"from other worlds"“Erik always made really good lamb stew.” Einar smiled thoughtfully as he ate his last spoonful. “Every spring we eat it. It was a tradition with me, Erik, and gran; I miss it.” Rune had finished her own bowl and was now gathering dirty plates, leaving Vargr’s for last since he was still licking the bottom of it. “Maybe it is something we can continue then.” Einar nodded at her before he took a swig of wine from his cup. “Not if I’m not welcome in your village. I suppose it is full of other non-humans?” Rune excused herself to the living room and sat down on the sofa. Einar and Ronan followed and took a seat next to her before Einar replied, “Yes, exclusively. Anything human has gone now, only animals remain. Our camp is a mixture of different people from different worlds, but they all had once been aligned with Asgard and its rule. But things got…complicated and some of them decided to retreat to greener pastures, so to speak. There are camps and villages like ours all over the planet, but we stay hidden with magi, so that we aren’t found out. Now our kind is the only one left in this world.” “And it’s safe there?” Rune queried, a wistful look on her face. “I think it is; we really haven’t had any problems as long as we stay within the confines of the settlement. Leaving to hunt or travel for trade can be especially dangerous now, though.” Einar informed her. “Good. If you’re up to it, I want you to take Ronan with you and go there tomorrow. Keep him there where it’s safe.” Rune commanded, surprising both the men seated next to her. “I don’t think so, Rune. You really thought I would just go for that? You’re stuck with me—I mean, if you’ll have me.” Ronan’s words tapered off at the end. At least she tried. “It’s safer for you. It was where you were supposed to go in the first place. Whatever is going on, we are targets just like Einar said we would be. Being here just isn’t safe—not forever, anyway.” She tried just one more time to convince him. But Einar interjected, “I did say that, yes. After discovering you and the attempted hijacking of refugees on that night, I thought it better for Ronan to be far away from where they knew he was supposed to land. Forcing him to believe he was human just added a layer of protection.” He turned to Rune, “And I did the same for you because I knew there had to be a good reason you were smuggled onto the caravan and the fact that you were unidentifiable convinced me all the more to protect you just as much as Ronan. Chances are, you left from Asgard too, but that’s all I know. That’s all any of us know.” Rune didn’t like feeling like the center of attention and her story was a dead end at the moment; Ronan’s on the other hand, had the potential for more detail. “Enough about me; what about Ronan? You obviously knew him from before and it sounded like you arranged his transportation, so who is he to you? Are you two related?” Rune changed the subject. But this shift in conversation made Einar visibly uncomfortable and she knew she had hit a sore spot. Einar appeared to be searching his mind for the right words to reply, but he just ended up stuttering over how he didn’t want to talk about it. “Really? After all this, after I have someone sitting in front of me from my past life on a different world and you’re going to do this again? Why does talking about me and my past make you so uneasy?” Ronan became frustrated with the newcomer again. Einar was stone still and silent as he closed his eyes tightly and clenched his jaw. He was fighting with himself over whether or not it was time to talk about certain things, but it was only going to make Ronan angrier and whittle away at whatever trust had been rebuilt if he didn’t. “Fine,” Einar burst, “You want to know more about who you are? Who we are to each other? Are you sure you’re ready for that? Because it’s going to shatter everything that you know about yourself now.” Ronan hadn’t thought about it that way, but maybe it was better to get it over with, to just rip the Band-Aid off and deal with the momentary shock than to slowly drag out the possible pain from knowing. “Yes. I’m ready. I need to know.” Ronan exhaled. Einar stood and began to pace while he chose his words carefully, “You, Ronan, are the son of a King. And that means that you, yourself, are royalty. But your father left Asgard one day on one of the many journeys he undertook and he never returned. Your mother was left with a hard decision when the time came to fill your father’s seat: crown you as the new ruler at such a young age, or re-marry to someone from another clan and join the two in an alliance, still potentially leaving you the seat when you were old enough. She chose to re-marry and things quickly went downhill. The clan she chose to align with wasn’t as they seemed and as soon as the wedding ceremony was finished, your whole clan was taken captive and forced to