Page 84 of Fallen Gods

I could’ve timed that better.

Ziva slow claps next to me. “Good speech. Amish are nonviolent, so, um, you kind of lost me there. I mean, I was totally with you for a little bit, then I got distracted by the idea that actual Vikings like our mascot would show up and lead us into battle in full uniform, but, like, old-school uniforms. Did they wear armor or were they shirtless? Whatever. It’s my daydream. Shirtless it is.”

All of us are in our respective corners when the timer goes off.

I run toward the trees, Eira and Ziva beside me. We cut past the fitness center and toward the dining hall, where Ziva pulls me behind the big oak tree for cover.

I lean against the bark and duck down—then everything seems to stop around me. I don’t see Nerf guns anymore. I don’t hear students laughing and cheering.

I see icy spears, red with blood, sticking out of the ground.

Blades covered in ice.

People with runes on their cheeks and blue lines dividing their mouths screaming in horror while the world burns around them—while the forests light up with orange flames.

The cries of sorrow, the stench of death, the destruction of a people.

Find me.

I close my eyes and put my hands over my ears, panickingwhen the vision suddenly stops. It’s like what happened in Aric’s room. Is it because I’m close to Mjölnir? It has to be nearby. Only Mjölnir remembers the battles and the bloodshed.

I snap my eyes open again when Eira starts pulling me up.

“Come on, Rey! Ziva is distracting them. Hurry!”

But I can’t.

My gaze is glued to the oak tree. Amid initials and heart carvings in the dark bark is a single rune.

Hagalaz.

My lungs seize.

I don’t know if it’s from the rune or the harrowing vision that consumed me.

What the hell is going on? I can’t catch my breath.

“Get your head in the game, soldier!” Ziva whispers, running toward us. She grabs my arm, tugging me behind her. “Let’s go.”

We join our small shield wall and run across the field, then disperse just like I’d planned. The Berserker team runs into the forest trails as predicted, and I hear laughter as people start getting caught.

“This way,” Ziva calls, and Eira follows. A few of our enemies are hiding behind the bushes. I fire off a volley of shots and get two of them, but we’re outnumbered. “Go! I’ll cover you.”

I lay down a peppering spray, mentally counting each dart so I’ll know when to reload.

I watch as Aric leads his team toward the dining hall.

Of course he’s on the offense. I can’t imagine him doing anything else.

Reeve is right next to him, laughing and hollering like a banshee.

I spot Ziva and run ahead to the tree she’s standing behind. “I’m going to see if there’s anyone over by the building,” I say. “It’s pretty dark, and the other team could be hiding.” It’s a lie, but I need to break away from the crowd.

Thunder claps overhead. That can’t be good.

“You’ve got this, Z. Get that flag!”

She salutes me and runs off.