"Then I'll get lucky again. If I'm just one of you, like you claim, I want to be in charge of two destinies. Eirik's and my father's."
"Your father?" Catie asked. "Your father is already dead, Lorraine. We don't deal with the dead."
"He is not dead," I snapped.
"According to the records, your father's soul was reaped months ago and sent to Hel's Hall," Jeannette added.
"Your father is still alive?" Marj's eyes narrowed.
I swallowed, uneasiness creeping through me. Had I made a mistake coming to negotiate with them? "Yes. So what?"
"So someone let him live." Marj moved closer and slowly walked around me. "Someone who was supposed to reap his soul gave him a pass. Now who would do that for you, Lorraine?"
Torin. Oh no. Cold fingers crawled up my spine.
"Who would alter someone's destiny without our say so?"
Dizziness washed over me. Behind me, the door flew opened and Eirik, Andris, and Ingrid walked in. They looked around.
"Are you alone?" Eirik asked.
They couldn't see the Norns. Good. "Yes."
"Phew," Andris said. "We thought you were in here with the Norns making another deal."
Marj and Jeannette wore tiny smiles that screamed they'd won. Catie looked pissed. I wasn't sure whether she was angry with me, her sister crones, or Torin. What had he risked to bring my father back to me? And now, in my grief, I had clearly condemned him. Worse, my father was headed to Hel's Hall for eternity.
"No, I just came for my oboe." I hurried forward and grabbed my oboe case from the shelf.
"I didn't know you were playing in the pep band tomorrow," Andris added as we left the room.
"I'm not. I'm going home early, and I need to practice a piece."
I wanted to curl up in bed and cry myself into oblivion, but I couldn't afford it. I didn't have the luxury. I had screwed up, and now Torin was in trouble. There must be a law against not reaping a soul. I spent the afternoon pouring over runes, combining single runes to create new ones. I had to find a rune that could cure my father.
As soon as Andris drove up, I raced downstairs and reached their garage before he closed the door. He was with Roger. Ingrid was missing. "Hi, Roger. Andris, we need to talk."
"Really? Now? I have plans."
"This won't take long." I waited while he opened the door for Roger. Then we went to my house. He made a beeline for the wet bar and poured a drink. "Did you know that Torin was supposed to reap my father's soul?"
His eyes narrowed. "Who told you that?"
"It doesn't matter how I know. My father is dying, and Torin's been helping him manage the pain. The Norns told me he's supposed to have died months ago."
His eyes narrowed. "When did you talk to the Norns?"
"This afternoon in the band room."
His eyes narrowed. "They were-"
"There when you guys arrived, yes. I offered them a deal. Put my father's destiny in my hands and I'd willingly become a Norn."
"Hel's Mist, Raine!"
"I'm not going to let my father die if I can stop it, Andris. What's the point of learning about runes and having abilities when I can't help the people I love?"
Andris sighed. "We are in the business of the dead, sweetheart, while you want to keep your father alive. The two don't mix. As for the deal, it won't work. You can't become a Norn. Torin won't let you."
I knew that. "The Norns mentioned sending my father to Hel's Hall. Dad is an athlete. He runs and bikes. He belongs in Valhalla, not some cold hall in the middle of a mist."
Andris drained his drink. "I think that's Torin's plan."
I cocked my brow. "Plan? What plan?"
"Torin wasn't supposed to reap your father, Raine. When he arrived at the hospital in Costa Rica, your father was dying and a Grimnir was waiting to take his soul. A very ornery and pain-in-the-ass Grimnir named Echo. Torin made a deal with him. I don't know the details, and when we spoke he didn't know either because of his scrambled memories."
"Then how did you find out about it?"
"Echo bragged about it to me, the asshat." He grimaced. "You have to meet him to understand why I can't stand him. I told Torin about it when we spoke about you and your lovey-dovey past. According to Echo, Torin brought your father home to give him more time with you and your mother, and more time to prepare. If he'd died at that hospital, he would have gone straight to Hel's Hall. Now..." He grinned.
Everything fell into place. If Dad died running or biking, Torin could take his soul to Valhalla. That had been his plan. That wasn't the case anymore. The Norns knew Dad was alive. Nausea churned my insides.
"They know," I whispered.
"Who?"
"The Norns know my father is alive and that Torin helped him. What's the punishment for a Valkyrie changing a destiny?"
Andris shook his head. "I don't know, but we must tell Torin what's going on as soon as he gets back. Hey," he gripped my shoulders, "it's not bad. You could always say you spared your father."
"What are you talking about?"
"You saved the lives of seven swimmers and changed their destiny. The Norns didn't put you on Hel duty. Instead they only want you more."
"They erased Torin's memories."
He scoffed. "Big deal. He got them back. Something about you scares them, Raine. Use that to your advantage. Do what you do best. Stick it to them."
Maybe Andris was onto something. I jumped up and hugged him. "Thank you."
"I could get used to this," he mumbled, squeezing me.
Laughing, I wiggled out of his arms and stepped back. I also reached a decision. As we walked to his house, I told him about the origins of Eirik's runes. "Torin said to trust you. So if I need you, will you be there?"
Andris made a face. "What do you think? You want my cell phone number?"
"You have a cell phone?"
"Of course. I'm not barbaric like some people we know." He recited his phone number and made me repeat it.
Back at home, I texted him and got a snarky response. I texted Eirik next then got busy cooking. Nothing complicated, just chicken stir-fry and rice. The look on Dad's face when they came home was worth it. Dinner that night was a sober affair. Despite everything, I was still angry with Mom for keeping Dad's condition a secret. She'd made him keep the secret from me.
"Do you want to bike on Saturday, Dad?" I asked before heading upstairs.
