Heroes (Eirik Book 2)

by Ednah Walters

  She had her phone out to take pictures, but the gleam in her eyes said she was enjoying my dilemma. Above her and to her right, my parents watched us by the windows on the west wing of the hall. They weren’t the only ones. I wondered how long we’d been entertaining them.

  “Seriously, do you need help getting up, Eirik? I could whip up a spell to lift you.”

  “You have a mean streak in you, Celestia Deveraux.” I engaged speed runes, rocked back, and leaped up and forward. I landed a few feet away. She took pictures of my snow angel and then ran toward me. I wished we didn’t have to leave. I wanted to spend a day with her playing in the snow, or making out, but duty called. I dropped on my front legs.

  “Come on. Up you go. Take more pictures from above. The view is worth it.”

  “You want me to step on you and climb?”

  I grinned at her incredulous tone. “Or I could grab you with my teeth and throw you onto my back like last time.”

  “No, thanks.” She grabbed scales and climbed. “Does it hurt?”

  “Unbearably.”

  “Smart ass.” She made her way up slowly, pausing every few seconds to search my face for pain.

  “Come on, woman. We don’t have the whole day.” She made a face and scampered the rest of the way, settling at the base of my neck. I felt a pinch when she gripped part of my mane. “Ready?”

  She ran a hand over my scales. This time, I purred. Then she spoiled the moment by patting my neck and saying, “Giddy up, horsey.”

  I turned my head to look at her. “Just for that.”

  She stopped smiling. “Don’t do anything crazy, Eirik.”

  I smirked.

  “I swear if you drop me, I’m going to make you sorry.”

  Like I’d let her fall. I took to the air. It was a beautiful afternoon; the air was clear and the sun touched the top of the mountains. I flew toward Garm’s field, staying low so Celestia could get used to being on my back.

  The hound did his usual crazy leaps as he ran and howled. Celestia’s laughter answered him, and for a moment, I pushed aside apprehensions about going after my grandmother and enjoyed myself.

  But thoughts of Granny crept in. Using the most precious person in my life as bait to lure Granny out of hiding was possibly the dumbest plan I’d ever made, but it was absolutely necessary. The old dragon wasn’t a fool. I was sure she’d planned moves and countermoves, and was several steps ahead of everyone, including me. It explained why she’d bitten Celestia. That was her backup plan in case biting me had failed.

  I let out a loud bellow, a warning to Garm to stay put, and headed north.

  ~*~

  CELESTIA

  Holy cow! When Eirik bellowed, the sound rumbled through him, sending vibrations through my entire body. The effect completely blindsided me. A shudder rocked through me, the feeling like nothing I’d ever felt before. I almost asked him to do it again just to make sure I hadn’t imagined it, but then I looked down and wished I hadn’t. We were so high up I was reminded that the only thing between me and the ground was Eirik.

  Instead of panicking, a weird calmness settled over me. I trusted Eirik. Whether in human or dragon form, they were one and the same, and they’d never failed me.

  Grinning, I glanced over my shoulder as we left Hel’s Hall behind. Eljudnir blended with the landscape, but I recognized the conical roofs of the corner towers and the keep. Eirik hadn’t lied about it being breathtaking from the air, or that he released energy. He was a natural seat warmer. And cheek warmer. I alternated resting my cheeks on his neck and let him warm them. His neck was big enough to protect me from the cold air.

  The air was fresh and crisp, and the snow covered most of the terrain, except for the rivers snaking between the mountains, crashing waterfalls, and lakes on valley floors. There were no trees or animals.

  “Where are we going now?” I called out.

  “I swear my ears will be ringing for days after this. Quit yelling. There are three locations where I’ve found my grandmother’s scent. We’ll check them out one at a time and then head back home.”

  The effect when he spoke was the same, but to a lesser degree. I didn’t mind. The vibrations were so stimulating. I turned, resting my other cheek on his neck, and sighed. If he were my boyfriend, I’d lie on him and make him growl instead of making out. Thinking about boyfriends naturally led me to thinking about the girls in his life. He’d talked a lot about Raine for months, until I felt like I knew her.

