Elsker Read online

  I swatted feebly at the rope and as I did my finger caught on Mormor’s necklace. I made a weak fist around it, something comforting to hold in my final moment. Suddenly, my hand was hot and a bright light forced my eyelids closed. I sensed, rather than saw, that the radiance came from my hand -- the silver hammer was exploding with luminosity. Beams shot directly into my attacker.

  He pulled back to save himself, dropping the rope as he did so. I gulped in cold air, filling my lungs over and over. I could hear his sickening screech as he stumbled backwards, the light piercing his chest with a flood of arrows. He grabbed at the beams to pull them out, but I sensed he was losing the battle. I couldn’t know for sure, because in the next moment I was back in my room, covered in sweat and clinging to the necklace that had saved my life. When I opened my hand the hammer was glowing.

  ****

  I didn’t see the Elf Man again while I was at Cardiff. I did, however, decide I needed to see Ull again. Right away. Something really strange was happening, and I didn’t want to deal with the visions on my own anymore. Ull had been forthcoming with me and I had no reason not to trust him with my secret.

  “Kristia. Are you all right?” I thought I’d waited until a decent hour to call, but I guess normal college students aren’t up at 7:00 a.m. on the weekend.

  “Um, yes. No. I don’t know. Can you come over?”

  “Of course. I will be right there.”

  “You don’t have to rush or anything…,” I trailed off. Please, please rush. I needed to get this off my chest.

  “I am on my way.”

  Twenty minutes later, Ull knocked. “I would have been here sooner, but I figured you could use breakfast.”

  “Earl grey.,” I took the cup gratefully.

  “And chocolate croissants.” Ull carried the bag to the coffee table and sat in the corner of the couch. I grabbed a thick blanket and curled up next to him.

  “You are up early for a Sunday.” Ull wasn’t very good at hiding his anxiety. Well that was okay -- neither was I.

  “Do you remember when you told me about our Norn, Elsker?” I clutched my tea. I’d never actually come out and admitted what I could do to anyone. Mormor had just always known, and she’d told Ardis for me when we were little. The rest of Nehalem could only guess at the weirdness in my head -- I certainly wasn’t spelling it out for them.

  “I do.”

  “And do you remember when you said the Norns could see things -- like visions of the future and stuff?”

  “Yes.” Ull obviously had no idea where I was heading.

  “Um, well. You don’t think it’s weird that they can do that? Have visions? See things?”

  “No.,” Ull looked surprised. “Why would that be weird?”

  “Because it’s not normal -- at least, it’s not normal here.”

  Ull shrugged. “Things are different in Asgard, I guess. We all have our gifts there -- roles we were born to fill. I was born to be a warrior -- the titled god thing just sort of happened. Norns are born to have visions that will allow them to foresee the future. It is a useful gift.” He paused. “It’s all very structured, but it is the Asgardian way. I suppose that sounds odd to a human.”

  “Not really.” I sipped at my tea to buy myself one more minute. Ull waited patiently, but I could see his foot jiggling under the blanket. Well, I was nervous too. “I mean, I don’t think it’s weird they can see things because…” I dropped my head and stared at my hands. “Because I can see things too.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  History

  “PARDON?” ULL GENTLY LIFTED my chin with one finger, forcing me to look into his eyes.

  “I can see things.” I cringed. “The future. Sometimes the past. Apparently some deranged Elf Man who wants me dead. I see things all the time -- it’s like my brain just shuts down and goes into this different world, and sometimes the world looks a whole lot like your world. Last night this insane Elf dragged me to Ýdalir and tried to kill me, but my necklace shot light at him. He just disappeared and I don’t know what happened to him.

  “Another time, I was standing in this field with you and I was ready to fight these awful monsters that were coming to kill us. Wait,” I added hurriedly when I saw the alarmed expression on Ull’s face. “I don’t just see bad stuff. Sometimes I see good things too -- like this really pretty meadow and a pond with swans and a willow tree with silver leaves.” Ull forced a neutral expression, but only after I’d caught a glimpse of fear. I covered my face. “Do you think I’m crazy?”

