A Midwinter Fantasy - Leanna Renee Hieber [89]
A skinny man with long dark hair and pointed features pulled the edge of the sack, sliding her around in a graceful arc to lie at Odin’s feet. The gaze from the god’s single visible eye raked over her accusingly. His scowl deepened, creasing his ancient face like old paper.
“She has the look of the Deathless One,” Odin said.
Sonja lay still so she wouldn’t antagonize him, but she listened intently.
Another man who looked like Huginn’s twin stepped into view. They had to be her two kidnappers. “Is she dangerous?”
“Of course not.” Odin flapped a dismissive hand. “Her power’s bound to the Crystal Crib.”
“Shall I remove her gag so you can question her?” Huginn asked.
“I’ll cast the runes first.” Odin pointed his staff at a table across the room. “Muninn, my bag.”
The more timid of the two kidnappers retrieved a brown leather bag with a drawstring top. Odin shook the bag then dug inside and scattered on the ground a handful of rectangular wooden pieces marked with symbols. He stared down at them, absently scratching his beard.
“Hmm.” His gaze moved back to her and he puffed out a blast of stinking breath.
“Can you use her against Troy?” Huginn asked.
“The runes say she’s the catalyst for great change.”
Muninn shuffled closer and stared down at the wooden pieces with a frown. “Is that good?”
Odin cuffed him around the head. “Change is never good, you imbecile.” Odin’s face scrunched into deeper creases so his good eye nearly disappeared beneath his bushy gray eyebrow. “She might discover her power and become a threat like her father.”
Was it possible she had inherited power from Troy? The idea of flying or being super strong like Superman appealed to her. She imagined the shock on Odin’s face if she broke free of her bonds and zoomed off into the night.
Just another stupid dream. The vision faded, and she sank back into her chilled misery. She didn’t have any power. The only way she would escape was if Vidar or her father rescued her.
Vidar’s warm, reassuring presence hummed more strongly in her mind, easing her fear. The sound of raised voices behind her made her crane her head around. Her heart jumped as Vidar paced in and bore down on them, his face a mask of anger.
“What in the Furies are you doing?” He swept past her, kicked the scattered wooden runes aside, and crouched between her and Odin. “Are you all right, Sonja?”
“Leave her be, Vidar,” Odin boomed in a voice that made the floor vibrate.
“She’s no threat to you,” Vidar snapped without turning. He loosened the gag and pulled it away from her mouth. She dragged in her first decent breath in hours, filling her lungs with cold air flavored with the hot spicy tang of Vidar’s scent.
The tension inside her eased as Vidar untied her and helped her to her feet. His presence in her mind felt so familiar and natural she yearned to stay with him even while her common sense demanded that she get out of Iceland and never return.
Vidar pulled off his fur coat and helped her into it, fastening the front to keep her warm.
“You’ll get cold without your coat, son,” Odin said sulkily.
“I’ll get cold!” Vidar shook his head in disbelief. His father was losing his mind. “Are you trying to incite Troy to violence? He’ll bring Valhalla down around your ears if he discovers you’ve kidnapped his daughter and left her to die of exposure.”
“I want to keep her as insurance—freeze her again.”
“She’s too big for her Crystal Crib now,” Huginn piped up.
Sonja stiffened beneath his arm. “What’s that?” she asked, through chattering teeth.
“Nothing important.” Vidar hoped the others didn’t elaborate. “Let me take her back to her cabin at the resort. If she goes home tomorrow Troy will stay away and you can relax for another few decades.”
Odin peered up from beneath the brim of his hat, his mouth a flat sulky line. “No.” The word echoed around the room with finality. “She’s my insurance.”
Vidar sucked in a breath, released it slowly. He could reason with his father on many subjects but not on Troy; the old enmity had poisoned his father’s mind.