I nodded and held out my arm. Ian stepped forward, towering over me. He undid the clasp on the whistle and gently slid it through a link on my bracelet, close to the heart locket with my parents’ picture inside. So many emotions surged through me. Admiration that he’d so cleverly used the whistle. Gratitude that he’d saved my life. And that dizzying, dizzying sensation that made me feel like I was falling and flying all at the same time.
His fingers lingered on my wrist. I wondered if he could feel how fast my pulse was racing right now—and I wondered if his was racing in return.
Ian snapped the clasp shut. “There you go,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “Now, anytime you need to summon the gryphons, all you have to do is grab the whistle off your bracelet, and they’ll find you, wherever you are.”
“Thank you for this,” I said in a soft voice.
He shook his head. “No, thank you. You saved us all tonight. Zoe, Mateo, me. We all would have been mauled to death by the chimeras if you hadn’t sacrificed yourself to save us. I’m sorry that I ever doubted you. You are a true hero, Rory.”
“So are you, Ian. So are you.”
We stared at each other. Ian dipped his head, as though he might lean forward and kiss me. I swayed closer to him, suddenly wanting that more than anything. But at the last second, he bit his lip and looked away, as though he’d lost his nerve. He stepped back, and the moment passed.
Ian cleared his throat. “I have something else for you. It’s over here.”
We walked to the corner of the roof, where a green pot sat on the stone railing. A small white flower stood straight and tall in the center of the rich, dark soil.
“That’s the winterbloom I picked for you at the Eir Ruins. I found it in my pocket the next day. It seemed like it was still alive, so I put it in this pot. I’ve been watering it for the past few days, and I think it’s going to make it.” Ian cleared his throat again. “You told me how pretty you thought the winterbloom was, so I’d like you to have it.”
Emotion clogged my throat at his thoughtfulness, and I reached out and stroked one of the soft white petals. The single blossom was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen, and I knew I would keep it forever. In a way, it was even more precious than the winterbloom charm Sigyn had given me.
“Thank you,” I rasped. “Thank you so much for this. For everything.”
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing—it’s amazing.”
And it truly, truly was. I smiled at Ian, trying to let him see how much this meant to me, how much he meant to me. An answering smile spread across his face, and the emotion in his gray gaze took my breath away. He stepped closer to me, and once again, I found myself swaying closer to him. And closer…and closer…
Brono snorted, upset that we’d stopped petting him, and wormed his way between Ian and me. But I didn’t mind—too much. I had a feeling there would be other nights, other moments, just like this one.
Ian and I looked at each other, laughed, and started scratching the gryphon’s head. And we stayed there on the roof, petting the gryphon and enjoying the quiet of each other’s company, for a long, long time.
* * *
Despite my new healing magic, the fight with the chimeras had taken a lot out of me, and I slept most of the next day, between hanging out with Gwen and Zoe. Monday morning rolled around all too soon, and I begrudgingly got up, took a shower, and got dressed for school.
By the time I stumbled into the kitchen, Aunt Rachel and Gwen had already eaten, but they sat with me while I inhaled two plates of peach waffles and hash browns, along with loads of bacon. Once again, we talked about everything that had happened at the museum, but none of us had any new ideas about how to open the jewelry box, what was inside it, or why Covington wanted it so badly.
“Takeda texted me,” Aunt Rachel said. “He’d like the two of us to meet with him and the others in the library this afternoon after classes.”
I nodded. Now that Team Midgard had foiled the Reapers’ plot to steal the box, Takeda and the others would be going back to the New York academy like they’d planned. The thought made me sadder than I’d thought possible.
Gwen got to her feet, picked up her gray messenger bag from the floor, and slung it over her shoulder. “I should be going too. Walk me out, Rory?”
