Tro (Elsker Saga Book 3) (23 page)

We walked down the drive of Ýdalir. We traveled a half-mile down the road, stopping to watch the sheep cross and waving at the farmer who kept them on their path.

“Are you having a nice afternoon, Mrs. Russotti?” I asked. Antonia Russotti was a charming woman in her early eighties, with perfectly coiffed white hair and laugh lines around her eyes. My grandmother would have loved her—even in slacks and muddy wellies, Mrs. Russotti always wore her pearls.

“I am. How are you ladies today?”

“We’re well. We’re posting a care package to a friend in the States. Do you need anything from the post office?”

“Actually, I could use a book of stamps.”

“We can get them for you,” I offered.

“That would be wonderful. Thank you, girls. How about you bring them by tomorrow and I’ll have a fresh batch of cannoli for the both of you? Bring Olaug, too. I haven’t seen her in weeks. What has she been up to?” Mrs. Russotti tilted her head.

“Oh, a little of this, a little of that.” I waved my hand. “You know Olaug, she’s not so great with idle time. Always a busy bee.”

Beside me, Inga let out a delicate snort.

“Do bring her. I’ve missed her stories. And we can show our new neighbor here the birds.” Mrs. Russotti smiled at Inga.

“They’re really neat,” I agreed. “Mrs. Russotti has a lovely aviary filled with yellow canaries.”

“Ooh.” Inga grinned. “I can’t wait.”

“See you around three, then?”

I nodded. “Yes ma’am. Um, Mrs. Russotti.” I glanced down the lane where one of her flock had taken a wrong turn. “You’ve got a runner.”

“Oops. See you tomorrow, girls.” Mrs. Russotti took off after the errant sheep, and Inga and I continued on our walk.

“Are you excited about redoing the London house?” Inga asked.

“I really am. It will be fun to live there for a while. And I can’t wait to see Emma and Victoria again. They’re both working in the city this summer—Emma’s at an economics consulting firm, and Victoria’s over at Alexander McQueen.” I smiled.

Ull and I had talked it over, and I’d decided to take a leave of absence from school. Becoming immortal, learning to control the elements, carrying Ull’s baby,
and
taking a full course-load was as more than I felt I could comfortably handle—even as a goddess. Instead, Ull and I were going to spend the next few months turning our Kensington row house into a family home. We planned to add a nursery to the top story, and convert part of the second floor into a playroom. Spending time with my girlfriends would make the summer just that much more perfect.

“And Ull is going to let us traipse off to London to oversee these renovations? You
are
bringing your bodyguard with you,
ja
?”

I laughed. “You can stay in Bibury and enjoy what’s left of your summer with Gunnar. Ull’s coming with me—I guess he had Olaug network the London house so he can work remotely.”

“Figures,” Inga muttered. “You know he’s making me redundant.”

“I’m sorry.” I patted her arm. “But you can always come visit! Think of the shopping you could do in London.”

“Hmm.” Inga’s eyes sparkled. “Think of the things we could buy for the baby. We need a crib, and a pram, and a rocking horse…”

My mind spiraled into baby-brain mode, imagining tiny little booties and hats. And before I knew it we were at the post office.

“Good morning, Inga. Hi Kristia.” The woman behind the counter tossed her wavy, brown hair over her shoulder as she greeted me with a fond smile. “I was just about to ring you—something came for you this morning.”

“Really? How funny. I just came in to mail this, and buy a book of stamps.” I smiled at Mrs. Dillin as Inga placed Ardis’s package on the counter. The woman weighed it, and I paid for the postage. Ardis would be one happy girl, in seven to ten days’ time.

“I’ll just be two shakes.” Mrs. Dillin ducked out and returned with a small parcel. “Here you are.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” My hands closed around the package.

“Don’t forget your stamps.” Mrs. Dillin picked up a small booklet and handed it to Inga. She slid it into her back pocket.

“Thank you so much. Have a good day, Mrs. Dillin!” Inga waved over her shoulder. She turned to me as we closed the door behind us. “What’d you get?”

“I don’t know.” I turned the parcel over. My lips drew up as I recognized the return address. “Ardis.”

Inga peered over my shoulder. “But that says it came from Nehalem. She’s back in New York.”