integrate into the groom’s clan. You weren’t treated well, none of us were. We were young when this happened, a good bit younger than we were when we escaped, and those years were—not easy ones. We grew up together: your mother was from Svartalfheim and so was mine. My father, an Alfar, was killed when I was too young to remember and when your father chose your mother as his new bride, she petitioned him to let her bring my mother along as they were like sisters, though both of them had been the only girl in a brood of boys. He allowed it and we grew up side by side until I had to leave because of the resistance that was building; that’s when I fled to Midgard. But I never stopped fighting to get you here. I just feared that it would be too late.” Einar locked eyes with Ronan as he finished his speech. Ronan noticed for the first time, how incredibly blue his eyes were and wondered if Rune had noticed the same. “So, you’re like brothers then.” Rune thought she understood, but by the sound Einar made, she obviously didn’t. “No, not even close. I didn’t know if this day would ever come, where I’d have to say this. I spent a long time trying to forget.” Einar ridiculed himself. “Forget what?” Ronan asked, a weird feeling washing over him. “We were always by each other’s side, Ronan; best friends till the end, we would say. But, um—but as we got older, our feelings for each other changed.” Einar was having a very rough time getting his words out. “Oh.” Rune breathed quietly. She definitely understood this time. “What are you saying exactly?” Ronan wanted clarification, but the weird feeling had settled in his stomach. “What I’m saying is that—we became lovers. I don’t think I remember exactly where we crossed that line, but we were even closer than we had been before. Got in trouble quite a few times for—never mind. I think we were in love then. It was the main reason that I left like I did because I knew it would be easier for me to escape and then I could find a way to get you out of there. But it all went wrong and the neural connections in the orb were damaged because of the crash, causing you both to have some issues that I rectified as best I could. Chances are if you were left alone, it would have righted itself and everything would have become clear again, but at that point it wasn’t an option anymore. I had to give you up to keep you alive.” Einar confessed everything. “Holy shit.” Ronan cussed, jumping up from the sofa. Einar hadn’t been wrong about things shattering. “That’s what I kept seeing.” Rune mumbled to herself, verifying that Einar’s strange movements and behavior in relation to Ronan made sense now. Einar appeared agitated as he spoke, “I told you. I told you what knowing could do and I didn’t even give you every detail because I feel like that is something you need to experience for yourself. I don’t want this knowledge to change anything between us as far as this new relationship we may be building; what’s in the past is in the past.” Einar was hurting; Rune could feel it. He was still in love with Ronan because he remembered it all. And Ronan hadn’t said much more than a few expletives and was now in the kitchen, pacing back and forth himself. He returned in a short while with the bottle of wine and passed it down the line. “I’m a fucking prince? Ha! Royalty…really?” Ronan laughed at himself before he took another sip of wine. Do you understand now? Vargr had appeared by Rune’s side without her knowing. Understand what? Rune asked silently. Why Ronan can’t hear me. Oh. She understood. Ronan couldn’t hear him because he was different…he was Asgardian royalty. And that meant that she clearly was something else. What are we? What are you? I’m clearly not of royal blood because we can understand one another, so we must be the same, or at least similar. I have to know more. Rune pleaded. I am from a place that wasn’t even mentioned tonight. That is all I can tell you. But I think I am going to sleep with the horse; I need the fresh air. Vargr nudged Rune’s knee with his nose before he turned around and let himself out of the bunker. Rune had missed part of the conversation between Einar and Ronan and tried to catch up. “So, were we just fuck buddies or did we have an actual relationship?” Ronan was asking Einar a loaded question. Einar sighed, “I thought I was clear on that. I think I was in love, but I don’t know how you truly felt. We grew up telling each other I love you, so saying it wasn’t profound in that way. But we never said more than that. We were romantic, yes, if that is what you’re specifically asking.” Rune could see that this subject was still rather raw for Einar. Maybe she needed to try steering the conversation in a different direction. “I hope this isn’t rude of me to ask, but are you bisexual, Ronan?” Rune stuck her nose right into the middle of their business. He looked over at her with a smirk on his