by Kristie Cook
“You know you’ll eventually ask for my help,” he said.
I ignored him, wishing our houses weren’t so close.
“I will make you beg,” he added.
Yeah, good luck with that.
“Most runes are not even found in Mortal books, let alone on the Internet,” he continued.
It wasn’t what he’d said, but how he’d said it that got me. “What are you?”
“What do you think I am?”
Annoyance coursed through me. “You have a nasty habit of answering my questions with questions.”
He pushed the lock of hair from his forehead and grinned. “How else will you learn anything if I don’t challenge you?”
On Saturday he couldn’t even admit he’d healed me. Ignoring him, I Googled runes and clicked on the first link that popped up. It took me to a page with more links. One particular title caught my attention, and I pressed it. The article focused on the meaning of runes, but it was more detailed than the ones I’d read before.
The words under each symbol were in a language I didn’t understand. In parenthesis were translations in English. The words wealth, joy, and gift popped out at me. I studied the symbols on my notebook and compared them with the ones on the screen. I found one that matched. It meant goddess, but no name was given. Which goddess?
“So what am I, Freckles?” Torin asked, sounding awfully close.
I glanced out the window and found him under my tree. “Annoying.”
He chuckled. “You’re cute.”
I winced. Puppies were cute. Kittens playing with a ball of yarn were cute.
“You can do better than that,” he said.
I sighed, hating myself for being curious enough to give in. “A witch?”
He made a face.
“Demon? Wizard? Warlock? Am I getting warmer?”
“Colder than Hel’s Mist.”
“What’s that?”
“I’ll tell you after you guess what I am.”
I kept a straight face. “Rumpelstiltskin?”
He rolled his eyes. “Be serious.”
“Werewolf? No, that might have explained the superhuman strength if I didn’t know about the runes. Vampire crossed my mind, but you don’t sparkle.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Sparkle?”
“Yeah, like Edward. He’s superhot and perfect.”
Torin scowled. “You have seen vampires?”
“Of course. On the screen, in my dreams. What are you doing?”
“Climbing your tree.”
I swallowed. “Why?”
“I like getting close and personal when talking to a beautiful woman.”
My cheeks grew warm, and I looked behind me. “Who?”
“You, Freckles.” He stopped at one of the top, sturdy branches, leaned against it, and studied me. “You should see yourself through my eyes, Raine Cooper. Gorgeous, fascinating, stubborn, funny, but I wouldn’t have you anyway.”
Oh, wow. No guy had ever complimented me with such conviction. My cheeks shot past warm to hot, which meant my face was red as beets. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not. Don’t you think you’re beautiful?”
“I meant does that old line really work anymore. I like getting close and personal when talking to a beautiful woman,” I repeated, imitating his deep voice and wiggling my brow.
He laughed again. I found myself smiling.
“Like I said, you’re a hoot,” he said. “FYI, up close and personal has gotten me a lot of play.”
“Dimwits.” The conversation I’d overheard between him and Andris flashed in my head. They were after the swim team, and it wasn’t to help us win state. “Are you a merman?”
“As in male mermaids?” He made a face as though he’d swallowed a rotten egg. “Have you seen the weeds on their feet and hands, their slimy, green skin? I’d rather live in the Mist.”
Okay, so mermaids and mermen existed in his world, wherever that was. “Where’s this Mist, and what makes it so terrifying?”
“Land of Mist is where the un-heroic go when they die.”
“Un-heroic?”
“People who die of old age and diseases.”
Weird belief. “Have you ever dealt with a terminally ill person?”
Torin shuddered. “I try to stay away from hospitals. Sick people give me the willies.”
What a baby. “They’re the bravest and most heroic people in the whole world.”
He frowned. “You’ve worked with such people?”
“No, but I visited Cora’s grandmother before she died. She had cancer. If there’s a place for heroes, that’s where she belongs.”
Silence followed my outburst. When I glanced at Torin from the corner of my eye, he was frowning. “Can I, uh, climb over to your balcony?”
“Why?”
He pulled something brown from his back pocket. “I want to give you this.”
Jumping on my balcony and crawling through my window was Eirik’s thing, and I wanted to keep it that way. “Come around to the front door.”
He mumbled something.
“What?”
“Front door it is.” He pushed the book back into his back pocket and jumped to the ground. It was a long drop with thick branches, but he didn’t hit anything and landed gracefully like an alley cat.
He was leaning against the wall when I opened the front door. The way he handed over the book, it was as though he was giving me his most precious possession. “It has all the runes known to the gods.”
“Thank you.” The brown leather cover had an intricate symbol. Carefully, I turned it and flipped through the pages. The pages were made of light-brown, leathery material. The black ink was starting to fade, but I could still make out the runes. There was no numbering, but I’d say the pages were less than a hundred. “Which gods are you talking about?”
“I’m not going to make things easy for you.”
“Meanie,” I mumbled, still studying the pages.
The first pages had about a hundred runes, but the rest showed combinations of some of them in twos, threes, fours, and fives, their meanings written in a weird language. There was no English translation.
“What language is this?”
“Language of the gods. Once you find your runes, I’ll explain what they mean.”
