Part of me expected Eirik to laugh and yell “Bazinga!” Another wanted to punch him and tell him to snap out of it. I wasn’t sure what had happened in Hel, but this couldn’t be the result. He couldn’t be this broken.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Disengage your runes,” he ordered, not bothering to answer me.
I glanced around at the fir trees and the undergrowth. There was something familiar about the woods. Could we be in Tillamook Forest? The very same forest Torin and I used for speed and reflex training?
“Why did you bring me here? I don’t see the Earl or his followers.”
“Turn around and follow the trail behind you,” he barked.
Now I wanted to dig my heels in and refuse to obey him, but one look into his cold eyes and I turned and went down the narrow path. His amber eyes used to be warm and full of mischief. Ahead, I could see an opening in the trees. “What happened to you, Eirik?”
“You happened.”
Barbed tips of hurt spiked through me. “What did I ever…” my breath caught, “do to you?”
“Everything and nothing,” he mumbled.
“That’s a lame and stupid answer,” I retorted.
He chuckled dryly. “You taught me it was okay to be vulnerable and let others in, to see the good in people and give them a second chance. You lied. People are selfish, and when they don’t get their way, they turn into monsters and screw you up good.” His voice was gruff, as though he was reliving something really awful.
My anger disappeared, my heart aching for him. I wanted to turn around and hug him. “I’m so sorry. Was it that bad?”
“Stop talking and keep walking,” he snarled.
I clammed up for about… two seconds. “Whatever happens here today, I love you, Eirik. I always have and always will. You are part of my family. Remember that.”
He gave a derisive chuckle. “And remember this, Raine Cooper. I always have a reason for everything I do.”
I stumbled on a root, and he reached out to steady me. When I touched his hand, he yanked it away from me. “Don’t,” he snarled.
I reigned in the anger and forced myself to focus on the positive. “There was a time you loved to hang out with me, Eirik. You held me when I cried and slayed imaginary monsters under my bed. Do you remember when we’d crawl under the blanket and read with flashlights until Mom or Dad—”
“Shut up, Raine. Just… shut it. I don’t remember any of that crap.”
Chuckles came from the bushes around us and my heart hurtled to my throat. My eyes darted around until I spied faces behind trees and bushes. My feet faltered. Eirik prodded me from behind with the dagger. I stumbled forward, almost twisting my ankle. This time he didn’t try to help me.
We entered the clearing. Now I recognized where we were. It was the same clearing Torin and I had used during our picnic. More people came from behind the trees. At first, I counted them, but they kept popping up all around us and I lost count.
Familiar faces appeared among them, the witches who’d come to my store in the name of friendship. They were back in their witchy robes and traditional shamanic hats and cloaks. Even the old man who’d wanted to thank me for helping his son stood there with his crooked stick.
Traitors.
Bash’s uncle didn’t seem too happy. Bet his sons and nephew were missing and he didn’t know why. Served him right. Gina and Rita didn’t smile when our eyes met.
I helped you, you ungrateful shitheads.
The next faces had me gasping. Femi and Blaine. They stared back at me without showing any emotions. Mom had trusted her. I had defended her to Torin. As for Blaine, he’d made it obvious ever since he came back that he hated Valkyries and he wanted to go to Asgard to be with his dead girlfriend. What better way to get there than by hitching his wagon to a psycho Immortal’s?
Their betrayal cut deep. I couldn’t look at them anymore without cursing them out.
Everyone’s eyes shifted to somewhere behind me, and I turned just as a tall guy with black hair and brilliant blue eyes entered the clearing. William de Clare, the original Earl of Worthington. Torin’s father. That he looked so much like Torin was bitter sweet.
I blew out a breath, nervous energy churning my stomach. Beside him was an equally tall woman with straight medium-brown hair. I recognized her from my vision. Madam Bosvilles. They could pass for forty-somethings.
I searched behind them for the soul of Torin’s mother.
How had Catie put it? I had to will it. That meant wanting it so much the need filled me. Should be easy. Freeing her was the only thing stopping me from engaging my runes and attacking the Earl.