face, “Ah, it’s complicated. I’m attracted to blokes, I’m attracted to ladies, and I can be attracted to those in between or none of the above. Attraction for me is deeper, you know? It’s not this or that; it’s whatever ignites my passions and inspires my soul.” That wasn’t the answer that she expected, but it made her feel rather warm inside to know that he was so open about love, romance, and sex; Rune had never really seen a lot of that in the opposite sex while growing up and here Ronan was saying such profound things. It was incredibly refreshing. “Mm, that’s almost exactly how you put it to me after we kissed for the first time.” Einar recalled with a slight smile. “What about you, love? How and who do you love?” Ronan turned on her, but she wasn’t prepared to answer. “I—” Rune sighed quietly, “Love isn’t something that I’ve ever done well. I always thought I was straight, I had a few boyfriends and I put everything that I had into the relationships, but it never ended well—cheating, abuse, manipulation. It painted how I thought relationships and sexuality were supposed to be. But I’m older now and after a lot of soul searching and really looking at myself I decided that I’m non-binary, I’m not really a sexual person unless someone stimulates my mind, and I’m not really attracted to women in a sexual way, but I couldn’t rule out a romantic relationship with the same sex. That was a long-winded way for me to say what you just said; connections like that don’t have to be black or white, nor should they be so confined.” Rune finished, making herself feel vulnerable again. Ronan seemed pleased with himself for some reason and Einar appeared to be looking at her in a different light. “I’m on the same page as the rest of you, if anyone is wondering, but it’s late and I really am tired. Is there a place I can rest?” Einar stretched and let out a huge yawn. “Um, is the sofa alright? Or you can have the bed. Either way, two people will have to share. Though, there is the spare room in the back.” Rune hadn’t thought about the lack of individual sleeping space since Vargr had only taken up a spot on the floor. “The sofa is fine.” Einar took his freshly clean shirt off as he spoke, “You should sleep too; I want to take you both somewhere tomorrow and you’re going to need your strength.” Einar laid down flat on his back atop the sofa and laced his hands behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling for a little while before he finally closed his eyes and drifted to sleep. Indeed, it was late and the two still awake were finally feeling the weight of the past few days. Even though Rune had slept as long as she did, it hadn’t made her feel well rested in the slightest. “You don’t mind me sharing a bed with ya’? I can take a sleeping bag on the floor, the other room, or something if—” Ronan started, but Rune cut him off. “Will you stop with that? Are you anticipating a rejection from me?” “No, I just don’t want to sound presumptuous with certain things; I don’t want to cross any lines.” Ronan admitted. The kiss. The way she acted after the kiss—that’s when he started doing this. He had become so afraid that he was going to overstep his bounds again and break her trust. She had planted a seed of fear in him…a fear of losing her if he did the wrong thing. She knew that feeling all too well, except in her experience, the other party had convinced her that she had done something wrong when she hadn’t. Lack of communication was a big issue, though it was most likely deliberate in her case, and she didn’t want her trauma to bleed over into her relationship with Ronan. “I’ll tell you if you are; you don’t have to be afraid all the time. Let’s go to sleep, ok?” Rune reached out for Ronan’s hand and tugged him to the bed. He kicked off his shoes and removed his trousers before he climbed into bed and waited for Rune to turn off the lights and click on the TV. Ronan watched as she slipped off her leggings and slid under the downy blanket that covered the bed. “If you want to cuddle or anything, I won’t say no.” Ronan whispered in the darkness. Just the thought of warmth from another human being urged Rune to crawl into his arms, but she hesitated. “No pressure; I’m here if you want me.” Ronan’s voice was breathy as he tried to keep it low. He rolled over to face the wall and settled into the pillows. She did. She wanted to feel connected since she now felt more detached from people than she ever had. And he didn’t know, he had no idea, but Ronan knew who he was now, and even though she was still an enigma, a potential fly in the ointment, he still cared about her as if nothing had changed. Rune cautiously scooted herself closer to Ronan in the bed, pressing herself up against his back as she slipped an arm under his and around his chest. Instantly, her body relaxed and she pulled herself up close so that she could press her face against his back. She