Page 72 of Rune

The question threw them both off.

“Aegir?” Ve asked.

“Husband of Ran. The ones who drown sailors. What is he like when the fables are stripped away?”

I tried not to look too interested, but thoughts of Aegir had dwindled, and a prime opportunity such as this would not present itself again. My arms lowered as I waited for the reply.

“They used to be known for their lavish dinner parties under the sea, in Aegirheim,” Ve replied. “But they drowned a Viking that Odin had marked as his, and lost favor with all of Asgard. They spend most their days in their underwater palace and are so rarely seen, some believe them to be vanished.”

The news was good. If Aegir was not in the habit of frequenting Asgard, then the odds of seeing him were low.

Tova gave me an odd look, then cleared her throat. “And Freyja? Is she as beautiful as the fables claim?”

“She is,” Ve replied. “And far too cunning for her own good. We only have a few minutes left; raise your weapons and start again. Let’s see if we can get you to live long enough to meet the gods yourself.”

We fought for several more minutes. Occasionally, a noise would come from the corridor where the guard must be releasing the next two to fight, but it would be quiet when they came back in. Sometimes I caught a hint of the cheering from the gods. But mostly my focus was on Tova as we fought, and on Ve as he watched. Sometimes he’d offer a suggestion, but mostly he took us in. By the end, he let out a low whistle.

“You two fight like you are one.”

“It’s from years of training together.” I wiped my brow.

His look was almost proud as he studied me, and now my cheeks were warm for a different reason. “Whatever the case, it’s a shame you can’t fight together. Not even the gods could face you then.”

At that moment, we heard the gods, and Ve anxiously looked through the sliver of the window. “I ought to get back. One more minute, then you need to go.”

I nodded, and he slipped away.

But Tova laid down her weapon. “We’ve never been ones to talk about boys,” she stated.

“We don’t need to try it now.” I picked back up my axe.

“You like him.”

Her accusation hung in the air. My breathing came steady despite rigorous training, and that was the first time in my life that had ever happened. But she didn’t take note. Only of the way my demeanor had changed around Ve.

“Yes,” I finally admitted. “I like him, and I know how stupid it is to fall for a god, but I can’t help it.”

My sister wasn’t one for deep sentiment. We weren’t going to sit on the ground together to talk about how pretty his eyes were—but they were something. Instead, she nodded like I’d told her a very normal fact, and slipped her dagger away. “Have you told him?”

“Certainly not, and I’m not going to. He’s planning on separating as soon as we reach Earth, and I’m not going to beg him to stay.”

Now she froze, and took me in. “But you want to?”

She saw that this went deeper than merely liking him. “Of course I do,” I replied. If this was to be my last time with my sister, let it not be shrouded in dishonesty. “He’s like a breath of fresh air after feeling like I’ve been drowning my whole life. When he looks at me, it’s like he sees me. But I can’t force him to choose me.”

Tova crossed her arms. She looked so much likeMóðirwhen she did that, but it wasFaðir’s practical tone that came out. “You can ask him to.”

“I won’t beg.”

She gave a dry laugh. “It’s not begging. It’s being comfortable enough to ask for what you want. If I’d told Trig how I felt years ago, it might have saved him, you, and me from heartbreak. But if you let him go, then your heart is doomed to break anyway.” Her words had a punch to them, and I absorbed it as I put the last of the weapons on the cart. No doubt the guard would look over them and notice Tova had taken one for herself, but he might not. I happened to see her stash two.

I reached for the door, finding it unlocked. “When did you become so wise?”

“I’ve always been wise,” she told me. “And you’ve always been blind when people like you back. Ask him. He may surprise you.”

Then her arms were around my neck, and she was squeezing me tight. I held her close, the moment stretching on forever and not nearly long enough. I wasn’t ready to let go. I’d never be ready to let go.

“If I die, don’t avenge me,” she whispered in my ear. “Live.”

---