the sound snatched away by a stiff breeze that sent golden grains whipping along the surface of the sand. And then it hit me that happiness was not appropriate at a time like this.
Shifting around, I glanced back at Myst. She looked like she was taking a peaceful nap. Her lips curled in a slight smile, her eyes shut. Even her skin glowed. The only thing that indicated something was wrong was Myst's wings.
Their color had begun to fade, the rich glow of obsidian darkness had grown limp and lifeless. Soon her feathers would begin to fall. We didn't have much time.
Had she died instantly, without her strength waning for so many hours, she would have lasted long enough for us to return her to Asgard, if she'd wanted that.
But, since she'd requested a burial here in Sunset Cove, it left me wondering what the next step would be. "Should we take her back to Asgard?" I asked Joshua, not sure if I was strong enough to make any decisions right now.
His gaze moved to Myst. "Would she last that long?"
"I have no idea. And we'd have to bring her right back anyway," I whispered, then sniffed. "I'll go to Freya and ask. It shouldn't take long."
Joshua nodded, his expression somber. "You go. I'll stay with her."
I grabbed Gungnir from the sand where I'd left it when we'd arrived, and got to my feet. I tapped the spear and in the next instant I reappeared in Freya's Hall in Hel. The last time I'd been here I'd fought with Astrid, Freya's second-in-command. Now, I entered the hall to tell the goddess that Myst, the Valkyrie she'd given to me, was dead.
And that she wanted her last rites to be held in Midgard. A part of me was afraid of Freya's reaction.
I sensed movement at my right, and turned to see Freya walk through the doorway, speaking in low tones with another black-haired woman. Freya's companion was olive-skinned where the goddess was milky pale. Both looked up at me, surprised at my unannounced intrusion.
"What is it, Brynhildr?" asked Freya, her face tightening in alarm. She already knew that something was wrong, no doubt from the expression on my face.
"It's Myst. She's-"
"What happened?" she asked, her voice growing cooler.
I inhaled sharply before forcing the words out. "She was on the team that went to Washington. We were attacked by Jotunn. A number of warriors were wounded. Myst's injuries were too great." I struggled, taking a while to take a deep breath. "Myst is dead."
"Oh," said Freya, her voice soft, her face growing pale as she walked to her throne.
"I'm so sorry." My voice broke and I swallowed hard.
"You're sorry?" Freya's eyes narrowed as she seated herself in the carved black stone seat. "Did you kill Myst?"
"No," I answered, hurt by the suggestion. "Of course, I didn't kill her."
"Then why are you sorry? One is only sorry for something one has done or caused to happen. In this case, you didn't do anything wrong."
"I feel like I did," I found myself admitting.
"Why would you feel that way?" Freya tilted her head to watch my face as I responded.
"Because it was her first trip to Midgard and I was too busy protecting the President to watch out for her. I told her to stay with me, that I would keep an eye on her."
Freya's laugh was hollow while her companion stared at me as if I'd just grown another head. "My dear girl. You simply need to stop taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong. If Myst was with you, she was aware of the consequences of her actions."
"And now she's dead," I said coldly, breaking eye contact with Freya for a second before looking back.
She nodded slowly, the dark curls in her hair bouncing against her shoulders. "And now she's dead," she repeated. "And nothing of that is your fault. Where is she now?"
"She wanted to die on the beach. She said she'd always been fascinated by beaches and hadn't been to a seaside since she'd entered Asgard. So I took her to a beach I'd been to when I was a kid."
"She died there?" asked Freya, a frown creasing her smooth forehead.
I nodded, then cleared my throat. "She wanted her last rites to be held at that beach." I watched Freya, suddenly afraid she'd think I'm insane to make such a request.
Instead, the goddess said, "Good. If that is what she wished then I am glad you made it happen for her.