Gwen hugged Aunt Rachel good-bye. Then the two of us stepped out onto the front porch. Gwen looked out over the rolling hills, the thickets of pine trees, and the mountain towering above it all. A strange look filled her eyes, as though she were seeing something that was very far away. I wondered what she was thinking about, but I didn’t want to be rude and ask.
Finally, she turned to me. “I’m going back to the North Carolina academy.”
I’d expected that, but I still tried to talk her out of it. “So soon? Why? You just got here.”
“There’s still a lot of work to be done cleaning up campus,” she said. “And now that we know that Covington and his Reapers are targeting artifacts, I’m sure that Nickamedes will want to increase security at our Library of Antiquities. Just in case the Reapers decide to strike there again and try to steal more artifacts.”
I hesitated. “But I thought you might stick around here for a while.”
Gwen smiled at me, understanding flashing in her eyes. “I’ve done my part to stop Loki and the Reapers. I’m ready for a little peace and quiet. But more important, Covington is your enemy, Rory, and this is your fight now. Sigyn picked you to be her Champion because she believes in you, and I do too. You’re the best warrior for this battle, and I think you know that, deep down inside.”
She was right. I did know that deep down inside. But I was so used to living in the shadow of Gwen Frost, legendary Gypsy girl and warrior supreme, even when she wasn’t around, that I wasn’t quite sure how to step out into the light. But I knew I would find my way. I’d come this far, and I was eager for the next step—artifacts, Reapers, battles, and all.
“Thank you,” I said. “For believing in me.”
I held my arms open. Gwen stepped into my embrace, and we hugged for several long moments before breaking apart.
Vic’s violet eye snapped open, and he let out a wide yawn from his scabbard on Gwen’s belt. “Well, I, for one, am glad all that mushy nonsense is over with. Besides, we need to go home and check on the fuzzball. I bet she’s chewed up all of your sneakers by now for being left behind.”
I laughed, knowing he was referring to Nyx, the Fenrir wolf pup Gwen was taking care of.
But Babs wasn’t to be outdone. Her scabbard was attached to my belt, and her emerald-green eye snapped open as well.
“Oh, sure,” she told Vic. “Run away when things are getting interesting, and leave me to fight the Reapers all by myself.”
Vic glared at her. “I’ve killed more Reapers than you’ve ever dreamed of, you cursed bit of metal.”
Babs’s eye narrowed. “I most certainly am not cursed. At least, not anymore. You take that back, you tarnished piece of tin!”
And so it began, with the two swords trading insults, each claiming that they were the best weapon ever and had killed far more Reapers than the other sword could ever hope to.
Gwen and I looked at each other and laughed.
With all the craziness of Mythos Academy, it was comforting to know that some things—especially talking swords—would never, ever change.
Chapter Thirty
Gwen left to take a cab to the airport, while I went back inside the cottage, grabbed my messenger bag, and headed off to my first class of the morning.
I walked across the main quad, listening to the conversations around me. Of course, all the other kids were talking about the Fall Costume Ball, who had brought whom, who had hooked up, and who had broken up. A few of them mentioned seeing several guys in vampire and skeleton costumes running around the museum, but they’d thought those guys were just goofing off. Once again, the Protectorate had managed to keep everything qui
et. As far as the other kids knew, nothing important had happened at the ball besides the usual teenage angst and drama. That was probably for the best.
I slogged through my morning classes and headed to the dining hall for lunch, but Zoe, Mateo, and Ian never came in to get something to eat. They were all probably in their dorm rooms, busy packing up their things to head back to the New York academy.
More sadness filled me at the thought, but I pushed it away as best I could and made it through the rest of my classes. Still, my heart was heavy as I headed over to the Library of Antiquities and rode the secret elevator down to the Bunker. The others had already gathered in the briefing room.
I stood in the doorway and watched them all. Takeda pacing back and forth, murmuring into his cell phone. Aunt Rachel sitting at the briefing table, flipping through one of her recipe books, working on the dining-hall menus. Zoe at her desk, fiddling with different-colored wires and attaching them to some new weapon she was creating. Mateo noshing on potato chips and typing away like mad on his laptop. Ian sharpening his battle ax.
