He was right. They did.
After all, it was time to say goodbye.
Chapter Thirty-Five
DRAWN BY THE glowing tree, by what she knew was coming, Ava was glad when Soren joined her at the ash. Soon, her sisters and their mates, as well as Sven, Emily, and the rest of their kin, were there too.
“Something’s changed.” Sage stared up at the tree. “I feel...lighter.”
“I do too,” Kenzie said.
“Much lighter,” Shea added.
“Agreed,” from Tess.
“I think we all do,” Ava murmured moments before the tree became all the trees on their adventure. Some spots were oily and dark, not to signify Skáld but their dragon’s home world. Some were gloriously afire as Tess and Rokar saw it symbolizing the tree that had tethered their souls. Some parts were even yellow like the ash in Maine had grown at one point.
“All one tree,” Ava breathed before something lifted up out of it.
As massive as they knew he was, Níðhöggr rose and rose towering over the tree. Though transparent, he was large and loud enough for the entire Realm to see and hear when he addressed everyone far and wide.
“You are at last free from all that bound you.” He swept his mighty wing, gesturing at the Realm. “You are home.” His gaze went to Leviathan and Magnus. “Here, under the guidance of the Tribal Leader and Demon Sorcerer, you will learn to live in this world with the Realm as your sanctuary.” His steady gaze covered dragons and demons alike. “Here, you are not considered infected but creatures capable of love.” He shook his head. “Never abuse that. Never hate again.”
Everyone roared with approval, cheering the Great Serpent on.
Níðhöggr looked at Vigdis and bowed his head in respect. “Thank you, not just for being a vessel for me so often but for sacrificing the power of your mountain so that I might aid my ancestors and people.” His eyes went from Ava and her sisters and their mates back to the seer. “The power of great love fuels this Realm now, and your power has been returned to Mt. Galdhøpiggen.”
Vigdis nodded once in acknowledgement.
Níðhöggr looked at Tiernan next. “Thank you for coming to the aid of your ancestors.” A strange light met his eyes. “Might they come to your aid in return, Scotsman. For where we begin a new era, you and your people will soon see one come to an end.” He cocked his head in consideration. “Yet in every end, there is a beginning. It is up to us what we make of it.”
Tiernan’s eyes flickered light blue with magic before it sizzled out and he nodded gravely, obviously understanding what Níðhöggr referred to.
“Thank you, Great Serpent,” he replied. “I will keep that in mind.”
Níðhöggr’s attention went to Sven and Emily next. “I chose very wisely when I picked you two to oversee my kin. You are not just courageous but a shining example of dragon mates. Of all the good that came out of dragons coming to Midgard so long ago.” He looked between them. “I am honored to leave my kin in your care for I know you will protect and love them well.”
“Always,” Sven vowed.
“You have our word,” Emily swore.
Níðhöggr’s gaze went from Soren’s sheathed blade back to Sven. “The First Blade has been wielded well but still serves a purpose. You will know what that is when the time comes.”
Sven nodded in acknowledgment.
Níðhöggr lowered his head further still and peered at Dagr and Thorulf with affection. “You are very brave little dragons indeed, and I thank you for your service in this Great War.” He considered them both. “Continue to battle well and remember, always keep your kin close and listen to your elders and Leviathan, for he will guide you someday when your Great War comes to fruition.” He looked from boy to boy. “You will listen to me, then? You will heed my wise words?”
“Yes, Great Serpent,” they replied dutifully, both ramrod straight, taking their ongoing mission and vow very seriously.
Níðhöggr nodded with approval before his attention turned to Ava and Soren. “You did well moving past Skáld’s influence, and leading dragons infected with love home.” He shook his head. “For he showed you failure from the start, a hopeless future, but you pushed onward and saved Midgard.”
She remembered all too well the bleak future they witnessed in their time flux then the murky ocean they saw not once but twice. “He tried to influence us through Soren’s tattoo, didn't he?”
“No.” The Great Serpent surprised her. “It was actually through you, Ava. Through the connection one of his head’s shared with you in another life. Yet it was a quickly weakening thread that did not get him far.”
