Rune Awakening

by Genevra Black

  Once they were all settled in, the two turned to watch the shieldmaiden expectantly. She seemed preoccupied with the car itself. “This is old, isn’t it?” she remarked, then looked to Cal. “Where in the world did you get something that looks like this?”

  “I inherited it,” he said without missing a beat.

  She raised a brow at the melted upholstery and dash.

  Cal followed her gaze and cleared his throat. “There was a, uh, problem on our way here. How old are you, anyway?”

  “Twenty-six.”

  God, she was only a few years older than Edie and she already had her life figured out. Not that shieldmaiden had really had a table at Senior Career Night. Still, it seemed like everyone had themselves together a lot more neatly than Edie did.

  “Ready?” Satara asked, looking between them.

  Cal turned back to the wheel and started the engine. “Yeah, just tell me where I’m going, so I can head there while you fill us in.”

  “She lives on a rock formation by the sea, a beach called Thor’s Landing. Head toward Acadia National Park and you can follow signs from there.”

  Cal pulled away from the curb while Edie spoke: “A national park seems like kind of a shitty place for a hermit to live. Wouldn’t tourists come bothering you all the time?”

  “Her home is concealed most of the time. That’s why we have to get the timing right. Otherwise, it won’t appear to us, and we can’t find her until tomorrow.”

  “So tell me about this chick,” Cal said, adjusting the rearview mirror so he could see Satara.

  She didn’t look like she was a huge fan of his indelicate wording, but she obliged nonetheless. “Her name is Tiralda. She was once a priestess of Freyja. Now, she’s just a hermit sorceress—a seiðkona. Seidr-woman.”

  “Ooh,” Cal said, grinning wickedly as he headed back toward the center of town.

  Edie looked over. “What’s a seidr-woman?”

  “A sex witch,” he replied in a low tone, drumming his fingers excitedly on the steering wheel.

  Satara spat out a half-breath, half-laugh from the back seat. “That’s … a sickening oversimplification of a complex system of magic.”

  “He’s sickening,” Edie said. “You’ll get used to it.”

  Satara rubbed her forehead. “Seidr sometimes involves sex rituals, but Tiralda is not a sex witch. She’s a spell-weaver—and a seer, to a lesser extent. And she’s apparently still very powerful.”

  Edie looked at Cal to gauge his reaction, but he’d become distracted at an intersection by a busty blonde in a bikini top, innocently enjoying an ice cream. It was melting faster than she could lick it, and vanilla dripped on her cleavage. He looked bewitched.

  A Chrysler behind them honked, which seemed to shake Cal out of his trance, and he roared around the turn ahead of them at a borderline-dangerous pace.

  Edie looked back at Satara. “I don’t think he appreciates the nuance.” To Cal, she said, “Cal. No ice cream bikini babes while driving.”

  He seemed embarrassed, taking a pair of wrap-around sunglasses from the seat between them and putting them on quickly. Edie bit back a cackle and decided not to push it. This probably wasn’t a good time to poke the bear.

  “Anyway,” the shieldmaiden said, eyeing the back of Cal’s head, “Astrid knew her a long time ago, and thinks she’d make a good ally. She made it seem rather urgent … so I have a feeling someone else is trying to contact Tiralda as well.”

  Edie had to admit that she still wasn’t completely on board with being conscripted to run errands for people she barely knew, but this whole Reach thing—protecting helpless people—sounded like a good cause. Cal seemed to like Astrid, anyway; he wasn’t all gung-ho about factions or whatever, so it couldn’t be all bad. Edie would go along with the ride for now; she could hardly sit at home and go about her business while there were people out there trying to kill her.

  She saw the first sign for Thor’s Landing and felt butterflies in her stomach. Sure, she’d go along for the ride, but it was still totally weird to be meeting a lord-only-knew-how-old priestess for a goddess Edie was starting to doubt was just a myth.

  Satara had fallen silent in the back; apparently, she didn’t have much to say to an infant and a dead pervert.

  “Sooo, where does Astrid know this lady from?” she asked, finally breaking the silence.

