by Leia Stone
Bodie tilted his head. “I see things in the mind differently, but I understand what you need me to do. Let’s go.”
Ophelia’s breathing hitched at our conversation, but she didn’t bolt. Instead, she took a deep breath and exhaled. “I’m ready.”
“We are too,” I said with forced confidence. Meanwhile, my insides were chanting my latest mantra. Don’t scramble Tore’s mom’s brain. Don’t scramble Tore’s mom’s brain.
“Allie?” Bodie raised one eyebrow, and I realized I was muttering to myself.
“Right. Let’s get started.” I called up the Liv and it sprung from my chest to my fingertips. Its responsiveness startled me, and I wondered if fusing with Gud Morder had given me a continual flow of the life-giving power. I supposed stranger things had happened. Like . . . My eyes widened in shock as I glanced down at my arm, where the lacy blue pattern swirled and arced as the Liv danced along my arm. Like that.
Bodie’s eyes widened, the whites flaring in a look I normally associated with fear. But I ignored him, placing two Liv-laden hands on either side of Ophelia’s head. Opening up my inner sight, I saw the broken bridge with my half-laid bricks and a huge black cavern keeping Ophelia from crossing into her memory bank. A warm hand touched my forearm and suddenly memories played along a previously-unseen movie screen within the deep black cavern. First, a young Ophelia tickled a baby Tore. A big, blue brick shot from the darkness to lay itself on the bridge. Ophelia gasped as a light flickered on the far side of her brain. We were retrieving her memories, and she was becoming aware of things she’d long forgotten. It was working!
The screen in the cavern lit up again, this time revealing a slightly older, more rundown version of Ophelia staring into a cup of tea. Vidar entered the screen, clearly drunk and heartbreakingly cold. I wanted to snatch the brick back so its memory could remain forgotten, but it set itself along the bridge as the far side of Ophelia’s brain flickered with light once again. Sorry, Ophelia.
“Allie, we need more Liv,” Bodie urged.
“On it.” I sent a big pulse of blue light into Ophelia’s mind, and her body tensed. The movie screen flickered too fast for me to keep up with its images, and bricks flew from the cavern to the bridge, laying themselves and triggering light flickers in rapid-fire succession. When I opened my eyes to check in on our patient, tears streamed freely down Ophelia’s cheeks. She was definitely receiving the flood of memories . . . but what was it doing to her? A lifetime of experiences hitting all at once had to be jarring. Would she be able to ground when the onslaught of her past caught up with her?
After another minute, the final brick set itself in place. The bridge was finished, a pulsing, blue light shining across Ophelia’s brain. When a shot of white light danced across her mind, Bodie and I both drew a sharp breath. Our healing was complete. But what exactly did that mean?
Bodie and I lowered our hands and waited for Ophelia to make the first move. She sat slowly, blinking as she took in her surroundings as if seeing them for the first time. I held my breath, hoping I hadn’t done more harm than good, and waited for what felt like forever. Finally, Ophelia spoke.
“Bodie,” she said. “You’re my son’s best friend.”
“Yes,” he whispered, happiness bursting from each of his centers. “Welcome back to us.”
“Thank you.” She laughed, squeezing Bodie lightly before drawing back with a gasp. “You’re my son’s best friend,” she repeated.
“Still yes.” Bodie looked at me with confusion. Uh-oh. Had we healed too much, too fast?
“My son’s best friend,” Ophelia whispered. “I have a son. My son!” She leapt to her feet, racing for the front door and pulling it open with so much enthusiasm that it rattled on its hinges.
“Ophelia, wait!” I called after. “Take it easy. We’re not sure how—”
But the sight that greeted me as Bodie and I ran after Ophelia erased all worry from my mind. Ophelia stood in the center of our property, her head turning from the house to the complex to the barn, then repeating the circuit. “Tore?” she cried. “Where are you?”
Oh, my God. This was finally happening.
I reached over to take Bodie’s hand in mine. Here we go.
Tore burst from complex, worry lining his normally stoic features. Greta followed behind him.
“Are you hurt? Is something wrong?” Tore raced to Ophelia’s side.
“No, my sweet, beautiful son.” Ophelia cupped Tore’s face in her hands. “Everything’s right. Finally.”
