“Rise,” Baldur said, and the crowd did. Flanked by my parents, I gave tentative smiles and nods as they parted and we walked through them.
“That was daunting,” I said when we reached the hallway to their private quarters.
“Why?” the goddess asked. “You are our daughter, and they needed to know that.”
“A year ago I was a simple high school student. Then Maliina marked me. Last week, I was just an Immortal with the ability to help souls with my medium runes. And now I am…”
“A young goddess and future ruler of this realm,” she finished, stopping.
“What?”
“Elskr mín,” Baldur whispered. “It’s too soon to be discussing such matters. It’s her first day.”
“But I’d rather get it out of the way,” the goddess said firmly.
We were still in the hallway connecting the Throne Hall from the inner rotunda of the private quarters. The guards, including the one carrying the book from the Sorting Hall, were behind us. The goddess glanced at them, and they moved back, giving us more room.
“According to the Norns, you will take over Helheim after Ragnarok. I didn’t plan to tell you on your first day, but I’m a strong believer in getting to the point. When the time is right, I will share that information with the Grimnirs. For now, I don’t see why you shouldn’t know the truth. You and your consort will take over for us,” she added.
My consort. I saw a glimmer of hope. “And I can take anyone as a consort?”
The goddess chuckled. “As many as you want.”
I didn’t want many. Only one.
“But we hope you will have one who will stay by your side at all times,” Baldur said. “No matter how many women your grandfather slept with, your grandmother Frigg was his official consort and she was accorded the respect that came with it.”
I’d already found my one. The invisible line I’d imagined between Echo and me blurred. Grinning, I kissed Baldur on the cheek.
“Thank you, Father.” I turned and kissed the goddess. “And you, too, Mother. Now I’m going to see Eirik and force him to take a break.”
“We’ll stop by later to wish you goodnight,” the goddess said.
“Can I take the book with me?” I indicated the large book with notes from souls still needing closure. A guard was carrying it. “I have an idea, but I want to pass it by Eirik first. It might take his mind off Celestia.”
“The book is yours,” the goddess said while Baldur waved over the guards.
“Thank you,” I told the guard and reached for the book.
“I’ll be honored to carry it for you, my goddess,” he said, bowing. His eagerness was sweet, and I remembered him from when I’d arrived.
“It’s Creed, right?”
“Yes, my goddess.”
“Thank you, Creed.”
The goddess smiled with approval when our eyes met. “I’ll see you later.”
I left with Creed trailing me and glanced back once. The goddess and Baldur were watching us. I waved and disappeared into the rotunda, the inner sanctum guards bowing. I was never going to get used to that. We hurried past them and heard Eirik’s voice before we entered the bedroom. He was reading to Celestia. He looked up and frowned.
“I’ll take over while you rest,” I said, going to stand beside his seat. “Get in beside her, and I’ll keep an eye on both of you.”
“No, you’ll fall asleep and—”
“I just learned how to will fatigue away, Eirik,” I fibbed. “The magic in this place is amazing. Mother showed me how to will things. Knots. Fatigue. Sore feet. I helped welcome the souls and even found some that needed closure.” I didn’t let his disinterest slow me down. “Creed, can I have that?”
The guard placed the book in my hands and stepped back, his eyes going to Celestia. “How is she doing?”
“She’ll be fine, Creed,” Eirik said.
“The villagers want to know if they can come and keep vigil. Sometimes the love and positive energy from many helps,” he said.
Eirik stared at him strangely, and for a brief second I thought he’d bite his head off.
“That’s fine,” Eirik murmured. “I know she’ll appreciate that.”
Creed bowed and exited the room. It was obvious Celestia was loved.
“What’s that?” Eirik asked, staring at the book.
“The book of unfinished business.” I explained how it worked. “I think it would be nice to have students at Mystic Academy help families needing closure. It could be part of their weekly assignments, choosing someone from the book and finding ways to get the message to them from their dead relatives.”
