Struck: (Phoebe Meadows Book 1) Read Free Page B

most of the Nine Worlds are harsh and unforgiving. No place to raise a child. Your survival rate would’ve been nil to none. He made the best choice he could for both of you at the time. They both love you, Phoebe, and that’s why we need to leave right now.”
    “Sealed her where exactly ?” Morbid curiosity was apparently now in charge.
    Ingrid moved to my dresser and opened my underwear drawer and began shoveling things into the bag. “Well, we’ve pretty much narrowed it down to Svartalfheim, which is the only world we haven’t been able to fully search yet. Those bastards guard their entrances like rabid dogs. If she’s there, let me tell you, it’s going to be hard work to spring her. Dark elves are nasty, and tricky with their magic. We’ve been trying to find a way in for the past eight years with no luck, but we’re getting closer each day. Invaldi recently made a very big mistake, and he owes one of my sisters a favor. We’re bargaining for entrance right now.”
    My head spun like someone had clocked me right in the face.
    Why had I asked?
    I thumped down on the edge of the chair to steady myself. “ Svartalfheim ? Come on, Ingrid!” I tossed out my arms. I had to find a way to get her to put my undies back in my drawer and leave. “I can’t believe you’re actually trying to convince me this story is real, and you can stop packing now. I’m not going anywhere, except to sleep. For like a week.”
    “Yes, Svartalfheim. It’s one of the Nine Worlds. Covered in dark elves. Highly dangerous.” She zipped the now full duffel like I hadn’t said anything and slung it over her shoulder like it weighed nothing. “Enough talking. We’re wasting time. We need to get out of here. It’s not safe for you in the city any longer.”
    There were so many things wrong with those sentences.
    I stood, shaking my head. “I’m really, really sorry, Ingrid, but I’m not going to join you tonight. What I need is a hot cup of soup and some honest-to-goodness sleep. If you could just help me get the bird out, I promise I’ll be a good audience the next time you need another run-through with your lines. But, I’m going to stay here and crash.”
    Before Ingrid could answer, the raven swooped off the bedpost, barely flapping its wings, and landed on the table next to me.
    I stifled a scream as the lamp clattered to the ground.
    That thing was huge .
    CAW-CA. CAAA-CAW.
    The sound was deafening this close.
    “Sorry, big guy,” I squeaked, slowly standing and backing against the wall behind the chair, edging as far away as I possibly could. “I’m not really picking up on any mind action, so I think your communication lines might be broken. If I open the window a little more, do you think you could make it back out by yourself?”
    Leave…now.
    The words fluttered through my brain like actual feathers tickling my gray matter.
    I gasped, stumbling to the side, trying to catch myself before I fell. My head snapped to Ingrid, who now wore a devilish grin, and then back to the raven perched on my tiny table.
    “Huggie start talking to you? Good job, bird. Whatever it takes. Now we really have to go. You don’t want to come face-to-face with the Norns, Phoebe. There’s nothing worse. Those hags will tear you apart with their bare hands and cackle while they do it.”
    Instead of moving, I responded in a monotone, my eyes locked on the bird. “What exactly is a Norn, Ingrid?”
    “The Norns are sister goddesses—or witches—depending on who you talk to. They control, manipulate, and foresee what goes on with us, and tend to Yggdrasil, the tree of life. They don’t really care what goes on in Midgard.” She motioned out the window, I guessed to indicate the rest of the world. “But if you go behind their backs like we did for all those years, you’re going to pay in spades. Not even Odin is strong enough to take them on all at once. Nasty bunch of ladies. Come on. I’ll fill you in more on the road.”