  “Tell me about Cora,” I said.

  There was silence, then, “Cora? Why?”

  “Because you grew up with her. I feel like I know Raine, but I have a feeling Cora is just as important to you.”

  He chuckled, and I grinned. Dragon chuckle was sexy.

  “I used to think she was my first crush, but I don’t know anymore.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s hard to explain. For a long time, it was just the two of us. Raine and me. We did everything together from as far back as I can remember. Anyone messed with her, they had to deal with me, and she was a mean kid when she thought someone was picking on me. We had each other’s back. Like you and me now. I could do no wrong in her eyes and vice versa. We lived in our little world, and our parents did everything to support us. Of course, we didn’t know they were supposed to do that. According to the Norns, I needed Raine’s family to keep me from turning evil like my mother.” He chuckled again. “Interfering old hags always think they know better.”

  “How old were you when they took you?”

  “About a year. At least that’s what I’d thought. I’ve always celebrated my birthday on March fifteenth because they told my Immortal guardians I was a year old when they handed me to them. But I just found out last year that my actual birthday is November twenty-eighth.”

  “That’s insane. Do you think they used a fake birthday to confuse anyone trying to find you?

  He glanced at me and grinned. “That was our conclusion too when my parents sprung that little surprise in November.”

  “You could always celebrate your birthday twice.”

  “I did. Anyway, when we met Cora in middle school, it threw me off. Raine has a big heart and once she lets in someone, she stays loyal. She found Cora crying in the bathroom on her first day at a public school and took her under her wing. Cora had been homeschooled until then. Suddenly, I had to share Raine, and I hated it. I behaved like a total douche.” A mocking laugh escaped him. “Man, I was an insecure idiot. In my mind, Raine belonged to me. We’d made pacts, like attending the same college, marrying when we were adults, never keeping secrets from each other. All of a sudden, she had Cora. She could talk to her about girl stuff, things she couldn’t discuss with me. I felt left out.”

  I rubbed his neck soothingly. “There are things we girls discuss with other girls and not with guys, Eirik.”

  “I don’t see why not. I helped her choose her first bra. I’d tell her if she looked hot in an outfit or not. I bloodied noses of guys who were mean to her and had sleepovers at her house since I was a kid all the way to high school.”

  Oh man, I was jealous of Raine. I could have used an Eirik when people were mean to me in junior high.

  “Still, there are certain things a girl can’t share with a guy.”

  “So I learned when we hit high school. Anyway, I didn’t want to share her and resented Cora. I got into the habit of teasing her.”

  He went quiet, and I thought he was done.

  “After a few months, I began to realize Cora was really a nice person and a lot like me. We both had older parents and our parents weren’t overtly demonstrative, unlike Raine’s.”

  No wonder he had to be the center of attention now. He’d been deprived. Dad and Grams had showered me with attention. Maybe it had been an attempt to make up for Mom abandoning me, but I’d never felt deprived.

  “When I look back now,” Eirik continued, “I can’t remember when I started liking her. I just know that I found e
verything wrong with the guys she dated, and she dated a lot. I thought she could do better.”

  His words to Wes returned to mock me.

  “Maybe I wanted her to focus on me, which didn’t make sense because Raine was still my number one girl. Or maybe I wanted both girls.” He glanced at me and smirked.

  The green-eyed monster crept up.

  “From what I’ve read, gods sleep around a lot and have babies all over the place. You could have two or three consorts.” And I could put some serious mojo on them and turn them into gnomes.

  “Nah, I’m a one-woman man. I was trying to date Raine and failing miserably when she met Torin.”

  “Is that why you don’t like him?”

  “Nah, I didn’t like how he went about it, but he’s perfect for her. Like I said, it wasn’t working very well. Something was missing. Raine will always be a big part of my life and I’ll always have her back, but she wasn’t the one. So far, Torin has been a model boyfriend, but if he ever treats her wrong, he’ll have to deal with me. She’s going through a lot of crap right now and only he can help her handle it.”

  “Norn problems?”

