Weaving Fate - Nora Ash Page 0,36

fry-less burger in Oslo airport, I didn’t dare touch the in-flight meal out of fear I’d hock it up on one of my already worn-out travel companions.

Things didn’t improve when, from somewhere behind us, commotion erupted.

Bjarni jerked up, head swinging back to assess the situation, but I didn’t have the energy to investigate—at least not until a girl in the seat immediately behind us screamed shrilly, and Modi gasped and straightened, eyes glued to the window.

“What’s happening?” Bjarni asked, voice gruff and commanding.

“Your brother has made his first appearance," Modi said flatly.

For a wild moment, I almost expected to see Saga flying next to the plane, Superman-style, and I halfway threw myself over Modi’s lap to see out the window.

But it wasn’t Saga that had the entire plane so worked up.

Far, far below us, gray fissures crested with white marked our location high above the Atlantic Ocean. And in the midst of the waves that looked flat from this height, a huge, snakelike body broke the surface in ribbons. I couldn’t see a head, but from how enormous the bends of the body I could see were, I didn’t want to.

“What… What is that?” I whispered, my throat constricting as I stared at something so huge and so alien, my mind refused to accept it.

“That is Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent,” Modi said. “Bjarni’s baby brother.”

“Brother?” I croaked.

“Loki has sired many a monster.” Bjarni’s voice was dark, angrier than what I was used to from him. “Jörmungandr is no brother of mine, blood or no.”

“He is one of the signs of Ragnarök,” Modi said for my benefit. “During the three years of the Fimbulwinter, he will rise from the depths and spray his acid into the skies and seas. Metal deathtrap or not, I suddenly find myself thankful we did not board a ship to the Americas.”

I breathed deeply, trying to control my panic as the great beast below once again disappeared beneath the surface, leaving white rapids behind. I’d thought the snow was bad enough.

“What other signs are there?” I asked.

Bjarni closed a hand around my knee, undoubtedly in response to the quiver in my voice.

“Different prophecies have been spoken on the subject, and not all align. In Midgard, the lands will turn to ice and Fenrir’s offspring will eat the sun and the moon, casting everything into darkness. Fenrir himself will run across the lands, gorging on human flesh, spreading death and destruction until he succeeds in killing Odin.

“The dragon Níðhöggr will gnaw at Yggdrasil’s roots until the Earth quakes and fire spits from within, and along with the mighty ship Naglfar, he will carry Hel and her army of dead across the ocean to finally defeat the gods in battle. And then there will be nothing.”

“Not ‘nothing,' ” Modi said. “My brother and I are prophesied to live as a new land reveals itself. Two humans will survive, and they will bring life into the world.”

I blinked, trying to take in everything the gods had just shared about their understanding of the end of the world.

“You… I’m sorry, you think… You think two humans can repopulate the Earth? Are you nuts?” I shook my head. “Look, creationism has been disproven. It’s impossible for humanity to survive with less than a few thousand individuals to replenish the stock, and where is this land supposed to come from? The poisoned seas?”

“Not all prophecies are worth the air it takes to speak them,” Bjarni rumbled. “The Jotunn witch who bore Magni gave Thor that particular one, along with news that he’d fathered her son. There's no denying your mate’s paternity, but not everyone believes her so-called prophecy.”

“By ‘everyone,' do you mean your own father?” Modi bit. “The one who sired Jörmungandr, Fenrir, and Hel, all three of whom will play their part in Ragnarök?”

He turned to me, anger splotching his cheeks. “There’s a reason Odin wanted to execute those three. Loki and his offspring have an ugly tendency to get everyone killed.”

I was pretty sure I was having an out-of-body experience, sitting between two gods arguing over how exactly the end of the world would come about while a scratchy speaker above us implored the panicked passengers to stay calm, and something about whale sightings.

“None of this matters,” I said softly, reaching a hand out to either side. Bjarni grabbed mine without thought, Modi more hesitantly. “We need to save Saga and Magni. What comes after that, we’ll worry about then.”

Fourteen

Bjarni

We took a train from Chicago to Seattle. Modi flat-out refused to