“Do you mind if I tag along?” I asked with a shrug. Fen’s gaze whipped to me, and I ignored his questioning stare. Fen and Thor obviously couldn’t fly with us, but this would be a good opportunity for me to bond with them. They were the only sisters I had left.
“We would love for you to come with us,” Lilja said, and I wondered if she was the only one who truly believed that.
The guys took the first flight out the next morning, and I almost pitied them. That was going to be one uncomfortable trip between the two of them. They still weren’t getting along, but I didn’t know what else to do to get them to start work together Maybe they never would. Too much history. Just like the Midgard valkyries. Maybe we’d never get along either. There was too much history there too, even if it wasn’t technically mine.
“Are you ready?” Lilja said as she came up beside me as we stood before the cliff of Trolltunga. She was putting her blonde hair up in a ponytail.
I blew out a breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be. It’s been a while since I’ve flown long distances, so this should be interesting.”
I might be older than them, but they were more than likely more fit than I was. I was sober now, which was a plus, but I still had a lot of catching up to do.
“We’ll take plenty of breaks.” Lilja smiled and patted me on the shoulder.
I looked behind us, and I could barely see the rocks and stones that made up Trolltunga. It was crowded with Valkyries. Hundreds of us just waiting to take flight. They all carried backpacks with their belongings, and I couldn’t imagine having to fly with a carry-on. I made Fen take my things back.
“We’re ready,” Mia called out to Lilja, and she nodded.
“All right.” Lilja turned to me. “Let’s get a running head start.”
She stepped back like a track runner and crouched down. I did the same, and when she pushed off the ground, bolting forward, I followed. I ran full speed toward the cliff. The pounding footsteps of the valkyries sounded behind us, and the rush of it all boosted my adrenaline.
I pumped my arms as we ran, breathing through my nose and out my mouth, until finally we were jumping off the cliff. My wings burst out of my back, and then we were flying. We were coasting across the lake, and when I turned to look behind us, it was absolutely breathtaking just watching all of those valkyries taking a leap as one. I spun back around and caught up to Lilja who was leading the group.
Our wings beat in unison across the night sky, and I felt like I could touch stars from up here. I forgot how much I missed this. I hadn’t been in the right state of mind to really appreciate the fact that I had my wings again. It’d been decades, and now I was free.
“How have you stayed hidden for so long?” I blurted. It was one of the million questions I had in my arsenal just itching to come out.
Lilja’s wings were a maroon with black highlights. The red really popped when the moonlight hit it. “It was a valkyrie named Valdis. She was from Norway, and I think she was around your age,” she said as she mused. “She was the first to learn of what we were. I don’t know how accurate this is, but I heard she witnessed the killing of one of us. That is how she found out. She saw a valkyrie kill another. After that, she learned everything she could and started to build a safe haven for us in Norway. Valdis searched high and low for more of our kind and brought them back to keep them safe.”
“What happened to her?” I asked, because according to Thor, Lilja was the oldest one amongst them, so Valdis wasn’t with them.
“She was hunted and killed,” Lilja said without flinching. “About a century ago.”
This was probably why Frigg didn’t know if her information on their location was still accurate. She most likely knew about Valdis’s killing and assumed the others would have scattered.
“Why did you all stay after Valdis was murdered?” I called it what it was. Straight murder.
We flew side by side while the others were behind us, but our voices carried, and I was pretty sure they could hear our conversation.
“The mountains of Norway had become our home.” Lilja tilted her head to look at me. “We couldn’t just run. So we decided to stay and fight. But no one ever came for us.”
“And you all live in the mountains?” I raised a brow. That was very eco-friendly of them, I guess.
She laughed. “No, we all have our own homes in the surrounding towns. Once the area became more populated and Trolltunga became a hiking site for humans, we started a tour guide business. No one knew those mountains better than us.”
My eyes widened. “That’s sort of genius.”
