15
Bernard met Jakob’s hazel gaze and, for the first time, noticed he had trimmed his beard and mustache, looking less like a grizzly bear and more like a man. “Can you see the outcome of my plan? All of you are my friends, and I would never want any harm to come to any of you. Moving forward, every step we take has to be certain and precise.”
All eyes turned to Jakob, who stared through the barrier in front of him. Aleksandra’s small hand slid into his. The longer he mulled over each scenario, his hazel eyes brightened until they were almost glowing. Finally, he blinked and met Bernard’s gaze, the light fading as Jakob’s eyes returned to normal.
“Since the power banding the draugar is unknown, I can only see two scenarios. If we, too, join our magic, we have a fifty-fifty chance of overpowering the creatures and lowering the barrier. If I knew who commanded them, I could give you better, or worse, odds. Otherwise, we fail.”
Charles turned around to face the creatures, his head tilted at a slight angle. “It’s too bad we can’t wrestle away the power from whoever released them. If they are as strong and undefeatable as Freyja says, they would make good allies.”
Bernard agreed with the American soldier but kept his thoughts to himself. From the horrified look on Freyja’s face, she didn’t agree. “That is a dangerous proposition. Those in limbo have nothing to lose or gain from their actions. I’m afraid to find out what they were promised to acquire their cooperation.”
Alva turned and walked to within a few steps of the draugr with the silver band around his head. He was so tall, she had to tip back her head to see his face. “Are you able to understand us?”
Bernard waited with bated breath and wondered if the creature could speak. He didn’t have to wait long until the draugr dropped his eerie gaze to hers and nodded.
“Can you tell us who commanded you to create this barrier?” He shook his head. “What were you offered?”
“Life,” the draugr’s shredded voice whispered, setting Bernard’s nerves on edge as the thin, grating speech moved through him. The deep vibrations filled him with an ominous foreboding, and from everyone else’s expressions, they had sensed the same thing.
“This is so bad,” Freyja said behind him as the creature’s gaze returned to the barrier. “Not to mention impossible. No one, to my knowledge, has ever been able to bring a draugr back from the dead, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t hope of figuring this out.”
“How are they cursed to begin with?” Bernard asked, never taking his gaze off the giants.
“Legend states the draugar were humans, who, when alive, harmed others—thieves and murderers, the worst of society,” Freyja explained. “When they die, their bodies are found sitting upright, so they are buried in underground tombs, spelled so that most beings can’t reach them. Through the millennia, a few have escaped or were released from their tombs, so I find it hard to believe there isn’t a positive solution for them.”
“Can they repent?” Bernard asked. “Do they feel remorse for their previous lives?”
“I have no idea,” Freyja muttered.
Bernard stepped up behind Alva. Leaning close to one ear, he whispered, “Ask them if they are remorseful for the bad deeds they did in life.”
With a slight twist of her neck to see him better, she frowned. “Are you sure? The last thing we should do is make them angry.”
“I’m sure.”
She sighed. “Here goes nothing...” She tilted her head back. “Do you feel bad about what you did to others during your life?”
The draugr once more lowered his gaze to hers. “Yessssss.”
“Thank you for answering my questions,” she said, giving him a tiny smile before turning around to face the group, who had once more moved closer together. “What do we do now?” She turned to Freyja. “If there is one thing I have learned, it’s that everyone deserves a second chance. No one knows why someone does the things they do, nor do we understand how they got into this predicament in the first place. It could have been no more than jealousy or spite, and no one should spend their afterlife paying for something they didn’t do.” Turning to the others, she held up her hand as they all spoke at once.
“Hear me out—” Alva began but was stopped when Freyja covered Alva’s mouth with one hand.
“Don’t speak,” she said. The goddess closed her eyes and muttered something under her breath. She reopened her eyes when she was done. “Just in case whoever is controlling the draugar is listening, I placed a protection barrier around us. Now, Alva, you can continue.”
“Thank you, my lady. As I was saying, while I don’t condone outright murder, haven’t we all had to kill someone while fighting in the war? What about those who killed in self-defense but were condemned anyway? What if those who stole were trying to keep their wives or children alive? It’s easy to sit back in comfort, living with means and connections, but we all know life isn’t like that on any of the Nine Worlds. Life is hard, and sometimes bad things happen. I may be alone in this, but if it’s in our power, I believe we should grant them a second chance.”
Pride filled Bernard’s chest as he stared at the beautiful Huldra. Her long white braid draped over her right shoulder and small tendrils curled around her face, which was flushed. Her sea-green eyes sparkled like gemstones. For her to have such compassion after what her people had done to her, as well as for beings she had only just learned existed, she was, indeed, remarkable. A much better person than he was, certainly, since it had been his own selfish actions that put them in this predicament in the first place.
“I agree with Alva.” He gave her a tight, guilt-ridden grin. “I understand the value of a second chance and will be paying for my own part in this for a long time to come. I think we should form our own circle next to the barrier and try to join our magic to counteract whoever is controlling these beings.”
“Do you think we have enough magical strength to break through?” Raisa asked, raising a worried glance to Ailuin, who wrapped one arm around her shoulders.
Ailuin’s bright-blue gaze speared Bernard’s. “Our only option is to try.”
Freyja nodded in agreement, then, with a flick of her head, first to the right, then to the left, she placed one hand over the fiery opal pendant resting against the base of her throat. She waved with her other hand, and Mikhail and Natalya disappeared. Next, Lilyann and Charles disappeared. Just as she was about to send Aleksandra and Jakob, Émilien arrived.
“It’s about time you got here. What took you so long?” she asked.