Freya and Odr share a look. The meaning is unreadable from my vantage point.
“When was this?” Freya asks.
“Before—when the imposter was on the throne and I hadn’t yet joined the rebellion.”
“What did she say?” Odr asks. His grip on the arms of the chair has his knuckles turning white.
“Come find us.” My words come out rough, laced with the fear I feel writhing under my skin.
Freya leans back in her chair, her jaw clenched tightly. Odr curses under his breath, his head shaking from side to side. The black strands remind me of raven’s wings.
“We have to tell her,” he says to Freya. She rubs the bridge of her nose and heaves a sigh.
I take a step towards them but freeze.Tell me what?
Freya cracks open an eye and grimaces. “Have a seat, Lena.”
Her voice carries all the weight and authority of the goddess she is. But I ignore the order, crossing my arms over my chest.
I am so fucking sick of people keeping things from me.
“No.”
Shock has Odr whipping his head to me. Apparently, that isn’t a word they hear too often.
But Freya merely nods. She clears her throat, looking for all the world that this is the worst news I’ll ever hear. “All the gods and goddesses are missing.”
My head tilts to the side of its own accord. I don’t understand. “What do you mean,all?”
“Odin isn’t the only god who is missing,” she says each word with caution. “Badb, Morrigan, Danu, and Tyr.They are all gone.”
Those words I do understand. Dread pools in my stomach. Ice cold fear slices through my chest.
And I’m breaking. This is what breaking apart feels like. The world shudders and I grip onto the bench for support.
“How?” I barely manage to choke out the word.
Odr shrugs. “We don’t know. We only realized they all were missing after we couldn’t reach Odin and then the fates began whispering of war.”
“So you’re telling me we’re about to be in the middle of a multi-realm war and we don’t have any other gods or goddesses on our side?”
Freya shakes her head and the white locks ripple with the movement. “You see why it is of paramount importance that you begin your training. Between this realm, ours, and a few of our allies we have been able to reach—we’re on our own.”
My stomach twists into knots, tying my ability to breathe up with it. We’re up against entire armies of monsters and creatures from my worst nightmares—and we’re all alone.
“But we don’t stand a chance?” My voice trembles along with my legs.
Odr nods grimly, his hand reaching out to grasp Freya’s. Her eyes become vacant as her shoulders droop.
“We don’t have a choice.”
With nothing left to do—I pace. My feet striking roughly against the stone helps to keep me centered. But my mind spins. I try my best to practice mindfulness, but not even Torin’s masterful trick can help me now.
They sit in silence, allowing me time to wrap my mind around everything this means. How hilarious this moment is inrelation to the last time I paced the terrace. Then it was learning the solution to our magic problem, now—it’s our doom.
We’re going to die. All of us.
I feel like a cliff standing against the rising shore. With each passing wave, more of me is eroded away. Eventually, I’ll have nothing left, right?
