Perfekt Balance (The Ære Saga Book 3) (14 page)

Now it was changing again.

My knees buckled, and Forse scooped me into his arms.
Despite the fear tearing through me, relief tapped lightly at my
heart. Runa had done her best to try to keep him away from me, but
Forse was always there when I needed him. And he always would
be
. Thank
gods.

“
You want to sit down?” Forse
asked.

Being cradled in the strongest arms I’d ever
actually touched was an infinitely better offer, but nodding seemed
to be the appropriate response. Forse furrowed his brow and carried
me to the couch that faced the window. He sat, placing me next to
him so my legs hung over his lap. The contact evoked another wave
of relief, leaving me lightheaded. I rested my head on his shoulder
and closed my eyes. My entire body melted into his, and I sat very
still—barely breathing, just soaking in his presence. When the warm
glow filled my heart, I let out a ragged sigh and buried my face in
Forse’s chest. His nearness filled me with a peace I’d never
experienced. At the same time, it sent my nerves into a frenzy. It
felt like for once, I was exactly where the Norns wanted me to
be.

“
Elsa?” Forse’s voice deepened with
worry.

It took
a
lot
of
effort to wrench my nose away from Forse’s T-shirt. He smelled like
mint and cedar—awareness and strength. He smelled
divine.

“
Elsa?” Panic shot from Forse’s
eyes.

“
Sorry.” I drew a piece of paper from my
pocket and placed it on Forse’s lap. “I got this from the Norns.
And no, even with my abilities, I did not see this coming.”

Forse unfolded the paper and held it in one
hand. With the other, he gently stroked my thigh, sending my pulse
into a near frenzy. How was one god capable of creating such
disparate reactions in a matter of seconds?

“
What the…?” Forse exhaled forcefully as he read. “How is
this even possible? You don’t have the Unifier gene. Your parents
had you tested.”

“
I remember! It was unbelievably awkward! Back then, the
Norns said I was to fulfill my Key role as High Healer. It’s what
I’ve been preparing for my entire existence
. My. Entire. Existence.”

“
You’re yelling.” Forse furrowed his brow.
“You never yell.”

“
Wouldn’t you yell? How the Helheim am I
supposed to do my mom’s job on top of mine? Unifier? I don’t know
the first thing about that! And gods, Forse. Without a good
Unifier, Asgard’s going down. The minute word of her death reaches
Jotunheim, or Odin forbid, Svartalfheim, we might as well pack up
and move to the safe houses in Midgard. It’s over. Asgard’s going
to fall. There’s no way I can protect the realm on my own.”

“
You wouldn’t be on your own,” Forse
reminded me. “There’s a whole team charged with safeguarding
Asgard’s security. Besides, the Unifier was never responsible for
day-to-day protection of Asgard. That’s the God of War’s
job.”

“
My dad’s dead,” I said drily.

“
Then your brother’s going to have to stop
throwing a hissy fit and god up. Odin will appoint your parents’
successors today, and the odds are on Tyr for war god.”

“
Dad prepared him. We just didn’t think it’d happen so
soon…”

“
I know.” Forse squeezed my leg.

“
But this?” I jabbed the paper. “Mom didn’t prepare me to be
Unifier. We thought the Norns would let her know when her successor
came along. We figured it might be Tyr’s future wife, or a convert
from Vanaheim, or someone else. Nobody ever said
anything
about it being my job.”

Forse tilted his head and looked at me.
“You’re scared.”

“
Of course I’m scared! Wouldn’t you
be?”

Forse looked out the window. “I don’t know,” he answered
honestly. “I’ve always known my fate. The Norns declared me God of
Justice the day I was born. That reality has shaped every decision
I’ve ever made. If I woke up tomorrow and it
changed
…ja,
I guess I would
feel a little scared. But also liberated.”

“
What do you mean?”

Forse continued to stare at the trees
outside his study. “When my friends were going off to combat club,
I was in the library researching laws of Midgard. When they were
cheering at the rugby match, I was on a work-study trip to observe
war negotiations with Odin. I would have loved to choose my
extracurriculars, my classes—Hel, even how I spent my Friday
nights. But I knew what rested on me claiming my title at
graduation, and I couldn’t afford to take my eyes off my
course.”

