“We’re in Manhat—”
I yanked on Gus’s arm and shook my head as hard as I could, until my head wanted to explode. His eyes were wide and confused as I mouthed ‘no location’. To his credit, he pulled himself together quickly.
“We’re prepared for our trip to Valhalla, if you’re able to help us get there. Is that possible?”
He was calm and cool under pressure, this one.
“It’s not possible to enter yet. Circumstances still prevent that.” Gertie paused, letting the silence tell me enough.
We’d have to stay for a while longer. I’d just have to suck it up and deal.
“I wanted to check in with you, Niasa,” Gertie continued. “There’s talk that you’ve opened a rift, making Valhalla vulnerable to invasion from a force gathering on Midgard. Can you help me defend you until you can come back?”
Stunned, Gus and I stared at each other. What could that mean?
“That makes no sense on our end. We’ve been investigating . . . ” Gus met my eyes, then continued after I nodded, “a situation that has come up which may influence your decisions.”
Gus and I used one-handed gestures, trying to silently communicate about how much information to share. It probably would have been comical, had anyone been able to see us.
“Gertie,” I said with a wheeze. “I’m not at my best.” I had to stop and take several breaths before I continued. “Calc tattoos are blocking me. They know I’m coming.”
“What Niasa is trying to say is it appears that a group branded with a calc rune tattoo have created situations to distract her from her tasks. We have a list of their whereabouts, and could provide the information if someone would allow us to explain ourselves.”
“Well—Gus, is it?”
“Yes ma’am.”
Gertie snorted, and I had to twist away to hide the grin I couldn’t help. Gus was in his cadet mode. When I finally made it home, Gertie and I would have a great night of mead and laughter over all of this. I hoped, anyway.
“Well, Gus, someone has accused Niasa of treason. Do you understand what that means?”
“That she’ll face trial and eternity in the Gap. But she shouldn’t. There is a force working against her, and there’s reason to believe it may originate in Valhalla itself.”
His statement shocked me. He stared at me, and the radiating silence showed that Gertie was just as stunned.
Finally, she answered. “You’re telling me you think there is a traitor in Valhalla? And they are setting Niasa up to cover their own deeds. For what purpose?”
“Or they could be using her to help them without her knowledge,” Gus added.
“No one would—could—do that,” Gertie said. “I don’t believe that anyone could enter Valhalla who isn’t loyal to Odin. It isn’t possible.”
“What about my mother?” I asked.
I knew Gertie would understand my meaning. My mother had betrayed Odin when she’d hidden on Midgard. As much as I hated to admit that, and how it implicated me, it had happened—which meant it could again.
“That’s different, Niasa. Look, Toril is building a strong case, and I’ll keep trying to block a trial, but I need to go. I don’t know when I’ll be able to contact you again . . . They guard the harvester hall these days, after that whole debacle the other night.”
I bit my lip and looked into the sky when Gus gave me a questioning look.
“It might be tomorrow night before I get back to you. Stay safe.”
With that, the night fell silent. A shroud of darkness engulfed Gus and I, literally and figuratively.
“What happened with your mother?”
I should have known he’d pick at that thread. I’d had to remind Gertie about the past betrayal in Valhalla, to make her remember, but I hated the thought of admitting it to Gus.
I closed my eyes and looked away. I was traitor spawn. For some reason, I hated that Gus might think poorly of me after he knew. It shouldn’t matter . . . he’d become an einherjar warrior, I’d get my next assignment, and we’d both move on.
That was, if I could defend myself.
Unless I came home with indisputable proof that someone had set me up, I would spend eternity floating through gray ooze, remembering every mistake I’d ever made, regret eating away at my insides like a starving maggot.
“Niasa, look at me.” Gus’s words were gentle and pulled my gaze in his direction. “You are not your mother. Whatever she did, I know that you are no traitor. Regardless of what happened with me, your intentions were true, and you are a worthy Valkyrie. You need to believe that.”
This man made no sense to me. How could he support me so completely? I’d grabbed him and ruined his chance at a full life, not even knowing what I had robbed him of, and he acted as though he trusted me?
“You know nothing about me.”
“Maybe not as much as some, that’s true. But you claimed me for a purpose. You had a goal to help Odin, not betray him. I believe you meant the best for Valhalla, and Odin will too. Whoever this Toril is will look like a fool when we find our proof.”
“Why are you so calm about this? You should be angry with me!”
Yelling at Gus sent me into a coughing fit. When I’d settled myself, I was on my knees in the grass. I could feel him crouched down next to me. His strength and steady presence soothed my temper, but that only cracked my resolve. My anger kept me safe—kept me strong. I could feel the pain of never knowing my mother, never knowing her side of the story, slamming against me. The pain of unworthiness and regret.
Toril was right, I didn’t belong in Valhalla. Maybe I should die. Only . . . now I’d be taking Gus with me. He didn’t deserve the fate I’d forced upon him.
I couldn’t open my eyes to look at him.
