Page 53 of Between Broomsticks and Beating Wings (Love X Magic #3)

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

AS SWEET AS HONEY

Rune

T he Bifrost spit us out into a familiar sunny field, a warm spring breeze pushing my hair over my shoulders as Apple and Gunhild whinnied our arrival.

The sky was clear of clouds, snow, and the pinch of cold on my skin.

I sighed in relief, taking in that sweet Asgardian air I’d been worried I’d never experience again.

“Are you okay?” I asked Kari as soon as my throat loosened and words found me. She nodded, risking a glance back at me with a brilliant smile upon her face. Her hair swirled chaotically around her head, and in that moment, all I could imagine was that she was in a torrent of her own power.

“Yes! But I wasn’t worried about myself. Are you okay?”

I was far fainter than I had been prior to traversing worlds, and little white dots hovered in the corners of my vision, but I was alive.

“Perfectly fine,” I yelled through the gushing breeze.

She didn’t need to know about the fatigue in my bones.

I didn’t find it necessary to shout into the sky about feeling every last bit of immortality flee my body.

Her brows scrunched, and I swore I caught her glancing at my hair before she turned back to face a growing speck in the distance.

The Valhalla sect of the House of Wings grew less hazy as we flew on, and I pulled on Apple’s reins to take a sharp left away from the place.

As much as I’d love to return home and gather my belongings, that sect was no longer mine, and I wouldn’t be welcome within those walls.

As it was, my mortality was quickly catching up with me, and I could feel the heavy toll the Bifrost had taken on my body.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a full head of rich brown hair in the mirror upon our arrival in Fólkvangr.

I needed to secure my spot in Freyja’s sect, and I needed to do it soon.

Human mortals had no place in Asgard, especially not disgraced valkyries.

Gunhild and Rayna shot in front of us to lead the way to Fólkvangr. Although Apple was faster by nature, I allowed Rayna to take the lead. This was her first official duty back at Freyja’s side, and I wouldn’t let any sort of pride get in the way of her job well done.

As we rode through the beautiful blue sky, Kari leaned back on me with a sigh.

I wouldn’t tell her my legs were sore and I was already exerting just enough abdominal strength to hold myself on Apple, let alone the strain her additional weight added.

I would never allow her to think I couldn’t support her, even if my muscles were now pathetic and slowly adjusting to the mortality leeching its way back into my bones like a disease.

She would always be a light to me, and I was fortunate to be able to help her carry it.

Rayna pointed ahead to spires poking high into the sky and a long bridge that led from mainland Asgard to Freyja’s stunning isle.

Sessrúmnir sat alone upon the isle, fields behind it stretching far beyond the eyes could see.

It wasn’t all shining golds and brilliant whites like Valhalla, but a mix of soft grey stone with gold and silver accents.

And while it may have looked understated upon first glance, Sessrúmnir had many hidden wonders.

Freyja put all her efforts in maintaining the most glorious fields.

While the fields in Valhalla were for bloody battles, here, they saw no such brutality.

They were grown for peace and tranquility, and as we flew above them, performing one loop around Sessrúmnir, there was no shortage of souls lounging in the sun, snacking on fruits, playing games.

Fountains spewed high into the air, misting nearby patrons who couldn’t feel the change of temperature against their skin but enjoyed it all the same.

Kari marveled at her surroundings as Apple and Gunhild landed upon lush grass on the other side of Sessrúmnir’s long, stone bridge.

Gunhild lowered one of her wings to allow Rayna to dismount, and Apple followed suit.

Once we were all on solid ground, our packs slung around our backs, offerings in hand, Rayna summoned post-flight nibbles for Gunhild.

I glanced from the pile of oats and bucket of water before Gunhild to the empty space in front of Apple.

She would never leave me, never bond with another, but I was beginning to realize I could no longer take care of her in the way I was used to.

Rayna cleared her throat, almost apologetically, then waved her hand.

I didn’t need to take my gaze off her to realize she’d fed and watered Apple.

I wanted to thank her, but the words burned in my throat like a poison.

Kari’s eyes widened, and then Rayna turned away with a newfound stiffness to her posture.

I blew out a tormented sigh and muttered, “Thank you, sister” under my breath.