“We had to evolve with the world. To be honest, I prefer it this way,” she whispered the last part. “I don’t miss sleeping in the mountains. I like my memory foam bed.” She chuckled.
I laughed with her. “I bet.”
We flew for hours, taking necessary breaks when needed, but not for long as we were on a schedule. My wing and back muscles were killing me. I hadn’t worked them this hard in a really long time, but I wasn’t going to show any weakness, so I kept going. I fell a little behind, and surprisingly enough, Mia pulled back and stayed with me. She still wasn’t talking to me much, but this was a start. Knowing about Valdis helped me understand their anger a little more. I also wondered who killed her. Was it Kara? Or did Odin himself do it? There was still so much I didn’t understand. Questions only Odin had the answers to, and that only negated any hope of me ever getting them. All I knew was that my sisters were gone, Odin was imprisoned, and I was the only one left who could right their wrongs. And I planned on doing so.
I took the valkyries to the Tualatin Mountains because there was just too many of them to take to Fen’s apartment and be inconspicuous. I was absolutely beat from our trip and ready for the longest nap known to man, but there was no rest for the wicked.
We landed near Yggdrasil because I learned during our trip that they didn’t know how to travel through other realms. Actually, there was a lot of things they didn’t know how to do that they should, like read and collect souls—or even destroy souls for that matter. When I told them what they were capable of, I practically blew their minds.
I called Fen the minute we landed, and it was a little depressing that I had to borrow a phone from one of them because I still didn’t own one. I really needed to get with the times.
They were setting up camp just before I was set to leave the mountains to meet Fen in the parking lot.
“Will you be okay?” I asked Lilja and Mia, as well as the dark-haired, blue-eyed valkyrie who I learned was named Selena.
“We should be fine, and I have Fen’s number just in case,” Lilja said as she held up her cell phone. “Don’t worry about us. Go check on your friends.”
I’d told them about Will and Charlie. It was a very long flight.
“Go, Raven,” Selena said as she ushered me toward the woods. “You’ve spent enough time with us.”
“Why do I get the sense that I am getting kicked out?” I frowned.
“Because you are,” Mia said.
I chuckled. “Gotcha. All right, I’m out of here. I’ll see you all later.”
I left the mountain area and left them to set up their campsites. When I hiked to the parking lot, I was relieved to see Fen’s car waiting for me. I dropped into the passenger seat and sighed loudly.
“Bit more than you could chew?” Fen asked as he turned the ignition.
“Shut up.” I rolled my eyes. “Just drive.”
He started to drive, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the smooth motion of the car and the hum of the engine.
“I knew that trip was going to take a lot out of you. You’ve only been back to normal for a few months. It’s not enough time to recuperate all your strength.”
I shrugged. “I’d have to have done it, eventually. Better now than later. It was worth it though. I need them to trust me.”
I didn’t hear what Fen said after that because I nodded off, the darkness pulling me under.
/>
The battlefield was full of bodies from either side, and I could barely see as sweat and blood coated my vision. But a pale figure dressed in black stood up ahead. Her long black hair was matted to her face, and her hands were held high as she conducted the battlefield like an orchestra. The dead were marching and fighting any living being that stood in their way. I didn’t have time to cut through them. I flapped my wings and took off in the air, flying across the field, straight toward her. She didn’t see me coming. I was like a bullet being shot out of a gun. My hand outstretched and aimed straight for her chest. My gaze zoned in on her pitch-black soul, and I dug my hand into her chest and clutched her soul tightly. I squeezed, trying to rupture it, but a burning sensation took over the tips of my fingers, and suddenly my hand was on fire.
“You didn’t think it’d be that easy, did you?” Hel smirked as I screamed in pain. My arm suddenly turning black.
When I awoke, I was back in my bed—well, Fen’s bed—snuggled up in the thick comforter, dripping in sweat and feeling like I’d slept for hours. When I pulled my eyelids apart, the sun was shining through the windows and I was alone. I hesitated for a second because I expected to have a hangover, but then I felt absolutely nothing. It was an odd feeling.
