“I think so, yes.”
“I knew so,” Raven murmured. “Because I had summoned you.” She glanced at Tor. “Summoned you to lead me out of here. To show me the way.”
“What way?” he asked.
“I’m not sure yet.” She was sure of something, however. “They’re going to show us soon.” She looked at Maya and Jade. “Everyone should spread out to protect the people here. Leviathan and Destiny are at the Keep already. Thorulf and Jade should go to the Stronghold and Maya and Dagr, the Fortress.” She looked at Trinity and Vicar. “You guys will be sticking with us for now.”
“Very good.” Loki winked at Revna and grinned. “I like a woman who takes charge.”
He might say as much, but Raven got the distinct impression he’d prefer to take charge of the seer rather than the other way around.
Raven looked at Revna. “You should prepare your seers and fire demons for battle, then find us when the time is right.”
She had no idea what she meant by that, only that it was the thing to say. While tempted to tell Loki to keep an eye on Revna, there was no need. It was clear the god had decided to remain by her side as often as possible.
“Damn, girl.” Jade chuckled. “Look at you go!” She eyed the area above Raven’s head. “And I’ve gotta say, the spooky aura you sometimes get back home looks good on you now. All dark and mystic and bad-ass.”
Raven could admit it felt better now. Where at home it had been a draining, negative energy, it seemed to be morphing here. Turning into something that felt more natural. Like a second skin. Or an extension of her magic.
“You can’t stay long, can you?” Tiny Tor asked, drawing them back to the memory. He hung his head. “You have somewhere you need to be?”
“I do.” Raven jumped down from the rock. “But not quite yet. First, I need you to show me the way.”
“The way where?”
“I’m not sure.” She pouted. “I thought you would?”
Tor considered that before he perked up and jumped down too. “Why don’t I show you the way up? That way, you’ll know where to find me when you return.” His eyes grew hopeful. “Because you will be, won’t you? You’ll return so I can keep helping you?”
“I truly thought you were a spirit,”Tor rumbled, clearly as taken by her dragon as she was by his. He recalled the sadness he felt that she would eventually leave him to move on.
“Technically, I was,” Raven replied as tiny Tor and Raven made their way out of the cave. She said a quick goodbye to Maya and Jade, then manifested tiny fireballs to light the way up into the mountain. Revna and Loki headed in another direction. Cian, Vicar, and Trinity remained with Raven and Tor.
“I’m getting the sense that even though I was born eventually,” Raven went on, “having one foot still in Vanaheim somehow means I’m not fully here.” She looked at Cian. “My ethereal state when I arrived might have been a safeguard but being a wraith isn't altogether unfamiliar to me, is it?”
He shook his head but offered no further details, thanks to her own damn request. This would all be one big guessing game until it wasn’t. Until she, whether it seemed plausible or not at the moment, mated with Tor then Forged. Right now, that seemed like a long shot. They had a few hurdles to jump over first.
“Is that what you would call them?”Tor seemed to be making himself right at home in her mind.“I’d say they’re more than that.”
Probably. Or so said Cian’s blatant honesty. The way he felt about her. Or at least once had. Because she sensed that although he’d struggled with it, he had come far. He’d conceded to Tor. Odd knowing she had been so close to men like these two and had no recollection of it. Because heck, they were a memorable sort.
“This way.” Tiny Tor led Raven up a steep, narrow tunnel. “I think you’ll like what I’m going to show you.”
“This isn’t the typical way out,”Tor noted after they followed the memory for a bit.“As far as I remember, I’ve never been this way before.”
“Nor I,” Vicar concurred. “It’s heading toward the side of the mountain closest to the outer edges of the Realm.”
“Not the outer edges,” Raven murmured as the little dragons scurried along. “But inside the Realm.”
“No part of this mountain is inside the Realm.”They were in a safer area now, so Tor shifted back to his human form and spoke aloud. “Close but not inside it. That would have been too dangerous for seers and dragons alike. Too much magic converging.”
“Yet it exists.” Raven gestured ahead. “And it looks like tiny Tor knew it too.”
“Oh,wow,” Trinity said, impressed with good reason. Tiny Tor had led Raven to a spectacular cave swirling with dark, glittering mist and mirror-like rock. “Is this what Vanaheim looks like?”
“Yes.” Raven had no memory to substantiate that but knew she was right.
“It’s beautiful,” tiny Raven gushed. Her heart was in her eyes when she looked from Tor to the cave. “How did you know I would like it so much?”
