Heroes (Eirik Book 2) (45 page)

EIRIK

The snowflakes on top of Hel’s Hall glistened like diamonds in the afternoon light. For three weeks, the weather had been colder than usual, then the sun had burst from behind the clouds two days ago, the day Celestia came out of her trance. I didn’t call her my star for nothing.

I came in sharply without worrying about sliding or spraying snow when I landed. My clothes shrunk and adjusted with the shift from dragon to human, my boots snapping into place before I stepped on the snow. I hated it when I shifted too late and ended up with snow inside my boots.

“I wish I was a shifter like you.”

I hadn’t noticed Eimyria standing by the small door near my old changing room. Her white pants and coat blended with snow. “Why?”

“So I can leave the hall whenever I want. There’s nothing to do here.” She pouted. I ruffled her hair and she swatted my hand. “Don’t do that! I’m not a child.”

“Then stop whining like one.” She might have just turned seventeen, but she acted like a brat. I continued toward my quarters. I didn’t need the changing room anymore. Maera had recreated pants and tabards similar to the warrior suit my grandfather had sent before I rescued Einmyria. They were all black and gold, and very versatile. “Go hang out with Trudy.”

“She doesn’t like me. Every time I try to talk to her, she ignores me. I tried to tell Dad about her, but he said Trudy is the Goddess’ handmaiden. What’s so important about that? Her father ferries evil souls to their torture chambers and her mother is just a maid.”

Trudy was a Seeress, one of the three who would announce the exact moment Ragnarok would start, but I had no time to explain such things to Einmyria. I’d noticed she didn’t call our mother Mom and avoided being alone with her.

“And what did Mom say?” I asked, opening a portal to the rotunda.

“I didn’t ask,” she whispered, glancing at the guards.

“You can’t still be afraid of her, Einmyria.”

“Anne Marie,” she corrected.

“It’s been three weeks. Sit down and talk to her.” She was lucky Mother hadn’t tried to throw her in the dungeon to toughen her up. “Get to know her.”

“She just stares at me as though waiting for me to say or do something stupid. Can I come with you when you go to see Celestia?”

I stopped out outside my door. “No. Mother said you should stay put. Go to the gym.”

“The reapers stare. Please, can’t I come with you? This place is like a prison.”

I sighed. “I’ll talk to Mother, but I can’t promise anything.”

“Thank you.” She reached up and planted a kiss on my cheek. “Ask her at breakfast.” She skipped away while I stared after her. She needed to find something to do. The whining was driving me crazy. Father had mentioned getting her a tutor. She knew nothing about other realms.

I disappeared inside the room, peeled off the vest and shirt from my clammy skin, and toed off my boots. I might like the convenience of the clothes, but it was basically sweat clothes when indoors, unlike my original suit that adjusted with the temperature.

I hit the showers.

There was a brief knock on my bathroom door a few minutes later. The door opened a fraction and Einmyria yelled, “Aren’t you done yet?”

“No! Shut the damn door.” What in Hel’s Mist was wrong with her? The shower had no covering and she could have seen me naked.

“Hurry up. Do you want me to pick out your clothes?”

“No, Einmyria. I can pick my own clothes. Leave.” She never entered my quarters before except to visit Celestia. This habit of waltzing into my quarters uninvited started after I took Celestia home. Now I had to lock my damn door in my own home.

When I left the bathroom, Einmyria was gone. I changed and headed to my parents’ dining room. It was now the family room, where we ate and had annoying little meetings. The others were already seated.

“Morning.” I planted a kiss on Mother’s cheek and received a pat on the cheek. “Looking lovely this morning, Mom.”

“Thanks,
dýrr
.”

I lowered my head to whisper to Einmyria, “You enter my quarters again without my permission and I’ll lock you in the dungeons.”

“What’s the problem?” Mother asked.

“Nothing,” I said, squeezing Father’s shoulder before taking my seat.

