Page 85 of Between Broomsticks and Beating Wings
“My Goddess Freyja,” Kari said with a slight bow of her head, her eyes trained on the bottom of Freyja’s gown. “I have requested your presence at this early hour because I come bearing news both good and…troublesome.”
Troublesome?I thought to myself as a tingle ran up my spine. Áma hadn’t mentioned trouble.
“What is it? My husband, have you found him?” Freyja asked, her mouth tense.
Kari paused, her mouth ticked upward as she said, “I have indeed. He’s found himself in a rather messy situation on Alfheim. I don’t have all the details, but I will tell you all I have seen.”
“Of course,” Freyja said, showing the whites of her eyes. She rose from her throne and pulled her sweeping gown to the side as she descended her dais. “I no longer have visions of Alfheim. He should have known better than to leave without mentioning his whereabouts. Tell me, what is this mess you speak of?”
Kari shifted her stance. “It seems as though he’s underground in some sort of root system. It does not look like he wants to be there, but rather, he is trapped.”
Freyja blew out an exasperated breath that broke into an icy laugh. The sound had my skin pricking as my gaze shifted from her to Kari and back to the goddess again.
“I must leave to gather warriors to hunt my foolish husband down, but know this, Kari Kettlesdotter. You have given me my first shred of hope in over a decade. If he truly is where you say he is, you will have earned your spot on my council ten times over. Prepare yourself, for when I next call on you, your life will be forever altered—in one way or another. Let us hope, for both of our sakes, it is a change for good.”
Freyja strode out of her throne room, leaving Kari standing before her dais with one hand at the base of her throat, the other on her stomach. She looked as if she was going to be sick, though I couldn’t tell what emotion was bringing forth this sudden urge.
I ran up from behind her and pulled her frozen body into my arms. She tensed for only a moment before she released her bound muscles and fell into me.
“You did it,” I whispered across her temple, pressing a kiss to her hairline. “You fucking did it.”
A shocked laugh bubbled out of Kari, and she clung to me for support. Tears of relief pooled in her beautiful eyes, and her fingers tightened on me as she said, “I need an ale. Or five.”
One week later, I sat hand in hand with the mortal seeress upon the soft grass of Freyja’s rolling hills. The meadow smelled of hawthorn berries and thyme, and I could think of much worse places to spend my day with the woman I cared so deeply for.
Over the past several days, she’d told me all about the foul mixture Áma had her drink, about the way she’d used the leftovers to paint Kari’s skin. She was convinced she still smelledof blood despite multiple baths and even a flight over Fólkvangr to air her out.
I’d simply laughed at her reaction to Áma slapping her in the face, because I’d been there before a time or two myself. The old Asgardian woman was riddled with arthritis, but she still knew how to make a cheek sting.
Kari leaned back in the grass, a yellow flower poking up between two of her fingers. She tilted her head to the sky, her brow pulled together in a way that told me it wasn’t from the sun in her eyes.
“What is it?” I asked, popping a hazelnut into my mouth.
“I just hope this waking vision I had wasn’t a mere reflection of my desires. As I laid my head upon his pillow, I desired nothing more than finding him, and part of me wonders if I fabricated the whole thing. The more time that passes, the more the vision fades from my mind, I question if Freyja didn’t send a handful of her valkyries on a wild goose chase because of me.”
“You didn’t,” I said, shaking my head. “I thought the reason Áma slapped you was because you weren’t believing in yourself. Now, I wouldn’t dare touch your beautiful face in such a way, but if you need to shake off this self-doubt, I’m sure I could find Áma arou?—”
Kari laughed and covered my mouth with her palm. “Don’t you dare!”
I nipped at her hand before she could pull it away, and she yelped in shock. She toppled me over as she lunged forward, but I didn’t mind being on my back for her. It wasn’t preferred, but I’d take it for my mortal, my radiant light.
When my mouth was free once more, I used that newfound freedom to claim her lips. They were soft and tender against mine, but I moved like it was our last day among the living. I wanted to take advantage of every moment of her warm skin on mine.
Kari hesitated, her lips hovering over me. I was tempted to recapture her mouth, but one glance at her face had me practicing restraint. Her eyes were rolled, head tilted, as if she were one of Odin’s ravens. My hands itched to shake her out of the odd haze from where I held her hips. Before I could act in haste, Kari blinked rapidly, coming back to me. But she didn’t look at me—she lookedoverme. I cranked my head to see what caught her attention.
Four valkyries, dressed in gold and green, ushered a ragged-looking man up the steps of Sessrúmnir. Kari had chosen this spot in the field in case anyone of interest arrived today, and it seemed as though her connection with Odr was stronger than I ever imagined.
“He’s here,” Kari whispered. Her eyes went wide, and only then did she look upon me. “He’s here!” She leaned in and pecked my face once, twice, before she rose off me and scrambled to her feet.
A laugh rose from my chest, though I had no doubt in her visions. Still, it was surreal to see the lost god before us, haggard and half-stumbling up the steps. I wasn’t sure why they hadn’t cleaned him up before his arrival, but maybe he was still in a state of frenzy, or maybe the valkyries were advised to bring him as he was—a punishment from Freyja for leaving her. Whatever the reason, I was positive Freyja didn’t want us to be there for their reunion.
I rose to stand with Kari, placing a hand on her arm to ask her to stay. “Surely, Freyja will call for us when she’s ready.”
Kari blew out a breath of frustration, then leaned on her hip. She stared longingly at the doors to Freyja’s Hall, though her feet remained where they were. “Hopefully soon.”
“Gods have all the time in the world,” I said. “I wouldn’t hold your breath. If she summons us within the week, I’d be surprised.” I didn’t want to disappoint her, but I couldn’t let herstand here, holding out hope she would be summoned, only to have the sun slowly replaced by the moon, day after day. When you lived forever, you suddenly knew how to take your time, and the gods often did.
“Within the week?” Kari barked.