“
You are a pretty intense guy,” I agreed.
“But I saw you at combat club for a while there. And you didn’t
need the extra lessons. You’re scary with a broadsword.”

“
I had to learn fast so I could move on.” Forse paused and
stared out the window for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice
was thoughtful. “This might end up being a really good thing for
you. You’re going to discover all kinds of things about yourself.
You’ll push yourself to perform tasks you never knew you were
capable of. You’re going to discover exactly how strong you really
are. You’re already a force to contend with, but once you
develop
this
skill? Watch out,
realms.” Forse winked. “This could be the best thing that’s ever
happened to you.”

“
It doesn’t feel like it,” I argued. “It’s overwhelming. I
know how much rested on my mom’s ability to bring people together.
She spent years preparing for her role. I’ve got a day. And
according to this”—I jabbed the perfidious paper—“the Unifier hat
will rest firmly on my head. Until such time as
…” I re-read the prophesy for
the hundredth time in twenty minutes. “‘Until a daughter not of
Asgard unites with War.’ Whatever that means.”

Forse looked thoughtful. “I’d wager it means until your
brother gets married. Huh, Tyr isn’t going to end up with an
Asgardian. Go figure. Wonder who it’s going to be…not a light elf;
they’re too flaky. They’re hot though…”

“
Forse!” I swatted his leg.

“
Sorry.” Forse set the prophesy on the end
table and turned so his body faced mine. He took my hands in his
and held tight. “Listen to me. This is a change. And change can be
frightening. But you’re not in this alone. You’ve got me. You’ve
got your brother. I know,” he interjected as I opened my mouth.
“He’s out of his mind at the moment. Henrik and I will talk him
down. He’ll step up and make a fine war god, just like he’ll
continue to be the support you need while you transition into your
new role. Being a dual Key isn’t going to be easy, but I’ll be
right beside you at every step. We’ll figure this out together.
Okay?”

I leaned forward so my forehead rested
against Forse’s. “What about Runa?” I whispered. “She doesn’t like
it when you spend time with me.”

Forse’s jaw clenched. “Runa has left Asgard
permanently.”

“
Oh gods. I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”
No, I wasn’t. But Forse didn’t need to know that.

“
Don’t be.” Forse pulled back. His eyes
narrowed, and goose bumps broke out along my arms as I stared into
two angry, green orbs.

“
What happened?” I whispered.

“
It came to my attention that Runa performed an act of
treason. I intend to hunt her to the edge of the realms to ensure
she pays for her crime. The next time you see her, she’ll be in our
deepest prison cell…if she isn’t executed.”

Forse’s voice was so cold. It was the first time I’d really
seen the lethal edge to his deceptively calm character. I’d known
the justice god hid a hardness beneath his cool exterior, but I’d
never actually experienced it. Whatever Runa had done, it must have
been
really
bad
.

“
Forse, you’re scaring me. What did she
do?”

He drew his shoulders back. “Runa’s a war
criminal now. If she approaches you, run straight to me. I’ll
protect you.”

“
Forse…what’s going on?” I reached up to smooth the wrinkle
between his brows. Icicles danced along my fingertips.

“
I’ll tell you when the dust
settles.”

“
Promise?” I asked.

Forse’s face softened. “Have I ever gone
back on my word?”

“
No.” A smile played at my lips, and
despite myself, the light fizz of happiness bubbled back into my
heart. Forse was predictable. He was comfortable. He was steady. He
was my rock.

I had no idea how I was going to get through
the next week; the next month; the next century. But I knew exactly
who I was going to get through it with.

“
Hey.” Forse cupped my jaw in his palm.
The pad of his thumb wiped the moisture from my cheek. “Why are you
crying?”

“
Because you’ve always been here for me.”
I sniffed.

“
And I always will be.” Forse pressed his
lips to my forehead, testing my overworked nerve endings. It felt
like a thousand tiny fairies danced a jubilant ballet across my
skin.