“Damn straight it didn’t,” she whispered, suddenly realizing something. “Skáld didn’t just draw on Helheim and Múspellsheimr to create his Domain here, did he? He was able to utilize the connection he and I shared.”
“Yes,” Níðhöggr confirmed, his gaze compassionate. “But you cannot fault yourself for that, Daughter. For none of this would have been possible had you not found love with Soren. You would never have created the spark of life and love that finally got Odin’s attention. There was no helping Soren’s connection to Skáld nor yours to him through your mate. You must look at it all as a means to an end.” His gaze swept over all the couples and those who had made it here safely from Múspellsheimr. “A very worthwhile end at that.”
Soren squeezed her hand, gazing at her with love. “I could not agree more.”
Everyone echoed that sentiment.
Níðhöggr focused on the sisters’ mates next. “As I knew you would, you have done well, Sigdirs. You sacrificed much but in the end, rose up.” He looked from the Realm to them. “Each and every one of you led the Rise of the Dragon in your own way, and for that, I am grateful.” His gaze fell on Ava and her sisters. “More than that, you stood by your mates not just in that life but in this one.”
He lowered his great head again and came eye to eye with his descendants.
“My kin,” he rumbled, looking at them with such affection it touched them all. “You are as courageous in this life as you were in the last, and I could not be more proud.” He looked from sister to sister. “I am sorry I could not share more at the beginning, but as you likely surmised, Skáld was always watching and waiting. Not just that but you needed to rediscover love on your own. All I could do was prompt you along.”
“I’m certain I speak for everyone when I say that yes, we were definitely upset at the beginning,” Ava said, misty-eyed. She glanced from Soren to Níðhöggr. “But we are very grateful now.” She stepped closer, unable to stop the tears, acknowledging that she did, in fact, have two dads. One was at the Fortress, and one stood in front of her. “Thank you, Father. Not just for sparing my life before but for giving the last of yourself to protect this world. For ensuring we found our mates again.”
“I second that.” Tess was just as emotional when she stepped forward. “I can’t thank you enough for making sure I didn’t lose my daughter and Rokar, his son.” She shook her head, wiping away a tear. “I’ve never been given a greater gift.”
“Neither have I,” Kenzie added. She placed her hand over her womb, glancing from Eirik and Dagr to the Great Serpent. “Thank you, Níðhöggr.”
“We’re all grateful,” Sage said as she and Shea nodded. “Not just because we found our mates but because we had a chance to save those still trapped on Múspellsheimr.”
Níðhöggr looked at them all affectionately before his eyes turned to an all-too-familiar dark figure when she appeared.
“You are no longer trapped between lives within your own prophecy, Níðhöggr,” Goddess Hel said. “Are you ready to move on, Great Serpent? For your All-Father summons you.”
“Odin?” Níðhöggr rumbled, clearly surprised and humbled.
“Yes, Odin,” Hel replied. “He requests your presence not to be his Punisher but to greet dragon souls such as your kin and people into the Kingdom of Asgard when their time comes.”
“Asgard?” Níðhöggr was taken aback. “But no dragon spirit has ever been allowed there.”
“So long as they are capable of love, they are now under your superior guidance,” Hel revealed. “To flourish as dragons and drink in the great halls of Valhalla in their human form.” Her eyes swept over everyone. “For every one of them is the mightiest of warriors, deserving of celebrating alongside their All-Father.”
Níðhöggr lifted his head high, full of pride not just for his kin but that he had been offered such an esteemed position by his All-Father. “I accept Odin’s summon.” Then he hesitated, his gaze landing on Dahlia. “Under one condition.”
“Under a condition?” Hel said, baffled at Níðhöggr’s gall.
“Yes.” He bowed his head to Bjorn’s daughter. “Trapped as she has been since this all started so long ago, Dahlia has been the mightiest warrior of them all, always putting her kin first though she never got to live a life with them.” His eyes went to Hel. “Allow her to join me in Asgard to welcome other dragon souls and celebrate alongside her kin for all time when they eventually join us.”
