Again, once we confirm the heartstone’s working, we can talk about a departure plan, Azar says.As things stand, we don’t even have much to report to Father.What if this is merely a beautiful rock, and nothing has changed?
“The heartstone?”I don’t mention that I carved it from his mother’s chest.I’m kind of relieved he doesn’t remember any of that.“Pretty big coincidence, if the heartstone that released all those vanir and healed your dying brother wasn’t the very thing you needed.”
Even so,Azar says.
“I think the biggest reason you can’t leave yet is that you promised to defend Earth against the vanir,” I say.
I remember no such promise,Azar says.
“Well, that’s convenient,” I say.“But you made it twice—before you lost your memories, and again in the lava.I’m beginning to think your brain’s a bit like a sieve.”
A what?Hyperion asks.
“Forget it,” I say.“But do you really think it’s fine to just pull up stakes and fly away, when saving your brother and stealing your heart released a horde of demons on the humans?”
The humans who were more than prepared to attack us,Hyperion says.
“They’ve successfully killed only a handful of you.Think about the vanir—they reallydowant to dominate and conquer.”
Still not our problem.Hyperion frowns.
“Precisely your problem,” I say again.“You released them.”
No,Hyperion says.Youreleased them.
I gnash my teeth.“Only to save your ungrateful, unworthy?—”
“We’ll stay here until we can figure out what to do,” Coral says, like that decides it.
Hyperion’s face softens.
I want to laugh.I mean, how ridiculous is that?“Just because?—”
“I think rushing off would be a mistake, too,” Jade says.
As do I.Asteria’s agreement surprises me the most.
She has softened since bonding Jade, but she’s not usually much of a fighter, as far as I can tell.“Really?”
There are many things in life we don’t want to do, but if they’re the right thing, we must do them.I’ve seen you make many decisions like that, Elizabeth Chadwick.Whether the princes want to take responsibility or not, our return prompted the release of the blessed-cursed ones, and the humans are not equipped to deal with them.
Fine,Hyperion says.We slay the creatures, andthenwe leave.
I can’t help thinking about the battle between the æsir and the vanir—how it went on and on.I haven’t remembered quite what Gullveig and Freya did or why, but this feels like it’ll become a harder task than Hyperion’s making it out to be.
Still, at least they’re not packing up right this minute.
“How exactly do dragons mate?”Jade asks.“All I heard is that theyfly, if they can, and the water blessed can’t do that.”
“You know, in my dreams of the past, they could fly,” I say.“All the dragons could.”
“Even earth dragons?”Coral asks.
I shrugged.“There weren’t earth dragons, at least, none that I saw, and I saw all the other blessed, and a few weird kinds of vanir.”
“There weren’t earth dragons?”Coral blinks.
“Water dragons could fly?”Jade asks.