Could I trust him? Half the time I wasn’t sure whether he was mocking me or testing me. “Can we get rid of the ones on my car?”
“Sure, but you might not want to once you know what they mean.”
“That means you know what they mean.”
“Yep.”
I groaned. “Why can’t you just tell me?”
“If I do, you won’t learn anything.”
He was right. Dang it. “Why is it important to you that I learn anything at all?”
“So you can understand the ones inside you and how they got there.”
“They healed me, and you put them there,” I retorted. He didn’t respond. “You’re not going to deny it?”
He shrugged. “What’s the point? You won’t believe me.”
“Damn right.” He continued to watch me with an expectant expression as though waiting for something. “Do you, uh, want to come in?”
“Oh no. I want my jacket back.”
“Oh. Just a second.” I grabbed it from the table by the door where I’d left it and checked the inner sleeves. There were some spots of dried blood. “I should take it to the drycleaners first to remove the bloody smudges.”
“I’m not scared of a little blood, especially yours.” He took the jacket, then reached out and touched my nose like he’d done the first time we met. “Later, Freckles.”
“A quick question,” I said, wanting to detain him a little longer, even though I knew I shouldn’t. “Which god rules the Land of Mist?”
“Hel.”
I scrunched my face. “If you didn’t want to answer me, you should have just said, ‘I’m not telling you’ in your usual po
mpous way. Thanks for the book, but you’re still on my douche list.” I started to close the door, but he blocked it with his foot. “What now?”
He grinned as though enjoying a private joke. “Land of Mist is ruled by a goddess, and her name is Hel with one L.”
“Oh.”
He cocked his brow. “Am I still a douche?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Oh, yeah. Did you rune Frank Moffat and force him to apologize to me and Cora?”
He grinned.
“Did Maliina mess with the lights at the substation?”
He stopped smiling. “No. I checked it. It was a glitch.”
“Then why were you fighting Andris? I assumed it had something to do with the lights and Kate getting hurt.”
“It had. Can I go now?” He walked backward, a wicked smile lifting his sculptured lips. “Or if you want me to stay, just say the word.”
I snorted and closed the door, but I still heard his laughter. Shaking my head, I went back upstairs to my computer and research.
Hel with one L …
Hel was the daughter of Loki. Her home, named after her, was cold and misty. She took care of the souls of people who died of old age and diseases, just like Torin had said. I also found a nice article on Odin and the origin of magical runes.
Odin had gone in search of wisdom and became trapped by a tree. For nine days and nights, he’d hung upside-down, helpless to free himself. Maybe he’d meditated or something, but finally he’d found enlightenment and wisdom in the form of symbols. After sketching these signs on the trunk of the tree, Odin had freed himself. Back in Asgard, the god taught the knowledge of runes to his loyal companions and Mortals who fought the forces of darkness.
I sat back and grinned, savoring my accomplishment. Finally, I was getting answers. Torin and his people believed in Norse Pantheon and used rune magic. I guess that meant they were the good guys. I wished I knew more about his people. Greek mythology was big in literature. Norse? Not so much. Other than the stories of Odin, Thor, and Loki my parents had read to me when I was a child, I had zero knowledge about Norse gods and goddesses. It was time to re-discover Norse mythology, but first things first. I needed my car back, which meant understanding the meaning behind the runes on it.
I opened Torin’s book and got busy. Once again, I could only identify the symbol of a goddess. She might be Hel for all I know.
An hour later, I was ready to throw the stupid book across the room. Without the translation into English, the book was useless. Going to Torin for help was like waving a white flag and screaming surrender. I wasn’t ready to beg for his help yet.
Taking a break, I went downstairs, shoved a tray of frozen lasagna in the oven, grabbed my backpack, and started on my homework.
***
My cell vibrated hours later. “What are you doing?” Cora texted.
“Just finished homework. You?”
“I haven’t started. Don’t feel like it. Want to go to The Hub for lattes?” she asked.
“Sure, but I can’t drive.”
“I got my keys back. I’ll be over in a few.”
I changed my top and put on some gloss, before grabbing a jacket and heading downstairs. The scent of lasagna filled the air. I reduced the temperature to keep it warm. The French bread would wait until I got home.
Cora honked her car horn, and I ran outside to join her before Mrs. Rutledge came out to complain about the noise. Cora looped around our cul-de-sac and took off with squealing wheels.
The Hub was a video store at the corner of 2nd West and Baldwin Street. As usual, it was packed with students, including the ones from Walkersville. The store also sold books and was thriving, despite the disappearance of national bookstore chains. The fact that it sold comics, manga, offered free wi-fi, and sold beverages was a big draw.
A couple left a corner table just as we arrived, and we hurried to claim it, placing our jackets on the chairs and bags on the table.
“I’ll get us drinks. Caramel macchiato?” I asked.
“Grande.” Cora slumped on the chair and stared into space. She was taking Kate’s death pretty hard. I placed our order, added a blueberry scone, and joined her. She was on her cell phone. “Keith,” she explained before I asked. “He’s still doing volunteer work at the hospital. I don’t understand why when he already has an academic scholarship to U-Dub.”
