Odin's Ravens

by K. L. Armstrong

  Laurie glanced at Fen, her expression clearly asking for his opinion on approaching Helen. He shrugged. He was pretty sure there was something more going on here, that Helen had an angle he couldn’t quite see. She was, of course, one of Loki’s children. That meant she probably had an angle on most things. Fen understood that; he usually had an angle, too.

  After a deep breath, Laurie took one step forward and slid her hand into Helen’s. Fen muttered a word that elicited a scowl from his cousin and a quirk of a grin from Baldwin, but then he stepped forward and stood on the other side of Helen. He didn’t take her hand. That was just strange and girly, but he stood at her side. “We, uhhh, can reach her like she said,” he told the draugrs. “If we need help, we could call her.”

  “But you have earned your rest,” Laurie added.

  Matt, Reyna, and Ray had moved closer to the Valkyries when Fen and Laurie stepped up beside Helen. Baldwin bounced in place between the two small groups, lost in whatever it was that he thought about in his quiet moments. None of them could make the choices for the draugrs. They merely waited.

  After a moment of silent contemplation, a few of the decaying warriors moved over to stand with the Valkyries or in front of Helen. Once they’d done so, the rest followed. It was odd how they knew which woman to approach. A couple tried to go to the Valkyries, but it took only a quelling look from Helen or Hildar before they turned and went to their rightful groups.

  “You’ve earned some rest, too,” Helen told Laurie and Fen. “Go on, then.”

  “Thanks for helping or whatever,” Fen said, feeling more awkward with her now than when they were in the land of the dead. In Hel, she was an obstacle, someone who stood in the way. Now she was a relative who was being nice. Plus, she was a god of a sort. It was intimidating.

  “Father Loki would like you, Fenrir.” Helen patted his head, and then turned away.

  Laurie shivered at that pronouncement, and Fen shot her a look of agreement. He wasn’t so sure that being liked by Loki was a good thing. Laurie obviously agreed.

  Once everyone returned to camp, it felt like a party of sorts—one that Fen didn’t want to attend. He was happy for everyone. They were one step closer to being ready for the big fight, possibly several steps closer. The group was all at the camp together; they had the shield, the hammer, and even Reyna’s cloak. He knew he should be happy.

  He also knew he couldn’t stay around them just now. He took off into the woods. Fen wasn’t sulking or hiding. He just had an itch under his skin, and sitting around with the others wasn’t working for him. He felt good, proud of Laurie and of Matt, and yeah, he felt a little bummed that he wasn’t the one to stand in for Loki. It really wasn’t a huge surprise, though: he was a bit of a screwup, and if the Norns were going to pick one of Loki’s descendants to be a hero, Laurie was the very best choice.

  It still stings.

  He walked a few more minutes in silence and was just debating shifting so he could go for a good run when he heard a growl. Seriously? Fen was starting to think that there would never be time to just rest again until they survived Ragnarök—assuming they did survive.

  When Fen turned, he saw an unpleasantly familiar wolf watching him. The big gray wolf parted his teeth in a menacing smile of sorts. Fen sighed. This wasn’t what he needed… oh, ever.

  “Skull.”

  The wolf padded closer. Seeing this cousin in either form was never a good thing. They hadn’t ever been friends, and that had only gotten worse when Skull started trying to force Fen to do things to help him in his lame mission to end the world.

  “I expected to see your ugly face when the Raiders attacked us, since you’ve been up in the thick of their craziness,” Fen said.

  Skull shook off his fur and stood on two feet. “I had other things to do.”

  His scarred arms had a few fresh bruises. One particularly ugly yellowed bruise vanished partly under his torn shirt, but that was standard for any leader of a Raider pack.

  Fen glared at him. “And you’re working for Mayor Thorsen? How does that even make sense? I thought you hated them.”

  “You seem to be working for a Thorsen, too. At least I’m working for the right one.” Skull took a step toward Fen, as if he could intimidate him with his size. “I told you, Fenrir: the final battle is coming. We can take this world for ourselves.”

  “Would everyone stop calling me that! My name is Fen. Three simple letters.” Fen ground his teeth.

  “Fenrir is who you are,” Skull objected. “You’ve been confused. You have to see by now, though. You should be with the wulfenkind, not them.” Skull gestured vaguely to the woods behind Fen as if the other descendants were there.

  “Whatever, meathead,” Fen scoffed. “I like the world, and I’m not going to help you try to destroy it.”

  Provoking Skull probably wasn’t the brightest idea, but over the last few days, Fen had faced a cave bear, dead warriors, the police, and buffalo. Skull didn’t seem as frightening anymore. Fen might not be the one who would fight in Loki’s place, but he had faced monsters straight from myth and had an aunt who ruled Hel, and Skull was just a bully.

  “You don’t understand.” Skull kept advancing. “The survivors of Ragnarök will rule the world. We’ll get the respect we deserve. Any humans left will obey us, and the monsters will be freed from their shackles. Our family, the children of the great Loki, will have our own kingdoms. The strong will prosper, and the weak will serve.”