“You delivered her, Eirik,” the Earl said, and my eyes flew to him.
He sounded so much like Torin a shiver shot up my spine. And not in a nice way. He was like an older version of Torin, except his eyes were cold, nothing like Torin’s warm ones.
Stupid tears rushed to my eyes, and I wanted to slap myself silly. This man should never see me in tears. I focused on seeing the soul attached to him.
“You’ve definitely impressed us,” I heard the woman say. “You can now join us in Asgard.”
“Thank you, my lady,” Eirik said.
Distracted, I glanced at Eirik. He did all this to get into Asgard? Were his memories partially gone or had going to Hel turned him into a pariah in Asgard? I tried to catch his eyes, but he kept staring down.
“And you, my dear,” the Earl of Worthington said, and I knew he was talking to me. “It is a pleasure to finally meet the girl who moves between the realms and talks to the Norns.”
“Want to switch places?” I almost snapped, but I couldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how I felt about my gifts, the very things he craved. Instead, I focused on the air behind him. Where was her soul?
I shifted to selective listening when the Earl started gabbing.
“My friends, we have fought and protected humanity for centuries without so much as a thank you or a handshake from the gods,” he started.
The air behind him shimmered like heat rising from heated cement.
“Civilization after civilization, we’ve watched them begin one senseless war after another, killing each other and destroying everything only to rebuild it again.”
The mirage took the shape of a woman in a long, flowing white dress with long, wide sleeves that were fitted around her wrists. The collar and the sleeves of the dress were beautifully embroidered, and she wore a cloak held in place by a cord and a belt around her waist. At first I thought she had ash-blond hair like Ingrid, until I realized her hair was covered by a white, silk scarf that flowed to her back.
“It is time we were rewarded, recognized, and given our dues,” the Earl continued. “Time we sat at the table with our fallen brothers and sisters, shook hands with the gods, and drank ale served by beautiful Valkyries.”
“YEAH!” the crowd yelled.
“It is our right as Immortals, our destiny…”
More screams came from his followers, more rhetoric from him about winning Ragnarok and becoming gods and goddesses. Lofty dreams, pal. Good luck with that.
The soul was now clearer, but I could still see through her. Cora had told me they looked like regular people. Maybe I was only meant to see them this way. Translucent. Apparitions of themselves. She was beautiful, her skin flawless, but her eyes… They were lifeless. Like a doll’s. Totally spooky.
Did all souls look like that?
“This young Seeress will lead us to the Bifrost. We’ll cross it and enter Valhalla like the heroes we are. The witches, wizards, and shamans are welcomed to join us. Your young leader has proven himself.”
What? My eyes shifted from Torin’s mother to Eirik. Eirik was the leader of the witches? Did that mean he’d made the Call and led the Earl to us?
“Now, Lorraine Cooper,” the Earl said. “We are ready. Show us the way to the gods. Open the portal to the Bifrost.”
Seriously? Did he re
ally think it would be that simple? “No. No one is going anywhere until you release her.” I pointed at the soul.
The Earl looked behind him and scowled. “Release who?”
“The poor soul you’ve been dragging around for centuries. Your wife. Let her go.”
He laughed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s no one there.”
“Then you better look harder. You’ve kept her around for so long she has withered to nothing.” The soul looked at me with such hope my heart ached for her. “But I can see her. Yes, Lady Adelaide, I can see you. Please, show yourself. Let them see what he’s done to you.”
She was struggling to maintain her human form, but she was too weak. I could see it in her eyes and the way her body dimmed. Centuries of hanging around her husband had probably drained her energy.
The Earl’s eyes grew fierce. “Focus on why we came here, my friends,” he yelled. “The girl is trying to confuse you. There’s nothing here, nothing holding us back. She promised to lead us to Asgard.”
Promised who? Eirik? Where did he go? “No, I will not,” I called out.