I knew Rayna wouldn’t want me to acknowledge what had happened any more than I had.

She was just as awkward and torn up about my missing seidr as I was, but what good would lamenting do for either of us?

Bringing more attention to my inability to wield seidr like I once had wouldn’t bring it back, but heading into Sessrúmnir and speaking with Freyja could.

With how Kari trailed her gaze over my profile, I imagined she would’ve reached for my hand had she not been holding the realm’s most ridiculous fruit cake. I offered her a weak smile and followed Rayna down a moss-lined path.

“Does the moss glow here too?” Kari asked, glancing down the path as she walked beside me.

I knew what she was trying to do, so I didn’t suppress my laugh as I said, “No, seeress. That’s a Nidavellir specialty, though Fólkvangr has more than its fair share of oddities.”

“I’m surprised you consider them oddities,” Kari mused thoughtfully, Tove walking in stride with her.

“I didn’t come from a line of wand-wed women, and I rarely saw seidr being used until I was taken to Valhalla.

As soon as I was inducted into the sisterhood, I did as much exploring as I was allowed to.

Everything I saw was so new and exciting, and I hardly understood how any of it worked, including my own seidr growing within me.

It took me centuries before the shock of it all wore off,” I admitted, thinking back on the times when I’d been just as curious as Kari.

“It’s hard to imagine a time when you were giddy and learning, when you didn’t claim to know everything.” She spoke in a light tone and paired her mock insult with a playful eye roll.

“Yeah, yeah, well, I was young once,” I said with a smirk and a wave of my hand. “And when you become one of Freyja’s attendants, you’ll eventually get used to such wonders too.”

“What if I don’t want to?” she asked. “Get used to it, I mean.”

I looked her over. “Life doesn’t have to be dull just because it stretches past when it was supposed to end.

I know many attendants who’ve been alive far longer than me who live rich, fulfilled lives.

Don’t use me as your example, seeress. Knowing you, you’d never allow for such a routine and boring existence to claim you as I once had. ”

Kari offered me a soft smile and a head tilt.

A shadow was cast upon half her face, the sun blocked by Sessrúmnir’s tall stature as we grew closer.

“I can already think up a few ways to keep myself entertained, though I have to admit, my plans will be ruined if Freyja doesn’t choose us both.

” Her voice was deep and sultry, sending my imagination in all sorts of wicked directions.

I smirked and opened my mouth to reply with something equally clever when someone else’s voice filled the space around us.

“So, you two have finally fucked, have you?” Rayna called out from ahead, where apparently, she was still within listening distance of us.

Damned valkyrie ears.

“I thought you two were going to take care of that in Nidavellir. I certainly did,” Rayna continued, showing us nothing more than the back of her head. I could tell by her tone alone she was having a grand old time up there eavesdropping.

“Alvion, I presume?” Kari asked, not seeming at all bothered by Rayna’s assumption.

Was she not worried to admit she’d been with me?

It took me a moment to remember we were both mortals now, her and I.

There was no difference between us, no rules stating we couldn’t be together.

I had no more oaths, and at the time we’d had each other, Kari had no obligations either.

We were free of the gods, of any expectations to hide what we were to each other.

Now was the best time to solidify— no, demand—that the world knew I was hers, and she was mine.

I couldn’t help but smile at that thought.

“How astute of you,” Rayna said, turning to face us.

“I thought most valkyries preferred the company of other women?” Kari asked. “Not that it’s any of my concern who you’re with. I, myself, have a range of preferences.”

“Most of us do, yes,” Rayna admitted, and she wasn’t wrong.

It made our duties a whole lot easier when the men we encountered didn’t think they stood a chance with us, but that didn’t mean we all had the same desires.

“Alvion wasn't always called Alvion. Though he’s always had the best beard, no matter what his name was.” She let out a small chuckle, her cheeks rosy with what I could only imagine was love.

Rayna and Alvion had been loosely together for half a century, though neither one of them could give up their realm, and inter-world relationships were never easy.

Even so, the pair had never moved on from one another, and I had to wonder who would give in first. Knowing Rayna, my wager was on Alvion.

“Rune did mention you had a thing for the hairy ones,” Kari said, and the three of us laughed at that.