by S. T. Bende
Mia nodded. “I’m trying. Now what’s insta-healing?”
I could always count on her analytical mind to override her emotions. She was so Tyr’s perfekt match. Before I answered her question, I turned to Elsa. “Freya’s not on the screen.”
“No, she’s not,” she murmured. Her brow was furrowed in concentration.
I bit back my panic. “Did those things take her through the portal?”
Elsa shook her head. “If the portal opened I would have felt the energy surge. They must have moved her somewhere within the forest. Give me a minute to sweep the area.”
Oh, thank Odin. Freya’s still in the realm.
While Elsa waved her hand to redirect the camera, I turned back to Mia and called up my best calm voice. “So, insta-healing. You know how our bodies just sort of instantly heal? The process is slowed, or even debilitated by the presence of darkness. But Elsa can remove the darkness. The perks of having a healer for a friend, ja?”
“I’m going to have to ask you how being a healer works.” Mia pulled her fingers away from her mouth. Poor thing would be all kinds of furious when she realized she’d shredded her nails.
“I’ll explain everything.” Elsa kept her eyes on the screen, studying the panoramic shot of Tyr, Henrik, and the forest surrounding the portal. “It’s mostly energy based—some chakra cleansing, some flower extracts. Oh, no. Brynn, look!” Elsa pointed to the monitor and concrete walls slammed against both sides of my heart.
“Henrik!” I shrieked. “Stop them!”
But it was too late. As Henrik jumped up from Tyr’s side, two new shadows flung Freya into view. They rammed her back and forth between them, driving her toward the portal as they delivered one final blow. Freya’s legs flew out from under her and the shadows swept in, whirling around her in a funnel and pulling her through the indigo door. The door shimmered and disappeared in a burst of smoke.
And just like that, the Goddess of Love was gone.
CHAPTER THREE
WHATEVER BLOCKED OUR POWERS lifted when Freya disappeared. The sounds of grunting gods and combat boots pounding dirt flooded the man cave as Forse pushed himself to his feet and loped unsteadily to Henrik. The boys each shouldered one of Tyr’s arms, and dragged him back toward the cabin.
“Audio’s back. Henrik, are you and Forse okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. But Tyr’s still out of it. You saw what happened with Freya?”
“Ja. She’s gone. And I’d imagine any trace of the magic left with her. At least you have the shadows that attacked Tyr in the vacuum. We can send them back to Asgard with Heimdall, and Odin or Thor can assess their origin.” I glanced at Mia. She sat perfectly still, drawing shallow breaths. “It’s okay,” I reminded her. “Elsa can heal him.”
“Uh, Brynn?” Henrik’s voice shook. When I looked back at the screen he’d shifted Tyr onto Forse, and was frantically searching the ground. “The vacuum’s gone. There’s no trace of it. They must have taken it through the portal.”
“How? I had my eyes on the shadows nearly the entire time. Hold on.” I swiped the screen, turning back the footage, then running through it frame by frame. Sure enough, one of the shadows swept low to the ground in the exact spot Henrik had dropped the vacuum, before it flew through the indigo door. Skit. “Yeah, they took it. Good thing we made more than one, but still…”
“Now we have no leads.” Henrik tromped back to Forse, and took his share of Tyr’s weight. “We’re going to get him back to the cabin. Have Elsa prep the healing box.”
“Already on it,” Elsa said. She set the birdie to auto-pilot, and keyed a code into Tyr’s laptop. A drawer popped out of the desk, and Elsa extracted a small silver box. “Brynn, can I move you over there?”
“’Course.” I stepped to the side and watched as Elsa activated the box. It unfolded itself, becoming a fully stocked healer’s table, complete with flower essences and the all-important vitals rectangle. Elsa used her magic to raise the rectangle over Mia’s chair, then looked at our friend apologetically.
“I’m really sorry to have to do this, but I’m going to need that seat.”
“Of course.” Mia jumped to her feet and fell to the ground in one swift movement. “Sorry,” she muttered. I reached down to pull her up, and she shook her head. “I’m a little nervous after last time.”
