A pang of foreboding shivered through me. “So why am I dreaming about the sword now?”
Baldur moved away from the doorway and stepped closer. “No one saw the sword again after Ragnarok,” he said. “But many have searched for it.”
“Maybe Helen found it and is bringing it into play,” Baldur said.
“If she has Surtr’s sword, then the battle is won,” Val said.
“Solina’s dreams are often premonitions of what is to come. She prevented my death at the Aerie.” Thorin deliberately avoided meeting my eyes, probably because that would have been too much like admitting my deceit had benefitted him after all. “If her dream was about Surtalogi, then it may be possible for us to find it first.”
“But we probably don’t have much time,” I said. “My foresight tends to be rather… shortsighted.”
“It’s first on our list,” Val said, rising to his feet. “We’ll start hunting for it right now.”
“No,” Thorin said. “The wolves come first. Helen won’t dare use the sword until Solina is dead. She’s reenacting the old events in the same order as before. Using the sword at this point goes against the rules.”
Val scoffed. “Helen plays by rules? Since when?”
“She wants a predictable result. She’s a cold, calculating bitch.”
A growl rumbled in Baldur’s throat. “I concur with Thorin’s assessment.”
“You’re a prejudiced old fool,” Val said.
Thorin lunged, but Baldur shot out an arm and held him back. From my seat in the bed, I watched the three ageless beings spit and snarl at each other like wet cats until I could take it no more. I rolled my eyes, slid under the blankets, and let out a noisy sigh.
Thorin heard it. “Save this for later,” he said. “Let her sleep—she’s been through hell enough for one day. The least we can do is give her a chance to recover.”
Val huffed. “She wouldn’t be in this condition if you hadn’t gotten caught up in Helen’s obvious trap.”
“Enough!” I yelled from underneath the covers. “Walking into that trap got us Skyla back. That alone was worth the risk. So, let this argument go, okay? Let’s all go back to bed or whatever it is you guys do while the rest of us sleep.”
When no one said anything in reply, I peeked over the blankets and glared at them. Thorin responded first. He squared his shoulders, spun on his heel, and strode from the room. Baldur followed, offering an apologetic smile on his way out.
Val turned and gave me a pleading look. “That sword is no joke. If you know where it is, you have to tell us.”
“I don’t know where it is, Val.” I pointed toward the open doorway. “Let me go back to sleep—please.”
A twinge of something piteous passed over his face. He nodded and left my room, closing my door behind him. I fell back on the pillows. The woman in my dreams wasn’t Helen Locke, I was sure, but further speculation was impractical and a waste of energy. I curled into a ball and pulled the covers under my chin, and the rest of the night passed, devoid of any more interruptions from the Nordic three stooges.
After all that, maybe I should have had trouble going back to sleep. But I didn’t.
Chapter Twelve
“I know you can hear me.” Skyla batted my head with a pillow. “Quit playing opossum.”
“Stop it,” I whined.
“You’ve been shifting around for the past twenty minutes. Go on and get up already.”
“Is there a major crisis requiring my immediate attention?” I asked, refusing to open my eyes.
“No.”
“Is anyone dead or dying?”
“Not anymore.”
Skyla might have been making an offhand comment, but it reminded me of her dire situation the night before. I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and focused on her face, which showed more color and energy than it had last I’d seen her.
“You look better,” I said.
Skyla bobbed her head. “I am better. The hocus-pocus Baldur worked on me was powerful stuff.” She poked her shoulder, demonstrating her lack of injury. “Like it never happened.”
“Good. I’m delighted you’re back to full ninja strength. Now let me sleep.”
Skyla muttered something not nice about my character and shifted around on my bed. A whiff of coffee tickled my nose, and I forced an eye open.
“Ah.” She waved a coffee mug before me. “Val said that might do the trick.”
I reached for the cup. “Gimme gimme.”
“Nuh-uh-uuuh,” she sang. “This is mine. You have to get out of bed and get your own. You’ve been asleep for over half a day. Enough beauty rest. I’m tired of keeping the guys company.”
Someone cleared his throat in the doorway. I looked around Skyla to find Val holding two huge mugs.
“One of these is for you, if you’ll come out and get it,” he said.
“Sure thing… if I could get a little privacy first?”
