Goddess: A Runes Book

by Ednah Walters

  He lowered his head. “Go ahead.”

  “They are smooth,” I said, touching his cheeks. The images that followed didn’t surprise me. I didn’t tell Eirik about them, but I grinned and asked, “Why the chipped horn?”

  “A badge I wear with honor. One day, I’ll tell you the story. We have to go, Sis. Keep an eye on Celestia for me while I’m gone, okay?”

  “Okay.” I waved to them and backed away. Karle was still staring at me with a dopey expression. Eirik chuckled and bumped him. “Let’s go, Casanova.”

  Karle turned, but I still heard him say, “She is—”

  “My sister, so stop drooling,” Eirik retorted. “It’s embarrassing.”

  “I don’t care. She’s beautiful.”

  “Next time, try telling her that while looking at her.”

  I watched them take off, their massive wings sending snow flying in the air. I tried to cover my face, but the blast of air they created nearly knocked me off my feet.

  “I got you,” Echo said, steadying me. “Let’s take you back inside before we have a riot on our hands.” I saw what he meant when I turned around. The people he, Syn, and the guards had been detaining had tripled in number and were getting closer. Some were pointing at me. I heard them yell out my name as Echo ushered me inside the hall. He slammed the door shut.

  “Damn opportunists. Lavion must have described you, because the second the blast of wind knocked off the hood of your cloak, they recognized you.”

  “I don’t care. I had a premonition.” I hugged him. “That’s the third one today, Echo. Third. It took Raine forever to get hers. The magic here probably has something to do with it, but a touch triggers it. I touched my ring, and I got one about you.” I removed the gloves and cupped his face. “Come on. Show me his future. Something. Anything.” Nothing. I went to Syn and gripped his hands. He’d just walked in from outside, and they were cold.

  “Not that I mind the love, but what’s going on?” the Nubian asked.

  “She’s trying to get a premonition,” Echo said with a resigned sigh.

  “So I’m going to touch everyone until I get one.” They stared at me as though I’d lost my mind, but I didn’t care. “Hey, don’t judge me. I come from a line of powerfully gifted people, and my grandmother dumped me in a forest because she thought I was worthless. Her loss. I didn’t even realize how I felt about not being gifted until now.” I stared at my hands and grinned. “I belong. I didn’t feel it at first because I thought everyone in my family had a gift, except me. Mother can move things. She lifted her hand and the scepter flew into it. She can read minds. Father has the power of premonition. I mean, I was happy helping souls, but this is different.” I hugged the guards, who looked both shocked and amused. No premonition. I kissed Litr on his ruddy cheek. “Damn, nothing.”

  Syn and Echo exchanged grins.

  “Cut it out, you two. I will find what triggers it. Come on. Let’s check on Celestia, then go to lunch.”

  Tammy was with Celestia, so I knew she was in good hands. From there we headed to Grimnirs Hall. The sheer number of men and women from every walk of life stuffing their faces was mind-boggling. Echo led the way to a table. It wasn’t until we sat that I noticed the silence and the stares.

  “Want to say something, Goddess Einmyria?” Syn asked.

  “No, ignore them,” Echo said.

  “At least order them to stop staring,” Syn countered. “They’ll listen.”

  “Go sit somewhere else, Syn. She doesn’t need to say anything to anyone. Here comes Maera.”

  The Dwarf hurried toward us, and behind her was a female in a driven cart. “Do you think she’ll boot me out?”

  Syn grinned. “Absolutely.”

  “No, she won’t. Eirik eats with us all the time. Syn, stop being an ass.”

  Maera stopped at our table and paused to catch her breath. She glared at Echo. “Is this your doing?”

  “I’m supposed to watch over her, so where I go she goes.”

  “It’s where she goes, you go, you impossible man. What are you doing in the Grimnirs Hall, young lady?” Maera asked, pinning me with a glare. I guess I’d been demoted from “young goddess” to “young lady.”

  “Getting ready to eat. I’m starving.” I looked behind her at the cart. “Is that lunch? It smells good.”