“I know. Must be from her parents.” With a tear, I opened the padded envelope. My fingers felt inside until I pulled out a piece of paper. My pace slowed as I took in Ardis’s mom’s loopy scrawl. The writing took me back to afternoons in the Behrman kitchen, where plates of cookies flanked by handwritten notes informed us that Mrs. Behrman had run to the market, and would be back soon.

I skidded to a stop and Inga followed suit. “What’s it say?”

“It says…um…” My eyes read through the page. “Huh.”

“What?”

“Ardis’s dad was my grandmother’s attorney. He found something of Mormor’s in his safety deposit box—I guess she gave it to him for safekeeping, and he didn’t find it until a few weeks ago.” I turned the envelope over and shook out its contents. A small silver ring slid out. It was plain, with a delicate blue stone in the center. “That’s pretty. The note says it was an heirloom. Wonder where it’s from.”

I turned the band over in my fingers and it emitted a long flash. Then it freed itself from my grasp, and hovered an inch above my still-pinched-together fingers.

Well, it wasn’t the strangest thing I’d seen that summer.

Inga grabbed my arm. “Do you know what that is?” she hissed.

“I’m guessing it’s not the heirloom Mormor told Mr. Behrman it was?” I hissed back.

Inga grabbed the ring out of the air and hustled me down the road. “Get that thing out of sight or all Helheim will break loose.”

“Okay.” I shook my arm free as she steered me back to Ýdalir. “I can walk on my own!”

“Hurry.” Inga marched at a clipped pace.

My steps matched hers as we sped back to Ýdalir. We crossed beneath the arch of trees and walked past the fountain without so much as a glance at the splashing fish. When we reached the steps, Inga all but shoved me inside and closed the blue door behind her.

“
HEI HEI
DARLING.
Little one. Inga.” Ull came out of the library, running a hand through his hair. He crossed the living area and swept me up in his arms. “I missed you so much.” He gingerly ran a hand over my belly before kissing me with a force I wasn’t expecting. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed back, giving in to the hormones surging through my body.

Ull chuckled. “I like you pregnant.”

“Me too. Why’d you stop?”

“Because I am wondering what is wrong with Inga.”

Our friend paced the entryway like a caged chipmunk.

“I have no idea.” I shrugged. “But it has something to do with my new ring. Old ring. The ring.”

“Who gave you a ring?” Ull squinted.

“My grandmother? I think.”

“Your grandmother passed away.” Ull stared at Inga. “What is going on?”

“This.” Inga stopped pacing long enough to point the ring at Ull. “Kristia got this in the mail.”

Ull sucked in a sharp breath. “Where did it come from?”

“Here.” I offered the envelope and the note. Ull read it quickly.

“Ardis’s parents sent this to you?”

“Yes.” I took back the note. “Mr. Behrman was Mormor’s attorney, and it sounds like she asked him to hold this for me.”

“Why is he only sending it to you now? Your grandmother died two years ago.” Ull raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know. The note says he just found it. Though how it could have disappeared from a safety deposit box is beyond me.” Even in Nehalem, those things were locked up tighter than a clam with lockjaw.

“May I see it?” Ull held out his hand and Inga dropped the ring into it. The silver band rested calmly in his palm. “It is not working.”

“Of course it’s not.” Inga rolled her eyes. “Have Kristia hold it.”

Ull nodded and I took the ring between my pointer and index fingers. As I did, it emitted a sharp beam of light. I loosened my grip and the ring floated on its own. My gaze darted between Inga and Ull. They were both staring at the floating object as if they’d seen a ghost.

“No,” Ull whispered. “It has been missing for decades.”

“It’s been missing since Kjell defected.” Inga gave Ull a pointed look. “You know what this means.”

My hand shot into the air. “I don’t know what this means.”

Ull plucked the ring out of the air. With a gentle touch to the small of my back, he guided me to the couch. “Inga, would you get her some water?”

Inga nodded, and flew into the kitchen. She came back seconds later, with three glasses and a plate of scones.

“How’d you know I was hungry?” I took a pastry.

“You’re pregnant.” Inga shrugged.

Ull rubbed my leg softly as I bit into the scone. While I chewed, he took the note out of my hand. “Hmm. I did not see that coming.”

“Me neither. But we should have known the Three Sisters wouldn’t have cast the Seer from a pure mortal. No offense.” Inga shot me a look.