closed her eyes and tried to drift to sleep, a strong hand covering hers now as she held on tight. Rune wanted to remember this moment as one of peace, because she had a feeling that things were going to get very rough for them. (*) Rune woke up the next morning, her face buried in Ronan’s chest, who was still sound asleep. Their hands were still linked from the night before, his free arm wrapped around her waist in a protective grip. He may have still been asleep, but she could hear rustling behind her and figured that Einar was already up. “Ronan, get up. I think we have to get ready to go.” Rune slipped her hand from his and gently tousled the wave of hair on his head. He groaned and rolled over, flipping her over with him. She cried out in surprise, but he quickly calmed her when he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back to him. “Just—five more minutes.” He whispered in her ear, the sensation making her shudder. How could she say no to that when he had her held captive? Especially since she was perfectly content staying right where she was… “Five more minutes now, means five more minutes wasted later. We don’t want to be traveling at night and we’ve already slept entirely too late.” Einar’s voice interrupted any extra sleep that Ronan was going to get. “Fine, fine. But I’m sleeping in five minutes later tomorrow morning.” Ronan grumbled, releasing Rune from his hold. The two climbed out of bed, one after the other, and went their separate ways to dress and pack. Most of what Ronan had was there in the living room, and he hastily began to change while Einar stood close by, going through a worn leather bag that was propped up on the sofa. Einar tried not to blatantly stare, but he couldn’t help himself as Ronan stood bare chested next to him as he fiddled with a clean shirt. He was covered in tattoos, all down his arms and over his chest. Most were more modern and definitely a product of place, but there were a few that heralded his roots, even if he wasn’t aware of it when he got them. “Where’d the bag come from, mate?” Ronan asked, snapping Einar from his thoughts. He hastily shoved his things inside before he slung it over his shoulder and replied, “I had it stowed outside and went back to retrieve it when I woke this morning. It has a few rations, some coin, and several other things, but it’s mostly everything I need.” “That’s like my backpack. I left a whole flat full of stuff, including my guitar, and shoved everything I could possibly need into this, then left to find Rune.” Ronan held up his bag before he put it on. “You never did say how you two met.” Einar asked curiously as they waited for Rune to return. “The short of it? She was broadcasting on a radio frequency and I happened to pick it up. We talked for a while, but she was unsure about meeting each other. Then something happened; she found this black metal box under the floor in the closet and promptly started to—hear a voice. She confessed to me that she was mentally ill and this wasn’t the first time she had heard voices. Somehow, she convinced herself that I wasn’t real because it told her so; that box was literally driving her mad. I decided that I had to come here and find her because she left me with dead air after telling me about what was going on with the box.” Ronan tried to condense the story as best he could. But it was enough to cause Einar to become alarmed, “Where is this box now, Ronan?” “In her gran’s safety-deposit box at the bank. It’s the only thing we could think of to get it far away from her. She didn’t want to destroy it because she found it with a note from Erik that said not to open it till the night of the actual meteor shower, which is when it went off.” Ronan explained. “Went off? Like an alarm?” Einar needed to know. “Yup. Horrible fucking sound too.” Ronan confirmed. At that moment, Rune entered the room with a bag of her own. She felt the energy shift when she walked in and wondered what the two had been discussing to cause the denseness in the air. “Take me to it.” Einar demanded. Rune had sat down to put on her boots when he made the command and asked, “Take you to what?” “I told him about the box.” Ronan admitted a bit sheepishly. Rune popped up from the chair with only one boot and pointed at Einar, “No. Fuck no. That thing almost caused me to kill Ronan; it needs to stay where it is.” “I understand, but we need to retrieve it. I have a feeling that I know what is inside.” Einar defied what she said. Rune didn’t want him to touch it, to take it; she just wanted it to rot in permanence inside that bank, but she gave in, “Fine, but I won’t be around it. It’s not safe.” Einar nodded, “Then let’s go. This detour is going to cost us some time.” (*) “It really said all of that to her?” Einar questioned Ronan as the two walked into the safe inside the bank. “According to her, and I don’t think she would lie. But I never heard