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“Halt!” I yell, throwing my hand out toward the automobile.
I feel the silver lines pulse against my skin, and it looks like they’re coming out of my glove, faint twisting threads that shoot through the air toward the vehicle like a million strikes in a lightning storm.
The vehicle comes to a complete and sudden stop two feet away from me.
So does the man.
He slumps over in his seat.
“Oh my God,” Hanna cries out softly. “Did you kill him?”
I stare at the sight in wonder. I’ve never been able to kill anyone by sheer will before. I have to touch them with my bare hands on skin.
Hanna goes over to the man’s window and knocks on it. The man stirs, looking up at her with dazed eyes.
He says something. Probably a curse word.
“He’s not dead,” I say. “I probably stunned him. Just in time too, I think.”
I’m still fairly certain I can’t die in this world, but I’m not about to take my chances if I don’t have to.
Now, the man is quite awake and honks at me, making me jolt, and Hanna runs over, grabbing me by the arm. “Come on, before we cause a scene.”
She pulls me down a narrow street, away from the cars, as if she’s trying to hide me. “Cause a scene?” I ask. “If there was a scene, he’s the one who caused it. Imagine, not stopping when a god steps in front of you.” I scoff.
“You’re not supposed to step out in traffic, especially when there’s snow and ice on the road,” she chides me, hurrying me along. “You could have been killed.”
“I doubt that,” I say. “Though perhaps that’s one way I could get back to Tuonela.”
“Don’t even think about it,” she says. “You’d probably end up in Oblivion. I think you almost killed him, though. I didn’t know you knew how to do that, whatever that was.”
“Neither did I. Perhaps I have different powers and magic here than I do back in Tuonela.”
“Well, you’re about to put the power of your charm to the test,” she says as we come to a stop in front of a building with HOTEL on the sign. “Are you ready?”
I shrug. She looks a little nervous, as if our ploy won’t work, but at least now, I know I can make the front desk clerk go unconscious if needed.
We step inside to the beat of music I’m certain I’ve heard Lovia listen to before, and Hanna takes the lead. We walk past a busy looking food establishment that seems to be more about serving drinks than meals, across a tile floor to a counter where a very austere blond man with glasses stands.
“Can I help you?” he asks in English.
“Yes,” Hanna says, giving him a smile I don’t see her use too often. “I was wondering if you had any rooms available. We’d like to stay three nights.”
“Let’s see,” the man says, clicking on his computer. I’m curious as to what he’s doing, so I lean over the counter to try and take a look. But the man shields his screen, as if he’s working on something secretive, and gives me a dirty look while Hanna pulls at my furs.
She then proceeds to kick me lightly with her boot. I suppose you’re not supposed to look at the secrets on the other side of the desk.
“We have a few,” the secretive man says and then looks at me up and down. “I take it you need a king-sized bed.”
“Of course,” I say proudly. “I am a king. It’s about time that someone recognized that. So many mortals in this city do not.”
I’m still annoyed about that driver not stopping for me.
“Uh huh,” the man says, blinking slowly before clicking away at the computer again. “King-sized bed it is.”
I give Hanna a look to saysee? I knew it would be fit for a king.
“Alright, I’m just going to need some ID and credit card for payment,” the man says, looking at me then Hanna, then back to me again.