“Look here, you silly girl,” the Earl snarled. “The only reason I didn’t storm into your puny town and reduce it to rubble was because Eirik said you were willing to help us. That you’ve wanted to go to Asgard, too, but the Norns refused you. This is a chance to show them they don’t control you or your future.”
“They already know that, just like they know I’d never associate with Immortals like you and her.” I indicated his companion, Madam Bosvilles.
“Listen here, you brat. If you refuse, your little town will be nothing but a ghost town.”
I stared at him, but my mind was on Torin’s mother and freeing her. “Go ahead and torch it, and see who becomes a ghost. Lady Adelaide?” I called out. She looked up, her eyes widening. She had pale blue eyes like the present Earl of Worthington.
The Earl reached out to grab my arm, but something weird happened. The vine from a nearby tree whipped out, wrapped around his wrist, and pulled.
People moved back with gasps. Some pointed.
“Which one of you witches is doing this?” the Earl yelled, struggling. He engaged his runes. But the more he struggled, the tighter and higher the vine pulled his arm. The Immortals looked at the witches, and I knew if the Earl gave the order, they’d turn on them.
“I did it,” I yelled. “Touch me again and they’ll go for your neck,” I threatened. “Now promise to behave until I finish here.”
He tried to grab me with his other hand, but another vine shot down and snatched it. Idiot. He just had to try to prove he was Mr. Tough Guy, didn’t he? Mother Nature is a witch with a capital B when it fought back.
I focused on Adelaide, who was staring at the Earl. “Focus on me, Lady Adelaide. I know who you are. You were Lady Adelaide from Normandy. You had two sons, Torin and James.”
Her face crumbled. Could a soul cry?
“They loved you very much. James is waiting for you in Asgard.” Torin had better escort her there. “Torin will be here shortly to take you to him. Please, fight and show yourself. Don’t you want to see your children?”
Tears filled my eyes as I watched her struggle. She seemed to grow stronger. Finally, she came into existence. The witches and the Immortals were staring at her, not the Earl.
I shot the Earl a triumphant look. A few of his men must have tried to help him because they were wrapped up like mummies by the grass. Only their eyes blinked at me from thatches of green. The others, his girlfriend included, had distanced themselves from him.
“You’ve tortured your wife’s soul for centuries, William de Clare. Release her soul now, and then we can talk about Asgard.”
He sneered. “I will not be dictated to by a child.”
“Yet you come to me for help?” I asked, raising my voice. A few snickers followed.
He glanced around, so sure of his place as the leader of these people. “Do you care that my wife chose to stay with me, so she and I could go to Asgard together?”
“NO!”
“We do,” one lone voice rang out. A familiar female voice.
Femi? I craned my neck to find her, but the witches were pointing their staffs at us while murmuring something. Their voices rose, each speaking in a different language. But the loudest one was Femi’s. Blaine was also yelling.
Then I realized what they were doing. They were chanting a spell. My eyes met Eirik’s. He was chanting, too. And smiling. He winked and patted his side. I shook my head, not understanding. He pointed to his side. I patted my side and felt it. The dagger he’d been holding was in the pocket of my hoodie. He must have slipped it there while we were walking to the clearing.
Was this his plan all along? Bringing me here to help release Lady Adelaide and save the town? What was in the note he’d left with Andris? He had some serious explaining to do after this.
Gina and Rita grinned at me at the front of the line. Blaine and Femi moved to the ends of the group, flanking them in case the Immortals attacked. Even the old witch with the crooked staff flash his stained teeth as he nodded at me, his staff pointed at the Earl.
By the third chant, I had picked up parts of it and joined in.
“We ask the Gods to break this bond
That binds Lady Adelaide to the Earl of Worthington.
He holds her soul from time gone by
Though no longer in his arms does she lie.
Gods of Old Religion release her soul.
This spell is cast and the Earl has no more hold.”
The look on the Earl’s face was priceless. He bellowed something, but the witches drowned him. I knew the moment the spell was broken.
A portal appeared right by Adelaide, and Torin arrived, his runes glowing. The others followed—Andris, Echo, Lavania, Ingrid, and Hawk. Even Mom was there.
