Asger pulled the tablet from my hands as Loki dies. I didn’t get to say goodbye. Just like last time the choice was taken, ripped from me. I collapse on him, his body still warm and let everything I’ve held at bay break free. I hear others crying, they also are finally letting themselves mourn. Like myself, they mourn for not just Loki but for everything we’ve lost.

The sun has moved far across the sky and his body has cooled when I feel the ground shifting beneath my feet.

‘You all have sacrificed much. Yggdrasil sacrificed all. Loki has long sacrificed his very being. Now, he has saved all that I hold dear with his final sacrifice. She had many chosen, those picked to help her right the wrongs of her people. I have but one, you. Long ago she spoke of how he would be the one to defeat Odin. She spoke of the tablet we had hidden and how she would use it to save her champion. She did not foresee her demise.’ I listened to the soft voice in my head, unwilling to hope. I keep my eyes closed my cheek over his heart. ‘Since the beginning of your line, we guided your people on a path that led to you. My chosen. The one who would save us all. I did not need you to have magic like that that they brought here. Your magic is love. Your gifts, while amazing, were not needed to save us and yourself. It is the love you feel for the man, not the God, that will save you both. Did you not think I knew of your thoughts to abandon us to our fate? Is it not the ultimate love to give something up knowing it will destroy you? Two champions willing to sacrifice everything deserve at least happiness.’ Her voice fades away, and he sinks into the ground, the soil closing over him as the others gasp. I hold up my hand from where I sit upon the ground silently asking them to wait. I know the moment they feel her presence, the sobs turned from those of anguish to those of joy.

We stay among the stones for days. The others come and go, getting supplies and setting up a makeshift camp. I hardly moved from the spot. Someone has wrapped a blanket around me. Another puts food and drink in my hand, forcing me to eat. I am aware of those that take shifts sitting with me, watching me. I do not speak. I replay her words over and over in my head. Emotions undulate from rage to gratitude. How dare she sit by and watch his torment, our torment, and the destruction that is still playing out around us. The world stinks of death, and the air is filled with decay. Listen closely and you can hear the dismay of those left.

How do we move on from something like this? Even if she saves him there will be no happily ever after, not here. I suddenly understand that was her point. This is been a reset. They both wanted to give humans a chance without magic. A chance for things to be different if they are meant to be. One day, maybe, they will be ready for magic to return.

Ten days pass and still nothing. The sun is beginning to rise marking the beginning of the eleventh when the earth begins to part. Pushing up quickly, I stare at the ground as I wipe the dirt from my cheek. Tears leave streaks of clean skin in their wake. I call out shakily to the others. In moments, they have all gathered around and watch as the earth pushes him out. A rebirth.

We all hold our breath. There’s no movement, no rise and fall of his chest and no fluttering of eyelashes. For a moment, I fear it has all been a cruel joke. He draws a gasping breath, sitting straight up. We all jump, the held breaths rushing from our lungs. The air is filled with curse words. I hear Sean mumble zombie apocalypse, and the tension is broken as we all began to laugh. It is the crazy laughter caused by tension and distress.

His gray eyes look at us in confusion, and we laugh harder. My laughter turns to tears of joy in an instant when he says my name. I’m frozen, terrified to go to him, terrified this is a dream.

“Cora?” Hurt fills his eyes at my hesitation. Reaching out, I run my fingers over his jaw, marveling in the warmth of his skin. He turns his face, pressing into my palm, his lips feathering over my skin. I fall on him, dragging him against me tightly, wrapping my arms around him like steel bands. I’m crying, my lips by his ear as I let everything out. He holds me tightly. The others fade away, giving us privacy. All my fears and heartaches tumble past my lips, but he just holds me.

Her words come so fast I don’t even understand most of them. I just hold her, listening and thinking of Gaia’s last words to me. I remember nothing after seeing Cora’s face and feeling the thing inside me tearing me apart. Until Gaia’s words as I awakened. ‘You’ve been dead ten days.’ Ten days she has sat in the dirt, waiting to see if I would return. Her words finally stop, and she hiccups trying to stop her tears. I pull back and look at her face. I relax when I see what I was looking for. Love.

