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“Let’s gather our things and then head out,” I suggested. “Sandy is right. If we don’t get these people out of here, they’re going to die. The cold is only getting worse. Jovi and I will find improvised weapons for the survivors. You check in with Fyrcat.”
I expected him to argue, but he just turned his back on us and went to stand by the witch’s side.
“That’s strange,” Jovi said. “I thought he hated her.”
“I thought so too,” I muttered. “Something is very wrong there.”
Ogun latched onto Jovi the second she passed him in the corridor. The awkward dwarf babbled on and on about everything he knew of Midgard.
“And I cannot wait to try mac’n’cheese. It looks absolutely delicious!” Ogun said. He held a box of the stuff in his hands and rushed to explain, “It was in the kitchen. I thought we might need supplies.”
“How do you know what any of this stuff this?” Jovi chuckled. “Is there like… a TV or something in Muspelheim?”
Ogun blushed and tried to hide a little snicker behind his hand. “Uncle B has an enchanted mirror that I used to watch humans sometimes.”
“An enchanted mirror? Like from a fairytale?” Jovi walked over to the mirror that hung on the wall. “How do you know if it’s enchanted?”
“Oh, dwarfs can sense that sort of thing.” Ogun replied just as Skarde returned.
My brother and I shared a look of curiosity as Jovi seemed to grow more confused and Ogun rambled on. She did, however, have more sense than the two of us combined as she inquired how the dwarf was able to “detect” objects of magical significance.
“She’s ready,” Skarde said shortly. “We’re just waiting on you lot now.”
“You can sense magical objects,” Jovi said slowly. “So… could you find the Bifrost fragments? Because we could really use them about now.”
I found myself holding my breath in anticipation as we waited for his answer.
Ogun toyed with his beard for a moment before he exclaimed, “I don’t see why not! It shouldn’t be much different than sensing any other enchanted item from Asgard.”
***
Jovi
My head was pounding by the time we were ready to brave the wintry elements outside. Ogun knew so much about magic and mythology that it was hard to keep up. The tiny dwarf was nearly three thousand years old, and he’d spent the bulk of his life reading and watching Midgard through an enchanted mirror rather than learning the trade of his people. Ogun’s presence brought me an odd sense of comfort in addition to the headache from his clumsy data-dump of information. Neither of us were supposed to exist and yet we stood less than a foot away from two berserker wolves… and a witch with dubious intentions.
This entire situation seemed utterly impossible. Less than a week ago, I was doing hair in Sandy’s salon. Now I felt as if a whole decade had gone by in a matter of days.
I stood on tiptoe and pulled Torsten down for an ardent liplock. He responded enthusiastically. It was a little awkward with all the layers in the way, but we managed.
“I’m ready,” I said.
“I just bet you are,” Ogun said with a laugh.
Torsten’s lips lifted into a smile. He took my bag from my hands and turned to leave.
Skarde snatched Ogun off his feet. “One more word out of you, mouse, and I’ll feed you to a vargr.”
Ogun hadn’t missed a beat. He stroked his hand along Skarde’s jaw and batted his eyes. Then he drawled his words out flirtatiously. “My, my, Mr. Fatekissed. My pa would be positively scandalized if he saw you handling me with such… intimacy. A respectable lady should never be seen with a man of ill repute, like your handsome self.” He clutched a hand to his chest and scoffed in mock indignation.
I swallowed my laughter as Skarde’s face contorted into a look of bewilderment. He dropped Ogun and dusted his hands off as if touching the dwarf had dirtied him in some way.
“The others are outside with their pitiful weapons,” he snapped. “Honestly, brother, kitchen knives and garden tools? If a draugr is close enough to catch a knife to the face, those poor bastards are already dead.”
Torsten shrugged. “It’s less about arming them and more about calming them down. Being armed gives them a sense of control. Trust me, I’ve seen what happens when crowds get spooked. We don’t want that, especially with draugrs on the loose.”
Skarde let out a soft snort. “Sharp, reassuring teddy bears, hmm?”
“Something like that.”
