Chapter 43
Anthony falls all the way down to the floor and I stoop over to him. Blood is everywhere, on his clothes, on the floor, and on his hands, but I don't know what to do to stop it. He grits his teeth as his face tenses in pain.
Tears stream down my face and I collapse over him, sobbing uncontrollably because I know how much pain he is in, remembering that just a short while ago I was shot. "Why didn't you shoot Maureen?"
"I couldn't shoot my own mother, Sonia. He reaches his arm up and strokes my cheek.
"It's because you are so good."
"No, it is because you are so stupid," Maureen interjects. "Olaf, be ready to depart through the Portal of Blufire with Sonia." Maureen undoes Olaf's hands and ties a piece of fabric around his wounded leg to stop the bleeding.
"I would rather kill myself first than come with you," I say.
Anthony coughs, blood sputtering from his mouth, and I cup my hand over my mouth to stifle a cry. Glancing up, I see that we are only a few feet away from the door. Do I dare try and open it to let the others in? Maureen might shoot me if I do, but it is the only chance we have at surviving. I arise abruptly, run to the door and unlock it. Skuld, Mani and my mom are right there, their weapons immediately aimed toward Maureen and Olaf. Maureen shoots at my mom, but misses. Then she grabs Olaf's hand, and right as Mani's and Skuld's weapons go off, Maureen and Olaf disappear, their bodies disbursing into thin air.
"Anthony's been shot!" I yell, taking my mom's hand, dragging her with me. I kneel down beside him and take his hand in mine. "Anthony, I love you, do you hear me? I love you!" I yell. I know he doesn't have much time, and need to get the words out before it is too late.
The sides of Anthony's lips curve softly upward at the edges and he looks at me with tears in his eyes. "I love you too," he says.
"You should have stayed away," I say. "You shouldn't have come for me." Convulsions take over his body and I sob.
"I'd rather die than lose you. Don't you know that by now?" Sweat is running down his face and his muscles tense and quiver uncontrollably.
"Your gift—you must receive it," Anthony says, his voice straining as he gasps for air. "Just remember, all has not yet been said and done, Sonia."
I am not sure what he means, but I intend to save his life before he loses it. "Mom, there must be something you can do!" I look at her.
My mom doesn't say anything, but her eyes expose her thoughts; I think she is at a loss for words, for what does one say when someone is dying?
I refuse to accept this fact, but at the same time wildly hang onto the few minutes—seconds—mere heartbeats—we might have together. Gazing into Anthony's eyes, I stroke his brow. I just want to see his face for as long as I can, for now it hits me like a mountain from the sky, that I will never see his face again. "I love you," I whisper again and again, as I brush the tears away from my eyes every few seconds. Every tear, every second, another last moment gone—forever.
Anthony takes my hand in his, brings it to his lips, and kisses it as he closes his eyes. He exhales one last time and then he is gone.
* * *
My heart stops and I can't breathe. I look at my mom in terror, grasping for some sort of comfort in her eyes, some sign that this is not happening, that this is just an illusion, a nightmare that will all go away the moment I wake up. When I see my mom's bottom lip quiver, and she starts to cry, I know that this is not an illusion—not a nightmare—this is real. I wonder if this was how my mom felt when my dad died. His death was a horrible experience, one I would never want to go through again, but when I lost my dad, I somehow knew I could continue on living. Losing Anthony, however, is different. His death has shattered me.
"I am so sorry, Sonia," my mom says, wrapping me in her arms. We cry together for a long while until I think that all my tears have dried up—but I know there are many more tears.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Maureen and Olaf escaped through the Portal of Blufire," Ross says softly, having just entered.
Skuld also comes over to us, her white outfit smeared with blood and dirt. "The castle has been secured, but we were unable to capture any of the Darkálfars—they vanished as well. We found the other governesses in the basement and they are all well."
I don't care about Maureen and Olaf anymore, other than maybe to have my revenge, but instead of dwelling on them, allowing them to have room in my thoughts, I allow myself to be selfish and to embrace the pain of Anthony's death. Anthony's face is lifeless, but peaceful, and I wonder where he has gone. How can such a being, so full of life, strength, vigor and love, suddenly be gone? Then, I feel a soft breeze on my cheek, and I think I hear a whisper. My eyes linger again on his face, and suddenly I notice his features becoming transparent.
"When a supernatural being dies, their body and spirit are removed from the realm of Midgard and are taken to Helheim," my mom says.
"No!" I grab his hand and cling to it, feeling the warmth that is still there, still embodying all that we had together. Tears fall down my face, but I no longer bother to wipe them away. With blurred vision, I keep my gaze upon his body, but soon, his hand dissolves in mine, and he is gone.
"Sonia, come," my mom say. She takes my elbow, lightly pulling it, but I resist because I don't want to leave Anthony, even if there is no more body to sit by and mourn. Instead, there is only a pool of blood where his body used to lie; it is the only proof I have that Anthony was just here a moment ago.
"Sonia—we must continue, even despite ourselves, even despite—" She pauses, and then her face crumples into a thousand shades of grief. She buries her face in her hands and weeps. I rise to my feet and envelop her in my frail arms. How gruesome they are, the ties that bind us, and though I don't want to continue, but somewhere in the depths of my darkness, I still see the small light of my mom's love and strength.
I reach my arm around her narrow shoulders and we walk out of the room where Anthony no longer lies. Stepping in to the foyer, I see the Viking ship mural to our left—the Portal of Blufire—I will follow Maureen to the ends of the earth and beyond to avenge Anthony.
"Does it only lead to the other portals?" I ask bitterly.
My mom thinks for a moment and her eyes narrow as if she is carefully selecting her words. "I have sworn, as a governess in the Huldra Dynasty, to never reveal all the places and realms in which the Portal of Blufire can take you," she whispers, as if quoting an oath.
Realms? Chills surge through me.
"It is forbidden," she continues, "for a Huldra to travel to the realm of Helheim, but if she has not been inducted into the Huldra Dynasty, it is not considered a transgression upon the law."
There is only one realm remaining, according to what Anthony said—Helheim, and that is the realm where all supernatural beings go after they die.