  “They’ve both served Mother Valkyrie, of course. They probably met at one of her temples, or perhaps even Fólkvangr, Freyja’s domain in Asgard.”

  Right, Edie thought. They were just hanging out in Asgard and happened to meet each other. The whole “gods are real” thing was starting to make her nervous. Everyone around her seemed to accept it as fact.

  In any case, Edie vaguely knew who Freyja was just from general knowledge, and recalled Astrid mentioning something about a Mother Valkyrie. “Mother Valkyrie is Freyja?”

  “She is, yes. Among other things. Tiralda is not a valkyrie like my battlemother. Not all followers of Freyja are. And I don’t know of any valkyrie priestesses. Freyja was the first to practice seidr, and she taught Odin and the other Aesir.”

  “So it’s kind of her thing,” Edie concluded. “So why quit being a priestess to hang out in Maine, of all places?”

  Satara looked at their surroundings as they left Bar Harbor behind and started down the more isolated, winding roads, down the mountain toward the entrance to Acadia National Park. “I’m not sure why she left Freyja’s service. She’s over a thousand years old. Perhaps she got bored. As for Maine, you have to admit the scenery is unmatched. And she … likes water. You’ll see when we get to Thor’s Landing.”

  Edie thought she saw the barest smile pull at the corners of Satara’s serious mouth.

  At around 7:30, a couple of men exited the ranger station adjacent to the Thor’s Landing Campground. One of them headed to his car to leave; the other secured the outer door of the ranger station, locking it for the night. Edie, Cal, and Satara waited just inside the nearby campground, concealed by thick evergreens and mossy boulders.

  Edie swatted yet another mosquito away from her neck and groaned, popping her leather collar. “How much longer do we have to wait here?”

  “Until they leave. No one is allowed on the rocks at night. We’ll have to walk the rest of the way.” Satara pointed at a break in the trees, where the ocean and a distant rock formation could be seen. “Tiralda lives there, atop Thor’s Hole.”

  “Thor’s Hole?” Edie looked at Cal, and the fact that he was already smirking made it even harder for her to suppress her giggles. “Damn, what an honor.”

  Cal choked on his cigarette and finally snickered.

  Satara rolled her eyes at them both, nostrils flaring. “Very original.”

  Sounds of the park rangers calling back and forth drew her attention again, and they all watched as the first drove out of the parking lot. The second followed soon after in his SUV. Now, the only sounds were the distant waves and sea birds, the ambiance of the forest, and the far-off sounds of children and families behind them, deeper into the campground.

  “Come.” Satara motioned for Edie and Cal to follow her as she slunk out of their hiding place, heading toward Ghost. She retrieved the spear and shield, strapping the latter across her back. Cal grabbed his shotgun and revolver from under the driver’s seat, his milky blue eyes sad as his gaze fell on the melted leather interior.

  Edie looked between them. “I feel kinda useless without a weapon.”

  “You got weapons.” Cal gestured to her hands with the barrel of his shotgun.

  Yeah, as if I’m ever going to learn how to properly use these, she thought as she looked at her palms.

  “We don’t have much time,” Satara said as they continued up the unpaved road to the steel gate. “Her home reveals itself at twilight, for one hour. Follow me, quickly.”

  It was just a short walk down a paved road, but the shieldmaiden darted down it, her braids swinging and hitting her back and
shoulders as she did. Cal followed close on her heels, but Edie had to struggle to keep up with them in her high tops. If this wasn’t all some crazy dream—if this was really her life now—she was going to have to get in better shape. Jogging a couple miles every few days wasn’t going to cut it.

  Just as she was considering yelling ahead for them to slow down, they reached a long, newly-paved parking lot, empty at this time of night. The trees had obscured the ocean as they were running down the road, but now that she could see, the rock formation was so much closer than she’d expected. Only a flight of stone steps and a footpath separated them from Thor’s Hole now.

