We joined Sam and began our descent from the mesa. Halfway down, we met up with Fen, who took my hand. “The call went well?”
“Yes,” I told him. “I wish I knew when I could speak with them again. They’re going to worry about me if I don’t check in.”
“I’ll be sure to call them for you, Phoebe,” Sam piped in from behind. “And if you haven’t met me yet, I have awesome persuasion skills. I’ll tell them you’re busy getting a massage, or scuba diving, or on a hot date with a wolf.” She winked. “It’ll be a piece of cake. They won’t doubt me for a second. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I’m that good.”
I snorted. “You’re a master tooter.” I laughed. “That’ll work once, if we’re lucky. The next time I don’t call, they will have an APB out on me. But I can’t worry about that now.” I had enough to think about, like standing in front of the Council in Asgard, trying to convince them there was a chance I could bring Baldur back from Helheim.
Surprisingly, Ingrid and Rae were waiting for us at the bottom of the mesa.
They should’ve been at the Park training, and judging by Ingrid’s face, something was up.
“What is it?” I said. “Please don’t tell me Junnal’s dead. I’m not sure I can handle another death at the moment.” Ingrid shook her head and lifted something. It was a rolled piece of parchment. A large seal of deep-purple wax had been broken. “Is that what I think it is?”
She nodded. “Both of your summonses just arrived.” She nodded to Fen. “We must leave immediately.”
A low growl issued from Fen’s throat. Neither of us had been looking forward to this moment.
“But I thought we had a week?” I balked. “Technically, we should have three more days.”
“It doesn’t work like that,” Rae replied. “Frigg would’ve wanted you there immediately. Odin has given you a respite for these few days, and now it’s time to leave.”
A bit of panic welled in my throat, but I tamped it down. I’d made peace with this journey as best I could. There was nothing I could do to circumvent it, so I planned to meet it head on. “Okay, then we go.”
“You won’t be alone in all this,” Ingrid said as we all began to walk. “We’re coming with you and will stand as character witnesses. Everything is going to be just fine.”
“I know,” I told her, even though I had no idea. “We’ve been over this. The only thing we have to do before we take off is check with Tyr. He said he has some new information that can help with our case. But other than that, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” When we hit the main pathway, Ingrid went right instead of left back to the living area. “Where are you going? The tree is this way.”
She grinned. “Tyr brought more home than information. We’re going to Asgard in style.”
“What are you talking about?” my mother asked.
“Tyr came back in Ringhorn, so we’re taking that to Asgard. All of us. We already loaded it with supplies, and Tyr sent word to Asgard that we are on our way.” Ingrid settled her arm around my shoulders. “Phoebe, you’re going to have to think about this as your next adventure, not a permanent sentence, because that’s what it is. A true Valkyrie looks a challenge straight in the eye and gives it the finger.” She waggled her middle finger in front of her in true Ingrid style. “You are no exception. Your mother survived all those years in Svartalfheim, and you will get through this one way or another. It might not be pretty, but I have faith in you. You’re going to do just fine.”
I reached out and grabbed Fen’s hand as we made our way to the gates. “We’re going to do better than fine. We’re going to bring my brother back, whatever it takes.”
“That’s the spirit!” Ingrid said as we crossed the border of the stronghold and headed toward the San Juan River, where Ringhorn awaited us. “Let the Asgardian games begin!”
Now for a sneak peek of
EXILED
Phoebe Meadows: Book Three
Coming Spring 2017…
1
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“S weet mother of all that’s holy.” Sam coughed violently. “Please tell me we’re here. My body can’t take any more.” She lifted her head, dragging her sleeve over her mouth, wheezing, “I’m pretty sure my tank is finally dry, but bile is tricky, as my body is making more of the hot, searing liquid as we speak.” Tyr stood next to her holding a clean bucket, his face a mask of concern.
“Aye, we’re here,” Tyr answered solemnly, bending down to place the new container in front of Sam, who was promptly in need of it.
We stood on the deck of Ringhorn, my half brother Baldur’s boat, which had been gifted to Tyr upon Baldur’s death. I was here to face the Council and Frigg, Baldur’s goddess mother, to receive punishment for freeing her beloved son. I’d broken him out of a dark elf prison—the very place she’d put him.
