"You got it handsome. The Norns were working overtime when they wove that idea into Odin's head," Cassie said following Alex's every move with her eyes.
"What about my mum then where is she? Can I meet her?" asked Alex.
"Well that could be tricky at the moment. She lives in an asylum. They think she's crazy you see. When you went missing from the hospital she was frantic. She told anyone who would listen that you were a demi god and had to be protected or the end of the world was nigh,” said Cassie.
"She knew about the curse then?" asked Alex.
"Well not until after your dad had his wicked way with her. He wasn't going to get her in bed by saying, hey let's have sex and make a baby who will be the end of the world would he?"
"Oh god, I can't take this in," said Alex. "I have to see her, I have to get her out of there. How did I go missing from a hospital?"
"I'm not sure, I didn't see it happening which is strange because I saw your birth. You made your mum's eyes water when you came out big boy," she laughed.
"You saw me being born but not being taken? What sort of seeress are you?" Alex said his eyes flashing dangerously.
"If you are going to insult me you can leave now," Cassie said frostily crossing her arms.
"Look I'm sorry. This is just all too much, I can't handle it," he said miserably.
"Apology accepted don't do it again though," she warned wagging her finger at him.
"We lost track of you the day after you were born. You caused quite a stir and Odin was furious, he couldn't believe Thor would disobey him. Anyway we were watching you to see if the curse triggered but someone must have put a concealment charm on you at the hospital. We couldn't see you the next day; you just vanished into thin air. No one knew you were even alive until you turned eighteen. The charm must have broken when you became an adult. Now no offence but no one knew about you as we had given up looking, Hel hadn't escaped so we thought the curse had not been triggered because you were dead. No one thought about the curse triggering on adulthood. That only became obvious when the Asguardians completed their ritual at the henge.”
"What about my mum and dad though, surely they wouldn't have given up looking for me?" Alex asked distraught.
"They thought your mum was crazy, she kept saying you had been stolen but no one believed her. She is still in the hospital now. Alan has the details and he will contact her for you. Your father thought you had died. When we couldn’t track you he thought you had been murdered. He tried to find out what happened but there were no leads, you just disappeared. I’ll try and contact him as soon as I can. I’m not sure what his reaction will be. You know, having a son who could end life on earth as we know it. I suppose I'll have to move back to Asgard which will be a total bore, no pizza, no Starbucks, it will suck," she complained.
"Cassie please stop. I'm not going to end the human race just because I was born and have now turned eighteen," said Alex.
"Wait," said Sasha, "there must be a get out clause, that's how the Norns work isn't it?" she asked.
"Clever girl, you hit the nail on the head. Of course Alex can break the curse. You even know the answer yourselves," said Cassie clapping her hands together.
They all looked at each other blankly.
"Hang on the torc," said Becca excitedly digging into her bag to get her worksheet from the museum. She read out her notes. "When day becomes night and the sword of Tyrfing is wielded by the last born son of Porr, Hel shall be cast down and will no longer be able to wreak havoc ever again."
"Well I can't see how that helps," said Pete grabbing the notes from Becca and reading them.
"Porr is Thor," said Cassie. "Alex is the last born son of Thor so whilst his very being will open the gateway to Helheim, if he fulfills the prophecy, he can stop it from happening and can ensure Hel stays in Helheim forever."
"Ok so that's weird, why bother with the curse in the first place?" asked Becca.
"The Norns like to have their fun, put a little twist in every now and then to keep everyone on their toes. They probably also didn't relish the thought of Hel being free and no one looking after the dead. It would cause all sorts of havoc. The gateway has already been breached that's what you saw at the henge. A few spirits escaped and unfortunately possessed some of the locals. Alan has his containment team in place to stop more coming through, but it's a temporary measure. The protective seals cannot hold much longer. Alex you are going to have to fulfill the prophecy, find the sword and seal the breach once and for all before Hel escapes and takes her revenge," said Cassie seriously.