  “So the big plan is to do what? Trust Mayor Thorsen to treat you fairly after he sacrifices his grandson to a big snake and lets the world fall apart?” Fen stared at Skull. He’d expected something more elaborate than let the world end as a plan. What kind of person actually believed that the end of civilization was a good idea? “People will die. Millions, billions of people will die if we don’t stop Ragnarök.”

  Skull shrugged. “Humans.”

  “I’m human. You are, too.” Fen folded his arms over his chest. “Our families, friends, everyone we know.”

  “No. We are wulfenkind, but we exist on their scraps. We’re the children of a god, Fenrir.” Skull had a wide-eyed look that made his words sound even crazier. “And you’re ready to lead us now. I had to wait, but now that you know that you’re not a hero, you can take your place at the front of our forces.”

  “Say what?” Fen took several steps backward. “Have you been drinking something? Alcohol isn’t a good idea. I mean, aside from you being a kid, it’s just bad for your brain. Or maybe you ate some bad meat? Or—”

  “I wanted it to be me, Fenrir,” Skull interrupted.

  “Stop calling me that,” Fen snapped.

  Skull laughed. “You’re not a hero. You’re the one destined to lead the monsters, Fenrir. Owen knew it, too. Soon they all will, and we’ll trample them under our paws.”

  “Thanks, but I’ll pass,” Fen drawled, trying to sound calm, hoping that his rising panic wouldn’t show. Maybe Skull was as scary as the monsters after all. He was crazy and a bully.

  “The mayor explained it to me, and I understand now. It’s obvious that it’s you.” Skull rolled his shoulders. “You saw Helen herself. Went to see the queen of the dead, and you came back. She will lend her dead to you, and we will—”

  “Seriously, stop.” Fen looked around for the best escape route as Skull advanced. He thought he saw one of Owen’s ravens watching, but being sure he was seeing a black bird in the shadows of the trees wasn’t easy.

  Skull sighed. “I’ll be your top lieutenant. Hattie will be at our side, too.”

  “I’m. Not. Joining. Your. Pack.” Fen snarled at Skull. If the older boy was anything other than a Raider, Fen would call for help, but there were rules among wulfenkind, and whether or not Fen liked them, he was bound by them. You don’t call on outsiders to settle a dispute.

  “You are. In fact, you’re going to lead it,” Skull said, and then he punched Fen square in the face. “It’s your destined role.”

  �
��Dude, stop!” Fen scurried backward. He hoped that he had seen one of the ravens, and that it would get help, because if he did this one-on-one, there was no victory possible. If he defeated Skull in a one-to-one fight, the rules dictated that he’d be in charge of a pack of Raiders—which meant doing what was best for them. He’d be exactly where Skull wanted him: separated from the descendants of the North and bound to do what was in the best interests of the pack. If Fen didn’t defeat Skull, he’d be beaten until he was too weak to even flee and be held as a captive.

  “I don’t want to fight you or take the destined monster-leader role!” Fen yelled.

  “It’s not a choice.” Skull swung at him again, this time hitting him in the stomach. “I’m going to get a few good hits at you, but then you’ll win. It has to happen like this. You can fight now or later,” Skull said as he punched Fen in the face again. “Hit me back, Fenrir. You’re wulfenkind.”

  Fen dodged the next swing, but he still refused to lift his fists. Skull lashed out with another hit; that one made contact. The feel of it knocked Fen backward.

  “I can make you fight,” Skull snarled.

  As Fen tried to dart to the side, Skull kicked. His leg arced out, and the connecting blow made tears come to Fen’s eyes. The older boy’s strikes were meant to be painful, to anger Fen until he reacted.

  “No.” Fen hated the idea of taking a beating, but he could handle it. Decision made, he met Skull’s eyes and said, “I won’t fight you.”

  Skull stood perfectly still for a moment, staring at Fen, and then he asked, “Do you really think you can keep Laurie out of our reach?”

  “She has nothing to do with this.” Fen growled. His hands fisted almost of their own accord. “My cousin is—”

  “She stands with our enemy. The Raiders will take her if you don’t fight back, and they’ll beat her for every punch you should’ve thrown. You have a role to play in the battle, Fenrir. You either accept your fate, or we do what we have to in order to help you find acceptance.”

  Fen had to warn Laurie. He started to turn around, to try to get back to the others, and Skull threw himself at Fen, tackling him and beating him until Fen wondered if he was going to die.

  If he kills me, they can’t use Laurie to make me do anything evil. They have no reason to hurt her.

  “Fight back,” Skull said between punches. “I’ll stop once you’re unconscious. Then we’ll talk again. While you’re out, I’ll get the others, and we’ll take Laurie. She met Helen, too. She could lead us, too, you know.”

  Fen growled. “Stay away from my cousin.”

  “Make me.”

  Fen shifted into a wolf and squirmed out from under Skull. He could run, reach her, warn her, but when Fen turned to flee, Skull kicked him hard in the side.

  “In a fight for control of a pack, no one walks away,” Skull reminded Fen. “You are wulfenkind, Fenrir. There are rules. You can’t run from a fight for dominance.”

