"Take a deep breath," Heimdall hollered over the wind.
Alex peered around Heimdall's chunky arm and could see a white glow just up ahead. As they got closer it looked like a swirling tunnel in the sky. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as they galloped towards it. Suddenly Alex felt as though the life was being sucked out of him and then the feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come. He opened his eyes cautiously and looked around. Up ahead he could see a huge city in the distance perched on a mountain and surrounded by water. Gulltoppr started to descend towards the water to a large grey castle which was built onto the side of a cliff. He skidded to a stop right on the edge of the cliff making small rocks cascade down the slope.
"Home sweet home," laughed Heimdall gesturing to Alex to get off the horse.
Jumping down off the back of Gulltoppr Alex looked out over the jagged cliff. A
huge bridge glowing with all the colours of the rainbow stretched out across the water, connecting the castle to the huge city. He stood transfixed. It was a beautiful sight. The bridge was at least a mile long and was completely unsupported. It was as though it were hanging in thin air. On the far side of the bridge a huge wall made of sandy coloured stone surrounded a city bathed in marble and gold. The pointed tops of golden turrets rose majestically from the city walls and inside Alex could make out numerous large colonnaded marble buildings of all shapes and sizes. The city appeared to glow and pulse with life.
"It's amazing," said Alex gazing across the bridge longingly.
"Well it should be, it is the home of gods after all," said Heimdall resting his meaty hand on Alex's shoulder. "You had better get a move on nephew. You will probably find Iduna in her orchard. It's just outside the wall over to the left after you cross Bifrost."
"Are you not coming?" asked Alex surprised.
"No I need to stay here and guard the bridge. If the Jotuns decide to pay a visit I need to warn everybody," he said pointing to his horn.
"Right, ok, I'll go get the apple and will come back. I'll need a ride back to Dvalin," said Alex.
"I'm not a taxi service," said Heimdall indignantly.
"Sorry no, I didn't mean that. How do I get back though?" asked Alex embarrassed.
"Iduna will help," said Heimdall taking Gulltoppr's reigns and leading him towards the castle. "I expect you to come and visit me soon though," he said winking. "We have a lot to catch up on. Until we meet again nephew," he gave Alex a quick salute and walked off without a backward glance.
Alex walked over to the bridge and stepped on it tentatively. It was glowing so brightly he wished he had brought his sunglasses. As soon as Alex stepped down onto the bridge the area under his foot lit up red. When his other foot pressed down that lit up blue.
"Cool," Alex said to himself grinning.
He tested out all of the colours by leaping around the bridge like a child. He threw his head into the air, laughed out loud and then ran quickly across the bridge. The sky lit up with the colours of the rainbow. On the other side of the bridge a marble path led off to the left of the wall. Alex followed the path until he came to another wall, which had a silver metal gate set into it. Peeking through the gate he saw hundreds and hundreds of apple trees, their branches hanging low with ripe fruit. This must be Iduna's orchard thought Alex to himself but he couldn't see any gold apples on the tree though. He pushed on the gate and it opened smoothly.
"Hello," he called. "Is anyone there?"
He stepped inside the orchard and listened carefully. He could hear the sound of muffled crying in the distance and he made his way through the trees toward the sound. As he approached a large old gnarled apple tree in the middle of the orchard he saw a woman sitting on the floor with her back against the tree. Her hands were covering her face and she was weeping quietly
"Hello...are you ok?" asked Alex tentatively. Startled, she hastily wiped her eyes on the corner of her gown and looked up at Alex, with eyes which were red rimmed and puffy.
"Who are you? she asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Er I'm Alex...you may have heard of me recently," he said.
She stood up in one graceful movement and Alex stared at her transfixed. Her long cream gown was almost translucent. It clung to her body in soft folds and left very little to the imagination. Iduna laughed and it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, it was like tinkling bells. He looked up from her body and met her eyes, they were a clear blue with flecks of gold.
"Alex, dear nephew welcome," she said smiling holding out both hands to him.
Her face lit up and Alex went bright red. Despite her tear stained face she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her hair was long, silky and bright gold and her skin was perfect and creamy. She had a perfect red rosebud mouth and a perfectly shaped nose.
"Nephew?" he stuttered confused.
"Well nephew by marriage, my husband is Bragi, one of Odin's sons. He's not here right now, Odin knows where he is, he goes off you see, long trips to 'find himself’," she said. "Just when I need him too, it's so typical," she collapsed on the grass and her shoulders heaved as she let out a large sob.
Alex fell to his knees beside her and patted her shoulder awkwardly. Her skin felt like silk and she didn't have a blemish on her. He brushed a strand of her long golden hair back from her face so he could see her.
"Why are you so upset? I can try and find him for you if you like," he said desperate to stop her crying.
"It's not him I really want, it's my daughter, she’s in terrible danger but she's not responding to my emails or text messages. I can't leave here and fetch her, I don't know what to do," she sobbed.
