I left the coffee—tea—shop and headed to another spot where I could move around. I needed to release my nervous energy, and sitting in a crowded space with my leg bouncing up and down would draw too much attention.
Nothing was ever simple; not for me. I felt sick to my stomach.
Thankfully, I didn’t have long to wait for my target to arrive. I watched as a small group of men gathered in an alley. It was so obvious they were up to something, I had to laugh.
One guy, who must have been the leader, casually walked out to the sidewalk. He leaned up against a brick building and acted as if he was just hanging out, watching the people walk by.
Not suspiciously waiting to attack someone. Nope, not at all.
Intelligence oozed from his plan. But not long after, the prize I was there to retrieve strolled down the sidewalk. Tall, built like an oak tree, and ugly—with an obsidian aura.
I watched while the two men exchanged a few words and then headed into the alley.
Typical.
I sighed and threw the last of my tea in the trash before I ducked around the corner to let go of my corporeal form. A blink later, I hovered, bored, while they pummeled each other. I rolled my neck as I waited, and noticed two peace-keeping officers coming down the street.
If I hadn’t switched forms yet, I could have distracted them so they’d stay out of the way and didn’t interfere. Now I’d have to just hope they looked the other way.
No such luck.
They heard the commotion and ran straight toward the sound, like true heroes. I had to keep my wits, stay focused on the target—except one officer had an aura I’d never seen before, white with golden edges. He was not my assignment, but he fascinated me.
“Niasa, is everything all right?”
I gasped, the sound of Gertie’s voice inside my head startling me.
“Yes, where are you? How are you speaking to me?”
“I’m monitoring you, remember? Your heart rate is elevated, and I thought I should check in.”
“I’m fine, everything is fine. I located the target. It’s all good.”
“Why do you sound agitated?”
“Because you’re interrupting me and causing me to get distracted.”
“Try to relax, this should be an easy one.”
Right, nice and easy. Except the two officers had engaged the group while Gertie had been talking. One of them was on the ground, already knocked unconscious. The other fought like a true berserker, but with the skill to incapacitate without killing. I hadn’t seen anything like it.
My target held his own fairly well, considering he’d been outnumbered four to one. But this new guy, he was amazing. He’d dispatched two thugs and battled a third while my target and the leader of the group still grappled with each other.
After a choke hold forced the third attacker to slip to the ground, the peace-keeper faced the last two. The leader had pulled a knife and held it against my target’s throat. That worked for me.
He could just get it over with, and I would leave. The other two could battle it out after I’d gone.
The officer held up his hands, but moved closer.
What was he doing?
The noises on the street hindered my keen hearing. I flew closer. One guy on the ground was in bad shape, his spirit fluttering in and out of view. Part of me considered grabbing it and saying it was the target . . . There wasn’t any documentation this time. The regenerators would know, though.
“Niasa. Everything still okay?”
This would not work for me. I didn’t need another voice in my head battling with me over what to do.
“Yes, just fine,” I lied, which probably set off more alarms. I wasn’t sure how the monitoring worked. “Can you see what’s happening?”
“No, I’m connected to you through a seiđr spell, so I can only feel what you feel.”
“Weird. And a little invasive, I have to say. Leave me alone and let me concentrate.”
“Stay on track, Niasa. Please.”
I would if she’d get out of my head. It was hard to focus with all this discussion.
The officer had stepped closer to the other two men. His aura pulsed.
Then it happened.
The peace-keeper lunged forward and hit the knife hand of the leader at the same time that my target slammed his elbow into the leader’s gut. In a flurry of action, my target grabbed the knife, stabbed both the other men, and took off running down the alleyway.
I kept my eye on him. He couldn’t outrun me, but the two on the ground made me hesitate. Both men were bleeding. The leader moaned and grabbed at his side; the officer didn’t.
Then I saw it.
When a spirit is ready to release, it flickers in and out. Eventually, it pulls free and begins its journey to the afterlife. Without guidance, a spirit would travel to a destination determined by the person’s corporeal life—not their behavior, but their beliefs and motivations. Claiming them for Valhalla had to happen before the spirit completely left the body.
I should leave him and chase down my target. I knew I should. But he was the one. Everything inside me screamed that this guy was not like any of the others. He would prove I was right. Besides, he’d earned it. He’d died in battle and shown more than enough bravery. Plus, golden auras were rare—I’d never even seen one, but I’d heard of them. While his wasn’t pure, it had to count for something.
Time was almost out. I had to grab him, or I’d lose my chance.
“Don’t do it, Niasa. I can feel the indecision. Grab the target and get back here.”
I didn’t answer. I was done with interruptions. His spirit was sitting up. I had to act.
“Niasa!”
With another peek down the alley, I watched my target round the corner out of sight. I flew down and grabbed the hand of the officer’s spirit, and sped away.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to help you.” I could hear the pain in Gertie’s voice.
“It’s not your fault. They’ll understand this time. Besides, interrupting me was too distracting. If they wanted to monitor me, they should have chosen a different way. It messed with my thinking. It’ll be fine, you’ll see.”