Before heading out to the living room, I went to the shower and scrubbed myself raw. I was in desperate need of one. When I was done, I found some clean clothes and brushed my teeth.
When I walked into the living room, I found Thor and Fen watching TV. This wasn’t normal.
“What’s going on?” I asked suspiciously.
“Nothing,” Thor said. “Just waiting on you.”
“I’m going to drop you both off at the hospital,” Fen said, and I walked over to them hesitantly. I’d asked for a ride but not a babysitter. And why wasn’t he coming too?
“Where will you be?” I asked as I looked over at where the bar used to be and then sat down.
“I have to check on my hellhounds. I’ve been away for too long, and I need to see if they’re okay.”
I nodded but didn’t say anything. Fen refuses to say where he was hiding the hounds. I didn’t know if it was because he doesn’t trust me or for their safety.
“How many do you have?” Thor asked him, and Fen tensed. If he wouldn’t answer me, he definitely wasn’t going to give Thor a response.
Fen’s gaze went to me, and I didn’t know what he saw because he sighed and then said, “I have about five hundred. Hel took a lot of them from me.”
“Speaking of Hel,” I started. “I had a sort of dream with her.”
“Really?” Fen raised his brows. “And … what kind of dream was this per se?”
I hit his arm. “Don’t be disgusting. It was almost like a vision of the future. I think.” I bit my lip and looked between Fen and Thor. “Verdandi said something that I didn’t really pay much attention to because I thought she said it metaphorically, not literally.” I threw my hands in the air as I rolled my eyes.
“And what did the Norn say?” Thor asked as he leaned forward, his interest piqued.
“She said only I have the power to end this,” I repeated what Verdandi said to me. “In my dream, I tried to destroy Hel’s soul.”
“You tried?” Fen said, his face a little pale.
“Well, it hurt.” I winced as I remembered the pain. “Once I made a connection, it began to rot my hand and arm. I woke up before it went any further. But that could just be my subconscious, not something that could literally happen.”
“Have you lost your marbles?” Fen’s mouth fell open. “That’s a damn sign.”
It could be a sign—a sign pointing us in the right direction, telling us how to defeat Hel once and for all. She was a god and not easy to kill. This might be the only way, and I’d take it if I had to.
“We can test the theory,” Thor interjected.
Fen’s head whipped in his direction. “Say it and I’ll kick your ass. We are not putting her in that kind of danger.”
I scoffed. “I’m a grown-ass woman, I think I can make that decision on my own, thank you very much.”
“Try it on me,” Thor said, completely ignoring him. “I’m a god. It should have the same effect.”
I smiled broadly. “All right, let’s do it.” I popped up and clapped my hands. “Come on, let me squeeze that soul.” I made a claw motion with my hand, and Thor grimaced as he grabbed his chest.
“Uh … I hope you’re going to be more gentle than that,” he said as he stood slowly.
“Of course, Thor,” I said sweetly. “I promise your first time will be magical.”
“Asshole,” he mumbled, and I laughed.
Thor and I stood facing each other, and my eyes darted from his to his chest. I looked past his heather gray T-shirt and through to his soul. It was an array of colors—yellow, blue, sunset orange, and white. Thor was noble, not perfect, but well-meaning.
Concentrating on his soul, I stretched out my hand and stuck it through his chest and took hold of his soul. It tingled at first, like electricity hitting the tips of my fingers. Then the burning began once I latched on, and Thor gasped from the sensation. I ripped my hand away quickly before it could burn me and clutched my hand to my chest.
“Are you okay?” Fen asked as he tried to pull my hand away to take a look.
I was frowning but still staring at Thor’s chest. “He burned me.”
I let Fen pull my hand, and I could see the smoke sizzle from my fingertips.
Thor rubbed at where my hand had been. “It must be a resistance to gods. A way to not kill us.”
