Quite Contrary by Richard Roberts

of agreeing or arguing, Nall scooped the stones back into the bag, stirred it with his fingers, and then held out the bag. “Again, please, Mary.”
    That shocked Magnus. “You don’t ask the stones a second time, Nall.”
    I shoved my hand into the bag, mixed them up some more, and pulled out three.
    I opened my hand. The same three stones.
    “The runes repeated themselves.” Magnus was stating the obvious, but he seemed stunned by it. Then, his arms did tighten, lifting me out of the chair and cradling me to his chest. The arms curled around under my knees and behind my shoulders, and I felt even smaller than usual as they closed over me tightly. “We owe her hospitality, Nall. We’ll guard Mary as if she were family.”
    “I want to guard her, Magnus. It’s not that simple,” Nall answered. He beckoned with one hand as he walked out the door. Magnus followed, with me bouncing in his arms. I tried to twist out of his grip, but I couldn’t move at all.
    “Look up at the stars,” Nall instructed.
    “I’m not trained in the lore,” Magnus argued impatiently as he tilted his head back and scanned the sky. “I don’t know what I’m—there’s a new star in Fenris. How can that happen?”
    “I threw the bones over our guest out of curiosity,” Nall recounted, his voice flat and calm, all emotion hidden. “An old wolf skull fell off a shelf into the middle of them. Then, I tried the runes. Then, on the way here I saw the sky.”
    Magnus loosened his grip so that he could look down into my face. “Do you know what this means, Mary? Whatever it is, we’ll protect you from it.”
    “You can’t. All right? You can’t.” I hadn’t wanted to stay here anyway. I needed to remember that. I squirmed in his arms until he let me drop back onto my feet. Bitterness gnawed at my stomach, but I told them the truth. “The Wolf is coming for me. You can’t stop him. He’s not like a normal wolf. He tears other monsters apart, and he’s tricky, and he promised he’d never give up.”
    “I’m tricky, too,” Magnus insisted, cold as ice now.
    Nall cut him off before he could say more. “This is destiny, Magnus. This wolf isn’t at our doorstep, but he fills her future. This is fated. We can’t stop it from getting to her.”
    “Then we’ll die trying,” Magnus answered.
    I took a quick step sideways out of his reach as he tried to lay his hand on my shoulder.
    “No, you won’t.” I felt even more tired than I sounded saying this. “I’ll run away first.”
    “There’s a way round any fate. Especially for a Midgarder,” Magnus insisted, his fists clenched with sudden passion as he turned back to Nalls. Nalls wasn’t a small man, but Magnus loomed over him like a bear. The old man didn’t look old anymore. He just looked big, and like he was about to hit somebody.
    “We can’t cast around blindly for it,” Nall argued, still with the calm that meant he was hiding how he felt, “I’m a village wise man. To untangle this destiny, we need the advice of someone who can read every thread.”
    Magnus stared at him. When he answered, it came in a bear-like growl. “I’ll take her to the Sibyl.”
    “Eric and Valdis will take her to the Sibyl,” Nall countered, “They’re heroes. You’re not anymore.”
    I took a step forward. I wouldn’t be able to reach his crotch, but I bet if I kicked his knee hard enough, Nall wouldn’t care about the difference. Instead, Magnus’s hands closed on my shoulders and I was pulled up off the ground and hugged so tight my ribs burned.
    When the pressure let up, I wheezed for breath. “I’m not getting them killed, either. I’m leaving, okay? Nobody’s dying for me. You haven’t seen my Wolf. All I can do is run.”
    “Then the Sibyl can tell you how to get away,” Magnus conceded.
    Oh, jeez. Now he was doing the same poker face as Nall. This really hurt him. Maybe it was better than telling him I hadn’t wanted to stay anyway.
    “Fine. I’ll ask