"Ok so let's say for one moment that I believe all this rubbish, where am I meant to get the sword of...what's it called Becca?" he asked looking at Becca.
"Tyrfing," she said taking the notes back from Pete.
"Sword of Tyrfing, right," he said.
"Well that's easy, you just need to ask the dwarf who made it," said Cassie.
"Right of course. I need to ask the dwarf who made the sword, where it is so I can seal a breach to the gateway to Hel to stop the end of the world," Alex laughed hysterically. "You're on drugs lady, this is complete madness, I'm done with this, I am out of here. Come on guys, we are wasting our time, let's get back home. There is just no way I am buying this crazy rubbish."
"Alex this is your destiny," said Cassie. Her green eyes grew brighter and she seemed taller somehow.
"This isn't Star Wars you nutcase. Thor is not going to appear in the middle of the room and say, "Alex I'm your father..this stuff just doesn't happen," he shouted angrily. A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.
"Alex, if you do not fulfill the prophecy then you will all die, you and the entire human race," said Cassie angrily.
"Hey no pressure dude," Matt joked.
"Shut up Matt, come on I want to go." Alex strode over to the front door and wrenched it open. The door slammed in his face and locked, Cassie snarled.
"How dare you walk away from me. Find the sword of Tyrfing or face your peril," she shouted furiously.
"Open the door you crazy witch, we're done," Alex snarled back. She may be stunningly beautiful and he was very attracted to her but he had to get out of there and clear his head. This was far too much for him to take in.
A shriek split through the air and they all clasped their hands to their ears. Alex turned back towards Cassie and she literally flew across the room at him. Her hands were outstretched and she picked him up by his neck and held him high in the air with her hands.
Alex gasped struggling for breath. He looked down at her and wished he hadn't. She had completely transformed into a hideous being. Her eyes were deep black pools, the skin on her face was putrid, rotting and peeling away from her skull. Her teeth were pointed, razor sharp and dripping with blood and her grey hair hung matted about her shoulders. She screamed again into his face and her breath made his eyes sting.
"You arrogant, conceited fool. You dare disobey me?"
She shook Alex by the throat and he kicked his legs helplessly, clawing at her gnarled hands. The others stood in shock, their mouths wide open. Becca suddenly snapped out of it and cried.
"Stop it please, you are killing him, he can't breathe."
Becca grabbed Cassie's arm and tried to pull her away but the witch was too strong. She shoved Becca with her elbow and Becca went crashing into the sofa. Alex pulled at her hands again and gasped, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry...please."
She looked into his desperate eyes. "Ok but you had better be," she said dropping him to the floor.
Alex rubbed his throat and looked up. Cassie looked normal again and she tossed her long red hair over her shoulder.
"Sorry about that," she said apologetically. "It happens when I get a little moody."
"Moody? Christ what happens when you get really mad?" asked Matt helping Alex get back up to his feet.
"You really don't want to know darling," she said looking Matt up and down.
"Now where were we? Oh yes you are going to fetc
h the sword of Tyrfing and then take it to the henge. You will need to plunge it into the stone in the centre. That will seal the breach. You'll need to find Dvalin and ask him what happened to it. He's one of the dwarves who made it you see and he keeps track of its whereabouts."
"Where do we find this Dvalin then?" asked Alex. He decided it was best just to go along with whatever she was saying. There was no way he was going to annoy her again, but as soon as he could he would get out of there and go home.
"Svartalfheim,” said Cassie.
"Svar what?" asked Alex struggling with the pronunciation.
"Svart...alf...heim, you may be more familiar with the Black Elves, they were in the last Avengers Thor film. They got it all wrong though; their elves didn't look very much like dwarves. I can't stand it when films get the details wrong. Detail like that really matters. The Manhattan dwarf branch were most upset."
"There is branch of dwarves in Manhattan?" asked Becca.
"Yes, they live below the subway, nice guys most of them. I am sure they will be able to tell you where Dvalin is."
