Page 17

VE WAS RIGHT, abundant excitement buzzed in the air at the opening ceremony for the Champion Games. The stands that had been empty last night were roaring with life as every seat was taken by gods eager to see this year’s champions. I kept staring at the door to the arena—the iron clad, strongly bolted door where the mortals would enter.

For once, the attention was not on Ve and me as we pushed through the heavy crowd to find our seats at the front. Ve wore a long-sleeved tunic the same color as the ivy that used to grow alongside my home, with his hair left loose around his neck and a gold ring on his finger that pushed into my skin as he kept a tight grip on my hand.

I’d dressed far more subtly today than the past few days, opting for something lighter to keep up with the heat of the day. My dress was a silver silk with braided straps, allowing my hair to brush against my bare shoulders in a way that made me feel free. The dress hung to the floor with enough fabric to run in if needed, which I was finding was a very important factor when I choose my clothing. Still, I allowed it to be tight at the waist, with a slit up the side that showed off the knife I strapped to my thigh. My leather sandals wrapped up my calves, and I wore a white band around my forehead.

Ve paused at a counter on the way to our seats. “Two jravn,”

he said, passing the man behind the counter a coin.

“I’m okay,”

I said quickly.

Ve looked skeptical. “Did you forget how good it tastes?”

I didn’t care to tempt fate today. “My stomach is upset already,”

I said. “I’ll give it time to settle.”

He understood easily enough, and I didn’t have to face the confusion I’d pushed aside as I struggled to understand how I could have survived drinking jravn. Until I figured it out, I wanted to stay as far away from the liquid as possible.

The next bar we passed was more difficult to push by, as it was overflowing with gods writing numbers on parchment and passing them to the front, each calling out different numbers ranging from one to twenty.

“I’ve got a good feeling about twenty,”

a booming voice said. It was Thor, downing jravn and standing a head taller than the others. “I got an early look at them, and that one is a fighter.”

Svana stood beside him. As we passed, she gave me a funny look. It wasn’t as cynical as the first night, but more pondering. “It’ll be interesting this year,”

she said as she nursed her own drink. We passed before I caught anything else.

“What was that?”

I asked Ve as we finally broke through.

He started up stairs leading to our seats. “They bet on the winner.”

I looked back over my shoulder to the mass of gods all giving their guesses. “But we haven’t met them.”

“I think that’s the point of it,”

Ve said. “It makes it more fun. There will be other rounds of betting after we meet them and after their first round.”

He paused. “Did you want to bet?”

I shook my head quickly. “I don’t want a part of this.”

A tiny squeeze of my hand was his reply.

He pulled back a curtain to lead us to our seats. We overlooked the arena with a tarped roof to block the sun, so nothing could hinder our view of the champions as they were presented. They’d come in a line to the front, Ve had said, and we’d be close enough to see the fear in their eyes.

“I thought Vikings worshiped fighting,”

Ve said. He sat in his seat and folded his feet over one another.

“We worship strength,”

I corrected him. “Not pointless death.”

His voice was kind, as if he were trying to give me a reason to be okay with this. “It’s not pointless to us. It’s a sign of honor and respect.”

“And entertainment,”

I added, taking my seat.

The scent of turned dirt and burning oil filled the air. Smoke clouded it, pluming from the outer ridges where iron stakes had been plunged into the ground and lit aflame. Besides the chaos near the betting booth, the rest of the gods were falling into the seats, nearly a thousand of them, filling the arena with their majestic presence. It was growing easier to not feel dwarfed around them, but something inside me still squirmed at their nearness.

Odin and Frigg sat nearby with their gazes fixed on the crowds. Odin dressed in hues of gold, from his breastplates to the beads in his beard, while Frigg was shades of silver like the moon in a full-length dress with long sleeves, delicate embroidery on the neckline, and a necklace with a single pearl. They might not sit in their usual place of glory, but they were still hard to miss.

Frigg caught my gaze and winked.

I smiled back, then faced the door as trumpet sounded.

Since my temporary grandparents had given up their seats of honor for me and Ve, we had their job of welcoming the mortals in. But even as Ve stood to welcome the other gods and ask them to take their seats, their eyes were hungrier for the mortals than for the lost goddess who had returned.

That was a relief. Their fascination with me was fading. Soon I’d be forgotten and they wouldn’t mind when I slipped out of Asgard.

Ve waited until most were in their seats. Then he spread out his arms. “It’s a good day for the Champion Games, is it not?”

he asked. The crowd roared.

