The next morning we were left alone. A maid brought us breakfast. I wasn’t afraid to eat his food – he wasn’t planning on hurting me and if he drugged me I couldn’t help him.

 

It was delicious. Whoever his chef was, they were good. But I couldn’t come up with a good plan, and I was still wondering where the fyrhund was.

 

Here, of course, he was solid and could not sneak under doors to get to me, but I knew he was trying to.

 

I really needed to name him, but for some reason I was afraid to do so. Almost afraid to admit he was “my” dog by any meaningful measure.

 

I trusted my instincts on the matter. Now I was more awake, I checked the window. It was not barred, but there was no ledge – no escaping that way unless I could shapeshift both of us into birds.

 

Which Loki had steadfastly refused to teach me. “Hrm. No way out of here without wings.”

 

Kanesha nodded. “And neither of us can grow them.”

 

“Theoretically I can, but I don’t really know how.”

 

She nodded. “But maybe we…”

 

I hesitated. Then I found myself grinning. “Hush.”

 

I could not grow wings.

 

I knew somebody who could. Oh, she didn’t do it very often, but it was part of the suite of abilities.

 

Thruor.

 

Valkyries could fly. And she could get us out. Likely one at a time.

 

If she knew which window to check. Which she didn’t, but it gave me hope. The fact that he hadn’t barred the window meant he didn’t yet know I had anyone with me who could fly.

 

Or maybe there was a protection I could not see. I looked around, then picked up a crumb of breakfast roll and tossed it out the window.

 

Blast.

 

It hit a forcefield. “So much for that anyway.”

 

“I wouldn’t have thought of that.”

 

“Surtur knows magic, and probably has people who know more magic. Of course he’d take precautions.”

 

But that only meant we needed more magic. Better magic.
And Thruor could still get up here even if she couldn’t get in. “But we still…”

 

Kanesha hrmed. “It would certainly be easier than going down through the castle. Maybe.”

 

“He’s got a lot of guards and servants.” And while the servants might not be great fighters, they were all giants.

 

They could impede us.
Still, I wasn’t waiting for rescue. I would never wait around for rescue.