“Are you thinking of teaching there?” he asked.
“No, silly. I’ll be attending it as a senior. I think students would get a kick out of actually helping people. Do you think it’s a good idea? I mean, it’s better than having the reapers do it. Echo, Andris, Syn, Nara, and Rhys have been helping them find closure when I couldn’t. Instead of having reapers do it, the students could. Maybe under the supervision of a teacher.”
“Like who?”
“I don’t know.”
“Andris is interested. Torin talked to me about him. Syn is also interested.” Life flashed in his eyes. “Can I see that?”
We went through the requests. I hadn’t asked for their addresses, yet they were there. The goddess had probably put them there.
“Man, that’s fucked up,” Eirik said.
“What?”
He tapped at the page. “This asshole wants his ex-wife to know he slept with her sister. What kind of a shitty message is that from a dead person?”
“Check the footnote. His wife had left him for his best friend.”
“Ah. Well, it’s still a shitty thing to tell someone when you are dead. Are you going to tell her?”
“No. I agree with you. It’s a crappy thing to pass on.” As I stared at the page, the words faded away. Nice.
Eirik turned the page and read the next one. “Damn, some are sad. Her stepfather belongs behind bars.”
“I know.”
He frowned and threw me a look. “How can you stand listening to such sob stories? I’d want to hurt someone.”
I told him the story of the girl who was bullied at a prep school and ended up dying. “Making the guilty pay and apologize makes the anger go away. Maybe Syn and Andris could be in charge of these field trips. They enjoy making Mortals squirm.”
Eirik nodded. “I think it’s a brilliant idea.” He yawned. “Lavania is open to suggestions, so she might go for it.”
“Get in bed with Celestia and hold her,” I said.
He scowled. “I don’t want to crush her.”
“Do you know why Bald… Father is warm when most souls here are so cold?”
“I didn’t know their skin was cold. Celestia was warm when she astral projected here.” He reached out and stroked her cheek.
“Well, he is warm because of Mother’s touch and love, so crawl in bed and keep your woman warm.” My reasoning was warped, but I wanted him to rest. “I’ll be here, and if I get tired, I’ll will it away. Mother and Father also promised to stop by.”
He still seemed reluctant.
“Listen, Eirik. I trust you. When you came to me and told me I was your sister, I believed you because of that trust. When you told me Celestia could heal Dev, I put my faith in her hands because of that trust. Now I’m asking you to trust me to watch over her while you sleep. If anything goes wrong, I’ll wake you up.”
He sighed and nodded. Without saying a word, he got up, pulled off his shirt, and crawled under the blankets.
“Do you want me to dim the lights?”
“Do you know how?” he asked, sounding too much like the old Eirik.
“No, but I know I can will it.” I stared at the nearest crystal and watched the light dim. Man, magic was cool. Eirik’s eyes were already closed when I reached out to stroke Celestia’s forehead. His eyes flew open.
; “She’s fine,” I whispered.
“No, she’s not. I want her back to normal now, laughing and driving me crazy.”
He was impatient like Echo. I returned to reading the requests in the book. I was almost done when the goddess and Baldur arrived with a blanket for me. Without saying a word, they took the lounge across from mine. Watching them, I wished Echo were with me. I kicked off my shoes, tucked the blanket around me, and leaned back.
I must have dozed off because when I woke up someone had moved me to the lounge and all I could see was Eirik’s broad back. Syn was snoring on the chair I’d sat on earlier. I became aware of the warmth against my cheek and the familiar scent of the man I loved. I turned my head, and my eyes met Echo’s.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey back to you.” I palmed his cheek where he still had a bruise. “You okay?”
“For now. Sorry for earlier.”
“You are a drama queen.”
He smiled. “I should be insulted, my goddess, but since I happen to adore you, I’ll let it pass. Go back to sleep. I’ll keep watch until Mr. Snores wakes up.”
Then something else occurred to me. “Were they here when you two arrived?”