  It was a natural formation, but more or less rectangular. It extended across the beach like a shelf, with many uneven layers of stone making up its rough surface. Running adjacent to it was another stone outcropping that was much closer to the water and jutted seaward. It had been paved, turned into a sort of viewing platform complete with steel railings, which was low enough to the water that every time a particularly large wave came in, it washed over the walkway. To the left of that, further down the footpath, were some flat rock shelves and what looked like the beginning of an ocean trail.

  It was high tide, and the weather was gloomy. Great walls of sea foam splashed up every time the waves came in. Edie watched as it happened; every splash was accompanied by the incredibly loud noise of thunder rumbling.

  “What was that?” she asked, looking to Satara. If it was about to storm, she didn’t want anything to do with this place. Everything about it looked sharp and dangerous.

  “Come, and I’ll show you.” Satara was smiling as she stepped down the uneven stone steps, onto the tourists’ footpath. She motioned for Edie and Cal to follow.

  “I’m … not sure that’s such a good idea.” The waves came in again, hard, and the thunder growled fiercely.

  Satara sighed. “It’s not real thunder. You’re not scared, are you?”

  Cal prodded at Edie’s shoulder, encouraging her forward. She groaned and shuffled, but took a couple cautious steps down before reaching Satara. She’d lived in the city all her life, could count the number of times she’d seen the ocean on one hand—and she’d hated it every time. Something about it was just … squicky. It was way too big, and the water was too dark and too strong, and you never knew what was just under the surface.

  Satara must have noticed her shaking. Her shoulders relaxed, her expression softening slightly as Edie stepped down to her level. “The most that will happen is you’ll get wet,” she promised as they started down the footpath, toward the outcropping with the railings.

  Now that they were closer, Edie could see one of those informational boards set up at the end of the catwalk. A triangular gate blocked the paved outcropping. Satara stepped over it and waited for Edie to follow suit. The walkway was narrow, divided into three tiers, each subsequent step lower to the water. The pavement was also damn wet.

  Edie’s heart practically pounded out of her chest as she moved to look over the railing. The rock formation, dark in the twilight, was snuggled up close to the outcropping on which they stood, forming a small inlet. She watched as another wave crashed in, deafening. The water launched into the air like a geyser, spraying the two women with foam and raining salt water down on their heads.

  Edie shrieked. “I hate this!” she managed, trying to guard her face. “And what’s that sound?”

  Satara grabbed her attention with a tap to her shoulder and led her over to the informational board, which Edie gripped for dear life as she read it.

  Welcome to Thor’s Hole!

  For centuries, the people of Maine have come to enjoy the natural magic of this formation, as there are few like it in the entire world! At the bottom of the Thor’s Hole inlet, there is a small cavern filled with rocks. As the waves pull out, the water level drops just below the ceiling of this cavern, causing air to become trapped. When the waves roll back in, the force of it collides with the air and creates tremendous pressure which causes a booming sound to erupt! At high tide, these waves can reach up to 40 feet high!

  A diagram accompanied the explanation. Edie peered over the top of the information board, trying to catch a glimpse of the hole. The waves pulled out at a tear, leaving the face of the formation as black and shiny as pitch, covered in green algae and god only knew what else. For just a moment, she caught a glimpse of a dark fissure toward the bottom of the inlet. The thought of it made her shiver. Who knew what could be down there?

  “Let’s get back to the path,” she mumbled, looking at Satara, who seemed delighted with the waves. At least one of us is enjoying themselves.

  “Why? We have time before twilight,” Satara replied. “And besides, Tiralda’s home is atop the formation. We’ll see it as soon as it appears.”

  “I don’t want to get any wetter than I already am.” Never thought seeing Thor’s hole would make me so wet, she thought. The joke was so stupid that even if she hadn’t been half-paralyzed with fear, she probably wouldn’t have laughed at it.

  From the footpath, Cal called to them, but he was barely audible over the sound of the waves tearing in and out.

  Edie looked at him and raised a brow, spitting out strands of hair the wind had whipped into her mouth. “What?”

  Cal cupped his hands around his mouth. “I said look—” The false thunder cut him off again.

  She waited until the sound faded, then called back, “You really should give up smoking, Cal, it’s not good for your vocals!”

