Just Like Fire | J. Saltzman - Legacies [2]

E P I L O G U E

"Are the chains really necessary?"

"You tell me, Mikael. Last time I saw you, you threatened the people I care about before I was forced to stop you. We took down Dahlia without you. Thank you for your generous donation of Viking ashes. Quite useful."

"No need to be spiteful, daughter. Be careful how you speak. I am your father."

"My father died the moment Freya was taken from him. You—a husk of your former self—were left in his place. So, tell me, Mikael. Why shouldn't I send you back to hell right now?"

"Besides the great danger that witch is in? I happen to know how to spot an eljun a mile away... You did not know."

"I had a suspicion. Thank you for confirming. Now, goodbye—"

"Alexis, come now. I would have thought you'd like to know what I have to say. See if there is a way to save those girls."

"I may be desperate but not that desperate."

"I am trying to make up for the past. Can you allow me five minutes to help you? My youngest daughter who feared me more than loved me."

"I don't think any of us loved you more than feared you. But go ahead. Try to justify yourself."

"The eljun are a breed of Viking witch, legends even the great gods feared. Their power, when accepted, could create worlds or bring them to a pile of ashes. Do you remember the story of Ragnorok?"

"Of course. It used to terrify me when I still believed in a higher power."

"Oh, Alexis, trust me. It is all real. Soldiers used to say the end of days would be upon us when the Fimbulvetr came—the Great Winter."

"Spare me your religious ramblings, Mikael. Ragnorok is a myth."

"So was Inadu, yet she was real. Ragnorok is so much worse. As the cold comes, humanity turns on itself. Man against man, father against son. Brother against brother. Once humanity has crumbled beneath the fratricide, the ancient wolves will devour the sun and moon. Darkness falls without the stars to illuminate the Earth, and the gods descend upon each other."

"Yes, I remember the tale. Get to your point."

"Do you remember how it ends?"

"The world burns by Surtr's flaming sword before it sinks in the seas. The few remaining gods manage to recreate a new world for us. For the Vikings. Peace arrives, but we never forget. Ragnorok will come again."

"And it has. Think about it. While the Earth warms, the winters get longer, covering lands with blankets of never-ending snow only to disappear in a few days. No one notices. Wars drag on with no peace in sight."

"What does any of this have to do with the eljun?"

"Those tales forgot something. In the end, Loki's children—the wolf and the serpent—created something in case they lost. A lineage of magic welders born of tricksters, destined to fight in the next apocalypse. As humanity destroys itself once more, as brother slays brother, the eljun will be called upon to accept their bond and fulfill their roles. Unless they perish before the end as has happened for centuries. Once they accept their bond, everything starts again."

"Ragnorok?"

"Yes. The serpent and the wolf will return through the eljun and rain hell upon the world, calling out for the war to start anew. That is, unless, we eliminate the threat now."

"How do we break the bond?"

"You cannot break it. The bond takes any magic you throw at it and engulfs it, using it to its advantage. Breaking the bond would mean stripping both of their magic, and even then, it has never been done before."

"Lovely, let me know if you plan to be useful—"

"That girl in there. Stella. She's yours, isn't she?"

"I will only warn you once. You will never step near her. Ever."

"You do like being literal don't you?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I have a feeling I won't be around to watch, but when your star of a daughter winks out, know the end is upon you. And you cannot stop it."

And we're done! I'm super excited for Legacies to return, but I'm also so excited for you guys to see Stella and Josie in my own plot because, damn, I put a lot of work into this, and I hope it pays off. 

Enjoy and stay safe!

-L