“Even with full access to your magic, you will not be omnipotent, and I certainly am not. It will be necessary for mortals to take their part in saving their world.”

Suddenly all Mist’s vulnerability and uncertainty were plain in her eyes, striking Dainn more surely than any magic she could throw at him. Fear, not of being hurt or dying, but of failure.

“Okay,” she said, her eyes reflecting a painful memory of the necessities of war. “How do we go about finding these allies?”

Dainn permitted himself a moment of relief. “Loki will naturally seek the corrupt and greedy,” he said. “We will find those dedicated to the good.”

“Oh, of course.” Mist finished unbraiding her hair and combed it through with her strong, slender fingers. “The ‘corrupt and greedy.’ Gangsters? Politicians? Terrorists? Serial killers?”

“I can only guess at Loki’s choices, but he will use anyone who can serve his purpose.”

“So you’re talking about criminals and murderers and amoral public figures, some of whom have whole arsenals of guns and bombs and gods know what else? And you expect decent people to face that?”

“Conventional Midgardian firearms and similar weapons will not be effective in this war.”

She stared at him. “Why not?”

Because, Dainn thought, it was another one of the “rules” of the game. “Freya has told me such weapons are nidingsverk to the Aesir— dishonorable, the tools of cowards who are unwilling to face their enemies in personal combat. No Alfr, Jotunn, or member of any other race involved will be permitted to use them.”

“Why should Loki care about honor?”

“There are certain actions even he will not take if it will bring him bad luck, and his gaefa will surely vanish if he casts aside every law of the gods.”

“So everyone will be fighting with swords, knives, and axes? That should work well.” She snorted. “You do realize that the people of Midgard haven’t believed in us for hundreds of years? We can’t just stick an advertisement on Craigslist: ‘Wanted: fighters for the Aesir, must believe in giants and be skilled with the sword. Oh, by the way, you’re probably going to get yourself killed. Want to join up?’ ”

“You are forgetting that there are some mortals who possess a limited degree of magical ability. Some will surely become aware of what has come into their world.”

“The kind of mortals you’re talking about are as rare as—” She grimaced. “Snowstorms in San Francisco. Sure, there are a few who claim to have mastered the Galdr, but most of them are quacks. Even if a few do sense that something is going on, what makes you think they’ll find us, or even want to help?”

“Call it a feeling.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I seldom jest.”

“You don’t say.” She flipped her hair back behind her shoulders in a thick, golden wave. “I hope you’re not thinking of using some kind of summoning spell?”

“I do not believe it will be necessary.”

“I don’t like any of this. And I’m not satisfied with what little you’ve told me. But we can only do one thing at a time, and I’m most concerned about finding my Sisters. I don’t know how far off the grid the other Valkyrie have been living, and obviously magic won’t be enough to locate them.” She frowned, lost in her own thoughts for a good minute. “We’ll need access to every kind of data that might reveal their whereabouts. Computers, and people who know how to access records all over the world. Loki will be on it himself if he hasn’t started already.”

“I bow to your superior knowledge of Midgardian technology,” Dainn said.

“Where have you been living, under a rock?”

There were times that he had been doing almost exactly that, entirely by choice. “I have often traveled where there are few such means of communication,” he said. “But if you believe I must master these machines, I will do so.”

“Do you even have a cell phone?”

Dainn spread his arms to indicate that all he possessed was fully visible to her. Mist rolled her eyes.

“Let’s stick with the experts,” she said. “Vali used to be good with computers. In fact, if I remember right, he was one of the earliest hackers, the ones who helped expose just how vulnerable electronic data could be.” She looked toward the table, where Vali was lifting his head to display slack features and bloodshot eyes. “But he only did it for kicks, and he gave it up some time ago.”

“Will he assist us?”

“We always got along pretty well, and he did help me today.” She frowned, a distracted look in her eyes. “I have to admit I didn’t think he was capable of doing what he did. Vid’s always dominated him. Maybe Vali’s finally ready to stand on his own two feet again . . . if he can stay sober.”

“Do you think he will be prepared to tolerate my presence?”

“He’s much more the forgiving type than his brother.” Her gaze sharpened again. “What about the bridges? What if Freya’s wrong about Loki’s access to them?”

“She will monitor the situation and contact me if it becomes necessary.”

Mist threw him a wary glance and nodded slowly. “It would probably be a good idea to put a warding spell around my loft in case Loki works himself up into a fighting mood again.”

And helping Mist create such a spell, Dainn thought, would give him another chance to probe her mind again. Very carefully.

“I doubt Loki would dare attack your home,” he said, “but it would be a wise precaution. Surely he will have Jotunar watching you at all times.”

“Right. And once that’s taken care of, I’m going after Gungnir.”

“You must learn to control your magic if you are to be effective against him.”

“But he thinks it was Freya who faced him at the end of the fight. Now is the best time to act, when he’s still worried about her returning.”

Dainn laughed silently at his assumption that he could prevent Mist from taking risks. “Where do you expect to find him?” he asked.

“Mist?” Vali croaked. With considerable effort, Odin’s son levered his head and shoulders off the table. “Wa’s happenin’? Where’s Vid?” His bleary gaze slid to the center of the room. “Where’s th’ Jot’nar?”

Mist went to join him. “They’ve been taken care of,” she said.

Vali sighed and slumped over the table again. “ ’S bad, isn’ it?”

“Very bad.” She sat in the chair opposite his, her legs straddling the seat. “But you can help do something about it.”

“Me?”

“You were very brave today, and I’m going to rely on that courage a lot more from now on.”

He blinked. “You wan’ . . . my help?”

She reached across the table to lay her hand on his arm. “You’re Odin’s son, Vali. Baldr’s avenger. I haven’t forgotten, even if you have.”

“I . . . don’ wanna remember,” Vali said, resting his cheek on the worn wood of the table top.

She squeezed his arm. “You need to get sober, Vali. I know how smart you are when you want to be. If we’re to have any hope of finding my Sisters before Loki does, your skill with computers will be essential. You can help save this world.”

A tear rolled over Vali’s ruddy cheek. “I . . .” He looked up at Mist. “Okay.” He tried to stand up, staggered, and righted himself again. “Wha’ d’ya wan’ me to do?”

“Dainn and I have to make some plans, so we’ll go home for a while. I want you to come to my place when you’re steady enough to drive, but I need it to be soon. Can you do that?”

“Sure.” He grinned. “I’m glad you . . . beat Loki.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“ ’N’ him,” Vali said, waving in Dainn’s general direction.

Mist rose. “If you get a chance to talk to Vid, maybe you can get him to speak with me again.”

“Doubt it,” Vali muttered. “Once he’s made up ’is mind . . .”

“Try. He should know better than anyone what’s at stake.”

Vali nodded, threw back his broad shoulders, and wove his way toward the bar door. Mist returned to

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