Dead Radiance(29)

We were scheduled to head out as soon as all the Valkyries and Ulfr gathered their stuff together. As everyone was already dressed for the battlefield in full training gear, we followed Fenrir to the palace.

At first, I thought he was leading us to Odin's Hall, but he soon took a passage before the hall and entered a different room. A large, open fire occupied the center of the room, throwing comforting warmth around us. The number of people who'd arrived startled me. Each Valkyrie paired off with one other man or woman, leaving only me and Fenrir unmatched.

Slowly, each pair held hands and flicked out of existence.

Just like that. A blink and they were gone.

Very soon, Fenrir and I were the last two left.

"Do not be nervous," he said. "Clear your mind and think of Craven or a person in the town you want to see. We shall be in Craven before you know it." A smile laced Fen's voice and at once I understood. Perhaps I wasn't allocated a Warrior because of my request to Odin and Frigga.

I felt the slight twist of disappointment, but I shook it off. I was going to see my foster mom, which was the only thing that mattered.





Chapter 23



No strange burst of light or sparks of fire or thunderclaps heralded our arrival in Craven. One moment we were beside the great fire in Asgard and the next, Fenrir and I appeared beside Sigrun and the rest of the Craven contingent. Apart from a few short seconds of mild nausea, I remained unaffected. I recognized the area. An abandoned stretch of land behind the Craven Cemetery. Appropriate.

The Valkyries' chain armor gleamed in the murky light of a distant lamp, one of those fake lamps along the curved pathway that bisected the cemetery, made to look old but lit by a modern electric bulb. The Ulfr, still in full human form, were resplendent in red-bronze body armor.

We made a magnificent sight, but nobody would be able to see us. We came in the night, to retrieve our charges. We would leave in the darkness too, unbeknownst to parents and friends and family of the deceased. People who would never know the glory of what their sons and daughters would soon become. Once life was breathed into the chosen Warriors, they would rise to fight for Odin and Freya, to win the Great War and save the world from eternal destruction.

Craven itself hardly looked worthy of such greatness. It was just as unremarkable as always. The only difference from when I left was the weather. It was colder now; a blustery wind chased around the last of the autumn leaves. The sky hung low, dark and heavy, promising snow. I eyed the other Valkyries and their Ulfr, wishing I could go with them to see my friends saved.

A glance over the fence and a stone angel caught my eye, watching like a sentinel over a child's grave. It sent a little shudder crawling down my spine. What would the procedure be? Would they dig up the caskets and remove the bodies? I shivered; the thought of it was detestable. And wrong. Did the end really justify the means of Retrieval?

The others moved away, disappearing through the darkness of the trees, their minds already concentrating on the task they faced. For the briefest second, the Ulfr shimmered, shadows veiling them, until they resembled wolves. I blinked, and they were gone before I could get a second look.

In the very next breath, a symphony of howls ripped the silent night air apart, and I shivered despite my warm cloak.

Beside me, Fen's eyes glittered in the bland light. I hadn't yet seen an Ulfr up close and personal, but I knew they were responsible for those blood-chilling howls. And Fen's blood was answering to the call of his kin.

"Fenrir?" I would have placed an arm on his shoulder if he hadn't moved away. Not the smartest thing to do. He shook his arms out, as if the simple action would clear the calling from his blood.

"Come. We do not have much time." Back to business.

We hurried through the darkened streets, arriving at Ms. Custer's house with preternatural speed. At the front door, Fenrir paused and said, "Go. I will stand guard. I'll warn you if there is danger or if we run out of time." Arms folded, he leaned against the wall beside the bell, beyond the circle of brightness from the porch light. The shadows swallowed him. I squinted to try to see him.

"Go!"

I jumped at his whispered growl, redirected my attention to the door.

White paint peeled from the deeper grooves of the paneling. It still needed a new coat of paint, but I had always liked it just the way it was. It had character. My fingers brushed the frame and released a small cloud of paint flecks, and I smiled. More character. I peered through the drapes beside the door. The lights were on inside, but it was quiet. My heart thumped against my ribs as I stabbed the bell, hoping I wouldn't scare the living daylights out of Ms. Custer with my Valkyrie getup.