Hel’s gaze went to Dahlia. “Is this what you wish, dragon?”
Though her eyes were sad, they were also hopeful as they went to her parents and brother. Seeing she was torn, her mother stepped forward and cupped the side her of daughter’s dragon cheek the best she could, her heart in her teary eyes. “Go, Daughter, and finally be at peace. We will join you soon enough.”
“Yes?” Dahlia whispered, emotional.
“Yes,” Bjorn and Davyn said, stepping close as well, touching her ethereal form as only dragons could. Dahlia closed her eyes, feeling her kin close before she opened them and bowed her head.
“I will miss you all.” She met their eyes then looked at everyone else. “All of you.”
“We’ll miss you too, Sister,” Davyn said, speaking for everyone. “But we will meet again.”
Dahlia’s gaze lingered on her brother for a moment before she looked at Hel and nodded.
“Your condition is granted, Níðhöggr,” Hel approved without hesitation. Her loving gaze went from Dagr to Dahlia’s family. “Your daughter’s soul will be as loved and well cared for as my son’s was.”
Her gaze returned to Níðhöggr. “Are you ready, then, Great Serpent?”
“I am,” he confirmed. His attention turned to his kin one last time. “I am very proud of you all and wish you the very best until we meet again.” He looked from the tree to them. “As a parting gift, I leave you this and the ash in the future. Connected through their roots for all eternity, they will enable not just my descendants but Sigdirs and all who share dragon love with them to travel from here to the future without losing great amounts of time.”
Shocked by the generous gift, they offered their thanks then said a final goodbye to the dragon who had changed their lives so profoundly. His eyes swept over everyone a final time before he and Dahlia launched into the air and flew into the sunset. By the time they vanished altogether, Tiernan had joined them at the tree.
“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Ava said, saddened. She was used to having him around.
“I must return to my clan and then mayhap the twenty-first century.” His eyes were troubled. “They will need me during the difficult times ahead.”
“What’s going on?” She frowned. “Does it have to do with your magic being off?”
“I fear it does.” He shook his head. “Though I cannot speak to how other than something is changing.”
“Something that has to do with the twenty-first century?” She knew the MacLomains connected with women across time too only at a house in New Hampshire. “More Brouns at the Colonial then?”
“Mayhap,” he said softly.
“Julie is there, isn’t she?” a woman said as she and another man joined them. Thanks to Soren filling her in telepathically, she knew they were Vivienne and Kage. Two dragons who had apparently met in the future during the last war.
“Aye,” Tiernan replied. “Julie has gone back and forth, watching over both the Maine Chalet and New Hampshire Colonial for years now. She has done much for the Sigdirs and MacLomains alike.”
“Julie,” Ava murmured. “So that's her name.” She could leave it alone, but it was time to return the favor and nudge him toward someone she suspected was his destined love. “I’d say it's long past time you seek her out.” She perked a brow and offered Tiernan a lopsided grin. “Seeing how she's on your mind so much.” However untrue, she owed him one, so she winked and repeated his comment from the beginning. “In fact, I swear I see a wee bit o’ pink in your cheeks whenever you think about her.”
He might have narrowed his eyes in return, but she didn’t miss the flicker of anticipation in his gaze or a little twinkle she imagined existed solely for this mysterious Julie.
Viv’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “No, kidding?” An attractive older woman, she smiled at Ava and introduced herself. “Julie was, is my best friend, though I don’t see her nearly as much as I’d like because of how time goes by differently. She’s still your age where I’m obviously not anymore.” Her eyes slid back to Tiernan in amusement. “And who are you again?”
“Adlin and Mildred’s son,” he replied. “And good friends with Julie as well. She has been...very...helpful over the years.”
Oh, yeah, he had it bad. Recognizing love when she saw it, Ava bit back a grin at Tiernan’s obvious discomfort. “So Julie traveled back in time a lot as she watched over the properties?”
“Nay, she has never traveled back in time,” he said. “Da took me to visit her here and there over the years so that I became familiar with the future.”
