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“Desert Storm,” I finished.
Astrid tipped her head. “Tyr?”
I summoned my axe, making Rory jump, and tugged on the leather wrapping on the haft. It came loose with ease and upon unraveling the material, I revealed tightly bound and protected dog tags.
Rory sat up more, his eyes wide.
I removed the dog tags and offered them to the man. “I met your son. I couldn’t get him out of the place that would become his body’s tomb, but I made a promise to return these to his family should I ever find them. Know, he died with honor worthy of any warrior.”
Tears welled in Rory’s eyes. He reached for his son’s tags, but just before he could take them, Astrid touched them with her finger. I looked at her, to find her eyes unfocused.
“There’s a soul in these,” she mumbled.
Magic sparked from her fingertips, and I jerked back when it formed into a translucent man. Gasps filled the air.
“E–Ethan?” Rory managed.
The spirit, or projection of a spirit—I wasn’t sure what was going on, as I’d never seen this before—smiled at his father. They reached each other, and on upon contact, golden magic tendrils curled up Rory’s arm. His eyes widened and tears broke free, trickling down his cheeks.
“Your mother and I are so proud of you,” he said.
“I know.” Ethan’s words came out distorted, the magic struggling to simulate them.
They exchanged a few more words before Astrid spoke up. “Are you ready, Ethan?”
He saluted her, and she smiled before touching his form. “To Fólkvangr you go, then.”
His spirit faded into sparkles that lifted high into the heavens. This choice didn’t surprise me. Astrid and Aya had talked about it after she became a Valkyrie. Astrid wasn’t comfortable sending souls to Valhalla, even if Odin was gone. So they agreed she’d send them to Aya.
“Fólkvangr?” Officer Rory said. “Not Valhalla?”
Astrid shook her head. “He deserves a more prestigious place of rest.”
Rory broke down, holding the dog tags close to his chest. Astrid comforted him, guiding him through his final stage of healing that her Valkyrie soul called her to do.
When he calmed, we helped Officer Rory up. He stood taller, and seemed a little younger, as if the weight of his burdens had aged him prematurely.
This now only left the inevitable discussion. Darius had joined us during our moment with Rory, and Diego had returned to his human form, though it appeared as though Raeni was pestering him. Aya found it funny, whatever the teen was doing.
“I’m really sorry, everyone,” Astrid said. “We never meant for this to happen. I didn’t think they’d go so far as to attack innocent people. We—”
“Oh no, don’t you dare.” Carrie pushed herself to the front. “Don’t you dare tell us you’re going to leave, girl.”
Astrid held up a placating hand. “Things are only going to get worse. And we—”
“And you what? Want us to pretend we didn’t see any of this?” Carrie challenged. “Pretend that the fairy tales we tell our children aren’t actually true? That things that go bump in the night aren’t real?”
She vehemently shook her head. “No. Absolutely not. If things like that are out there, you ain’t going anywhere, Astrid.”
Officer Rory placed a hand on Astrid’s shoulder. “Your family has been here for a long time. You grew up here. I don’t know how a Valkyrie can grow up, but I think we’re all willing to hear you out. We can’t forget what we’ve seen. So, if we know more, maybe we can all agree on how to move forward.”
Most of the townsfolk nodded. Some were unsure, but they were by far the minority. It didn’t surprise me. Darius and Astrid had built a strong foundation here. These people would trust her with their lives because of that.
Astrid nodded. “Okay. I think we can do that.”
I noticed the weariness in her eyes. Her adrenaline was wearing off, and she’d used a lot of magic today. This had been more than a test. This had been everything she’d been training for, and she’d done incredibly.
Raeni raised her hand. “Can I start by asking why Diego gets to be a dragon and I can’t?”
