Page 35 of Between Broomsticks and Beating Wings
When I finished, I wandered back over to the others, darkness falling upon my shoulders like a heavy blanket. We hadn’t even made it to the path between realms, and anuncomfortable prickle already ran up my spine. My gaze landed on Rune, where she brushed Apple’s gorgeous mane as the winged creature refueled on oats.
I guess I wasn’t the only one around here with weaknesses—not that I would ever harm the pegasus to get at the valkyrie. Animal abuse was a hard line for me, and I was kidding myself if I even thought I was a match for Apple. She would stomp on me for looking at her wrong and happily feast on the snacks I’d smuggled from Áma and stashed in my pockets. The woman had been secretly feeding me in her incantation chamber so I didn’t fall ill after living on nothing but hot barley for days. We’d both let Rune think she was still punishing me for her sleeping arrangements, since she’d never believe Áma would allow food in her sacred room. I’d managed to break the Asgardian within three days.
“Ready?” I asked as I approached Rune. She glanced up from Apple’s mane and nodded swiftly. “Good. I’ll be walking from here on out.”
Rune nodded once more, not fighting me like I’d expected. I wonder if she did that for Apple’s sake.
“Just don’t listen to the whispers,” Rune said, remounting her companion.
“Oh, I can’t hear them anymore,” I said with a shrug as I started walking toward the gate.
Rune glanced down at me with a furrowed brow. “You can’t?”
“Nope. I enforced my mental shields to block out universal messages,” I stated simply, tuning into the hollow space within my mind once more to ensure they hadn't weaseled their way back in.
Just me and my internal voice.
“You…can do that?” Rune asked.
“Yeah. Can’t you?” A leaf crunched under my boot, bringing a soft smile to my face—the sound reminded me of home.
“No,” she admitted with a frown.
“Well, did you try?” I asked.
“No, but I think I’d know if I had the ability to block them out. Even my seidr has its limits.”
I was honestly surprised she owned up to having limitations at all. I thought she had far too much pride for such admissions.
“Hmm, well, you don’t need to worry about me. I’m not about to turn around any time soon,” I said.
Rune frowned again. “Is this something Áma taught you?”
“No. Why?” I asked.
“Because your Midgard seidr shouldn’t work here. It’s of another realm, and I didn’t think your power was strong enough to stretch across the worlds.”
“The gods’ seidr can,” I pointed out.
Rune snorted. “Are you comparing yourself to one of the gods?”
“No,” I chuckled. I was growing more confident in my new abilities, but I was no goddess. It would be blasphemous to pretend otherwise. “I’m just pointing out that it’s possible. I’ve been reading that scroll you gave me on seidr of the underworld. It’s quite fascinating, and I find the spells written across its pages far easier to craft than the ones in my notes on Midgard.”
Rune remained quiet for a moment as she took this new information. I debated not telling her, but she was proving to be a worthwhile travel companion so far, and it might bite me in the ass later if I keep my growing skills from her. If anything, her knowledge of my seidr may make her take me more seriously, make her look at me like I was more than a simple village girl.
Rune broke her silence and said, “If our conversions with Hel go well, I’ll seek permission to enter the area where she keeps her history. If we can copy some spells over from her scrolls, it may aid in discovering what else you’re capable of.”
“There’s a big ‘if’ within that plan,” I pointed out. “But, I’ll admit, I’d love to get my hands on her scrolls. I can’t imagine the spells she has access to. Sure, she’s the Goddess of Death, and I may kill myself attempting her spells, but could you imagine if I were capable of achieving even one of them?”
“Her curse does live within you. Maybe it’s not so far-fetched to believe you have a larger tie to Helheim than we originally thought. You were born with her curse, a seed of her power growing inside you over the past three decad?—”
“Two decades,” I corrected. “And seven tenths.” I muttered the last part under my breath.
“For almost three decades,” Rune said, shooting me a look. I suppose she viewed age as a positive, a source of power. For mortals, on the other hand, getting older meant failing bodies and decreased power, even if our place in society was more secure. “Anyway, you may find her hold on you increases when we enter Helheim, so be prepared for that possibility.”
I thought about it, wondering how it would feel to be under the goddess’ thumb in such a way. I guess I had been my whole life, fear of my own face keeping me from living a standard way, not to mention the spirits that haunted me over the years. The least I’d ever felt Hel’s curse was in Asgard, but that only made sense, seeing as her seidr was weakened in a place ruled by the Allfather. Who knew what would happen when we reached Hel.
Rune was right, though, because I had to be prepared for the possibility of my curse returning upon my exit from Asgard. Who knew—once we made it to Hel, I could very well acquire more symptoms of the curse than merely rotting eyes and the ability to see the dead. My stomach knotted at this knowledge, but as I stared at the stone gates quickly approaching, I forced my fears down, crushing them under my boots.
