by Raythe Reign
Liam blinked and studied Cameron dispassionately. There were dark circles under his eyes. His lips were chapped. He was swaying slightly as if he having trouble keeping his feet beneath him. Sweat — fever sweat — drenched his brow.
Liam was moving towards Cameron without a thought. His little brother was sick. He needed care. He shouldn’t be out in this heat and dust. He needed to be lying down in a cool, dark room with a wet cloth over his eyes. Didn’t their mother see how sick Cameron was? Why wasn’t she insisting on him going home right then and there?
Not that Cameron would leave. Not without me. And I won’t be parted from him either.
Without being conscious of crossing the distance, he was suddenly within a foot of Cameron. Touching distance. His little brother stared up his face. Cameron then raised one hand and let it hover over Liam’s left cheek. His little brother did not touch him though. He looked like he was afraid if he did that Liam would disappear in a puff of smoke.
I should never have left you. Not after my death and certainly not after last night.
Liam wanted to say something to his little brother, but he couldn’t. There was too much and so little he could say with their mother there. So he took Cameron’s hand instead and pressed it against his face, hoping that simple gesture would convey everything in his heart. Cameron’s fingertips brushed across the plane of his cheek and those feverish blue eyes widened. That touch of fingers left wakes of fire in their passage and Liam wasn’t breathing again. Cameron let out a hitched breath and there were tears in his eyes.
Yes, Cam, it’s me. I’m here. I’m with you again and I will never leave you.
"So this is the mysterious Liam you were telling me about, Cameron, is it?" their mother asked.
His mother's voice broke the intensity of the moment between them. Cameron, however, did not drop his hand from Liam's cheek though he quickly did blink back the tears. Cameron cupped Liam’s face, drawing a thumb along the line of his jaw and quirking a smile at the stubble. When Cameron was little he had watched Liam shave twice a day with amusement. Liam’s stubble was already threatening to sprout into a full grown beard after less than half a day. Finally, Cameron’s hand lowered to his side. The memory of his touch continued to tease Liam’s senses.
Liam suddenly realized the uncomfortable silence that had fallen. Neither he nor Cameron had responded to her words. Nafari was looking down at the ground and scuffing one foot. Lihua’s black gaze was fixed upon them, a speculative look on her face. Elda had raised an eyebrow. And their mother’s jaw was clenched. She clearly did not approve of him already. He stepped to Cameron’s side and faced their mother. He felt the other Valkyries’ eyes on him, waiting to see how he would deal with her. She clearly didn’t know who he was. She hadn’t seen the rainbow bridge. Based upon those things he needed to act like he would with any stranger, no matter how hard that was.
“Cameron told me about you as well, Sheriff Blake,” Liam finally said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
His voice had her momentarily pausing. Did the timber of it remind him of her son? Would that make her feel more at ease and less suspicious of him? Her careful study of him behind those mirrored sunglasses told him he had hoped for too much.
She said, “I’m afraid that it’s not your … friendship with my son that’s brought me here to meet you, Mr. …”
“Liam. Just Liam’s fine,” he cut in. The Valkyrie had fake IDs for the occasion it was warranted though it rarely was as Valkyrie had powers over mortals to make them forget. Already he sensed that Elda was prepared to do just that with Sheriff Mary Blake. With a few words, their mother would turn on her heel and forget that she had ever seen them or been there and her mind would create a memory that explained where she’d been and who she had seen. But this was his mother and he didn’t want her to forget him even if she didn’t realize who he was. So he made a slight movement with one hand and felt Elda back down. But for how long? The head Valkyrie was not known for her patience.
“Well, Liam,” their mother paused after saying his name and he realized that she disliked using it. It likely reminded her too much of, ironically, him. “The owner of the campsite has filed a complaint against the four of you for disturbing the peace, racing on the roads and other issues.”
“Mom,” Cameron spoke for the first time and his voice sounded rough like he had spent the last night screaming — or crying — and his vocal chords hadn’t had the chance to heal. “You know that Mrs. Clausen just wants the camp fees. They haven’t done anything wrong.”