The boat had just taken us through an insane vortex. One that had hauled us straight up in the air at breakneck speeds, only to drop us the next instant. I lost count of how many times my stomach hit my feet.
But I’d fared better than poor Sam.
“Are we really here?” I asked, squinting into the darkness, trying to make out a single shape on the horizon and coming up empty. The boat had lurched to a full stop in what looked to be a void. “I was expecting it to be a little more…vibrant?”
“We are at a holding dock,” Fen said, his frame tense behind me. This was his first time back to Asgard in many years and he was ready for any threat, his nostrils flaring, his sword at the ready.
My mother took my hand. “There are various ways in, but if you take magical transportation, like Ringhorn, you must wait to be inspected before accessing the city.”
“Yep,” Ingrid added, “lots of nooks and crannies on a big boat like this. We might be harboring unknown threats. We’ll have to wait for the inspectors to clear us through.”
“Why is it so dark?” I asked. The only illumination we had came from the boat itself. We’d left the Valkyrie stronghold so quickly, there’d been no time for questions.
Before anyone could fill me in, a loud grating noise sounded from fifty feet in front of us. It sounded like metal on metal. All at once the scene began to change as bright light shot into the space.
We were in a large cylinder of some kind.
As light penetrated the tunnel, and my eyes adjusted, I began to see my first glimpses of Asgard.
“Brace yourself, kiddo,” Ingrid said as she removed her spear from her waistband. “Along with the inspectors, there will be guards. They will be the ones tasked with accompanying us to the Council quarters.”
“Why are you drawing your weapon?” I asked. “This is your home.”
“Because I’m getting ready to argue, and I do it best with Betsy handy,” she shook her trusty spear and it extended instantly, seamlessly morphing into an eight foot killer with a razor sharp blade.
“Betsy?” I chuckled. Ingrid had never shared the pet name before.
“Yep, she was christened my ‘Best Bet’ when I first got her. Found her in a pile of discarded weapons outside a warehouse in Asgard and never looked back. If these guards try to separate us, Betsy will have her say. And I can guaran-damn-tee there will be no arguing.”
Beside me, my mother casually reached for her bow.
Fighting the guards right out of the gates wasn’t what I had envisioned for our arrival here, but I was down. I reached around for Gundren, the double swords I wore on my back, only to be stayed mid-grab by Ingrid’s hand.
“You can’t do that,” she told me in a hushed whisper, her fingers wrapped around my arm. “In fact, I hate to say this, but you’re going to have to give Tyr your weapon for a teensy bit.”
“Say what ?” I couldn’t believe my ears. Valkyries didn’t give up their weapon to anyone.
Before I could protest further, she added, “You carry Odin’s personal weapon, and it’s one that can harm any god or goddess in Asgar
d. They won’t be amused when they see it in your possession. Give it to Tyr for now, and he’ll give you something in return.” She grinned. “I’m assuming you can still blow a hole in someone clutching a broadsword. Am I wrong?” She dropped my arm, elbowing me in the side.
She wasn’t wrong, I could harness my energy like a champ, better than any Valkyrie, but that didn’t mean I wanted to give up my weapon.
It was the principle of the thing.
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About the Author
Amanda Carlson is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, with a BA in both Speech and Hearing Science & Child Development. She went on to get an A.A.S in Sign Language Interpreting and worked as an interpreter until her first child was born. She’s the author of the high octane Jessica McClain urban fantasy series published by Orbit, and the Sin City Collectors paranormal romance series. Look for these books in stores everywhere. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and three kids.
Find her all over social media
Website: amandacarlson.com
Facebook: facebook.com/authoramandacarlson
Twitter: @amandaccarlson
Other Books by Amanda Carlson
Jessica McClain Series:
BLOODED
FULL BLOODED
HOT BLOODED
COLD BLOOED
RED BLOODED
PURE BLOOED
BLUE BLOODED (COMING 2016)
Sin City Collectors:
ACES WILD
ANTE UP
ALL IN
Phoebe Meadows:
STRUCK
FREED
EXILED (coming Spring 2017)
Nothing is created without a great team.
My thanks to:
Awesome Cover design: Damon Za
Digital and print formatting: Author E.M.S.
Copyedits/proofs: Joyce Lamb
Final proof: Marlene Engel
Freed: (Phoebe Meadows Book 2) Page 26