  “No, her father is dying, and she’s not handling it well. Torin is helping her deal with that. In fact, I have a feeling her father would be dead if it weren’t for him.”

  “He sounds like a nice guy.”

  “Nice is measured by the way he treats her. So far so good. I can’t wait for the two of you to meet. She’ll love you.”

  “I like her already.” But I wanted to know more about Cora. “So you decided to date Cora once Raine was out of the picture?”

  “Nope. I had several opportunities to ask her out, but I kept hesitating. Raine was gone for nearly two weeks and Cora was there. She came to watch me swim every day, sat with me during lunch, and came to my place to hang out, and I did nothing. Something held me back. I can’t explain it. Even Raine pushed me to ask her out, but I couldn’t do it. Something wasn’t right.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. I just knew I couldn’t take that step with her.”

  “So you never, ever dated her, or”—Just say it—“kissed her?”

  “Nope. Then when I found out she wasn’t what she seemed, I wondered if that was the reason.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Long story. One day, I’ll explain. She’s with Echo now. I’ve checked on them on and off in the last few months, and they’re both doing great together. Cora seems happy. Echo might not be my favorite guy in the world, but he’s good for her.” He chuckled, and I wasn’t sure whether he was okay with that or not. Sometimes it was hard to read him.

  “You see that peak ahead?” he continued. “There’s a valley on the west side with no habitable caves, so I have no idea why my grandmother’s scent leads to it.”

  I adjusted slowly to the change in topic. I still had questions about Cora, but they could wait. I focused on energies around me. I couldn’t feel any except Eirik’s.

  “How often do you search for your grandmother?” I asked.

  “At least once a day. There’s not much going on in the hall, except training. I’m sparring with my mother’s warriors tomorrow. You should come and watch.”

  I shuddered at the thought. “Why does your mother let you fight them?”

  “She doesn’t. I chose to test my skills against the warriors. It’s been educational.”

  “I think you’re crazy.”

  “You’re just scared for me. Once you see me do my thing, you won’t worry so much.”

  I doubted it. “I’m not worried. If you want to rip each other apart, that’s your choice. You know how I feel about fighting.” Silence followed, and I wondered if I’d hurt his feelings. “What time will you spar?”

  “In the morning. Eight-ish.”

  “Fine. Send someone to get me.”

  “Awesome. You’ll meet Karle. He’s coming to stay for a while. I hope he arrives in the morning before I join the warriors.”

  He talked about Karle and his sister, their father, and his relationship with his grandmother. The woman was obviously a heroine to her people, which made what she was doing despicable. On the other hand, had the gods not taken away her children, she might not be on the revenge path. I became aware of Eirik turning and looping his flight path instead of heading straight ahead.

  “Did you catch her scent?” I asked.

  “No. But twice I’ve followed her scent to this place.”

  I glanced down, but all I saw were mountains and valleys. We circled the area, then dipped low inside the valley. There were no scents or energy threads, no footprints of a Jötun or a dragon. Eirik even landed and walked around.

  The next stop was only fifteen minutes away. The peaks and ridges were sharp and the sides of the ravines so steep the snow didn’t stick to them so the rock surface was exposed. I thought I saw a movement, and my stomach shifted. I focused my senses. There was a trace of a familiar energy, but it was so faint I couldn’t grasp its thread.

  “Can we go down there into the ravine?”

  “Sure, but we have to come from the south, which is wider. Why? You found her energy?”

  “Just a trace, and I thought I saw movement down there.”

  He headed south and landed. We walked along the floor. The energies I’d sensed were faint. Whoever had lived here had long since left.

  “Have you ever been down here before?”

  “A month ago. I called and searched for her, but got nowhere.”

  “She might have been here, but now, there’re only echoes of her energy and the others’.” The movement I’d seen turned out to be chunks of snow falling.

  We left for the last destination, a huge waterfall shooting straight down to a mist-covered, bottomless ravine. We couldn’t see how far the bottom went. We were halfway down when I caught the scent. It wasn’t as strong as the other night near the cave, but I recognized it. My heart started to pound with excitement and dread. If she was here…

  “I think we found her,” I said, my voice unsteady.