I reach for my magic; it’s still there, just a little less. Who am I kidding? A lot less, but there is also glorious silence. I don’t ask, I don’t say anything at all, and I’m sure the others will understand. Her eyes widened when she feels me begin to sift. I take her to our little home. It is safe in the mountains, far from any of the destruction. I carry her first to the hot springs, stripping her and myself before climbing in. There are no words, for we do not need any. Instead it is a declaration, a promise, and a worship with our bodies.

This is no frenzied fucking. We take our time. Hours later, we lie tangled around each other in the bed. My heart pounds as I fight to catch my breath. I run my fingers over her skin that is damp with sweat. Tipping her head back, she looks up at me a sensual smile on her face. She slides her slickened skin over mine as she moves to take my lips. We get lost once again, only breaking apart because of the need to draw breath.

“I will never get enough.” I frame her face with my hands. “We have eternity, and it will still never be enough.”

We talk into the night. She tells me of the others’ decision to withdraw to our own realms. I’m not sure if I want to do that. There is no place in the other realms that feels like home. But then neither does this world. We make no decision other than to go with the others for now. She is talking, telling me everything that I missed while they had me knocked out and while I was dead, when she falls asleep. Her exhaustion overwhelms her mid sentence. I cover her and then slowly ease from the bed. I feel as if I’ve slept for years, and if I’m honest, fear grips me at the idea of closing my eyes.

When she wakes, we return to the others. I find them on a yacht far from shore. They are discussing what to do with the tablet.

“We can’t destroy it. So what are we going to do with it?” Michael paces as he looks at the tablet.

“I’ve been thinking about that.” I look at Cora in surprise.

“You have? When did you have time?” She laughs at my faked outrage. The sound of it, her laughter, lightens my heart. Just speaking of the tablet had made it pound.

“Don’t you know, cher, I can multitask.” She winks. “Anywho, I was thinking Gaia was talking about, well, basically seems like she wasn’t against the magic exactly, she was against the fact of how the magic had changed this world. So I think we lock it away but leave a message for whoever might find it. A warning and a history of sorts. And then we ward and spell it so only someone who can control it can find it.”

We all stared at her. “There ain’t nobody who can control it.” Emma stares at me, pointing. “If he can’t, how could a human?”

“I actually had an idea about that.” We all now turn to Aislin. “While we were waiting for Loki. Umm, anyway, I was going through the touristy shop over past the museum, and there’s this whole book in there about alien cultures and conspiracy theories.” She shakes her head and holds up one finger. “I know, most of it’s just crap, but there happens to be one very interesting theory. The people that used to live here that then spread to Ireland and Scotland. There’s a whole group of them, or there was, that lived in the mountains here in France. They all had a very interesting blood type. The blood type is very rare throughout the rest the world.” She looks at us all pausing for effect. “I think just like y’all did when you got here, the ancients made some babies. In that blood, ancient blood is still running through those lines. At least some of those people had to have survived this. They are out there somewhere.”

I have to agree with her and only makes sense, not necessarily about the people from here, mind you. But it does make sense that the ancients would have had relationships with at least some of the humans that they met here. I nod my head slowly.

Cora smiles. “So it’s settled. Let’s do that.” She looks at Mimi. “Can you do that? Can you spell it so only someone with ancient blood can open it?” The woman in question doesn’t speak for a while.

“I can but it would be more powerful if I had a piece of the tree of life.” They all groan. “What?” Everyone turns to Asger.

“I burnt it to find the tablet.” He looks down and is silent for a while and then he slides his hand into his pocket. “Except for this.” Drawing out his hand, he holds it out and slowly opens his fingers and there in his palm is an olive. “I was going to try to grow a new one.” I understand his desire. His quiet admission has tears springing to the women’s eyes. Mimi picks it up slowly before locking her eyes on his.

“I only need a little. And after, I might be able to help you get the pit to sprout.” He nods once, letting his hand fall to his side.

And so it is decided. Taking it back to the stones, we break some of the stones over. The tablet is placed inside a chest and with it is a book that is filled with the letters from those of us that locked it away. The chest is locked and the stones heated with dragon fire until they turned to crystals. Mimi does the spell with Gaia boosting her powers. It is her way of agreeing to our decision. Nestor is the one who hides it away, burying it beneath hundreds of feet of ice.