  “Litr already took food to your quarters.”

  “But I’m here, Maera. I don’t mind. I get to hang out with Echo.” I hugged his arm. Syn whistled and raised his hand. “And Syn, too,” I added, grinning. “Do you want everyone in the hall to think I’m too good to eat the food they’re eating?”

  “Of course not.” Maera sighed. “First, your brother and now you. I don’t understand young people anymore. There is bending rules, and there’s outright rebelling. Next thing I know, it will be your father and mother in here.”

  “Now that’s a wonderful idea,” I said.

  Maera paled.

  “I was just kidding. Thank you for letting me stay.” I leaned forward and kissed her cheek. Images flashed through my head. I blinked, and they were gone. Maera was walking away.

  “I just had another one,” I whispered to Echo. “Maera is not going to be happy, but Trudy will be going to Mystic Academy with us.”

  Lunch turned out to be fun. I even forgot about the other Grimnirs in the hall. I didn’t realize I was holding on to Echo’s arm as we walked out until I reached the front hall and saw Trudy and the other girls. They stared at our linked arms, but I didn’t pull away. My parents knew about us, so I was done hiding our relationship from everyone.

  I joined the girls, and we walked back to Eirik’s. “Thanks for talking to Eirik, Trudy. I thought he was angry with me, but he wasn’t. He was just having a moment.”

  Trudy scoffed. “A moment? I know he is your brother, but I swear he can be very unfeeling sometimes.”

  “More like often,” I corrected her. “I grew up with him. Well, practically grew up with him. I’d ask him to help me with school stuff, and he’d say no in the mean, uncaring voice, then add that I should look it up myself. But he could be so nice and sweet afterward, and I’d find myself forgiving him.”

  “Did you really have a crush on him?” Hayden asked.

  I glanced back at Echo and caught the smirk on his face. He’d heard the question. “I thought I did. He and I bickered like siblings. He thought all the guys I dated were losers and that I used my looks to get my way.”

  “Did you?” Jessica asked and turned pink.

  “Uh, yes. Shamelessly.” The girls laughed, even Jessica. “Wouldn’t you?”

  “I’ve never attended a school,” Jessica said, and uneasy silence followed. She’d lived in an institution all her life because no one had wanted to adopt her. I stopped, and they did, too.

  “My parents in Kayville put me in an Immortal institution for a month when I started seeing souls. They tried to suppress it.” From their reaction, they hadn’t known about it. “I hated it. Seeing souls was traumatizing enough without being trapped in that home. But I was only there for a month, and it was a nightmare. I can’t imagine just how terrible it must have been for you all those years, Jess.”

  “It was horrible,” she whispered.

  “I’m going to attend Mystic Academy in the fall. You should come with me. As my sister, no one will mess with you.”

  She stared at me with shiny eyes. “You think of me as, uh, your sister?”

  I chuckled. “I should be asking that question, seeing as I’m the new one around here. Do you think of me as your sister?”

  “I impersonated you,” she whispered.

  “You were manipulated. You are my sister now, Jess, and that’s all that matters.” I gave her a hug. When I stepped back, she was fighting tears. “Now all we need to do is convince our parents to let you come with me to Mystic Academy. We need Eirik on board too, of course, and Celestia.”

  “And my mother because I plan to go, too,” Trudy said.

&
nbsp; I hid a smile because I already knew the answer to that. We reached Eirik’s place and found Tammy with Lavion’s two Dwarves. The one that had kept staring at me hopped down and took my hand.

  “Hel’s daughter, how befitting that you are one of the roosters. I never thought I’d see the three of you in one place. Where is the third one? The one with dark hair?”

  I didn’t understand what she was saying. “Who?”

  “She’s talking about Raine,” Trudy said.

  “She’s back on Earth.”

  “No, I just saw her with the goddess. I never thought I’d live to see the three of you together. The end is near.”

  I still had no idea what the woman was talking about, but I smiled and nodded. I took off the second she turned away. Raine was here? Just like in my vision. Echo was with Syn in the living room and stood.

