Never had I been as angry and helpless. The elders surrounded Betha, who lay unmoving on the melting snow and mud. I could make out one pink hand, but their huge forms, tall and thick, blocked her from view.

Mor stood a ways off, hands covering her mouth, immobile. The snow turned to rain, plastering her hair to her face. Her eyes were wide, horror-struck, but I couldn’t give her more than a cursory glance.

Betha was so small compared to them. I raged at my body, unresponsive and weak as it was. Every ounce of power and magic I possessed poured into my muscles, but nothing happened. If I could have screamed, I would have.

When they touched her, massive bodies bending and lifting, I thought I might explode into a million fragments of ice. Across the landscape, I heard my brothers cry out, but the sound was only in my head.

Now we had a connection. Now came the ability to communicate across distances.

Stop them!

Don't touch her!

And Raynor’s agonized refusal, No!

Bright light erupted from their circle in a burst of power that blasted across us, sending my mother tumbling to the ground with a yell. Then the light was gone.

And they were gone.

My fingers twitched, then my arm, my toes, my legs, my hips. From the outside in, my body came alive. But inside, I was dead.

“They took her,” Raynor observed harshly.

“Move,” I commanded. I didn't know where they went, but I wouldn’t stand around, aching. If there was a chance she was alive, I would find her. We would find her.

“Let's go!” Grim bounced on his feet, anxiousness giving his body a frenetic energy that changed him from white Jötnar back to human.

“She’s gone.” Mor’s voice was a whisper across the clearing. Eyes fixed on the smoldering remains of our cabin, she stumbled in the muck. “I'm sorry. She’s gone.”

Mor was a powerful Jötnar female. She had the vision and foresight we lacked. But I couldn't believe her.

“No, Mor.” My voice broke. “She's alive.”

“They sent her back.” Sitting in the melted snow and leaves, her pale face paling further, she apologized, “I'm sorry.”

“Back to the plane? Back to where?” Kneeling, Grim frantically gripped my mother’s shoulders and shook her. “Mor. Where did they take her?”

A sad smile touched her lips, and she lifted dirty fingers to Grim's cheeks. “You had to fight for her, but she had to fight for you, too. All Jötnar warriors battle for their skaoi.”

From the woods, an elder appeared. “Freya.” He held out a hand, palm out, waiting.

“Good luck, my boys,” Mor whispered, and she and the elder disappeared in a wet, freezing blast of wind.

Jumping to his feet, Grim sprinted into the forest. The plane. It was the logical first place to start. My magic, so unreachable before, hummed at the surface. I absorbed it, shrouding myself in ice, and used the power coursing in my veins to push myself. Overtaking Grim, and with Raynor on my heels, I returned to the spot of the plane crash, only to slam to a halt.

The plane was gone.

In its place was a large depression in the earth, surrounded by broken tree limbs and small pieces of metal and glass. But the plane? Gone.

“No,” Raynor gasped. His hands went to his head, grabbing hunks of hair. “No!”

My thoughts spun. Mor said they took her back. Back.

“Where did she come from? Why don’t we have a map?” Grim cried.

“Boston,” Raynor cut in, barely above a whisper. “She’s from Boston.”

“Boston is huge,” Grim replied in disbelief.

“We don't know her last name,” Raynor went on.

It didn’t matter though. I had a place. I had a first name. I would find her. Deep inside me was the connection that had formed when Mor bound us. Like a spider, I pulled on it, waiting to feel an answering tug when I reached the end of the line. Closing my eyes, I focused all my energy on Betha, on finding her. On and on the web stretched, across distances I’d never traveled, until finally I found it.

It was moving even farther away, but it was there.

“We’ll find her,” Grim said, voice stronger now. “Find her, get a piece of land far away, and set out.”

“The elders?” Raynor asked. “What do we do about them?”

“Kill them,” I answered.

Grim barked out a humorless laugh. “Oh, good idea, brother. We fared so well only moments ago. I’d like to repeat the experience.”

“We train,” I replied.

“Betha…” Raynor reminded us.

“She is safer far away. Where would we bring her? Would we stay with her in a human city, where the people are packed together, one on top of each other?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t mind being on top of Betha,” Grim muttered, but I ignored him.

“We must do this so she has a safe place to return to. She is ours, but we are hers. She loves us and won’t forget us.”

Our love was real, and it was strong. We’d be together. But first, my brothers and I had a battle to win.