Page 125 of Heart of Mischief

“Yes.” Charlie didn’t like sending Henry away, but she had no idea what was about to happen in this tiny, dark room, and she didn’t want him to worry any more than he already was. “It’s important that you stake out the surroundings before we go out there.”

Henry hesitated, his little head looking between Charlie and Mason.

“Don’t worry about me,” said Charlie, doing her best to keep her voice light. “If I get into any trouble in here, you’ll feel it. Okay?”

Placated, Henry nodded. The top of his hat flapped back and forth.I GO.

And he did, toddling across the floor and out the low door.

Moments later, Loki swept into the room, putting his back to them as he shut the door. “We don’t have much time,” he said. “I have to—”

“That’s Gungnir,” Charlie said, cutting right to the chase. “At the bottom of the pit, on that wooden floor. That’s the Seal.”

Loki turned around, raising his eyebrows. “That’s right, Charlie. Very well deduced.”

Something about hearing her name spoken by Loki’s voice—which sounded warmer, gravellier, away from the crowd’s prying eyes—made Charlie’s heart twist. There was a fondness there. A familiarity. As if he had said it many, many times before.

Could that be?

“I don’t understand,” she said, shaking her head. “All this time… the Seal has been here? In Helheim?”

“That’s correct,” said Loki. “The Seal is here, but it is connected to Asgard via Yggdrasil, as you probably noticed when you walked in. The wood that the spear is driven into is one of the many branches of the world tree itself. That’s how Yggdrasil’s magic can reach Asgard.”

“But…” Charlie stammered, casting around for the right question to ask. She was so lost. She’d been certain that Loki was looking for the Seal. That was the whole reason he’d sent Elias to Silver Shores in the first place—to find the Fenrir and ask for the Seal’s location. “But the Fenrir… You wanted Elias to capture him so that he would help you find the Seal.”

“I wanted Elias to capture the Fenrir—that’s correct,” said Loki. “I wanted to know what my son knew. But I never said that it was so that I could find the Seal.”

“But—” she started, but she froze when Loki stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Listen to me, Charlie,” he said, bending down to look her directly in the eyes. “I know you’re confused. I know you have questions. But there’s no time for me to answer them. Not right now. Right now, I need you to listen to what I’m about to say. Your life depends on it.”

Charlie could barely breathe. What was going on? She glanced over at Mason, who looked just as confused as she felt.

“The Trial is about to begin,” Loki said. “You’re going to have to grab hold of Gungnir for it. The Seal is the source of all skuggmagi. Every human that becomes a mare must face down the Seal and prove themselves strong enough to harness the shadows. If they do, the Seal will create a second being within you. A being made only of shadow.”

“Face it down?” Charlie whispered. “What does that mean?”

“It’s different for everyone,” said Loki. “You can’t know what you’ll face until you take hold of Gungnir.”

“But…” She shook her head. “No one should touch the spear, right? What if they accidentally pull it out of Yggdrasil? The Seal would vanish.”

“The Seal can only be pulled from Yggdrasil by the bringer of Ragnarök. That’s the prophecy that has been told and retold since the day it was created.” He gave her a small smile, lifting one eyebrow. “You aren’t planning on destroying Asgard, are you?”

“Of course not,” she said.

“Then please don’t fret. Just focus on making it through the Trial alive. Okay?”

Charlie glanced at Mason. Her brother could only shake his head. She looked back at Loki and said, “I don’t under—”

But before she could get the rest of the word out, all of the air left her body when Loki pulled her into the tightest hug she’d ever received in her life. She froze, arms suspended at her sides.

“I’m so sorry, Charlotte,” he whispered into her hair. “I’m sorry that this is how things played out. I’m sorry that I can’t give you the answers you need right now. Just know that I did everything I could to protect you. All of you, including your mother. I knew that no child of mine would ever be safe. Not truly. But I swear that I did everything I could to try and make it so.”

She was speechless. She had so many questions and no words to ask them.

Loki released her and grabbed Mason, pulling him into the same bone-crushing hug that she had received.

“I know you hate me,” he said, “and I understand why. But when Charlie makes it through this Trial alive, I’ll explain everything.” He pulled back, holding onto Mason’s shoulders and looking deep into his eyes. “I promise.”