“I, um, you don’t need to thank me or anything else,” I said hastily. “I’m just glad I could help you.”
He grabbed my hand, startling me even further. But before I could protest, he stated in a stoic tone, “I hereby pledge my loyalty. It is extremely rare for a white elf of my stature to give it to anyone—especially outside of my species—but nonetheless, I extend it to you. White elves are lone creatures on the whole, but we unite against threats, which makes us strong. You have proven yourself time and time again. I will stand as a character witness for you in Asgard and help you defeat your foes.”
“I don’t know what to say,” I said. My throat felt full. I wasn’t expecting this. “Thank you, Callan. I was happy to help you, and your friendship in return is enough.”
He stood, and that’s when I noticed how bright blue his eyes were. They were as blue as the cerulean sky above us. “Nonsense. My testimony will be unprecedented. It will make the gods think.” He tapped a temple. “I have only heard bits about what is to come, but I will do my best to aid your cause. And when this is over, you may call on me at any time. If it hadn’t been for you and the god of light, I would be wasting away in my cell, moments from death.” He spread his arms wide, a small sword in his left hand. “And now I am back to my true self, full in mind and spirit. I have never felt better.”
“I…I accept your help. Thank you.” Honestly, I was going to need all I could get. “It fills my heart to see you back to your true self. I had no idea anyone could transform as much as you have. In this time of sadness and loss, you’ve managed to uplift me.”
He slung an arm around my shoulders, and we began to walk. I had to get to the Park, or Ingrid was going to come looking for me. “I am leaving later this afternoon,” he told me. “I’m heading back to Alfheim, my homeland, for the first time in many years. The white elves won’t know what to make of my sudden appearance. I am certain they marked me dead long ago, or they would have sent a war party to retrieve me. When I was sent to rescue our king, he watched as the elves struck me down while he managed to escape. He likely thought me dead. After I’m done explaining, and relaying all the stories, I will gather prominent white elves, and we will meet you in Asgard. My kind will be talking about my return for the next hundred years.”
I was overcome by his generosity. “I appreciate that,” I told him, meaning it. “I’ve never been to Asgard, and I’m a little nervous. It’s not opportune that the first time I go, I will be tried for the death of my half brother. Not exactly an ideal time for a girl to meet her birth father.”
“You are very strong. Always remember that.” He shook my shoulders. “Your bloodline reeks of aristocracy and power. Hold your head high, and you will command respect. Enter the Council like you do not deserve punishment, and they will treat you as such. You have many behind you. Lean on them. Use their help. If white elves lived by this decree, we would’ve been stronger for it long ago.”
I was going to miss my new friend. “Safe travels, Callan. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’m so glad both Baldur and I could help you. He would be beyond excited to see your transformation.”
“He was a good god, light of heart and soul. And you did more than help, Valkyrie. You gave me my life back, and I will never forget it.” We came to a stop in front of the Park. The shieldmaidens had already begun to train. Callan leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on my cheek. “I shall see you in a few days.”
Rae came up behind us and pulled up short.
Her face registered zero recognition of the man who stood before us. Before she could get a word out, or unsheathe her katana, I hastily explained, “This is Callan, the old man who accompanied us home. I know it looks strange, but it seems Yggdrasil had a hand in transforming him back to his true self. That and, apparently, sunshine. But don’t worry, he is on his way back to Alfheim. If I had known he was going to change this much, I would’ve asked permission for him to enter. I apologize.”
Callan extended his hand to Rae. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, battle captain. I watched you train yesterday into the night, and you are an impressive warrior. Your skills are flawless.” Rae seemed reluctant to extend her hand. She finally did, much to my relief, and Callan clasped it, bringing it to his mouth in one sly movement. He settled his lips on it in what could only be construed as a casually intimate gesture.
I bit my tongue as Rae whipped her hand back, appearing flustered. “I have heard about you,” she managed. “They call you Callan the Capable, one of only a small handful of white elves crossed with mage known to exist. That is why you were sent to rescue your king.”
