“I wasn’t talking about them. You are now about to dance in another realm. Come, you will need my help, and you don’t need to keep chasing your destiny.”
She pushed the stick back into her pocket, and reached out her hand. “Within you is the light of creation—the light and the darkness, and you have the power to save both.”
She placed her hand on my head and I watched as my hair began to change colors, from a mouse brown to have deep purple streaks.
“What is my destiny?” I asked. “I don’t feel like I’ve won anything. I’m here, pretty much alone, and what for? My situation went to shit.”
“Did you think freedom would be so easily gained? Did you think you could just snap your fingers and the world would finally be perfect? Every change starts as a seed. You wanted to make your mark. Now you can.”
I didn’t like what she was saying. I’d been stuck for so long, and this situation wasn’t a black and white situation. There were so many degrees of truth in all of this.
“You know, Harley talked me down one night. He never told. He never shunned me. He never made feel like I was less, and I did nothing to help him. I should have done more. I should have made sure he was safe.”
“It will be alright, Sif.”
“No, it will never be all right.”
“Come, it’s time to dance in this illusion. Let’s go and save the gods. They will not be able to forgive you for your downward spiral, but it was all done to get you to this place. You’ve searched for so long for a purpose, and it has been in your heart this entire time. The power to rise up and speak. That spark does not divide—it is pure light. Light cannot be withheld. It breaks away all shadows. You are that light.”
“I will go, but on one condition?”
“What is that?”
“We take Harley back to Lady Hel’s estate.”
“Nothing can be done for him.”
“I know, but it’s for me.”
Verdandi nodded, removed a rune stone from her pocket, and led me over to where Harley still rested. She placed one hand on him, one on me and away we went.
If you plan to continue with this series, there’s an epilogue…but I suggest you stop here if you don’t like cliffhangers and don’t plan to continue.
Thanks for reading!
Epilogue
Freyja, Asgard
“You could have saved us all a lot of heartache by packing that orb away immediately,” Odin said and moved to Freyja’s side. She cradled the orb in her hands and slowly glided over to its glass case. Nearby were the other orbs she kept, each with a different trait, power, and ability.
“Yes, I am sure that might have been the case, but I knew Sif would take it, and I couldn’t risk her letting Jörmungandr go free.”
Odin clenched his jaw. “The repercussions of this will drive us ever closer to civil war.”
Freyja shook her head, gently laid the orb onto a soft pillow, and closed the glass case.
“No, although I was very much impressed with Lady Hel’s hand-to-hand combat skills. If she had killed Thor, we would know,” Freyja said. “I thought Thor would do better, but she is a little tricky. I guess she is like her father, yes?”
“Would we know if Thor was dead?”
“Yes. The sky would flash its lightning, and thunder would roll, as if all of the realms cried out for its hero. I don’t know what Hel has planned, but killing him is not a part of it.”
“He killed her lover. All things are fair in love and war.”
“Harley was sweet in this incarnation, but we all know what he’s done before.”
“We don’t pay for the sins of past lives. It is what he was most recently, not back then.”
“True, but luckily his immortality is tied to Midgard, just like this orb.”
Odin leaned forward and looked at the orbs in the other cases. “Will he be born again?”
“That we shall see. I have not yet decided. I’m not sure if we can go through a long period enduring an angry Lady Hel. She could be dangerous if we bind her like the others.”
“We could just retire her and raise another Lady Hel to take her place.”
“But we’ve taken such great care in getting her trained to do this job. She is one of the best Lady Hels we’ve had.”
“Should we consider it?”
“Only if things take a turn for the worse. We must have a backup plan. Nothing will cause Asgard to fall, not even her kidnapping our son.”
“I like how you accept my children as your own,” he leaned forward and nuzzled her neck. “We can have more, you know.”
She didn’t respond to his overt advance.
“Is everything okay?” Odin asked.
“I am unsure. It is as if the air is different.”
“Asgard is safe. If not, Heimdell would blow his horn and announce it to us all.”
Freyja nodded. She’d never been afraid, but the game of chess she’d played was a dangerous one.
“Darling, the circle awaits us.”
Her gaze drifted around the room one last time. Freyja nodded her head and placed her hand on Odin’s forearm and allowed him to guide her from the room. The door closed quietly behind them.
A fly on the wall watched it all.
She watched Odin and Freyja leave, and smirked. Once the door closed, the door of the glass case popped open, and Lady Hel’s hand appeared and took hold of the orb. Loki had several tricks, and shapeshifting was one that he’d passed down.
She then reached in and palmed the other orbs and placed them in her drawstring bag where the other traveling runes rested.
They may have taken her love, but her revenge would be sweet. She was hellbent on it.
That’s when the horn blew.
The End
Continue THE HELL CHRONICLES with HELLTOWN
* * *
She might have refused the call to be a hero, but fate has other intentions.
* * *
Betrayed, Sif awakens from her artificial sleep to a new world where the Dark Elves have invaded and began to cull humanity. But it's Loki, the Norse god of mischief, who has her head swimming. He's given her one task--to fix this mess.
* * *
Lady Hel has returned to Helheim, her kingdom restored, but it's not enough. She's dragged Thor with her to teach him a valuable lesson, and with the Bifrost Bridge broken, the gods of Asgard are unable to help.
* * *
The only hope this dystopian Midgard has is a motley crew, and should they fail, they risk the Dark Elves culling them and all of humanity.
* * *
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Also by Tina Glasneck
Want the next book in the Hell Chronicles? Check out more in the series.
* * *
Hellish
Hellbent
Helltown
Hellbound
* * *
Find more books by Tina Glasneck by visiting her website!
About the Author
TINA GLASNECK is a USA TODAY bestselling author of crime fiction and fantasy. She enjoys creating stories that combine history and Norse Gods. Someday she might just fancy a trip to Asgard too and find out what all the fuss is about!
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