by Alane Adams
Odin grasped him by the back of his neck and kissed his forehead before he moved on. “But for all the time that passed, I never got over the loss of Baldur, and, I feared, neither did you.” He looked at Frigga. His queen wiped away a tear, nodding her head in agreement.
“When circumstances arose to provide me with an opportunity to fix matters, forgive an old goat for trying to surprise you.”
Frigga lowered her handkerchief, looking perplexed. “Of what do you speak?”
“From the moment I met Sam, my last offspring, I knew I had one final chance to make things right. I brought these children here because each had a role to play. One only I could see.”
The god stopped in front of Howie. “Howie, the great Protector. How many laughed at you when I gave you this title?”
Howie had the grace to shrug. “A couple dozen or so.” He grinned. “Okay, maybe everyone.”
“You were so full of fear when I first saw you.” Odin tapped Howie on the chest. “But I knew you had great things in you. You haven’t disappointed me yet. You wielded the Sword of Tyrfing bravely against those Balfin monsters, and you saved Skara Brae once again with nothing but piles of rusted armor. Well done.”
Howie’s face beamed with pride. “Thanks, Big O. If you ever have another mission for me, just call.” Howie saluted the god.
Odin smiled and moved on to Keely. Her white hair fell to her shoulders. She looked at Odin with shining eyes.
“Young Keely. When I first saw you, your heart was locked in grief and guilt over the loss of your mother. I wanted you to be able to feel magic, to believe in the goodness of life. You, young lady, have made me very proud. That trick with the water?” Odin bent forward and winked. “Very cool, as you kids say.”
Keely smiled. “Thanks, Odin.” She flung her arms around his waist and hugged the god tightly before stepping back.
Odin moved on to Leo. Leo’s jaw was locked, and he avoided Odin’s gaze. Odin’s eyes narrowed as he studied him. “Young Leo, you still think you failed me, don’t you?”
Leo gave a shrug. Pain was etched into his brow. “I was chosen as the Sacrifice. And yet I lived. I let Loki out, and then I freed Angerboda, all to save my own skin.”
Odin clasped his shoulder. “My boy, your task was the hardest of them all. I trusted you alone to see it through. You were willing to give everything to save your friends, even if it meant losing your life.”
Leo’s face brightened. “So I didn’t fail you?”
“No. In fact, I had a feeling you would run into Loki down in Sinmara’s underworld, and, knowing Loki, I guessed he would trick you into releasing him. Of course, I did not realize he would use his newfound freedom to start a war.”
Odin turned to give Loki a pointed glance.
The God of Mischief shrugged guilty. “Brother, you should have known me better than that. I act first, think second. But it’s all behind us now; Surt is dead and gone forever. Those beastly fire giants will never threaten Orkney again.”
Odin glared at him a moment longer and then relented. “Yes, the fire giants were always in the wings as a threat. Perhaps it was time they were dealt with. And having my heroes here to oversee it was provident.”
Odin turned back to Leo, gripping his arm. “You have done well, Leo Pate-Wa. Your father would be proud, as you should be.”
Odin smiled at a glowing Leo and then moved on to Sam.
Sam was humming with a hundred different questions about why Odin had done what he had done, but he kept silent as Odin looked intently into his eyes. “And you, the last Son of Odin. When we first met, you were bursting with so much anger, I thought you might explode with it. I knew if you continued down that path, it would consume you. You were being pulled in two directions by your own blood-lines. I had to do something to make you face who you were, to decide once and for all what path you would take.”
Sam blurted out, “You pushed me into killing you!”
Odin nodded gravely. “I didn’t force your hand, but I certainly gave you reason to. I hoped that by doing so, you would learn from it, that it would purge that anger from you. You would either learn to forgive yourself, or forever hate yourself.” A smile lightened his features as he tapped Sam on the chest. “You chose forgiveness.”
But Sam wasn’t ready to forgive himself so easily. “How could you know I wouldn’t go to the witches’ side?” he asked, his voice thick with emotion. “I was so lost.”
Odin put a hand on his shoulder. “I didn’t know, Samuel, but I hoped. I had faith. Though I didn’t expect you to slice off my ear,” he added wryly, rubbing at the gnarled scar on the side of his head. “But look where you are now.” His eyes twinkled at Sam. “The best of both bloodlines. A Son of Catriona who fights for good. Besides, your wrong path gave me a chance to pay a visit to Helheim, where I hoped to find my son Baldur.”
Frigga rose shakily from her throne. “You did all this just to bring back our son? You are a dear old goat for trying, but it was a fool’s journey. Baldur has been gone too long. I have accepted that he is lost to us.”
Odin pulled a small pouch from the folds of his robe and held it out, and then he opened it and dumped the contents onto his palm. A large thorn rested there.
“I didn’t say I failed. The mistletoe thorn enabled Helva to keep him there. I stole it back.” Then he blew on the thorn. It caught fire, there was a flash of orange light, and then it disintegrated into a small pile of ash.
Behind them, through the archway, a young man appeared, dressed in battle regalia and standing tall. His rugged blond features broke into a smile at the sight of his mother.
