Loki's Wolves (33 page)

Fen opened his mouth to make a remark, but Baldwin spoke hurriedly, “Come on. They didn’t bring out the red-pepper flakes or cheese.”

After they both snatched pieces out of one of the boxes, Fen offered, “I can grab it.”

“Okay,” Baldwin agreed—but he still headed to the kitchen.

They found the jar of red-pepper flakes sitting on the counter right where it had been.

“I love this stuff,” Fen said.

“Me, too! Mom doesn’t, but I go through jars of it.” Baldwin held out his slice of pizza, and Fen shook pepper flakes onto it.

As they walked back into the living room, Baldwin took a bite of pizza and immediately started coughing.

“Baldwin, are you okay?” Matt asked.

Baldwin clutched at his throat.

Laurie grabbed her water and held it out. “Here, wash it down.”

But Baldwin lunged toward Fen, grasping his arm so hard that he all but knocked Fen to the ground.

“Maybe he swallowed wrong.” Fen pounded Baldwin’s back.

Fen took Laurie’s glass of water and tried to help Baldwin drink.

That wasn’t helping either, so Fen switched to trying to do that Heimlich maneuver they talked about in health class. Matt understood and pushed everyone else back. As Baldwin flailed his arms around, the glass of water fell and shattered on the floor. Baldwin was clawing at his throat with one hand and grabbing Fen with the other.

And then he… stopped.

He stopped grabbing Fen, stopped moving, and stopped breathing. He just stopped.

Fen felt Baldwin’s body droop and lowered him to the
floor. He tried to feel for a pulse and didn’t find it. Frantically, he pounded on Baldwin’s chest like he’d seen in TV shows. In movies, that worked. People pushed on the chest and
what
…? Fen thought for a moment. They blew air in the person’s mouth. Fen put his hands into a fist and pushed hard in the middle of Baldwin’s chest. Nothing happened.

While he was doing that, Matt reached out and felt for a pulse.

As Fen leaned over to blow air into Baldwin’s mouth, Matt caught hold of Fen’s shoulder. “He’s dead.”

“No, no, no! He can’t die. He can’t even feel pain. No,” Fen said.

Matt met Fen’s eyes, and then he shook his head. “Fen…”

“No,” Fen snarled. “He’s fine. You, witches,
do
something.”

Reyna said, “Magic can’t change death.”

Astrid started sobbing. She collapsed on top of Matt, who put his arm around her to steady her.

“It’s like the myth! Balder is dead!” Astrid pointed a finger at Fen. “What did you
do
?”

As Fen kneeled there beside Baldwin’s motionless body, no one spoke up to say Astrid was wrong, that it wasn’t Fen’s fault. Matt held Astrid, who was sobbing. Reyna and Ray looked at Fen with wide-eyed shock. Laurie stood motionless. She didn’t say anything, didn’t do anything. She only stared at Baldwin.

“Help me,” Fen said.

It was Ray who came over and helped lift Baldwin.

Silently, Fen and Ray carried Baldwin up to his bedroom.

“I’ve got him. Pull back the covers.” Fen shifted so he held the whole weight of Baldwin’s body.

Once Ray did so, Fen lowered Baldwin to the mattress. Without looking back at Ray, he said, “Get out.”

“It’s not your fault. You tried to save him,” Ray said quietly.

“Get out
now
,” Fen growled.

And then he sat on the floor beside Baldwin. “I don’t understand.” Tears started falling. “Stupid freaking myths. How could you
choke
to death?” Fen arranged Baldwin’s body so it looked like he was sleeping, and then he pulled the sheet up over his face.

The myth had come true: Baldwin had died… which meant that it was somehow because of Loki’s actions, because of
his
actions.

M
att wandered through the house, unable to stop moving, not going anywhere, not looking for anyone, just moving.

Baldwin was dead.

Dead. Really dead. Not sleeping upstairs in his bed. Not knocked unconscious. He was dead.

Just like in the myth.

This was Matt’s fault. He’d known the myth, and still he’d brought Baldwin into it. He’d told himself that it wouldn’t turn out like that. It couldn’t. That’s what they were here for—stopping the old stories from coming true.

In the myth, Loki was responsible for Balder’s death. He
hadn’t killed the god himself, but he’d set it up. Matt had been sure that wasn’t what happened here. Fen liked Baldwin. Really, honestly liked him, in a way Fen didn’t like anyone except his cousin.

Even if it had been someone Fen didn’t like—Astrid maybe—Matt would never think Fen might have killed her. The thought wouldn’t cross his mind.

No one had killed Baldwin. It had to be an accident. But how could it be an accident? The only thing that could hurt Baldwin was mistletoe. There was no way that the pizza just happened to have mistletoe on it.

So if it wasn’t an accident…

Someone had put mistletoe on the pizza. Shaved the wood to look like a spice and served it to Baldwin.