any of it.” Ronan disclosed. Einar grunted, “That’s what I figured. Which box?” Ronan pointed at the one numbered ‘Nine’ and sat back while Einar unlocked the safety deposit box and pulled out the metal one. It was just a box for them, just a metal object that made no sound; there was no voice to be heard. Einar took it over to the table in the middle of the room and set it down before he flipped it over to find the alarm switch and no sign of how to open it. He felt around on the box until he found what he was looking for. The box made a clicking noise before a panel opened up in the front. Einar slipped his hand inside and pulled out what appeared to be a piece of raw fungus, smooth and flat on one side. But he flipped it over to reveal hundreds of tiny little tendrils that undulated back and forth like kelp at the bottom of the ocean. “What the hell is that?” Ronan probed, pointing at the object in Einar’s hand. “This,” Einar started, “Is a Death Cap. It is placed on the back of the neck before one enters an orb for transport. The little fibers you see here work their way into the skin and put the passenger in a sort of stasis. It’s made from the roots of Yggdrasil and it connects one to the world tree directly for several reasons: to guide them to their destination since the tree is sort of like an energetic super highway, to ground the body and keep it in stasis while on its trip, and as a way to communicate with those not in the same world as you. My guess is that this one is Rune’s and Erik must have found it, most likely still attached, when they came upon her in the field. Yours was in your orb.” “Ok, we know what it is, but what happened with Rune? Why was she hearing a voice like that?” Ronan still didn’t understand that part. “My theory is that Erik put it in that box for safe keeping. That technique of metal crafting was taught to him by myself, but the electronic aspect was all him. He knew what a Death Cap was because he was with me when I found your orb, though I have no idea why he didn’t tell me about hers then; I figured it had just been lost in the crash. Erik knew that the communicator only worked two ways during the window of the meteor shower. It was a time where it made it difficult to monitor travel between the worlds, especially after Heimdallr was ousted. The only way to communicate across the divide was by using the tree; once that window was closed, the tree’s energy is blocked. I’ll explain more about that later, but what I am trying to get at is, Erik knew when the meteor shower came again, that communication would potentially be open and maybe Rune could make contact with whoever sent her here. The alarm was most likely set to go off right before the shower to remind him. He would then have given the Death Cap to Rune and seen if she could talk to her host. I think that’s what she was hearing; whoever it was that sent her here. What I don’t understand is how because you have to place the fibers onto the skin so that they can connect with Yggdrasil to make contact with whoever is on the other side.” Einar elaborated as he held the Death Cap in his hand, tendril side up. “Can you tap into it and see who was talking to her?” Ronan wondered out loud. “No. There is a ceremony involved and these pieces are intrinsically connected to the individual. Once they activate it, they can connect with whoever has a part of their blood. They can give their blood to a single person, or multiple people, but it sort of works like a phone number if that makes sense. We don’t have a way to even pick up the phone.” Einar tried to explain as best he could. “But, whoever was trying to contact her was—not nice to put it lightly. You heard some of the stories and that happened in only the span of a week. I wonder if she hadn’t previously had issues if this would have been a problem. Either way, whoever that was, wanted me dead.” Ronan hung his head low, thinking back to Rune with the gun aimed at his chest. “Because they must know who you are, whether Rune does or not. All the more reason we need to get going.” Einar placed the Death Cap back in the box and put the box in his satchel. “Wait, you’re bringing it with us? Are you going to tell Rune what was in it?” Ronan blocked Einar from leaving the vault till he answered. “She can’t know; imagine how it would make her feel if she knew that someone she trusted wanted you dead…or if somewhere deep inside her she knows and finding this out triggers something.” Einar was severe in his words. “You can’t just bring that around her, though.” Ronan still wouldn’t let him pass even though he tried. “The window of communication is closed now; there won’t be any direct contact that way for another twenty years when the next cavalcade arrives. She’s safe, we just can’t tell her. We’ll say that I couldn’t figure out how to open the box and that it’s best we leave it behind for now. We have more