Looking down to smooth the chainmail along my neckline, I gasped. My armor and headpiece were gone, replaced by the jeans and jacket I'd worn when I'd last stood outside this house. To the eye, I looked like an ordinary teenager. But when I touched my clothing, my fingers brushed armor.

A grunt came from the shadows. "It is an illusion. You do not want to frighten your mother do you?"

I didn't answer because at that moment the door opened, and it would've frightened my foster mom if she found me on the veranda having a conversation with the cold night air.

I'm not sure how I'd expected Ms. Custer to react, but the bear hug she pulled me into was enough to make me want to sob into her shoulder. Her warm, comforting body smelled of fabric softener and fried chicken and home. She held me as if she thought I'd disappear again if she let go. When she finally released me, her eyes were filled with tears and her cheeks were moist. And I found I'd shared her tears. Mine were perhaps more along the vein of self-pity, though.

"Come inside, baby. Before anyone sees you," Ms. Custer whispered.

She hustled me inside, her eyes darting up and down the street as she shut the door. Dragging the drapes closed, she pulled me onto the couch beside her, her hands wrapping around mine again. The house was silent; only the kettle hummed in the kitchen.

"What happened, child? Where'd you go? I knew you'd leave but you didn't say goodbye and then Aidan called last week to say he'd come see me and that he was worried about me and you and so sorry about what happened. But he never came and I haven't heard from him since his call. Have you been with Aidan?"

Ms. Custer stopped talking so suddenly I thought she would burst into tears again, and I hated myself for hurting her, for worrying her. Above all, I hated Aidan for giving her false hope and for making her wait and not turning up. Damn that guy. He'd won all our hearts, and what does he do in the end? Fling our hearts back into our faces without so much as a goodbye.

"I'm so sorry, Mom. I would've contacted you if I could have."

"I know, honey. You must have been worried our phones were tapped or something." She looked over her shoulder as if expecting one of Aidan's goons to be standing there.

My heart sank. All this craziness had made her suspicious, made her lose the comfort and security in her life. I ached to find a way to make all of this go away. To give her back the luxury of certainty. I couldn't change the past, but I did know one way to make her feel better.

I gripped her warm fingers in mine. "I have something to tell you and I don't have much time," I said. Then I paused, staring at our entwined fingers, hers tanned brown and mine pale. Hers still comforting and supporting. Mine still thin and needing her. I hesitated, not sure how to proceed.

"What is it, child?" She leaned closer to me, trying to see my face.

"I didn't run away. I was taken."

Her cheeks darkened, her fingers squeezing hard. "I knew it. Those goddamned thugs. I should have known it was them." Ms. Custer launched herself out of the couch, giving vent to her anger the best way she knew how. By pacing.

"No. No, it wasn't them. . . ." I rose to my feet. The pacing had touched something inside me. The hysteria I'd tamped down all these days now welled up inside my brain. "In fact, it's something entirely different," I told her. "I don't think you'll believe me, but I'll tell you anyway, and you can feel free to kick me out if you wish. But I hope you don't."

I smiled as she paused in her pacing, and our eyes met. I prayed this was the right decision and I was not about to jeopardize our safety. "I was taken away, to a place that shouldn't even exist. I'm not sure how to tell you this." Again I paused. Telling her about Asgard was difficult. To be honest I still barely believed it myself.

"Take it by the horns, child. Deep breath and get it out." She sat me back down and squashed me in a half embrace.

"You know how you spoke to me about my eating habits, and you thought I was eating somewhere else?"

She nodded, concern flaring in her eyes. "You're anorexic. I knew it!"

"No. I'm not anorexic, but at the time I didn't know what it was. It wasn't only the eating. I hadn't been drinking much either, or sleeping much at all. And I was getting stronger. But now I know why. My body was changing, adapting."

My hands trembled as I told Ms. Custer how I'd been seeing the auras around people since I was a little kid. I skimmed over my run-ins with the psychiatrist and explained how I realized Joshua was going to die after I'd seen the glow on Aimee. "When I saw Brody glow I couldn't take it, I told Aidan about it. He said he'd help but . . ." My voice trailed off. The less said about Aidan, the better. "When I disappeared I was taken to this place . . . and I became something else."