Ve had left his hair down for today, and it hung like a dark lion’s mane. His bronzed skin glistened in the heat, and though he was dulling his excitement for my sake, some of it still danced in his eyes. His weapons hung at his side instead of on his back—a broad sword and long-tipped knife. Their black sheaths blended in with the leathers he wore, and he looked as if he’d been born wielding them.

Ve reached a hand to guide me from my seat. I stood at his side, taking it all in. The wind pulled dirt from the arena into my eyes, but I couldn’t take them off the door that was being unbolted. The mortals could surely hear as Ve addressed everyone. “This year is special for me, as it is the first year I get to watch alongside my fiancée.”

His eye gleamed when he peeked to me. I managed a grin back.

“For centuries,”

he continued, “mortals have competed in the Champion Games as a sign of their devotion to us, and in return, we bless them with our favor. Each time, they impress us with their resilience, maneuvers, and grit. I’ve known of their strength, but it wasn’t until my betrothed returned to me that I saw what the Vikings are capable of. She’s shown me what it looks like to be a survivor, how to fight for what you want, and how to get back on your feet when you get knocked down.”

I doubted I’d shown him all that in the couple of days we’d known each other, but the audience soaked it up. I kept like a silent statue at his side, counting down the moments until this could be over.

“I’m confident if Ruin was placed amongst the mortals, they wouldn’t stand a chance. Lucky for us, she is back where she belongs, and I am back where I belong. At her side.”

A warm hum went through the crown at his affectionate words, and Ve allowed the moment to simmer before continuing with what they came here for. “I expect if we see the same strength of Ruin through each of the mortals here, then we are in for a grand event. With that, it is my honor to present this year’s champions!”

His cup lifted, and the door was pried open.

They came in a line with small gaps between them, each marching with heavy steps and stone-cold expressions like they’d already gone through some great battle to get here. The gods only took warriors between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, and only the strongest of our people. Each champion that came before us would be a valuable asset to any clan. The first one especially, whose physique rivaled Thor.

If I did bet, it’d be on him.

He stopped before us with a locked jaw, head tilted back like he was just waiting for what we would do to him, and hands fisted at his side. He didn’t move, not even as the others lined up beside him.

As they came out, I didn’t find another that compared to his strength. The next was a girl who must have just turned eighteen but appeared far younger, with full cheeks, wide eyes, and a tenderness in how she moved. She looked at the first champion as warily as she looked at us. There was an audible groan in the audience, and I suspected it to be from those who’d blindly voted on number two. She had muscle to her, so they weren’t lost yet. Some of the deadliest killers were the ones you didn’t think to watch.

Then marched out a man who refused to look at anyone other than Ve, and with a menacing expression like this was all Ve’s doing.

“That one is thinking about strangling me,”

Ve whispered. “I swear I can feel his hands around my neck.”

“I’d save you,”

I whispered back. “Unless that big one fights too. Then I’m running.”

He turned the smallest degree to look at me. “You’d run? I wouldn’t think you’d run from a charging bear.”

“I’d have better luck against a bear than that man,”

I said back. “Is that all of them?”

The line had stopped coming out, and most were already in position in front of us. I raked my eyes along the line, but still put my bet on the first. They’d all put up a good fight though. And even the weaker ones get lucky sometimes, as I knew from the handful of times I’d bested Tova while growing up.

A roar went through the crowd, and a shape took form in the doorway. The figure hesitated in the darkness before marching into the light, a slight limp to their step and defiance in the way they moved. Their hair was a tangled knot on their head, tunic torn and stained with dirt, and a long cut down their face that made it tricky to see it clearly.

Until they got closer. Then I saw her, and my mind filled in every last detail for me. I saw how her right eye would twitch when she was nervous, how her lips would purse when she was mad, and how she had a tendency of rolling back her shoulders before every fight. They were rolled back now.

My body chilled, and I gripped the railing for support. Without it, I’d have fallen into the arena with them. With her.

“Tova,”

I whispered. My sister hadn’t spotted me yet, too busy glaring around her to find me. “That’s Tova.”

My sister was here in Asgard. She was one of the chosen champions.

Her eyes lifted, and they found mine.

Tova went rigid and her expression fell flat, and for a few moments she just blinked. Then her brows lowered and her eyes burned with anger like this was all my fault. I shook my head slowly, willing her to see me. I didn’t do this.

I still stood next to Ve, though many of the other gods had risen to their feet now. They all knew of the child marked by Odin. The stands were in an uproar.

But I could only guess what Tova thought of me right now. Standing before Odin’s seat, a band of laurel around my head, my hair chopped short, a silk dress held up by golden cords, and a handsome god at my side.

Beside me, Ve let out a low whistle. “And that one,”

he said, “is thinking about strangling you.”

“That’s my sister,”

I croaked.