“I should be angry, I guess,” he said. “But somehow, I believe all of this is happening for a reason. Like the life I’d have lived wouldn’t have meant as much as the opportunity I have now . . . with you.”
“That makes no sense and you know it,” I squeaked, my voice betraying me as much as my body was. “You would have done great things protecting the people. Probably had a wife and kids. I’ve seen them at parks—families playing together.”
Images of Gus pushing a laughing child on a swing, while a petite blonde smiled in the background, holding an infant, flashed before my eyes. Acid churned in my stomach.
“Maybe,” Gus said in quiet contemplation. “Now I can do something bigger, though. Sure, it’ll be in a way no one will know about, but the best deeds shouldn’t expect reward.”
“What if you should have saved someone important, and now you won’t be there?”
“What if that’s what I’m doing right now?”
I grit my teeth as tears welled up again. Too late, I pressed my eyes shut, and wetness rolled down my cheeks. There was, apparently, no end to my shame.
Gus wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and used his thumb to wipe away one of the errant streaks. His fingers brushed against the chain that held the medallion from my mother. The memory of it snapped me out of my pathetic reverie.
When I pulled back from Gus, I was glad I wasn’t standing. The compassion flaming in his eyes would have made my knees weak, and might have tempted me to do something stupid. I flicked my gaze to his full lips and saw them curve into a small grin.
Yes, something very stupid.
At the risk of the stab of pain it may cause, I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I pulled the necklace out from under my tunic, letting the silver disc rest in my palm.
“This was in my mother’s hand when she returned from Midgard. She held it while she gave birth . . . and died.”
It was my only connection to her, and a symbol of our shared guilt.
“The laurel leaves surrounding the rune are a symbol of victory,” Gus said as he studied the images. When he noticed me staring at him, he shrugged with a small quirk of his mouth. “I studied history at Uni. I assume it means the same here
as when the Greeks used it.”
He knew so much. “You’re right. But that’s something else that makes no sense. How can both good and evil have victory?”
Gus stared at the medallion in deep thought. “There’s writing on either side of the rune. It’s light, but it’s there. Do you know what it says?”
“No, I haven’t tried to figure it out, to be honest.” I’d only kept the coin and put it on the chain because it helped me feel less alone.
“Something tells me that it might be important. What if this is a key to what’s happening to you right now? Maybe there’s a battle coming. This may be the key to victory, or defeat.”
I’d had that medallion my whole life. “I don’t see how.”
“Maybe it’s not connected, but I think we should figure out what it says anyway. Besides, it’ll be fun.”
I couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. “Because we don’t have enough to bother with, we should add a little research just for ‘fun’?”
“Exactly! Come on, we need to get back to the library before it opens at eight.”
Gus pulled me along like I’d seen dogs pull their owners in the park. If he had a tail, it would be wagging. The thought made me chuckle as I hurried to walk beside him, instead of stumbling behind.
16
“Aren’t we going to take a bus?” I yanked Gus to a stop as he was about to stride past the covered bench where we could wait.
Suddenly looking uncomfortable, he stared at the ground and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d rather walk, if you feel up to it.”
“Why?” I thought I knew, but I enjoyed the ability to taunt him.
“I didn’t like the confining space, if you have to know. People kept brushing into me and shivering. I get itchy, like ants are crawling over my skin.”
I tried not to laugh, but I couldn’t help it. Even though I agreed with him.
“Let’s walk then, but if I have a coughing fit and you slip away, don’t blame me as you float around.”
“That’s not funny.” Gus pulled me forward again as I chuckled.
I thought it was hilarious. Especially since there wasn’t any way I’d let go of him at this point, and he should know that.
Movement in a tree caught my attention. A large hawk sat in a high branch, watching Gus and me. While animals were apt to see us when humans couldn’t, this was unusual.
“Are there any hawks in New York?” I asked Gus, trying to be quiet yet casual.
“The Adirondacks are full of wildlife.”
“I mean in the city. Would there be any large birds of prey flying around here?”
We kept walking, but Gus stood taller as he peered sideways at me. “I can’t say for sure, but I think I’ve seen hawks before. Or maybe they were falcons. Why are you asking?”
Right then, the hawk soared into the sky over us and landed in a different tree along our path.
“Because that one is following us. We need to get away. There are many who use hawk cloaks to shift and spy. Running into one of them would not be to our benefit.” I tried to keep my voice calm and low so that, hopefully, whoever that was couldn’t hear me, and Gus wouldn’t panic.
Gus kept walking as if I’d said nothing, and only glanced casually at the bird. “Two blocks up and on the left is an alley. We can duck in there.”
“I think we should turn around. There’s a subway entrance closer, and whoever that is wouldn’t be able to fly down there, most likely.”
“You mean the tube? You’re sure?”
“No, but I think we should try it.” It was more confining than the bus, but I couldn’t bear another alley incident.
Gus squeezed my hand as we took off running. The hawk screeched and soared into the sky, following us. The thing was huge. I didn’t believe a normal hawk would be the size of a bear cub.