  Fen growled again, and then he attacked.

  Although Skull stayed on two legs, he was still an able opponent. He was, however, not as agile as a wolf. Fen’s shape—and his teeth—gave him an advantage. It wasn’t an easy fight, but Fen felt like he was stronger than usual, like reserves of power were his. The others had gained gifts from their god ancestors. Was Fen finally gaining something because he was doing what he was destined to do, even if it meant potentially joining the side of the villains? Was that the way it worked? Gifts came when they accepted their fate? Even as the thought occurred to him, Fen rejected it. If he had to be on the wrong side to be stronger, he didn’t want it.

  At the realization that by winning this fight he was losing everything, Fen stopped. He just stopped. He shed his wolf form and told Skull, “No. You’re not defeated, but I’m not staying here. I’ll break that rule. You can declare me a rogue or whatever it is. The pack can hunt me if they have to, but I won’t do this.”

  Skull shook his head. “You can fight me, or I will beat you until you can’t move. Then I’ll go after your sweet cousin.”

  Fighting hadn’t worked, and accepting the beating hadn’t worked. Fen needed help. He opened his mouth and let out a howl. It wasn’t entirely wolflike, as he was in human form, but he hoped that one of the others would hear and come to investigate. It was against every wulfenkind rule to do as he just had, but somehow, following pack rules wasn’t quite as important when the battle for the end of the world was coming.

  He saw the raven then. It swooped down low enough that Fen could almost touch it. “Get the others,” he called, feeling a little ridiculous talking to a bird, even though it was probably Owen’s bird, but he was desperate enough to try.

  The raven made no sign that it was even the right raven, but Fen clung to the hope that help was coming. Hope wasn’t enough, though, so he resumed hitting Skull back. It was an odd sort of fight in which neither one of them was trying to truly win. Fen was trying to buy time, and Skull was trying to only put up enough resistance to make it a valid challenge for domination.

  The others didn’t come, and Fen was growing tired. They’d already had a full-out battle that day. He’d started the fight tired. He howled again, hoping that Thorsen or Baldwin or even Owen would come. He even said, “Aunt Helen? I wish you were here.” No one came.

  He kept trying to not win the fight but not get too injured, either.

  Still, no one came. If the raven understood, it hadn’t brought help. Helen hadn’t appeared. None of the others came to see where he was. He was alone and tired, and Skull wasn’t going to stop until Fen beat him or was too beaten to keep fighting. Then they’d do it all over again when he healed. There was no rescue for him. Fen finally accepted that he had no other choice: he had to beat Skull. He had to win this fight to keep Laurie safe.

  Soon, Skull was on the ground in front of Fen. He stretched his neck out, baring his throat to Fen, and said, “My pack is yours. I am yours.”

  At that, Fen felt a series of connections to people settle onto him. He felt his pack, his new wulfenkind family, lift their heads and muzzles as they felt him, too, and he heard their howls as they gave voice to the desperation that Fen felt.

  He was well and truly trapped, bound to the enemy, compelled to look out for their needs and their well-being… which was the exact opposite of what he wanted to do. Now he’d have to put the good of the pack first, and they wanted to bring about the end of the world.

  “I can lead you home,” Skull said in a weirdly meek voice.

  Now what do I do? Fen thought he’d been trapped by being Loki’s representative in the final battle, was almost embarrassed when he found out he wasn’t, and now was terrified that he again seemed to be the god’s stand-in—but this time, for the wrong team. By winning the fight, he’d lost so much more: now Fen would have to lead the monsters against his friends.

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  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  We want to thank:

  Meghan Lewis, Breanna Lewis, and Dylan Marr, for coming up with titles for the books;

  our agents, Sarah Heller and Merrilee Heifetz, for believing in the project (and us);

  and our kids (Marcus, Alex, Julia, Dylan, and Asia) and our assistants (Laura Kalnajs and Alison Armstrong), for feedback.

  Contents

  COVER

  TITLE PAGE

  WELCOME

  DEDICATION

  CHAPTER ONE: MATT

  CHAPTER TWO: FEN

  CHAPTER THREE: OWEN

  CHAPTER FOUR: MATT

  CHAPTER FIVE: FEN

  CHAPTER SIX: MATT

  CHAPTER SEVEN: LAURIE

  CHAPTER EIGHT: MATT

  CHAPTER NINE: LAURIE

  CHAPTER TEN: MATT

  CHAPTER ELEVEN: FEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE: MATT

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN: MATT

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN: FEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN: LAURIE

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN
: MATT

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: OWEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: MATT

  CHAPTER NINETEEN: FEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY: MATT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: LAURIE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: MATT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: FEN

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2014 by K.L.A. Fricke Inc. and Melissa Marr

  Interior illustrations © 2014 by Vivienne To

  Shield and logo by Eamon O’Donoghue based on the work of Lisseth Kay

  Cover art © 2014 by Vivienne To

  Cover design by Sasha Illingworth

  Cover shield and logo by Eamon O’Donoghue based on the work of Lisseth Kay

  Cover © 2014 Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

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  First ebook edition: May 2014