I found out what Anansi had managed to do the next day. I don’t know who’s power he’d used…I had a feeling I would have known if it was Hel’s.

People weren’t dying.

Unfortunately, they weren’t getting any better either. And this wasn’t the kind of thing that could easily be hidden. This might break the protection between the real world and the supernatural altogether.

And there was worse.

Every baby born since last night had been born in a vegetative state.

Souls were no longer leaving the world. Or entering it. Seb was right. Fire giants draining power from witches could wait. And it wasn’t Freya I needed to talk to.

I ran into Loki as I headed out of the apartment. Literally. He was in his Mr. Otter disguise. “Who does he have?”

“Ereshkigal. After he failed to snag Persephone.”

I nodded. “Alright. We got a plan to free her?”

“Coyote’s working on one. Is Thruor still looking for the spider wife?”

“As far as I know. I haven’t heard from her.”

“Then you’re going to Africa.”

I nodded. I wasn’t going to argue with him. The ripple had stayed in reality, it was like, it was like some horrible low pressure I could sense. “Okay. Got a quick way for me to get there or are we talking plane tickets?”

“Plane tickets. It wouldn’t be good to try and cut through the spirit world or any of the other realms right now, and Odin’s keeping Bifrost sealed just in case.”

I nodded. I wasn’t looking forward to it. “Crap. I don’t have a passport.”

“I’ll take care of that.”

With a very good forgery, I suspected, combined with my own ability to pass under the radar. He was right. I could travel under false papers…and I felt absolutely no qualms about doing so.

Africa, though. I hadn’t imagined I’d ever end up setting foot there, and I… “Loki, do you know anyone who can help Seb take out three fire giants who got really uppity?”

“Hrm. The valkyries and Einherior can’t help. But I think I know somebody I can call. If he doesn’t mind hanging out with a frost giant.”

“Right now, he only cares about hurting the people who burned his girlfriend.” I sounded grim. “Would be my priority too, but the longer this goes on the harder it’s going to be to hide it.”

He nodded. “Exactly. So, you’re going to help Thruor.”

Which I’d wanted to do in the first place. I wondered, though, about the consequences.

I was, after all, running out on school.