I dared a peek to the sky as we ran, just in time to dodge a sharp talon aimed at my head.
“That thing is trying to grab us,” I screamed.
“Would Valhalla send someone to take you back?” Gus called as we made it to the entrance to the City Hall subway station.
I dismissed the question. I didn’t want to think about that as a possibility, nothing good could come from it. Whoever it was might decide that forcing me to let go of Gus would be the perfect punishment for both of us.
Ignoring my pain, I pushed myself to go faster. There was no way I’d let us get separated now.
The crowds inside the tunnel were thin because of the early hour. We jumped the turnstile and headed toward the platform, trying to act as though nothing was wrong, even though no one could see us. I think we both felt the need to blend in.
Another screech echoed against the tiled walls and stabbed into my already aching temples.
“So much for that theory. We need to hide while we wait for the train to arrive.”
Gus nodded and looked around as we picked up our pace to jog around the people who had no clue that a dangerous predator soared over their heads. He dragged me toward a restroom symbol, but I stopped him.
“Something with more than one exit,” I said.
Gus was great under pressure, and did well on offense, but he’d need to build up his defensive technique.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t any place that would provide cover or an alternative exit. Our dilemma ended, however, when we heard the train hurtling toward the platform. We just needed to make it onto a car without the hawk following us in.
I sprinted toward the open doors when the train came to a halt, but Gus stopped me.
“Wait, give it a few seconds, and we’ll jump on just before the doors close. Maybe it won’t make it on.”
I nodded, and we shrank back against the wall farthest from the open train doors.
Waiting wasn’t my specialty, and it made me antsy. I wanted to run for it and take my chances. I’d also heard enough from the polite announcer reminding everyone to ‘mind the gap’.
Just when I didn’t think I could wait another second, Gus nodded, and we took off running.
We’d just jumped aboard when I dared a glance behind us, hoping to see the doors closing in front of a bewildered hawk flying through the confined underground space. Instead, I watched in horror as a gigantic man with black sockets for eyes, razor-sharp teeth, and mottled, blue-gray skin raced toward the still open doors.
“Run!” Gus yelled, and we raced through the aisle and forced our way through the double doors leading to the next car. “What was that?”
“That would be a demon.”
This was bad. Really bad. Why would a demon be chasing me? How would it even know I was here?
Something was terribly wrong, and it wasn’t because I’d made the wrong choice for an einherjar. I’d stumbled into a more dangerous situation—or maybe I’d been forced into it? Either way, Gus was now part of it too, and we were racing through a finite set of train cars with an angry demon chasing us.
We’d made it through several compartments when we decided to duck down below the windows between two more. The pressure of the fast-moving air and the noise of the tracks speeding under us matched the wild thumping of my heart.
Neither of us said anything as we pressed our backs against the swaying wall. The drumbeats ringing in my ears prevented me from hearing any crashing sounds, so I was counting on Gus to be the lookout. With our fingers intertwined as we crouched, I couldn’t tell which of us gripped harder.
After several minutes of silence, Gus peeked over the rim of the wall.
“No one is coming. There are only two other people in the car, and they are normal-looking humans.” He turned back and rested against the wall again. “Do you think he stopped chasing us, or is he just waiting?”
“I have no idea. This is my first contact. If he’s not following us, maybe we can sneak off at the next station.”
“The people . . . the living . . . they can’t see him?”
“Apparently not. Since we’ve lost him for now, let’
s move. I need to sit more comfortably.”
I couldn’t handle the burning in my thighs any longer as we huddled against the wall. Gus led the way as we cautiously found a seat inside. The weakness in my body was growing worse, along with my headache and lack of breath.
“So you’ve never dealt with shape-shifting demon before. Huh, weird.”
I slid my eyes toward Gus before I rolled them at his sarcasm. It was unnerving how easily he accepted all the changes he’d experienced over the last fifteen hours.
“It might surprise you to learn that I’m basically boring most of the time.”
Gus chuckled with a wide, genuine grin as he nudged my shoulder. “I don’t believe that. Somehow, I think you can make every day exciting.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
“Oh? How? Give me some insights to the daily life of Niasa.”
He was teasing me, but the casualness offered respite from the dread of watching out for a deadly demon.
“If I’m not training or working . . . ” I hesitated as the statement caught in my throat, “I’m curled up in the chair of my room with a hot drink and a book.”
Gus squeezed my hand. “I think that sounds like a nice place to be about now.”
His smile faltered and took on a far-away appearance, as if he were caught in a memory.
We sat in peace for quite a while. The rumble and rattle of the train lulled us into a sense of security, as if we could somehow leave our troubles behind as long as we didn’t move or speak.
The train made two stops, and each time, we held our breath and waited, but no danger came.
For a moment, I thought we might make it to the library with no more trouble.
Then Gus knit his brows together and dropped his gaze to his lap.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Do you see the woman at the other end of the car?” he whispered. “Don’t look right now!”
I scoffed. How was I supposed to see the woman if I didn’t look?
“What about her?”
Time Magic Page 11