Greta gasped. “What? That’s not possible. Eir has the Liv, and only one living goddess can possess the power to give life.”
“Maybe Allie’s mom transferred the power in her sleep.” Tore squeezed my arm. “Allie used it in Jotunheim to save Mack.”
“It’s true.” Mack nodded. “Dark magic would have overtaken me if Allie hadn’t been there.”
“Allie has the Liv,” Tore repeated. He released his hold on me and crossed to the nightstand where my armor lay. He held it up so I could slide my arm inside, and began strapping it onto my body. “Take her to her mother, and let her try to heal her.”
Greta shook her head. “It’s too soon,” she said. “Allie, I know you feel better, but you’re weak. Your spirit will take a few days to recover from a trauma of this magnitude. If you try to give too much of yourself before you’re fully restored, you might compromise your own healing.”
Tore adjusted the final strap, and patted my shoulder. I sent him a wave of silent thanks.
“So what?” I pushed past the boys and stormed into the hallway. “You’re talking about my mom. I don’t care how recovered I am; I have to try to help her. Now, which room is hers?”
My protectors spilled into the hall after me. I marched forward, reaching out with my energy to sense the golden-haired goddess I’d only just reconnected with. A dim energy pulsed from the last doorway, and I knew instinctively my mom was in that room.
“Never mind,” I called. “I figured it out.”
“Allie, wait.” Delicate footsteps tapped across the tile floor as Greta hurried to my side. She opened her mouth to speak, but seemed to think better of it as she studied my clenched fists and set jaw. “Never mind,” she said. “You can try. But you have to let me help you.”
“Okay,” I whispered. I’d only done this once before, and I had no idea how I’d done it then. I needed all the help I could get.
“Do you want us to come with you, or should we wait out here?” Johann shifted his weight from one foot to the other. The guy could cut down a night elf with one hand, but a healing made him nervous? Men.
“I think it would be better for Allie’s concentration if you waited in the hall,” Greta offered kindly.
Johann let out a fast breath. “Good luck,” he said in earnest.
I nodded. “Thanks.”
Tore moved so he stood sentinel at my mom’s door. He jerked his head, and Bodie fell into place beside him. They crossed their arms, and it was impossible not to appreciate the way their biceps strained against the fabric of their t-shirts. Their general hotness stood in stark contrast to my hospital gown and fuzzy slippers. Oh, well. Priorities, Allie.
“We’ll be here if you need us,” Tore assured me.
“I know you will,” I said. And somehow, I understood that they always would be. My four protectors were tied to me in a way I’d never be able to explain. And I was unbelievably grateful for that.
“Are you ready, Allie?” Greta asked.
I wasn’t. Not in the slightest. I had no idea how to channel the Liv, or if it would even help stabilize whatever energy drain was killing the only blood relative I had left. But I knew I wanted to help my mom. To help Midgard. To be the hero everyone desperately needed me to be. For better or worse, when the Alf?dr gifted me my armor, he’d chosen me to be the protector of both my family and my home realm. And I wasn’t about to let him down.
With a nod, I stepped determinedly past Greta. I entered my mother’s healing room, held up my palm, and let the energy surge through my armor.
And I prayed for a miracle.
CHAPTER TWELVE
MY MOTHER LAY LIMP on her bed, her chest straining with the effort of each breath. Her skin was ghostly white, and a light sweat covered her face. But what frightened me more than her clearly worsened appearance was the presence of two enormous, swirling energy cords. They tethered themselves to her fourth and sixth centers, spiraling above her heart and eyes like elongated, black tornados. As they spun, they pulled upward, seeming to draw on her life force with each cycle. The cords had doubled in size since last time I’d seen my mom. And that was what scared the daylights out of me.
With a determined growl, I unsheathed my sword. Energy leaped from my necklace to my armor and through my hand, illuminating my sword in a brilliant blue. Valhalla’s residents were more than ready to right this wrong with me. The strength of their souls churned within my blade. We got this, warriors.
I angled my weapon at the cords, but Greta raised a hand to stop me.
“Put that away.” Greta shook her head. “You’re not going to need it.”
“But I thought—”
“Trust me.” Greta watched as I sheathed my sword. I stood, uncertain of what to do next. “You need to shield yourself,” Greta reminded me. She moved her hands around her body, and for the first time I noticed that my friend had her own energy contained within a thick dome.
“How’d you do that?” I asked.
“I’ll show you later.” Greta was on the move. She pulled a crystal wand from her healing kit and held it over my head. “Take a deep breath, and call all your energy back to you.”
I did as instructed while Greta waved the wand in circles around me. Although she didn’t touch me, my skin began to tingle. I sensed my protection solidifying at the edge of my energy. When the tingling feeling settled into a dull buzz, Greta stepped back and nodded.
“You’re ready.” She smiled sweetly. “You can do this, Allie.”
“Thank you,” I replied, my voice thick with gratitude. I wasn’t sure what I appreciated more—the additional layer of protection, or Greta’s faith in my abilities. I hoped I didn’t let her—or my mom—down.
“You got this, Pepper.” Tore spoke over his shoulder from his sentry point at the door. I gave a tight nod as Greta walked me to my mother’s bedside. The black funnels of dark energy seemed to sway, leaning toward us as we passed. Oh hell no. Been there, never doing that again. My hand twitched over my sword. Greta had said I wouldn’t need it, but I was totally ready to hack the cords to bits if they tried to come for me.
Beside me, Greta eyed the blackness like a predator about to kill.
“Lesson number one,” she murmured. “Do not fear the darkness that surrounds your mother. Actually, do not fear anything. Fear is a natural condition, but it is the absence of presence. What you fear is most often a future event, or the repetition of a past experience. Neither the future nor the past is grounded in the present, and when you are out of present time, you are not connected to your essence—you’re not connected to your power. In those moments, your energy is unstable, and you’re susceptible to injury. So do not fear the darkness—as long as you are grounded in this moment, it cannot hurt you.”