House Of Gods 9 - Samantha Snow Page 0,19
here and oversee the task we have for you. When the hundred years is up, you may go back to Brandt, and he will have all of his memory restored. You’re all immortals, so it will only cost you time, nothing else.”
“A hundred years…” Brenna said under her breath. That was a long time to have to stay on Vanaheim and be separated from everyone. “What will I be doing here? What is the task?”
“We will tell you when you accept it.”
“Now hang on a minute,” Brenna said. “Weren’t you the one to just tell me not to agree to things until I knew what I was agreeing to?’
Njord laughed. “She’s a fast learner.”
The witch smiled at her again. “Your task will be to watch over two special children as they grow. You will be free to visit the other realms and will likely need to do so frequently as these children reside in different worlds. You will also be free to communicate with your friends and loved ones. But you must live here, on Vanaheim, and you must wait until the hundred years is up before making any attempt to return home.”
“Why a hundred years?”
“Because that is how long it will take to see how things unfold.”
“Trust me, my dear,” Njord said. “A hundred years to an immortal is a blink of the eye. You will be able to pick up right where you left off, and you will have the love of your mate back when it is all said and done.”
Brenna knew she should have probably thought about it longer, or at least slept on it for the night before making such a big and rash decision. But she would have given a million years if it meant having Brandt back.
“I’ll do it.”
CHAPTER SIX
Brenna was able to go back to the apartment to tell the guys about the bargain she had made with the witch. Jerrik, Colby, and Erik gave her their word that they would keep watch over Brandt for her and communicate with her frequently while she was on Vanaheim. She said goodbye to Brandt this time, and he asked her why she would be so willing to give away one hundred years of her life for a man who barely recognized her.
Instead of answering, she simply kissed him on the cheek and left before she started to cry. Brandt was left standing in his bedroom with that pit in his stomach growing large enough to devour him whole. He knew it was Brenna; he just couldn’t feel or remember it still. The other men would have their hands full, trying to keep Brandt from falling into wallowing despair again, and this time it would be even harder to keep him on the straight and narrow because he couldn’t remember the things that kept him tethered to himself. Helia and Matt had already gone back to Hel, but Erik said he would let them know about the new arrangement Brenna had made. They all hugged her hard, and Jerrik hugged her the hardest of all before she left.
She was happy when she was told it would be Tara and Tannin that she was charged with watching over. At least she would be able to keep in close contact with Kemma and the child. And since Tara was living in Yggdrasil, that meant Brenna would be able to spend time in the forest too. She loved being in the forest the most; it reminded her of some of the very first special moments that she and Brandt had intimately shared together. The witch had told Brenna of the entwined destiny for the two children and of how Tara and Tannin’s paths must never cross until they are older. So, as the hundred years passed, Brenna spent most of her time either visiting Tara in the forest or Tannin with his parents on Valhalla, where they had chosen to remain for the time being and then to report back to Njord and the witch about how they each were doing. One hundred years for immortal children would put them both around young adulthood by the timespan had been reached. Tara was, of course, a few years older than Tannin, but as an immortal child, it didn’t matter. Age started to catch up and level off during adolescence, and then slowed nearly to a halt once adulthood was reached.
The witch always seemed more curious to hear of the children than Njord did, which Brenna found herself wondering about.