well protect you if I’m not armed and ready for battle, can I?”
“Protect me? Why would I need protection?” Right then, the raven soared over the partition with a huge flap of its wings, screeching loudly.
CA-CAW. CA-CAW.
I shrieked and hit the floor.
Okay, maybe I needed a little protecting.
“Use your spear, Ingrid!” I gestured wildly at the ornate weapon. “That bird is not going back out that window without a fight. Hurry, before it pecks us to death!”
Instead of impaling the flying beast with her spear, Ingrid chuckled warmly. “Huggie, it’s nice to see you again.” Her tone was affable as she nodded to the bird, which had managed to find a new perch on one of the wooden bedposts of my bed, which sat in the middle of the small studio room. “It’s been a while, old friend, hasn’t it?”
The bird gave a giant squawk in response.
I blinked a few times.
I was crouched on the floor, arms comically wrapped around my head. I was certain the bird was going to peck out my brain, so I was doing what any logical person would do in my place. I was shielding it. I sat there, pretending I hadn’t just heard what Ingrid had said to the killer bird.
The urge to run screaming out of my apartment pressed down on me.
That, combined with the jitters and near constant heart-hammering, made it hard for me to keep still. My legs quaked, and my heart felt close to bursting. Instead of fleeing my apartment, screaming like a madwoman, I managed, “Did you just call that bird Huggie ?”
“Yep, this here is Hugin,” she answered matter-of-factly. “Your dad sent him to help you. Kind of like your own personal animal totem. Huggie can relay thoughts. You should be able to feel something from him once you get to know him a little better.”
“Huh?” I needed to find a different position, or I was going to fall over. Instead of collapsing in a heap on the floor, which I pondered for a long, sweet moment, I edged onto my knees and shuffled over to my one and only piece of furniture that wasn’t a bed—a shabby-chic chair I’d found at a thrift store—and pulled myself onto the thing, sitting down with a thump. I bent over and rubbed my temples. “Um, Ingrid,” I mumbled, “I hate to burst your bubble, but my dad runs an Ace Hardware store in rural Wisconsin. He couldn’t possibly have sent me a gigantic raven as an animal totem . And even if the sky did fall, and the world spun wildly on its axis, why would he sneak all the way to New York, break into my apartment, and drop a man-eating raptor in my kitchen without even sticking around to say hello?”
Why I was trying to make sense of this was the bigger mystery .
Ingrid was obviously delusional.
“Huggie came here of his own accord. Your dad only asked him to come. Well, he likely made it an official order, but the bird makes his own decisions. You can’t be this old without gaining your own power, and Huggie here is as old as they come. Isn’t that right?”
The bird gave a loud squawk in answer.
I lifted my head, staring at her with an open mouth. With mock enthusiasm, I said, “Well, that’s a huge relief. I wouldn’t want the bird terrorizing us to be robbed of its own free will.”
“Free will. That’s a good one, Phoebe.” Ingrid chuckled as she strode over to my closet door and pulled it open. “Okay, enough dillydallying around. We have to make haste. They’re already tracking you, and time is of the essence.”
Make haste? Time is of the essence?
Ingrid wore lumberjack shirts exclusively. Her hair was military short, and she rarely left her apartment. She had a hard edge and most certainly did not use words like dillydally .
“ Who …exactly is tracking me?” I glanced warily at the raven. It had its beady eyes pinned on me.
Ingrid poked her head out of the closet, duffel bag in hand. “When you got struck today, the Norns found out about you for the first time—and let me tell you, they are biting mad. Pulling the
“Protect me? Why would I need protection?” Right then, the raven soared over the partition with a huge flap of its wings, screeching loudly.
CA-CAW. CA-CAW.
I shrieked and hit the floor.
Okay, maybe I needed a little protecting.
“Use your spear, Ingrid!” I gestured wildly at the ornate weapon. “That bird is not going back out that window without a fight. Hurry, before it pecks us to death!”
Instead of impaling the flying beast with her spear, Ingrid chuckled warmly. “Huggie, it’s nice to see you again.” Her tone was affable as she nodded to the bird, which had managed to find a new perch on one of the wooden bedposts of my bed, which sat in the middle of the small studio room. “It’s been a while, old friend, hasn’t it?”
The bird gave a giant squawk in response.
I blinked a few times.
I was crouched on the floor, arms comically wrapped around my head. I was certain the bird was going to peck out my brain, so I was doing what any logical person would do in my place. I was shielding it. I sat there, pretending I hadn’t just heard what Ingrid had said to the killer bird.
The urge to run screaming out of my apartment pressed down on me.
That, combined with the jitters and near constant heart-hammering, made it hard for me to keep still. My legs quaked, and my heart felt close to bursting. Instead of fleeing my apartment, screaming like a madwoman, I managed, “Did you just call that bird Huggie ?”
“Yep, this here is Hugin,” she answered matter-of-factly. “Your dad sent him to help you. Kind of like your own personal animal totem. Huggie can relay thoughts. You should be able to feel something from him once you get to know him a little better.”
“Huh?” I needed to find a different position, or I was going to fall over. Instead of collapsing in a heap on the floor, which I pondered for a long, sweet moment, I edged onto my knees and shuffled over to my one and only piece of furniture that wasn’t a bed—a shabby-chic chair I’d found at a thrift store—and pulled myself onto the thing, sitting down with a thump. I bent over and rubbed my temples. “Um, Ingrid,” I mumbled, “I hate to burst your bubble, but my dad runs an Ace Hardware store in rural Wisconsin. He couldn’t possibly have sent me a gigantic raven as an animal totem . And even if the sky did fall, and the world spun wildly on its axis, why would he sneak all the way to New York, break into my apartment, and drop a man-eating raptor in my kitchen without even sticking around to say hello?”
Why I was trying to make sense of this was the bigger mystery .
Ingrid was obviously delusional.
“Huggie came here of his own accord. Your dad only asked him to come. Well, he likely made it an official order, but the bird makes his own decisions. You can’t be this old without gaining your own power, and Huggie here is as old as they come. Isn’t that right?”
The bird gave a loud squawk in answer.
I lifted my head, staring at her with an open mouth. With mock enthusiasm, I said, “Well, that’s a huge relief. I wouldn’t want the bird terrorizing us to be robbed of its own free will.”
“Free will. That’s a good one, Phoebe.” Ingrid chuckled as she strode over to my closet door and pulled it open. “Okay, enough dillydallying around. We have to make haste. They’re already tracking you, and time is of the essence.”
Make haste? Time is of the essence?
Ingrid wore lumberjack shirts exclusively. Her hair was military short, and she rarely left her apartment. She had a hard edge and most certainly did not use words like dillydally .
“ Who …exactly is tracking me?” I glanced warily at the raven. It had its beady eyes pinned on me.
Ingrid poked her head out of the closet, duffel bag in hand. “When you got struck today, the Norns found out about you for the first time—and let me tell you, they are biting mad. Pulling the
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