His head whipped to look at me. “Your sister?”

I nodded, feeling faint. “It’s Tova.”

Ve had promised to be at my side through it all, not even his presence could spare me from this horror.

I tried not to look at the first champion now. Tova had to beat him. She had to win.

Tova glared at me, even as Ve cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Gods and goddesses of Asgard, I give you your champions.”

As the stands roared, blood rushed to my head. I could not lose her. This wasn’t right. I searched for someone to help, until my eye landed on Odin.

“Odin!”

I shouted over the noise. “Frigg! Odin, hear me!”

I pushed myself against the railing and shouted below me until Odin lifted his eye to mine. There was a knowing look hiding in the blues of them, and it sent a pang to my stomach. He knew. I thought back to what Thor had said. I’ve got a good feeling about twenty. That one is a fighter. And the thoughtful gaze from Svana as I passed. They all knew.

He told me he called off the plan to harm my family for stealing me. But the look in his eye said payment had to be made.

Not by her. She was innocent.

“Odin!”

I shouted harder, the plea tearing from my throat until those around had quieted to watch as I clawed at the rails. “She should not be here! You marked her as your favorite. You could not have marked her just to let her die!”

At my words, the fire in Tova’s eyes dimmed, though her jaw was still clenched and she still stood on her toes like she was ready either to flee or to attack whatever moved. I had no doubt she would do one or the other.

Odin swung his eye to Tova, who stared at him with no shame. “She had my favor, and all my blessings,”

Odin said. “But a week ago, she rejected them. Now, she will fight if she hopes to have my favor again.”

I tried to process his words. What did rejecting his blessing mean? Tova had been faithful to the gods her entire life, and nothing could sway her from that devotion. He must have gotten it wrong.

“You cannot do this to her,”

I shouted again. “She has a family!”

“They all have families,”

Odin shouted back. His voice wavered in a way that told me I was trying his patience. “But each of them has committed offense to me, and now they will fight to reclaim their place of honor.”

By now, the entire arena was holding their breath as we fought, so they all caught it when his voice darkened. “They will learn the consequences of disrespecting the gods.”

The hairs on my arms stood on end. I held his gaze.

I hadn’t known the champions were specifically selected by Odin to pay for wrongs against him. Though he spoke of them, his words could have been for me. Someday, I would pay for disrespecting the gods. I had renounced them. I had lost my faith in them. I had turned away from belief and scorned it all.

“Do not anger him further.”

Ve placed a hand on my arm.

I didn’t look at him. I looked back to Tova. She rocked on her heels a few times, taking in the line of mortals beside her. When her eyes met mine, I saw her plan in them. I couldn’t help her, but Tova had never been one to ask others for salvation. Before I could shake my head, she balled her hands in a fist and swung at the mortal beside her.

The knock of her fist resounded across the arena, and with it, madness erupted.

The other champions were already on edge, and the first sign of a fight sent them all in a rage of attacking one another with the only weapons they had: their hands. As the man Tova had punched steadied himself, a lithe girl flew to Tova’s side to wrap her hands around Tova’s neck and squeezed.

I yelped, but Ve grabbed my arm. “This is not your fight.”

“Let me go.”

I ripped out of his grasp, calculating how far I’d have to jump to reach the arena with Tova and if I could land without damaging my legs. Not likely, but as Tova’s face turned blue, the risk lessened until I’d tricked my mind into believing I could accomplish the jump.

I’d just taken my breath before jumping when the first champion came behind the girl strangling Tova, grabbed her by the waist, and flung her into the side of the arena. No one could miss the loud crack as her body hit the wood, and her head hung limply to the side.

Tova wasted no time in throwing herself at the strong first, ruthlessly jabbing her knee into his groin even though he’d just saved her. First winced. Tova got two more punches into his gut before he backhanded her across the face and sent her to the floor.

The gods were all on their feet, and amidst their shouts I couldn’t tell if they were cheering them on or calling for them to stop.

“What was your sister thinking?”

Ve hissed under his breath. “Odin won’t be pleased.”

I tried not to look down at Odin and how far my sister was falling from his favor. “She was getting a head start,”

I replied. Balder was looking at me from his seat nearby, with pity etched into the deep lines of his forehead. For some reason, the pity only irritated me further.

First towered over Tova, who struggled to get her legs under her.

“No!”

I grabbed the rails. I was jumping this time.

To my surprise, Ve jumped first.

He leapt with far more grace than I could have, throwing himself into the arena with the others. With a swift motion, he punched First’s jaw to get him to stand back from Tova, turned to the rest of the champions, and roared, “Enough!”

