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Chapter Thirteen
“If you want to win a good woman, speak cheerfully to her. And enjoy it while you do.
Make promises to her, and keep your promises. You’ll never regret winning such a prize.”
—The Eddic poemHavamal
Day One, After: Dazed.
The countdown had begun.
Everything was different,after.
Last night had completely altered Eir’s perspective of the world. Of her existence. There was no going back.
On the eighth day, the Frost Giant was prophesized to come down from his ice mountain and raze the village to the ground. That meant seven more days to prepare.
Seven more days with Kai. The man she…prized above all else.
Eir felt like she was living in a bubble of surrealism. A part of herself seemed to look down at her from above, floating in a cloud of disbelief.
How was this her life?
Counting down moments like a miserly troll counting and hoarding coins.
Time had never held meaning for a demi-god. She barely recalled the Beginning, and the End was an unknown distance of time away. Ragnarök could come tomorrow or thousands of years from now. There was no point waiting for it. There was only preparation.
But, for the first time in Eir’s long existence, none of that mattered. Suddenly, time could be measured, and each and every second was full of meaning.
Seven days.
Was this truly all she had with Kai? Whether she would take him for Valhalla or he would return to his own world, from what she’d gathered from his friends would happen when he died in battle, the result would be the same—
No more Kai for Eir.
She would lose him.
There was a chance that he would come back to her. This was not the only time he’d come in human form to her realm.
But Eir knew, in her soul of souls, that he wouldn’t return if he…departed…this time. One way or another, this would be the last time she encountered him.
The last chance.
She simplyknew.
Kai’s booming laughter made her eyes widen and her mouth fall open involuntarily.
She would never get used to seeing him so open and happy. There was no sight more beautiful in all the worlds.
He was teaching the village children how to defend themselves with wooden swords, taking a break from instructing the men and a few of the women on battle maneuvers and warfare.
The children loved him, it was clear. Whenever he took a break, they would gather around, climbing all over him like a mountain, begging to ride on his shoulders and back. They followed him everywhere and brought him water and food. They chattered excitedly while he listened, simply nodding his head and humming deeply in his chest to show that he was paying attention.
Like a great pet, Eir thought. A pet dragon.
But there was also starry-eyed hero-worshipping. No doubt the adults had told their little ones about the prophesy of the warrior who would come to save their home. The village elder certainly spun tales in the evenings during supper. The skald embellished and expanded upon them, captivating his audience, young and old.
Most of all, Eir could see that the innocents loved Kai because ofKai. How could they not? He was…
