Karle and his family were from the Wolf Clan and wore red and yellow cloaks. He introduced me to his aunts and uncles, and his father Skavnir, the chief of the Wolf Clan. Then he went to talk to some girl.
Chief Skavnir had fought alongside my grandmother years ago, and Karle had regaled me with stories of their exploits during our flight back to the hall, but you wouldn’t believe it looking at his old man now. He was soft-spoken and mild-mannered, and looked a lot older than my grandmother.
Their women stared at my mother as though they were seeing her for the first time. If Mother noticed, she didn’t show it. Mom and her brothers had been born and raised in the Wolf Clan of Ironwood Forest before Odin learned of their existence, rode into Jötunheim, and took them back to Asgard. Mom wasn’t even in her teens at the time.
“Did you know my mother and my uncles?” I asked Karle’s aunt, who looked around Mom’s age.
She blushed and shook her head. “No, Baldurson. That was before I was born. My mother and great aunts would know. They grew up together.”
No wonder they kept staring at Mom. She looked like she was in her late twenties, while they were old.
“She was a sweet girl who didn’t speak much,” Karle’s grandmother explained. “Your grandmother was a great leader and a powerful Seeress, but she was more comfortable talking to generals and training pups than taking care of a young, awkward girl. We’d stop by to play with Hela sometimes, but she was too shy and uncomfortable around people.”
“Why?”
Silence followed, and no one could meet my gaze.
“Why don’t you visit us sometime and we can sit down and answer all your questions about the past, hmmm?” one of the aunts whispered and looked over my shoulder. “I think your mama and papa need you.”
I turned to find my parents on their feet. I excused myself and joined them. My father thanked the guests and urged them to continue enjoying our hospitality.
“I’d like to say something,” I said, and my father nodded. Mom didn’t mask her surprise. I gave her a reassuring smile.
“Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. Most of you know I was raised in Midgard and so I haven’t visited your realms. I have a lot to learn, and I hope this evening was the beginning of my education. Now that I’m home, I’m here to stay for as long as my mother and father will have me.” I glanced at them and smiled. Mother’s expression wasn’t giving away much, but I hoped she was okay with my impromptu speech. Father nodded with approval. “I’m lucky to have met your beautiful and gracious daughters. However, I’m not ready to settle down yet.” A murmur rippled through the guests, and I raised my hand.
Silence followed.
“Your friendship means a lot to me, so I hope you won’t hold my reluctance to settle down against me.” A few chuckles followed. “I’ll be visiting your realms sometime in the coming months. I hope I can count on your friendship and hospitality. Thank you.”
I followed my parents out of the room, the guards trailing us. Mom didn’t wait long before she whipped around and asked, “Visit other realms? Why?”
“Goodwill, Mother. And before you say anything, I’ll be careful.”
“Remind me never to do this again,” she said, glancing at my father. “It puts ideas in his head.”
Father chuckled, taking her hand. “You worry too much, astin mín. The boy is smart and knows what is expected of him.”
“The boy has no idea that none of them can be trusted.”
“The boy can hear you two, you know,” I said.
“You are not ready, Eirik,” Mother said firmly. “Traveling to other realms is out of the question. Choosing a mate wasn’t even mentioned by the visiting parents and you brought it up.”
“Actually it was. A few fathers were bold enough to offer their daughters and incentives. Soldiers. Weapons.”
Mother made a face. “Now, you are making up things. You called the girls gracious and beautiful. They are dull and incapable of answering a simple question. Their mothers are simpering idiots, and their fathers are shifty-eyed. And the sons, argh, thank goodness our Einmyria didn’t have to deal with them.”
Silence followed her words. That was the second time she’d brought up my sister today. I wondered why. Could it be the approaching birthday?
“So I don’t have to marry one of them?” I asked, trying to ease the tension.
Mother shuddered. “I should hope not. You’d think dragon genes would make the girls more interesting.”
I’d noticed her disappointment every time a girl was presented to her. Most had stammered while others had completely lost their train of thought in the middle of their sentences. Of course, she had no idea how intimidating she must have looked to those poor girls.
Just to mess with her, I said, “I liked Syr.”
Father laughed, but Mother frowned.
“Which one was that? The annoying one who refused to shift?” she asked.
“That’s Olea, Karle’s sister. Syr is this tall.” I indicated a height with my hand. “Has dimples”—which had reminded me of Celestia’s—“and is an amazing dancer.” I asked her to stand on my feet as we danced, and she loved it.
“The Dwarf girl?” Mother looked at Father for clarification, but he couldn’t contain his amusement. Annoyance flashed across Mother’s face. “Which one was she?” she asked impatiently. She was panicking now. I could hear her whisper furiously to Father. She needed to develop a sense of humor.
“You’re talking about that two-year-old?” she asked. “She wanted to play with my scepter and grabbed my dress with her sticky hands. Apparently, the green gem fascinated her. She kept following me around.”
“Did you assume the role of a good hostess and let her play with it?” I asked, trying to contain the laugh threatening to escape me.
A look of horror crossed her face. “Of course not. I turned it black,” she said without remorse.
