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Everyone looked to Diego when he finished the prophecy. “That’s the vision I saw, Astrid. I saw Tyr and that wolf shifter battling. I didn’t see the ending, but I got this feeling death was the outcome.”
A shiver ran down my spine. “That can be stopped, can’t it? We’re not going to lose you.”
Dad grabbed my knee. “Easy there, Ace. Prophecies are never exactly as they seem. They’re open to interpretation. That’s why Urd rarely believes they can be thwarted, but also why she took issue with her sister’s activities. Not prevailing in this prophecy’s case could mean many things other than death.”
“Death is death,” Tyr said.
Dad shook his head. “There are many ways something can die without dying.”
My brow furrowed. Was he right? Was there more to this? Then something else came to me. “Wait, isn’t there a human myth around that prophecy?”
I pulled out my phone and did a quick internet search. Before I found what I was looking for, Aya spoke up.
“Yes, the humans turned the prophecy into their myth for Ragnarök. They also gave a name to the wolf, though it couldn’t be true, because that name belonged to a shifter who wasn’t immortal.”
“Who was the shifter?” Diego asked.
“Garmr,” I said, my voice grave. I stared at my phone, the myth of Ragnarök displaying Tyr’s predicted death. My hand shook, my mind flashing with memories of a celebration long ago. “It’s him.”
“Astrid, it can’t be,” Aya protested.
I jerked my head up. “It’s him. He’s definitely immortal. I remember him.”
Tension filled the air, and Tyr leaned forward. “Keep talking.”
“Do you remember the celebration where Odin asked me to heal Muninn?”
They both nodded.
“Remember, Garmr was with Odin, and he wouldn’t stop watching me.”
I turned to my dad. “And do you remember the dog Mother brought home? It was sickly but large, and it had a scar on its face.”
“Yes, though it wasn’t as large as typical wolf shifters.”
“But magic can make a shifter smaller. He told Mother about me. His entire goal is to kill me.” I shifted my gaze to Tyr. “To weaken you because he can’t kill you otherwise. He’s using the knowledge of the first prophecy to ensure the second comes to pass.”
Tyr set his jaw, his fist clenching.
“That wolf that attacked us earlier today looked exactly like the one my mother brought home, just larger,” I said. “And… and I saw Garmr at the festival.”
“What?” Tyr and Aya said in unison.
I held up a placating hand. “I didn’t realize it was him. I ran into a man who looked unwell, and he gave me unsettling vibes, so I got away from him as fast as I could. It wasn’t until now could I place his face. Garmr is definitely immortal.”
“But why would he do this?” Aya murmured. “We could assume he was after you and Tyr on Odin’s orders during that battle. Odin believed the rumors that Tyr made you into a Valkyrie and was furious. He couldn’t accept any god, especially not Tyr, who challenged him at every turn, could have made a new Valkyrie, wingless or not, when he couldn’t remember how to do it himself.”
“But why kill Astrid?” Diego asked. “You said Odin was a possessive bastard. Why not force her into his service?”
“Probably because he thought I was tainted.” I made a face. “Or he didn’t think I was perfect enough, so he needed me to disappear so I’d be forgotten about, and he’d be the only god remembered as having Valkyries. Regardless of his reasons, he sent Garmr after me, and the wolf made the active choice to kill me. And then, after Odin died, he’s continued to do so, most likely out of loyalty to Odin. But that also means he’d have to go to great lengths to even find out I was reincarnated, let alone seek me out. And the fact he was able to do so better than either of you is…”
“Disturbing,” Diego finished for me. “Which means there’s more going on than we know.”
I chewed my lower lip and looked to Dad. “There’s something else… I think… I think Mother is back.”
The glass in my father’s hand cracked. “What?”
“When I was at the festival, I passed a woman with red hair.” I licked my lips. “I didn’t get a good look at her, but the same overwhelming sensation of panic as when I ran across Garmr hit me. I’ve never had that experience with random redheads I’ve encountered on the street. I think… I think it was her.”