"And we get below the subway how exactly?" asked Alex sarcastically.
"I'll open a portal for you. It will take a little time to prepare so I suggest you get some sleep and you can see them in the morning. I have spare rooms you can stay in tonight, unless you want to share my bed Alex?" asked Cassie winking at him.
Everyone looked at each other warily, it was obvious no one wanted to stay but no one wanted to tell Cassie that either. Alex shrugged his shoulders, it was only one night and the girls were looking really tired.
"That's great thanks, but I'll take my own room thanks," he said hoping that she wouldn't go into a rage again.
Matt mouthed "What?" to him but he just shrugged again and followed Cassie through a door leading off the main room. They all followed muttering under their breath.
Cassie showed Alex into a large double bedroom. "See you later handsome," she whispered winking again.
Alex pushed her out of the door quickly and turned the key in the lock. Not that that's going to keep her out he thought to himself. He was just considering whether to haul the dresser over to the door to block it when there was a gentle tap on the door.
"Alex, it's me Becca," he heard through the door.
Alex opened the door and pulled Becca in by the hand. He drew her in close and whispered in her ear.
"Shush, if she knows you are in here she'll probably freak out and turn us into frogs or something."
"I just wanted to check you were ok," she whispered back. "It's been a crazy day, I'm not sure if I understand what's happening let alone how you are feeling about all this. I mean your dad....your mum? None of it makes sense," said Becca.
"Tell me about it," he said pulling her over towards the bed. He sat on the edge and drew her down next to him.
"We just need to go along with it until we can get out of here. I have a horrible feeling Cassie fancies me," said Alex grimacing.
"Well you did encourage her...," said Becca nudging him in the ribs with her elbow.
"Seriously?" he asked.
Becca laughed, "No, oh my god she's hideous. She must use a glamour or something."
"Oh I don't know, I thought she was pretty hot," he said nudging her back and smiling.
"You are welcome to her." Becca stood up as though she were going to leave and Alex grasped her wrist and pulled her back down onto the bed.
"You are prettier of course," he murmured looking deeply into her brown eyes and holding her hand in his lap.
"Gee thanks, I don't think it would have taken much, I...." Alex cut off what she was about to say by brushing his lips gently over hers. His hand moved to her face and he cupped her cheek gently. A tap on the door made him pull away guiltily. He jumped up quickly and opened the door. Becca’s mirror image stood there smiling seductively.
"Thought you might be lonely," she said looking deeply into his eyes.
Alex sighed and held the door open, revealing the real Becca, who was blushing furiously sitting on the bed.
“Nice try Cassie,” he said grinning.
“Damn it. Can’t blame a girl for trying,” said Cassie, spinning on her heel and returning to her room.
“That was close,” said Alex laughing.
“Time for me to leave,” said Becca smiling. “I think you’ll be safe now.” She brushed past Alex out of the door.
"Becca wait," he called after her. She looked over her shoulder, smiled again and went into the room opposite.
Alex shook his head wearily, closed the door firmly and crashed out on the bed fully clothed. He looked up at the ceiling and grinned to himself, "Demi god...oh yeah." His last thoughts before he caved in to sleep were whether he should demand sacrifices from his minions.
Chapter Seven
Early the next morning they gathered together in a tight group around the entrance to the Cathedral Parkway subway entrance. Cassie had given Alex a vial of purple liquid with instructions to pour it in a circle near the subway entrance. She hadn't explained much more than that, just told them to “ensure all their bits and pieces were in the circle,” whilst she was looking at Alex's crotch.
"You guys ready?" he asked looking around. They were getting some funny looks standing so closely together. Just as he unstoppered the bottle his phone pinged in his pocket.
"Hang on he said," holding the bottle in one hand and juggling his phone in the other.
"Damn it," he said looking at the screen.
"What's up?" asked Becca.
"Cassie just sent me a Facebook request," he groaned and Matt snorted.
