“Her body, and these people’s as well.”
Geir shook his head slowly, like a man waking from a dream indistinguishable from reality. Horja got to her knees and rose, waving away Mist’s offer of help. She stumbled toward the nearest body.
“Mist—” Geir began.
“Listen to me. This is where we must part. We—” Her heart contracted until she couldn’t feel it anymore. “We will not see each other again.”
His voice rose. “You aren’t to blame. I—”
“I brought this down on us.” She cut him off before he could speak again. “Don’t ask me to explain.”
“You think I don’t know?” he shouted. Rebekka whimpered, and he lowered his voice again. “You and Horja and Bryn. You’re not like the rest of us.”
“No. I should have been wiser.” She willed him to understand. “We couldn’t stay together. I could never give you what you want.”
“You know nothing of what I want!”
“
Geir said nothing for a long time. She saw him gathering protests, arguments, denials . . . watched his beloved features contort with anger and grief and unspoken pleas, settling at last into acceptance.
“Where will you go?” he asked.
She wanted to fight. She wanted to kill every last German in Norway with her bare hands.
But she was cursed. She could never again risk bringing that curse down upon those who were ready to sacrifice everything for freedom.
“Don’t worry about me,” she said. “
He reached out and grabbed her hand. “There will never be anyone else.”
Horja returned, carrying both halves of Thor’s staff in her arms. “The snow has stopped,” she said. “We should cross while it’s still dark.”
Mist eased her hand from Geir’s grip. “I’ll cover your tracks,” she said, “and make sure no one is following.” She removed both the raven pendant and the leather pouch from around her neck.
“This is for you, Rebekka,” she said, holding out the pendant. “It will always protect you.”
The girl stared at the crude, carved image and the Rune- staves carved on the flat stone. She met Mist’s gaze without anger or fear.
“How can it protect me?” she whispered.
“Because it once belonged to someone very powerful, and all his strength is in it. Now you will have that strength too, in your heart.”
Slowly Rebekka took the pendant, and Mist helped her pull it on beneath her hood. She sketched an invisible Bind-Rune on Rebekka’s forehead and got up to face Horja.
“I have something for you as well,” she said, offering the pouch to her Sister. “Bryn would want you to keep this safe.”
“For what?” Horja asked. She thrust out her hands, showing Mist the splintered ends of what was meant to be forever unbroken. “You were right. There are no gods to reclaim them. The Aesir have forsaken us.”
“Bryn had faith,” Mist said. “Keep that faith for her, Horja. And if you ever meet the other Sisters, let them keep the faith as well.”
Horja bowed her head, and Mist settled the cord around her Sister’s neck. Then she turned back to Geir.
“Live long,
Holding Rebekka tight, Geir got to his feet. Tears leaked into the sun-etched creases that framed his eyes. “
Mist pulled her hood low over her face and stood unmoving until he had followed Horja out of her sight. The raven—or another like it—croaked in a pine somewhere to the east. She listened for a moment, counting her breaths, and then set out after the others. They wouldn’t see her, but she would be sure they’d made it before she left them for good.
Long before dawn, Geir, Rebekka, and Horja were safely across the border, and Mist was on her way back to lay Bryn to rest.
The Valkyrie’s world had ended. When Geir and Rebekka and Rebekka’s children and grandchildren were gone, the Valkyrie might finally be permitted to join the Aesir in oblivion.
1
San Francisco, present day
The sword sliced the air inches from Mist’s face. She swung her own spatha to intercept the blow, bracing herself and catching her opponent’s blade in mid-stroke. Metal clanged on metal with glorious, discordant music. Her adversary bore down hard for several seconds, his furious gaze fixed on hers, and abruptly disengaged.
“One of these days,” Eric said, his face breaking out in a grin, “I’m going to beat you.”
Mist lowered her sword and caught her breath. Perspiration trickled from her hairline over her forehead, soaking the fine blond hairs that had come loose from her braid, and her body ached pleasantly from the workout.