Wait—Baldwin had gone in to the kitchen for red-pepper flakes. The shavings could have been in them. But who’d put out the pepper flakes? Fen and Baldwin were the ones who’d set up—

No, Astrid had begun setting the table. Then she left, and when she left, the pepper flakes were out.

Matt shook his head. That was crazy. He wouldn’t believe it. Couldn’t.

Whatever the situation, he needed to talk to Astrid. He couldn’t go around making accusations like that. No matter what you thought of a person, you didn’t accuse them of murder.

Matt stopped wandering aimlessly and set out with a purpose now. Find Astrid. He went through all the upstairs bedrooms first, even Baldwin’s, though he only glanced in fast, trying not to look at the body on the bed.

The body. Not Baldwin. Not the guy who’d been talking to him, laughing with him, fighting beside him only a few hours ago.

Matt took a deep breath and started to close the door. Then he stopped. Something was missing. His shield. He’d put it there, propped up against his bag earlier. Now there was just his backpack.

Matt strode into the hall and almost bumped into Laurie. When he opened his mouth, he was ready to ask where Fen was, but instead what came out was, “Have you seen Astrid?” And once he’d said it, he didn’t correct himself. He knew what he was asking, and he knew, in his gut, that it was the right question.

“Um, I don’t know. I heard the back door close, and I thought Reyna said it was Astrid, but…”

Matt took off at a jog.

By the time Matt got outside, Astrid was hopping down from the fence. Across her shoulder was an oversized gym bag, the fabric stretched by some large object within.

Some
large object? No, it was his shield. Matt knew that even before he started across the yard and felt his amulet tingle.

He waited until he was on the fence before calling, “Hey! Astrid!”

She was in the neighbor’s yard, partly hidden behind a rose garden. Matt saw the bag strap fall from her shoulder as she lowered her burden to the ground. Then she stepped from behind the roses without it.

“Hey,” she said. She gave him a sad twist of a smile, her gaze downcast, swiping her fingers under her eyes as if she’d been crying.

“Where are you going?” he asked, as casually as he could.

“I just…” Another swipe of her dry eyes. “I just needed a few minutes to myself.”

“Oh. Okay. I thought… well, it looked like you were leaving. For good.”

She paused. Then she walked back to him and looked up. A deep breath, then she spoke carefully, as if the words pained her. “I think I
am
leaving. I’m sorry, Matt, but this isn’t working out. Fen… he scares me. I’m sure he killed Baldwin. I don’t know how, but…” She shuddered. “He’s a monster. I know you don’t see that now, but you will. Just…” She laid her fingers on his arm. “Be careful. I don’t want him to hurt you.”

“He won’t. I just… I can’t figure out why he killed Baldwin.” He tried to say it like he thought it was true.

“Because it’s in the myth. He was destined to. You know that.” She tightened her fingers around his arm. “You have a traitor in your midst, and I just pray to the gods that you’ll figure it out before it’s too late. But in case you don’t, I’m going to find Odin and tell him and let him warn you. In the meantime, forget what I said about getting your Hammer. Fen will only steal it. Protect the shield, too. He’ll go after that, if he hasn’t already.”

“I’m not worried about that. I know exactly where the shield is,” Matt said.

“Are you sure? I really think you need to check and hide it.”

“It’s already hidden. Right over here.” Matt broke from her grip and walked over to the rosebushes.

Astrid raced after him and grabbed his arm, but he shook her off. When he reached down to grab the bag, she jumped on his back, grabbing his shirt and wrenching it so hard that the collar tightened around his throat. He started to choke and spun, fist out. It hit her and when it did, his amulet seemed to ignite, blazing so hot he gasped.

She ran at him, her face twisted into something so ugly that it stopped him in his tracks. She jumped on him, and he fell back with her on top of him. The amulet blazed again, scorching his skin.

Why couldn’t you have done that sooner? A little warning would have been nice.

Matt hit Astrid with a fast jab, followed by a second. As he pushed up, she started falling off him, then grabbed him again, both hands wrapped in his shirt. She hissed, and he caught a flash of her white teeth heading straight for his neck. He managed to push her away before she could bite him. One good heave and she went flying to the ground. When she tried to scramble up, Matt knocked her down again.

She seemed ready to bounce up. Then she stopped. Her shoulders folded in, and her hands flew to her face. She started to sob.

“It’s not my fault,” she said. “He made me do it. He said he’d kill my family if I didn’t.”

“
Who
made you do it?” Matt asked.

“H-him,” she sobbed. “He made me do it, and if I don’t come back, he’ll kill my family.” She lifted her face to his and her eyes seemed genuinely red now. “Please, Matt. Let me go, and I’ll tell him you’re heading to North Dakota. You’ll be safe.”