Tore stared at his mother. His jaw fell open as he raised one unbelieving hand, holding his mother’s wrist as she stroked his cheek. “What did you call me?” he whispered.
Her head tilted to the side, a smile crinkling her eyes as she softly said, “My son.”
And with that, Tore threw his arms around Ophelia, pulling her to him in a moment of reconnection we hadn’t been sure would ever happen. “Oh, Mom,” he exhaled. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you more, my sweet little sun drop,” Ophelia said.
That was it. One long-awaited reunion between mother and son, and the dam that had kept my emotion from the past day at least somewhat at bay burst. I turned my head to Bodie’s shoulder and sobbed, not looking up when the door of the house banged open, nor when heavy footsteps I could only imagine belonged to Johann and Mack pounded across the porch. Tears streamed freely as dragons chuffed from beside the barn, and Tore’s sobs punctuated the air. Through it all, the normally jovial Bodie patted my back, holding me to his shaking chest as his own tears released all the feelings neither of us put to words.
Tore had his mom back. And by the grace of the Norns’ gifts, Bodie and I had played a small part in that.
When I finally stopped sniveling long enough to look up, Tore and Ophelia glanced over at me.
“Allie, Bodie,” Tore rumbled, his voice even rawer than before. “Come over here please.”
Bodie slung his arm around me, and together we walked toward the front of the complex.
“Mom, you probably remember Bodie,” Tore said.
Ophelia beamed up at my playful protector. “Bodie, you used to cause quite the mischief in our pool when you were little. I remember you throwing poor Greta into the water every time she came over to swim.”
“Ja, I had my reasons . . .” Bodie’s cheeks pinked, and a grin spread across my face.
Sure. Reasons like you were in love with her, and you wanted to get her to notice you, already. Snort.
“And you don’t know Allie Rydell, from your past, but she’s going to play an important part in our future,” Tore continued. “Especially my future. I’m in love with her.”
My heart swelled at Tore’s’ declaration, and Ophelia pulled me in for a warm hug. “Well then, welcome to our family.” She turned her head to whisper her next words into my ear, “And thank you for never giving up on me.”
“Oh, I couldn’t. I wanted this for you and your son,” I said. It was true. I’d wanted their reunion every bit as much, if not more, than I’d wanted to reconnect with my own mom. It hit me just how much Tore meant to me—his happiness truly did mean as much to me as my own. And I’d gotten to play a part in returning to him the one relationship he’d never dared allow himself to hope for. How cool is that?
“You remember us!” Johann’s gleeful voice pulled my attention up. My friend jogged toward Ophelia, his arms open wide. “Thank gods!”
“Hannie, look how much you’ve grown.” Ophelia pulled Johann close, then waved Greta, Mack, and even Killer in for a big, group hug. They embraced joyfully, and my heart swelled as Tore looked over at me with gratitude.
Got your back, I sent him silently. Always.
And whether he’d heard my words or not, he gave a proud nod before turning to greet the stern god crossing from the house in clipped strides. Hjalmar’s expression shifted from shock to joy to relief as he processed Ophelia’s return, but much too quickly he brought us back to reality with a worr
ied frown.
“We need to head out,” he said ruefully. “Now. Nott just wiped out a string of islands in the Caribbean.”
No! My joyful energy promptly plummeted. “What do you mean?”
Hjalmar’s stress lines deepened. “A mega quake and tsunami washed over the entire region. There were no more than a handful of survivors.”
“Nott.” Ophelia’s brow furrowed as recognition flickered across her face. With her memory restored, no doubt she was connecting her long-ago memories to her more recent experiences with us. Poor thing. “Tore, your father—my husband . . .” her mouth turned down in a frown. “Your father recently passed.”
“Yes,” Tore confirmed.
“Which means . . . you’re Revenge now?”
“Yes,” Tore said cautiously.
“Oh, love, I don’t want anything to happen to you. Do you have to leave?” Ophelia asked.
“I do,” Tore said. “But I’ll be back as soon as I can. We have lots to catch up on.”
“Please be careful,” she urged her son.
“I always am. We all are.”
