“Yes.” Cian gestured that Tor follow Raven. “Minutes ago.”
“I dreamt about this, didn’t I?” She looked from Tor to Cian. “So many times. Over and over. This was where I was in my trance before Tor arrived at the chalet.” She narrowed her eyes, thinking about it. “This would pull him to me...because this is where he found me.”
As if in answer to her question, Tor’s tiny dragon poked his head over a nearby boulder and rounded his eyes as if watching something. What, though? There was nothing here.
Until there was.
Her tiny dragon was cuddled against a large, ancient-looking tree. While not wounded, she seemed defeated and sad. That is until Tor peeked over the rock. In turn, she lifted her head and looked right back at him, her eyes just as round.
“You shouldn’t be here.” Raven clearly felt her emotions. “It was dangerous.” She squeezed her eyes shut before she opened them on Cian and frowned. “And you knew it.”
“I knew it,” he conceded, just as troubled. “But I could not stop it.” His gaze went to where the sun had just set. “I couldn’t stop anything once it started. All I could do was help afterward. Try to...”
“Try to what?” Raven asked when he shook his head and didn’t go on. “Where are you in this memory?” A frown settled on her face as though she sensed the same hovering doom as Tor. “And why wasn’t I born into Ireland like Jade when she lingered here?” She tried to catch her breath, but Tor could tell it suddenly felt impossible. “Why was I....” She shook her head, trying to understand her tiny newborn dragon soul. “Why was I caught in some kind of limbo?”
Though tiny Tor visibly shook in fear because his dragon soul surely sensed it wasn’t where it should be, it gathered its courage and left the rock behind. Braved its way over to her until, not understanding how to form words yet, it cuddled down beside her, not for its own safety but to offer her comfort.
“Because I was a medium,” he realized. “Even before I was born.” He looked at Raven. “And you were the first spirit I helped.” He shook his head. “Why here, though? It makes no sense that I would have ever left my mother's womb. The safety of Midgard.”
“It does if you were determined to help me.”
Granted, he wouldn’t hesitate to help her now, but would his unborn soul really be so brave? Really do that much for a perfect stranger? Because it was remarkably dangerous for him to be here.
He was lucky he was even born after this.
Then again, it seemed he had some help from the mysterioushimhe and young Cian had mentioned when battling in a memory earlier. Someone who seemed to have the Forge very much in hand, after all.
Chapter Nineteen
RAVEN HAD NEVER beenso grateful than when tiny Tor offered her tiny dragon comfort in their memory. She had clearly just been through something traumatic and didn’t want to be alone. They could not speak, but they didn’t need to. Words were not necessary to soothe her nerves.
“You cannot be here, little dragon,” came a familiar voice in the memory before Loki appeared. He crouched in front of the tiny dragons and held out his hand to Tor. “Come. You must return to your mother, or all this is for naught.”
“Allwhat?” Tor growled, plainly unhappy his tiny self was being asked to leave his new friend behind.
Tiny Tor shook his head defiantly and cuddled closer to Raven.
