This couldn’t be! Had they just shared his thunder power? And if Svanhild had indeed studied along thevölurof Asgard, there was no way she wasn’t associated with his father.
Suddenly tired to the bone, Thori slumped against Njord’s shoulder. He felt like he was trying to win a game of chess against his sister—always a pointless endeavor—but every time he developed a strategy, his pieces were rearranged to bring him into an even more hopeless position.
Stunned silence settled over the council, all eyes on the smoldering scorch mark in front of Eldur.
Skalmöld gathered her wits first.
“How did you do that? This is amazing.”
But before Thori could answer, Hrothgar started laughing again. Thevala’sface flushed an unhealthy crimson, and he wouldn’t stop snickering as if his dire situation was a hilarious joke.
“He doesn’t even know who cast the runes at his birth.” He fixed Thori with a stare full of madness. “She has seen your demise, little thunder. And with the son of Odin, the Nine Worlds will fall. She will rise again.”
“She?” Gylfa asked.
“I hope for your sake that you aren’t talking about Svanhild,” Skalmöld said.
“The Bog Mother,” Njord said.
Hrothgar’s eyes widened.
“It’s her whom you serve, is it not?”
“You know her?”
For the first time, Hrothgar showed something like doubt.
“I should’ve figured it’s her doing earlier. The bog dwellers. The madnøkken. And you wear her twisted symbols.”
“You know her,” Hrothgar breathed.
Njord’s grip around Thori’s wrist tightened.
“She was a goddess when the Nine Worlds were still young, stalking the bogs and marches demanding sacrifices of blood and suffering from her worshippers.”
“She bestowed her faithful followers power through agony.”
“She was worse than Odin had ever been,” Njord said coolly. “Where does Svanhild plan to awaken her?”
Hrothgar snickered.
“Wouldn’t you like to know that, Shipbreaker?”
“I recommend you tell us.”
“You fool. It’s already too late!”
Hrothgar cackled, but Njord turned to Skalmöld, calm as ever. How Thori envied him for his composure.
“Can you extract the information we need from his body?”
“Certainly.”
“Good.”
“Thori—” Njord’s voice dropped to a deep, seductive murmur. He lifted Thori’s right, so he was pointing at Hrothgar, and Njord wrapped his left possessively around Thori’s throat. Heat flooded Thori’s veins. “—You didn’t like the drowning. You’re allowed to give this traitor a quick death.”
Thori’s breath hitched as uncertainty and excitement overwhelmed him. “I can’t.”
