“OH, SÖTNOS. COME HERE.” Henrik jogged the distance from the porch to the clearing, reaching Brynn’s side before the Bifrost could fully retract. He held out his arm and stroked her back while she bent over, her face scrunched in concentration as she tried not to throw up on his shoes. He didn’t mention her Bifrost sickness as she straightened up; he just pulled her into a hug and told her simply, “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” She rested her head on Henrik’s chest, her eyes closed in blissful surrender as she wrapped her arms around his waist. The color returned to her cheeks, and when she opened her eyes I surmised the nausea had passed.
“Let me take that.” Henrik gently removed Brynn’s backpack and slung it over one shoulder. A quiet smile passed between them, and I couldn’t help but grin. When they weren’t off killing things, they were just so sweet together.
“You’re home!” Mia raced down the porch steps. The early afternoon light filtered through the trees that stood sentinel around the Arcata cabin, bathing the structure in a soft glow. The warm green foliage dusted with white snow was a stark contrast to the practically all-black landscape of Svartalfheim. As I caught a glimpse of the brilliant blue sky peeking down from the treetops, my chest filled with joy. I’d almost forgotten how peaceful our little corner of Midgard was. Even if it was only temporary, I was grateful to call Arcata home.
“Brynn and I are home,” I corrected. Mia’s grin disappeared, and she wrapped her arms around her stomach, her nails digging into her sides.
“Oh my god,” she whispered. “No.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.” I reached out and held Mia’s hands in mine. “Tyr’s okay. Better than okay, actually, which is kind of a miracle considering his…we can talk later. He and Forse took Runa back to Asgard to book her into custody. After they check her in, they’ve got to meet with Odin’s council so the big wigs can weigh in before Forse issues her sentence. But they should be home by morning. Lunchtime tomorrow at the latest.”
“Thank god.” Mia practically wilted with relief.
I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed gently. “I’m sorry you have to go through this every time he leaves. I know it’s hard.”
“I keep thinking it’s going to get easier, but it doesn’t. At least this time I had Henrik to distract me with baking wars.” Mia offered Henrik a smile.
Henrik threw his arm around Brynn’s shoulder and guided her back to the house. “May the best cake win. And by best, I mean mine.”
“You wish. Red velvet always comes out on top. It’s a no-brainer.” Mia fell into step beside Henrik and I followed a meter behind, watching the easy banter between our human and the Asgardian assassin. Mia was adjusting so well. By all accounts, she should have run away from all of our craziness screaming. But, somehow, she’d managed to take not only our existence, but our sometimes hellish reality, in her stride, fitting herself into our world as if she’d been a part of it all along.
The Norns had been right about her. She’d already proven herself a tremendous use to Asgard, just keeping my brother grounded. I could only imagine what she could accomplish once I trained her.
The familiar trickle of anxiety nipped at my gut, but I shooed it away. I didn’t have to be afraid anymore. Forse had shown me that unifying could come as naturally to me as healing, and now that I had the tools to access my gift, I was eager to pass it along to Mia. With monsters like Hymir lurking, Asgard needed all the help it could get.
“Are you coming, Elsa?” Brynn held the front door open. I walked up the porch steps and followed Henrik to the living room. Brynn nestled onto the couch and Henrik settled in beside her. I tucked my legs beneath me as I settled into the armchair, and lay my head back on the cushion.
“Where’s Mia?” I asked.
“Here!” She scurried into the living room, depositing a tray laden with snacks on the coffee table. “Sorry it’s not fancier—if you give me a few minutes I can whip up sandwiches. But the tea’s hot, and the cookies are only about twenty minutes out of the oven, so they should still be warm. Eat. Then fill us in.” Mia picked up a teeming mug and sat on the far end of the L-shaped couch. She crossed her legs at the ankle and stared at me expectantly. “Well?”
“You said I could have a cookie!” I protested.
“I’m impatient. Henrik and I have been sitting here for two days with nothing to do but bake.” Mia handed me a cookie, then resumed her anxious pose. “Now?”
“You win.” I laughed. I bit into the treat. “Mmm, this is really good!”
“It’s Meemaw’s red velvet cookie recipe. One point for me.” Mia stuck her tongue out at Henrik.
