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.If you'd let mepast…""You're lucky I am a priestess and not the witch you claim, because if I were, your ass would beso cursed!" Mikaela said,poking Tibolt in the chest and ignoring me just as the other two did."You have no powers over me," Tibolt answered, narrowing his eyes at her."I am a mage of thefifth level.""And I am the high priestess of Ashtar," she snapped back, giving him another poke in the chest."Your magic has no effect on me.""Um, guys? Can I get by, please?" I asked."Magic is wasted on the ignorant," Tibolt said as he slammed down his drink and started towardthe door.His insult made Mikaela gasp in surprise again."Tibolt—" Ramon started to say, but stopped when Tibolt snarled something in Swedish andslammed his way out of the RV."I'm sorry," I said quietly, slipping the pendant over my head and scooting past a black-facedMikaela."See you guys later."Mikaela muttered a few things in Swedish, stopping suddenly to call me back."No, Fran, wait! Iwill help you with the ghosts.""You will?" I climbed back into the RV, hesitant because I didn't want to cause any moreproblems."Yes, I will.Tibolt is not the only one in the family with powers, and since he is to blame for thesituation, and he refuses to help you, I will." She looked at Ramon, who nodded."And so willRamon.We will help you send the ghosts toValhalla.""That's awfully nice of you," I said, touching the valknut."But how are we going to do that?""It's very simple," she said, pushing past me to leave the RV.Ramon and I followed."You knowabout the Valkyries, yes?""Yes," I said, though I was far from an expert on Norse mythology."Kind of.Ben told me theother night that they're warrior maidens who swoop down on horses and pick out dead warriorsto take to heaven, which is calledValhalla.""Close enough.Queen of the Valkyries is Freya, goddess of love.""Oh?" I wondered what the goddess of love had to do with dead Vikings."Yes.So there's our answer." She ran up the steps to her RV, quickly returning with a tapestrybag.She hurried around the front of the trailer, toward the stretch of woods in which I foundBen."Come on, we don't have long before our act is on again."I looked at Ramon.He took my arm and hustled me after Mikaela."There's our answer? What answer?" I asked, stumbling over an unseen root."You don't mean—""Yes," Mikaela said, spreading out a cloth and laying out a bowl, candle, and small bouquet offlowers."We're going to summon Freya and ask her help."Chapter TenCrash!"I was at a party!"Bang!"A very nice party!"Kerwhang!"InVenice !The city of love! And there were four lovely mortal men practically drooling on mewith desire!"Crack.Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle.I peeked through the fingers I'd slapped over my eyes when Freya, goddess of love, warriorqueen, and evidently Venetian partygoer started her hissy fit.The tinkling sound came from thecrystal goblet Mikaela had set out as part of the summoning equipment.Freya crushed the gobletbetween her hands and sprinkled the glass shards on the grass at Mikaela's feet.I had to giveMikaela credit—it took guts to stand up to a really pissed-off goddess (even if she did look likeshe belonged on the E! channel modeling the latest fashions), but Mikaela didn't budge an inchwhen Freya got mad at her for being summoned."Goddess Freya, I am sorry for disturbing you—""And you, you mortal priestess of Ashtar, you think nothing of summoning me from the party ofthe year? Did I mention Elton John was there?"Mikaela flinched slightly when Freya shredded her invocation cloth."I'm very sorry, goddess,but this is an emergency."Freya threw down the cloth, spinning around to glare at Ramon, who stood a few feet away fromMikaela."You! You are a priest?""Yes." Ramon looked like his usual implacable (and silent) self.He didn't even blink whenFreya marched over to him.I was having a hard time wrapping my brain around the idea that first of all, all those Norse godslike Odin and Thor and Freya really existed, and second, that they would look like fashionmodels.Then again, maybe it was just Freya—beautiful, raven-haired, elegant Freya—wholooked like a model.Maybe the rest looked all wispy, and had big beards and wore hornedhelmets and things."Hrmph.Not worth my time." Freya dismissed Ramon and turned to consider me.I thoughtabout clamping my fingers together again so I wouldn't have to see through them, but decidedthat was too cowardly.Instead I dropped my hands and tried to smile at the irate goddess."Hi
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