The miserable moon vanir’s trying to ensnare me.
I dig down deep, and I refuse.
The black scales of the moon vanir sparkle when he lifts his head and glares at me.The pressure intensifies, the soul-sucking power of his attempt to force a bond battering my internal defenses.
Not today, demon.I fling the words at him like an attack of my own.
Enraged, he sinks his massive taloned feet into the stone floor below us and he roars.
I hold on, barely.More than just my hands are trembling by the time he ceases his assault.Sweat has broken out on my brow.My entire body’s shaking, but I have rebuffed every one of his efforts to ensnare me.
One glance to my side shows me that Gorm’s struggling too, but he hasn’t been bonded by the ice vanir who approached him either.It was painful and exhausting, but the æsir prepared us well.
We’re just two earth children in a long line of the same, prepared to do our part to fight against the miserable bondage of the vanir and their ongoing mistreatment of our people.Whenever I lose my resolve, I remind myself that this war can’t be won in a day, or in a month, or even in a year, and we all have to do our part, or it willneverbe won.
But we have to win.
Losing costs us far too much.
The war’s about so much more than us.It’s about our future.It’s about all the other earth children, Gorm’s children, since I’ll never have any.My twin had already started his family when we were selected for this task, and he’s herebecausehe loves those children more than anything.We both want a better world for them.We’re determined to create a world for them where the vanir aren’t lurking around the corner, preparing to ensnare and enslave us, treating us as a disposable good they can use and discard on a whim.
Two more vanir attempt to bond me, one storm, and another moon.Another ice vanir comes to bond Gorm, but none of them manage it.I’m shaking now, even when no vanir are attempting to bond me.
When I finally hear the order from Bjorn, bellowed as if he’s ready to explode, I know we’ve succeeded.Freyr, Freja, report to the bonding grounds immediately.
I can’t help my half-smile, turning slightly toward Gorm.“Yes,” I whisper.I’m not sure I could manage any other words, even if it would be safe to say them.
When we heard they’d lost their humans in the last conflict, even knowing they’d need to rebond soon, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen before we could stumble onto vanir ground and be rounded up.We thought we could hold off the other vanir who would attempt to bond us, but we weren’t sure.
There were so many holes in our plan—it was always a long shot.
But the æsir’s number one targets, other than Bjorn himself who almost never enters any altercations, are his twin children, Freyr and Freja.If the æsir can destroy them, it could shift the entire tide of the war.No earth child can really make a huge difference, but our deaths at the right time will allow the æsir to attack the twins when weakened, and that just might be enough.
Bjorn sails down from their massive stone tower, his terrifyingly wide wingspan blocking the sunlight entirely as he nears.I’m already bonded, or I’d take one of these rebellious little snakes myself.The earth shudders when he lands.I do so enjoy breaking the ones the æsir have built up.He tilts his head when he looks at us, like he’s examining a fascinating or frustrating puzzle.
Freyr and Freja, the two demon-cursed ice vanir twins approach from different places, but they both land mere seconds after Bjorn.Why couldn’t they be bonded?Freja peers down at me with curiosity.Are you sure they’re really bright?Perhaps some spell made them appear?—
Bond them or the other earth children will be inspired by their miserable rebellion.Bjorn tosses his head.Now.Do it.
Why don’t we just kill them?Freyr asks.I’ve had plenty of rebellious earth children, and it’s exhausting.I’d rather just get one who?—
Bjorn screams in his son’s face.Do it now.
Freyr sighs and circles around his father, focusing in on me.
I’ve already picked this one,Freja says.Take the male.
Freyr might have complained to his father, but he doesn’t seem inclined to do the same with Freja.He shifts without a single word and leans toward Gorm, clearly intent.
At the same time, Freja lowers her head near mine.She’s a real sight to behold—her scales much more impressive than the simple white of most ice vanir.They’re translucent in places and they shimmer, like a rainbow has formed across them and then frozen in place.Her head’s delicate, but her mouth’s still wide and full of razor-sharp teeth.The scales across her head are smaller, and her eye ridges are graceful.There are no horns around her face at all.Her eyes, when she trains them on me, are the color of an iris in spring.
A bright, vibrant purple.
Alright, little one, let’s not make this any harder than it needs to be.
Unlike before, I make only a token effort to block her.
Gorm’s still putting up a fight—probably for show—but even he finally allows Freyr to bond him.
