A young female, probably in her late teens, places a plate full of delicious-smelling food in front of me, and I smile as I thank her. She quickly looks down and backs away. Two other young girls are also placing plates of food in front of Odessa and Julius, but they don’t acknowledge their presence. I wait patiently for the blessing, but Odessa looks at me expectantly.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“Yes, I just didn’t know if there were any customs or anything?”
I pick up the silver fork.
Shouldn’t we be thanking the gods for our meal?
She chuckles. “Not anymore. Just eat as much as you want. Tonight, we’re having roasted lamb, fingerling potatoes, and cabbage.”
I silently say my thanks to the gods for our meal and their many blessings before I pile my fork full of roasted lamb and a portion of the potatoes and moan at the incredible flavors. Paradise indeed; this is the most delectable food I’ve ever had in my entire life. The flavors meld perfectly in a way that no other food has before.
Odessa pauses her eating to watch me take my first bite. “Good?”
Forgoing all my manners and answering with my mouth full, I mumble behind my hands, “Oh my gods.”
She chuckles and resumes eating.
How strange that they literally live in a realm hand-crafted by Odin, and they didn’t even thank him for the meal?
Julius begins speaking with her, and I tune him out. Lost in thought about Gran, Lachlan, and Torin. They’ve been constantly lingering at the back of my mind all day. I’ve been missing for a few hours now, and I can’t even imagine what they must be feeling.
If Gran is lucid, would she think that I found my way here? Guilt plagues my thoughts, and I push away my half-eaten plate. It scrapes lightly upon the table, drawing Odessa’s attention.
“You’re finished already? You need to eat more so you won’t burn out too swiftly tomorrow.”
“What’s tomorrow?”
Julius rolls his eyes, but Odessa answers. “You didn’t hear us? Julius has offered to train you. We hope it will manifest your power quickly. But that’s after I give you a small tour of the capital in the morning.”
A slight frown mars my face. “Oh, okay.”
“Learn our ways” echoes in my mind.
The sooner I do this, the sooner I can get back home.
Julius chimes in. “Did you expect to lounge around all day, and your power would just come to you?”
Odessa clears her throat and gives him a stern look. “I’m sure she didn’t understand how it would work. Don’t be unpleasant.”
He shrugs off her reprimand and goes back to his meal.
She turns back to me. “You can head back to your room if you’re finished, and I’ll have someone fetch you in the morning. You’re going to need plenty of rest.”
I nod and push away from the table.
The effects of the most bizarre day of my entire life weigh heavily on my limbs, and I trudge back to my room. Mercifully, the Great Hall isn’t too difficult to navigate, and I easily find my way back to my room.
The door shuts behind me, and I fight with what little energy I have left not to slump to the ground. Collapsing onto the bed, the rest of my energy depleted, but when the smell of cedar and rain fills my nose, I lurch out of the bed.
The breeze ruffles the curtains, blowing the scent away, and my heart sinks. For a brief moment, I thought this all had been a dream after all, and I was waking up.
I walk to the window, pull a panel of the curtains aside, and lean against the edge of the stone. Mountains rise in the distance, and the smell of fresh, clean air fills my lungs.
How is this possible?
And why wouldn’t anyone tell me?
