Chapter 24 #2
But her words ring through my head. Lachlan’s mom. Her death. “Wait. You know how his mom died?”
Luna grabs the book she had before and tosses it at me. It catapults through the air before landing with a thud in front of me.
Lineages and Bloodlines of the Vanir.
“There’s some pretty interesting stuff in that one. It focuses only on the Vanir families, though. The Tuadanaan and Valkyries lineages would be an interesting book to have.”
I pull the leather-bound book towards me. The weight of it is startling. Golden letters blaze on its cover like a medieval painting. A tree with twisting, gnarled branches in a ring of gold that seems to glow.
The first page is an image of Njord and Nerthus.
A god and goddess of the sea. Together they had Freya and Freyr, the twins.
The artist lovingly captured Freya, her brilliant white hair and the green eyes I know as well as my own.
The next page is of Freya’s two daughters, Hnoss and Gersemi.
Each one makes up the side of a coin. Hnoss takes after Freya with her blonde hair, but instead of green eyes, she has blue eyes set in an angelic face.
Gersemi, though, is celestial. A halo of chocolate brown tresses frames an enchanting face. Magical green eyes pop off the page as if they can see right through you.
The scrawling script is difficult to make out, but I slowly read the words. Gersemi fell in love with a human male and when he died, her life force faded until—she too died.
Lachlan’s parents.
My breathing becomes shallow as I look at the beautiful woman she was, gone before I was ever born. I wonder how much he remembers of her.
Luna leans back in her chair. “Interesting stuff about the Vanir. They’re known for their elemental magic.”
“Elemental magic?” Mina asks, her nose scrunching delicately.
“It’s different from our blessings from Odin. Their magic is tied to the elements—water, earth, wind, and fire.”
The door creaks open and Freya appears. Tears spill down her face, but a smile graces her lips.
“Is this true?” I ask, standing and holding the book out to her. “Are you Lachlan’s grandmother?”
Freya scoffs, grabbing the book from me. “Do I look like a grandmother to you?” Her eyes soften as she looks at the picture of Hnoss and Gersemi. “But yes—I guess I am.”
“How?” I breathe, looking at the goddess before me.
“I sought your mother after Gersemi’s death, but we couldn’t get through.
So I went to Skadi. She was living a quiet life in the human realm, having relinquished the throne to your mother.
It was far from all of this, and I was too grief-stricken to raise another baby.
The last I saw him was when I left him with her at the Hall. ”
“Does he know?”
“He will soon,” she answers, stroking a finger down the image of her daughter’s face. “Torin’s gone to tell him.”
I know the shock he will feel, having gone through it with my own parents. I need to be with him. Freya looks back up at me. A small smile grows on her face, understanding in her gaze.
“Go,” she urges.
I stride swiftly towards the oak doors. Books slam shut, and a chair grates along the marble floor as Luna and Mina stand to follow.
Torin is in the dining hall when we walk in. He sits alone at the long table. His head is lowered between his shoulders. There’s an eerie stillness surrounding him.
I want to run to him, to comfort him.
“Torin?” My voice floats across the table.
His stoic face lifts to mine, there’s a bleariness to his eyes.
“Did you tell him?”
He nods.
I take a step closer, resting my hand on his shoulder.
Tears slip down his face. Mina, Luna, and Freya give us a pretense of privacy as they stand behind me.
“Did he not take it well?”
Torin clears his throat and shrugs. “Better than you’d expect.”
Lilah, the young girl who usually serves my plate, slides a plate in front of Torin. It’s Lachlan’s sandwich he had made for us at our last family dinner.
Torin smiles at his plate before grabbing it and standing. “I’ll eat this on the terrace. I could use some fresh air, and he should be in shortly.”
I dip my chin. “As you wish.”
Torin smiles in return before walking out of the dining hall. There’s a lightness in his gait, as if the magic is easing his tired joints. I wish it would have healed Gran. I stop that thought right in its tracks.
The rest of the women take their seats and servants place plates of food in front of us.
“Torin didn’t look too much older than Lachlan the last time I saw him,” Freya says.
“That’s what happens when you live in the human realm,” I respond between bites of lingonberries. If I had been quicker at restoring magic, would she still be here?
“Is that where your mother raised you?”