  “Raine is here,” I told them.

  “Cora!” Trudy called, and I glanced over my shoulder. She’d followed me out of the bedroom.

  “I’m going to find Raine.”

  “Are you clairvoyant?” Trudy asked.

  “Uh, yes. I just started having visions. How did you know?”

  “Lavion’s aunt said you are one of the roosters.”

  “I heard her.” But I didn’t believe her.

  “That means you are one of the seers who will announce Ragnarok. Me from a forest in Jötunheim, Raine from Asgard, and you from Helheim.”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m not.”

  “Ask the goddess. We thought it was Eirik, but he doesn’t have the gift to see into the future. You do. The healer, Lavion’s aunt, recognized you.”

  Frowning, I turned to face Echo. His expression said he was shocked, too. It couldn’t be true. There was too much happening too fast. First my visions; now this.

  “It makes sense, sweetheart,” he said.

  “No, it doesn’t. I just barely started having visions.”

  “Your parents used runes to suppress your ability to see souls, so they must have suppressed your other gifts. You could still have more. Telekinesis and mind reading like your mother. Shape shifting like your grandfather. Like you said, you come from a family of powerful Witches. You could be the most powerful of them all,” he added, words dripping with pride.

  He was no longer intimidated by who I was or my family. Instead, he was celebrating me, my abilities. I pulled his head down and kissed him. When I stopped, his eyes were glowing.

  “What was that for?” he asked.

  “You keep reminding me why I love you, Echo Maidrid. Now I need to find Raine.”

  Still wearing a puzzled expression, he opened a portal to the Throne Hall, where Raine, Torin, and Dev were talking to my mother by the steps.

  “Raine!”

  She started toward me, paused, and curtseyed to my mother, who waved her off. I met her across the room, and we hugged. Her hands were freezing. I shrugged off the cloak Litr had given me and draped it around her shoulders.

  “What are you doing here? I told you I’d be fine.”

  “We brought Dev. He was wary of coming with Rhys and Nara, so we offered to bring him.” She stroked the top of the cloak. “Ooh, this feels amazing. I was out there for only a few minutes, yet the cold crept to my bones. This”—she hugged the cloak—“is exactly what I need. Look at you. You look amazing. Oh, and I just met your mother.” She glanced over her shoulder. “She’s intimidating.”

  “It’s all a front. Look at her.” The goddess was laughing with Torin while Dev looked like he couldn’t wait to escape. “Poor Dev. Should we rescue him?”

  “Not yet. I want to hear about Celestia. Rhys said she hasn’t recovered since last week and they are trying to find a way to help her, but he didn’t say how.”

  “Her energy dropped so low after she healed Dev she went into a coma.”

  “Oh no.”

  “My mother has brought healers from all over the realms and beyond, but no one has been able to help her. She even sent emissaries to Asgard, but that didn’t pan out. Eirik is taking it hard, but I saw…”

  “Yes? What did you see?”

  I didn’t know where to begin. “I’ve been seeing things before they happen.”

  Raine laughed and hugged me. “Finally. It’s been so hard not telling you I’d seen you do much more than help souls.” She leaned back and added, “But the scenes I saw were from the new school, so I wasn’t sure when you’d start having visions.”

  “Are you saying you’ve known I’d be clairvoyant?”

  She nodded. “Since two weeks ago.”

  I yanked my hand from hers and pinched her.

  “Ouch. What’s that for?” she screeched.

  “For not telling me. Some best friend you are. You could have warned me.”

  “Rule number one of clairvoyance is never tell people what you’ve seen or they’ll try to change it or fight it. Your gift had to come naturally, and you needed a trigger. Mine was the dying Seeresses. What was the first thing you saw?”

  “My mother visiting my room and taking the blanket,” I said. I explained what I’d seen in my vision.

  “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “I wasn’t sure what it meant or whether it was a one-time thing. If someone had told me she’d seen visions of me doing clairvoyant things, I would not have been so afraid or conflicted.”