Another wave of sadness washed over me. I was going to miss this. I was going to miss them.
But I plastered a smile on my face and stepped into the briefing room, throwing my messenger bag down on the table and propping up Babs in the chair next to mine.
“Hey, guys,” I drawled. “What’s up?”
“Oh, you know,” Zoe said, still working on her project. “Just sitting here being awesome.”
“Ditto,” Mateo called out, never taking his gaze from his laptop.
“Yep,” Ian chimed in, still sharpening his ax.
“Well, count me in on that,” I said, sitting down.
My charm bracelet clinked against the table, and the heart locket, the winterbloom, and the whistle tinkled together like tiny wind chimes. Ian looked up at the sound and grinned. I winked back at him. Oh, I knew Takeda would realize that I had Pan’s Whistle sooner or later. He might already know. But for now, I liked sharing this little secret with Ian.
It would be the last thing we would share before he and the others left for good.
Takeda finished his call and sat down at the table. The others all stopped what they were doing, moved over, and took their usual seats.
He cleared his throat. “Unfortunately, there haven’t been any sightings of Drake or Covington. We still have people out searching, but it looks like they’ve gone underground. Ian, Rory, I’m sorry I don’t have better news for you.”
Ian shrugged, and so did I. Drake and Covington were both experienced Reapers. I didn’t think it would be easy to catch them. Disappointment rippled through me, but I knew the members of the Protectorate were working as hard as possible to find them.
“I just got off the phone with Linus Quinn, and I do have a bit of good news for everyone,” Takeda said. “At least, I hope you will all think it’s good news. I certainly do.” He paused, looking at each of us in turn.
Zoe rolled her eyes. “What is it? Enough with the dramatic pause, already.”
Takeda’s lips curved up into a tiny smile. “Well, as you all know, we were going to go back to the New York academy after this mission.”
I sat up a little straighter in my chair, and so did everyone else. Even Babs perked up. Well, as much as she could.
“But now?” Ian asked.
“But the mission isn’t over. Given the situation with Drake and Covington, especially Covington’s interest in Rory, we’re staying here,” Takeda said. “Linus has given me permission to make this our home base for the foreseeable future. I hope you’re okay with that, Miss Forseti.”
He raised his eyebrows at me, and I grinned back at him.
“Does this mean I’m officially part of the Midgard?” I asked. “No more temporary status?”
“It does,” Takeda said. “If you’ll have us.”
I looked at Zoe and Mateo and finally at Ian. “I would be honored to fight alongside all of you.”
Zoe hooted and hollered, while Mateo gave me a shy smile. I nodded at them both, then turned to Ian. He grinned, his gray eyes glimmering like polished silver in his face.
“Welcome to the team, cupcake,” he murmured.
“That’s Spartan to you,” I replied. “And I’m happy to be here, Viking. Happy to be here.”
Takeda looked at all of us, including Aunt Rachel. His gaze lingered on her a moment, and she stared back at him. Takeda cleared his throat and passed out thick folders of papers and photos to everyone.
“We might not have found Drake and Covington yet, but we’ve started a database of all known artifacts. If we can pinpoint which items they are going after next, we might be able to catch them…”
Takeda ran down what he thought our next steps should be in our search for the Reapers, but I found myself staring at my friends again, then over at Babs. The runes carved into her blade glinted under the lights, and I read the words glimmering there.
Devotion is strength.
And I realized something. Friends were strength too, the best kind of strength there was—not to mention love, hope, and happiness.
Gwen was right. Sigyn had picked me to be her Champion for a reason, and I finally knew what that reason was. To protect my new friends from all the awful things the Reapers were going to throw at us.
This was my battle now, and it was one that I was happy to be a part of. Today, tomorrow, and as long as it took to defeat Drake, Covington, and all the other Reapers.