  I expected him to say something right away, but the room was deafening in its silence. I peeked from between my fingers -- Ull was sitting still as a statue, staring into the distance with that forced look of calm. “Oh my God. You’re going to dump me.” I shouldn’t have told him.

  Ull shook himself. “Kristia, please. I am not going to dump you.” He gently tugged my hands away from my face and pulled me into his chest. “To answer your question, no, sweetheart. I do not think you are crazy. I think you have a very special gift -- in Asgard, sight like yours would qualify you to become a Norn.”

  “I don’t want to be a Norn. I just want to be normal. I hate my visions -- they’ve kept me outside of everything my whole life, and I just want them to stop.”

  “But they make you who you are, Kristia. And who knows, maybe you were given this gift for a purpose.”

  “Yeah, right. So I could never fit in, anywhere?”

  “You fit with me.,” Ull stroked my back gently. “My love, I want you to tell me when you see these things. I do not like knowing that someone is frightening you, even if it is only in dreams. I am not entirely sure what to make of that...”

  “You could write me off as a fruitcake.”

  “I happen to like fruitcake.” Ull kissed the top of my head. I tilted my face up hopefully and he laughed. “Kristia, be good.”

  “Fine,” I harrumphed. “You’re really not going to dump me because you think I’m crazy?”

  “Who said I do not think you are crazy?” Ull ducked as I swatted at him. “No, my darling, I am not going anywhere. I am afraid you are stuck with me for as long as you want me.”

  “Good. Forever, then.” I snuggled in closer, practically wilting in relief.

  “Forever.”

  ****

  With each flip of my “Water Fowl Of The Week” desk calendar, I grew closer to Inga. I could go to her with just about anything and she never judged me. Since I couldn’t exactly share Ull’s secret with my human friends, Inga was the only one I could talk to about dating a god. She didn’t completely understand -- she’d fallen in love with Gunnar as a goddess in her own right -- but she was a good listener. And at least she knew the whole truth.

  One afternoon, I showed up at Inga’s house with full hands. Ull planted a light kiss on my cheek before he and Gunnar darted out to the driving range to blow off some midterm-exam steam. Inga swept in, gracefully taking my contraband.

  “Hello, mortal.,” her grin was infectious.

  “Hello, goddess,” I teased back.

  “Earl Grey and a Latte?” She nodded to the cups.

  “Correct.” I dug in my bag and pulled out a grease-spotted package. “And this…” Inga’s eyes lit up at the sinful smell.

  “Cupcakes!” Her squeal filled the room like a hundred bells. I could never get used to the ethereal sound. “Puff Pastries is my favorite bakery!”

  “I know. I figured we could use reinforcements.” Our boy-free afternoon involved a marathon of terrible reality shows. So long as we were rotting our minds, we might as well throw in our teeth for good measure.

  “Thanks!” Inga traveled to the kitchen so quickly, her gold tunic flew behind her thin frame. She returned in the same movement, with the cupcakes arranged on a square plate. Her trip had taken less than two seconds.

  “Inga? What was that?”

  “Oh. Are we still supposed to be acting human in front of you? Sorry.” Inga sat with deliberate slowness
.

  I had to laugh. “So you guys are fast?”

  “Well I’m faster than most. Especially for a non-titled goddess. The Titleds get extra abilities.”

  “You don’t have a title?” I hoped it wasn’t tacky to ask.

  “Nope. Oversight on Odin’s part, I like to say.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because, Kristia. Obviously I’m supposed to have a title.”

  “And what title would that be?”

  “Domestic Goddess.”

  “Naturally.” I had to smile.

  We settled into the deep couch, sipping our drinks and eyeing the cakes. When I spotted a framed photo on the mantel, I realized I didn’t know how my new friends had gotten together. “When did you know Gunnar was the one?”

