11
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After the guards took my mother away, there was no getting the courtroom back in order, and Odin knew it.
I was beside myself. How could they just haul her away like that? How could Odin allow it?
Odin stood, his voice harsh. “We will hear no more on this day. I am postponing this trial until the morrow’s eve.” He pounded a gavel and walked out.
He’d been right. This was not the man I’d met in the forest last night. This Odin wasn’t mild, out for a walk by the stream to chat with his daughter. He was just the opposite—a man who ruled this realm with uncompromising authority.
Guards raced into the circle to escort Fen back to his jail cell. I watched as they pulled him roughly out of his seat, dragging him out. He glanced up at me and mouthed the words, It will be okay, shieldmaiden.
I desperately wanted to believe him.
Behind me, Rae ordered the Valkyries to file out. “We find the god of war and then head to the jail. They will not hold our sister for long. The charges are unjust, and we will see her freed.”
Sam and I took up the rear, heading across the catwalk and down the stairs, emerging in the main hallway. It was crowded as throngs of people streamed out around us. The Valkyries stuck together, many with their weapons out.
The Asgardians gave us a wide berth. I was glad for it. We didn’t need another issue.
As we stood in the large foyer, the main door to the courtroom opened. Ingrid walked out, her expression stormy. Behind her, a group emerged who were clearly not from Asgard.
Many of them had long, flowing blond hair and wore the equivalent of tights covered by short tunics. Their bodies were adorned with decorative flowers and vines. They were also heavily armed.
In the middle I spotted Callan.
These were the white elves from Alfheim.
Callan saw me and waved, smiling brightly as he made his way over, his contingency following closely at his heels. Even though he looked happy to be there, it was clear that his companions were not. “Ah, Phoebe, it’s wonderful to see you.” He pulled me into a quick embrace.
“It’s great to see you, too,” I told him. “It means a lot that you stood up for Fen in there.”
“It was my pleasure,” he replied. “I have not forgotten what you did for me. My people were happy to see me, of course, but I felt it was my duty to come back and be of service, for without you I would not have lived to tell my tale.”
“I’m happy you did,” I said, not hiding my distress. “I wish things had turned out differently, both in Svartalfheim and inside that courtroom.”
“Yes, I as well,” he agreed. “That goddess had no right to have your mother arrested. They will not hold her for long.”
I grasped his hand. “Will I see you tomorrow?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t miss it for anything,” Callan said, winking. “I will stand up for you, and if your sentence is unjust, I will stay and continue to fight on your behalf.”
“That’s very kind of you, Callan,” I said. “But I don’t want you to get into any trouble. Showing up and speaking for me is more than enough.” I caught the eye of one of Callan’s followers, who sneered at me.
Clearly, he thought so, too.
“Nonsense,” Callan said, brushing my concerns aside. “I’m a very powerful mage. I will provide my services where I can. After all, if it wasn’t for you, the god of light, that giant of yours, and the proud wolf, I wouldn’t be here. I would’ve passed on through the veil. I owe you all my life.”
He’d brought up Junnal, who’d been taken prisoner by Invaldi. “Have you heard any news about my giant friend?” I asked hopefully. Junnal had become my friend, and I missed him. I hoped Invaldi and his crew weren’t torturing him.
“The giant didn’t make it back?” Callan seemed surprised.
I shook my head sadly. “No. We’ve only heard gossip that Invaldi took him prisoner. We have no means to go back and retrieve him at the moment.”
Callan patted my hand. “I will look into it and see what I can find. If it’s within my power to do so, I will help him.”
“Thank you.” I smiled. “That would be wonderful.”
He gave me a small bow. “Until tomorrow, my dear.” Callan smoothly pivoted to my left, where Rae stood, her arms crossed. “Ah, Battle Captain, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance again. You look ravishing as usual.”
“Callan the Captive,” she replied with a small nod, her eyes giving away nothing, her stance unchanged.
Callan laughed good-naturedly. “Not anymore,” he said. “I am back to being Callan the Capable, thanks to our illustrious Phoebe.” He glanced at me, inclining his head. “I look forward to seeing you both tomorrow.” Then he left, his band of white elves trailing behind, none of them looking overly ecstatic with the encounter.
I turned to Rae. “He likes you.”
Rae made a noise in the back of her throat, sounding vaguely like she had a hairball stuck in there. “I have no time for such nonsense. Come, let’s move.” The Valkyries strode out of the High House and down a short road to the gate.
The jail sat just outside the boundaries, which I now realized was ultra-convenient, especially when arresting innocent mothers who had done nothing wrong.
