The rest of Jess' break, she sat quietly by the fireplace, unable to do much else besides comparing images on her phone. The symbols in Sigyn's journal were similar to the runes of the Elder and Younger Futhark, but not quite the same. She couldn't find an explanation for this writing, and she couldn't even begin to process what she had seen in the supply shed.

  Kark walked into the lobby pushing a mop bucket when he noticed Jess looking somber on the chair. He set his chores aside to sit with her and see what was bothering her.

  "Do you believe in magic?" It wasn't the most graceful start, but it was all Jess could think to say.

  "Of course I do! It's not even a question."

  Jess sat up taller in her seat, her reservations blown away by the conviction in his answer. "I saw Sigyn in the shed. It looked like ice came out of her hand."

  "...Oh." His expression changed to mild alarm, and his words were fast, like someone quickly trying to bury a secret. "You mean...magic magic. No - I don't believe in that."

  Jess' shoulders dropped. "You don't believe me."

  "No!...Well... yes...I mean, no; I do not believe you. After all, magic isn't real around here, but people see things sometimes, it's nothing to worry about. Just a little hallucination. It's perfectly normal!" Kark poked her temple, trying to cheer her up and unaware his playfulness had the exact opposite effect.

  It was foolish of Jess to think he'd do anything other than cover for Sigyn, being her number one employee for who-knows-how-long. Accepting defeat, she got up to get back to work and figure out how to put the events of the day behind her.

  Kark couldn't ignore the forlorn look in her eyes as she walked away. How could his reassurance have made her feel worse? "You seem...disappointed."

  Jess shrugged. "I guess it would be really cool if magic were real."

  "You wouldn't be scared?"

  "Of course not! It would be all of my childhood dreams coming true. Don't you remember what it was like when you were a kid, and you believed anything was possible? I remember growing up, waking up every day, thinking that something amazing was about to happen. I really miss that feeling."

  There were many things Kark wanted to say, but duty forced him to hold his tongue. "I...don't think anything happening means that it's all good things. I know this story about a huma-Uh...a huge girl." He cleared his throat. "A girl, who wandered away from her village one day and met this stranger from another world. Everything about him was strange, yet so enchanting, and they quickly fell in love. Do you know how it ended?"

  "They lived happily ever after?"

  "Nope. She died. It's a good example of-"

  "Wait, how?"

  "Hmm?"

  "How did she die?"

  "Oh...I don't know. She just kind of...dropped dead. Anyway the point is-"

  "No offense, but that's kind of an awful story..."

  "Yeah." Kark rubbed the back of his neck. "Sigyn's the better storyteller between the two of us. My point is: maybe not having magic isn't the worst thing."

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  As hard as Kark tried to drive the point home, Jess couldn't accept it. Believing there was more to the world than met the eye was a hope that had gotten her through the bleakest, dullest nights. She was not about to let that go, no matter how many 'hallucinations' she had. No one else needed to believe her as long as she could prove it to herself.

  Once Jess left to continue working, Kark went upstairs to have a word with his boss. It was no surprise to walk in on Sigyn half-naked with another girl in her bed, but he didn't expect who.

  "Hey!" Sigyn greeted him as the girl laid kisses across her neck. "Look who decided to show up!"

  "Angrboea," he said, though she barely acknowledged him while giving all her attention to Sigyn. "Glad to see you made it out okay."

  She finally stopped to give him a defiant glare. "Why wouldn't I be? I've fought worse and came out better."

  "Besides that one time with the horse," Sigyn reminded her as she rested her chin on her bare shoulder.

  Angrboea rolled her eyes. She hated when Sigyn teased her about getting a black eye. "Everyone agreed that the stallion was insane."

  Changing the subject, Sigyn suggested the three of them do something special tonight, in honor of Angrboea's arrival.

  "Before we celebrate anything, I should let you know that Miss Mikkelson may be on to us."

  Sigyn went rigid. "What?"

  "She saw you just now in the supply shed. Using magic."

  Before Sigyn had the chance to respond, Angrboea smacked her arm hard enough to sting. "This is what I'm talking about! You're not safe here. We already have the Vorer to deal with, the last thing we need is a bunch of humans with pitchforks and torches!"

  "That's not going to happen!" Sigyn got up from the bed before Angrboea could hit her again. "This place isn't the same as it was when we were younger. Humans don't believe in us anymore. They'd sooner believe the whole world had gone crazy. We are fine."

  Angrboea wasn't convinced, but they had bigger issues at hand. "We still have to deal with the Vorer. That threat is not going away. You can either sit around and wait for them, or you can take them by surprise-"

  "I'm not going back!" Sigyn snapped. "I can't!"

  "Your father still rambles about taking back the realms."

  "That's all it is: rambles. He'd never get far."

  "You don't think he won't try? You think he won't chuck bodies at Asgard's gates just to see them shake?"

  "I will not be blamed! I tried to stop him, remember? I tried to warn everyone he was a senile old man unfit to rule, look where it landed me! If they want to listen to him and not me, let them feel the burn of their own fire."

  Angrboea dropped her chin. "It's more than just words now. He took my sword, Sigyn."

  The three of them fell into silence, only broken by Sigyn's dark laughter. "That's what this is all about. I should've known!" She snatched a rob from her closet and wrestled her arms through the sleeves. "All the lecturers you put me through about my fate and you never mentioned needing to get your sword back. Was that also part of my fate, or did you make it up on the spot?"

  "I still believe it. With all of my heart and soul, and if you don't do something, he will use that sword!"

  There was a burning intensity in Angrboea's eyes that Sigyn could not hold out against, and she had to avert her gaze. She had hounded Sigyn for years about what she believed was her fate, and what Sigyn believed was outdated, traditional nonsense. It was a tug-o-war that spanned most of their friendship, with neither side truly advancing.

  In a firm voice, Sigyn addressed the room. "I'm not going back. I'll deal with the Vorer when they come, and I'll get rid of Jess by the end of the week." She disappeared into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

  Kark rocked back and forth on his feet, abandoned in the quiet room with Angrboea. "At least some things are getting back to normal."

  In the privacy of her bathroom, Sigyn could escape the conversation, but not the memories that came flooding back. She could still feel the sharp crack of her mother's palm against her cheek. Her father's fingers digging into her collarbone, forcing her onto her knees in front of a crowd of jeering onlookers. As his booming voice warned the dangers of treachery and betrayal, Sigyn remembered searching the crowd of faces, wondering who listened with earnestness, who bowed in fear to her father, or who pretended - if sound minds still existed at all.

  She remembered a feeling. A restless anger that glowed brighter than a snowy landscape under the midday sun. A defiance that consumed her thoughts and spurred her to do more and more dangerous things. Back then, of course, she didn't know they were dangerous. A fog had settled in her brain that prevented her from thinking clearly. Maybe, things could have turned out differently...

  Maybe, Kark wouldn't have had to shake her awake in the middle of the night. Maybe he wouldn't have had to drag her half-asleep through the halls, away from the growing chorus of cries and screams.

  Maybe, all the bodies she had to step over would have still been alive.