“I wonder if he’ll play for the Huskies.” U-Dub, or University of Washington to non-Pacific northwest people, had one of the best lacrosse teams in the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League. Their recruiters came to our high school every year. “Do you think we should start volunteering more? You know, before we apply to college?”
Cora made a face. “We do enough. More than enough actually, and Ms. Lila will write glowing recommendation letters for us. Besides, until swim season is over, our evenings are taken.”
Ms. Lila Chavez was the head of the English as a Second Language program for adult literacy at our school. In the last two years, we’d volunteered at the ESL program during summer and off swim season. But I knew students who’d built homes on Indian Reservations, South and Central America, even Africa, which made our civic services unimpressive by comparison.
“Your mom is still involved with the Habitat for Humanity, isn’t she?”
“Yes, but I’m not crawling out of bed on Saturdays to build some stupid house.” She got up and headed toward the manga section. I followed her and browsed, until we found some of our old favorite manga.
“Why did we stop reading these?” Cora waved a copy of a manga about a girl who was transported to feudal Japan, met a handsome half-demon, and journeyed with him to find pieces of a magical jewel.
“The animÉ was more fun. You had a crush on Lord Sesshomaru, like, forever,” I teased.
“He’s still my hottest hero.”
We grabbed a few copies, turned the corner and almost bumped into Maliina and Ingrid. I turned to walk away, but Maliina said, “Hey, Raine, Cora.”
Cora looked at them in confusion, obviously not recognizing them. “Hey.”
“I’m Maliina, and she’s Ingrid.” Maliina waved toward Ingrid, who smiled. “We met at the park during Ultimate Frisbee. We are new to the swim team,” she added when Cora still stared at her blankly.
Cora’s eyes widened. “You’re exchange students from Norway. You have a friend with silver hair.”
“Andris,” Maliina said.
Cora glanced at me and grinned as though remembering Andris had been staring at me at the park. If only she knew why. “I remember now. How long have you guys been in Kayville?”
“Just a few days and we already love it.” Her accent seemed to be stronger, which was probably for Cora’s benefit. “But I think we’ll be more at home when we start swimming next week and connect with some girls. We don’t know many people, and our host family has only boys.”
“We can show you around,” Cora offered and glanced at me. I shook my head, and she scowled. “Raine and I know all the cool places. Not just here, but in Portland.”
Maliina grinned. “That would be wonderful. Were you guys leaving?”
“No, we just got here,” Cora said. “We have a table up front and just ordered drinks.”
“But we’ll be leaving soon.” I grabbed her arm, intending to pull her away from the two evil Immortals and somehow warn her against associating with them.
Maliina grabbed Cora’s other arm and laid it on thick. “We drink coffee, but nothing fancy like you guys have here. Can you recommend something?”
“Excuse us, Maliina,” I said and tugged Cora’s arm.
Ingrid made a face. “You don’t want to help us?”
“Of course we do.” Cora threw me a surprised glance and yanked her arm from my grasp. As Maliina led her away, Ingrid hesitated as though she wanted to tell me something, then followed. This was a nightmare. Cora taking these two under her wing was a disaster waiting to happen, which meant I had to find a way to stop her.
/>
While Cora helped them choose a beverage, I took our mugs of macchiato back to the table and went for the scones. Maliina kept glancing my way as though to check what I was doing. I loathed the girl. Sipping my drink, I plotted her demise. The fact that the runes would only heal her and bring her back to life didn’t stop me from being creative. I bet she wouldn’t stay dead if I chopped off her head. She might even run around like the Headless Horseman.
“They’re going to try macchiato, too,” Cora explained when they joined me.
“Nice.” I smiled even though I didn’t feel like smiling. Since there were no seats available at our table, I’d hoped they’d sit elsewhere. Fat chance. The two Immortals curled up on the floor beside our table, all chatty and smiley. Luckily, Cora didn’t take her generosity too far and offer them her seat.
“Your favorite style is breaststroke, right?” Maliina asked, laying it on thick.
Cora nodded. “Yeah. You?”
“Butterfly.”
“You’ll be competing against Raine. She’s our best butterflyer. At state, we usually have two relay teams, the main team and subs. The best swimmer in each stroke makes the first team.”
Maliina grinned. “May the best swimmer win, Raine.”
Bring it on, I wanted to say. “Sure. We should leave, Cora.”
“Not yet.” Cora lifted her drink and sipped. “Ingrid, what’s your stroke?”
Ingrid glanced at Maliina before answering. “Breaststroke, but I could use some help. Do you think you could help me?”
“Doc always pairs us with anyone struggling with their technique,” I said, not liking the direction of the conversation. It sounded rehearsed. “I’m sure you’ll get all the help you need, Ingrid. Remember, tryouts go on for a week before he decides who makes the team.”
“He already told us that, but I’m talking about this week. I really need help. Someone recommended you, Cora,” Ingrid said.
This was ridiculous. What did they want with my best friend? “Cora—”
“It’s okay, Raine,” Cora said. “We can’t use the pool at school because the season hasn’t officially started, but we can use the club’s. We are members and can sign Ingrid in.”
