Hardly, Asteria says. They can’t strike with lightning or anything like it.
Thunar’s head snaps in her direction. How did this happen? Did one of my deficient brothers do this?
Asteria, to her credit, doesn’t back down. She doesn’t shrink or duck her head like the other blessed gathered. She straightens. Your brothers are not deficient. And no, neither of them is responsible.
Azar’s panic rises, and I realize he doesn’t ever mean to tell Thunar I did this. Was he planning to introduce me at all? Or did he think he could sweep me under a sofa until he sent Thunar back home to Daddy?
Who did? Thunar lifting his chin is a sight to see. It’s like watching a battleship tossing its head. I thought Hyperion was large. . .until just now.
Azar’s bonded, Elizabeth Chadwick. Asteria clearly didn’t get the ‘hide the flag’ memo, which is fine by me.
Bring this Elizabeth Chadwick to me. I’d like to meet a human who can transform all the earth blessed that came with the recovery team.
Azar lands in front of me just as Asteria moves to allow Thunar to see me. We have many other things to do, Azar’s nostrils flare. You have no reason to meet?—
Thunar scowls and steps closer. Now I really want to meet this earth child. Bring it to me now.
“I’m not an ‘it.’” I duck around Azar’s shoulder and drop my hands on my hips so I won’t be so tempted to unsheathe my little blades. Using them against him would be like attacking an elephant with a paring knife anyway. “I’m a she. Elizabeth Chadwick, earth dragon upgrade commander-in-chief.”
Azar’s exhale is both beleaguered and loud.
Instead of leaning closer, asking me questions, or demanding that I upgrade all the regular-looking earth dragons that came with him, Thunar does something that I never expected.
He stumbles backward. Witch.
“Excuse me?” Oh, right. My wings. I fluff them out. “Look, I know they’re a little strange.” I launch into the air and fly around Azar’s head. “And I can’t keep up with the dragons, but I actually got these at the same time that I changed the earth dragons, and they’ve really grown on me.” By the time I’ve swooped back around and can see him, his shock appears to have transformed into something worse.
Anger.
The quick burst of very hot air he shoots my way knocks me right out of my flight path, and I crash into Azar’s chest and crumple to the ground.
Ouch. Jerk. I stand up. “What was that for?”
Thunar drops his head toward me, but before he can get much closer, Azar rises, stretching as tall as he can, and blocks him. Mine.
Thunar’s laugh is ugly. It’s as ugly as anything I’ve ever heard. Try again. He shoves Azar aside and drops his head until he’s on level with me. This is uncanny. How did you live this long? Earth children don’t live thousands of years. Explain.
I frown. “I’m barely 23.”
Now it’s his turn to look confused. Liar. You were here, right alongside Father’s disgusting new mate when we all escaped earth. Lava literally drips from his mouth and nearly melts my foot.
The sandy area it hits is smoking.
“Who do you think I am, exactly?”
Gullveig, he says. Deny it all you want—I knew you myself. I’d never forget someone I hated as much as I hated you.
The feeling’s very mutual, but I’m worried if I say that out loud, Azar will try to kill him here and now. So, for the first time in my life, I do something prudent. It goes against everything inside of me, but I grit my teeth, and to spare Azar, I say, “I must strongly resemble this person you think I am, but I assure you, I was born just twenty-three years ago, and I’m not the person you think.”
Only, I fear I might be the liar in this situation.
Thunar’s accusation answers a question I’ve had for a while. Sure, I have Gullveig dreams, and they might be memories, possibly, but are they simply being given to me by someone or something? Or are they mine, and I’m regaining them?
If I look just like her, I have to face the very real possibility that I might actually be this ancient human who loved Freya.
And also killed her.
I’ve seen you die several times already, witch, and yet here you are. He straightens abruptly. Can you even be killed?
