Heroes (Eirik Book 2) (32 page)

“Nara said they found her.” I looked around, but the Grimnirs were missing again.

“Really? Where is she?”

“I don’t know, but she’s okay, Zack.”

“Call Eirik or his guards and ask him. I have to see her.”

“I haven’t seen Eirik with a phone, and Grimnirs don’t bother with technology.” And I still couldn’t see them. Where were they?

“Damn,” he muttered under his breath and pulled out his phone.

“You can’t call her. I have her phone.”

He cursed again. “She’d better be okay.”

A red aura hovered in my periphery as we started toward the entrance. I reached for Zack’s arm and tried to tell him I was about to have a vision, but it was too late. I was already going into a trance.

My astral image separated from my physical body, and I watched Zack lift me and move away from the entrance. The people turned to watch us, but Wes yelled something so they kept walking into the auditorium. I drifted out of the building and headed outside.

I floated across town, recognizing buildings and landmarks. Then I picked up speed and everything blurred, lights and darkness as I moved past towns and cities to farmlands and back to cities, again. There were smaller bodies of waters, more land and then an endless stretch of churning dark waters. I had crossed an ocean.

I slowed down when I reached a tree-lined hilltop, drawn by the scent of herbs and singing. Then I saw the five women dancing around a sacred circle. At the center was a large, round rock, burning incense, candles, and other paraphernalia I didn’t bother to confirm because my attention was back on the women. Their long white robes floated in the wind and frothed around their bare feet, their chants carrying into the darkness.

Where was I? I looked around, but couldn’t see any distinct landmarks. I did cross a large body of water, so I could be in Europe or South America. Why were they performing a ritual when some psycho was targeting Witches during one?

I settled by one of the trees and watched them. The flames flickered on their faces, their words hard to understand. They were not using English. Maybe they hadn’t heard about the deaths. With the number of warnings on forums and message boards online, Witches around the world should know what was going on.

I moved closer and waved. “Hey! Sisters, stop.”

They continued to chant, completely oblivious of my presence. If this were Helheim, they’d see me or I would touch and move things.

“Stop it and go home!” I yelled, walking around and trying to touch them, but my hand slid right through them.

Shouldn’t they be going into a trance by now? If one of them did, they’d be able to see me. I danced around with them, not understanding what they were chanting, but hoping at least one would drop and trance. There had to be a reason I was here.

Suddenly, without warning, the Witches entered the sacred circle, dropped onto their knees, and started to rock sideways and back and forth, their eyes closed.

The older one with red hair was the first to trance. She still rocked, but her astral image lifted, turned, and faced me. She said something, but I didn’t understand the language.

“I don’t understand,” I said.

“Protect her, ja. The young goddess of destiny.” She spoke with a heavy Scandinavian accent.

“Who is she, and where do I find her?”

“I don’t know. She is a powerful young Witch. Find her. Go. They’ll come soon.” She looked over my shoulder, her eyes narrowing in defiance. I followed the direction of her gaze and saw why. A portal had opened, and angry energy poured from it. “They are here. GO! Find her and protect her.”

The woman’s astral image rejoined her body just as men in black outfits entered the area. Were these the people who’d been attacking Witches? With their ability to form portals, these guys were not Witches or Mortals. They were Immortals. Evil Immortals.

They surrounded the Witches and looked at the portal as though waiting for instructions. Two more people came through the portal—a woman and a man. The man stayed in the shadows while the woman stepped forward. She was pretty with dark hair. She could pass for someone in her mid-thirties.

“Where is the young Seeress hiding?” she snapped.

The Witches kept chanting, their voices growing frantic.

“You’ve had enough time to locate her and her protectors. Where are they?” the woman in black snarled. From the sound of it, the Witches were working for these bastards. Why then did the redhead contact me? Their chanting reached fever pitch, and then it stopped. The Witches started speaking in eerie voices, one at a time.

“Seeking her out will bring you painful death.”

“The gods will never speak with your kind.”

“Only the young one talks to the goddesses of destiny.”

“And she must be protected at all costs.”

“We will not betray her,” the last one said.

They each repeated their sentences as though they’d rehearsed them.

“If you don’t tell us what you know, you will all die,” the woman shouted, and I wanted to throw something at her, attack her, scream, or something. I felt so useless standing there.

“We don’t fear death,” the Witches said again. “Death is a part of our journey. Our sisters will welcome us with open arms.

The female leader of the Immortals looked over her shoulder at the man in the shadows.

“My Lord?” she asked.

“If they refuse to cooperate, kill them,” the man said in a clipped British accent.

“Don’t,” I screamed. “Stop it!”

The Immortals reached down, grabbed the heads of the Witches, and twisted. The sound of snapping necks filled the air.

“You bastards! You evil, vile sons of bitches! You killed them…”

The man in the shadows turned, and I thought he heard me.

“I hope you rot in Corpse Strand,” I yelled at him, but he wasn’t looking at me. His eyes were on someone, or something, behind him. He was tethered to an energy form of some kind. I couldn’t see the source since it had no shape or form, but it was there. Maybe he was feeding off of it or using its energy to hide his. Talk about evil.

The light from the portal fell on the face of guy with the British accent before he left, burning his image in my memories. No matter how long it took me, I’d find him and make him pay.

The others followed, not one of them looking back at the dead Witches. I started forward, determined to follow them and see where they were going, but I couldn’t move, which meant I wasn’t supposed to follow them. I floated to the women instead, tears blurring my vision and making it hard to see anything. Why weren’t their souls leaving their bodies? Where were the reapers? I could tell them what I’d seen, and maybe describe that British a-hole.

