Chapter 1 A Girl Named Sigyn

Luckily Sigyn knew just enough magic to keep her warm, otherwise, the harsh Minnesotan winter would have left her dead in an alleyway. It managed to make up for what little heat her raggedy clothes trapped against her. A dozen holes in her jeans let in the coldest winds as well as icy stares from people she passed on the streets. It was obvious she was homeless, so naturally, they avoided all awkward eye contact. Sigyn bitterly smirked at this, since it couldn’t possibly be as awkward as rummaging through a dumpster for lunch.

Sigyn couldn’t afford to keep her eyes down like the oblivious city commuters. Living on the streets meant being in constant danger. You always had to keep your eyes open. That’s why she noticed right away when a woman in front of her was suddenly pulled into an alleyway by a man in a hoodie. Her scream was quickly muffled by his hand as he held a pocket knife to her throat.

A new kind of heat filled Sigyn. She didn’t care to see anyone getting picked on, so she marched into the alley.

“Yo, gangster, let her go,” she said.

For a second the man froze until he realized his threat was a 5.3 homeless kid. “Get lost,” he spat.

A small smile crept on her lips. She liked it when people underestimated her. It made things more surprising. She clenched her fists, fueling them with raw energy raging in her body. She punched the air in front of her, sending a blast of power that swept the mugger to the back of the alley. His head hit the brick wall with a crunch, and he laid motionless on the snowy concrete.

The women gave a quick nod of thanks to her rescuer before hurriedly clicking away in her heels. Sigyn stood at the front of the alleyway, praying the man did something to prove she hadn’t killed him, but he stayed still.

She ran a hand through her dirty blonde hair. “D****t, d****t, d****t.”

She may have just killed someone. All she wanted was to teach them a lesson, but she had used too much power. This is why she tried to refrain for using magic: all it did was get people hurt. Yet, sometimes she just couldn’t help herself. You idiot, Sigyn thought, this is why you're on the street in the first place.

Panicked, she turned to run but was blocked by a man standing in the sidewalk. He struck Sigyn as odd, as he wore a gold eyepatch and a black cloak. In a way, he reminded her of a jolly-less Santa Claus.

“You are something special, aren’t you, child?” he said.

Sigyn’s flight reaction was upping every second. This dude looked too old to be a cop, but he could still cause trouble for her.

“I don’t know what happened,” she lied. “I tried to push him away, and he just… I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

The old man scoffed. “You don’t have to lie to me, child. I’m not as delusional as these mortals when it comes to magic.”

She frowned, taking a step back and considering that the old man may be crazy.

He gave her a once-over with his icy blue eye. “Your life has been a difficult one, I take it. How would you like to leave it behind?”

Now, she took a larger step back. “No offense, but I’m not going anywhere with you.”

The man gave a short chuckle and started walking the other way. “You’d wish you had.”

Sigyn was thoroughly confused, but this was her chance. She could hurry the other way and forget this day ever happened. But then, she would also never figure out what the man meant by ‘mortal’ and ‘magic’. She cursed her curious nature as she followed the stranger. “What do you mean? Who are you?”

“I am Odin. All-Father. Keeper of the Nine Realms.”

She recognized the name right away from the Norse stories her parents use to tell her. “Alright, so, what would the leader of the Norse Gods want with me?”

“To take you to Asgard, a place where you can learn to control your powers.”

“And you would do that for me because…”

“As I said, I am the protector of the Nine Realms. Your magic is very powerful. It’s already caused enough trouble, hasn’t it?”

Sigyn hung her head, knowing he was right. The incident with the mugger hadn’t been the only one.

“You need to learn how to control it before you can run around free in the world.”  

The more the man talked, the more sane he sounded, despite the conversation not  making any sense to Sigyn. She knew all about Odin and Asgard and the Nine realms from the myths, but to her that’s all they were, but this guy seemed to be reciting out of an encyclopedia.

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” she asked.

Odin’s beard twitched in a small smile. “I’ll show you.” He led her a few blocks down to a deserted parking lot, and looked up into the cloudy sky. “I’m ready, Heimdall.”

A beam of bright lights struck the earth in front of them, sending Sigyn falling back onto the asphalt.

Odin stepped into the beam of light and looked down at her. “Now that I’ve proven myself to you, I hope you see that it’s in your best interest to come with me.”

Sigyn could barely comprehend what she was seeing. The old man wasn’t just some committed cosplayer; he really did know about magic. For the first time in a while, she wasn’t alone, and now she had the chance to leave this place and all its troubles. Yet, she hesitated. The frozen streets of the city were all she’d ever known for the past 18 years, but this world had forgotten her. There was nothing left for her to lose. With a deep breath, she stepped into the Bifrost.