Callan bowed his head at the recognition, smiling. “That is true.”
Rae casually drew her long, curved sword from her belt, clearly enjoying the sound it made as she unsheathed it. It was a huge katana, impressive on every level. “Then why is it that the dark elves managed to trap you in their realm for all these years? It seems a better name would be Callan the Captive.” Her eyes glinted with something I’d never seen before. Maybe humor? “Now, if you will excuse me, I must attend to my sisters.” Rae entered the Park without looking back, her long black hair swaying behind her, the braided plaits glinting in the early morning sunshine.
I expected Callan to look abashed or insulted. Instead, his eyes followed Rae like they were magnetized. He finally pried them away with a wide grin on his lips. “She is truly magnificent.”
“That she is.” I shook my head, smiling. “I believe she is the fiercest of us all.”
“They don’t craft warriors like that anymore.” He shook himself as he reached out to embrace me again. “I will take my leave, young Valkyrie. But I look forward to our reunion.”
“Be well, Callan.”
As I entered the Park, where the Valkyries were training, I realized how lucky I was. Even with Baldur’s death pressing heavily on my heart, and everything in between, I’d gone from living alone in New York as a lowly shoe clerk to becoming a shieldmaiden with a family to come home to. It didn’t get much better than that.
* * *
It was full dark before Rae eased up on us. I’d managed to do some major damage to the hay bales, but it hadn’t been nearly as impressive as what I’d done to Invaldi when I’d been plugged into Yggdrasil. They’d indeed caught fire. But it was a tiny brushfire, rather than an active bonfire, or a complete incineration. But I was proud of my efforts, because they’d come from my body, not the tree.
Ingrid had been a good sport and had become my sparring partner for the day. I’d rarely had a chance to train with her in the Park, so it had been a good day.
Rae had kept us working so hard, it’d kept my thoughts away from Baldur, and my impending fate, which had been a blessing.
Most of the other Valkyries had left after finally being excused for the day. I was putting my swords away when someone approached from behind. Thinking it was Ingrid, I turned, smiling. My grin quickly turned pinched. “What can I help you with, Anya?” I asked. We had steered clear of each other all day, which had made the day extra special.
“Everyone thinks you’ve turned into our savior—a powerful Valkyrie who can lead us into war. But I know better. I don’t care if you can harness energy, or learn to shear a sheep. You’re a fraud. You’re not skilled enough to fight even the lowliest dark elf. You got lucky, nothing more.” She held her battle ax loosely out in front of her, but the intent was crystal clear. She leaned in aggressively, hoping to intimidate me.
It wasn’t going to work.
I straightened and unsheathed Gundren. The blades came out so fast, the whooshing noise was as sharp as a sting. “I might still have a lot to learn, but you’re a bully who finally needs to have her ass handed to her.”
The Phoebe who worried about consequences was gone. I was done dealing with the Anyas of the world forever. The Valkyrie Phoebe had replaced her. As I brought my swords out in front of me, they kindled with energy, sparks and ribbons of light int
ertwining the blades, making them look like they’d been plugged in.
I didn’t give Anya a warning. I sprang, whipping my blades down in two different directions. She barely had time to get her ax raised as she frantically backed away. I took advantage of the momentum, forcing her to keep moving as I slashed my blades down again, pummeling her weapon with more force than I needed to get the job done.
I didn’t have time to register her expression. I was caught up in the fight. It wasn’t until her back slammed against the rock wall behind us that I stopped. I hadn’t even broken a sweat. Anya was barely clinging to a small portion of her ax handle, her breastplate charred, the steel blade of her ax chipped away.
I glared at her, my weapon still poised, ready to continue this battle to the end. “Do you concede?” I asked, my voice steely.
“Yes.” She bowed her head.
“Damn right you do.” I lowered my weapons to my sides. “But that’s not enough. I want you to admit that I’m a better fighter than you are, or we end this now.” When she didn’t readily respond, I lifted my right arm, Gundren sparking and dancing with light. “Say it.”