“They as in the goddess and the Golden One? Yes. I told them we were here to help you keep watch.”
I grinned. That was the Echo I knew. He must have decided to stop acting like an ass. “And?”
“They said thank you and gave up the lounge. Your father didn’t even offer to carry you to bed. They just smiled and moseyed out of here.”
“They know about us,” I said.
“I hope so. Have they told you anything?”
“No, but she returned my blanket the last time you spent the night at the farm. She must have seen you. I wonder why she’s not saying anything. Even after the gym, she just asked if you were doing okay. I told them you were being your usual self, stubborn and melodramatic.”
“You told my goddess I’m melodramatic?”
I grinned at his disgruntled tone. “I thought I was your goddess. I searched for you in the halls earlier during my introduction but didn’t see you.”
“I was the first to kneel and pledge to protect you.”
I settled against his chest, grinning. “Then you’d better treat me right. I now have a hall full of reapers and guards to kick your ass if you don’t.”
“And I’d take it because you, Cora Einmyria Jemison, daughter of Hel and Baldur, are mine.” He dropped a kiss on my forehead and tucked me under his chin. “Even when the damn hall drops to its knees and shows allegiance to you, you are mine.”
“Could you two keep it down or get a room?” Syn growled. “Some of us are trying to sleep here.”
Smiling, I closed my eyes and went back to sleep. My Echo was back.
When I woke up, I was in a bed, and it wasn’t mine. Please, let it be Echo’s. I looked around while stretching. There was nothing on the walls, and the décor was bland. Blue everywhere. There was what appeared to be an outline of a mural, but that was it. Blue wasn’t Echo’s color. Voices filtered from outside the room. The second I opened the door, disappointment coursed through me. I was still at Eirik’s.
“Morning,” Trudy called. The others—Jessica, Hayden, and Zack—scrambled to their feet.
“Don’t, guys. Is that coffee?”
Jessica handed me a cup. “Echo told us how you take it.”
“Thanks. I’m starving.” I glanced at the closed bedroom door. “Are they awake?”
“Still asleep,” Trudy said. “If Eir doesn’t come today, I’m offering to go to Asgard and get her.”
“I’m coming with,” Hayden offered.
Trudy scoffed at the idea. “You just want to see Asgard.”
“Red, you are annoying. This is about Celestia, not Asgard,” Hayden retorted.
“Can I come, too?” Jessica asked.
“No one is going anywhere,” the goddess said, sweeping through a portal and into the room. I hadn’t seen the portal open. “We have to get rid of the people out there first.”
The others scrambled to their feet again, and she pinned them with a glare. “Get your mother, Trudy. She’s not answering my summons.”
“Who is out there?” Trudy asked instead of leaving.
“Villagers from Eastern Gjöll Pass,” the goddess said. “They are here to keep vigil now that word is out about Celestia. I want them gone.”
“Creed asked Eirik if it was okay for the villagers to come and keep vigil, and Eirik said yes,” I said.
Surprise flickered across the goddess’ face. Then she sighed. “Okay. Fine. They can stay for a day. But no more talks about going to Asgard”—her glance swept the faces of the three girls—“until the emissaries I sent return. Trudy, find your mama and tell her we need breakfast. She also needs to make food to feed the villagers.”
The others disappeared, leaving me with the goddess, who still looked slightly annoyed.
“I hope they won’t be a bother,” I said.
“Oh, the villagers are always a bother. I never had visitors until your father came here. And even then, they had to send an emissary asking for an audience first. Then Eirik returned home, and they all wanted to meet him and challenge him. We hosted hundreds of guests for weeks. I tried to ignore them, but some came with little children who went everywhere and asked incessant questions. I couldn’t turn around without bumping into one.” Her expression said she’d thoroughly disliked it.
“Why did they need to challenge Eirik?”
“Because he is a dragon and there are so few of them, he had to prove himself.” She smiled. “That’s the official story I told him. But we knew they all heard he was the future leader of the gods, and everyone with a dragon daughter came to see if he was worthy of marrying their daughter. Some had babies who couldn’t even walk, yet they wanted to offer them to him.”
