Page 41 of Soul of Shadow #1

“It is rumored,” Sophie said, “that the Fenrir knows the location of the Seal. That he coaxed it out of an injured raven who flew into the cave where he was chained up, offering the healing power of his blood in return for information.”

Goose bumps rose on Charlie’s skin. “And he’s Loki’s son,” she said. “If he gives that information to his father…”

“Exactly.” Sophie nodded gravely. “As far as we know, the Fenrir has not yet passed that information on to Loki. He seems to be playing his own game—to what end, we don’t know.

” She fixed Charlie with a hard stare. “But if Elias is searching for the Fenrir, then he’s searching for the location of the Seal.

What I need you to do”—she touched the hilt of her sword—“is to find the Fenrir before Elias does.”

“And do what? Wouldn’t seeking out such a bloodthirsty beast be a death wish?”

“Yes,” Sophie said, “but only if you came without something the Fenrir desperately wanted.” Reaching over her shoulder, she unlatched a small leather pouch tied shut with string.

She held it out for Charlie to take. “When you find the wolf, you’re not to approach or engage him.

Just figure out where he’s made his lair and then get the Hel out of there.

And if things take a turn for the worse, you use what’s inside this bag, and then you get the Hel out of there. ”

“What is it?” Charlie asked, taking the pouch from Sophie and turning it over in her fingers.

“Feathers from the cloak of the goddess Freyja, imbued with extraordinary magic of protection against supernatural beings. After a lifetime spent chained to a rock, that is what the Fenrir will desire above all else: protection from the power of the gods. The feathers are one of the only things that can provide that.”

Curious, Charlie pulled on the ties of the bag, trying to open it. Sophie reached out and grabbed her fingers, stilling them.

“Don’t,” Sophie warned. “Those feathers are not to be used lightly. Each contains immense power and can only be used once. Don’t open that bag. Not unless you absolutely need to. Trust me.”

Charlie hesitated, studying her sister’s eyes. Then she nodded, setting the pouch on her desk. “I’ll keep it safe.”

“Good. Because, Charlie—” Sophie reached down and took her twin’s hands.

Her leather gloves felt soft and worn on Charlie’s skin, as if they’d held many swords in their lifetime.

Charlie gripped her hands tightly within her own, a miniature version of the hug she so desperately wanted to give.

“The cracks in the Seal are widening. Beasts are slipping through all around the world, out into the human realm. If we don’t act quickly, things will get very bad, very fast.”

“What are you going to do?” Charlie whispered.

“Leave that to us,” Sophie said. “To the Valkyries. You need to focus on finding the Fenrir, saving those kids, and stopping Elias from getting any information on the location of the Seal.” She leaned forward, lowering her voice slightly.

“I know it’s a lot to ask of you. But I also know that there’s no one better for the job. ”

Charlie shook her head. She hadn’t realized how afraid she was until her sister spoke those words. It was her and a bag of feathers against a mare, a monster, and a trickster god. Could she really do this? Her, a powerless human being?

“I don’t know, Sophie,” she whispered at last. “What if you’re wrong about me? ”

Sophie’s eyes softened. She squeezed Charlie’s hands, her grip strong and fierce.

“I’m not,” she whispered back. “Do the things that scare you, Charlie. Go into that forest. Find the Fenrir before Elias does. Allow yourself to see, to truly see , all the magic that you now know lives around you. Be brave .” She squeezed her hands again, looking deep into Charlie’s eyes.

“Be the girl I always knew you could be.”

Her words plunged deep into Charlie’s chest. They stirred up old feelings, old desires, like stones thrown into a long-empty sea. You were always meant for more , her twin had once whispered, in a dream or in a memory, Charlie still wasn’t sure.

She sensed that their time together was coming to an end.

She wanted desperately to grab her sister, to beg her not to go.

A foolish part of her imagined that Sophie could fold into their family again.

Could heal the grief that had hung over them for the past two years.

She could move back into this bedroom, could come to school and sit with her, Lou, and Abigail at lunch; she could be Charlie’s twin sister again. Life would be so easy. So wonderful.

Yet that wasn’t her life anymore. Her life was goblins in the forest, lying mares as homecoming dates, Valkyrie sisters with wings. There was no going back to what used to be. Charlie knew that without having to ask.

With one last smile, Sophie stepped backward, releasing her hands. Charlie’s heart ached at the absence. “Promise me, Charlie,” she said. “Promise me you will carry out this mission.”

Charlie swallowed, barely able to scrape together enough saliva to coat her throat. “I promise,” she said at last.

“Good. There’s just one more thing.” Sophie reached around her waist, extracting a knife from the tangle of weapons on her back.

She flipped it around, catching it by the blade and holding out the hilt.

“This knife can cut through anything. Concrete, bone, iron—you name it. It’ll go through.

But it will never cut its owner. Not even if you stab yourself with it. ”

Charlie widened her eyes, closing her hand tentatively around the blade’s hilt. “Are you… giving that to me?”

Sophie nodded, releasing the knife. “It’s yours now. Keep it safe.”

Without another word, her sister turned and leapt up onto the desk, her legs as strong as an Olympian’s. She ducked low, stepping through the open window and out into the night. Sophie turned for one last look at her sister.

“I’m counting on you, Charlie,” said Sophie. As she spoke, her wings unfolded, preparing for flight, and the light Charlie had seen around her earlier began to glow again, getting steadily brighter and brighter. “As is the rest of the world, even if they do not know it.”

The light around her body built to a blinding peak, like a star exploding, and Charlie squeezed her eyes shut and heard the sound of wings flapping against the wind. When she opened her eyes, the night was dark and her sister was gone.