Odin's Ravens

by K. L. Armstrong

  Once they returned to the campground where Owen had left them before he went off to deal with whatever his secret mission was, they all opened their bags from Helen to get out food and clean clothes, as well as the sleeping bags and camping lanterns that clearly should not fit in such small bags. This time, though, both Matt and Laurie also had first aid kits.

  “You’re hurt?” Fen flopped down beside her, his irritation gone at the thought of her being injured. “Where? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I’m not.” She looked confused. “Are any of you hurt? Maybe it was supposed to be in your bag instead.”

  Baldwin poked himself in the chest with his thumb and said, “Invulnerable.”

  Matt held up his own supplies. “Got one.”

  They walked over to the bathrooms to wash off the stink of the draugr and change into clean clothes.

  As soon as they left, Laurie turned her gaze on Fen. “That leaves you. Where are you hurt?”

  She started fussing over him, trying to grab his shirt to lift it and then when that didn’t work, she caught his arm and started inspecting it. “Maybe it’s a bite.” She reached for his ankle. “There are rattlesnakes.”

  “Did you check your ankles?” Fen’s heart sped at the thought of his cousin being bitten by something venomous.

  They both inspected their ankles. Nothing. They checked each other’s shoulders, necks, and backs just to be sure. Nothing. They looked at their own stomachs. No bites, scrapes, cuts, or other injuries were visible on either Brekke.

  “Maybe your bag’s broken.” Fen pointed at the first aid kit, feeling a little stupid but not having any other ideas, and really, the rules for magic things were new to him. “Put it back and try again.”

  Mutely, Laurie opened it and put the first aid kit into the bag. Then she reached inside. This time, there were a toothbrush and toothpaste, but the kit was still there. She pulled all three items out of the bag. “It seems to work.”

  Matt and Baldwin returned and sat down. Baldwin was eating some sort of sandwich that had sprouts and lettuce sticking out the sides. Matt was cleaning a cut with a disinfectant cloth that he’d pulled from his bag.

  “I’m going to go over to the restroom.” Laurie stood.

  Fen stood, too. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  “I can go by myself.”

  “But—”

  “There’s no one else here, Fen,” she said very patiently. “You can see me the whole time I walk over, and the doors open to this side.” She smiled at him before adding, “The worst thing I’ll find is cold water or spiders.”

  “Fine.” He folded his arms and stared at her until she reached the bathrooms. What kind of a champion doesn’t worry about his family? After all the things that had happened, he couldn’t forget that she was his first priority. Keeping Laurie safe had been his job before this whole hero business. He wasn’t going to let that change.

  Once she was settled in, they went to sleep.

  A few hours later, Fen woke to the whoop of joyous Berserkers. It didn’t take a genius to suspect that those sounds could only mean one of two things: they and their freaky leader had been victorious or they were in the middle of a fun battle. Fen sat up and watched the Berserkers flipping and yelling as they entered the camp—waking everyone else up.

  Within moments, Owen was perched on the picnic table like a king holding court, and Laurie was awake—and scrambling over to Owen like they were old friends. Baldwin was up and asking about one of the tricks the acrobatic fighters used, and Matt was heading toward two black-clad people who walked in the center of the crowd of Berserkers. The twins had returned.

  “Goth Barbie and Ken, are you stopping in for a visit?” Fen asked as he came to his feet. “Just passing by?”

  “Fen,” Laurie cautioned him.

  “No, it’s fine. Wolf-boy felt abandoned,” Reyna said. “We had a puppy once that misbehaved when we left it alone, and the trainer suggested a crate. Do we need a crate?”

  “Funny.” Fen bared his teeth at her.

  Ray stepped up beside his twin.

  Baldwin snorted in laughter, earning a dirty look from Fen and a smile from Reyna. “What?” he said. “It was funny.” When Fen didn’t crack a smile, Baldwin shrugged. “I thought it was funny.”

  “We’re here to stay this time,” Ray said quietly. “We can’t run from this. We get it now.”