  “No, seriously, ask your mother. She’ll tell you the same thing. Never reveal visions to the person they affect.”

  “Is that right, Mother?” I asked.

  Raine paled. Before she could turn around, the goddess placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m afraid Raine is right, Daughter. You never tell anyone what you’ve seen or they’ll do something to change it. Why do you think the Norns have been working hard to lure Raine to their side?”

  “To change the outcome of Ragnarok,” Raine said, her shyness forgotten.

  “Exactly. They must be gnashing their teeth right now because I have all three of you under my roof.” Mother touched Raine’s cheek, then mine.

  “Is it really true about me? Lavion’s aunt said it, but I didn’t want to believe her.”

  She grinned and palmed my cheek. “Yes, my beloved daughter. I was going to tell you after our guests left, but the healer beat me to it.” She sighed. “Why don’t you two run along while we move the villagers to one of the other halls and let the preening peacocks inside?”

  “Preening peacocks?” I laughed. “You sound like Echo.”

  “I stole the description from him. Show Raine around, and tell your brother as soon as he returns that I want both of you ready to receive our guests.”

  “How are we going to help Celestia now that Goddess Eir is not coming?”

  “Raine’s husband offered to get her. They won’t refuse a Valkyrie entrance.” She smiled at Raine. “I hope you two will stay and visit for a while.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.” Raine watched her glide away. “She’s an interesting person.”

  “I thought you were scared of her.”

  “Intimidated, not scared. She’s fascinating.”

  “I know, and amazing. So are you going to Asgard with Torin or staying?”

  “After what you told me about Celestia, I’m staying. My presence in Asgard would only disrupt things. I’m not ready to go there.” She slipped her arm through mine and grinned. “My best friend is the second rooster. I love it. It’s like we gravitated toward each other. Who is the third one? Eirik?”

  “No. Trudy. You’ll announce Ragnarok from Asgard, I will from here, and Trudy from Jötunheim forest. Mother said every few centuries a rooster is born, but they never live long enough, so there are never three of them alive at the same time. She has a theory about that. She thinks the Norns have been manipulating the fate of roosters for a long time until they had one who was one of them.”

  “Me?” Raine asked.

  “Exactly. Come on. Let’s get Dev.”

  “You get Dev.”

  He was
talking to Rhys and Nara but kept glancing at us.

  “He’s been morose since you left,” Raine continued. “I’m not sure whether it’s because he misses you or he really does feel whatever Celestia is feeling. Don’t leave without me. I need to talk to Torin before he leaves. He’s not going to believe what you just told me. My best friend is one of the roosters. Wow.” She hugged me again then took off.

  The second we entered Eirik’s room, Dev rushed to Celestia’s side. Tammy still kept vigil from the other side, and the same healer who’d mentioned the three roosters stepped away from the bed and walked to Raine. She kissed her hand and bowed.

  “It is an honor to meet you,” she said.

  “Thank you.” But Raine’s focus was on Celestia. “Have you figured out what’s wrong with her?”

  “No,” she said sadly. “But the young goddess said a friend she healed was coming.”

  “That’s him.” I introduced Dev to the healers. “Celestia healed him before she lost consciousness, so compare his energy to the one you felt inside her.”

  Dev’s aquamarine eyes clouded. “Celestia’s a giver, not a taker. Remember how she checked my energy before she healed me? All I felt was the flow of her life force toward me. I would never harm her or contaminate her energy. If I did, I’d willingly give up my life to save hers.”

  The anguish on his face said he was suffering with Celestia, but I had to confirm it. “I understand what you are saying, Dev. But we need to confirm it because the healers detected another energy and memories that cannot be hers.”

  “Memories? Her memories didn’t blend with mine, or I would have some of hers.”

  I sighed. “Dev—”

  “Okay. If it eases your mind, doll-face, I’ll let them check.” He sat on a chair and smiled at the two healers. Raine and I stood behind his chair as the two Dwarves pressed their pudgy hands on his forehead and chest.

  Eirik returned wearing some outfit that looked like a scuba suit. He frowned when he saw Dev.