Once we cleared the gate, I saw a small crowd had assembled in front of the jail. They were yelling hateful things about my mother and Fen.
When the Valkyries arrived, weapons drawn, the crowd stood back, clearing the way for us. “Reggie,” Rae called. “May I have a word?”
Rae’s cousin didn’t look happy to see her, but he bobbed his head and strode forward. Before the battle captain could say anything, he stated, “There’s nothing I can do. Odin has ordered that they both remain inside until tomorrow’s hearing. His word reigns supreme, as you know.”
“That’s my sister in there,” Ingrid snarled. “Frigg had no jurisdiction to be in that courtroom, much less sentence my sister for anything. We want Leela out, and we will take full responsibility for her.”
“I wish I could help.” Reggie shrugged. “But my hands are bound. If you have an issue, you’ll have to take it up with Odin himself. My orders are that they are to stay where they are. Nothing you can say will change that, even if you draw your weapons on us. Doing so would only incur the wrath of the leader of gods.”
Rae gave her cousin a hard stare, but ultimately, she looked away. “Unless we request an audience with Odin, which is unlikely to happen today, we must head back to the Stronghold.”
“There’s seriously nothing we can do?” I asked. “My mother didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Those are the breaks, kid,” Ingrid said, grumbling under her breath. “Unfair as it is. Unless we snag a meeting with Odin, things stay as they are. My guess is that Odin is keeping Leela here for her own good, so that nothing happens to her. You saw Frigg back there. She’s clearly out of her mind and not thinking straight.” Ingrid turned from the gate. “Let’s head back. Things in Asgard are as unstable as I’ve ever seen them. Phoebe needs protection. The best place we can do that is there.”
As the Valkyries began to march, making their way back to the Stronghold, my grandmother steered me gently, tugging me back. She whispered, “We must make one stop first, but it’s a secret.”
“What do you mean?” I whispered back.
“We have an important errand to run. I can say no more right now,” she said. “But we must slip away quietly.”
“We have to tell Ingrid and Rae,” I insisted. “We can’t just disappear. They will hunt all over for us.”
“I’ve been instructed not to say a word to anyone,” Grete said. My grandmother’s tone held a note of panic, which made me take notice.
Sam was close enough to overhear, and she leaned in. “I saw that strange man talking to you,” Sam said to my grandmother. “Does that have something to do with this?” Sam glanced at me. “What? I was surprised more people didn’t notice him. He had an odd look about him, shifty-eyed and uncomfortable. Or maybe it was nervous and worried. Hard to tell.”
The three of us dropped to the back. None of the other Valkyries noticed. My grandmother murmured, “Yes, that was the man. He gave me a very important message, and it’s not something we can afford to ignore.”
“The last visitor who had a very important message for us,” I said, “ended up dead with my mother’s arrow through his neck. I’m not sure it’s safe to trust an outsider.”
“Normally, I would agree with you,” my grandmother said. “But I know this man personally.” She addressed Sam. “He looked uncomfortable because the news he shared with me could get him into trouble. But we must make this stop. It’s imperative for Phoebe to have as much information as she can gather before she’s exiled. I must insist we go.”
I had no reason not to trust my grandmother, but I was still unsure what to do. “Can we at least tell Ingrid? She’s your daughter. Surely you can entrust the information with her.”
Grete shook her head. “Ingrid would be bound to tell Rae. She is her battle captain and her superior. And then Rae would instruct the Valkyries to protect you. It would draw too much attention, and all would be lost.” Grete clutched my hands in hers, her face imploring. “I know you have no reason to take me at my word, as we hardly know each other, but you are my flesh and blood. I love you as I do my own daughters. It kills me that they’ve taken Leela away after she’s been through so much, but I would never put you in harm’s way. We must do this. It will give you an edge to survive where you’re going.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “But how are we going to sneak away? And once they find out I’m gone, how do we keep them from searching for us?” We had slowed our pace considerably, and there was now a large gap between us and the rest of the Valkyries.
“With these.” My grandmother held out her hand. In her palm rested three small pebbles, roughly the size of acorns. Cloak stones. Ingrid had given me one when the ettins were in pursuit. “They are cued so only our quarry and their helpers can see us. To everyone else, we disappear. Once we ingest them, we simply duck down the next street.” My grandmother was acting like this was going to be a piece of cake. “We can’t stop the Valkyries from searching for us,” she went on, “but this will give us some time. We must hope the meeting goes quickly. The effects of the stones will only last one hour.”
I glanced at Sam, who nodded. She was always up for an adventure. “Okay.” Sam and I each took a stone. “We take them on three. One…two…three.” We each popped one into our mouth. It was slightly bitter with a sweet aftertaste, just like before.