Liam’s gaze snapped down to his little brother. Cameron still looked feverish and his eyes were too bright, but now that he was by Liam’s side he seemed a little steadier as if he were drawing strength from Liam’s presence.
Those mirrored sunglasses were on Cameron now and Liam could tell from the pinched look around their mother’s mouth that she agreed with Cameron’s assessment of Mrs. Clausen, but had wanted the leverage that bad behavior would give her.
“That may be, Cameron, but driving too fast on dark roads when there are children around is not something I’m going to tolerate even if Mrs. Clausen’s motives are simply to harass people who won’t pay her,” she said coolly.
Liam knew that the other Valkyrie would never hit children and he highly doubted that they had made much noise getting here. One look at Elda’s straight back and no-nonsense attitude should have told their mother that. But he realized that their mother wasn’t going to trust anyone with Cameron no matter what her senses told her. He was glad of that though not at the particular moment.
“I promise that we will be extra cautious riding our bikes,” Liam said. “We won’t hurt anyone.”
He received another hard stare. He showed no annoyance, frustration or concern though. He acted like her giving him the third degree for simply riding their cycles was appropriate. It wouldn’t give her any more reason to dislike him than she apparently already did.
She thinks I’m some biker that Cameron met at the bar. I would be just as suspicious and hostile in her position.
In fact, the very thought of Cameron bringing home any guy had Liam’s chest seizing.
She shifted from foot to foot again, hitching her belt up, but finally she nodded as if he had passed some test. At least slightly. “Well, I’m glad to hear it. And not that I want to encourage Mrs. Clausen’s bad acts, but you might get more peace from her if you pay her the $15 a day fee.”
“We will do that,” Elda said evenly from behind him. It was the first time she had spoken. Her voice indicated that the discussion was over and she wanted to move on.
That tone, of course, had their mother’s hard look shifting to Elda, but the head Valkyrie was made of stern stuff just like their mother ironically. When Elda didn’t back down, but their mother was certain that she had made an impression, she asked, “How long do you intend to stay? You don’t look like you have much gear.”
She finally had noticed the lack of camping supplies. Liam realized that they would have to rectify that even though they never intended to actually stay at the campsite.
“Unsure,” Elda answered shortly. “Our business is open-ended for now.”
“What business is that?” their mother asked.
“Mom, you’re giving them the third degree! Enough!” Cameron cried.
“I’m just curious about your friends, Cameron. Considering what’s going on in town I’m being cautious,” she said. “And so should you be.”
“What’s going on in town?” Liam asked sharply.
“There’s been another murder. A Desert Killer murder,” Cameron answered, which had their mother’s mouth thinning.
“What?” Liam’s voice was tight. He found himself gripping Cameron’s shoulders tightly. “When? Do you have any leads as to who it is?”
These last questions were addressed to both Cameron and their mother. He wasn’t surprised when she replied tersely, “I’m afraid I cannot comment on an ongoing investi
gation.”
“I realize that. I don’t want to know for prurient interest,” he answered her. “I want to know so that I can keep Cam safe.”
The use of the nickname that only “her Liam” had used for Cameron had their mother freezing again. He could feel her thinking it over. Finally, though she said, “In truth, I have nothing to tell you. We have no suspects. I need to get back to that investigation.”
“Of course. If you do find out anything … please let me know,” Liam said earnestly. “Whatever you can tell me. I don’t intend to leave Cam’s side until this murderer is stopped. I will keep him safe.”
“Liam, I am the Sheriff of this town and I will be the one to keep my son safe,” she said softly, almost dangerously.
“Mom—”
“It’s all right, Cam. She’s correct. She’s law enforcement and your mother. She’d do anything to keep you safe,” Liam said.
“Speaking of which, come on, Cameron, I’ll drive you back to town,” she said, ending the conversation-interrogation.
“No!” Cameron shouted and he was suddenly clutching Liam’s hand. His outburst had their mother stiffening.