  He was waving both arms, hard, looking like a total dork as he did. This time, though, he shouted loud enough for her to hear: “I said LOOK OUT!”

  Before she could ask what she was supposed to be looking out for, she felt her feet swept from under her. She fell to her knees, and sea foam raged past her shoulders and rushed into her nose and mouth.

  A monster wave had blasted the outcropping and surged straight over the railings.

  For a moment, she was so shocked by the soul-chillingly cold water that she only felt mild annoyance at the situation. Then a heavy sheet of water fell over her head and shoulders and the tide pulled out again, hard, snaring her in its clutches and dragging her to the end of the outcropping. Her jacket rode up as she rolled; the skin of her back and side screamed as they were stung by the rough cement of the walkway and the cold water.

  She turned her head in time to see Satara fall through the railings and into the water. Her braided head disappeared beneath the waves in a second, pulled in by the undertow.

  Edie tried to call out for Cal, for anyone, as her body collided with the same railings with a dull pang. One leg swung under and she slipped, her bottom half practically hanging over the open sea, which was now reeling back for another punch. She held the railing until her joints burned with effort, trying to pull herself back fully onto the walkway.

  She probably would have been able to, too, if another huge wave hadn’t come in. Her butt slipped off the walkway, and in another moment, her arms were washed from the railing. In less than a second, she tumbled, fell, then felt the sting of the water hit her back like cement.

  The wave pulled out; the undertow tugged. She was swallowed up.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The deafening crash of the waves disappeared the instant her head ducked under the water, replaced by the loud ambient hum only something as huge and silent as the Atlantic Ocean could have. The water was frigid, zapping every nerve in her body and paralyzing her as she sank.

  Vaguely, she thought she should try to swim. She managed to begin kicking her legs, but just as she was about to breach the briny green surface, another wave rolled over and she somersaulted head-over-foot, her body twisting painfully as she hit something solid.

  She opened her mouth and let out a choked gurgle of pain. Salt water filled her eyes, her nose, her mouth. The pain of just breathing the water in was shocking. She’d always imagined drowning would be a peaceful way to die. Apparently not. She could feel her throat spasming, t
rying to keep the sea water from entering her lungs; she could feel herself losing focus as panic set in.

  The undertow yanked her like she was a dog on a chain, and she was pulled farther, deeper ... she thought. It was impossible to tell which way she was going, and now that she was far away from the twilit evening, the sickly green of the ocean had turned entirely black—as inky and impenetrable as if someone had pulled a hood over her head.

  That same blackness began to enter her head. In a desperate attempt, she kicked her legs again and pushed up from the rocky seabed. The slime on the rocks made it a devastatingly ineffectual push, but she felt which way was up and shimmied as best she could in that direction. Her strength was almost completely depleted. She could feel her body becoming weaker, knew this was her last chance to regain the surface.

  It was no use. Just when the blackness seemed to thin to gray, the undertow tugged again and pulled her farther and deeper.

  Then something else tugged—at her waist. In fact, she was pretty sure she felt two muscular arms wrap around her.

  In an instant, her head and shoulders shot to the surface like a torpedo launched. Her tongue finally tasted oxygen—then bile, then warmish seawater as she regurgitated it.

  Someone was dragging her along the surface of the water, holding her tightly, their pace adjusted perfectly to the swell of the waves. She could feel the pull of the undertow, but her rescuer was undaunted, never giving an inch.

  The trip back to shore was a blur. Consumed by the pain and the discomfort as her stomach and lungs rejected the salt water, she could barely remember who she was or how she’d gotten in this situation.

  The next thing she felt was warm, uneven ground at her back.

  Rocks. Rocks and sand.

  She was lying on a rocky beach, her shirt and jacket pulled up to her ribs. The ground beneath her wasn’t warm at all, she realized; it was just warmer than her skin.

  “Edie, Satara!” It was Cal’s voice, somewhere far behind her. She turned her head in the direction of the sound and opened her eyes long enough to see him and two other figures booking it down the beach toward her. She squinted, turning her head in the other direction to see Satara lying near her, in a similar condition. She didn’t seem to be awake.