"Why can't you leave?" asked Alex gently.
Iduna hiccupped and Alex's heart melted. Even with snot running down her nose she was stunning.
"I can't leave the golden apples unguarded, I am trapped here forever. If I leave they could be stolen or they could rot. The gods will start to get old and they will eventually die. I can't be responsible for that, it happened before and it was terrible, I have to stay here....but my daughter..." she held her face in her hands and rocked back and forth weeping.
"Please let me help, I'll fetch her for you. Why is she in danger?" he asked.
"She is at a boarding school in Midgard. She needed to experience life rather than be stuck here with me all day. But I got word that Hadron was after her again. I have already moved her schools once to get away from him but he followed her, damn, creepy good for nothing elf," she said angrily.
"Elf?" asked Alex confused.
"He's from Alfheim, the land of the Light Elves. They are cunning creatures, he has bewitched her and he wants her to marry him, he is obsessed with her but she's only seventeen, it's ridiculous," she said.
"Calm down, please don't upset yourself. I'll find her and will bring her back here for you. I just need one thing in return," he said.
"A golden apple," Iduna guessed. "That's the only reason people come and see me. Not for a chat and a nice cup of tea, no they always want something," Iduna stood up quickly, wiped her face and started to walk off between the trees. Alex hurried after her and caught her arm.
"Listen I'm sorry, it's true. I initially came to see you for a golden apple. I've heard they can heal and will give strength. My friend Dvalin is dying and I need him to reverse a curse on a sword I need to find or I will die when I use it to close the portal to Hel. I am guessing you have heard of the prophecy? One of your apples is the only way to save him," said Alex desperately.
"I can't give a golden apple to anyone other than a god. They do more than give you health and strength; they will help to keep you immortal. We can't have everyone running around with immortality, there is already a population problem," she said sniffing.
"But it's just one dwarf, they live for ages anyway. If I don't help him then I will die, surely you wouldn't wish that on your new found nephew?" he coaxed using his best smile.
Iduna laughed and kissed him on the cheek and
he went bright red again.
"Ok, ok you got me, go fetch my daughter and I'll give you two golden apples, one for your friend Dvalin and one for yourself. You will need to keep it a secret though. I don't want to find a queue of dwarves outside my garden thank you, begging me for apples," she said sternly.
"I will don't worry and I promise next time I come to visit it won't be for an apple, we can have a nice cup of tea and chat,'" said Alex grinning.
"I wasn't serious about that, I hate tea. A nice glass of mead would be good though," she smiled.
"Great, mead it is then," he said.
"I need to warn you though, you will have your work cut out trying to get Lexi to come back home, she can be a stubborn madam and she doesn't like it here much. I tried to get all of the Midgard toys, computer, phone, television but she prefers to hang out down there," Iduna sighed and walked towards a small little thatched cottage nestled between the trees.
Alex followed her and entered through the wooden door. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the dark he looked around and gasped. This was no small cottage, it was like entering a Tardis. They were standing in a long tiled hall, which had an enormous stone fireplace at the far end. It burst into flame when Iduna clapped her hands. Alex looked up and saw intricate stained glass domes set into the ceiling. Light shone through them and lit up the black and white tiled floor in an array of colours.
"Wow, this is pretty spectacular," he said gazing around in awe.
Large statues depicting Norse gods and goddesses lined the sides of the hall and thick tapestries hung from the walls. He felt like he was standing in a grand castle.
"It's home," she said casually, moving off to the left and entering a room.
Alex went to follow her but was drawn to a marble statue of a huge man with a flowing full beard. In his right hand he held a large hammer.
"Ok that's weird," muttered Alex to himself.
He looked into a long mirror, which was hanging off the wall opposite and shrugged. He couldn't see any family resemblance. He heard Iduna cough and he hurried into the room she had entered. She was standing by a desk by a long window and was looking through the drawers. He went over to join her at the desk and noticed her computer screen.
"You play Minecraft?" he asked surprised.
"Doesn't everyone?" she raised her eyebrows and smiled. "I played it initially to engage with Lexi, she was obsessed with it, I couldn't get a word out of her. I figured if you can't beat them, join them. I confess I'm a bit addicted myself now. Look I built that town myself, pretty cool eh?" she grinned.
"That is awesome, but you could use andersite to finish off that side there, that would look nice," said Alex critically.
Iduna laughed. "Oh no, not another one, I thought Lexi was bad," she said shaking her head.
"Hey it's fun, educational too, designing, learning life saving skills...."
"Yes because everyone needs to learn how to protect themselves from zombies and creepers," she laughed.
"Well you need to learn that you need fire, shelter and food to survive," he said defensively.
"And children could read that in a book or could just watch a Bear Grylls programme," said Iduna laughing again.
