"Ew," Linnea said, wrinkling her nose at their flirting.
"I think my cousin has beat us to it," Ciara commented and pointed where Imogen was caught up in a drinking game. The back of her dress was covered with green grass stains, andArawan beside her had a dry leaf still tangled in his black hair. All three of them burst out laughing.
"Well, that's the whole point of Midsummer," Tor chuckled. "It's all the fertility magic in the air."
Ciara's smile went mischievous, and she grabbed a red bag from Linnea's basket, shifted, and took off through the party.
"You better run!" Tor shouted and bolted after her.
Linnea just shook her head at their antics. At least their silliness helped relieve some of the tension Freya's visit had put in her.
At the edge of her vision, the basket of red charms glowed with golden magic. With a smile, Linnea picked up the basket and went to hand them out. Whatever the goddess had blessed them with shouldn't go to waste.
As for Fenris…she would just have to make a dreaming potion and visit him more often. Strangely, the thought lifted her spirits. She might be worried about Ragnarök starting, but if there was one thing Linnea knew never to do, it was ignore a direct instruction from her goddess. She hoped Alruna was getting better news from Havi. Somehow, she doubted it.
5
Alruna had always enjoyed Midsummer. It had always been a loud and joyous affair, and with the Fae, it was even more extravagant. It made her heart glad to see her son and his beautiful mate so happy. It was all she had ever wanted for Arne. She had walked away from her own mate in order to secure a happy future for him.
Alruna swallowed hard and pushed down the longing for Vili. It would never go away. Now that she had seen him again, the connection was alive and awake in a way it hadn't been for decades. She looked at the party around her, at Arne and Layla laughing together with their friends.
How could you have passed this up?Alruna had often wondered what had happened to her mate to make him turn away from them. To desire power more than what they were building together. He had pretended to be a dark elf because he didn't want her to judge him for being Havi's brother. That part she could understand. In ages past, the Aesir had made war on all the worlds.
But then he sided with Morrigan and became her creature, all because he wanted enough power to start a war with his brother.
No matter how many years passed, Alruna could never understand what had created the change in him. She had left him to protect Arne, and it was still the hardest thing she had ever done. Her hair had gone white from being separated from her mate, and it still hurt, but it was a hurt she had grown used to like a war wound that still ached on cold nights.
Magic hummed in the air like a warm breeze, and Alruna was torn out of her reverie. She knew that magic. She moved quickly through the crowds, following the call to the tree's edge. Sure enough, Havi was waiting for her. No one seemed to realize he was there. She spotted Freya talking to Linnea. So maybe it was a private visit.
"Happy Midsummer, Havi," she greeted as calmly as she could. "I trust this is a friendly visit?"
Havi smiled, and for a moment, he looked like his brother, and her heart ached. "Alruna, my sister, it is nice to see you under better circumstances than a battlefield."
"What is wrong? Why are you here?" she asked. She was a queen, and perhaps she shouldn't be demanding anything of the king of the gods, but she didn't like the anxiety that was now coursing through her veins. Her magic was on alert, and that was never a good sign.
"I owe you answers and apologies. I can't give them to you here, so I'm asking you to come with me," Havi said. A snort of a horse brought Alruna up short. Slepnir was waiting for them which only meant one thing.
"We have to go to Asgard for these answers?"
"We do, but I will bring you back as soon as our business is done. Or you might hate me so much you don't wish to. In that case I offer you this," Havi said and gave her a golden stone as long and thin as her finger. It would open up a way to the World Tree and lead her straight home.
Alruna tucked the stone into the pocket of her pants. "Very well. I will come with you." She had no idea what was going on, but if Havi had come as a personal escort, it was serious. He mounted the stallion and held out a hand to lift her up behind him.
"Thank you for trusting me," he said.
Alruna snorted. "I wouldn't go that far."
"So wise and so beautiful," Havi said with a rumbling laugh.
"Save your charms for someone they might work on." Alruna hung onto the back of his saddle as Slepnir started to run. The horse could travel worlds without having to visit the World Tree first. She knew what was coming and mentally prepared for the nausea. When the world started to blur around them, she clenched her eyes and waited for it to be over.
When Alruna openedher eyes again, they were roaming the golden fields of Asgard. Ahead of them wasn't Havi's hall that she expected but another. It was built of a pale golden wood that shone brightly, and above the door was carved a massive sun.
"What is this place?" she asked when they pulled to a halt.
"This is Breidablik, the home of Baldur." Havi helped her down before dismounting.
Alruna swallowed the lump in her throat. Baldur had been slain by an arrow made of mistletoe, and Loki had been behind it. At least, that was what the stories said.