Luck was on our side, because none of the Valkyries had noticed we’d trailed behind, and none noticed us become invisible. My grandmother took off down the next street. Sam was at my side as we hurried after her. “This is so exciting,” Sam gushed. “But we’re going to be in so much trouble when Rae finds out. She’s going to be mad as a hatter. Her face is going to do that thing where it scrunches up and you can barely see her eyes. When she makes that face, I always think steam is going to pour out of her ears.”
“Ingrid won’t be far behind. She’s going to be angry at us for keeping it a secret.” My grandmother was a few paces ahead. “I hope it’s close by.”
“It is,” Grete said. “It’s just up ahead.”
The street we were on had very few people on it, and no one gave us a second glance. The cloak stones were working as intended.
At the end of the block, a cluster of businesses were set apart from the houses, closer to the street. One in particular was painted a bright blue and had a sign hanging in front that read: Welcome to the Blue House: A Free Jug of Ale With Any Prediction.
“Does this have something to do with Mersmelda?” I asked.
My grandmother ducked behind the building, ignoring my question. Grete rapped her knuckles on a plain wooden door three times. A second later, it opened partway, and a stout face glanced out. The man was short, but clearly Asgardian. “Is she here?” he asked, his voice higher than expected and stressed.
“Yes,” my grandmother answered. “But it will only be moments before the Valkyries swarm this area. Please let us in.”
The strange balding man who looked to have one glass eye, judging by size and glossiness, opened the door a foot more, allowing us to slip inside. “Come with me.” He headed up a steep staircase at a brisk pace. “She is just now arrived, but she’s not in good shape.”
We hurried up behind him, Sam murmuring, “It certainly looks like you’re about to get your future predicted.”
“It appears that way,” I said. “I hope it’s the same woman who’s been in correspondence with my mother all these years.”
“And it’s not a trap,” Sam said. “It would be super nice if this isn’t an ambush with a thousand goblins here to take you prisoner.”
The man hobbled down a long hallway, stopping at the end, giving the door a mild tap. “She is arrived,” he whispered through the crack. There was a murmured response, and the man glanced at me, nodding once. “You may go in alone.”
I patted my broadsword, which was sheathed at my waist. I also had Gram in my belt. He hadn’t asked me to get rid of my weapons, nor would I have. Who knew what was waiting for me behind those doors? Sam could be right, it could be a goblin ambush. I edged past my grandmother, who murmured, “We will await you out here. Have no fear, Phoebe. This can only help you.”
I clasped the knob. The door swung freely.
The room was dark, illuminated by only a small orb of blue light that came from a lamp on a small table. A figure sat next to it, shrouded head to toe in cloth. Her head was covered by a hood. “Come in.” Her voice sounded much younger and sweeter than I’d anticipated. “Sit. We have very little time, and I have a lot to tell you.” She gestured to a chair situated across from her.
I did as I was told and sat. “My sisters will find out I’m missing very soon.”
“Yes.” Her petite hands came up, pulling back the hood so I could see her face for the first time. I tried not to gasp. She couldn’t have been more than eighteen. “I assure you I am much older than I appear. It is my curse to age slowly.” She had long golden locks, clear blue eyes, and high cheekbones. She was very beautiful.
“Are you Mersmelda?”
She nodded once. “I am. I have been in contact with your mother for many years.”
“I thought you fled Asgard for your safety.”
“Indeed, I did,” she said. “I am only here by the grace of Mugin.” She gestured behind her.
I startled backward, my hand clamping over my quickly beating heart. The large raven sat almost immobile on top of a bookcase. “Mugin?”
“You are familiar with Hugin, I’m told. These ravens are agents of Odin’s. Mugin’s specialty is memory. He can retrieve any memory from your brain, as well as retrieve another’s for you to experience. He also has powerful cloaking abilities.”
“Did Odin order you to meet with me?” It made sense if Mugin was here.
“No, your mother did.” A faint smile crossed her lips. “The ravens became quite attached to her during her time with Odin, and she sent a message to Mugin. Although the bird has the ability to cloak me for a time, I’m still not safe in Asgard. We must finish this meeting as quickly as possible.”
“Who wishes you harm?” I leaned forward.
“The same who seek you,” she replied.
“The Norns?”
“Yes. I am the last of the great seers in Asgard. I have kept my existence quiet for most of my life. My mother foresaw the dangers set before me, as she, too, was a seer. But she was not able to escape her fate. I have come to tell you that there is hope in your future. But also great peril. If you succeed in your quest, your life will be filled with happiness. If you do not, you will die. There is no in-between.”
That wasn’t dire news at all.