“I know.” I wrapped my fingers around her arm and squeezed gently. “If it helps, it gets easier. You get desensitized to the attacks.”
“I wish I could say that was helpful.” Mia sighed as Elsa manipulated the chair into a reclining position. Now it resembled something of a bed. Tyr’s legs would hang off the end, but it would get the job done. “Thanks for trying, Brynn.”
“What are friends for?” I shrugged.
“Okay. I’m ready for them.” Elsa stepped back to admire her handiwork. The leather seat had transitioned to a pull-out bed, with the requisite vitals monitor hovering above. The healing table stood at the ready, offering all the standard Asgardian remedies. An uncorked vial rested on its side, ready to trap any lingering dark magic. Elsa would dispose of it in her own way.
“Good. Henrik, we’re shutting down now. What’s your ETA?” I spoke to the screen.
“I’m circling the perimeter to confirm no additional active portals. I’ll be there in three minutes. Keep Mia and Elsa on lockdown,” Henrik answered.
“Affirmative.” Three minutes would have to be enough. I turned to Elsa and Mia. “I’ve got to do something before they get back. Can I have a second?”
Elsa blinked in confirmation and touched Mia’s elbow.
“Come on, Mia. Let’s pack your things. Tyr’s going to want you at the safe house for a while.”
Mia nodded, but I could see the resignation in her eyes. “What’s my excuse for skipping class this time? Strep throat? Mono?”
Elsa smiled, despite herself. “The kissing disease would seem appropriate, ja?”
Mia squeezed my arm as she passed through the door. “Should I pack a suitcase for you or Tyr? Which one of you is stuck on human-sitting duty?”
“Stop it. And I’m not sure,” I admitted. My teeth worried my bottom lip. “This only happened once before; we don’t exactly have a protocol for it. But don’t stress about me, I’ll pack for myself.”
Mia gave a single nod and pushed through the door. She was back to her composed self. “Well then, I’ll throw some things together for Tyr. I’d imagine things are going to move very fast once they get back. And nobody wants to be caught with unwhipped meringue.”
I loved our human, but sometimes the things she said made less sense than troll talk.
Mia and Elsa rushed out of the room in a blur of glossy waves and lavender and vanilla perfumes. I sank onto the floor as I picked up my phone and dialed. My stomach turned exactly once at the thought of delivering this news, but I forced it to still. With deliberate effort I closed my eyes, inhaled through my nose, and willed my stomach to settle. After five seconds that felt like a lifetime, I regained command of my body.
Perfekt control was one of the first things they taught in valkyrie school.
“Brynn.” My mother’s warm voice came through the phone after only three rings. “How are you? Are you eating enough? Your dad and I saw those photos of you with that mortal girl you’re looking after—she looks lovely but both of you could use a good meal. Why don’t you come home for the weekend and—”
“Mom,” I interrupted. “I don’t have much time.”
Knuckles cracked as my mom clamped down on the phone. “What now?”
“Freya’s been abducted,” I whispered.
The strangled cry that came across the line made it clear my mother knew what this meant. Not that she’d ever forget.
“Again?”
“Again,” I confirmed. “Tyr’s going to formulate a strategy and get everyone situated. He’ll probably contact Odin in the next hour or so. Don’t worry.”
“Don’t…” My mother trailed off.
“I just didn’t want you to hear it from someone else first. Tyr, Henrik, and Forse are on their way back to the house right now. We’ll work out a plan, and I’ll let you know who’s going after her and who’s running intel from the compound.”
“Please volunteer for intel,” Mom wheedled. “I can’t lose you.”
“It doesn’t work like that,” I reminded her. “And you’re not losing me. I’m great at my job, remember?”
Mom sighed. “Your job. Why couldn’t you be a healer? Or a fight choreographer? Or a Norn…” The sadness seeped into her voice.
“Nobody’s immune, Mom. You know that.”
“Yes, but… you don’t have to go looking for trouble.”
To distract myself from losing control, I loosened my braid and used my fingers to comb through my unruly waves. I focused on the texture of the strands and the tug on my scalp as I crafted a low ponytail. Control regained. One minute left. “I’m not looking for trouble, Mom. I’m looking for Freya. Or, I will be, if that’s Tyr’s order. This is his call. I just wanted to let you know.”