“Baldur, is it really you?” Frigga cried, running to him and throwing her arms around him.
Odin moved on and stopped before the ice maiden. “And so, Angerboda, will you forgive me?” he said.
She rose to her feet, surveying all of them before her. Slowly she nodded her head. “It is time to put the past where it belongs. I wish to go home. To my people.”
Odin’s eyes flared. “You’re sure?”
“I am old. Inside this body, I am dying. I need to be with my own kind to be at peace.”
“But, my love, leaving so soon?” Loki quipped. The God of Mischief’s lips wobbled like he wanted to cry.
Angerboda looked down at him with fond eyes. “Come with me, mischief-maker. You amuse me like no other. You will find a place at my side for as long as I have left. It could be another century or two.”
Loki hesitated, then nodded, patting her hand. “Where you go, I go, my love. Besides, no one here is going to miss me.”
“Where is she going?” Sam whispered to Geela.
“She is from a world of ice. Her people are the Dokkalfar, the Dark Elves. They live in an ice realm far from here.”
Odin grasped Loki by the shoulder. “Be well, brother. We will meet again someday.”
Loki clasped him back. “Don’t die on me before I get back to kill you myself.”
Then Loki stepped back and took Angerboda’s hand. Odin passed his hand over them, and they both shimmered brightly and then burst into a shower of ice crystals before they vanished.
Keely tugged on Sam’s arm. “What about us?” she whispered. “I really need to go home!”
“Um, Odin?” Sam asked, stepping forward. “We need a favor.”
The god smiled down at him. “Anything you want; you’ve earned it.”
“It’s not for me. My friends, they want to go home.”
Odin looked at the trio behind him. “Back to Midgard? Oregon, you call it?”
“Yes.”
Odin nodded. “It will be done. What about you?”
Sam cast a look at Perrin and Mavery. “Oh, I think I’ll stay awhile. See how things work out.”
“Say your goodbyes, then.”
Sam gulped, looking at Keely, Howie, and Leo. They made a small circle, putting their arms around each other’s shoulders.
“I’m going to miss you guys.”
“You sure you don’t want to come back?” Howie said. “Eighth grade’s going to be a blast.”
“Hey, at least you don’t have any more algebra tests,” Keely added.
Tears blurred Sam’s eyes. “I’m not going to say goodbye. Someday you’ll be back.”
Leo nodded at him and then threw his arms around Sam and hugged him tightly. “Be well, Samuel. When you look at the stars, know that we see the same sky.”
“Say goodbye to the captain, and Rego, and your mom, and Speria and Heppner.” Howie rambled on down the list. “Oh, and take care of Lingas for me. She loves to eat fresh squirrels.” He turned to Perrin. “And give Damarius a rub behind his ears.” His eyes began watering as he realized he wasn’t going to see his pets anymore.
Keely pulled off Nehalannia’s pendant and put it in Sam’s hands. “This belongs to the Eifalians. Give it to Gael. Tell him to give it to his queen.”
The trio stood in the center of the room. Sam stood to the side, next to Perrin. Mavery leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist as Odin raised his staff and rammed it into the floor.
“See ya when I see ya,” Howie said, and then Sam’s friends were gone.
Sam looked at the spot where his friends had stood, missing them already.
“Time to go home, witch-boy,” Geela said with a wink. She prepared to lead them out when Odin called out to Sam.
“I think you have something that belongs to Frey,” he said.
“Of course.” Sam pulled out the little wooden carving. “Frey’s probably missing it.”
The god pocketed it and then rested his hand on Sam’s shoulder. “You didn’t ask for anything in return for all your help, but I got you something.”
Odin opened his palm, revealing a green emerald the size and shape of a walnut.
“What is it?” Sam asked.
“Take it and see what happens.”
Sam picked up the emerald. As he gripped it in his palm, the stone turned into dust.
Odin blew on it, sending the green dust into Sam’s face. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. His skin tingled as blood zinged to his fingertips. Energy bubbled up inside of him, and then everything felt alive.
“I’ve got my magic back,” he whispered, looking at Odin with awe as he stretched out his fingers, feeling it course through his veins. “I have my magic!” He spun around and thrust out his palms, unleashing a blast of green witchfire at the ceiling and earning a glare from Frigga. “I’m a witch again.” He hugged Perrin and whirled her around as Mavery squealed with joy.
Odin pointed a finger at him. “Don’t forget that you are also my son. There will always be two parts of you.” He left to join Frigga and Baldur, embracing the son who had been lost to him forever.
Vor came over, patting Sam on the arm. “So, Samuel, your path has been chosen, I see.”
Impulsively, Sam hugged the Goddess of Wisdom. “Thank you for all your help, Vor. You have no idea how many times I’ve remembered your words.”
She nodded gracefully. “There will always be more challenges ahead, but I’m sure you will be ready to face them.”
Sam smiled confidently. “I’ll be just fine.”
