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I blink at her, not understanding.
"They die in battle, don't get to go to Valhalla, and have to go to hell? Rude."
A smile twists at my lips. "Helheim isn't hell, Rissa."
"Uh, it says hell right there in the name, Dax."
"Ja, but Helheim existed long before any concept of hell that you know,elskan-ljós. Helheim is simply the afterlife. For most, it's neither a place of torment nor a haven. It's merely a place where life continues on in some form. Only those mired in darkness find Helheim unwelcoming."
"Fine, so they go to Not-Hell," she grumbles, finally loosening her grip on the pillow. It's misshapen now, all the feathers having escaped to the ends. She doesn't notice. "And the Valkyrie soul-bound the warriors they found worthy because Odin decided that was the way. What does this have to do with the price of tea in China?"
"It has nothing to do with the price of tea in China."
The tiniest of smiles dances across her lips. "It's a saying, Dax. It means I think you're telling me pointless, irrelevant things."
"Ah, I see." I push away from the wall, taking a tentative step in her direction. She doesn't immediately back away from me. A good sign. "Two thousand years ago, most of the Valkyrie were killed in the Final Battle."
"You mean Ragnarök?"
I nod. "With so few left to ferry souls across, the Forsaken started snatching them. Thousands upon thousands of souls, destroyed by an evil you can't even begin to comprehend."
"Wait. Who are the Forsaken and why do they want souls?"
"They're an ancient evil. One that predates anything you know." I hesitate. "I suppose they're the original concept of evil. Religion never gets it right considering not even the Gods wouldreveal where they came from, but religion tries to explain their existence the best it can."
"And they want souls because that's just their thing?"
"Nei. They feed off them."
"Gross." She scrunches up her face. "So, ancient soul-eaters."
"It's more complicated than that. Souls are power. They feed off the power for their dark magic. Butja, that's the gist of it."
"This was so not in the book my mom read," she mutters.
"It would not have been. The Æsir forbade any mention of the Forsaken on earth."
"Why?"
"Look what people have done with your devil," I murmur. "They exalt him as if evil deeds and the subjugation of the soul are something to aspire to. Do you think it would have gone differently with the Forsaken? The Æsir wouldn't risk starting a cult of willing disciples. Better to pretend the Forsaken didn't exist at all than to risk giving them an army of followers."
Rissa's brow furrows as she considers this. She's silent for a moment before she nods, swallowing hard. "Yeah," she whispers. "I guess you're right."
"The Valkyrie who were left after Ragnarök knew they had to do something to stop the Forsaken, so those who weren't bound to a warrior began to lay with humans."
"Lay with? You mean sleep with, right?"
"Ja. Sleep with." I take another step toward her. "They hoped to bolster their numbers by birthing Valkyrie capable of joining their ranks."
"Did it work?"
I shake my head. "Something else happened instead."
"What?"
"They set in motion a prophecy that will save the nine realms forever. Or destroy them for eternity."
She absorbs this quietly, her lips slightly parted.