"Awkward," laughed Pete.
"Dude delete that one," said Matt.
"Are you kidding, after what happened last night?" he said clicking accept and tucking his phone back into his pocket.
"Stalker witch is better than angry witch. Ok guys gather close, let's do this," he said pouring the liquid around them in a wobbly circle.
They stood there holding their breath but nothing happened.
"What do we do now?" whispered Matt looking at Alex. "It's not exactly a circle is it? She specifically said a circle. Try it again," he said.
"It's round enough," said Alex looking at the floor. "I did what she said, do you think she's having us onnnnn....." he yelled, as the ground opened up beneath them.
Alex's stomach flipped as he fell down into a deep dark chasm. They all screamed as they fell, desperately flailing their arms and legs in the air. Alex couldn't see anything, it was pitch black. He felt someone kick his head and he was pretty sure he just punched one of the girls in the stomach. The air rushed past him and then suddenly he found himself bouncing up and down on what felt like jelly. He bounced up and down a few times and then lay to rest on his back. He took a deep breath and felt beneath himself to see what was going on. The floor was rough to touch but solid.
"Ok, that was weird," he said getting slowly to his feet. “Welcome but weird. My life just flashed before my eyes then."
Alex brushed dust and small bits of rubble out of his hair and looked around.
The others were all getting to their feet dusting themselves off. They were standing in a large stone circular cavern, which was lit with fluorescent lights, which flickered on and off randomly. They were alone and Matt's voice echoed off the walls, "Now what?"
"Hello....anyone there?" called Becca. Her voice echoed back and then there was silence.
"Can anyone see an exit?" asked Pete. "It looks like these walls go all the way around," he said peering into the gloom. Becca moved to the rough stonewalls and started to edge her way around, tapping on the rock every now and then.
"Becca what are you doing?" asked Sasha puzzled.
"Well there must be a way out. Cassie wouldn't have thrown us into a hole for nothing. Come on take a look," said Becca. "There's probably a hidden doorway somewhere."
"You want to bet? She's probably going to sweep in on her broomstick to whisk Alex out of
here. Then we'll be left to rot,” said Matt moving to the opposite side to Becca. He began rapping his knuckles on the stonewall too.
"Ouch," cried a voice from the rock.
"What the?" cried Matt jumping back in fright.
"You smacked my dose," cried a small man emerging from the rock in front of Matt. The top of his head reached up to Matt's waist and he had long droopy muscular arms.
"I'm bleeding you moron," the man said holding his face with his hands.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry are you ok?" Matt asked bending down on his knees in front of him. The man grabbed the back of Matt's neck and he took a swing at Matt's face. A loud crunching sound echoed around the chamber.
"What? You freakin freak, you nearly broke my nose, you son of a...."
"Matt," shouted Alex in warning. He didn't want to have a fight on his hands with his first encounter with a dwarf. Matt backed off touching his nose tenderly and Sasha took his hand away to take a look."
"There's nothing there you baby," she said reaching up to kiss the end of his nose. "There all better now."
"Where's mine?" asked the dwarf sidling up beside her and touching her leg.
She looked down at him and flicked his hand off her leg. Each finger on his hand had at least two jewelled rings, which sparkled in the light. Even his long brown hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail and his long beard, had gems woven into them.
"Er, please keep your hands to yourself," she said moving back out of his reach.
"Come on I want one," he pleaded. "It's the least you can do after your boyfriend nearly knocked me unconscious."
"He's not my boyfriend," she said quickly. The dwarf's eyes lit up and he moved closer to her.
"Look I have no idea who you are. I'm not kissing a stranger," she said holding her hands out to fend him off.
"Well we can change that. My name is Sven, pleased to meet you," he said reaching out his hand to shake Sasha's hand.
"Hello Sven, my name is Sasha," she said politely shaking his hand.
The Cursed Sword (The Nine Worlds Trilogy Book 1) Page 6