  “The monsters come after us whether we’re with you or not, and we’d rather you fight them than have to do it ourselves,” Reyna added in what might have been a joking tone.

  Fen just stared at them with his arms folded over his chest. They had abandoned the team when Baldwin died; they hadn’t been willing to go to Hel and rescue their dead friend. “You bailed on us when the team needed you,” he said.

  “Because things got… complicated,” Reyna said. “Baldwin died. We freaked. Now we’re back.”

  “You shouldn’t have left in the first place,” Fen said, glaring at her.

  She shook her head and turned to Matt and Baldwin.

  “What all did we miss?” Ray asked.

  “The biggest thing is that I’m not, you know, dead anymore,” Baldwin replied. “Oh, and they almost arrested Fen for it. Not cool.”

  “That’s ridiculous! They should arrest Astrid for killing you,” Ray grumbled.

  At that, Fen offered him a small smile. Maybe Ray wasn’t all bad. Reyna, on the other hand, was about as welcome as Astrid had been. Except not evil. Fen sighed. He might not actually like Goth Barbie, but he could admit that she wasn’t evil. He tried to think like a hero should—looking at the most important things first. The twins could help in the big battle, and hopefully the other ones before it. They were supposed to be part of the team.

  Maybe their return is a good thing.

  Then again, his worry was that they would bail again when things got hard, and they would get hard again. He knew that as surely as he knew that they needed all the help they could get—and that they would probably still lose. He stayed quiet as he listened to them talk. Sometimes listening was the best plan. If you talked all the time, you missed all the hints and clues people gave out without meaning to.

  Owen sat watching them silently.

  Almost immediately, Laurie walked toward him with the first aid kit from Hel’s magic bag.

  “I think this is for you,” she said.

  Owen nodded and unwrapped a bandage from his leg. It was more a piece of torn cloth than a bandage, but as he uncoiled it, it was obvious that he’d been bleeding pretty seriously. He rolled up his bloodstained jeans.

  “What happened?”

  The blue-haired boy shrugged, but Reyna had overheard the question. She and Ray came over and started talking about a nykur attack. Alternating turns, they explained that some sort of water-monster-horse thing had tried to kill them, and Owen had been there to help save everyone. Reyna finished her story with, “If he hadn’t arrived when he did with the Berserkers, at least one girl would’ve died, and… probably us, too.”

  “You made the right decision,” Laurie said.

  Owen shrugged, but he was smiling at her. Something in their exchange made Fen uncomfortable. He thought back to their private conversation.

  “Did you know where he went when he said he had to go?” Fen asked, drawing all four gazes to him. “When he left us, did you know?”

  She opened her mouth like she was going to say something and then closed it again. She looked at Owen and then just nodded.

  “I can talk to Laurie,” Owen said. “It’s like in the myths. Our ancestors were close, and like Odin and Loki, we will be, too.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m his descendant, too, but don’t go expecting us to be ‘close,’ ” Fen said.

  “I wouldn’t expect that, Fenr—Fen.” Owen smiled at him. “But I trust Laurie. I already promised that I would answer her questions when I returned.”

  Fen couldn’t unravel the number of jabs that were in the things Owen said.
He didn’t care much, either. “Whatever, dude.” He glanced at Laurie. “You, though? I expect more from you. You get angry if I keep secrets, but it’s okay for you? How could you—No, you know what? I don’t even want to hear it right now.” Fen forced himself to stop there. It was either that or say something ugly to her. He tucked his hands into his pockets and kept walking past them without another word. He wasn’t stupid, though: he paused beside Matt and said, “I’m going to circle the campground… unless we’re heading out soon?”

  Matt shot a sympathetic look at Fen. “Not yet. Sorry. I’m still working on a plan.”

  Fen nodded and walked farther from the rest of the group. The Berserkers parted as he walked among them, not quite acknowledging him but not stopping him, either.