His voice carried power that shook the dust beneath their feet, and all the champions stilled. Their chests heaved, and their eyes still blazed, but Ve stared them down until one by one they relaxed and fell back into line.

He offered a hand to Tova. She pushed it away.

“You will get your chance at glory tomorrow,”

he said to them all. “For tonight, you will thank Odin’s mercy he did not strike you down for disobedience.”

His wary look lingered on Tova before he turned for the girl who had been knocked against the wooden walls.

He knelt at her side, placed a hand under her head, and lifted it up. His other hand went over her forehead, and his eyes closed. He took three deep breaths. By the third, the girl was opening her eyes to blink repeatedly and scramble to her knees. Her hands rolled into fists while she flung her gaze around the arena with a growl in her throat.

“Easy,”

Ve said in a calming voice that I swore calmed the gods as well as the mortal. “You will not fight today.”

He stood as she calmed, and gave one more look to the other nineteen champions.

“That is the last time you will fight without someone dying,”

he said. They all stiffened. “Tomorrow, the games begin. Get some rest.”

He flicked his hand in the direction of the doors.

The champions hesitated, mostly First, looking at Ve like they might try to fight him. But then they swept their eyes over the rest of the gods and dropped their heads to retreat back into the dark tunnel leading to their cells. A guard stood there to make certain they all got in.

Tova was the last to go, turning her head back to see me again.

“What of that mortal?”

She asked. Her words bit the silence, until I could practically taste her fury. “Will she fight?”

Ve had scaled the ridges in the wall to throw himself over, and rejoined my side. He planted himself firmly there, and looked at Tova. “This is not a mortal.”

I tried to shake my head at her, to ask her to leave peacefully, but that had never been Tova’s style.

“Not a mortal? I know her.”

“Go,”

I told her. She did not. Instead she turned her sharp tongue to me.

“You’ll let nineteen others die as you watch, allowing them to think they are doing so in your honor?”

She pressed. “All the while you are just like us?”

“Tova, go.”

Ve spoke louder. “She is not like you. She is a goddess, and she is my betrothed. You will speak no ill of her while you are here.”

I’d rarely seen Tova at a loss for words, but she stood still. Her mouth hung limp. Her eyes found mine. There were questions there, ones I couldn’t begin to answer.

“Go,”

I begged her again.

This time, she listened.

The door closed behind her with a crack.

“Are you okay?”

Ve asked as I left.

My voice was hardly a whisper, trapped inside the confused parts of myself and hardly able to break out. “No.”

There was much between my sister and me since the last time we’d seen each other—training side by side by the fjord. Both our lives had changed drastically. She’d accepted the hand of the boy I loved. I’d run away. Only a week had passed but our relationship had aged years, and I hadn’t thought it would survive the change. But seeing her here, about to fight for her life, took away all anger I’d held toward her.

The odd part was the anger in her own expression. I hadn’t done a thing to warrant that. I wasn’t the one who took her fiancé. I didn’t bring her here.

It was subtle, but I caught how Ve shifted to recompose himself before speaking. “Well, Odin, now I see why I got your job this year,”

he joked. The gods laughed. “I am grateful you are taking back your seat tomorrow. Tomorrow proves to be an exciting day.”

With a bow, he dismissed us, and the even rows of the gods blurred into a mass as they gathered in groups to talk about what took place. The betting booth opened again, this time to take bets now that they’d seen the champions, and to my delight, twenty was mentioned several times. But the first was mentioned the most.

She would need help defeating him. But luckily for Tova, she was not alone here.

“Tell me how to get into the cells,”

I ordered Ve.

“We aren’t allowed in there.”

I grated my teeth. “I’ll see about that.”

I swung myself over the railing and slid down before dropping the rest of the way into the arena. The guard at the cell door stiffened as I strode toward him, hardening his features into a burly expression. From how I’d yelled at Odin earlier, I wasn’t certain how much credibility I still had, but I clung to the last threads of it as I held my head high and spoke in a voice befitting a goddess. Astrid would be proud.

“Number twenty,”

I said. “I am summoning her to Hitta Haven.”

“Why?”

he asked in a voice so deep it might have come from a bear. I tried not to quiver.

“I am curious about her, and I wish to share a meal before she dies.”

The words were hard to say, as much as I told myself that wouldn’t happen.

“Please,”

Ve said, appearing over my shoulder. “Ruin is Odin’s favorite right now, and I’m sure he’ll bless you for serving his favorite.”

The guard didn’t flinch, but stood there very still for a few moments before giving a curt nod. “She will be escorted to Hitta Haven this evening.”

“Thank you.”

Ve gave me a worried look, but I ignored it. As I walked away, I tried not to think the words in my head: one last evening with my sister.