  “No beating around the bush today. Forever on the brain?” I reddened -- if she only knew. “Well,” Inga sipped at her latte,. “I knew a lot earlier than he did, I think. We were best friends in school. He was the only one who was any sort of a challenge at fencing. ‘Course, I still beat him.” She smiled at the memory. “As we grew up, I fell for his naughty sense of humor. And it didn’t hurt that he became one of Asgard’s best warriors. So when that giant carried me off--” she waved a hand. “Oh honey, don’t look so freaked out. Happens all the time. So when the giant showed up, Gunnar came to my rescue. I think that’s when it clicked for him, and it wasn’t long before I was off the market.” Her expression was angelic.

  “What about Ull?”

  “Well he’s lovely, of course, but far too sensitive for me.”

  “No, I mean when did you meet Ull?”

  “Oh,” she laughed. “Sorry! He joined our class when his mom married Thor. Poor guy. It had to be hard to move in with the scariest god. And our classmates were tough on Ull because he was so different. He was bigger than the rest of us, and shy. Gunnar took Ull’s side, picked him for partners on school projects. Of course, Ull’s temper saved Gunnar from more fights than he wants to remember. So… our pair became a threesome, and we’ve been that way since.”

  “Ull has a temper?”

  “Oh, yes.,” Inga nodded seriously. “It’s mostly under control now but in a fight he’s the last one you want to be pitted against.”

  I mulled that one over. “Thor is scary?”

  “At first. He’s actually pretty nice if you get to know him. When we were kids, we’d just see the giant hammer and run.” She eyed my necklace. “That’s Mjölnir at your neck, isn’t it?”

  I nodded. “It was my grandmother’s. She always told me stories about the gods -- myths, I thought back then. I can’t believe they turned out to be true.”

  “You wouldn’t believe the stories that are actually true.”

  “Speaking of that… I hope this isn’t inappropriate, but can I ask you something? It’s about Ragnarok.”

  “Okay.,” Inga was guarded. “But you know Ull doesn’t want me scaring you off.”

  “Trust me, I’ve had more than enough reasons to be scared off.” Not the least of which was the deranged Elf Man. “If I was going anywhere, I’d have left by now.”

  “Well, all right then. Go ahead.”

  I took a sip of tea. “Well, it’s just… why do all my textbooks and the Internet say that Ragnarok happened, like, forever ago, when you guys talk about it like it’s still hanging over your heads?”

  “Ull talked to you about Ragnarok?” Inga looked surprised.

  “Not exactly. But he alludes to these people wanting his family dead and this dark future and all. I’m assuming he means Ragnarok.”

  “Well, you assume right. And Ragnarok hasn’t happened yet. It’s coming, and most likely sooner than later.”

  “But the Internet says--”

  “Oh, Kristia. Do you believe everything you read on the Internet?”

  “No.” Kind of.

  “We wrote those stories ourselves. Somebody, probably a jotun or a dark elf or some other troll, spilled to the humans about this battle that was going to destroy the realms. Naturally, the humans overreacted. We had to come along and clean up the whole mess, which we did by rewriting the stories to look like the battle had already happened and the existing humans were offspring of the survivors.” Inga bit into a cupcake. “Mortals are so dramatic. They’d have killed each other off in their panic, if we hadn’t stopped them. They gobbled up our little ‘myths’ -- anything to tell themselves they were safe.”

  “So Ragnarok hasn’t happened yet?”

  “Nope.”

  “And that means…”

  “It means it’s still going to happen. Eventually. But we don’t know when and it’s not worth worrying about. Now, can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course.”

  “Good. Back to your necklace.” Inga reached out to touch it. When her fingers brushed the cold silver, she recoiled as if she’d been shocked. Reaching out again, she held the charm gently. A look of reverence crossed her face.

  “Kristia,” she breathed. “You said this was your grandmother’s. Do you know where she got it?”

  That was weird. “Um… she said one of her relatives got it from a woman in her village named…” I searched my memory. “Ellie? Ellie Norna, I think.”

