Trapped (The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book Five) by Kevin Hearne Page A
Authors: Kevin Hearne
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lips in dislike, realizing that my apprentice was an obstacle to her goals. “Bring her along, then,” she said.
“No way.” I shook my head to emphasize the point. “She isn’t ready yet. After she’s bound she could actually be helpful and may choose, of her own free will, to give us her help. But right now she’s a liability and a potential hostage.”
I flattened my hand and used it as an impromptu shade against the sun as I searched out Odin’s ravens. I called out to them to make sure the mind they represented heard me.
“If my apprentice falls victim to an ‘accident,’ Odin, I won’t help you at all, you hear me? Just be patient a while longer.”
“And if Ragnarok begins while we are being patient?” Frigg asked.
“I’ll take on Jörmungandr myself if it does,” I said. “That’s how confident I am that it won’t happen, okay? I think we have a year left.” At least, I hoped we did.
“Based on what information?”
“I’ll keep that to myself. But nothing is changed here, Frigg. I will keep my word as soon as my apprentice is bound.”
Frigg had nothing nice to say, so she didn’t say anything. She nodded curtly and turned her back on us, floating up the rainbow into the northern sky. The ravens followed her.
I hoped that after this encounter Granuaile would be more willing to talk, but my optimistic expression wasimmediately crushed when she shook her head at me and scowled.
“A liability and a hostage, Atticus?” she said. “Really?”
“Well—”
“I put two knives in that bear thing and distracted it while you missed,” she said, “but
I’m
a liability?”
“Look, Granuaile, against human opponents, I’d say you could take just about anyone,” I said. “But Frigg was talking about messing around with the supernatural, and you’re not in that power class yet. You will be soon.”
“So a vulture that turns into a bear-human hybrid isn’t supernatural?”
“Yes, it is, Granuaile, and you handled it superbly, no doubt. But right now you can’t heal yourself if you get wounded. You can’t speed up or cast camouflage or take advantage of any of the spells I regularly use to stay alive. I would very much like to make sure you stay alive, so I hope you’ll forgive my poor choice of words. I wanted Frigg to go away, that’s all.”
She gazed at me, her disbelief every bit as plain as her disapproval, but she had no more desire to wrangle over it. She turned her back on me, leaving me unforgiven, and we trudged westward toward Olympus without speaking a word to each other.
A hot hour’s hike up the valley finally brought us good news from Oberon.
You did? Where?
I looked around me and saw nothing but more trees, stubborn undergrowth, and a few stretches of bare rockwall ahead, where the mountain fell precipitously into the wash. I could hear it running with winter snowmelt but couldn’t see it yet.
I don’t see you
, I told Oberon.
It is indeed
.
After I gave Granuaile some encouragement that we were near a possible campsite, we shoved our way through the brush to the water’s edge. It was a narrow, rocky stream, easily jumped in some places but running fast.
Can you still see us?
I asked Oberon.
Where do we go from here?
I
“No way.” I shook my head to emphasize the point. “She isn’t ready yet. After she’s bound she could actually be helpful and may choose, of her own free will, to give us her help. But right now she’s a liability and a potential hostage.”
I flattened my hand and used it as an impromptu shade against the sun as I searched out Odin’s ravens. I called out to them to make sure the mind they represented heard me.
“If my apprentice falls victim to an ‘accident,’ Odin, I won’t help you at all, you hear me? Just be patient a while longer.”
“And if Ragnarok begins while we are being patient?” Frigg asked.
“I’ll take on Jörmungandr myself if it does,” I said. “That’s how confident I am that it won’t happen, okay? I think we have a year left.” At least, I hoped we did.
“Based on what information?”
“I’ll keep that to myself. But nothing is changed here, Frigg. I will keep my word as soon as my apprentice is bound.”
Frigg had nothing nice to say, so she didn’t say anything. She nodded curtly and turned her back on us, floating up the rainbow into the northern sky. The ravens followed her.
I hoped that after this encounter Granuaile would be more willing to talk, but my optimistic expression wasimmediately crushed when she shook her head at me and scowled.
“A liability and a hostage, Atticus?” she said. “Really?”
“Well—”
“I put two knives in that bear thing and distracted it while you missed,” she said, “but
I’m
a liability?”
“Look, Granuaile, against human opponents, I’d say you could take just about anyone,” I said. “But Frigg was talking about messing around with the supernatural, and you’re not in that power class yet. You will be soon.”
“So a vulture that turns into a bear-human hybrid isn’t supernatural?”
“Yes, it is, Granuaile, and you handled it superbly, no doubt. But right now you can’t heal yourself if you get wounded. You can’t speed up or cast camouflage or take advantage of any of the spells I regularly use to stay alive. I would very much like to make sure you stay alive, so I hope you’ll forgive my poor choice of words. I wanted Frigg to go away, that’s all.”
She gazed at me, her disbelief every bit as plain as her disapproval, but she had no more desire to wrangle over it. She turned her back on me, leaving me unforgiven, and we trudged westward toward Olympus without speaking a word to each other.
A hot hour’s hike up the valley finally brought us good news from Oberon.
You did? Where?
I looked around me and saw nothing but more trees, stubborn undergrowth, and a few stretches of bare rockwall ahead, where the mountain fell precipitously into the wash. I could hear it running with winter snowmelt but couldn’t see it yet.
I don’t see you
, I told Oberon.
It is indeed
.
After I gave Granuaile some encouragement that we were near a possible campsite, we shoved our way through the brush to the water’s edge. It was a narrow, rocky stream, easily jumped in some places but running fast.
Can you still see us?
I asked Oberon.
Where do we go from here?
I
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