“Is Henrik with you?” she asked.
“He’s on his way back right now.”
“Okay.” Mom sounded relieved. “I’m so glad the two of you have each other. He’s always looked after you. I still remember the night he stepped in to take you to your Fall Ball in high school, when that horrible boy stood you up. Henrik saw you sitting on the porch steps in your beautiful dress, crying, and ran next door to put on his suit and—”
“Not the time, Mom,” I muttered.
“Right. Sorry. Be careful, sweetheart.” This time, the tension in Mom’s voice was tempered with love.
“I always am. And I promise we’ll get Freya back before things go too far. It won’t be like last time.” My breath caught on the words.
“I know you miss her, too,” Mom whispered.
“Ja.” I pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes to stop the tears threatening to escape. “I’ll let you know when I’ve got my assignment. We’ll find Freya before the realms notice the absence of love,” I promised.
“Please hurry,” Mom urged.
“We will,” I murmured in agreement. There would be no time to lose. Freya represented all that was good in the realms. The love she instilled upon beings of all species begat kindness. And that kindness was infectious, spreading like a ripple across the calm waters of a pond at sunrise. We needed her love like we needed air—it was our life force, the energy that gave us strength to fight for ære—for honor—even in the face of total defeat.
Without it, there would be only chaos.
“Please be careful,” Mom urged again.
Before I could answer, the front door clicked. Heavy male footsteps pounded up the stairs. They sounded angrier than footsteps had any right to. Not without good reason…
“Gotta run. Give Dad a hug for me.” I hung up and shoved the phone into my back pocket. I raced into the hallway and nearly collided with an angry deity.
“As God of War, I wholeheartedly object. Sending my guards in my place is a display of cowardice, and a gross misuse of resources that will lead to—” Tyr stopped shouting into his phone, presumably to hear whoever was on the other end of the line. After a moment, his eyes narrowed. “You can’t issue an order that will compromise Freya’s rescue. I’m the most effective tracker we have. I should be on the ground for this.”
“What’s going on?” I whispered to Henrik, who flanked Tyr.
“Odin’s telling Tyr how to run the recon. And apparently he’s not telling him what he wants to hear.” Henrik raised an eyebrow.
“You’re setting them up to die, and you know it!” Tyr yelled. “This is obviously some kind of trap.”
He fell silent as Odin explained something we couldn’t hear. After a moment Tyr’s shoulders dropped. A command was a command, and Odin was the only god who outranked Tyr.
“Well, if it is me they’re after, you don’t need to hand them my bodyguards first. They’ll find a way to get to me eventually, and—” Tyr broke off. As he listened, his free hand made a fist. “Fine,” he snapped. “But my objection is on record. And if anything goes down, I’m going in after them. Nobody else is dying because of me.”
With that, Tyr turned off his phone and shoved it in his back pocket. He let out a growl and stared me down with angry eyes. I held his gaze, barely ruffled by his outburst. We could handle any death trap Tyr thought we’d be walking into. Odds were good we’d seen far worse.
“Where is she?” Tyr barked.
“You’re awake. And walking. How do you feel?”
“Where is Mia?” he repeated.
“I’m here!” Mia flew down the hall and threw herself at Tyr. “Oh, thank god you’re okay. The last thing I saw was… well, you’re here. And you’re standing.” She pulled back just enough to take in his features. “And you’re angry, but you’re not bleeding, so that’s a good sign. Right?”
Tyr kissed the top of her head, and set her on her feet. “I need you to pack a bag. We’re taking you to the safe house.”
“Already on it. I’m packing one for you, too.” Mia squeezed Tyr’s arm.
“Takk. Go finish, and be back here in five.” Tyr was all business.
“Okay.” Mia scurried back into Tyr’s room, shooting a worried glance over her shoulder as she ran.
“So we are taking Mia to the safe house,” I confirmed. I’d guessed correctly.
“Förbaskat right, she’s going to the safe house.” Tyr glowered. “Along with my sister, and…” He glanced between Forse, Henrik, and me. With a furious growl, he ran his fingers through his messy blond hair. “Living room. Now. The trail’s lost; we can’t waste any more time.”
