“I’m confident it will ensure the vow is fulfilled.” I didn’t like how she worded that, and Freyja’s expression gave nothing away of her feelings.
“Explain what that means.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. I don’t know what this will do exactly. I just know it will have the end result we agreed to.”
I would have to accept this. I didn’t have magic. And no one else would even make any attempt like this, binding oath or no. I couldn’t bring Astrid back without her.
Freyja had me step back, and she began her ritual. I didn’t understand anything she did, from the herbs used, to the magical artifacts, and even drawing her own blood while chanting. Magic didn’t typically need complex rituals. A user thought what they needed, and it happened. But on occasion, more was required.
Freyja cried out to creation, and magic filled the air. The fire within the braziers grew and then all at once extinguished to embers, along with the magic.
I stood still, watching Astrid’s unmoving body and listening to Freyja’s heavy breathing. Nothing more happened. “Well?”
Baldr stepped up next to me. “Freyja, what happened?”
He sounded as tense as I felt. Something wasn’t right.
Freyja hovered a hand over Astrid’s body. She then frowned. “Her soul couldn’t reenter this body.”
My pulse elevated and I pushed forward, my shoulder tight. Baldr grabbed me and pulled me back. “Týr, stop. Let her finish.”
“The ritual didn’t fail, Týr,” Freyja said. “She will come back to us. But not immediately.” She took a long breath. “She’ll be reincarnated.”
Everything in me slowed. “Reincarnated. Like Kirby?”
Freyja nodded. “In a way, yes. But unlike Odinn’s curse, Astrid will only be reborn once.”
“She’ll be mortal again, right?” Baldr said.
Freyja shrugged. “I suspect she will be, but she may be lucky and be born an immortal this next time. We all know, even us gods aren’t guaranteed to have immortal children.”
The tension in my shoulders dissipated. Reincarnated. “When?”
“I don’t know,” Freyja said. “It’s impossible for me to tell. I do believe her soul may give off a magic signature resembling my magic, which should help me identify her if I cross paths with her. But otherwise, I don’t know how else to track her down once her soul is born again.”
My fist curled and then uncurled. I would have my Astrid back, just not in the initial way I wanted. This had been a long shot, I knew that. The fact that Freyja had been able to do even this was a miracle. I had made a rather outlandish demand of her in my grief. “I will find her.”
Baldr slammed his hand down on my shoulder. “I will help you. Only death could stop me from searching until we find her.”
Freyja held up a finger. “Týr, I want you to keep this in mind. Even if you find Astrid, she may not be the same person we knew. There’s no guarantee she’ll ever remember any of us, and what she had with us.”
I didn’t care. I’d find her, fall in love with her all over again, and woo her like I had in this life. I’d accept if she never remembered. I’d embrace the new woman she was, and we’d just make new memories.
I tipped my head skyward. I vow to find you, Valkyrie. No matter how long it takes. I will not rest until I do. And I vow, in the name of justice and retribution, I will spill Fenrir’s blood for the atrocity he has committed.
Epilogue
Astrid
Tall green trees flashed past the truck window. The sky above was blue with white puffy clouds. I’d normally look around and take in this new place as much as I could, but I didn’t feel like it this time. My eyes glued to my reflection, an ugly scar now running down from my eyebrow, over my nose, down to the opposite cheek.
A warm hand gently grasped my leg. I turned away from the window to look at my dad. He was old. All adults were old, but my dad had black and white hair and beard, like you’d see on someone’s grandpa. I heard one lady call him a silver fox, whatever that meant.
My dad adjusted his glasses, and my eyes flicked to the tattoos on his arms. Some were colored and others weren’t. He let me color those in with markers whenever I wanted. It was fun. But today I didn’t feel like doing that. Today wasn’t a fun day.
“What do you think of the area, Ace?” my dad asked.
I shrugged and looked out the window again. He let out a quiet sigh. “I know this change is a big one, Astrid, but I know you’re going to love this new home.”
