From the lack of crazy police blotter reports I assumed…that the tricksters had erased the memories of anyone involved in whatever they did.

I felt perfectly fine, despite my adventure, and wandered out into the hot summer sun – which bothered me no more than the cold of winter had. Then I saw the fire giant.

He lifted a hand. I sighed and crossed the street. “The dragon was a bit much.”

“Surtur wanted to let you know it wasn’t, shall we say, authorized.”

I frowned. “It was meant to…”

“It was a rather ill thought out, given the location, assassination attempt by a giantess who…”

“Who wants to marry Surtur.” I rolled my eyes. “She can have him.”

He reached out his hand. “Have you…”

I pulled away. “No.”

“…thought about what you might be able to achieve?”

“If I join with him, all this burns.” I indicated the city with my hand. “I won’t let that happen. I turned down a chance to remember everything just to be sure it won’t.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe…”

I shook my head. “No.” The only reason I’d let him take me was so I could stab him…in a place where he could die and I couldn’t. Unless.

Unless marrying him made me a denizen of Muspelheim anyway. Crap. I hadn’t thought of that.

“Well. He’s sorry about the dragon.”

I nodded. “It didn’t make any sense.” But I wondered if it had been an assassination attempt so much as a warning. If she could get to me in Coyote’s spirit world, she could get to me anywhere?

Then again, why bother warning somebody off… “I appreciate that.” I turned to walk away, trying to put as much distance between myself and the giant as I could. I probably looked as if I was in high dudgeon.

“Jane! What’s wrong?”

Monica’s voice.

“Even you wouldn’t believe this one. Don’t worry. He was just telling me his boss wasn’t the one who tried to kill me the other day.”

She rolled her eyes. “Tried to kill you?”

“It’s not all that impossible.”

“Would your girlfriend be jealous if we did lunch?”

I considered then shook my head. “No. Let’s do lunch.” Let’s do something normal and ordinary, I thought.

Not that I would ever be either.