“He hates me,” Einmyria said. “He just threatened to lock me in the dungeons.” Mother didn’t comment, her expression unreadable. Father chuckled.

“He would never do that.” Father reached out and gripped her hand. The two had clicked from the first day and were inseparable. “And he doesn’t hate you. Eirik worked very hard to find you and bring you home. You and I will go over the plans for a pool after this. We should have everything ready by the end of the week.”

“Thanks, Litr.” The Dwarf had placed a plate piled high with waffles, eggs, and bacon in front of me. “What pool?”

“Dad is building me a swimming pool.”

I frowned. “Where?”

“In the east wing guest quarters,” Father said. “We are modifying the furthest rooms.”

“That’s nice. Celestia is scared of water. I could teach her how to swim whenever she’s here.”

“See? I told you it was a wonderful idea and you shot it down.” Was she talking to me? This was the first time I was hearing about the pool. “Little,” she called and smiled at Litr. “May I have more eggs and bacon, please?” The Dwarf went to serve her.

“His name is Litr,” I corrected her. “L. I. T. R.”

“You see how mean he is?” Einmyria said.

I ignored her and finished my breakfast. She and Father discussed what else to add to the pool while Mother ate and listened without participating. I couldn’t tell whether she approved of the pool or not. She’d been quiet and withdrawn the last couple of weeks. She often sat with Celestia, surprising me.

I got up. “Are you coming with me, Ann Marie?”

“It’s Einmyria, silly. And no, I’m not going anyway. There’s so much to do today. I’m shadowing Dad.”

She was so weird. Half the time she didn’t make sense. She often said one thing, and then pretended she hadn’t.

“Walk with me, Eirik.” Mom got up and took my arm. Her eyes met Father’s. “I’ll see you later,
ástin
mín
. Eimyria,
dýrr,
find me when you are done with your pool plans.” She didn’t speak until we were in the rotunda. “How is she doing?”

I knew she meant Celestia. “Well. She woke up like she hadn’t been in a coma. Maera’s nasty green herbal concoction actually worked.”

She slapped my arm. “Don’t make fun of Maera’s herbs. It was the only thing that calmed my stomach when I carried you. Bring her home for a visit. I had gotten used to talking to her.”

“Why? Because she didn’t talk back?”

She chuckled. “Possibly.”

Her chuckles had become so rare lately it was nice to hear one. “I’ll tell her you miss her.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. I just want to talk.”

“You have Einmyria.”

“I do, don’t I? Why can’t she be more like you? You have fire. Stamina. You have the best of both of your father and me in you. She…” Mother sighed. “I’ll give her time. Now back to business. When are you meeting with the Norns? You keep changing your mind and they are not happy.”

“There was no way I was meeting with them while Celestia was lost in the astral plane. Now, I want a week or two to teach her about runes. Tell them we’ll have two meetings. The first one here and the second one in Nornsgard.”

Mother’s eyes narrowed, the runes on her whipping fast. I’d come to associate that with agitation. “Nornsgard? Why?”

“They are powerful because everything about them is shrouded in mystery. No one knows anything about them except the fact that they control destinies and recycle baby souls. What if they are like the Wizard of Oz?”

“Who is this wizard?”

I grinned. “Fictional character and a fraud. I need to learn about them, Mother, and knowing the location of their hall is a good place to start. The Witches in
Midgard
know about them and what they do, so they are exposed and vulnerable over there, but that’s not enough. How do they control destinies? I want to know everything.” I kissed her temple. “Stop worrying. I got this.”

She shook her head, a smile tugging the corners of her lips. “Your cockiness will be the death of me.”

“Right. You know you love me just the way I am.” I hugged her. She lifted one of her hands hesitantly and patted my back. It was the closest thing to a hug she’d ever given me, so that was progress. “I hope you are giving Einmyria a chance to know you.”

“She is weak and whiny,” Mother snapped.

I leaned back and peered at her. “She’s in a strange land and just discovered a family she never had. Go easy on her.”