I nod and try to quiet the whirlwind of thoughts. “Do you know why she left Idirhalla?”
Freya’s brows crease as she studies me. “I heard rumors it was because of your father’s family. They had attempted to assassinate them both. But that was a century ago. There’s no telling if that’s the truth.”
“A century ago?” My heart pounds in my chest.
“I don’t know all the details.” She waves me off.
“I’m 21. Wouldn’t they have aged like Torin and Gran?”
Freya nods, chewing a bite of her food and swallowing. “Yes. But I don’t think they were in the human realm the whole time. We came here after the mists appeared to speak with her about them, but we found Odessa on the throne. She told us they were out looking for answers.”
“And when exactly was this?”
Freya’s brow scrunches. “It must’ve been seventy years ago.”
My parents left one hundred years ago, and the imposter started her reign fifty years ago. So Freya spoke with the real Odessa when she was told that my parents were searching for something.
My thoughts spin rapidly around my brain. What could they have been searching for? Something to protect them from my father’s family?
Again, it circles back to his family. My anger has my wings appearing. The feathers shudder at the sudden pop back into existence. Freya stares at me, waiting for some kind of verbal response.
“Do you know who my father’s family was?” My gaze swings from her to Luna.
Freya tilts her head, staring past my face and at my wings.
“No. But one would assume they’re not of this world if they had the audacity to think they could kill your mother.”
“What do you mean?” Luna interjects, waving her fork in front of her.
“There’s no way the Bryn I knew would have left this place if the threat wasn’t severe enough. She was terrifyingly fierce. And with wings like that…”
Everyone turns to stare at my wings. The silver of them gleaming as I shift in my seat.
“With wings like what?” Mina asks, a crease forming between her brows as she stares at my wings.
Freya shrugs and spears a carrot with her fork. “That color is unusual for a Valkyrie.”
I squint, tilting my head to the side as I think it through. “I thought it was because I had lived so long without magic?”
She shakes her head and grips her fork tighter. “No. I don’t think you’re entirely a Valkyrie. You’re something more…”
“Would that explain if I had more than one power?” I ask, remembering how I glowed when I was angry with Ashur.
Freya observes me closely. “More than one?”
I bite my lip. The feeling of being observed settles over me. “I don’t know exactly. But I have a tendency to glow when I’m…emotional.”
Luna snorts.
“And what’s your other power?” Freya asks.
“I can foresee an opponent’s move in battle.”
She grins and sets down her fork. “Interesting.”
“And yours?”
She swirls a finger around the tip of her wine glass, smiling. “I can influence moods.”
White hot fiery rage spears through me and I grip my fork so hard it bends. Then all the sudden it vanishes, replaced with a steady calmness that numbs my limbs.
“Woah,” I breathe. “Helpful.”
The rustling of wings and stomping of boots halts our conversation. Turning in my seat, I see Lachlan and Evander, joined by Odr and Harald, making their way towards us.
Lachlan reaches me first, stooping down to place a kiss on my temple. “Are ye okay?” Trepidation blazes in his eyes.
I shake my head. “I don’t want to talk about it. Are you okay?”
“Ye heard the news?” Lachlan asks, his face carefully neutral.
I swallow my bite of cheese and turn to face him, grabbing his hand and clutching it to me.
“Freya told me. How do you feel?” I ask him.
He glances at her before looking back at me. “I’m nae sure how I feel right now.”
Stroking the top of his hand, I give him a sad smile. “That’s normal. I felt the same.”
He grimaces at the reminder of his betrayal before shaking his head. “I guess that explains the strength.”
My mouth drops open. Leave it to Lachlan to be so cavalier when he has learned something this important about himself.
“That’s all?”
He shrugs, his dark brown hair grazing the tops of his shoulders. “It does nae change much. My parents are still gone, and I was raised by a man who loved me as his own. I just ha’ new family now too, I guess.”
Lilah slides a plate in front of him and he smiles and nods at her. “Thanks, Lilah.”
At the other end of the table, Freya gives out orders.
“Harald, I need you to head back to Vanaheim and grab some books on the other realms and the signs of war. Master Anders should know which ones.”
Harald grumbles something under his breath, but stalks off anyway.
Her eyes follow him before falling onto me. “Tomorrow we’ll have a sailing, and then the actual work begins.”