Perfekt Control (The Ære Saga Book 2) by S.T. Bende Page A

emotions
once again. Enough feeling—it was time to fight for Freya.
    “Okay, ladies.” Tyr’s footsteps thundered on
the stairs. “Brynn’s got to go to Muspelheim.”
    “Did Odin declare war?” I knew our leader had
been furious when the fire giants admitted to harboring Hymir, but
when the giant was spotted in Jotunheim last week, Odin had dialed
down his anger at the flaming realm. Or so I’d thought.
    “Not just yet. But Odin’s ravens saw a bound
female being moved through Muspelheim, and Forse’s scout claims a
new portal was opened near the volcano earlier today.”
    I jumped up so quickly, my chair clattered
behind me. “What about Barney?” I asked as I righted it.
    Tyr held the wire-riddled contraption in one
hand. “He’s not ready, but Mia and I will keep working on him until
you get back. Catch the Bifrost into Alfheim and relay Forse’s
findings to Henrik. Then get over to Muspelheim as fast as you can.
Forse’s scout is a fire giant named Hyro.”
    “Did Hyro say anything else about the portal,
other than that it was opened?” I questioned.
    “No. Apparently the communicator she uses to
talk to Forse is on the fritz, and that’s all the information
Justice was able to discern. So you need to find Hyro, learn
everything you can about the portal, the volcano, any of it, and
then report back to me. I don’t want you making contact with the
perps until Barney’s operational. If they grabbed Freya out from
under three of us, Odin knows what they could do to just two of
you. Remember, if you feel your danger level is outside the norm,
call me and I’ll Bifrost in immediately.”
    “But Odin said it’s a trap, and they want you
to—”
    “I don’t care what Odin said.” Tyr glowered.
“I’m your commanding officer, and I’m ordering you to call me if
you can’t handle things on the ground. Am I clear?”
    “Yes, sir.” I saluted.
    “Good. Here.” Tyr pulled a painting away from
the wall and pressed his hand to the pad behind it. A door swung
open when the fingerprint scan was complete, and Tyr retrieved a
small black satchel from within our hidden arsenal. “If you get
into trouble with the fire giants, give them some of these rubies.
Half is the payout we promised the scout for her intel. The other
half should buy you enough time to run.”
    “Fair enough.” I caught the satchel as Tyr
threw it to me, and tucked it into my backpack. I shoved the straps
of my bag over my arms, took my plate to the sink, and stopped just
long enough to give Mia a hug. “Thanks for the sandwich. And the
makeover. And the pep talk.”
    She squeezed me gently and pulled back, her
face lined with worry. “Be extra careful. And tell Henrik if he
doesn’t take better care of you, I’ll personally shoot him in the
kneecaps.”
    I groaned as I darted out the door. “Thanks
for that, mortal.” I jumped off the porch and ran across the lawn,
down the stairs, and onto the sand. The midday sun beat down on my
all-black ensemble, and I stood still to soak up the warmth. Odin
only knew what I’d walk in on in Alfheim, and I wanted to be able
to visualize this peaceful moment… in case I needed to bleach my
eyeballs once I arrived and saw what that wench was doing to
Henrik.
    Don’t go there, brain.
    “Heimdall, open the Bifrost!” I shouted. A
dizzying beam of light shot down. “To Alfheim.” I stepped inside
the brilliant circle and gave my friends a small wave before my
bones were sucked upward, my skin barely holding on. After several
nausea-inducing seconds, I was right back where I started, looking
around the pond for nymphie “Nea-Nea” and my so-called work
associate .
    Please let them have their clothes on.
Please, for the love of all that is good and holy, let them be
wearing clothes.
    “Henrik! Get out here. We’ve got new orders,”
I bellowed into the flower-strewn space. My voice was so loud, the
chorus of birds came to a screeching halt.
    “Hey!” Finnea’s surprised squeal