out first, Sir." I spoke softly and his annoyance fled as he nodded. He looked strained, and tired, and I understood his emotional state all too well.
When the warriors shouted out the all clear from the rest of the house, the President headed for the small front room on the immediate right.
As he sank onto the dark leather sofa, I motioned for the rest of the team to enter the house. Warriors swarmed inside, commandeering rooms downstairs and heading upstairs to look for more space.
Thor and Fenrir stopped beside me, their expressions wary as they looked to me for silent confirmation. I gave them a nod before walking into the front room. They followed and as we drew closer the President's eyes rounded at the sight of the two men up close. He probably hadn't gotten time to study them in the craziness of the last half hour or so.
Fenrir, splendidly attired in Ulfr armor made a particularly vicious statement. Thor was even worse in terms of impression. His height and bulk, his bronze armor, and the gigantic hammer he clutched in his hand all screamed his identity. I introduced them and they all shook hands.
"Sir, I think you can see that this situation has escalated."
"That was a trap, Bryn. Just as we expected." Fen was shaking his head, clearly unhappy about the failure to protect the building.
I gave a short nod. "There was nothing we could have done about the bombing short of infiltrating Loki's team." My words didn't seem to mollify Fen in the least bit.
"We're in danger," said the President quietly. He rubbed his face and then pressed his fingers into his temple. Shifting his gaze to Thor, he asked, "What is it you need me to do?"
"If you can help us gather all the people on the list, bring them here, or better yet to Asgard," Thor said, giving me a glance for confirmation.
"Considering it's likely that Loki has some secret access to Asgard, I think the best place is Muspellheim. With Steinn. Loki and the Jotunn cannot enter Muspell," offered Fen.
"Good plan." Thor nodded.
I'd forgotten that Steinn's father had placed a spell on the borders of Muspell using a strand of Loki's hair, thus preventing him from ever setting foot in the realm again.
I glanced in the direction of both Fen and Thor. "Can you take care of rounding up all of them?" They both frowned slightly.
Clearing my throat, I said, "I can't go with you just yet. I need to see how Myst is doing." I felt conflicted about the decision to stay but Myst was my responsibility and I had just gotten her killed.
The President cleared his throat. "Is she going to be okay?" I glanced at him, curious. "I saw the girl you were looking at. The one with the black wings. Is she badly hurt?"
My heart tightened as I answered. "I don't know. I'm going to check on her." I turned and stumbled, suddenly feeling slightly dizzy. Thankfully, the back of a sofa provided support so I didn't have to fall flat on my face.
"Bryn, you're bleeding," Fen said as he closed in on me. I swallowed, then put a hand to the throb in my shoulder. With adrenalin slowly draining from my bloodstream, pain began to take its place, making me swallow a gasp.
I gritted my teeth as I studied the ripped fabric on my arm, now gleaming with blood. "Crap," I said, annoyed. "I think it went right through."
A familiar hand snaked around my waist and I looked up into Joshua's worried eyes. "Come. If you don't behave I will have to carry you." His tone told me he was deadly serious.
The strangest thing was that I didn't mind the offer. "Don't you dare think of carrying me. Unless you want that concussion to kick in so you end up dropping the both of us on the ground." His only response was a dry snort as he walked me to the stairs.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
I entered the first room at the top of the stairs, guided by Joshua's hand at the base of my spine, drawing comfort from his proximity.
Inside, the room had been turned into a small infirmary, with blankets and cot-beds sourced from camping gear stored somewhere within the house.
Near the door, Myst lay on a low cot, her skin so pale I felt a shiver of fear ripple through me. I knelt beside her as she caught sight of me and gave me a weak smile.
She swallowed hard,