“If you had listened to me, you would not have suffered through this party and sticky fingers. I’ll be dividing my time between Midgard and here starting tomorrow.”
Panic crossed Mother’s face. “Why?”
I didn’t dare look at my father. “Because I can deliver a more terrifying blow to the Norns there, not here. Nornsgard is too well hidden.”
“We agreed you’d torch that valley.”
“You suggested it, Mother. I didn’t agree.” She’d assumed I’d follow her instructions. “Give me a chance to do things my way. If my plan doesn’t work, then we’ll discuss other options, including yours.”
She studied me intently. I was sure she’d argue, but she surprised me when she nodded. “Okay. What’s your plan?”
“I can’t talk about it now. You’ll jinx it.” She stared at me with a blank expression. Either she didn’t know what jinx meant or didn’t believe in bad luck.
She glanced at my father. “Did he tell you this great plan of his?”
“No, dýrr mín, but I trust him to do the right thing.”
I could always count on my wise and diplomatic father. He whispered something to her. She listened, but she didn’t appear convinced.
“You know you can’t fight them as a dragon in Midgard,” she said.
She wasn’t going to stop until she knew the details of my plans.
“I don’t plan to, but in case it happens, I know how Mortals would spin it, Mother. Conspiracy theorists would claim I was a government experiment gone wrong. Scientists would insist I was a prehistoric creature resembling a dragon. The nerds and geeks would yap about multiverses, a bend in the time and space continuum between the present and a primordial Earth. Only the supernatural world would know a veil had been lifted between the realms. Everyone would believe they were right, and no conclusion would be reached. I got this, Mother. Trust me.”
She dropped the subject even though she still looked worried. We reached the rotunda and found Karle waiting. Was he lost? Father only spared him a glance. Knowing him, he probably knew
Karle and I had flown back to the hall together and already had the poor guy under surveillance. Guards posted along the hallway in the guest hall reported everything to my father every few hours.
“What are you doing here?” Mother asked, eyeing Karle as though trying to place him.
“He is my friend,” I said. She looked ready to argue, but Father took her arm and escorted her toward their quarters. I waited until they gone before asking, “What’s going on?”
He glanced at the guards stationed in the rotunda and lowered his voice. “Can we talk, please?”
“Sure.” I didn’t want to take him to my quarters, so I led the way back toward the Throne Room. There wasn’t much to do around the hall except drink, eat, and fight. I wasn’t in the mood to do any one of them. We needed a big screen TV and some video games. “What’s going on?”
“My father would like a moment of your time.”
Sometimes Karle sounded so uptight I wanted to tell him to lighten up. Or maybe the presence of my two shadows had something to do with it. I raised a finger, indicating for the guards to stay back, and followed Karle into the guest hall. They fell back and waited outside when we reached Karle’s family’s designated quarters. Each unit had bedrooms and a sitting area. The larger families like Karle’s were using several units.
Chief Skavnir got up from one of the armchairs when we entered and bowed.
“Thank you for coming, Baldurson,” he said. “Please, sit.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what purpose a cloak served indoors, but it had been a pain every time I sat. I had to deal with sweeping it out of the way or sitting on it. I unclasped mine before sitting down. If Karle and his father thought my actions strange, they didn’t show it. They deftly swept their cloaks out of the way.
“What can I do for you?” I asked.
He moved forward, sat on the edge of the sofa, and rested his elbows on his knees. “I could not bring this up in the hall this evening because of the sensitivity of the subject. My son tells me that you spoke with Angrboda?”
Karle needed to learn discretion.
“Yes. Briefly.” Before she tried to bite me. “Why?”
The old man’s mouth moved as though he was trying to speak and his eyes grew shimmery. Damn, he was about to cry. I glanced at Karle.
“What?” I mouthed.
“My father is happy you found her,” Karle said. “He’s trying to say—”
His father gripped his arm and shook his head. “Leave us, Son. I’d like to talk to the young god alone.”
Karle didn’t hesitate. When the door closed behind him, Chief Skavnir squared his shoulders and looked a lot less old. His voice sounded stronger when he spoke.
“It’s been so long we’d despaired she’d never come back. Some even believed she was dead.” He grinned, showing crooked teeth. I didn’t recall if he’d smiled at all the entire evening. “Our chieftess is truly indestructible. I always knew she was alive. That she would return and reunite our clans again. The blood bond never lies. We felt the tug the moment we arrived here in this realm, but it was faint. At first, we thought the tug came from your mother, but when we entered the hall, it wasn’t there. Tonight, it grew stronger.”
“Please, slow down. What’s a blood bond?”
“The bond formed from a dragon kiss. When your grandmother took us in after our father died, she made sure she never lost us again, so she marked us. Not just my sister and me. She marked all the orphans she raised. She swore she would always find us no matter where we were, and we would find her if we were ever lost. And if for some reason she couldn’t, we could always find each other. I saw one of her orphans tonight.” He rolled back the sleeve of his shirt and showed me two scars on his arm. “We all have this mark from the kiss. The blood bond is the strongest kind of bond, and that’s why I was surprised when you refused to bind those you defeated.”