So I looked at my friends again, then settled in my seat and turned my attention back to Takeda.
I was ready to fight.
* * *
Want to learn more about Rory Forseti?
Keep reading for a sneak peak at the next Mythos Academy spinoff book, coming soon.
Excerpt from
Mythos Academy spinoff #2
featuring Rory Forseti
by Jennifer Estep
A Mythos Academy Novel
Chapter One
“I hate field trips.”
I looked at my friend Zoe Wayland. “Why would you say that?”
She shrugged. “Because field trips always end in disaster.”
“And why would you say that? Field trips are awesome. They’re a break from the regular old boring school routine. A chance to leave campus, go somewhere new, and see lots of cool stuff. And best of all, an excuse to miss all the classes we don’t like.”
Zoe snorted. “Maybe for you, Spartan. But for me, field trips are always a pain.”
“Why?”
Instead of answering me, Zoe picked up a pair of pliers from the desk in front of her. She fiddled with the pliers for a few seconds before setting them down and grabbing a hammer instead. Screwdrivers, wrenches, even a small blowtorch. All those tools and more crowded together on one side of her desk, along with swords, daggers, and a couple of arrows. Zoe was a genius when it came to inventions, and she loved creating weapons and gadgets for Team Midgard to use in our fight against the Reapers of Chaos.
One by one, Zoe picked up the tools and weapons, along with odd bits of metal and piles of twisted wires, as though she were trying to straighten out the jumble, but then she set them right back down where they had been before.
Every time she grabbed something, pale blue sparks of magic streamed out of her fingertips before winking out. Valkyries always gave off more magic when they were upset or emotional. Zoe would tell me what was bothering her when she was ready.
But she wasn’t ready yet, and she scooted over and started fiddling with the scissors, ribbons, and bolts of cloth on the other side of her desk, since she loved making clothes and jewelry as much as she did weapons and gadgets. Zoe grabbed a clear plastic box full of red heart-shaped crystals, which she used to embellish some of her designs. She shook the box, making the crystals inside rattle around, before setting the container back down on her desk.
Finally, she sighed and raised her hazel gaze to mine. “I hate field trips because I have an annoyin
g tendency to get carsick whenever I go on one.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Carsick?”
She slumped down in her chair. “Well, more like bus sick. I don’t know why, but every time I get on a bus to go on some stupid field trip, I always get sick and have to throw up before we get to our destination. Just ask Mateo. I puked all over his boots when we went to the Powder ski resort last year. Everyone on the bus saw me literally lose my lunch. It was so embarrassing.”
“Well, then it’s a good thing that this isn’t a field trip and that we aren’t taking a bus.”
“Oh, no,” Zoe said sarcastically. “We’re going to explore some creepy old tunnels that run underneath Mythos Academy, the school of warrior kids, mythological monsters, and artifacts that summon mythological monsters. What could possibly go wrong?”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, come on. Where is your sense of adventure?”
She sighed again and slid even farther down in her chair.
I turned my attention back to my own desk, making sure that I had everything for our so-called field trip. A flashlight, a digital camera, a notebook, several pens, a couple of bottles of water, and some chocolate chip cookies. Okay, okay, it was probably overkill to bring snacks, but Zoe was right. You never knew what might happen at Mythos Academy, and if we did get stuck in the tunnels, I didn’t want to starve before someone rescued us.
I wasn’t the only one who might be thirsty, so I cracked open one of the bottles and poured a healthy amount of water into a small green pot on my desk that contained a beautiful flower with delicate white petals and a heart-shaped emerald-green blossom in the center. The winterbloom perked up as the water soaked into the soil, and it spread its petals wide, as if it were thanking me.
“There you go,” I cooed, and stroked one of its velvety petals. “There’s some water for you.”
“Have I told you how weird it is that you talk to that flower?” Zoe snarked.