Chapter Seventy-Six
Aric
My back aches, my mind races, and the frost begs to be unleashed underneath my fingertips. Visions are coming so hard and fast, I can barely organize them in my mind.
But one vision stands out among them all.
A simple note being passed from my father to my mother.
And finally, in secret, to Laufey.
They entrusted her with this message.
And in the end, Laufey entrusted me with Rey.
Power builds and snaps within me, constantly pushing against my restraints. I have to keep Rey safe—I have to control my emotions and figure out a way to get these new abilities calm.
The runes on my back now pulse in my head, repeating their names like a chant over and over again. My blood sings out the location of Mjolnir. It’s like now that the power is free, it’s screaming too much information all at once.
Will the ancients’ whispers inside my head stop once she finds Mjolnir? Would I want them to? I’m overwhelmed, drowning under the weight of so many memories, so many possible future paths, but at the same time, they’re there. My heart strains at seeing them once again.
My parents.
They’re talking at the edge of a body of water. They stand still, holding each other, staring into water with trepidation, and it takes everything in me not to race over and pull them into my arms. I know this is just a memory, a vision. But it feels so real.
Slowly, they hold out their hands and squeeze drops of blood into the water. I can tell that there’s more, and I try to stay grounded in it, but my head aches, and I can’t calm the hum of power long enough to focus.
Suddenly, my vision clears. I know where we’re going next.
The mirror hitting Rey in the head was no accident. My blood sings the location like an ancient hymn on repeat. The Hall of Omrir—the water.
The lake.
Down.
Down.
Where the souls rest.
“Rey.” My voice echoes through the forest. “The Hall of Omrir, the water. It’s at the bottom.”
My eyes burn as my body remembers them. My parents’ last goodbye, their tears of sorrow and rage. It’s all Odin’s fault.
My mind screams for revenge.
I drop to my knees as anger starts to wrap itself around me, the power all-consuming. How easy it would be to kill Odin. Right now, right here.
The runes are disabled. He’s vulnerable.
I need to kill him.
Strength howls alive beneath my skin, demanding to be seen—to be used.
No. I press my hands to my temples, gritting my teeth as a roar escapes my mouth. The air around us shakes while the ground itself moans, and my body shudders under the weight of it all.
“Aric.” Rey’s voice is barely above a whisper. “I have to swim?”
Her fear nearly fills the area surrounding us; it’s thick with it. I can sense it, taste it. She doesn’t want to go into the water.
She’s never been more scared than this moment.
I reach for her, then snap my hand back. I can barely control my power, and the last thing I want to do is hurt her when I’m trying to comfort her. “You can do this.”
My body burns with awareness of the power surging inside it. I’m running out of time.
“Rey,” I warn. “You have to hurry.” I start to get up, but my legs suddenly give out underneath me. My head spins. “It’s too much all at once. I’ll be behind you—just run. You need to get it or we can’t save everyone. It’s up to you now.”
Her eyes widen as she takes me in. I have no idea how I look, but I do know that every muscle feels taut, my heart beating a scattered rhythm behind my eyes.
“Rey,” I warn again. “Go. Now.”
“I can wait with you—”
“RUN!” My entire body shakes with tethered power as I hold out my hand, and ice immediately builds across the lake. I’m stunned for a moment. I barely thought it and there it is, sturdy, beautiful.
Rey starts making her way around me while I attempt to stand. I still smell her fear. But she can do this. I know she can. I stumble after her, trying to get my power under control. She’s already on the bridge. Good.
Sweat pours down my temples.
Something feels wrong.
My heart’s beating too fast.
My eyes burn.
I hear her short breaths as she runs across the ice. I need her. I miss her, feel weaker without her. What’s going on?
With a roar, I lunge after her, only to have someone block my way. Dizziness washes over me as chains come flying at me from all directions. They burn when they collapse onto my skin like they weigh a thousand pounds each.
I try to lift them, but it’s nearly impossible.
“A runed trap,” a familiar voice says. “Asgardian chains etched with the very runes meant to cripple a Giant. Sigurd does know his stuff.”
I blink through the haze and look up.
My heart sinks like a stone.
I barely feel the rueful smile on my own lips as I nod and say, “I should have known.”
We’ve already lost before we even really began.
“Yes,” he hisses. “You should have.”
“The seventh circle of hell is reserved for people like you.”
Suddenly, pain radiates out in unbelievable waves from my stomach. Looking down, I see a spear has been shoved through my back. Someone else is behind me?
Blood pours out in thick rivulets from where the spear pierced straight through my abdomen. My vision wavers.
He leans down. “Be sure to say hi, then, when I send you there.”
And then he winks.
It’s the last thing I see before everything goes dark.