“I didn’t think it was necessary.” I didn’t want loyalty forged by blood, but from his expression, it was the norm. Maybe he could help me find my sister since both of them had been bitten by my crazy granny. “Tell me about the orphans and the bond.”
“After your mother and uncle were taken from her, your grandmother took in abandoned children and raised them. Most were wolf pups, but some were like my sister and me, dragon shifters and raven shifters. We can feel each other’s presence because of the energy she gave us when she bit us. The more gifted of us can follow a thread of energy in a crowded room and find the right person.” He smiled. “Tonight, I noticed a shy girl dressed in strange clothes. She must be one of her recent orphans.”
My stomach dropped. Strange clothes? The only one dressed differently tonight had been Celestia. There was no way he was talking about her.
“What was she wearing?” I asked.
“White pants with holes and a very strange waistcoat. She cannot be from this realm.”
Damn. Celestia. The implication was shocking and unexpected. I jumped to my feet and paced. When had my grandmother bitten her? Did Celestia know?
“I invited her to join us, but she declined and closed the portal. I felt the tug of the blood bond, and I’m sure she felt it too. Most of the orphans disappeared from our village after Angrboda left. Some were babies, but quite a few were older. That was years ago. But tonight, I knew Angrboda was still watching over orphans when I saw the girl. The energy from her was strong, which meant her blood bond was new.”
Crap. This was messed up. First my grandmother trapped her here and then she bit her, binding them together. I tried to remember when it might have happened. There was a period during our fight when she’d hit me with her tail and nearly knocked me out. Or she might have bitten her before I arrived at the cave.
“Is she a guest here? Can I meet with her?”
“No, she’s gone.”
Silence followed as though he was rearranging his thoughts. “When will she be back?”
“Never.” She’d not want to return once she learned about this. First my sister, now Celestia. Just when I’d started to believe that Granny might actually be worth forgiving, I learned something new to make me dislike her. She and I were going to have a long talk when I caught up with her.
“When will you see Angrboda again?” Chief Skavnir asked.
“I don’t know.” Hopefully never. In the mood I was in, I could kill her. I picked up my cloak.
“Maybe if you see her again, you can give her a message from us.”
“What?” I asked, a little impatiently. My mind was on Celestia.
“Tell her the clan needs her and awaits her return. I’ll call a meeting as soon as we arrive in Ironwood Forest. All the clans will work together to get her hall ready.” He shook my hand, completely oblivious to the blow he’d dealt with his words. “Thank you for sharing this great news, Rising Star. Thank you very much.”
Great news? This was terrible news. I had to find a way to fix this, but first, Celestia had to know.
I left and headed straight for my quarters. I was halfway toward the portal when something Chief Skavnir had said registered. Those bitten by my grandmother could always feel each other. Celestia might be the key to finding my sister.
CHAPTER 7. GRAFITTI ARTISTS
CELESTIA
Sounds woke me up. For a moment, I was disoriented and couldn’t tell where I was. Then I remembered I had slept at Hayden’s. My watch said it was five o’clock. It was too early for someone who’d gone to bed at two after listening to Witches arguing in the other room. We couldn’t hear their discussion, but their voices had droned on and on for hours and kept me awake.
Last night, we’d arrived at Hayden’s apartment to find her mother hosting a mini conference. Twenty to thirty male and female Witches had been scattered around their living room, guzzling coffee and having a heated discussion. I had no idea Tammy knew that many Witches. Interestingly, I hadn’t recognized any of them. I’d assumed they were lone practitioners like us, until I heard them speak and watched how they�
��d acted.
They’d confirmed the deaths and agreed that the timing and circumstances were suspicious before firmly telling us to stay in the bedroom while they discussed how to deal with the problem. Most covens were divided along racial lines, and members often had similar traditional backgrounds—Afro-Carribeans, Africans, Druids, Celtic, Native American, or various Asiatic cultures. But last night’s group had been diverse, making me reach one conclusion—they were members of the Witches Guild, the organization that foresaw Witches’ activities across the globe. Coven business had always taken precedent over the guild’s, until now. It was very reassuring to know the guild was back.
More sounds came from behind the door again. I glanced at Hayden, but she was fast asleep. She could sleep through a hurricane. Careful not to wake her, I slipped out of the bed and made my way across the room to the door. Now I could hear voices. I opened it and peered outside.
Tammy appeared in my line of vision, and I stiffened. What was she doing up? She wasn’t dressed for bed. In fact, she looked like she was getting ready to go out. She had her dress coat buttoned up, a scarf around her neck, and heels on. I started to push the door when a man came into view. He was dressed in an expensive suit and trench coat.
Who was he? A date? He looked a lot older than her. I didn’t even know Tammy was dating. In fact, I’d never seen her go out with anyone in the four years they’d lived here. Maybe they weren’t leaving. They could have just gotten home. Once again, I started to close the door, but then the lights went out, and I didn’t hear steps coming toward the bedroom.
Okay, I was wrong. They were leaving. I waited for the door to close. Nothing happened. Frowning, I stepped into the hallway and padded toward the living room, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. The magical energy pulsing in the air grew stronger. I peered into the room. They were gone.
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