said in a voice that sounded like he was talking to a small child. “The girl is on the other side. You lead the monsters. Loki was a trickster, a many-sided god, which means that for this fight, his descendants will fight on both sides.”
Fen stared at the man, feeling like pieces were clicking into place. It wasn’t that the Norns were pointing at him
or
Laurie when they directed Matt to Loki’s champion. It was both of them. It made sense in a weird way, but it didn’t help. He’d rather be no champion at all than be the champion for the
villains
.
“I won’t hurt Laurie,” Fen pointed out, staring directly at the mayor as he said it. “I’m bound to do what’s best for the pack, but there’s no way that hurting her
or
Matt is what the pack needs.”
The mayor laughed. “Of course you won’t! That’s not your role. Matty fights the serpent, and she’ll fight her own foes. You’re not as familiar with the myths as you should be, are you?”
Fen stared at him, not understanding how he could be so calm discussing his grandson’s probable death. “The myths aren’t set in stone. If they were, we wouldn’t have been able to bring Baldwin back,” Fen pointed out.
“So you had an EpiPen? Gave him CPR? That doesn’t mean—”
“No,” Fen interrupted. “We went to Hel.”
“Poppycock!”
Fen shrugged and continued, “We met my aunt there. You know, the one who rules the afterlife? We
rescued him from death
. We brought him back. Me, Laurie, and Matt.”
The mayor stared at him for a minute. “What have you done?”
“Changed fate,” Fen said firmly. “We can do it. Matt doesn’t have to die. None of this has to happen.”
For a brief moment he thought he’d reached the mayor. He thought he’d gotten through to the man, and he hoped that they’d finally have an adult on their side. It was scary trying to save the world. They’d been doing it, but it was frustrating that none of the adults understood. It was like they couldn’t believe, couldn’t hope. If that was what it meant to be a grown-up, Fen was glad he was still a kid.
“No,” the mayor said. That was it, just
no
. He shook his head, and Fen could see that he wasn’t going to listen.
He tried another approach. “But you want to save him,right? Why would you help save Matt when the house fell into the ground if you want him to die? There are other choices. Maybe we can all sit down and t—”
“No,” the mayor repeated. “My grandson needs to be strong and ready for his fight against the Midgard Serpent. I helped because he can’t die before the final fight.”
Any hope that Mayor Thorsen could be wavering on his path stopped then. He wouldn’t alter his plan to sacrifice Matt. Fen filled with so much anger that his voice was shaky as he said, “So you want him strong before he…
dies
?”
“Yes,” the mayor said.
“Did it ever occur to you that Matt might win?” Fen asked. “That maybe we could work together and stop the end of the world? You could help him. He’s your
grandson
, and he’s Thor’s champion.”
The mayor sighed. “Kids! You just don’t understand. You can’t stop fate. We can’t avert Ragnarök!” He raised his voice and looked around at the Raiders. “This is the start of a new era. After the fight, we will be rulers of a new world. Wolves can roam free. We’ll build a new world… one fit for gods. One fit for us.”
The Raiders were obviously listening. They stopped whatever they had been doing and watched the old man. It was creepy the way they smiled at him and nodded as if he were sane. He wasn’t. He might
look
sane, but he was spouting the kind of theories that only lunatics embraced.
“The blood of gods runs in our veins,” the mayor continued. “We’ll be the rulers of the new world.”
“And sacrificing family members for this… perfect world of yours is okay with you?” Fen asked quietly.
The mayor met Fen’s gaze unflinchingly. “Of course I
Fen stared at the man, feeling like pieces were clicking into place. It wasn’t that the Norns were pointing at him
or
Laurie when they directed Matt to Loki’s champion. It was both of them. It made sense in a weird way, but it didn’t help. He’d rather be no champion at all than be the champion for the
villains
.
“I won’t hurt Laurie,” Fen pointed out, staring directly at the mayor as he said it. “I’m bound to do what’s best for the pack, but there’s no way that hurting her
or
Matt is what the pack needs.”
The mayor laughed. “Of course you won’t! That’s not your role. Matty fights the serpent, and she’ll fight her own foes. You’re not as familiar with the myths as you should be, are you?”
Fen stared at him, not understanding how he could be so calm discussing his grandson’s probable death. “The myths aren’t set in stone. If they were, we wouldn’t have been able to bring Baldwin back,” Fen pointed out.
“So you had an EpiPen? Gave him CPR? That doesn’t mean—”
“No,” Fen interrupted. “We went to Hel.”
“Poppycock!”
Fen shrugged and continued, “We met my aunt there. You know, the one who rules the afterlife? We
rescued him from death
. We brought him back. Me, Laurie, and Matt.”
The mayor stared at him for a minute. “What have you done?”
“Changed fate,” Fen said firmly. “We can do it. Matt doesn’t have to die. None of this has to happen.”
For a brief moment he thought he’d reached the mayor. He thought he’d gotten through to the man, and he hoped that they’d finally have an adult on their side. It was scary trying to save the world. They’d been doing it, but it was frustrating that none of the adults understood. It was like they couldn’t believe, couldn’t hope. If that was what it meant to be a grown-up, Fen was glad he was still a kid.
“No,” the mayor said. That was it, just
no
. He shook his head, and Fen could see that he wasn’t going to listen.
He tried another approach. “But you want to save him,right? Why would you help save Matt when the house fell into the ground if you want him to die? There are other choices. Maybe we can all sit down and t—”
“No,” the mayor repeated. “My grandson needs to be strong and ready for his fight against the Midgard Serpent. I helped because he can’t die before the final fight.”
Any hope that Mayor Thorsen could be wavering on his path stopped then. He wouldn’t alter his plan to sacrifice Matt. Fen filled with so much anger that his voice was shaky as he said, “So you want him strong before he…
dies
?”
“Yes,” the mayor said.
“Did it ever occur to you that Matt might win?” Fen asked. “That maybe we could work together and stop the end of the world? You could help him. He’s your
grandson
, and he’s Thor’s champion.”
The mayor sighed. “Kids! You just don’t understand. You can’t stop fate. We can’t avert Ragnarök!” He raised his voice and looked around at the Raiders. “This is the start of a new era. After the fight, we will be rulers of a new world. Wolves can roam free. We’ll build a new world… one fit for gods. One fit for us.”
The Raiders were obviously listening. They stopped whatever they had been doing and watched the old man. It was creepy the way they smiled at him and nodded as if he were sane. He wasn’t. He might
look
sane, but he was spouting the kind of theories that only lunatics embraced.
“The blood of gods runs in our veins,” the mayor continued. “We’ll be the rulers of the new world.”
“And sacrificing family members for this… perfect world of yours is okay with you?” Fen asked quietly.
The mayor met Fen’s gaze unflinchingly. “Of course I
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