Page 61 of Baldr's Secret Mate

“You took everything from me,” I snarled, my voice distorted by the magic coursing through me. “Now I'll take everything from you.”

I raised my hand, a ball of dark blue lightning forming in the air in front of me. Tyr turned on his heel and tried to make a run for it. However, I lifted my other hand, summoning up a barrier much like the one he’d trapped me behind for nearly a decade. He struck the shield, pounding his fists on it as he cried out. But nothing he could do would break it. Even when he cried out his old spell for getting into my magical prison, the shield held strong. My power was far greater than some witch living in a hut in the woods.

When he finally turned to face me I saw the overwhelming fear in his eyes. His Alpha form had faded and for the first time in my life, he looked like the pathetic old man he was, terrified to lose now that he’d come face to face with death. I couldn’t help but smile as I raised my hand, ready to strike him down.

“Mist…”

My heart nearly stopped. That… that was Baldr’s voice! I glanced down at his body, but it was still unmoving.

“Mist…” the disembodied voice said again. “Mist... please... don't do this.”

The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once. I hesitated, the ball of lightning flickering in my palm.

“Baldr?” I whispered, my voice cracking. “How...?”

“I'm here, my love. Not gone. Just... between. For only a moment.” His voice was faint, as if coming from a great distance. “But please don't let your grief consume you. Don't become what Tyr wanted you to be. You are so much better than that.”

Tears streamed down my face, evaporating in the heat of my magic. “But he took you from me. He took everything.”

“No, Mist. He didn't. I'm still with you. I'll always be with you.”

I felt a gentle warmth envelop me, like Baldr's arms wrapping around me. The rage that had consumed me began to ebb. However, the moment that feeling faded away, all my anger and grief came crashing back.

“NO!” I screamed into the sky. “I WON’T LET YOU LEAVE ME!”

The ball of lightning in my hand began to shift and tighten, gathering into a sphere of light. At the same time my body drifted back down to the ground. The moment my feet touched the earth, I ran forward to Baldr’s body, dropping down on my knees.

“You… aren’t… going… anywhere!” I sobbed. “I revoke your destiny!”

Raising my hands toward the sky, I grabbed the sphere of magic and ripped it in two. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, I slammed the magic down into Baldr’s unmoving chest. Behind me I heard Loki cry out as a blinding flash of white light filled the abandoned lot, consuming us all in a flare as bright as the sun.

Then the light faded slowly, like mist dissipating in the morning sun. As my vision cleared, I found myself still kneeling beside Baldr's body, my hands pressed against his chest. For a moment, nothing happened. The world held its breath.

Then, suddenly, Baldr's chest heaved. His eyes flew open, wide and startled, as he gasped for air. Color flooded back into his face, and I felt the warmth returning to his skin beneath my palms. His hands flew up, grabbing my arms as if to stop himself from falling.

“Baldr!” I cried, half-laughing, half-sobbing as I gathered him into my arms. “You're alive!”

He blinked, disoriented, his gaze finally focusing on my face. “Mist? What... what happened?”

Before I could answer, a pained groan came from behind us. I turned to see Tyr on his knees, rubbing his eyes as if he’d been blinded. He pushed himself to his feet slowly, swaying back and forth like he was drunk. He reached out his remaining hand, resting it against the lamppost for support. I glared up at him, feeling my magic swirl around me again. His eyes lifted to meet mine, but as I met his gaze, I realized something was wrong.

His eyes were now stark white, all color drained from them in an instant. I couldn’t even see his pupils. And as he looked from side to side, searching for something, I realized he couldn’t see us at all. I glanced back at Loki and Heimdall behind us, wondering if they’d suffered the same fate. However, their eyes seemed to be just fine. Whatever my magic had done, it was targeted only at Tyr.

“What did you do to me you little fucker!” he screamed, his body swelling back into its Alpha form. “I’ll kill you for this!”

He reached down, tearing open his shirt to reveal a bandolier strapped across his chest. Just like the night he’d found Baldr in my hut, it was full of grenades. Before I could stop him, he pulled one free, yanked the pin out with his fangs, and threw it.

Thankfully it sailed far to the right, too far away to be anything but loud. That didn’t stop me from shielding Baldr with my body though. A moment later he pushed me off, trying to get to his feet. Golden magic was swirling around him as I pulled him up, keeping one hand around his waist to hold him stable. Baldr groaned and Tyr’s head snapped in our direction. With a cruel grin he yanked the pin out of another grenade and chucked it straight at us.

I reached out my hand to knock it away, closing my eyes tight and hoping it didn’t explode on impact. However, when nothing struck my hand or the ground near us, I opened my eyes once more. There, hovering in the air, was a golden handmade completely from Baldr’s magic. It grasped the grenade and hurled it to the left, sending it sailing more than a hundred yards away in the empty lot. It exploded harmlessly and Tyr’s face twisted in confusion.

However, before anyone could say a word, something miraculous began to happen. All at once Baldr’s magic suddenly intensified, an incredible amount of it flowing out of him all at once. Some of it broke off to bind Tyr, pinning his arms to his sides. But the rest of it joined the golden disembodied hand. And, within a matter of seconds, a figure began to form. At first I wasn’t sure what kind of creature it might be. But after a moment or two, I realized it was a woman standing nearly ten feet tall with golden eyes and silver hair just like Baldr.

A streak of terror and grief washed through Baldr, followed by a tsunami of hope. It was only then that I realized who she must be.

“M-Mom?” Baldr stammered, staring up at her.

The golden figure turned to face us, her luminous eyes filled with warmth and sorrow. “My son,” she said, her voice echoing with an otherworldly resonance. “You’ve grown into such a handsome young man. You look so much like your father.”

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