  As he walked, Fen thought about the situation. He could admit that it was good that Owen was able to rescue the twins, but he couldn’t see any reason that Owen couldn’t have just said that to him and Matt. They could’ve had a plan—maybe sent the Berserkers to rescue the twins or kept some with the rest of the descendants.

  He knew the future. He knew that the twins were in danger.

  Fen stopped midstep. If Owen really knew the future, he also knew where the draugr would be, where Astrid was; so many things could be easier if Owen just told them what he knew up front. That was the plan right there. He also said he’d answer Laurie’s questions, so they’d have her ask him some questions.

  Quickly, Fen turned to go back to tell Matt, but he’d only gone a few steps when he heard Laurie’s and Owen’s voices.

  “Where are your ravens?” Laurie asked.

  “Learning things I’ll need to know.”

  Fen ducked to the side of the bathroom, staying out of sight. He wasn’t sure what to do. His first instinct was to walk up to them. If it had been Thorsen or Baldwin with her, he would’ve walked away, but Owen was a stranger—one who traveled with his own guard and kept secrets. It occurred to Fen suddenly: if Loki’s representative could fight for the good guys, why couldn’t Odin’s be on the bad side?

  “It’s weird, the whole ravens thing and the knowing-the-future bit. If you see the future, why do you need ravens?” Laurie had the tone in her voice that said she was trying to be patient, but it wasn’t going to last much longer. Fen was very used to that tone.

  Owen was quiet so long that Fen thought he might have left. Then he said, “I don’t understand all the details.”

  “About?”

  “Fenrir,” Owen said, just as Fen was about to step out and interrupt their conversation. Owen continued, “Where is Fenrir?”

  Fen felt guilty for eavesdropping, but at the same time, it might be useful to hear what other nonsense Owen said. Something felt off. Either Owen was not really on their side or he had a thing for Laurie or something. Whatever it was, Fen wasn’t leaving her alone with the guy.

  “He’ll be back,” Laurie said. “He might be mad, but he wouldn’t leave me.”

  Fen smiled to himself. That was the truth. His job—even before this whole Ragnarök thing started—was to protect his cousin.

  “You don’t need someone guarding you,” Owen said. “You’re not weak.”

  Fen almost growled. Of course she needed guarding! She was his family, his almost-sister, and he was Loki’s champion. If he couldn’t keep her safe, why would he want to try to save the world? His cousin was the only person in it that he’d thought worth saving when he’d left Blackwell. Admittedly, he’d changed a little since then. He thought Baldwin and Matt were worth saving, too. He’d gone to Hel for Baldwin once already.

  “You have the bow, Laurie.”

  “Uh-huh. I know that.”

  At the well-duh tone in her voice, Fen smiled again. She might be sneaking off to talk to Owen, but at least, she still sounded like herself.

  “The bow that you will use at the final battle… the one where I’ll fight at your side.” Owen spoke very calmly. “You are Loki’s descendant, too. Think about it. Why do you all think Fenrir will fight next to Thor’s champion?”

  For a moment, Fen felt like all the air had left his lungs. It came to him in a flash; the day that the Norn pointed Matt to Loki’s descendant, Fen had been with Laurie most of the afternoon. Matt had just assumed that she’d been pointing at Fen. They’d all believed it; they’d believed he was special. He wasn’t. He should’ve known that by now.

  He didn’t stand around to hear Laurie’s reply. In a daze, he walked back to the campground, over to his sleeping bag, and sat down on it. Then, he stared at the sky, thinking about how colossally wrong he’d been to think that he could be special and good. He wasn’t the hero here. He was the hero’s cousin.

  Fen stayed like that until Laurie came over to pack up her sleeping bag. Once she was done, she hugged him quickly. “Can we not fight anymore?”

  “Good plan.” He squeezed her tightly. “Come on. Let’s go see where Thorsen is. See what the new plan is.”

  When she let go, Fen glanced at the picnic table, where Owen now sat alone.

  The older boy saw him and gave him a sad smile. After glancing at Laurie to be sure she wouldn’t see, Fen gave him a rude hand gesture in reply. He didn’t need anyone’s sympathy. Laurie might be the real hero here, but Fen was still her cousin, her family, and he wasn’t going to stop protecting her.