Her expression was like ice. “You are more skilled than I.”
I stepped back, satisfied.
For now.
I turned on my heel and deliberately walked out of the Park.
Sam was waiting for me, her expression a mix of awe and excitement. She grabbed my arm, hugging me. Once we were out of earshot, she whisper-yelled, “That was awesome! Holy crap! I knew that hag was going to pick a fight with you. She’d been giving you the death stare all day with her beady little eyes. But you handled that like a pro. What’d it take? All of two minutes for you to back her into that wall? I couldn’t hear what you guys were talking about, but it didn’t matter. She is so never coming near you again. It’s too bad you can’t use your Valkyrie prowess on our crappy manager at Macy’s, Nancy. She was the worst.”
I chuckled. “She was bad, but using my new Valkyrie prowess on her would be a little unfair.”
“Maybe just a smidgen.” Sam shook my elbow. “I just thought of something. Imagine what Tom would think of all this! You’d blow that boy’s eighteen-year-old head right off his shoulders. Being a stock boy at Macy’s is in no way a good preparation for finding out that immortals exist. We have to go back to Macy’s at some point, with you dressed in full gear. Promise me! To see the look on Tom’s and Nancy’s face as you walk in—priceless.” She clapped. “I cannot wait.”
“I never pegged you as a sadist, Sam. And here I thought you were a rule follower with a brain big enough to make all that seem like petty foolishness.”
“Yeah, that was before I learned I had Asgardian blood. Now I’m ready to shake this world to its core like you shook up Anya. Seriously, that was badass .” She beamed at me. “Gossip is going to rocket through the stronghold like there’s no tomorrow. People will steer clear.”
“They better,” I said, my tone half serious. “Because there is more from where that came from.”
32
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I sat shoulder to shoulder with my mother on top of the mesa. We’d spent a lot of time together the last few days, getting to know each other, coming up with plans, then changing them and coming up with even better plans. When she wasn’t connecting with people she knew in Asgard, we trained together. My mother was an incredibly skilled archer. Even though she claimed she was rusty after all those years away, she could hit the smallest target at a hundred yards.
“Hawaii is breathtakingly beautiful,” I said, the cell phone on speaker so Leela she could hear my parents’ voices. “Sam’s mom and dad have chartered a boat, and we are going to island-hop.”
“It sounds like you’re having an adventure of a lifetime, honey,” my father Frank said, his tone jovial.
“Yes, it does,” my mother Janette agreed, sounding more reserved. “But we miss you so, Phoebe. When are you coming home?”
“We do worry about your safety, even though we know you’re in good hands,” my father added.
My voice remained as cheery. “I would say in a month or so,” I answered, hoping it was true. I had no idea how long I would be in Helheim, but I wasn’t going to needlessly worry them. Sam had agreed to call them if I was gone for a longer time and make up some excuses as to why I couldn’t come to the phone. I glanced over at my best friend. She sat next to the rickety cell phone tower, waiting for me to give her the signal to shake it. If I’d let them, my parents would stay on the other end of the line forever. “But I’m not sure. Once this beautiful trip ends, real life begins again, so I’m trying to soak in as much as I can.”
“Do you have enough money?” my dad asked for the second time. “If not, we can wire you some.”
My heart clenched. I hated lying to them. Leela patted my thigh, smiling. I glanced at her, and she mouthed, They sound like good people . I nodded. They were good people—the best. I’d already promised to introduce her to them once we got home. She wanted to meet—in her own words—the folks who helped raise a wonderful, caring, smart, brilliant, beautiful daughter.
Her words. Totally.
“I have enough, Dad. I haven’t even touched any of my savings, all that money I made working at the hardware store. So I’m fine. And Sam’s parents are beyond generous. Speaking of the store, how’s business?” Time for a subject change. “With spring right around the corner, sales must be picking up.”
