The Journey to Find Mimir

Chapter Twenty-Two: Save the Leftovers!

There was nothing I could do but await my fate. Sleep overtook me in the late afternoon. The return of Ingrida and Gert momentarily woke me, the forgotten bag slammed next to the front door, but I quickly rolled back into a deep sleep. I didn't truly wake until long after the sun had gone down, when the living room was dark and silent except for the crackling of the fire and the sound of the wind whistling outside.

On cue: Dad's dead.

At first, dad's death hurt as painfully as it normally did. Then, a realization numbed the pain: by tomorrow, I might be joining him. 

The floor of the bird cage was covered in a thin layer of straw, but it did nothing to protect my back from the hard iron floor. My entire body was sore from sleeping on it. 

I lay looking up at the ceiling of the bird cage. Would I be killed in the early morning or after breakfast? Or in the late afternoon, to preserve freshness for dinner? My limbs tingled as I imagined them hacked off and eaten by Ingrida, Orick and Gert. 

A single tear dripped down my face. There was nothing I could do. This was my fate and I deserved it. Why did I attempt such an impossible task? Did I really think I could avenge my family name by traveling through the land of giants? I must be as hopeless and delusional as everyone said. More tears began to spill. I didn't stop them. 

Something fluttered out of the corner of my eye. I thought it was a trick of the light -- until I realized there was a figure to the right of the cage. I jumped to my feet, spinning around as fast as possible. My mouth dropped open.

Standing there, in the soft light of the glowing embers, was Hearthstone. 

He looked casual, almost relaxed in the giant's home. His face gave nothing away until he noticed the tears on my cheeks. His eyebrows lifted slightly. 

For a moment we stood there, face-to-face and unmoving in the firelight. It was almost peaceful. Then, my shock wore off. 

"What are you doing here?" I said louder than I intended. I cursed to myself, then began to sign.

Why are you here? I asked. The giants will eat you. Go!

Hearthstone shook his head. He signed something to me, but I was unable to understand it. I pretended to pull out my hair in frustration, which I assumed needed no translation. 

Why had he come here? There was no logical reason for him to try and save me. He should have kept going on his journey to find Mimir. But underneath all of my anger, there was a small piece of me that wanted to weep with joy when I saw him standing outside my cage. 

Another question came to mind. I turned to Hearthstone and signed. How did you get here? The walk alone should have taken him weeks. 

He simply pointed at the front of the living room. 

At first, I thought he was gesturing at the front door. Then, I realized he was pointing at Gert's bag. I hadn't seen it until now. It was a simple duffel bag with pockets all around the edges. One of the pockets was half unzipped. At the foot of the pocket was our supplies -- both of our backpacks and the tent. 

Did you climb into Gert's bag? I mouthed, incredulous.

He nodded, then pulled out his bag of runestones. He began to sift through them. Frustration overtook me. How was he going to try and save me? He couldn't unlock a door without passing out. I tried to get his attention again by frantically signing, YOU! GO! YOU. BAD! GO! but he simply ignored me.

He pulled out a runestone, turning it over in his hands. I saw the inscription on the side: ᚢ

He looked at me and signed, go over there, as he pointed to the far side of the cage. 

"What are you going to do?" I asked, but he simply told me where to go again. I made my way to the back of the cage. I was not prepared for what happened next.

Hearthstone casted the rune, which disappeared in a white flash. He was immediately encased in golden light. He grew taller. His muscles swelled as though someone were inflating his clothes. His eyes turned bloodshot. His hair splayed with static. 

Hearthstone stepped towards the iron bars, then bent them as if they were made of aluminum foil. I gasped at his raw strength as he easily threw them aside. He stepped into the cage, his eyes wild and huge. Then, the effects wore off as quickly as they had appeared. He shrunk in size, his eyes rolling back in his head just like on the first day I met him. I found myself running as fast as I could to catch Hearthstone before he hit the iron floor. I was able to grab him just in time and level him onto the straw. The magic had overworked him and now he was out cold. 

Panic began to overtake me. One problem was solved -- I was no longer trapped to the confines of the bird cage. However, two new problems had arisen during this rescue mission. One, there was no way for us to leave the apartment without having one of the giants open the front door. And two, how could we escape if Hearthstone was unconscious for who knows how long?

I could accept my fate when I was going to be eaten by the giants, but I couldn't allow Hearthstone to be eaten. Not when he had just risked his life to save me. I had to find a way to get both of us out. 

First, I dragged him under the little table next to the front door. I figured it would be safer if a giant came to the kitchen for a midnight snack. Then I collected our supplies and placed them next to him. Once everything was settled, I began walking around the living room to look for a way out.

Large windows were above my head. Even if I could get to them, I would not be able to open them. For a moment I studied the fireplace and imagined shimmying up the chimney and out the top of the house -- but one wrong move and we would be cooked. Hearthstone was too tired, anyway. 

I was packing back in forth when the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I froze, then turned around slowly. 

Behind me was the largest housecat I had ever seen. Twenty feet of gray fur covered the domestic beast. Bright yellow eyes flicked over me. It made all of the snoozing kittens around my mom's throne look like little stuffed animals. 

What are you doing here? 

I turned around, expecting to see a giant out of bed. 

Why are you looking over there? I am right in front of you. 

Slowly, I looked up into the cat's face. Their reflective eyes shined in the firelight. 

"Are you..." I stammered. "I can hear you..."

Oh yes, I'm not surprised, said the cat. Their mouth did not move at all. It was like we were speaking on a different plane of existence. What are you doing in my house, son of Freya?

My mouth dropped open. 

After eighteen years of being a useless demigod, I was convinced that I had inherited none of my mother skills: not battle strategy, golden tears, stunning looks or magic. Now, standing in Jotunheim, I was either having some sort of mental breakdown or experiencing one of my mother's traits for the first time. The latter was more likely.  

I could talk to cats.