“No, you don’t understand.” This time her voice was just a whisper. “There will be a trial. Maybe you shouldn’t come back right away.”
I stopped flying. High above the buildings, I let her words sink in.
I’d already made my choice. It wasn’t like I could let go of this guy. If I did that, he’d slip into the Gap. His spirit no longer had an option because I’d intervened for Valhalla. If I released him, there would be no other place for him to go.
“What if I go get the other guy too? If I bring them both, that will work, won’t it?”
“Regin’s coming. I’ll see what I can do, but . . . I’m sorry.”
Her words washed over me.
Now what?
A movement below me drew my attention, and I looked down—right into the wide eyes of my newest, and likely last, selection.
9
I couldn’t believe I’d done it again.
Yes I could, who was I trying to fool?
At least this time, the man wasn’t fighting me. In fact, he just stared. I didn’t know where to go, and he made me uncomfortable.
“Listen, I’ll explain everything later, but we need to find a place where I can think. I don’t suppose you know where that might be?”
“We’re not that far from a park.”
I gaped at him. He was logical and calm. That’s new.
Great, I finally got the right guy, and it was too late.
“So which way is that?” I asked.
The guy looked around, remarkably composed, as he dangled from my arm. I had to give him credit.
“Did we go straight up? Because if we did, I’d say it’s about four blocks east.”
I looked in the direction he pointed. Behind an apartment complex and some other buildings, I thought I saw treetops.
I lifted my eyebrows. Might as well try it.
It only took a couple of minutes before we hovered over the park. There didn’t seem to be too many other people around.
I wished we could have been alone, but there were always people in the city, milling about no matter what time of day it was like they never worked. I supposed that an officer who kept the law, that was a job. But where were the farmers, the shepherds, the weavers, the people who fed and clothed everyone? It seemed like everyone only ran around, staring into the little box they carried in their hands.
The park was small, and I found an out-of-the-way corner with a bench, and took us down to sit on it.
“This all right with you?”
“It’s as good as any, I guess,” he answered.
“I know you don’t understand, and this will sound strange, but I need to keep a hold of you. Believe me, you don’t want me to let go.”
“What happens if you do?”
“Let’s just say that no one deserves that kind of torture.”
“Do you have to hold me? What happens if I hold you?”
I’d never thought about that before. No one had ever asked me. In fact, I didn’t think I’d ever talked to any of my assignments this much. I just grabbed the warriors, flew back to Valhalla, and dropped them off. That was it, end of my discussion. End of my need to have anything to do with them.
I wasn’t sure I would like this.
“Honestly, I really don’t know. I’ve never spent this kind of time with anyone before.”
“Why are you now? Shouldn’t we be going to . . . wherever it is you’re taking me? Which is where, precisely?”
He watched me so intently, I didn’t know what to say. His eyes were icy blue with a dark ring around them. They were mesmerizing. I stared wondering what it would be like to enjoy his company. There was a small amount of stubble on his jaw, like he’d shaved that morning but needed to again. He’d cut his blonde hair short and tidy, ready for his daily peacekeeping duties.
Ugh. Those thoughts wouldn’t do. I decided to ease into things and start simple. “What’s your name?”
I expected a quick answer, but a wrinkle formed in the middle of his brows like he was thinking. What was there to think about? I’d asked a question, I needed an answer, this wasn’t a debate.
I raised my free hand to encourage him to hurry.
“Gus,” he finally said. “What’s yours?”
He locked onto my gaze, and it made me nervous. Why? I’m in charge here. This guy wasn’t even a full einherjar yet.
“You can call me Niasa. But don’t get used to it, we’ll not be friends.”
“Niasa. I like that. It’s nice. So, Niasa, what happens now? We sit on a park bench and hold hands? Is this where we sing songs and, I don’t know . . . watch butterflies float by?”
Who was this guy? He was sort of funny, but I couldn’t get to know him. This was business, and I was in trouble. I had to figure things out.
“I need to think things through. Normally, I would just go straight on, drop you off at the induction hall, and that’s it. But things didn’t quite go as planned.”
To say the least. Here I was, sitting in a park in Midgard, with a spirit who didn’t understand where he was going. And I had no idea where to take him. Great, just great.
“I could use a mocha.”
“I know a place not far from here, but it’s in The Bayou. Is that really available to us at this point?” Gus asked.
I peered at him. I wasn’t used to them interacting with me. Targets didn’t talk. They screamed, they cried—they didn’t speak. I didn’t talk to them either, but that was beside the point. How had he heard me? I was sure I’d kept that to myself.
“I don’t think I said anything out loud.”
“I think you did.” Gus got a strange look on his face, and that crease was back, like he was thinking hard again. “I think . . . yes . . . you mumbled . . .”
“Gus, a conversation includes complete sentences.”
He looked up at me, this time a little quirk tipping the corner of his mouth.
This could be dangerous. If I wasn’t in so much trouble, those sexy eyes and that cute little smile . . . yeah, I could handle more of that.