I turned away from Tore and his mom to make my way toward Scarlet. She and her dragon crew seemed mighty comfy in the field by the barn, and I wondered if I’d gotten not just one dragon warrior-life-partner, but an entire extended family of scaly, winged pets. It wouldn’t have been the strangest thing that had happened during the past few months.
Scarlet fluttered her wings as I approached, and I shot her a rueful grin. I still hadn’t gotten to do any shopping at Dragonry, but Lela had paid it a visit while Scarlet was in her care. In the few days since we’d arrived in Trondheim, my dragon had managed to acquire a saddle, a fireproof toy ball, and a bucket of peanut butter treats. She was one lucky girl.
I wasn’t sure how to tell her I needed her to risk her life for me. Again.
‘Hey, Scarlet. We’ve got another mission,’ I began.
‘Master Allie, Scarlet and friends want to help. We kill evil night woman.’
Well, that had been easy. Maybe my dragon was picking up some of my intuitive powers. Milkir had said she was my life partner, hadn’t he? Nice. But I still hadn’t decided whether Nott was getting killed or healed—assuming I had the power to heal the living embodiment of evil. How would that even work?
I eyed the group of dragons lounging lazily across the field, and simply said, “Thank you all for helping us.”
Scarlet raised her head. ‘They like Master Allie very much.’
Aw. ‘Tell them I like them, too,’ I pressed.
It was true. These dragons didn’t know the first thing about me or my friends, but they’d risked their lives for us. As I took in the sea of reptiles whose scales spanned the spectrum from green to blue to orange to . . . yep, that grey one definitely had black, polka-dotted horns atop his nose . . . I beamed up at Scarlet. ‘And tell them thanks,’ I added. ‘For everything.’
Scarlet lowered her head for a pat, and my fingertips grazed the spot behind her ear. But I was pulled away too quickly by Astrid and her team of warriors. The group charged toward us, stopping just in front of the barn. Astrid spoke quietly with Tore, and when she was done Tore sought me out. He tipped his head with a frown, and I knew playtime was over.
‘See you,’ I offered ruefully, as I left my dragon’s side to find out why Tore was pushing his mom toward Hjalmar, and pointing the two of them toward the porch where Lela waited with Killer. If Tore was sending Ophelia away, whatever he had to say wasn’t good.
Awesome.
“Okay everyone, gather around.” Tore waved Mack, Johann, Bodie, and Greta in. Astrid’s warriors stood just behind us, forming a semi-circle. Tore waited until Hjalmar returned before continuing his speech. “Astrid tells me that Nott has, in fact, built a stronghold on Iceland. She’s hiding in a house on the edge of the blue lagoon, and she’s keeping it under guard with a team of frost giants. Is that accurate?”
“Yes.” Astrid stepped forward. “Our sources also tell us three to four dark dragons are guarding the property from the air, and night elves patrol the region by foot. If we want to prevent Nott from taking Midgard, we need to act immediately.”
The irony of facing Nott for the last time on my own turf wasn’t lost on me. All along, I’d been calling Tore, Johann, Mack and Bodie my protectors, but I was a protector, too. I was Midgard’s protector. This realm was my home, and I wasn’t about to let it go without a fight.
“Well then? What are we waiting for?” I glanced over at Tore. We shared a silent understanding before I turned to face our team. “Everybody, weapon up. We’re going to finish the Night War, and we’re going to do it today.”
It was time to end Nott’s reign.
***
We hoped to retain the element of surprise. Our strategy was simple: Tore, Bodie, Mack, Hjalmar, Astrid, Greta and I would enter Iceland via nightmare-black-hole-dragon-travel, locate Nott’s property, and surround it. The Mack Pack had returned from Asgard, and they would join Astrid’s warriors in dropping in a few minutes after us by Bifrost, hopefully drawing Nott and her minions out with the rainbow distraction, and providing much-needed backup when things went down with night elves and dragons and—shudder—frost giants. The thought of those things would haunt me until I died. They were my new spiders.
Though Tore and Astrid usually led our pre-battle pep talks, this time I stood in front of our teams, now all suited up with my thick jacket snug atop my armor. My hand rested lightly on the hilt of Gud Morder as I shot my dragon a confident look and cleared my throat.