We withdraw from the world now that our mission is done. Everyone goes to their homes, except Cora and me. For while, we bounce from place to place, spending time with those that we love but soon we long for more.

It’s been months. I fight the urge to try to find Remy, to check on him. The sun is rising, but it is not like the sun in our world. I’m amazed at the accuracy they have recreated their home here. It feels like I’m sitting on the cliff in the Highlands, if only the sun looked the same. I let my eyes drift close as the smell of coffee hits my nose. I know it’s Michael before I looked to my side.

“Ye aren’t going to stay, are ye?” I shake my head. I know he understands but doesn’t make it any easier to leave our friends.

We just want to find home, our home. “We have eternity. We will find our way back to you, to you all.” I drink my coffee as he sits at my side in silence. Sean joins us soon and then Raven. She doesn’t sit, and I look back and up at her. She’s holding two paintings still wrapped in paper. I had forgotten them in the chaos. Michael reaches up and takes them from her, holding them as I sit my coffee on the grass.

He passes the top one to me. “We’ve kept them for you.” His tone is complex, filled with so many different emotions.

Unwrapping the paper slowly, I gasp as it comes into focus. There in vivid colors is the moment Loki returned to us. His gray eyes are clear, and all of ours are overflowing with tears. It doesn’t show where we were, but just at the side, two ghostly figures watch over us all with motherly love shining out. “Yggdrasil,” I whisper as my fingers trace over one.

“And Gaia.” Sean is incredulous.

Smiling at him, I nod my head. “Even after everything, it’s hard to believe. isn’t it?” They all nod.

“She was beautiful.” Loki murmurs from behind us, and we all look back. Tears are pooled in his eyes. “I…” He doesn’t finish. He doesn’t need to, we all understand. She has to us been this being, larger than life, and now to see her like this. I can’t describe her beauty, as it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. “Open the last, my love.” I nod and hand him the painting after looking at it one last time. It no longer is a thing of pain, and instead I see it for what it truly is.

Michael places the last in my hand, and I hesitate. Remy’s words come back to me, and I slowly pull the paper free, letting it drop to the ground. Kai, Aislin, Emma, and Jason have joined us, called here by Loki, I’m sure, so I could see them one last time before we go. Collectively we all gasp, staring at the image.

“I’ve never seen him paint one like that before.” Aislin leans closer studying the picture.

“Neither have I.” I agree and let my eyes drift over the rectangular canvas. The surface is covered with images laid out like a comic book page. The style more graphic and less realistic. It tells a story. Our story. Our future. It holds stars, worlds, and home.

Loki holds the paintings as I stand to say goodbye. Leaning close, he kisses me gently and whispers in my ear. I nod and smile then he is gone, leaving me with my friends. It takes me a moment to realize Raven is gone, also.

“He needed to see Hel. She is watching over Valhalla and those that are left there. The great hall has been destroyed, but they are building something new. I think they hope to tempt him to return and lead them.” I shrug. “Maybe he will. You will check on her, won’t you?” Michael and Sean both nod. I knew they would. “Say hello to Garm for me.” I chuckle at Sean’s pained look, the giant beast has taken a true liking to Sean now that he can smell the wolf in him.

They step close one on either side. Leaning to my left, I wrap my arms around Michael, burying my face in his neck and whispering my love. When I release him, I do the same to my right. I’m drawn into Sean’s arms and I hug him. We don’t speak; it has all been said. Sean squeezes me tighter, his jaw working as he swallows repeatedly. Even knowing I will see them again, leaving them is breaking my heart. Sean eases away and stares out at the ocean. I smile at Raven as she pulls me to her and whispers a promise to take care of them both.

The moment is repeated with everyone I love. We have done it at every stop we’ve made. Explained our reasonings and promising to return. I’m sandwiched between my best friends, my sisters really, when I feel him return. He stands at my side waiting patiently as I cling to them. Finally, we break apart.

“Your love for them will not change, just as theirs won’t.” He kisses away the tear that has escaped from my eye. “It is like mine… Eternal.”

THE END