Liam linked his fingers with Cameron’s, willing his younger brother to calm down. “Cam and I agreed to have lunch. I’ll bring him back to his apartment. If that’s all right with you.”
He saw the war within her. It wasn’t all right with her. She clearly wanted to bundle Cameron up and take him away from all this. But Cameron was the heart of it. The Gash would follow him wherever he went. There was no where he was actually safe.
“Mom, I’m going with him,” Cameron said and Liam was reminded of the boy he had been by the truculent thrust of his chin.
“I see you’ve made your mind up,” she said too neutrally. She was hurt, but she wouldn’t admit it. “Will you at least text me when you’re home?”
“Of course he will. Actually, he’ll call,” Liam said sternly so that Cameron didn’t argue the point.
Cameron shrugged. “I guess. It’ll be fine, Mom. I’ll be fine.”
There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence, but finally, their mother turned and headed back to the campground. They all watched her as she went, no one speaking until she was well out of earshot. When she was a collective sigh went through the group.
“Where were you, Liam? You were not on Midgard or Valhalla. Did you go to Helheim?” Nafari demanded to know. The big black man clasped his shoulder and rocked him back and forth he was so anxious.
“Midgard? Valhalla? Helheim?” Cameron repeated the names that were likely familiar to him from the tales they’d heard from both their mother and father’s families. His blue eyes were huge.
Liam cupped Cameron’s face, relishing the softness of his skin. “There’s much to tell you. In a way, I don’t know where to begin.”
“Begin with where you went,” Elda said and he felt the interested weight in her gaze.
“Asgard,” he said and the word was like a large stone dropped into a still pond. The ripples of it washed over all of their faces. Elda went paler than snow while Nafari gasped. Lihua went so still that she seemed more similar to a rock on this landscape than a person.
“But Asgard is lost to us as are the old gods,” Lihua said finally.
“No.” Liam shook his head. “They are not lost to us. They exist and they watch over us. But they are trapped in Asgard, unable to leave it to help us in our fight against The Gash.”
“But then how did you get there? Were they able to summon you?” Nafari asked.
“No. I was able to use the Bifrost because …” Liam paused. What he next said would apply to Cameron too. His brother was already having to deal with him being back from the dead. To add to that burden that he and Liam had the blood of gods in their veins? That his employer was actually Loki? It had to all come out, but here? Now? He saw how pale Cameron was and his heart ached. He firmly held onto Cameron’s shoulders. “What I have to tell you won’t be easy to hear nor short to tell. And you look like you could use a good meal and some sleep.”
Cameron let out a high-pitched laugh that had Liam even more concerned than before. His little brother’s hands were suddenly around Liam’s wrists. His grip was almost painful. “You think I want to sleep when you’re here? You think I care about eating when I know that you’re — you’re alive?”
“He isn’t alive, Cameron,” Elda said firmly. “He died that day just like you saw. His mortal form was shed. He is a Valkyrie now, an immortal warrior in an endless war against the being that tried to kill you, which we call The Gash.”
“I got that last part from what you said before,” Cameron said. He was sagging against Liam’s larger form and Liam couldn’t help himself from stroking Cameron’s back and arms. His little brother curled tighter against him. “So is all the Norse mythology true then? The Aesir and all that?”
“Yes and no,” Liam answered with a soft laugh. “I’ve learned more though now.”
“That the old gods live? That Asgard is reachable?” Nafari shook his head. “You know more than all of us combined.”
Liam met Elda’s arctic blue gaze then. He wondered if she felt betrayed that it was him who was able to travel to Asgard and not her, the first Valkyrie, the one that began it all and who had kept it all together over the millennia. But like his mother she kept her feelings very close to her chest.
“We all knew you were special from the beginning, Liam. I am not surprised that you alone have done this,” Elda said finally.
“I am not special, because of any skill I have earned.” He extended his right arm towards her as if she would be able to see the specialness in it. “It is in my blood. In Cameron's blood, too." His gaze centered on his brother again. Those feverish blue eyes were locked on his and he desperately wanted for them to be alone, but the other Valkyrie needed to know what he had learned from Frigg, Thor, Odin and the rest. “There are things I have to tell you, Cam, that will seem unbelievable. But they are true and you believing them will be important to keeping you safe."