important things to do anyway.” Einar assured Ronan that it would be alright and he was finally able to pass by, encouraging Ronan to follow. “How did it go in there?” Rune asked as she stood by Sleipnir. “Couldn’t figure out how to even get it open. I think we should just leave it for now and be on our way.” Einar replied as he and Ronan exited the bank. “I could have told you that we should leave it.” Rune shrugged as she mounted Sleipnir and offered a hand for Ronan to join her. “Should’ve listened to you.” Einar agreed, casting a sideways glance at Ronan. “Where’s Vargr?” Ronan asked, noting that the wolf wasn’t with them. “He said he was going to go on ahead and make sure everything was clear.” Rune informed them, turning the horse to head in that direction. “You trust this varg?” Einar had to ask. He had wanted to since they first met. Rune glanced over at him and said, “I would think that was obvious, considering. Do your people have a distaste for his kind?” Ronan could hear the defensive tone in her voice as she asked. He hoped that this wouldn’t escalate into an argument. “You named most of the realms, but do you really know the stories? I would think you would, being where you’ve lived this whole time.” Einar scoffed at her. “Ah, because of Fenrir. Or Sköll and Hati? A fear of Ragnarök?” Rune spoke a word that caused Einar to flinch. “You’re still skeptical and that’s understandable. But yes, vargs aren’t generally trusted where we are from. But I did watch him protect you from harm on multiple occasions and he restrained himself around me and Ronan, so maybe he isn’t all bad. I just don’t know how I feel about him.” Einar expounded. “You and Ronan both.” Rune grumbled, There was a question Einar had wanted to ask and he figured he might as well irritate Rune all at once and get it over with. “You said you can hear the varg’s thoughts?” He slipped the question in as nonchalantly as possible. “Yes. And he can hear mine.” Rune replied, staring ahead at the road as they continued to travel. “Can he and Ronan communicate that way?” Einar prodded further even though he already knew the answer. Rune shot a look at him, but Ronan answered, “No. I don’t hear a damn thing; she has to translate.” Einar scratched the hair on his chin, “Hm, that’s interesting. I wonder why that is?” “Your guess is as good as mine.” Rune shrugged, tapping Sleipnir’s side with the heel of her boots so that he would speed up. Einar could tell that she was ending the conversation and thought it best to leave the subject be for a while, though he knew she was hiding something. She knew that nobody but her could communicate with the Varg, but did she know why? They made it to the edge of town where Vargr was waiting patiently just outside the dense forest entrance. There was another downed tree just near him and Sleipnir responded adversely to seeing it just lying there. He whinnied and reared back, causing Ronan to tighten his grip around Rune’s waist. She steered him clear of the tree and caught up with Vargr who stood and began to pad his way into the trees. There are several downed trees along the path, so we need to be careful. My assumption is that they’ve loosened the trees with their gnawing, but didn’t fell them. They’ve left them to fall on their own using the natural vibration of movement. “Booby traps.” Rune breathed, her brow furrowed. Vargr barked in response. “What about booby traps?” Ronan asked quietly. Rune considered not letting Einar in on this, but it would be counterproductive, so she spoke loud enough for both to hear, “Vargr says that the Linnormr have set booby traps along the trail with the trees. There are several that have fallen because of their gnawing, but he says that they aren’t the ones to fell them. Movement near them can cause them to fall…” “They must know we’re coming or at the very least are prepared for it. We need to be cautious; try to stay on the side of the road and keep your eyes open.” Einar instructed as they all filed in with Vargr at the lead and Einar taking up the rear. Maybe you should let Ronan lead the horse. You may be more useful to all of us if you have no other distractions. Vargr spoke to Rune again without looking at her. You think there are more traps to turn us around? I destroyed all the ones I saw, but they had time to replace them. Rune asked as she panned her eyes across the trail in front of them. I knew you’d find something, but yes. Anything that looks out of the ordinary. We try and stay hidden, just like those from Einar’s clan. I may not be like the Linnormr or the Úlfberi , but we are bred from similar stock. The fact that you can see their magi is a feat and it makes me wonder…can you see the magi of Einar’s clan? Because I can guarantee you that is where we are headed. Rune narrowed her eyes at the back of the wolf’s head as she thought, Does he seriously think that I will be welcomed? Is he