“
I know you will be,” I whispered
gratefully.

“
What do I always tell you?” Forse looked
at me meaningfully.

Moisture pricked at my eyes. “A kind heart
can brighten the darkest realm,” I recited.

Forse nodded. “Your mom taught me that one.
I know it feels impossible right now, but I need you to be that
heart for me. For Asgard.”

The weight of his words hit me, and I
blinked away a fresh wave of tears. “Okay,” I whispered.

Forse pulled back and slung his arm across the back of the
couch. “Come here,
hjärtat,”
he murmured. “Let’s just sit for a while
, ja?”

I nodded, nestling into Forse’s side and
letting his rhythmic breathing lull me into a quiet peace. My
parents were gone, and my brother was out of his mind. But as I
curled against the God of Justice, I felt safe. Protected.
Happy.

I was exactly where the Norns meant for me to be—with
my
perfekt
match
.

MY HEART CLUNG TO
my dream as if it were a life preserver in a churning sea.
I knew the minute I withdrew from the sweet surrender of my
subconscious that something terrible would happen. I wasn’t yet
awake enough to remember what it was, but a sense of foreboding
hovered just at the edge of awareness, urging me to stay inside my
memory.
Five more minutes. I can just stay in Forse’s
arms and…

Forse!

With a
jolt, I ripped myself from sleep’s comforting embrace. Forse would
be nothing more than a memory if I didn’t get to him
right now
. Runa might
need me alive to finish off whatever sick plan she had in her
twisted head, but since she didn’t strike me as the sentimental
type, I doubted she’d have any qualms following through on her
threat to kill the god I loved.

And that simply couldn’t happen.

Sending my energy to my friends hadn’t been
enough to keep them safe. So long as my body was trapped in this
tower, they’d keep on risking their lives, trying to rescue me. I
needed to get more than just my spirit out of Runa’s prison. I
needed to physically escape.

I
activated my com and released a sigh of gratitude when Forse’s face
filled my forearm.
Thank gods, he’s still alive.

“Elsa? You look terrible. Great Odin, what’s
she done to you now? Why aren’t you healing?” The vein in his
forehead throbbed.

“I am healing.” I was, albeit slowly. I’d
undergone some regeneration while I was blacked out, but my body
wasn’t accustomed to fighting off injuries of this severity. And I
simply didn’t have the time—or the energy—to perform a full-on
healing. “Listen, I can’t talk long. I just need to warn you that
Runa’s on her way to find you. Forse, she wants to kill you.”

“Elsa—”

“I’m going to break out of here and find you,
so we can all go home. I don’t know how long she’ll leave my tower
unattended, and I need to work fast. Promise me you’ll be careful,”
I pleaded.

“Elsa, I—”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” With that,
I pressed my finger to my wrist and de-activated the com. My arm
began buzzing immediately, but I ignored the call. I didn’t have
time to reassure Forse. I’d told him about Runa, and I had to trust
that he’d be able to protect himself—and warn Brynn and Tyr of the
incoming attack—while I got myself out of here.

How am I going to do that?

Since walking out of the room wasn’t an
option, I’d have to send my energy on one final recon excursion.
I’d just have to work fast—with my body already compromised, I
wouldn’t be able to leave it unattended for long. It needed the
strength of my spirit to regenerate.

This would be a quick trip, then.

I closed
my eyes and grounded myself through the rubble of the tower floor,
all the way to the center of Svartalfheim on an energetic lightning
flash. With a steady breath, I widened my stabilizer, strengthened
my aura, and let my spirit soar.
Stay safe, body. I’ll be
back soon.

A quick
scan of my cell revealed no changes; the door remained securely
closed, and the bars on the windows were still too narrow for a
body to climb through. My spirit, however, slipped easily through
the cracks, and moved along the tower’s exterior, flying downward
toward the moat. A gaping hole in the tower wall confirmed Runa
hadn’t yet patched the remnants of my previous escape
attempt.
Perfekt
.
The hole was close enough to the moat that if I could scale three
meters of tower exterior, I could safely jump from there. I just
had to get to the hole.