“He is about to test your young man by giving him a chance to prove himself in the oldest way known in all the realms. He knows possible suitors will challenge Echo to show their prowess and to impress you. Jousting and sword fighting to win a maiden’s hand. The whole thing is ridiculous and barbaric.” She shook her head while I tried to pick my jaw off the floor, again. “I have no idea what goes on in your father’s head sometimes. No wonder he is walking around with a big smile on his face. Maybe we will sneak off to Asgard to get Eir while they pound on each other.” Her gaze went to my goblet. “Drink your apple juice, Einmyria. It’s good for you.”
I didn’t see her leave because the dining room disappeared to be replaced by a fighting scene so bloody I gagged. The vision disappeared as fast as it had appeared, but I’d seen enough. Echo was going to fight a giant, and from the looks of things, he was going to lose.
No, I wasn’t going to Asgard. If Echo was going to fight for me, I had to be by his side. A family that stands up for each other survives. Echo was my family.
I tried to open a portal to wherever Echo was and failed. Disappointed, I disappeared into my bedroom to shower and hopefully cool down. Dad would not have pulled this crap on me in Kayville. It was ridiculous and barbaric, like the goddess had said. Just because Baldur was my biological father didn’t give him the right to test Echo. From the vision alone, Echo was not going to survive this. If he got seriously hurt, I was leaving Helheim for good. Let’s see how Baldur felt about having no daughter to dangle in front of suitors like a prized mare.
I stepped out of the bathroom to find Astrid waiting in my bedroom. She’d been doing that since day one, but I always told her I didn’t need her help—until today.
“Can you find Echo for me, Astrid?”
She left and returned a few minutes later. “He’s not in the hall, but I told the guards you are looking for him. They’ll find him.”
“Find Syn and Rhys, and tell them to find Echo.”
She left. She was so eager to please me I felt bad for my grumpiness. So when she returned and asked about the rollers I was using, I showed her and she helped with my hair.
“Now what?” she asked.
“I wait for it to dry while I eat breakfast. Back at home I use a hood to dry it.” When she frowned, I explained what the hood did.
“Or you can just will it.” She touched my hair and removed one of the rollers. The lock was dry and the curl perfect. No wonder the goddess’ hair was always perfect. There were perks to living in a magical place.
“Thank you, Astrid.”
“What dress and shoes would you want to wear? I’ll get them for you.”
For the next few minutes, she and I worked together. She got my clothes and shoes and even helped me remove the rollers. Then she excused herself to get my breakfast since the goddess had rejected the first one. I changed into the long-sleeved aquamarine dress with a built-in hoodie she’d picked and added heeled ankle boots.
“What would you like to eat, young goddess?” Litr asked when I joined them and lifted the dome lids. Once again, there was bacon, eggs, and pancakes. “These are fresh off the gridle.”
“Everything, except apple juice.”
Confusion flashed on his face. “But your father insists that you drink some.”
Baldur was not my favorite person at the moment. “That’s too bad.”
The shocked expression on Litr’s face made me feel terrible. “I hate apples. My parents grow apples. The ones in Midgard,” I explained when he frowned. “I grew up eating apples and apple pies, drinking apple juice, and eating dried apples. So now I hate everything to do with apples.”
“But the apple is the fruit of the gods. They all eat it.”
Litr looked so distressed I caved. “Okay, I’ll have some.”
He beamed and indicated for Astrid to pour some.
“Is Eirik awake?”
“Yes. I’ve already given him breakfast. He’s eating right now.” He took the tumbler from Astrid and offered it to me while she picked up a plate and started scooping food. When he stared at me expectantly, I took a sip and tried not to make a face.
“Hmm, it’s good,” I fibbed. He grinned with approval. “Can I ask you something, Litr?” He nodded. “Have you ever seen jousting?”
His eyes lit up. “Oh, yes. Challengers fight and compete for a prize. It is exciting.”
Like hell it was. “What if they are fighting for the hand of a maiden?”
“Then the rules are different. Everyone fights the one who claims to be the maiden’s favorite. The same way they’d challenged Baldurson for dominance as the dragon leader.” Astrid whispered something in his ear, and he smiled. “Most suitors come with their clan. Sometimes the challenger uses his clansmen to weaken their opponent before facing him.”
“But that’s cheating,” I protested.
“When dealing with the gods or kings, they don’t consider it cheating because his men belong to him.”
Damn it. Echo could not fight a line of people without help. Eirik might help. “Can you open a portal to Eirik’s place? I’ll eat with him.”
Astrid heaped food on a plate while Litr opened a portal. I could see Trudy, Hayden, and Jessica. Trudy saw me first and waved. Maybe they could help. No one would ever suspect them.
“Don’t forget your apple juice,” Litr said, and I almost groaned. So close. I took it and thanked him. The three girls studied me with varied expressions. Hayden smiled, Trudy scowled, and Jessica still refused to hold my gaze, her face turning pink. She and I needed to talk sometime. Right now, I needed to know things from these two girls.
“Have you guys eaten?” I asked while still standing inside my parents’ living room.
“Not yet,” Trudy said, sounding annoyed. “Mama said to wait here. It’s crazy out there with more people are arriving, and I’m starving.”
“Come in here and get food.”
Hayden and Trudy didn’t hesitate. Jessica did. Getting irritated, I waved her through the portal. They crowded around the platters of food and served themselves. I caught Jessica staring at me from the corner of her eyes. She gave me another shy smile when our eyes met.
As we ate, Trudy talked about everything: the people camping on the grounds, the villagers in the hall, the Goddess’ frustration, and her mother loving every second of it. Listening to her, you wouldn’t know she’d announce the end of the world. But then again, Raine was like her. Just a regular girl.
“Damn, Trudy. Do you ever stop talking?” Hayden finally said.
“Bite me, Hayden Ferrand. Until Celestia came here… No, until Eirik came here we never had visitors, so I’m enjoying it. Don’t ruin it for me.”
“Do you guys know why they are here?” I asked.
“For Celestia. Everyone loves her,” Trudy said.
“Some of them are here for a different reason,” I said and got their attention. I explained what I’d learned from the goddess and watched their expressions. They were shocked. “So you’ve never attended anything like this before, Trudy?”
“Nope. I’ve never seen anything this exciting until now. Not that this is exciting. Jousting and sword fights. It is terrible.” Despite her words, her eyes sparked with excitement.
“And barbaric,” Hayden chipped in.
“What if I asked you to help?” I asked.
“Help how?” Trudy and Hayden said in unison.
“Eirik told me how you helped him fight at some market place by using your minds.”
Trudy and Hayden exchanged grins.
“Can you do it again?” I asked.
“Yes, we can help like we did in Nidavellir.” Hayden glanced at Trudy, who nodded.
“We got inside their heads, and they forgot to fight because they were busy reliving their worst nightmares,” Trudy said. “I’ve even done it to the goddess’ warriors when they pissed me off.”
Feeling better, I sighed with relief. “Thank you, guys. I was thinking of getting Raine, too. I don’t have active powers and”—I glanced at Jess—“you?”
Jess shook her head. “Me neither, but Eirik could help if you ask him.”
“No, I can’t. He should only focus on Celestia. We have to deal with this.” We ate in silence, everyone lost in thought. I kept imagining the worst things that could happen to Echo. I needed to be distracted. “Can you guys retrieve my lost memories now?”
A muffled sound came from behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder to find Litr and Astrid. I thought they’d left. Litr looked panicked. I swear the Dwarf had more facial expressions than Dev as a soul.
“We can,” Trudy said, and Hayden nodded.
“You won’t mess with my other memories, will you?”