“What is going on?” I was trying to be patient, but this was getting weird. And in this crowd, that said a lot.

“Kristia.” Ull set the note down and turned his attention to me. He held both of my hands in his. “That letter says the ring is a family heirloom. That it was a gift to your maternal ancestor from her husband, Kjell.”

“So why is my family heirloom floating? And why is Inga acting so weird?”

“Because it is not a family heirloom from your mortal side. It is an heirloom from your Asgardian side.” Ull didn’t break eye contact.

“I don’t have an Asgardian side. I mean, I do now, obviously. But I didn’t six months ago. And I didn’t two years ago, or whenever Mormor left this ring with Mr. Behrman.”

“Yes you did.” Ull gently rubbed the tops of my hands with his thumbs. “When we were dating and I wanted to become a human so we could be together, I told you about a god who had left Asgard to marry a mortal. Do you remember?”

“Vaguely.” Ull’s threat to give up his immortality was something I tried not to think about anymore.

“His name was Kjell. He was a warrior, and he fell in love with a mortal on a routine peacekeeping mission to Midgard. He approached Odin and asked that she be granted admission to Asgard, but Odin refused to create an immoral. He said it went against the laws of the realms.

“Kjell left Asgard, and never returned. He relinquished his immortality, married the mortal, and eventually died a Midgardian. He got to spend his life with the woman he loved, and by all accounts he got the life he wanted. But Odin was furious. He never believed Kjell would really leave. He was one of Odin’s finest warriors—captained the Elite Team for twenty cycles, and held a kill record that was only recently topped. Losing him was the impetus Odin needed to create the test that allowed you to join our family.”

“So Kjell moved to Earth and married the mortal? What happened to them?” I asked.

Ull’s eyes twinkled. “Jens watched them for a few years. Kjell found work as a fisherman, and set up a home with his bride not far from where you used to live, in Oregon. After a few years, he and the mortal had a baby. Jens watched for a bit more, to see if the baby displayed any supernatural gifts. It appeared she was as human as her mother, and so it was decided the happy family could live out their days without Asgardian supervision.”

“So you don’t know what happened to Kjell’s family after that?”

“We did not. Until now.” Ull tapped the note. “Your grandmother was in possession of a ring that belonged to Kjell. The note said it was a family heirloom, a gift from your great-great-great-great-great grandfather to his bride.”

“Which means…” My stomach fluttered.

Ull held my gaze. “It means you were never fully human. The Asgardian genes were depleted by a few generations of mortal pairings, not to mention Kjell’s relinquishment of his immortality, but the reason you had visions all your life; the reason you felt so drawn to our world; the reason Elsker chose you for me…it is because you are Kjell’s descendant.”

It was a full minute before I was able to blink.

“I was never fully human.”

“No.”

“And this ring…”

“It’s the Healing Stone,” Inga offered helpfully. “Kjell won it from a fire giant in battle, and he took it with him when he left Asgard.”

“The Healing Stone. It’s the lost artifact that can help Olaug.” My voice broke.

“It can. But it can only be activated by its rightful owner.” Ull squeezed my hands.

“But I’m not its owner: Kjell is. Was. Whatever. Why does it float for me and not for you guys? You’re more Asgardian than I am. Was. Arugh.” I shook my head.

“Because the ring does not belong to us. Magic dictates that an object is loyal to whomever creates or captures it, so long as the transfer is final. Kjell won the stone from the giant, thereby winning its fealty. And he put that fealty to good use. Your great-great-great grandfather knew that once he relinquished his immortality, he would be vulnerable to all sorts of attacks. Asgard’s enemies would track him down and kill both him and his bride on sight. Taking down a god, even a retired one, would be a great prize. And while he was not concerned for his own fate, he wanted to protect the woman he loved. So Kjell asked the light elves to make the stone into a ring for his bride. It would not be able to stave off death by natural causes, but it would protect against supernatural elements—enchanted weapons, curses, crushing spells.” Ull raised an eyebrow. “When Kjell reached Midgard, he gifted the ring to his wife and its fealty transferred to her. She must have passed it to her child in her will. And she to hers. And so on. Until it became your grandmother’s. And now, yours.”

I stared at the ring as it lay on the coffee table. It twinkled at me.

“So, not only am I the Seer, but I have a magic healing ring, too?”