“Elsa needs to heal you, Tyr. She’s got the room prepped,” I said.
“I don’t need a healing. I’m fine. Living room.”
I opened my mouth, but Henrik shot me a look that said not now. If the fire emanating from his normally cool grey-blue stare was any indication, he was every bit as furious about Freya’s abduction as Tyr.
Well, honestly. Who wasn’t?
The boys turned in unison and filed down the stairs. The door to Tyr’s room was cracked open, and inside Mia stuffed shirts and shoes into a bag. Without giving myself a chance to think, I jogged after the guys.
“Okay, what’s the plan?” I sat gingerly on the edge of the couch. The tension radiating off three sets of male shoulders was palpable. Whoever took our friend would have some serious testosterone to contend with. Tyr paced furiously in front of the fireplace, his footsteps landing with heavy thuds as he placed each heel on the ground. Henrik stood in front of the window, his arms crossed, angry sweat beading in the crook of his beautifully sculpted biceps.
I cleared my throat. Forse looked up from his seat beside me on the couch. His hands were clenched so tight, I was surprised his fingernails hadn’t drawn blood.
Boys could do anger like no other, but they had nothing on the wrath of me. I’d lived through this once already. And I knew the casualties it could bring.
“The plan?” I ground out through gritted teeth.
Henrik’s face softened. “Brynn.”
“Later.” I held up a hand. “Tyr, what are our orders? You do have a plan to get her back, ja?”
Tyr stopped pacing long enough to stare me down. “Before I decide, are you fit to proceed on this mission? Be honest with me, Brynn. I can’t have a weak link in this chain.”
“I am plenty fit, thank you very much.” I tried to keep the indignation out of my voice. I might have had the highest stakes in the room but Freya had trained me to be a warrior first.
Tyr stared at my jutted jaw, blazing eyes, and fingers tightly gripping each other. “You sure about that, hotshot?”
“Stuff it, Fredriksen. I said I’m good, so I’m good.” I loosened my grip on my knuckles to prove my point.
“Fair enough. Odin thinks this is a trap to get to me, and he doesn’t want Lo
ve and War incapacitated simultaneously. So against my advisement, the Alfödr has ordered the two of you to go after Freya.” Tyr crossed his arms over his chest. “Henrik, you’re the most efficient assassin in the corps at the moment, and Brynn, for whatever reason, you temper his destructive energy with an impulse for creation. We don’t know who’s taken Freya or why, so innovation is going to be the name of the game on this one. But the second you feel like this mission exceeds the standard level of danger, the second, call me in and I’ll be your backup. Odin can just deal.” Tyr’s eyes moved to my right. “Forse, you’re going to stay behind and run intel with me. We’re transferring the girls to the northwest compound.”
“Is taking Mia and Elsa to the beach house the safest idea?” I questioned. “Are you sure the location is secure after… you know…”
After Fenrir attacked the shield barrier. After Hel’s guard, Garm—a dragon, not a dog, for the record—attacked Henrik. After Tyr lost his arm and nearly died…
“It’s safe. Henrik beefed up security last week, and I cast a holographic enchantment along the barrier so the entire region looks like an uninhabited forest. The Oregon coast lost a good twenty square miles of cove, but they can spare it.”
Forse stood up. “Do I have time to pack or are we evacuating right now?”
“You have five minutes.” Tyr pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. “I want to touch down at the safe house and have Heimdall’s remote surveillance operational in ten. Wherever Freya is, we need to get her back. We can’t have a repeat of—” Tyr’s gaze shifted to me and back to Forse so quickly, anyone else would have missed it. I pulled my shoulders back and rose from the couch. Anybody who thought I wasn’t strong enough for this mission was dead wrong.
“Just be back here in five. I’ll contact Heimdall.” With that, Tyr stormed toward the hallway.
“You might want to tell Elsa her stubborn brother’s refusing medical attention,” I called after him.
“Shut up, Brynn,” Tyr said back.
Henrik grabbed Tyr’s arm as he passed the window. “Where do Brynn and I go?”