Page 84 of Rune

“And comfortable. I see we are sporting all the weapons today.” My gaze raked over the array of daggers, each unsheathed and each sharp. “Anticipating an attack or planning one?”

“You expect me to believe you aren’t carrying any yourself?”

I grinned, and lifted the fabric of one pantleg. “Just Delight.”

“That one is my favorite.” He reached out to pull me across the distance and plant his lips against mine. “You ready for tonight?”

“I’m ready.”

He opened the side of his suit further. The span of blades continued. I ran a hand over them. “These will do perfectly.” Small enough to conceal, but lethal enough to cause damage. And they were coming from Ve instead of me, so it would be much easier to slip them to Tova, just as we planned last night. The only trick would be to get her to play along enough to hand over the weapon. For tomorrow, she’d need any advantage she could get.

My stomach tightened at the thought of tomorrow, but I forced myself to swallow. Get through today first. Then worry about tomorrow.

Ve stepped onto the chariot behind me and steered the horses forward, up the bend, and back to Odin’s home. It had been so wonderful the first time I went. Today, it felt very much like walking into the open jaw of a wolf. I hardly noticed when Ve put a hand on my back.

“Everything will be fine,” he whispered. “If her aim is as good as you say it is, she’ll have killed three before they race to grab weapons.”

“It’s good,” I said back. But the thought remained. We were helping Tova. What about all the other gods who were helping other champions? What tricks did they have up their sleeves? Quite likely it was much more than a hidden weapon, and whatever it was could be aimed for Tova’s heart.

The theme for the feast was weapons, which made me think I could have worn many and still appeared harmless. Ve would blend right in. The midday sunlight shattered though the sky, striking against gilded posts that plunged into the ground where an array of shields posed as walls, creating an outdoor room where a hundred polished wooden tables lined up. Atop each was an array of eucalyptus garland in shadesof pale green, with dainty white flowers strung throughout. Tall candles atop stumps of wood adorned the center, with various daggers driven into the wood like spikes—a reminder that this feast was to celebrate fighting.

All around, deity gathered. Goddesses in strapless bronze armor. Gods with a broadsword in one hand and an axe in the other. Odin stood before a captive crowd, each with jravn in hand, while Frigg poised in front of a crowd of her own, catching my eye and smiling approvingly at me and Ve. From the twinkle in her eye, I guessed Balder had recounted a tale of how close Ve and I stood that morning.

I slipped my hand into Ve’s and smiled innocently back. Let the façade begin. By the time today was over, no one would suspect I had anything on my mind other than how handsome Ve was.

Certainly not taking Tova’s place in the fight tomorrow.

As Frigg shifted back to her crowd, my gaze wandered to the north end of the feast, where a long, narrow oak table sat atop a dais of stone, with golden cups and plates of silver, and chairs for each of the ten champions. White ribbons looped themselves through the spools of the chairs.

An almost identical table loomed at the opposite end of the feast, with the only difference being the color of the ribbon. These were blood red. And I guessed no one would be sitting in those seats.

Ve snatched two flutes and passed one to me. The bubbly, white wine was a welcome sight. I would not tempt fate today with jravn.

As we drank, Ve wrapped an arm around my back to hold me close, until the daggers across his chest were against mine as well, and I had to tilt my head to drink. It fizzed in my mouth, going down sweetly.

“You look beautiful today,” Ve whispered. “I don’t think I told you earlier.”

“You don’t look half bad yourself.”

“From the way you stared at me when I arrived, you think I look better than half bad.”

I bent my head up to give him a sly grin. His eyes had a devilish spark to them, like he was enjoying the public spectacle we had to put on as much as I was. At least this part wasn’t difficult to fake. “Three-fourths nice, then.”

“And one-fourth irresistible?” he asked hopefully. His head bent close, until I could almost taste his smile.

“One-fourth something,” I whispered back, and let his lips fall onto mine with the barest brush of a kiss, just enough that I could feel his smile, leaving me wanting more. When he pulled away, he bent his head to the west.

“I want to show you something.”

With his hand wrapping mine, he led me through aisles marked by tables, ignoring as eyes watched us. The weeks of being here hadn’t made us any less of a spectacle, and I had no doubt everyone could see how the air had changed between us. When the crowd thinned, he pointed. A giant, wooden, snake-like sculpture stretched high, its tale dug into the dirt and its body contorted into spirals, where vibrant red and orange laurels hung.

“These,” Ve said, releasing my hand to grab one, “are a symbol of unity to us.” He passed me his wine to hold the laurel in both hands. The colors absorbed the sunlight to shine like a lantern, glistening with all the beauty of autumn. Only in Asgard could something be so beautiful. He held it up until we were looking at each other through it, and the brown of his eyes appeared more like a dazzling amber. “It is customary to give these to the one we love, to show our affection.”

“It’s stunning.” I ran my hand over the dazzling leaves, seeing how they shimmered as they caught the light. It was a headpiece befitting the gods.

When I glanced back up, Ve was chewing on his lip. “I know we are still new to this. To each other,” he corrected. “And you don’t have to accept.”

“I love it.” I nodded to affirm him. “It’s more beautiful than Odin’s sword.”

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