“I can try to withstand it,” I murmured as I looked up at them. “If I just try—”
“It’ll kill you,” Fen said. “You’re immortal, but this will kill you. It’s not an option.”
They were right. I felt it in my dream. If I would have stayed asleep and held on, I would have seen my death. The way the blackness crept up my arm, it would have spread all over. I wondered how or who gave me that dream.
14
Fen dropped us off at the hospital, and Thor had to speed walk just to keep up with me. I couldn’t wait to see Will and Charlie. I hadn’t called to get an update or anything, and they didn’t know we were back from Norway.
When we got to Will’s floor, I found Charlie by the vending machines. She squealed when she saw me.
“Oh my God, Raven!” She launched herself at me, and I caught her.
“It’s good to see you too, Charlie.”
“Come on!” She pulled me down the hall. “You have to see Will.”
We were practically running, her vending machine food already forgotten. When we arrived at Will’s room, I walked in and his bed was upright and he was awake, fiddling with the TV remote.
“William,” I muttered at the door, and he turned to look at me. A grin spread across his face, and my shoulders relaxed. He was clean shaven again, his hair was cut, and there was some color to his cheeks.
“Raven Romero,” he said, his voice a little gruff. “It’s about time you showed your face around here.”
“By all the gods, am I glad to see you alive,” I said as I walked further into his room and stood by his bed.
“I’m glad to be alive. Thanks to you.” He reached for my hand and squeezed. It wasn’t firm, but his strength probably still wasn’t a 100 percent.
“It was a team effort, I promise,” I whispered as I sat on the edge of his bed. “I’m just sorry I didn’t come sooner.”
“Don’t do that, Raven,” Will said as he tried to make eye contact with me. “None of this is your fault. You did the best you could. I knew you’d come eventually.”
I wanted to tell him there was a time I thought they were already dead. That I’d given up. But I couldn’t bring myself to say it. I felt like a coward. They deserved better than me.
“I’ll always come for you, Will.” I turned to face Charlie. “For both of you.” And that was a promise. Never again would I doubt myself.
&n
bsp; Someone cleared their throat, and I looked in the doorway to find Thor standing there. He was smiling, and I realized I hadn’t introduced him to Will. This was going to be interesting.
“Oh shit.” I face-palmed myself. “So, Will, you’ve missed a lot.”
“I can imagine,” he said as he peered over my shoulder.
“For starters, let me introduce you to a friend.” I waved Thor over. “This is my half brother, Thor.”
Will’s eyes were glazed over as he nodded at me, but it was a delayed reaction. He froze after a few seconds; then his eyes widened slowly, and his mouth fell open.
“Thor?” he sputtered. “As in the god of thunder?”
“Hey, he knows about me!”
I rolled my eyes. “Everyone does,” I mumbled. “Yes, that guy, Will. When I rescued you from Hel, we didn’t come straight to Midgard. We went to Asgard for a while.”
Will fumbled with his words. “I was in Asgard?”
“We took really good care of you,” Thor assured him. “Tyr had his best med team looking after you.”
“Holy shit, I’m trippin’,” Will muttered as he looked at his IV to see what meds he was getting.
I laughed. “You’re totally sober. Trust me,” I grumbled. “So am I.”
“Where’s your hammer?” Will asked like a little kid at a comic book store.
“He’s not going to carry that thing around everywhere, Will,” I admonished.
“But he does have it?” he double-checked.
Thor grinned. “Mjölnir is safe in Fenrir’s apartment. I can call on him whenever I need him. Rest assured, you will see him.”
“That’s so cool.” Will sighed.
I had to curb the urge to roll my eyes again. Just then, the floor beneath us shook and everyone grabbed on to something nearby to keep them upright. It felt like an earthquake.
“What the hell was that?” Charlie said as the shaking continued, and she hopped onto the bed.
Screaming down the hallway ensued, and it sounded like a stampede was running across the floor.
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