"Liam, you're back! Anything is possible. I’ll believe anything you tell me,” Cameron said with singular intensity.
"What is in your blood, Liam?” Nafari asked with narrowed eyes.
“Loki.” It was one word but it had the same effect as it had on the old gods. Lihua made a muttered prayer. Elda closed her eyes. Nafari ran a hand over his handsome bald head. “Loki is not trapped as the other gods are. He’s here. On Midgard. And he can release the other gods if his terms are met though I don’t know what those terms are.”
“Loki is here?” Elda shook her head as if she couldn’t believe it even as she was asking it.
“We need to convince him to free the other gods. It’s the only way we can truly win against The Gash,” Liam went on.
Cameron asked, “Where is Loki then?”
Liam nearly laughed. “Do you know where your boss Sigurd is?”
“Back at Fenrir, I expect” Cameron frowned. “But why?”
Holding Cameron’s gaze, he said, “Sigurd is Loki.”
He wasn’t sure what he expected Cameron’s reaction to be. Laughter? Definitely disbelieving laughter would make a lot of sense. Shock? Absolutely as who wouldn’t be shocked to find out that their boss was a god? Fear? Anger? Perhaps both, because Sigurd had been lying to Cameron all this time. But what he did not expect was the soft chuckle Cameron gave and the shake of his head.
“Of course, he would be,” Cameron murmured. “He practically told me who he was a bunch of times. He kept saying we were family. So is he really family? Like he had kids that are our ancestors? Unless Dad isn’t—”
“Our dad is our dad,” Liam assured him. “Odin, Thor and Loki are all ancestors of ours. Frigg wove our family’s fate so that all these bloodlines met and intermarried to produce … us.”
Cameron blinked a few times and nodded finally. “And the intermixing of all the bloodlines is what let you go to Asgard?”
&nbs
p; “Mostly Loki’s blood let me do that,” Liam agreed. “The Gash’s magic doesn’t have the same effect on him so he wasn’t trapped there like the others.”
“Well, that makes sense. Loki is always the one to escape traps,” Cameron pointed out.
“You are not surprised by all this? That your brother is a Valkyrie? That you are the child of the old gods? That Loki is your boss?” Nafari’s eyebrows rose expressively. He was clearly as amazed as Liam was at Cameron’s calm acceptance.
Cameron let out a full laugh this time. “If you knew Sigurd — I mean Loki — you wouldn’t be surprised either. I sort of half believed he wasn’t human before I knew all this. He’s sort of the likeliest suspect. He’s not normal … mostly in a good way. As to the rest …” He gripped Liam again. “Seeing is believing.”
“So if you have a close relationship with him,” Elda began, “then surely gaining his favor to release the other gods will be … easier than otherwise.”
“Things are not at all so clear, Elda.” Lihua touched the skin between her brows as if a third eye was there. “I see that there is much darkness here. Loki has had plenty of time to press his terms with the old gods. He has not done so. Why will that change now?”
Elda nodded, crossing his arms over her chest. She said, “Still, we should immediately reach out to him and establish contact.”
“I want to be a part of this.” Cameron shook his head with a laugh. “I can’t wait to see what he says about whether he’s Loki or not. I —” Suddenly, Cameron seemed to lose his feet for a moment.
Liam caught him just in time and Cameron’s body felt feverish in his arms. “Cam!”
“Whoa.” Cameron sagged against him. “I think maybe I need some water or something. I’m not feeling so good.” Liam gathered Cameron in his arms as if his little brother weighed little more than a kitten, which had Cameron laughing weakly. “I thought my days being carried by my big brother were over.”
“They are never over,” Liam said gruffly. He turned to his other Valkyrie. “I need some time with my brother. Alone. We have … things to discuss. And I think that we need to be sure of what we’re doing before we speak to Loki about anything.”