Perfekt Balance (The Ære Saga Book 3) by S.T. Bende

myself up, ignoring the pool of blood. The room
spun violently as I stood on one foot, then the other, scrambling
for a plan. Hurting Runa was out of the question; she was just too
strong. But maybe if I got close enough, I could eject some of her
dark energy—enough to make her see the value in Asgardian life. Or
even just enough to distract her so I could run.
    Runa lowered her hand, and the hologram
disappeared. I bent my knees and prepared to move. Before my feet
could leave the ground, she turned on one heel and wrenched the
door open, then quickly slammed it shut behind her.
    I’d missed my chance.
    “ Twenty-four hours,” Runa called through the wood. “Then
Asgard loses one god a day until I get that dog. And just in case
you dream up another of your little escape plans…” A light flashed
outside the door. “Don’t. You’re sealed in tight.”
    Runa’s boots clicked on the stones as she
stormed down the hallway. I sank to the floor and pressed my hand
to my head. The blood came slower now, though the pounding hadn’t
eased at all. As I took a deep breath and willed my body to heal, I
tried to ignore the panic that danced heavily along my spine. I’d
failed to physically overpower her, and I’d failed to energetically
outmaneuver her.
    What was I going to do now?
     
    * * * *
     
    “ Elsa,
thank gods. Where are you?” Relief coursed through me as Forse’s
face filled the surface of my arm. The familiar sweep of his golden
highlights; the intensity radiating from grass green eyes; even the
ever-deepening V between his eyebrows filled my soul with a much-needed
surge of calm. Forse Styrke was a god-sized dose of comfort food on
a hugely stressful day. Every last inch of me relaxed at the mere
sight of his face.
    “ You’re
bleeding! Where are you?” Forse repeated. The urgency in his voice
jarred me from my calm, and as I cradled the screen atop my
forearm, I realized the justice god didn’t exactly share my inner
peace. The V atop
the bridge of his nose wasn’t the only sign of the toll this day
was taking on him. His forehead was lined with the wrinkles of a
god twice his age, and his lips were pale and cracked.
    “Are you okay?” I asked him softly.
    “ Are you okay?” he countered. “Gods, hjärtat , there’s blood
caked to the side of your head. Is Runa’s cloak on your tower
inhibiting your healing abilities too?”
    “No, this injury’s just a deeper injury than
the ones I’ve been repairing lately, so it’s going to take a while
to fix itself.”
    “Can you perform a healing or does the dark
magic in the structure block that gift?” Forse asked.
    Good question. I
brought my hands together and channeled restorative energy. A
moment later I felt the small surge of power between my hands. It
wasn’t as strong as I was used to; my energy had been severely
depleted by Runa’s attack, and that would have a corresponding
effect on my strength as High Healer. Even so, the tiny ball was
better than nothing. I placed my hands on the side of my head, and
sent the energy into my skull. The pounding decreased by half and
my scalp tightened as my skin slowly resumed knitting itself back
together.
    “The tower still hasn’t affected my energetic
abilities, just my magical ones,” I reassured Forse. “I’ll be fine,
Forse. I swear.”
    “ Elsa,
are you…you’re curled up in a ball, aren’t you? I’m going to kill
Tyr for bringing you here. War!” Forse bellowed. “Get the Hel over
here and see what you’ve done!”
    “Shh,” I urged. “There’s not exactly a volume
control on this com, and you’re shouting through this end, too. She
confiscated my phone and my dagger; I don’t want Runa to figure out
I can still communicate with you.”
    “Is she nearby? Let me talk to her. I’ll make
her—”
    “What? You’ll make her what? She’s not
exactly open to persuasion. Trust me, I’m trying to get out of
here. It’s just not that easy, so until I find a way to