Echo shook his head. “Cora—”
“I’m coming with you, Echo, or I’ll find another Grimnir to take me.” I stood taller and stared down at him from the tip of my nose. I knew I wasn’t being fair to him, but I needed to see Celestia and be there for Eirik. There must be something I could do to help. “No one will dare refuse me once they know who I am.”
Echo’s eyebrows shot up. “Playing the daughter of the goddess card?”
“Yes, I am. I can’t just stay here and do nothing. I want to help him take care of her. And please, don’t tell Dev. He would be devastated.”
Annoyance crossed Echo’s face. I would deal with his groundless jealousy later. Right now, Celestia needed me.
“They’re not ready for you, Cora.”
“I don’t care. I need to be there.” I was the cause of their pain. I’d been looking forward to visiting, and now this. What if they didn’t want to meet me now? I’d put Ceelstia’s life in danger to help a friend. Tears rushed to my eyes.
“Hey. Don’t cry,” Echo said. “I’ll take you.”
I turned and went to get my things.
Echo’s eyes volleyed between the suitcase and me. “How long are you planning on staying?”
“For as long as they need me. Why? You think I should bring more?”
“No,” he said quickly. “If you need anything, I’ll bring it.”
I frowned. “You wouldn’t know where to look.”
“I know everything you’ve ever worn and how you organize your closet, Cora-mia. If it’s new, I’ll find it. I’m very observant when it comes to everything you do.”
Gah, I loved this man. “Okay, you win. We’ll bring only the suitcase.”
He lifted it and removed his runic knife.
The portal was starting to form when I remembered my parents. “Just a second.”
I ran downstairs and found them talking in the kitchen.
“Celestia hasn’t recovered since she helped Dev,” I whispered, my throat closing. “It’s my fault.”
“Sweetheart, don’t,” Mom said, hugging me. I held on to her tightly.
“If she doesn’t recover, I’ll always blame myself.”
“No,” she said firmly and leaned back to peer into my face. “Look at me. Sometimes things happen beyond our control, okay? That’s just life.”
“But she wanted to give up, and I begged her not to. She used all her life force, and now she’s in a coma.”
“You will not do this to yourself, Cora.” Mom hugged me again. “You tend to blame yourself for things beyond your control. Even as a child. You care about Dev and wanted him whole. I’m sure Celestia and Eirik don’t believe it’s your fault.”
For one brief second, I wanted to stay in the comfort of her arms and push away the world, but I knew I couldn’t. She was also not an enabler. She was the first to peel me away from her.
“Go. Celestia needs you. Your brother and mother need you.”
“You are my mother,” I mumbled a tad rebelliously.
“So I am, but I didn’t carry you in my womb or nurse you for those first three days. She did. I didn’t cover every figurine, mural, and mirror in the house every year for seventeen years to remember your birthday and the day you were taken from me. She did. I’m the mother letting you go because I love you so much and want to see you reach your full potential. You, my daughter, are meant to be much more than a medium, so I’m handing the torch to the goddess, the mother meant to guide you the rest of the way. She loved you even when she thought you were gone, and she’ll love you even more now. Go to your other family. Dad and I are not going anywhere.”
Tears raced down my face, but I felt a little better. Surely, the woman who’d mourned me for seventeen years would not be angry that I came home unexpectedly.
“I’m so sorry for the way I behaved when I found out about you and the adoption,” I said.
“You were hurting,” Mom said, cupping my face. “We are the ones who should apologize. We shouldn’t have kept the truth from you.”
“Or tried to block your abilities,” Dad added.
I hugged them. “I love you guys so much. Always. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“It’s okay,” Dad said.
“We’ll take care of things at school,” Mom added.
School had ceased to matter the second I heard about Celestia. Echo opened a portal, causing a chill to fill the air, and reached for my hand. His expression was hard to read. I’d always been able to figure him out, but lately, his mood was all over the place. Yet I needed his support now more than ever. I was about to close a chapter in my life and start another. I glanced back at my parents one last time. Then the portal closed behind us.
The room we entered was huge with crystals smooth as mirrors covering the walls and rough ones on the ceiling. It was a cave. I couldn’t tell how big it was because it was wide and curved to our left and right.
Portals appeared on the walls as Grimnirs entered with souls. Some nodded at Echo, and others ignored him. But all studied me curiously. The souls looked sad and pale and followed the reapers as though tethered to them.
“Ready?” Echo asked.
“No.” I had no idea what to expect.
He studied my face, then lowered my suitcase to the floor, cupped the back of my fur-lined hoodie covered head, and laid a brief kiss on me. “I love you, Cora-mia. No matter what happens after this, I’m yours.”
“I know. And just so you know, I’m yours, too, so I expect you to rescue me from whatever situation I get myself into while here.”
He chuckled. “I think you will rescue yourself while I cheer from the sideline.” Then his smile disappeared. “But I have your back. Always.”
“Okay. Now I’m ready.” He gripped my hand firmly and led me to the exit of the cave.
The landscape was covered with snow. There were no visible trees or buildings, only mountains. If the sun was in the sky, the mist hid it. I took a deep breath and frowned. I really hoped this wasn’t a mistake.
“You okay?” Echo asked.
“Yes. The magic here is strong.”
“Very.”
It was hard to describe. It was like waking up on the first day of summer and knowing school was out. I felt happy and relieved. Although why I should be happy or relieved boggled my mind. My reason for being here unannounced and unexpected was heartbreaking. If Celestia didn’t recover, I’d never forgive myself. I wasn’t sure what I could do to help. I just knew I needed to be here.
Grimnirs passed us with souls while others headed out. Some were in groups of twos while others moved as a group, talking and laughing. We got more nods and stares than smiles. It was obvious I wasn’t a soul because they wore whatever they’d died in—hospital-issued gowns, robes, or regular clothes—while I wore a fur-lined coat, gloves, and boots.
“Do you know the other reapers?”
“Yes. Some have been around as long as I have, while others I trained.”
The cold was crawling under my pants. Maybe I should have worn snow pants. I’d let fashion dictate my attire. My fur-lined white boots had heels, and my hooded coat was chic and cinched at the waist. Its gold buttons matched the long-sleeved wool sweater underneath it. I had layered the tops and worn a black silk shirt, but the cold in this realm crept everywhere. I should have gone for long-sleeved thermal underwear. Echo didn’t appear bothered by the cold, but I’d warmed him often enough when he returned from reaping to know he felt it.
The sound of rushing water reached my ears before I saw the bridge. Echo had told me about the bridge and Modgie, the giant guarding it. I didn’t see anyone when we approached it. The roof of the bridge appeared to be made of gold, and the river rushing under it had snakes and razor-sharp icicles visible from where we were. Anyone stupid enough to fall into it would die. Everything was like Echo had described it.
I moved closer to him and wrapped both my arms around his. The cold air stung my face, but I didn’t dare warm it on his coat. It was frozen.
“You cold?” he asked.
“Freezing.”