Page 31 of Between Broomsticks and Beating Wings
“Midgard, Helheim, somewhere else. You’ll need to end up somewhere when all is said and done. I assumed you’d like to be the one who chooses that location.”
“Are you girls ready to leave me yet?” Áma asked.
“We’ll be out of your hair shortly,” I muttered to the woman. She sat upon that gods awful bench, picking pieces of lint free from it. If I heard one little comment about leaving quilt lint behind, I was going to lose it. I loved Áma, always had, but we may very well murder each other if I had to spend one more day with her. “Epli and I need to armor up.”
I turned to Kari. “And I suggest you do anything you need to as well. Hooves up at mid-sun.”
Meandering off into the chamber Kari all but forbade me from entering, I headed over to the chair in the corner, where my untouched armor lay. Well, it was supposed to be untouched.
How mysterious.
As I grew closer, I noticed my breastplate was askew from its original position. Had Kari tried it on? Had her chest tried to squeeze into the golden plate molded from my very form? Plucking the breastplate off the chair, I inspected it to ensure it hadn’t been tampered with in any way. I wasn’t sure I trusted the woman not to sabotage me.
When my inspection was complete and no sign of damage or mischief was found, I began strapping each piece of armor on until I was a warrior once more. When I was ready to go, my arsenal of weapons was next, starting with the sword I wore at my hip.
By the time I was done, I had a few more weapons than I normally carried, dipping into the collection I stored at Áma’s. Iwasn’t new to the path between gateways, nor was I to gods and monsters. Because of these previous endeavors, I would take any precaution that felt necessary, and the double axes on my back certainly felt so.
When I stepped out into the hall, Kari stood there in her simple dress and shawl, a basket still in hand. But now, instead of Tove, it was filled with various ingredients and glass bottles. Her bottom lip stuck out before she sucked it in. She got a good look at me, weapons and all, and said, “Well, now I’m feeling quite underdressed.”
“I think we can do something about that, don’t you?” I said with a little smirk, tugging on the end of her shawl.
“You happen to have a spare set of leathers and armor laying around?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I scoffed. “Not just anyone can wear armor like mine.” The red and gold metal wrapped around me like a second skin was a symbol of ultimate warrior status. Kari could never dream of getting her hands on it—even if I had a feeling she’d already tried.
She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. “Then whatcanyou do?”
“Come with me.” I beckoned her into the spare bedchamber. “You know, Áma was quite the woman in her day. She still has all sorts of reminders of her time entertaining the gods. Before becoming too entangled with Odin and hiding herself away, that is.”
“What happened?” Kari asked as she followed me.
“He’s been known to enjoy the company of other women outside of his marriage to Frigg, and let’s just say Áma knew better than to stick around when it all blew up in her face. Odin kept his ravens on her for a long time, watching her every move until she figured out how to disappear into the mist all together.”
“That all sounds way too messy for Áma,” Kari said with a surprised chuckle. “I can’t picture it.”
“That was a long time ago,” I said with a sigh. “A lot can change in a millennia.” Stories like these were a reminder that while I’d been alive far longer than I’d ever thought possible, I was a speck in the timeline for Áma. My life since has been a heavy dose of death clashing with untouchable life. I’d been surrounded by gods and static features, yet I carted souls off on a nightly basis. My own identity got lost in the mix so easily, sometimes making me feel ancient and invincible, and other times so utterly young and fragile.
“I suppose so,” she said, running her thumb down a wooden wardrobe. “Is what you seek in here?”
“Did you do some exploring, seeress?” I asked, thinking of my armor and wondering what else she’d gotten her curious hands on during her lonely nights in this chamber when her lips were too tired to cast any more spells. The skin on the tips of her fingers were already turning black, cursed from all the underworld seidr, and I couldn’t help but imagine that sight reminded her of her once cursed eyes.
“Maybe,” Kari admitted with a lazy shrug. She stood before me, and while I could touch and speak to her, I’d never felt more distant from her—or the woman I’d always imagined she’d be, more like. Turns out, watching someone isn’t the same as knowing them, even if that thought stung, and I had to admit, I was going to need to put some serious work in if I wanted to make things right with her.
I simply shook my head as I pulled open the wardrobe doors. Humming to myself, I slid out a copper tunic and threw it into her arms. Next were the layers of thick charcoal skirts that would swath her torso and legs, protecting her from wayward branches. “These fabrics were handcrafted by the best of the besthere in Asgard. No knife can cut through them, and the skirts are heavy enough to keep you warm while not slowing you down.”
“And what about my weapons? Fabric isn’t going to cut it, even if it was crafted by the gods themselves.”
“Are you sure you can handle them?”
“I killed that first raider, did I not?” Kari said, lifting her chin.
“Mmm, yes, I remember very clearly.” A small smile snaked onto my lips at the thought.
Nine realms, I love a woman who knows how to wield a sword.You’d think I’d be numb to it by now, but it was just the opposite. It was now my standard.
“So youwerewatching,” she said, all humor falling from her gaze and taking mine with it.
“Is every conversation with you meant to be a trap?” I asked, pushing black leather straps, sheaths, and holsters into her already full arms. “There’s a pair of boots in there that should be your size. Try this all on and be quick about it. And don’t forget your shawl.”
