said. “Her older sister looked and acted just like Hayden.”
“No, she didn’t,” Hayden shot back, but her words lacked heat.
“Same know-it-all attitude,” Trudy continued.
Hayden grinned. “The bratty younger sister acted just like you. And she’s boy crazy. Just like you.”
“Enough, guys. What about her dark memories?” Jess asked. She tended to be quiet, so it was nice to see her participate. In fact, I had a feeling she often mediated disputes between Hayden and Trudy.
Trudy shrugged. “They were there, but we don’t know if they are hers or if they belonged to someone she’s possessed. I mean, the Dwarf healers said memories are rarely transferred.”
“Maybe the dark forces I thought were chasing me were actually with her,” Celestia added. “We might need to do more than find her parents. We might have to protect her. Grandmother Frigg protected me when I was a baby. When she heard about Baby Hannah, she said we should think about protecting gifted younger kids, too.”
“We could start some type of organization and work together to find the lost orphans,” Raine said. “Summer starts soon, and I have time. Who is game? We could bring them here.”
Trudy laughed. “Did you see the goddess’ reaction to Baby Hannah? She’s not going to start an orphanage in Helheim anytime soon, unless she gets grandkids and gets used to babies.” Trudy wiggled her eyebrows at Celestia and me.
“Don’t look at me. I have no intention of starting a family yet. I’m keeping Eirik to myself for the next century or two.” She didn’t crack a smile while everyone laughed. “I mean it. We both have some nasty genes, and the last thing I need is a child asking me about their grandmother.”
Silence followed.
“Your mother is still with Crazy Granny?” I asked, and Celestia nodded.
Raine pointed at me. “That leaves you and Echo to provide the grandbabies, chica.”
I laughed and explained about waiting for a year. “So in the meantime, I’ll just sneak into his quarters without anyone knowing,” I added.
“Nothing happens in Eljudnir without the goddess knowing,” Trudy and Jess said in unison.
“On the other hand,” Trudy added, “you will be at Mystic Academy in the fall.”
“And Echo has homes all over the world,” Raine piped in.
“Okay, enough about me. We were talking about rounding up orphans. Where can we take them? According to Mother, the Norns recently stopped relocating orphans, so unless we search for relatives in other realms, we have to keep them with Mortals.”
“We could talk to Lavania about them,” Raine suggested.
“Or my mom knows some amazing Immortals who wouldn’t mind fostering the children until they were ready to attend the Academy,” Hayden said. “You tired, Celestia? That’s the second time you’ve yawned.”
“No, I’m okay. I’ll wait for Eirik. Raine, you and Torin can take one of our guest rooms, unless you prefer using one in the guest hall.”
“It all depends on Torin. I mean, I wouldn’t mind staying for a few days and maybe visiting with my father again. Seeing him was amazing. As long as your mother’s invitation is open, Cora, I’ll be visiting and sharing my life with him. Children. Grandchildren. Don’t look at me like that,” Raine added when I glanced at her stomach. “I’m not pregnant. I’m talking about the future. Mom is going to flip once she hears about this.” While Raine gushed about her visit with her dad, my thoughts drifted to Echo.
For the first time since I arrived in Helheim, I should be relaxed. Celestia had regained consciousness and my parents were awesome, yet I was worried. Maybe having the ability to see the future wasn’t going to be as cool as I’d thought. A loud rumble from outside reached us, and we looked at each other.
“What was that?” Raine asked.
“Probably Garm,” Trudy said. “He’s been locked up because of the visitors, and he doesn’t like it.”
“No wonder we didn’t see him.”
“That wasn’t Garm,” Celestia said, standing. “That’s my Eirik, letting out steam. I could recognize his bellow from anywhere.
Come on.” She opened a portal to the Waiting Hall.
We followed her and ran to the window to look outside, but nothing was happening. Despite the crystal lights inside and outside the tents, there was nothing unusual going on.
“There’s no movement out there,” Hayden said.
“Heimdel hearing?” Celestia teased, then explained about Hayden’s possible connection to the God Heimdel.
“Yeah, that was a joke when I didn’t know about my connection to the other realms. Now that I do, I’m not claiming anything or anyone.” A roar rattled the glass windows.
“I know where they are,” Trudy yelled and took off. A portal opened into the glass hallway connecting Grimnirs Hall to the west Resting Halls.
“Holy crap!” someone whispered, and my stomach dropped to the bottom of my soul.
The macabre scene from my vision was playing out right before my eyes. Echo was in the middle of the arena, wielding two swords and facing off with a man almost twice his size, his shirt bloodied. He wasn’t the only one fighting. His Druid buddies were also facing off with some of the men while the rest of the guests cheered.
“Un-freaking-believable,” Raine whispered, so I followed her eyes to where Torin was busy wielding a sword like a Samurai alongside the Druids. “I’d forgotten what an amazing fighter he is.” She laughed.
Raine could be bloodthirsty. While she cheered her man, I studied Echo. He moved like a dancer, parrying, jumping, and whipping around to block an attack. He laughed and attacked, blades moving so fast they blurred. He locked his opponent’s sword with both of his, swung it out of the way, and caught him in the gut with a sidekick. The man stumbled back. Echo stepped back to give him a moment, then beckoned the man to step forward. He was having fun.
“Aren’t you going to tell them to stop?” Trudy asked.
“Not yet. Raine?” When she didn’t respond, I glanced at her.
Her eyes glowed, and one of Torin’s attackers lost his footing, leaving him with two. She grinned with each punch and kick he landed on his opponents. When he went low and wrapped his legs around the knees of one of the men, and he came crashing down, she cheered.
Goddess: A Runes Book Page 29