He and Mom exchanged a glance, and then he nodded. "Sure, pumpkin."
Once again, I felt their stares as I left the kitchen. Upstairs, I got ready for bed, occasionally glancing at Torin's window. I wished he could come back already. I hated going to bed not sure of what was going to happen tomorrow. Would the Norns come looking for me? Would Torin come back before they got to him? I missed him so much.
I was almost asleep when the portal opened and a warm breeze drifted into the room. Torin. I sat up and turned on the bedside lamp. Eirik. Disappointment washed over me.
"Don't mind me," he said.
Good Eirik-warm air. Evil Eirik-cold air. I'd have to remember that. "Where were you? I texted you about dinner."
"I thought you might want to be alone with your parents. You know, to talk."
I snorted. "What's there to talk about? He's dying, and she didn't bother to tell me."
"You're angry with your mother?"
"What do you think?"
"That's not fair."
I pulled the covers over my head instead of answering him.
He yanked the covers down. "Who are you really angry with, Raine? Your father for becoming sick? Your mother for keeping his illness a secret? Torin for leaving when you need him the most? Or you for not noticing that your dad is sick?"
By the time he finished, I was crying again. I couldn't come up with a snarky response or throw a pillow at him. He slid in beside me and, once again, held me while I cried. When I calmed down, I whispered, "All of the above."
"I'm sorry for being brutally honest."
"It's okay." I missed Torin's arms. Eirik's weren't bad. They just weren't Torin's.
I fell into a fitful sleep. Hours later I shivered. Eirik. Had he turned evil again? I moved my arm to find him, but I was alone in bed. I lifted my head to check if he was in the pullout bed and then saw a movement from the corner of my eye. Eirik walked to the pullout bed and bent over. I smiled. He must have decided to move to his bed.
I opened my mouth to tell him goodnight, but the words froze in my throat. When had he changed into a hoodie? No, not a hoodie. A hooded robe, like a grim reaper's. My stomach hollowed out as realization hit me, my heart pounding. This wasn't a grim reaper. It was a Grimnir. And the only reason for a Grimnir to be in my house was to get my father's soul. What was he doing in my room?
Anger slammed through me. Watching the Grimnir bend over Eirik, I carefully reached the bottom drawer where I'd hidden the dagger the Norns had given me. I opened it slowly and reached inside. My hand touched the bottom of the drawer.
The dagger was gone.
Starting to panic, I moved my fingers around, desperately searching for it. The Grimnir must have heard me because he froze. I froze too, heart pounding. Then a glow came from the bed. A familiar glow. The glow of fresh runes. I tried to use the glow to see his face, but because of the hood, I couldn't. I saw the artavus in his hand. Why would a Grimnir etch runes on Eirik?
Instead of continuing to search for the dagger, I reached up and turned on the lights. Light flooded my room. I caught a glimpse of a face and blonde hair under the hood before the Grimnir leaped across the room at a super speed and disappeared through the mirror portal.
No, it couldn't be.
I scrambled from my bed and knelt by Eirik's side. The runes were gone, but his skin was still pink, showing the outline of the runes. As I watched, the pinkness disappeared, too. I stared at the mirror where the Grimnir had disappeared. Grief must be messing with my head because... I covered my mouth with trembling hands, reaction setting in.
There was no way the person poisoning Eirik and impersonating a Grimnir was Cora.
CHAPTER 25. WHY CORA?.
"I got your texts," Andris said walking toward me. "Ten of them. Where are we going at this ungodly hour?"
It was six thirty. First period didn't start until seven forty. "To Cora's. We'll take my car."
He didn't move. "May I ask why we're going to the home of the girl trying to turn your BFF into a monster?"
"I want to know who she's working with."
"Why? It doesn't make her any less guilty."
"I know. Let's. Just. Go."
He made a face. "Okay, but we'll take the SUV." He grabbed my backpack from the back of my car. I locked my car and followed him across the lawn. My parents were still asleep. Eirik had left early, but I hadn't told him what I'd seen last night. He wouldn't believe me. Cora could do no wrong in his eyes. If, and that was a big if, she was guilty, he'd need proof. I needed proof. I still couldn't believe she was an Immortal. Was she always one or had Maliina done something to her and started the process? Were her parents Immortals, too?
I got in the front passenger seat and realized Ingrid was in the back.
"She knows everything," Andris explained. "You can trust her."
Looking into her eyes, a memory flitted through my head, but it disappeared before I could grasp it. I shook my head, trying to understand.
"Why are you shaking your head? You don't trust me?" Ingrid asked, sounding insulted.
"No, that's not it."
"I am not my sister, Raine," Ingrid said, her voice rising. "I'm not manipulative or mean, and I would never poison Eirik. And to clear the air, I don't blame you for what happened to her. I might have at one time, but I don't anymore. I know what she did to you and Cora, and how she manipulated Andris to turn me into an Immortal."
I sighed. I had enough crap to deal with without this. "I didn't say I don't trust you, Ingrid. Okay?" I took a deep breath to calm down. There was no point taking out my frustration on her. I faced forward, more confused than last night. There was something about her and last night that was bugging me. When I glanced at Andris, he just shrugged.
He started the car and left the cul-de-sac. "Okay, start talking. What do you think is going on?"
"I don't know what to think. Cora etched Eirik with new runes and moved like an Immortal, yet the Cora I know would never hurt Eirik. Not willingly anyway. Someone is making her do this."
"Did you tell Eirik what you saw?" Andris asked.
"No way. We can't tell him yet. One, he won't believe us. Two, if he thinks someone is out to hurt Cora, he'll get pissed, and when he's pissed-"