Then the redhead moved, and I smothered a scream and jumped back. How could she be alive with a broken neck? Maybe they weren’t dead. It might explain the absence of reapers. Or maybe the souls stayed with the body until a reaper appeared.

A sudden surge of strange, paralyzing energy filled the area, and three Witches appeared out of nowhere. Unlike the dying ones, they were old with long stringy hair and gray skin. Their eyes glowed eerily as they floated toward the five Witches.

Body snatchers. My father had mentioned Witches’ bodies disappearing. Either these were the culprits or they were evil spirits planning to possess their bodies. What had Hayden called them? Draugr. 

I shot away from them, but I wasn’t fast enough. One caught my arm. How could she do that? I had no form. She pulled and got inside my head. It felt the same way as the night Goddess Hel had done it during our first meeting, but this was worse. She was stronger and uncaring, and my head felt like someone was drilling a hole through my brain. Maybe this was how it felt to be possessed by an evil spirit.

“NO! LET GO!” I yanked my arm, kicked, and tried to break free.

“Quit your caterwauling, child,” she snapped without opening her mouth, her voice resounding in my head. “I want to see what you know and what nonsense Hel’s boy has been telling you.”

What? Why were they talking about Eirik? I fought harder, kicking and screaming. Then everything went black.

“Damn it, Celestia,” Zack said, trapping my arms. “Stop fighting me.”

I went still and focused on his voice, my screams still echoing in the air and my chest hurting. I opened my eyes and realized Zack was carrying me out the door.

“I’m taking her home,” he said.

“No.” I pushed his arms away. “I’m fine. Put me down.”

“I’ve never heard you scream like that while in a trance. What happened?” Zack sounded relieved.

“I saw the people who attacked the Witches. The bastards! Where’s my bag?”

“Here.” Wes placed it in my hands. When he glanced toward the auditorium, I knew he was itching to go inside.

“Thanks. Go, Wes. We’ll be right behind you. I just need to sketch everything before… before their images fade.” Tears raced down my face and my chest hurt as I rummaged through my bag for a sketchbook and pencil. “The bastards attacked the Witches and killed four of them. One was still alive. I don’t know how since they snapped their necks. And over what? Wanting to talk to the gods. They came through a portal, so they must be Immortals. Then three more nasty-looking Immortals arrived and one of them grabbed me and got inside my head. I hate Immortals. They’re so evil. Just evil.”

“It’s okay. You’re here now.” Zack patted my arm, but he wore a helpless expression as though not sure how to deal with me. I never cried after a vision.

I found my book and pencils, and didn’t bother to use the window seats lining the foyer of our school. I sat right there by the entrance and got busy. My hand shook as I struggled to remember and explain what I remembered.

The redhead’s face stuck in my head more because we’d spoken, so I sketched her first, turned the page and drew the evil Brit and the female leader of his minions. I managed two of the witches before the rest of the images disappeared from my head. I tried images of the three old body snatchers, and I was stumped. I couldn’t remember a damn thing. I knew they were old and… The harder I tried to recall what they’d looked like and what they’d worn the hazier the memories grew. Panicking, I looked at Zack, but he was busy scowling while checking something on his phone.

“Why can’t I remember what they looked like?”

“Who?” he asked, looking up from his phone.

“You’re not listening.”

“Sorry. I was checking if Hayden… Okay, what is it?”

“The three Witches who came just before I left. I mentioned them, didn’t I?” I asked, beginning to panic.

Zack shook his head. “No, just the Witches and their attackers.”

“There were more Witches. They said something about, uh…”
Damn it!
“They were old. What’s happening to me?” The memories were fading fast. Yes, the memories of my visions tended to disappear, but never this fast. I knocked my head with my knuckles. “Come on, Celestia. Remember.”

“Whoa, stop.” Zack pulled my hand, but I slapped him away.

“No. I have to finish this. I need to remember.”

“You haven’t drawn anything on that page, Celestia. Look.”

I stared at the page in shock. There was nothing but squiggles. What was I supposed to be drawing? I turned the pages and saw three Witches, one of them a redhead, the Brit’s face, his female minion. The images helped me remember who they were, but that was it.

“Okay. Weird. At least I remember what the Witches told them. They took turns saying, uh…” I drew a blank. “They repeated the same words over and over. I should know them by heart.” I stared at Zack, panic setting in. “My memories are fading fast, but I must remember what she”—I tapped at the sketch of the redhead—“told me. This has never happened before.”

Zack grabbed my arms. “Okay, calm down and tell me what the redhead said. Word for word. Now. Quickly.”

When I looked at the images, I remembered what they’d said. The second I stopped looking, the words leached away. Panicking, I stared at each picture and told Zack everything, my tongue tripping.

“Good. Now, let’s go.” He pushed me toward the auditorium. “Go grab that mic from whoever is talking and tell them. I’ll be right beside you if you forget anything.”

Just before I entered the auditorium, I remember the Grimnirs. Where were they? I gripped the clasp on my cloak and saw Nara.

“Go,” she yelled.

Mrs. Mouton was welcoming the people and explaining about how it was the worst time for the Guild to hold a meeting. There were three men and two women seated behind her, looking very official. I recognized Doctor B from New Orleans. I hadn’t seen him since my return from Hel.

“Five more Witches were killed tonight, Mrs. Mouton,” I yelled when I got closer to the stage and waved my sketchbook.

She stopped talking to peer at me. “Celestia! You don’t interrupt me when I’m speaking.”

“But one of the Witches talked to me before she died.” I glanced at the redhead, her words returning. “We must help the young Witch that talks to the goddesses of destiny. She’s the one they’re after.”

“You insufferable girl,” Mrs. Mouton snapped. “When I say don’t interrupt—”