a boon for my people. And I need your assistance,” added the shade.
She gripped Skalei tighter. “Oh, Hel no. You won’t even tell me what we’re doing?”
“I’ve heard about your little problem with the Wyrd.”
This got Ali’s attention. “What do you mean?”
“Isn’t it true that you want to break the bond that connects your souls?”
She crossed her arms, cocking her head. “Okay. What are you offering?”
“If you agree to help, I will take you to the Norns.”
Chapter 31
Ali
I stared at Galin—or, rather, the shade that controlled him. He was rigid, his back ramrod-straight. Black mist rose from his skin, and his hair swirled about his head. His beautiful golden eyes had turned pitch black.
As terrifying as he appeared, he’d just made a pretty compelling offer. A chance to break the bond that bound my soul to Galin’s.
“What do you want me to do?” I asked.
“I need you to steal Levateinn.”
Again? I crossed my arms. “And how would I do that?”
“I thought you might know, since you’re the expert thief and assassin.”
“Well,” I said, thinking quickly, “if I had Galin and his portal magic to help me, I might be able to do it. But how will I know you’ll follow through on your end of the bargain?”
“A shade cannot lie.”
True. “Okay, then I’ll consider it. But I’m going to need to speak with Galin first. Can you return him?”
Slowly, Galin’s eyes cleared, and the black vapor began to dissipate. He shuddered visibly. “That was unpleasant.”
I stepped closer to him. “Tell me what you agreed to do for the shade. Wait,” I said after a moment, “I think I know.” I bit my lip, thinking back to the conversation he’d had with the shade in Helheim. The memory sparked in my mind. “He wants you to raise his queen, Hela, the goddess of the dead. Isn’t that right? You said you could use Levateinn to bring her back, right?”
“Precisely.”
This seemed like a terrible idea. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to raise the dead goddess of the underworld? It seems like that might have consequences.”
He gave a shrug. “Probably not, but making safe decisions isn’t my strength.”
“I’m starting to understand that.” And yet, knowing Galin, I wondered if he had something else up his sleeve—a way out at the last moment—exactly like he’d done today with the portal. Getting out of insane situations clearly was his strong suit.
So how much confidence did I have in him to handle this?
With a shock, I realized that I was actually starting to trust him. But I’d keep this assessment to myself; if his plan was to turn the tables at the last second, he’d be hiding it from the shade.
I nodded. “Okay. You two want me to help you steal Levateinn. In exchange, he’ll take me to the Norns, so I can become the mistress of my own fate.” I shrugged. “I think it’s a shit deal. There’s no guarantee that the Norns will actually help me. And I believe you, but I’m not sure about this shade character.” I nearly said he seems a bit shady, but then thought the pun would annoy me more than anyone else.
“Look.” Galin scrubbed a hand over his jaw, his eyes gleaming. “There’s more than just our bond at stake here. If I can get Levateinn, then I can take over as king of the High Elves. The first thing I’ll do is break the wall that imprisons your people.”
Now that was something worth considering. Hope beamed in my chest, a star growing brighter. At last, my dream was within my grasp. Maybe this was it? Maybe it was my destiny. “Do you promise?”
“Of course.”
And there it was again—that strange realization that I trusted him. I smiled. “Okay. Now that you’re free of the helm, can’t you just open a portal? Should be a simple snatch-and-grab, right?”
“Unfortunately, no. King Gorm has thousands of runes protecting his quarters. The moment I open a portal in his room, it will be swarmed by guards.”
“So, what are your thoughts?”
“I think we should try some human magic.”
My forehead furrowed. Had he lost it? “Humans don’t have any magic. That’s why the High Elves have them completely subjugated. When Barthol and I were preparing to rob Silfarson’s Bank, we had to live with them. They mean well, but many of them still refuse to accept Ragnarok. They insist that something called ‘global cooling’ is the cause of the endless winter.”
“Human magicians do exist. Before Ragnarok, there was a subculture of