trying to get me killed? Vargr turned his head slightly, Why don’t you ask him? Rune took a deep breath before she lifted herself from the saddle and pulled her right leg up onto her seat. “What are you doing?” Ronan questioned her as her body moved around under his hands. “I need you to drive; it’s probably best if I can watch things without distraction. Scoot up.” She explained as she balanced in the left stirrup with one foot and waited for Ronan to get close enough to the horn before she slipped behind him. As she moved, she caught Einar’s gaze and decided to ask him about their destination, albeit worded a bit differently. “Do you really think that they are just going to let me in all of a sudden?” Einar threw up a questioning brow before he replied with, “I don’t know what you’re asking me.” “You do. Do you really think that your clan is going to accept me after twenty years of not wanting a damn thing to do with me?” Rune rounded out the question. Ronan started to ask what she was talking about, but Einar cut in, “Perceptive. I think that they will. Like I said, things have drastically changed and regardless of your identity, we are going to need your help with whatever is set to come. They’re not going to try and harm you, if that is what you are worried about. They’ve seen too much violence to react that way to an innocent.” “But I guess they haven’t seen enough disparagement against those that are different from them, otherwise they would have welcomed me with open arms in the beginning, regardless of identification. I have amnesia! I don’t even know who I really am…I was never a threat.” Rune argued. “You suspect that is why they wouldn’t let you in? Because you are different from them? We don’t know much about you, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t like Ronan and myself.” Einar had a double edged response because he knew that she was different than either of them. “But I am different. I know that—deep down I know that we aren’t the same. Similar, yes, but I am not a native of Asgard or Alfheim and especially not Vanaheim. I’m from the other side of the forest, to coin a term, and I can feel it in my bones now. I don’t know if I’m remembering or if it’s just gut instinct, but I know.” Rune wasn’t entirely truthful with her reasoning, but she knew. It was becoming more and more obvious. “Maybe so, but times have changed just like they do and I think we have a sound argument as to why you should be accepted, if only for the time it takes me to show you both what I need to show you.” Einar went on. “And what is that? What are you bringing us all the way out here for?” Ronan finally chimed in because none of this had been mentioned to him by Einar even though he was already being asked to keep secrets from Rune. “If you must know since patience seems to be lost on both of you, we are going to see your orbs.” Einar admitted. “What? You have mine?” Rune wasn’t expecting that. She figured that maybe he had Ronan’s since he mentioned finding it in the woods, but not hers. She didn’t know anything about the orbs that brought them to Midgard. “I do. I was able to rescue it after Erik and Nora left with you. Normally, they would be put to rest and buried here on Midgard as a way to feed the planet, but I couldn’t be rid of either of yours. I think you may find answers in them.” Einar had to tell them more if they were going to trust him. “Can the orbs do that? Give us answers?” Ronan was curious now. “Possibly. The orbs are crafted from the seed pods of Yggdrasil and a whole ritual is involved when creating them for travel and that includes connection to the world tree itself. Think of it in the context of a major computer that stores anything and everything that happens to an individual connected with it. Not everyone is part of Yggdrasil that way, but since you two are, I have a theory that you can tap in to who you were before you were sent here. I may have told Ronan a few things, but the details are best left for Yggdrasil to tell you the rest.” Einar clarified. “This is going to be a fun holiday.” Ronan griped, but he was sure Rune felt exactly the same. What she didn’t know was the part about the Death Cap and it now had him thinking—did Einar still have his? Rune was done talking at this point and instead focused on the trail ahead as they came to another felled tree. How many were out here and which ones could possibly fall at any moment? Would she recognize the ones set to fall? Just focus on the task at hand and ignore all of this. Now you know, move on to the next thing that needs to be done. Vargr could feel the tension in her thoughts, but was able to placate her enough to keep an eye out for anything that could cause sudden chaos or—death.
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E.M. MoonStories from the World Wide Weird Archives
December 2021
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