“Whatever. Brynn, try this one.” Henrik leaned forward and removed a cookie from the plate. He handed it to his girlfriend, who took a bite. She closed her eyes and let out a moan as she chewed.
“Oh, wow. White chocolate macadamia?” she guessed. “Perfekt.”
“Point Henrik,” Henrik taunted.
Mia rolled her eyes. “Obviously this can—and will—go on for days. But before we all agree I’m the superior baker, would somebody please tell me what happened out there? Elsa, you look like you’ve been through the ringer. I can see your skin’s already healing itself, but some of those bruises look pretty bad. Did things not go as easily as you planned?”
I dusted the crumbs from my fingertips and shook my head. “Henrik didn’t tell you? I thought Brynn was keeping him in the loop.”
“I was.” Brynn looked at Henrik quizzically.
“I might have glazed over some of the more…painful details,” Henrik admitted. “I didn’t want worry ruining Mia’s baking game.”
Mia shot Henrik a look. “You guys are going to have to stop protecting me at some point.”
“And that point starts now.” I nodded. “Mia’s going to know everything now that she’s starting her Unifier training.”
Mia let out a small gasp. “You’re going to train me? I thought you weren’t ready. What changed?”
“A lot.” I sighed. “When Runa had me locked in that tower—”
“What?” Mia’s jaw dropped.
“Runa swallowed a piece of the crystal we brought as a trade and locked poor Elsa in a tower and tortured her to find out where we’re hiding Fenrir. Of course she didn’t break.” Brynn shot me a grin. “We’ll debrief you later, Mia.”
“Oh, Elsa,” Mia clucked. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s over.” I waved my hand.
“But what does Runa want with Fenrir?” Mia looked confused.
“Fenrir’s destined to play a role in the end of the world, and Hymir wants to make sure Tyr feels the onus of responsibility for Fenrir’s crime…whenever he commits it. You know, because Tyr saved Fenrir way back when. And he’s keeping him alive now.” Brynn shrugged.
“He’s keeping him locked away,” I corrected. “Even the Norns say the ribbon that binds him is unbreakable.”
“Yeah, well, if Hymir’s this set on using Fenrir to destroy Tyr, maybe we’d be better off if Fenrir was out of the picture,” Brynn mused.
“It’s worth considering.” Henrik ran his fingertips along Brynn’s shoulder. “But we can talk about that tomorrow. You need to heal, Elsa. The cut on your forearm is still raw.”
“I gave it a good dose of restorative energy, but it’s still healing slower than the others,” I agreed. “It came from Runa’s lightning-hand power. Gods, if you two could harness that energy, just think of the arsenal you could build.”
Henrik shook his head. “Too bad you weren’t able to bring any of the crystal she swallowed home.”
Brynn shot him a sly smile. “After we finished our first battle with Tosk—the one where Runa took Elsa—I scoured the soot until I found shards of the broken crystal. It’s in the plastic baggie in the front pocket of my backpack. Looks like someone’s having a hot date in the lab tonight. You. Me. Two pieces of Svartalfheim’s finest crystal, a microscope, and a mini blow torch.”
“Gods, I love it when you talk nerdy to me.” Henrik lowered his head to Brynn’s ear and whispered something that made her cheeks turn red.
“Henrik!” She swatted his arm.
“Okay then, you can wear the—”
“Stop it!” Brynn shrieked.
I laughed. “If you two can hold it together another ten minutes, we can finish giving Mia the overview. And then you can get into all the science geeky hanky-panky you want.”
Henrik let out a long-suffering sigh. “I guess.”
Brynn grinned.
“Your coms worked, by the way.” I tapped my forearm. “Runa never knew I had mine on, and Forse was able to send me pages of my mom’s journals through it. The journals helped us figure out the key to unifying. I had it all wrong. I thought I was supposed to perform energy healings to bring people together, but all I needed to do was communicate directly with their spirits. Apparently spirits are much easier to work with than blocked energy. You’ll see.”
Mia blanched. “You’re going to teach me how to talk to spirits? Like a human Ouija board? I’m not sure that’s the best idea. Mama doesn’t take that voodoo stuff lightly, and frankly I’m surprised—”
I shook my head. “It’s not voodoo. It’s actually a lot like science. There are clear steps to take, and since you’re predisposed for it, it’ll come naturally to you. Besides, most spirits are good—filled with light and love. And if you come across one that’s not, well, then you’ll call me in, and we’ll deal with it together. But that’s like, years ahead. We’re going to take this slow and do it right.” I smiled. “We’re going to need you with us for the long haul. You in?”