  “I’m going to leave you up there and go alone to investigate,” Eirik said, starting to ascend.

  “No. There are other energies down there, Eirik. Light, bright energies, which means they belong to happy people.”

  “No one lives around here. The nearest settlement is near Eastern Gjöll Pass, where the gates to the other realms are located.”

  “Let’s get closer.”

  He swooped low and entered the mist. It was so thick I couldn’t see a thing, including parts of Eirik. The mist swallowed his head, half of his wings, and his feet. I shivered, feeling vulnerable for the first time. Maybe I should have stayed up there.

  “You were right,” he said. “There are people down here.”

  “Can you see them?”

  “Yep. The cowards. They’re running away. From the colors of their cloaks, I’d say they are Frost Jötnar.”

  He landed, but I still couldn’t see anything, not even the ground he stood on. I peered into the mist. It appeared to thicken, meaning it was magically made. The magic was stronger compared to the other places we’d visited.

  “How are you going to make them come out and talk to us when I can’t see anything?” I asked.

  “Order them. Blow fire. They are hiding my grandmother and need to know we mean business.” He growled. “The damn fog is growing thicker.”

  “Wow, slow down. No fire and no growling. You’ll scare them.”

  “Good. They need to be scared.”

  I sighed. “How about we try being diplomatic first? From their energies, they’re not evil people.”

  “Evil has nothing to do with it, Dimples. People around here only understand one thing. Brute force. You show them you are at the top of the food chain and they listen.”

  “Oh stop it. That’s not you talking. Let me talk to them. Put me down.”

  “Hell no. You can barely see anything, and she might snatch you a
gain.”

  I caught a familiar thread of energy and followed it. It was like Karle’s father. I tugged at the thread without being aggressive. Someone tugged from the other end.

  “She’s not here, Eirik. The energy I’m picking up is similar to hers. It belongs to a bitten person, like me.” I tugged again and received a tug back. It seemed stronger as though the person was moving closer. “Let me talk to them.”

  “From up here. You sure it’s not her?”

  “Oh yes. Her pull is too strong and overpowering. This person is gentle. I think we’ll be okay.”

  “I’m still not lowering you down.”

  “Fine. Just let me do the talking.” The words barely left my mouth when I saw shadows shift around us. Eirik tensed. The shadows drew closer from all sides, surrounding us. If I’d gotten down, I’d be looking up at a dozen Jötuns with massive, wicked-looking weapons. Interestingly, their energy said they weren’t dangerous. They were scared.

  “Great! Now we are surrounded,” Eirik said. “Don’t be scared. I got this.”

  “I’m not scared. They are, so let me do the talking. Hi,” I called out and waved. “My name is Celestia Deveraux, and we come in peace.”

  A chuckle rumbled through Eirik, but I ignored him. The Jötun stopped moving forward.

  “Can you understand me?” I called out again.

  An old Jötun stepped forward.

  “Yes, I can,” he said, speaking slowly. “My name is Trym, son of Rind. I served Goddess Hela in Eljudnir for centuries and understand the language of Midgard.”

  A murmur rippled through the Jötnar surrounding us, Midgard being repeated. The old man raised his hand, and the talking stopped. Eirik only grew tenser as though expecting an attack.

  “Yes, I’m from Midgard, but I’m visiting the gods in Eljudnir. This is Eirik, son of Baldur and Hela.”

  “The Rising Star,” the Jötnar murmured, and I could tell they’d heard of him.

  “That’s right. This is Eirik Baldurson, the Rising Star.”

  “Welcome to our village, Eirik Baldurson and Celestia Deveraux of Migard,” Trym said, his voice carrying.

  As though on cue, the mist drifted away until the valley became visible. The waterfall was breathtaking. It frothed into a pool at the base of the ravine. Giant doors appeared on the mountain walls, some opening. More Jötnar stepped out, while others peered at us. The guards with weapons put them down, pressed their fists to their chests, and bowed. The ones stepping out of their homes did the same.