Page 53 of Vicar
“I can only assume you never stepped foot in Ireland, so you were beyond Adlin's reach.” He gestured at her younger self saying Norse prayers to the God of Thunder. “You were touched by two Norse worlds before being born, Trinity. Two of such varying degrees, such polar opposites, that I imagine Adlin couldn’t help you even at his strongest.”
“You’re coming,” she whispered in awe, drawn to the scene unfolding. Lightning splintered across the sky, and black-bellied clouds rolled low over a frothing ocean. “You’re actually listening to my prayers.”
“Of course I am.” Thor rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. “That’s what gods do. That’s where we gain our strength and in return help those who worship us.” He shook his head and sighed. “It’s when mankind stops believing in us that we become irrelevant. We still exist in our world, but we can no longer help you. No longer be there for you.”
“That’s sort of sad,” she murmured, thinking about all the various religions over the millenniums. How many thousands of gods had become irrelevant when no one believed in them anymore. She supposed the only comfort in it was that they still existed somewhere. They still went on.
“And they do,” Thor assured, obviously following her thoughts. “We do.” He gestured at the sky. “For we Norse gods have eight more worlds beyond Midgard. Worlds that still believe in us. As does your Earth have galaxy upon galaxy where gods of old still flourish.”
That was a lot to take in. “What of our one God then?”
“What of him?” Thor replied kindly enough. “Other than to say he’s done well for himself.” He again nodded once with approval, seemingly undisturbed that God had made gods of his era null and void. But then Thor was one of the good guys when he wasn’t striking down the wicked with lightning. “His following is vast and impressive.”
Oh, but for the conversations one never thought they would have.
Loki crossed his arms over his chest, muttered something about Norse gods being stronger than ever depending where you were in time, and shook his head at the scene unfolding. Lightning had just splintered down feet from young Trinity, leaving Thor in its wake. “I still can’t believe you kept all this from me, Thor.”
All this being Thor’s obvious part in helping Loki’s Forge along.
Which meant he had to know even more. He had ended up with their stone, so he must know why Trinity and Vicar went their separate ways. She was about to ask him but was drawn back into what was unfolding in front of them. The certainty she had felt at the time. “I knew you’d come, Thor,” she said softly, glad when Vicar remained close, a solid wall of support. “I knew you’d help me.”
“But I didn’t.” Thor shook his head. “Not to the extent you were ultimately helped.”
“Thor,” young Trinity said reverently, coming to her feet. Unlike how her sister, Jade, had greeted him for the first time, she was much more serious. Then again, she was a different sort than her sister. Not just that, but her situation was becoming more and more dire. “Please tell me what to do. How to stop becoming someone else.” Her eyes welled. “I don’t want to be cruel to Vicar anymore.” She blinked away her tears and stood up straighter, determined to be strong. “He’s my best friend, and I don’t want to lose him, so please, grant me your wisdom.”
Lightning splintered off Thor and danced around Trinity as he considered her plight. Low, easy thunder rumbled deep in the cave. “I see no way to stop this other side as time goes on,” he finally said gravely. “I do see a way for you to remain relatively well when you’re with Vicar, though.”
“How?” she asked.
“How, indeed,” Revna murmured, seeing the answer before the rest of them. “For there is only one way to do that.” Her eyes seemed a little different when they drifted to Trinity. “A way that was much closer than you ever realized.”