Chapter 40
Keely tumbled onto the ground, feeling cold stone on her face. She looked around. The scenery was familiar. They were back on top of Pilot Rock. She could see the city lights in the distance. Keely smiled, helping Howie up. “We’re home.”
“I wonder if Chuggies is open,” Howie said, rubbing his stomach.
Keely’s smile grew bigger.
A man rose from the shadows, an Umatilla.
“Father!” Leo cried, leaping to his feet and throwing himself into the arms of the man. “But how did you know we were coming?”
Chief Pate-Wa’s eyes glistened with tears of joy as he gathered them all in for a hug. “Tonight, there was green lightning over the rock. We hoped it would bring good news. Come, we have a truck waiting.”
They took Howie home first. Even though Leo’s father had assured the large Vogelstein family the boy was okay, it was heart-wrenching to watch them hug him and hold him. Mr. Vogelstein kept patting Howie on the back while his mom squeezed him so tight his face turned red. Even his siblings were whooping with joy. Keely had a feeling they would never take their overlooked son for granted again.
Then they were outside her familiar brick house. She could see her father through the window reading the paper in the den in front of the fireplace. Her legs were stuck in place. She couldn’t walk up the steps.
“Do you want me to go with you?” Leo asked, touching her arm.
She shook her head. “No. It will be okay.”
Keely gave him a quick hug and walked to the porch. She could hear the TV on inside. The door was unlocked. She slipped inside, shutting the door behind her. On the table in the entry was a glass case, something she didn’t recognize. She picked it up, looking at it curiously. It held a small object, shiny and white. She looked closer. It was the Moon Pearl!
Ymir had kept his promise. He had let her father know she was okay.
“Dad, I’m home,” she called out.
Epilogue
Eithan stood on a hill overlooking the city of Galas. The lost boys of Rakim all had homes. He had waited and made sure of it before he had left. The queen was a kind and caring woman. She had tried to speak to him, but he had kept his eyes averted, shying away, claiming his real name was Eithan when he knew it wasn’t. The dwarves had given him that name.
The truth was that he couldn’t remember anything about his past. The fall he had taken before the black dwarves had found him had wiped his memory. The only thing he knew for sure was that he didn’t belong here. One look from Reesa’s son, Kaleb, had told him that. The look of jealousy had burned in the young boy’s eyes. If he stayed, Eithan would tear a family apart, and he couldn’t do that, not when he couldn’t even remember his own name.
With a heavy heart, he turned away and began walking through the forest. Next to him loped the giant wolf that had swam ashore and now hunted with him. Together they would find another home in another land, somewhere where the sun shone brightly and the wind was at their back.
About the Author
Alane Adams is an author, professor, and literacy advocate. She is the author of the Legends of Orkney fantasy mythology series for tweens and The Coal Thief, The Egg Thief, and The Santa Thief, picture books for early-grade readers. She lives in Southern California.
Author photo © Melissa Coulier/Bring Media
SELECTED TITLES FROM SPARKPRESS
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Wendy Darling Vol 1: Stars, Colleen Oakes. $17, 978-1-94071-6-96-4. Loved by two men—a steady and handsome bookseller’s son from London, and Peter Pan, a dashing and dangerous charmer—Wendy realizes that Neverland, like her heart, is a wild place, teeming with dark secrets and dangerous obsessions.
Wendy Darling Vol 2: Seas, Colleen Oakes, $16.95, 978-1940716886. The sequel to Wendy Darling: Stars takes Wendy aboard the dreaded Sudden Night, sailed by the infamous Captain Hook. Will Wendy find shelter with Peter’s greatest enemy, or is she a pawn in a much darker game, one that could forever alter her family’s future–but also Neverland itself?
Wendy Darling Vol 3: Shadow, Colleen Oakes, $16.95, 978-1-943006-16-8. In the thrilling final installment in Colleen Oakes’s Wendy Darling Trilogy, Wendy Darling has found herself once again in the arms of charming Peter Pan, the god-child who desires power above all things. This time, though, Wendy burns not with passion but with a secret: with Hook as her ally, she is there to defeat the evil that lies inside of Peter, the evil that holds all Neverland hostage—the Shadow.
The Alienation of Courtney Hoffman, Brady Stefani. $17, 978-1-940716-34-3. When fifteen-year-old Courtney Hoffman starts gett
ing visits from aliens at night, she’s sure she’s going crazy—but when she meets a mysterious older girl who has alien stories of her own, she embarks on a journey that takes her into her own family’s deepest, darkest secrets.
Blonde Eskimo, Kristen Hunt. $17, 978-1-940716-62-6. Neiva Ellis is caught between worlds—Alaska and the lower forty-eight, white and Eskimo, youth and adulthood, myth and tradition, good and evil, the seen and unseen. Just initiated into one side of the family’s Eskimo culture, she must harness all her resources to fight an evil and ancient foe.
Within Reach, Jessica Stevens. $17, 978-1-940716-69-5. When 17-year-old Xander Hemlock dies, he finds himself trapped in a realm of darkness with thirty days to convince his girlfriend, Lila, that he’s not completely dead— even as Lila struggles with a host of issues of her own.
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