  “Elsker! That sneaky Norn!” Inga laughed, a beautiful tinkling sound. “She’s the same rogue Norn who told Ull he’d meet you at Cardiff. She’s been plotting to get you together for longer than I thought. Kristia, your necklace is elfin made! It was a treasure of Asgard that disappeared years and years ago! Boy, I’ll bet Ull had a look on his face when he saw it. The love of his life he never wanted to meet, wearing stolen Asgardian property!” Her laughter rang throughout the flat. “Ull really didn’t tell you about this?” She rolled her eyes. “He is so determined to protect you from everything.”

  I shook my head, alarmed. “I swear I didn’t steal it. My grandmother gave it to me!”

  This only made Inga laugh harder. “Try telling that to Odin!” This couldn’t be happening. I could feel the anxiety working its way up. “No, no, Kristia. He won’t be mad at you. I’m sure Elsker had her reasons. It’s just that Odin’s spent hundreds of years wondering where that charm got off to. Its mate is in a museum in London -- a silver charm with his mark, about the size of your hammer. Odin will probably think it’s cute when Ull turns up with the missing Mjölnir around his human girlfriend’s neck.” She collapsed in a fit of laughter.

  I wasn’t so sure Odin would be amused with the stolen necklace or the human girlfriend, but it was more than I wanted to worry about right then. “Why did you and Gunnar come to Earth?” When in doubt, deflect.

  “Because Ull asked us to.” It was that simple. “There’s very little we wouldn’t do for each other. And speaking of Ull,” Inga tucked her legs under her as she leaned back into the cushions,. “Are you at all anxious about dating a god? We’re not exactly light on the baggage -- Ull especially. You’re the first girl he’s ever let himself get close to you know. Goddess or mortal.”

  “Well…” It wasn’t like I could talk to Ardis or Emma about this. Inga was the only girl on Earth I could actually be honest with. “It’s overwhelming sometimes. I mean, Ull is perfect. He’s so smart, so thoughtful -- I actually saw him stop traffic once to help an old lady cross the street. He dotes on Olaug;, he’s ridiculously hot, and he’s got this antiquated sense of decency. I mean he has never, ever done anything remotely inappropriate with me. Ever. He’s just…” What more could I say? “I’m kind of scared I’m not good enough for him.”

  “Oh Kristia, stop that. You are good enough for Ull. You’re smart enough to earn a spot at Wales’ top university. You’re a wonderful friend to me -- and I’ve never had a human friend. And you’re strong in your own way; you’ve taken all of this in stride and never once complained.”

  “But he deserves so much more. I’m no goddess.”

  Inga’s eyes softened. “True. But you’ve done something no goddess could. You softened Ull’s heart.”<
br />
  I looked up tentatively.

  “Listen, I’ve known Ull for a long time. He’s the headstrong, overbearing brother I never knew I wanted. And for as long as I’ve known him, Ull’s biggest fear has been losing the people he loves. It’s why he closed his heart the day we learned Asgard was fated to fall.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “When a class reaches a certain age, Odin comes to talk about Ragnarok.” Inga’s eyes clouded over. “Odin tells a room full of children they are all destined to die for the greater good of humankind. It’s devastating news, but most of us figure Ragnarok is too far in the future to worry about. Not Ull -- he never got past knowing he was marked and he refused to get close to anyone but Gunnar and I. He didn’t want to develop relationships he knew would end. I think it came from losing his birth father at such a young age. So Gunnar and I went on to fall in love and get married. And Ull never dated anyone. Ever. He had lots of chances, but he wouldn’t let anyone in.”

  “That’s awful.” My heart broke for the boy who’d been too young to learn his fate. I was more grateful than ever for Inga, Gunnar, and Olaug -- without them, Ull would have spent his life completely alone.

  “But now he has you,” Inga said simply. “And you compleiment our trio perfectly. It’s almost as if you were born to be one of us. Well,” she paused,. “mMaybe you were.”

  “Um, yeah. I was born to be a god.”

  “It’s not impossible, Kristia,.” Inga said with disdain before her hands flew to her face.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, no. Ull would kill me. I’m not supposed to talk to you about this.”