His mother’s soul stared at them and moved back as though afraid. Didn’t she recognize Torin? “It is Torin, Lady Adelaide,” I said. “Your son.”
Her eyes volleyed between Torin and me as though not sure of herself. She moved toward me. Somehow, she’d decided I could be trusted.
“Take her to the mansion, Raine,” Torin growled in a voice raw with emotions. Gratitude simmered in the depth of his eyes, which quickly turned to rage when he saw his father.
I didn’t want to leave. What if they needed me? The Immortals outnumbered them five to one, and that was assuming all the witches were on our side.
“Go, Raine,” Torin yelled. “Take her to safety.”
“Follow me, Lady Adelaide. You will be safe with me.” I started to lead her through the portal, but the Earl bellowed.
“No, she stays.”
“Untie him, Raine,” Torin ordered in a voice that said he couldn’t wait to kick his father’s old butt from here to Asgard and back.
I waited until Lady Adelaide was by my side and pointed at the vine. It started to unravel. This link I had with Mother Earth was surreal, but then again, everything about my life was way out there.
I disappeared through the portal with the soul of Lady Adelaide right behind me. The portal closed as soon as we stepped into the foyer. She looked around. I wasn’t sure what to tell her. Truth be told, I wanted to go back to the forest, but I was stuck babysitting her.
Souls didn’t exactly communicate with people verbally, but according to Torin, they understood things. “Do you remember Torin, Lady Adelaide?”
She stared at me as though I was speaking a foreign language. Maybe she didn’t understand English. She spoke French when she was alive, and I didn’t speak French.
She nodded.
I grinned. “Was that a yes?”
She nodded, tears welling in her eyes. Okay, Torin was not a good subject. “Please, don’t cry, okay? He’s okay. He’s a loving and amazing guy, and you should be totally proud of him. He’s a Valkyrie. That means he escorts souls to Asgard.”
She nodded again.
Then inspir
ation hit. Cora. She could help big time here. “Lady Adelaide, I’m about to introduce you to my friend Cora. She helps souls communicate with the living. I think Torin will need her services.” I pulled out my cell phone, and she watched me curiously as I texted Cora. “She can also watch you while I…”
Panic flashed in Lady Adelaide’s eyes.
“No, don’t be afraid. I’m going to help Torin.” I peered at her. On a good day, I’d be freaking out talking to a soul. Today, anything was possible. “You want me to help Torin defeat the Earl, don’t you? They need me back there in the woods because the forest listens to me.” She still looked doubtful. “Please. I’d take you with me, but Torin won’t be happy. He has a temper and can be quite melodramatic.” She smiled and nodded. I sighed with relief. “Thank you. Cora’s nice. She’s a friend of mine and Torin’s. She helps souls.”
“At home going crazy. What’s going on?” Cora texted.
“I’m opening the portal,” I texted back, engaged my runes, and watched the portal form.
Cora practically raced into the room. She was a hot mess, her hair rolled up at the back of her head and eyes red as though she’d been crying. “What do you mean you want me to watch over a soul? Are they okay? Echo refused to let me go with him.”
“I don’t know if they’re okay. I need to find out, and you can’t come with me. Echo would focus on keeping you safe and not teaching the Immortals a lesson.”
“Torin would, too…” Her voice trailed off when she saw Lady Adelaide. “Is that the soul I’m supposed to help? Who is she?”
“Cora, Lady Adelaide, Torin’s mother. Lady Adelaide, Cora Jemison, my best friend. Explain to her what you do, Cora. I have to go.” I created a portal into the forest just like Torin had taught me the last few days.
The scene was worse than I’d imagined. I almost twisted my ankle in the huge cracks criss-crossing the ground. Immortals littered the forest floor, their heads twisted at weird angles. Some witches with bruises were still fighting, but a few had joined the Immortals, including the poor old man with a crooked staff. I had seen the vision of his death, so I was happy I’d missed that.
Seeress: Book Three (Runes Series) Page 32