“I’ll use my words if you explain what’s going on.”
I blinked once. Some brand-new einherjar shouldn’t think he could make demands.
I needed to figure this out. I needed to go home. I needed to drop this guy off and clear my name.
So far, things were looking up, in that Gus might be of help to my case. But the problem was getting there. Toril would be all over me, Gertie didn’t know what to do. She said she’d try to figure something out, but she wasn’t one to break the rules. For that matter, neither was Toril. For as awful as she was, she stuck to the rules like a magnet.
“I have to say, Gus, you’re taking this very well.”
“I’m not sure what this is, exactly, but I’ve seen a lot of crazy things. I’ve learned to just go with the flow and see what happens.”
“How admirable. Remember that. It’s kind of what got you here.”
“From what I’m guessing, you weren’t really after me. Would that be a fair statement?”
“Fair enough.”
“Then who were you after? The outlaw who stabbed me?”
“How much do you remember?”
“Everything, until a knife stabbed into my heart. Then there’s a blank until I sat up and saw you grab my arm. Why did you do that?”
Taking things well was one thing, but this was another level. I could tell Gus was comfortable being in charge. He kept the peace, he followed the rules, and he made others do it, too.
He would find that he didn’t like me very much. I might find I didn’t like him much either.
“You’re not in charge here, Gus. Get that through your head. While you might’ve been before, all that’s gone now. I don’t know what I’m supposed to tell you, that’s not my duty. But we’re stuck together for a little while, so you’re just going to have to trust me.”
“I don’t think I’m alive. And I think it’s fair for you to answer if that’s a true statement or not.”
“I’ll agree with that assessment, since you seem calm. Just be careful what else you ask. You may not want to hear what I have to say.”
The bench where we sat was right next to a walking path. Ordinarily, I would never sit in a place like that. It was rare, but occasionally, small children and dogs could see my ethereal form. I think it had something to do with their innocence, but it was always best to avoid them.
It was precisely at that moment that I saw a woman walking toward us on the path. Not only was she pushing a stroller, but she was walking a small dog.
The little ones were the worst. Most times, a big dog would wag his tail, try to sniff me, or maybe growl a little, but usually he would just back off and keep walking. He might look over his shoulder one or two times, but then he’d let it go. Not the little ones—they yipped like crazy.
The one coming closer had already started.
The little girl in the stroller stared right at me. I had zero ability to know ages of humans; it made little sense to me, how they grew so slow and lasted so few years in their world. But this one was an infant. When she smiled at me, I scowled back.
At first, I thought she would have some sense and maybe cry or at least look away, but no. The kid smiled harder. It was almost like she knew who I was, knew I wasn’t even really there, yet still wanted to smile at me. Shouldn’t she fear us?
But then officer-do-right, Gus, smiled back at her. That brought out a whole great big gummy grin.
I twisted my head slowly to stare at Gus. “What are you doing?”
“What? She smiled, she’s a cute kid. What was I supposed to do, ignore her?”
“Yes. Ignore everyone. There’s no reason for you to be a part of anything here anymore. You shouldn’t even be seeing any of this. If I could t
ake you back right now, I would, and this would all be over. Someone shut up that dog!”
The entire time we’d been talking, that little dog yipped and yapped and lunged, driving me insane. What caused the mom, nanny, whoever was pushing that stupid stroller to stop, I didn’t know, but of course, it had to be right in front of us.
“I think she wants to sit on the bench,” Gus said. “Can she do that?”
This whole situation was new to me.
“I have no idea. I don’t think I want to find out, and this park is getting too crowded, anyway.”
When I shot straight up into the air above the treetops, Gus hollered out. I kind of thought it was funny. He’d kept so calm, asking me all those questions, I enjoyed putting a scare into him.
We hovered above the trees, but I could still hear that stupid dog. I looked for another place for us to go. A couple blocks away was an office building, a nice tall skyscraper. Nobody would be up there during the middle of the day—I had learned that much during my missions. They weren’t even outside unless they were scurrying around down on the sidewalk.
We landed on the edge of the building, and I sat down, letting my feet dangle over the edge. Gus tried to remain standing, but I didn’t want to leave my hand in the air to hold on to him, so I yanked him down with a plop. He almost fell off, but it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal, I had his wrist. Apparently, he wasn’t quite used to things yet and got a little nervous about it.
“You need to tell me before you do that again,” Gus said. He had a scowl on his face, with deep lines across the top of his forehead.
I wanted to laugh. For such a tough guy, he was being kind of cloddish. He’d dealt with all the rest of it pretty well; considering I’d just ripped his soul from his body and then sat in the park for a while in an ethereal form. I thought he’d be ready for something as small as flight, or sitting on the edge of a thirty-story building.
“Gus, obviously you can tell this isn’t the way it normally happens. I already told you that you weren’t who they assigned me. Now I don’t quite know what to do. We’ve got to go back, but I’m just not sure how, so you need to give me time to think. Got it?”
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