“Thank you,” I addressed our team. “Thank you all for walking into this with me. We’ve literally been to Helheim and back, and I know I wouldn’t be standing here if each of you hadn’t been willing to risk your lives for this cause.” I nodded at each of our group in turn, sending silent waves of gratitude to every one of them before pressing forward. “Today we’re going to finish this once and for all. I’ll engage Nott—I just need you to keep me alive long enough to do what needs to be done.” Whatever that was. Heal or kill was still a very real struggle within my consciousness. “Okay, everybody head out. See you in Iceland.”
A handful of warriors adjusted their swords, daggers or crossbows, and the members of the first wave climbed atop their dragons. While I double checked the strap that held Gud Morder to my waist, Tore moved to my side and gently fisted my hair, pressing my forehead to touch his.
“Shove the tip of Gud Morder through Nott’s chest,” he advised. “When the dark orb comes out, remove the weapon and slice off her head. Make it quick.”
“Right.” I nodded, wondering if like Scarlet on Nidavellir, a second, lighter orb might join the dark one when it left Nott’s chest. What would I do then?
“You okay?” Tore questioned.
“I’ve been better,” I said honestly. “I can’t stop wondering if there’s still some goodness left in Nott. I mean, what if there was a way to remove her darkness? What if she could go back to being the goddess she was before . . . well, before everything?”
“You have a good heart, Allie,” Tore said gently. “But what you’re suggesting isn’t realistic. We’re talking about the monster who cursed your mother; who killed my father; who raised an evil army and who is systematically destroying Midgard. There’s no good left in Nott—she cannot be redeemed.”
Redeemed.
The word landed on my necklace, sending a slow pulse through the crystal. I had no idea what that meant, but Tore’s worried glance at the dragon-top warriors reminded me that this wasn’t the time for crystal reading. It was time to act. I’d deal with Nott’s orbs when I faced them.
“Got it.” I drew my shoulders back and looked Tore in the eye. “Behead Nott. She’s as good as dead.”
Maybe.
Tore leaned forward to brush his lips against mine, but instead of the butterflies I was used to experiencing when he kissed me, a heavy stone lodged in their place. What if this was goodbye? What if this was
the last kiss we would ever share? What if—
Tore slowed my panic by placing his hands on either side of my head, and staring deep into my eyes. “Bora Bora,” he whispered, before kissing my forehead and walking away. He mounted the intense-looking black dragon Scarlet had told me went by the name Flora, and gave me a nod. “Ready when you are.”
“Okay.” Air filled my lungs, then released in a stream through my pursed lips. It was time.
As I climbed atop my crimson-scaled dragon, I turned to look at Lela and Ophelia. They remained on the porch with Killer, waving while we prepared for the dragon ride of doom. Bodie had extracted the location of Nott’s stronghold from Astrid’s memory and implanted it in Scarlet’s brain, so when I wrapped my arms around her neck and told her, ‘Let’s ride,’ she knew exactly where to take us. Her wings flapped, lifting us off the ground, and with a final glance at our home, I pulled Gud Morder free with my left hand and flared the Liv to life with my right. As soon as we exited the dragon tunnel we’d be right in the middle of a hostile zone, and whether I ultimately killed or healed Nott, I wanted to have my weapon ready.
Nausea churned hard as we entered the black tunnel, my stomach flip-flopping like an agitated washing machine. There was no way to see my teammates, but I sensed they were close, nonetheless. Wind whipped past my ears in a near-deafening roar, but I squeezed my thighs against the leather of Scarlet’s saddle and held on for dear life. After a small eternity, we were sucked out of the tunnel, a frigid wind slapping me across the face. Good Lord, Iceland was freezing. Good thing I’d worn my thickest jacket.
I studied the ground, expecting to see black clouds circling a dilapidated house that was covered in thick ash. Nott did ruin everything she touched. But I was relieved to find not darkness, but breathtaking natural beauty. A pale cerulean lagoon emitted a thick white mist, towering, snowcapped mountains surrounding it on all sides. The mountains held the lagoon in their protective embrace, their height casting a sweeping shadow that stretched from one end of the water all the way to a cozy, wooded cabin that put our old Canadian safe house to shame.