Mia gripped her teacup. “You know I am. It’s just…well, it sounds even crazier than I imagined.”
“Things with us usually are.” Henrik leaned back. “But you’re a tough flicka. You can handle it.”
Mia sucked in a breath and pulled back her shoulders. “When do we start?”
That’s our human. “How about after your spring break? Let’s give ourselves a few days to regroup. And eat more of your delicious cookies. Did you say there was another batch in the kitchen?”
Mia jumped to her feet. “There are seven dozen cookies, four cakes, and two pies. Y’all left us alone for two days, and we had to pass the time somehow.”
“Plus Mia’s parents and brother arrive soon,” Henrik reminded me. “She wanted to make sure they didn’t go hungry.”
Brynn tilted her head. “Your parents and brother must really like dessert.”
“They do,” Mia blushed. “But really, I just needed to keep myself busy. Henrik knew how to help me do that. Thanks,” she told him.
“What are friends for?” He stood up, pulling Brynn along with him. “Come on, ladies. Let’s do some damage in the kitchen.”
“Ooh, are there more of those white chocolate ones?” Brynn skipped into the hallway, with Henrik close behind. As Mia stood, I gave her a gentle smile.
“You’re going to be great at all of this,” I reassured her. “Tyr wouldn’t have let you get involved with us if he didn’t believe he could keep you safe. And I wouldn’t teach you if I didn’t think you’d be a tremendous asset to Asgard. You know that.”
Mia clutched her cup as she followed me into the hall. “I know. But it’s scary.”
“I know it is. And there’s more scary to come. Tyr has some family stuff he’ll want to talk over with you when he gets home. He went through a lot on this mission, but he’ll be okay. He’s tough.” I nodded.
“He sure is.” Mia paused. “What about you? You faced someone who helped kill your parents. Will you be okay?”
I scanned my feelings, but found no residual anger. Only sadness. “I’ll never be okay with their being gone,” I admitted. “But I was blessed to have parents who loved me and Tyr with every fiber of their hearts. I always knew how adored and cherished I was. Runa never knew that. And if she continues on this path, she never will. If anything, I feel bad for her.” I meant it. “I hope she realizes the value she could bring to the realms, if only she could stop trying to destroy them.”
Mia looked at me for a long moment. “You’re something else, Elsa. You don’t hold on to anything, do you?”
I tilted my head. “Only the things worth holding on to. Like friendships. And family.” I squeezed her arm. “And love. Always love.”
“Speaking of, how is our favorite stubborn justice god?”
“He’s good. We’re good. I think we’re good,” I corrected. “He kissed me.”
“He kissed you?” Mia squealed. “Ohmygod, where? When? Why didn’t you lead with that? That’s huge!”
“It was just one kiss—I don’t want to get my hopes too high, but I think…after everything he went through over the past few days…maybe he’s ready to give us a shot.”
“It’s certainly taken him long enough.” Mia grinned. “Now tell me everything!”
My cheeks warmed. “Didn’t you say you had some cookies for me?”
Mia laughed as she walked toward the kitchen. “I’ll get the sordid details out of you sooner or later!”
“I have no doubt you will. After all, we’ll be spending lots of time together in the coming months. I hope you’re ready, Miss Unifier.”
Mia smiled over her shoulder. “Oh, I’m ready. The question is, are you?”
I didn’t have to scan my feelings to know that I was ready to embrace my new role as Asgard’s Unifier, Mia’s teacher, and Forse’s…well, whatever we were to each other, I was ready for that, too. I was more than ready to take on whatever the Fates had in store for me. And I couldn’t wait to get started.
I joined Brynn at the counter as Mia and Henrik each held up a plate. With a joyful grin, I picked up a cookie and toasted our little group.
“To family. Even our impossibly unconventional, insanely weird, wholeheartedly devoted mash-up of one.”
Mia, Brynn and Henrik held up their cookies. We tapped them together, and they echoed my toast.
“To family.”