“Interesting,” Viv murmured, considering him. “So what, she’s known you since you were a kid, but she’s only ever been around the same age?”
His discomfort grew. “Aye.”
“Gotta love the strange idiosyncrasies of time travel,” Shea kicked in, her hair sparkling black and red. “Let me guess. Julie’s a redhead?”
Viv chuckled, eying Shea’s hair. “Yes, she is.”
Shea winked at Tiernan and shot a phantom bow at him. “Go, Cupid!”
Tiernan cleared his throat and turned his attention to Ava. “I must go—”
“Before you do,” Sven cut in, nodding his thanks when Soren, seeming to understand, handed over the sword that had done so much for them. A blade, as it happened, that now rippled with light blue lightning.
Lightning that matched Tiernan’s eyes exactly.
Sven handed the sword to the Scotsman. “I believe this is yours to wield now, friend. Might it aid you through whatever it is you and our MacLomain descendants face next. If you need help, we will be there.” He clasped Tiernan’s shoulder. “I speak for everyone when I say thank you for your help and for protecting Ava.”
Soren seconded that, nodding at Tiernan with thanks.
Tiernan nodded as well then met Ava’s eyes. “’Twas my pleasure. I only wish my magic had been more dependable.”
“It was dependable enough.” Ava gave him a heartfelt embrace. “Thank you for everything.” She met his eyes again and somehow knew they would meet again someday. That he was a true friend. “Wishing you the best of luck and of course, the kind of love I found. The kind you deserve.”
“Wishing you all the very best as well.” The same heartfelt sentiment lit his eyes. “Until we meet again, my friend.”
Then a chant later, clearly eager to see to his clan and very likely Julie, he was gone.
“He’s quick and to the point, eh?” Tess said.
“He’s in love,” Shea chimed in a sing-song voice, grinning. “And determined to save his mate.”
“Do you think Jules needs saving then?” Viv asked, clearly using Julie’s nickname.
“From what I’ve heard of her and what she did, not just for my parents coming together but several other Sigdirs,” Rokar said. “Whether or not she needs saving, she’s definitely due to be loved.�
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“Hallelujah,” Viv praised, accepting that as a good enough answer for now. “I couldn’t agree more.”
After that, one conversation led to another as everyone relaxed and truly began to settle into a new era. Though Leviathan and Magnus stayed on to see to the new arrivals, the rest of them boarded their six ships and took to the sea, arriving a short time later at the Fortress with their sails blazing.
It would be talked about for many years to come what a fine sight it was to see the six blazing dragon faces and the peace they brought with them sail into the harbor. Everyone from both kingdoms filled the shore, eager to welcome home their heroes and heroines.
More than that, eager to share welcome news indeed.
Chapter Thirty-Six
AS THEY SOON discovered, when the prophecy was fulfilled, Skáld was at last destroyed, and Níðhöggr was no longer caught between worlds, the darkness that had fallen over Midgard lifted. Tribes no longer fought, and the dead no longer wandered aimlessly. Helheim was fully under Hel’s control again, and Årud warriors were no longer possessed.
A celebration that would be remembered for years to come was underway not just because the world had been saved but, as it happened, five Viking weddings took place. Upon arrival, King Sven spoke with each couple individually presenting the idea that they might marry on such a momentous occasion. All wholeheartedly agreed. So each sister got married on the ship that had protected her and her mate.
“I still can’t believe Agatha wanted to be my maid of honor for lack of a better Viking term,” Ava mused, cozying on Soren’s lap in the main lodge later that evening.
It turned out Agatha, mightily impressed by what Ava had done for her people never mind Midgard, had praised Ava as a worthy mate for Soren. When they arrived, she promptly took Ava under her wing, even going so far as to introduce her to the community as her new sister. Thorulf, naturally, led the way, protector of his mothers.
When all was said and done, having given her blessing, Agatha felt it her rightful place to stand by Ava during the wedding ceremony. Thorulf, naturally, stood with them as well, approving the expansion of his family.
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