  TWENTY

  MATT

  “UNEXPECTED ALLY”

  Matt wandered off into the woods as the others milled about, adjusting to having the twins back and trying to make them feel welcome. Well, Baldwin was trying to make them feel welcome. Laurie was talking to Owen, and Fen was off on his own. Matt had wanted to talk to him, but he’d taken off before he could try. So Matt went for a walk. He wasn’t feeling particularly sociable, either.

  He’d had Mjölnir. He’d lifted it from its stone bed, proving he was indeed Thor’s champion. He’d held Mjölnir. The Mjölnir. Had anyone ever told him he would one day wield it, he’d have… He didn’t know what he’d have done. It was too far beyond anything imaginable. But he had. He’d held it, and he’d thrown it, and it had come back, just like in the myths.

  Now he’d lost it. Had it. Held it. Lost it.

  Matt stopped walking. He was far enough from the temporary campsite that no one should be able to see him. He put out his hand, closed his eyes, and concentrated on calling Mjölnir back to him. That was supposed to be how it worked. He threw the hammer, and it returned to him, no matter what.

  Except I didn’t throw it.

  That shouldn’t matter.

  It does. You know it does.

  Matt silenced the doubting voice. He imagined seeing the hammer. Imagined it flying toward him. Hitting his hand. He imagined what he’d felt before, the sting, the smart of it.

  Mjölnir. Come back. Come to me.

  Nothing happened.

  Mjölnir. Thor’s hammer. My hammer. Return to—

  “What are you doing?”

  Matt’s eyes snapped open to see Reyna walking toward him.

  “I was… thinking,” he said.

  “That’s a weird pose for thinking.” She imitated him, closing her eyes and holding out her hand. Then she screwed up her face, like she needed to go to the bathroom.

  “I was just—” He shook his head. “Go on back to the campsite. I’m fine.”

  “Oh, I wasn’t checking to see if you were fine. What are you doing out here? Hoping the hammer will pop from one of these rabbit holes?”

  Matt struggled against a retort.

  “I’m glad you and Ray came back,” he said evenly. “We all appreciate it. But I’d like a few minutes to myself. I don’t mean to be rude—”

  “Why not? I was rude to you.” Reyna walked closer. “Why did you give that zombie guy the hammer?”

  “I already admitted it was a stupid thing—”

  “Just tell me. Why did you do it?” Reyna asked again.

  Matt sighed. He’d explained this already. Obviously she hadn’t been listening. B
ig surprise there. “I thought he was a Thorsen. He was in a Thorsen mausoleum. He was guarding Thor’s treasure. He looked right and he had the amulet… I messed up, okay?”

  “But why did you give it to him?”

  “Because it seemed like the right thing to do. I thought he’d been guarding it all these years, and now he was off to Valhalla, and it was a nice gesture.”

  “Exactly. You wanted to be nice. And that’s what you get for it.”

  Matt shook his head and started to walk away. Reyna jogged up beside him as he walked.

  “You’re too nice, Matt. That’s your problem. You needed Ray and me, and you let us walk away.”

  He glared over at her. “What was I supposed to do? Force you to fight alongside us?”

  “You could have argued more.”

  “I did. I argued; I explained; I even begged.”

  “You’re Thor’s champion. You’re not supposed to beg.”

  Matt shook his head again. He didn’t need this. Not now.

  “And what about Astrid?” Reyna said.

  Matt tensed. “Yes, I screwed up there, too. All my fault. Stupid mistakes? I have them.”

  “Hey, you’re not the one who kept insisting the trolls were guys in costumes.”

  She smiled when he looked over, and it was an easy smile, like she was fine with mocking herself as much as she mocked others. Then, just as he started to relax, she said, “About Astrid,” and he stiffened again.

  “She played you,” she said. “I know you’re just a kid—”

  “Excuse me? How old are you?”