My dad laughed. “Business is fine, just fine. I sold Mr. Harper a snowblower the other day. I’ve been trying to get him to buy one for years, but he’s as stubborn as they come. He’s got that big double lot, you know, at the end of Fairfield Lane, and he’s getting up there in years. Snow is almost gone, but I gave him a deal on last year’s model and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”
“That’s just like you.” I smiled. “Always thinking about everybody else. If Mr. Harper hadn’t bought that snowblower, you’d be showing up at his doorstep to shovel his walk for him anyway.”
“Well, that’s exactly what your father did,” my mother said. “Mr. Harper finally gave in, because he didn’t want Frank showing up at his doorstep every time it snowed.”
I laughed. “Well, that’s one way to make a sale. I bet you gave him more than last year’s discount. Come on, don’t lie.”
“Your father practically gave that thing away.” My mom’s voice was filled with pride. “He made no money. But it was worth it to know that Mr. Harper won’t be having a heart attack shoveling snow on our watch.”
“Well, truth be told,” my dad said, “that old thing had been sitting in the store for two years. It’s no loss to me and has a better use for Mr. Harper.”
It felt incredibly good to have a normal, everyday conversation. I hadn’t realized how much I missed it. Talking to the parents who raised me always eased my stress. “That’s great, Dad. I’m proud of you. Mr. Harper has to be close to a hundred years old by now. He was old when I was a kid.” As much as I hated to do it, I gave Sam the thumbs-up. I had to get back to training and prepare for another meeting tonight. Tyr had been gone for a day and had come back this morning with new information to share. We were going to try to formulate a solid plan for when my summons came, which would likely be in a day or two. We’d also found out late last night that Junnal had been taken prisoner by Invaldi, and that had to factor into our plans. We couldn’t leave the big guy down there.
Sam began to shake the tower, and immediately, crackles and pops came on the line. My mom was in the middle of saying something about baking pies and the holidays. “Mom, I’m sorry”—pop , crack , buzz —“the line is breaking up, and I can’t hear you. I’ll try to call in a week or two, but likely not before that. We’re on a boat in the middle of the ocean, so don’t get worried if you don’t hear from me!”
“Okay, honey, it was good to hear your voice. We miss and love you,” my mom called over the buzzing.
> “I love you, too! Can’t wait to fill you in on my next adventure.” Reluctantly, I disconnected the call.
Leela stood, turning to help me up. “They sound lovely, Phoebe. Odin did well. I can’t wait to meet them. They have pure hearts, and that was my only criteria.”
We walked toward the edge of the mesa. “They are wonderful parents, and I had an idyllic upbringing. It’s incredibly hard to lie to them. It would shatter them if they knew what has happened to me in the past few months, and I want to make sure they stay in the dark.”
“Very few in Asgard or any other realm know who they are, and it will stay that way. I give you my word. When we defeat the Norns once and for all, and you are accepted into Asgard, we shall visit them together.”
I smiled. That would be wonderful. “It’s strange that I’ll have to introduce you as my ‘good friend Leela,’ instead of as my birth mother. Although, that would be incredibly weird as well, since they’ve never shared with me that I was adopted in the first place.”
“Oh, they don’t think you were adopted,” she said, like it was normal. “When Odin found them, he would have altered reality to make them think you were biologically theirs.”
I looked at her, my eyes wide. “I had no idea. My parents did refer to me as their ‘little miracle’ for years when I was a child. They must’ve tried, and failed, to get pregnant on their own. They had me in Paris, while my father was doing an internship with a sculptor there. His greatest ambition was to be an artist, but when they had me, they moved back to the States. His father, my grandfather, was a farmer. When they came back, Frank took over the family business. I loved growing up with my grandparents on the farm. When I entered high school, we moved into town, and he bought the hardware store. The rest is history.”
“I couldn’t have wished for a better life for you. Tranquil and stress free.” My mother sounded wistful. “It brings my heart joy to think of you running through the fields, happiness brimming over, even though my mind weeps for missing all those years together. But a cell in Svartalfheim is no place to raise a child, as you saw. Things would’ve been much, much different if I had kept you, and not at all in a good way.”
Freed: (Phoebe Meadows Book 2) Page 25
