Of course, that wasn’t a promise I could personally keep – but at least Surtur still seemed to think he needed me to fight it.

 

Which was, of course, why he or one of his minions set fire to an old people’s home. I was getting more and more angry about this stuff and more and more tired of it.

 

I couldn’t stop him and I knew I had to keep with the plan, but this time I hadn’t even been close enough to help get people out.

 

All I could do was watch the news footage, loop it until I went numb. Try not to let the hate poison me.

 

Try not to let the desire for vengeance consume me.

 

Look at my sword, and think about what I could and could not do.

 

I probably needed to be hauled out to do something fun, but everyone was busy. I turned the television off and sat there in silence.

 

Stop Surtur, stop Ragnarok, but I couldn’t even stop him from burning out retired people. Couldn’t even protect a few mortals. What was I doing even thinking I could fix any of this?

 

Then finally, Thruor knocked on the door. Came in as soon as I said she could.

 

“You need this,” she commented and handed me an extremely large double chocolate cookie.

 

She was right. I rather did. “I’m done with this. I’m about to say screw prophecies, screw rules, screw everything.”

 

“Could beat up his arsonist,” she said like it was a serious suggestion.

 

“Tempting. He’d just send somebody else, but it would make me feel better.” Or the same guy back once he’d recovered, angrier with me. “Nah. It would…”

 

“Not be conducive to undermining Surtur’s authority.”

 

I blushed. “I wasn’t exactly trying to do that.”

 

“Just talk the guy into letting you go.”

 

“He did have my sword.” I glanced at the blade. “And enough knowledge to know that would hold me. Weirdly, I kind of liked him.”

 

“Why?”

 

A pause, then. “He reminded me of Mike. Cop type, I guess.” Good cops came from one mold, I supposed. Bad cops from a different, much more unpleasant one. I was quite glad I’d been arrested by a good cop.

 

She let out a breath. “Hard to think of them as people.”

 

“Hard to think of any enemy that way. But you don’t need to. Just not start the fights.”

 

“Only finish them,” she said, grimly. “I’m about ready to finish this one.”

 

“Don’t let anything permanent happen.”

 

“I won’t.”