I laughed. “He must have hated that.”
“He refused to attend the party until I sent Echo to bring Celestia. She was the only one he’d listen to then. As soon as he told them he wasn’t interested, they left.” She frowned. “Getting rid of the villagers won’t be easy because they don’t want anything from me. They’re here for her.”
“So why don’t you like visitors. Your hall is beautiful.”
“Thank you. It does have a certain appeal, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does. The columns are gorgeous, and the details on the ceilings and murals are breathtaking.”
“I do love the architecture, but I tried to make it as unwelcoming as possible.”
I laughed, liking her bluntness. She had a dry sense of humor. “Why unwelcoming?”
“To discourage visitors. I do not have time to receive guests and listen to their silly prattle. They interfere with my work. The souls are my first priority, not entertaining people who are curious about my work or me. Then there are those who want favors. It’s not my job to awaken souls from their rest just so someone can talk to their dead relatives. Unfortunately, your father loves a good party, and I find it hard to deny him anything.”
Litr and Astrid arrived with our breakfast. Once again, I ignored the apple juice even though the goddess insisted, and I focused on the eggs and bacon. The bacon pieces were long.
Afterward, while the goddess attended to souls, I disappeared into my bedroom to shower and change. The long-sleeved, gray knit dress I changed into was new and gorgeous. I added warm leggings and wool socks that came to just above my black, low-healed boots. A quick sweep of the brush through my hair and light makeup, and I was ready. Astrid was waiting for me when I came back to the living room.
“The goddess wants to finish your tour when you are ready, young goddess. She wants you to wait for her here while I get her.”
“My name is C… Einmyria, not young goddess.”
“Yes, young goddess.”
Somehow I didn’t think she’d listen to me. I planned to keep trying until they stopped bowing and used my name. The
goddess joined me, and we left to check on Celestia first. Guards trailed behind us the second we left the family quarters. I was surprised when she stopped to ask one of them how his wife was feeling.
“Much better, my goddess. She is in the hall with the villagers. They all hope the young healer recovers soon.”
“Celestia saved her pregnancy last week,” the goddess explained as we crossed the rotunda to Eirik’s quarters.
Eirik looked much better than he had yesterday. He’d even eaten breakfast and changed. We left his room and picked up the tour of the halls from where we’d left off. We headed east to the Banquet Hall and Guest Halls. We went through a tunnel then down the stairs to the dungeons. The goddess didn’t hide the fact that she’d kept Eirik in the dungeon when he first arrived.
“Do I regret it? Yes. It was drastic, but I was petrified his grandfather had suppressed his dragon forever.” She showed me the eastern Resting Halls. They were smaller and each soul was actually in a private room, where they could relive their memories in peace. It didn’t matter that the rooms were the size of a shoebox.
“Would you like to see Mr. Cooper’s room?”
“Yes.” I could tell Raine I saw her father.
She flicked her scepter, and runic writings appeared in the air and floated to the door. When it opened, Mr. Cooper was reliving memories of his family. Some had Eirik, and I was in one of them. I couldn’t have been more than twelve. I didn’t realize I was crying until the goddess waved her scepter and the doorway closed.
“Don’t cry,” she said, rubbing my back. “He is very happy. You saw that.”
“I wish Raine could see him.”
“Invite her to visit.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “She is like a sister to you, according to Tristan. He and your father spoke at length about the two of you and your friendship with Eirik.” A frown chased the smile off her face. “If I had known you were my daughter, I would have moved every obstacle to bring you home, Einmyria.” Regret laced her words. “But you are here now, so no regrets. Tell me about Raine.”
I talked as we walked back to her quarters to see more pictures and watch videos. She had questions about my work with souls and the dying, Raine’s interaction with the Norns and Maliina, and how I’d blamed Maliina for my ability to see souls.
Goddess: A Runes Book Page 21
