Fenrir fell to the ground, laughing. Baldr, while bent over, at least managed to stay on his feet.
“Quiet, mutt,” Astrid muttered. She finally got her leg over the tree branch and laid on it, clutching the limb for dear life.
Kirby ran her fingers through her hair. “Well, that settles it, I think.”
Freyja held her head high. “I knew she could do it.”
“Not very well,” I said, jogging over to the tree.
“She just needs practice,” Freyja said.
I wasn’t sure I was keen on this idea anymore. If her magic would send her to random places before she got a handle on the ability, how were we supposed to make sure she didn’t get lost in the process?
“So, I did all right?” Astrid asked.
“I think that went a hel of a lot better than expected for a first attempt,” Kirby said. “You could have gone across the world with that lack of control, and none of us would have been able to find you.”
Kirby voicing that reality made my gut churn. I would not lose her to this magic.
When I reached the tree, I held out my arms for her to jump into, but Astrid looked at me like I was crazy. She was fairly high up there, so I didn’t blame her.
I frowned when Kirby flew to receive her. Yes, it was the most logical thing to do, but I wanted to be the one to help her. Astrid made a dramatic joke about being saved, making Kirby laugh.
“I think I should wait a little longer before trying again,” Astrid said when her feet were back on solid ground. “That took a lot out of me.”
Freyja nodded. “I’ll look for an enchanted item to help us keep track of you in the future when we practice.”
Astrid smiled, though I still was uneasy about all this. However, I didn’t have a right to say no. This was Astrid’s life and her magic. And if she wanted to learn this, I couldn’t stop her.
Astrid settled down in the grass with the other women, and Fenrir, Baldr, and I went back to sparring. It would keep my mind off my worry, at least for the time being.
Some time into our session, Kirby joined in, adding another exciting element to the sparring. We called it quits around the time the sun hung low in the sky. Astrid treated us to another healing session, as well as to Freyja and Kirby to soothe and mend some of their older injuries.
They were so pleased with the results, it was clear that Astrid may not have a mortal living experience much longer. I no longer cared if she lived like a mortal anymore, so long as no one thought they could take her from me.
We all parted ways, Freyja offering to transport Astrid and me to the edge of Runavík, as I couldn’t sense out any battles nearby.
I walked Astrid home from our transport drop-off, enjoying this quiet moment with her. She hung off my arm, her beaming smile contagious.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” I asked when we arrived at her front door.
She nodded. “I’m still not sure why you’re going through all this trouble for me, but I do appreciate it.”
I stared at her. “Why wouldn’t I do this for you?”
Astrid stared back, as if my confusion created an endless loop between us. “Because I’m mortal? You’ll blink and I’ll be long gone—a memory, at best, in the vast sea of experiences you’ll have for eternity.”
It felt like Odinn himself reached inside my chest and squeezed my heart. She may not have believed she deserved all this special treatment, but I didn’t agree. I’d lay the bodies of her enemies at her feet if she desired it.
That revelation struck me. I’d never felt this deeply for someone before. And yet, those thoughts were so clear and strong that I couldn’t deny them even if I wanted to. It would hurt to lose her to her mortality, but I’d rather spend the next few decades with her than go through eternity without ever crossing paths. I needed her to see she was more than just a passing memory.
I blinked. “You’re still here.”
Astrid’s lip twitched. Then she laughed. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
I reached out and cupped her chin, cutting off her laughter as I forced her to hold my gaze. “I return here for a reason, and it’s not because of some outstanding debt or because this place is quiet. She’s standing right in front of me. Yes, you’re mortal, Astrid, but you’ll never just be a memory, no matter how far into eternity I go.”
Her cheeks turned a bright shade of crimson, and her gaze fell away. My eyes flicked to her mouth when her bottom lip caught in her teeth. I could easily fix that for her. It’d be so easy to just… lean in and—