“What are you saying? I can’t throw her in the dungeon?” she asked with a poker face. I laughed.

“That was a joke, Mom. Nice.”

“I’m serious. It might stop the whining. Just because she doesn’t do it in my presence doesn’t mean I don’t know about it.”

“Be nice. And no dungeons while I’m gone.”

“Bring Celestia home, Eirik. She and I need to talk.”

Warning bells went off in my head. “About?”

“What do you think? I’m concerned about her and want to know how she’s doing. She’s an interesting girl and very entertaining. Do you know she stuck her tongue out at me once? And she and Trudy have the funniest arguments. I eavesdrop on them sometimes.”

“You spy on them?”

“Call it whatever you like. I would not have allowed her to stay here if I hadn’t done that. Bring her home to visit. Now what?” Her focus had shifted to something behind me. “I knew one of these days they’d stop ignoring each other and talk about the past, but fists?”

I turned and followed her gaze. Two figures seemed intent on killing each other by the gates. I adjusted my sight, shifting to dragon vision. I recognized Echo right away. “What past?”

“They are both Druids. One runs hot and the other cold, but deep down they are the same. Dedicated. Spiritual. Bubbling with emotions. Take care of them.”

Mother had them pegged. Rhys was calm one while Echo was the hothead.
Wait.
“What?” I whipped around to see my mother heading back into the hallway leading to our quarters. “Did you just ask me to take care of them?”

“Yes, Eirik. Force them to sit down and talk things over. I’m finally at peace and I don’t need two of my people at each other’s throats.” Then she was gone.

Great! I was supposed to be going to see Celestia, not stopping two Druids from killing each other. Daiku and Range were on my tail when I left the hall. Using hyper speed, I headed to where Rhys and Echo were pounding each other. Instead of stopping them, I let them duke it out and studied their techniques. They had their strengths and weaknesses, but both were furious, snarling and grunting with each hit. It was a good thing they were in Helheim. On Earth, they’d be leaving dents and cracks on the ice and ground.

One thing about living in Eljudnir was the lack of distraction. Grimnirs reaped, used the gym, or hooked up. There were no movies, games, or Sunday night football to keep them entertained, so I wasn’t surprised when some left the hall and started towards us. These two didn’t need an audience. What they needed was some sense knocked into their thick skulls. I had no idea what their issues were, but Mother had made her wishes clear.

“Keep the gawkers away,” I called out to Ranger and Daiku, then moved closer to Echo and Rhys. I didn’t want to be caught in their body slam jam, so I yelled from the sideline, “That’s enough.” But I doubted they heard me. More pounding and cursing followed. More Grimnirs were leaving the hall to watch the fight, but Ranger and Daiku had the situation under control. Some were heading back while the really nosey or bored ones stayed to watch from afar.

I engaged strength runes, jumped into their midst, grabbed their arms, and pulled them apart. Since they weren’t expecting me, I managed to separate them, but they were so high on adrenaline that didn’t last. The heel of Echo’s hand slammed into my chest while Rhys’ fist connected with my solar plexus. The double impact sent me flying across the snow.

Ticked off now, I got up and closed in on them. The scales already covered my skin as my body naturally protected itself by partially shifting. Making sure my fists were covered, I went after them both, putting the strength of a dragon behind the punches. The impact pushed them apart and they landed a few feet away. I stayed standing between them.

“That’s enough, damn it! You are both senior Grimnirs and your behavior is a disgrace—”

“Stay out of this, Baldurson,” Echo snarled and eyed Rhys, who was also on his feet and ready to charge. Since I was right smack in the middle, they’d have to go around me or slam into me.

Now they were truly pissing me off. I wished I had my flight suit on, so I could shift completely and melt the snow from under them. Being dunked into ice-cold water might force them to cool off. The fire I made when I was in a partial shift wasn’t big enough to melt a large chunk of ice. That left only one solution.