"Hey, I've just had a thought, we use golden apples in Minecraft for health," said Alex.
"I know, that made me laugh when I saw those. Shame I don't get to control them though. I would only give them to my friends," she winked at Alex and he could feel his face flushing again.
"Here, these are the details of the school she is staying in," she said handing him a piece of paper.
"What does she look like? How will I recognise her?" he asked looking at the paper.
"Oh you won't be able to miss her," she said smiling to herself.
"Ok, so how do I get there? I don't suppose you have any buses passing through here?"
"Just click your heels three times and say 'there's no place like home',” said Iduna.
"Yeah hilarious, seriously how do I get there?"
"You can use my door. It will open to wherever you ask it to," she said.
"Cool that sounds easier than a portal."
"Portals are primitive Volva toys, dangerous too. I have heard of people going through them and never making it out the other end."
Alex looked stunned. He knew they were dangerous but not that dangerous. He made a mental note to firstly never use a portal again and secondly to never trust a Volva.
"Are you ready?" asked Iduna.
She was standing in front of the glass door and the sun shone through highlighting the translucency of her gown. Alex was pretty sure she wasn't wearing any underwear and if her long hair had not been draped over her shoulders she would have revealed everything to him. He quickly looked away and coughed. If Lexi was anything like her mother he was in for a treat, he thought to himself smiling.
"Sure, now is good, sooner the better," he said.
"Come here then and take this," she handed Alex a pink crystal which she had taken from the desk. You will need this to get back. Keep it safe. Now look through the glass door."
Alex stood beside her and looked through the glass. He could see the apple trees, their branches swaying in a gentle breeze.
"Read out the school's address and step through the door. To return draw a doorway with the crystal and call my name. The doorway will find me."
"Right I've got it," he said placing the crystal safely in his pocket. He looked at the address on the paper, he was going back to America again, the Rocky Mountains this time. He read out the address clearly and the glass started to shimmer and glow.
"Go, now quickly," Iduna gave him a gentle push and he stumbled forward through the glass.
Chapter Twelve
Alex held his hands up to protect his face but there was nothing there. When he opened his eyes he was standing in what looked like a library. There were rows and rows of books and he could hear the soft murmur of voices and rustling papers.
Walking to the end of the aisle he peeked around the corner. It was definitely a library. There were students seated at desks talking softly to each other. Alex looked around quickly to see if there was anyone resembling Iduna but no one stood out to him. He shrugged and made his way out of the library onto a large green. There were students standing around in groups and sitting on the grass. It was a beautiful sunny day and Alex had to shield his eyes from the glare to see properly. There was a particularly large group sitting on the far side of the green and Alex strolled over to them to ask them if they had seen Lexi. He had no idea what her surname was and was hoping there wasn't more than one Lexi in the school. It would be an awkward conversation if he met the wrong one.
*
Lexi strolled out of the canteen and made her way to the green. She had grabbed a salad for lunch and was looking forward to relaxing in the sun and catching up with her blog. It had been a particularly boring morning with double statistics and physics and she felt mentally drained. She looked around to find a secluded spot in the shade when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"Hey gorgeous," said a low voice.
She swung around and sighed. Hadron again. She was hoping to avoid him this lunch, he was getting a bit intense these days and she was starting to get irritated.
"Hey, I'm shattered, if you don't mind I just need to sit alone for a bit to catch up," she said turning away from him and walking towards a tree. He grabbed her arm and swung her around to face him again. His grey eyes flashed dangerously.
"Now, now, none of that my sweet. You spend more time on your blog than you do with me," he complained running a finger along her cheek. "Come on let's sit over there under the tree. I've bought you lunch, look roast chicken, your favourite," he said smiling revealing a perfect set of pearly white even teeth.
"Hadron, roast chicken is your favourite, I've bought a salad, that's just fine," she said letting him lead her over to a large leafy tree where no one was sitting. She sank to the grass and looked up at him and he dr
opped to his knees in front of her, took her face in both hands and kissed her passionately on the mouth.
"Hadron, cut it out," she cried pushing him away.
"What?" he asked confused. “You’ve never complained before,” he said smiling mischievously at her.
"Everyone's looking at us," she said looking around embarrassed.
There was only one person looking and that person looked frozen to the spot. He stood there staring at them and Lexi squirmed beneath Hadron's hands.
She had fallen in love with Hadron at first sight at her old school. He was stunningly attractive; tall, slim, silver grey eyes, hair so blonde it was almost white. He had been the perfect gentleman, taking her on dates, treating her like a complete princess. Then things started to change; he became possessive and wouldn't allow her to hang out with her friends. She hadn't really noticed at first, she had been so besotted with him. Then her mother started to interfere and told her she was being brainwashed by him. She hadn't listened though and continued to see him until her mother had made her change schools. It was fruitless though; he had followed her and acted as though nothing had happened. Lexi had been secretly glad at first. She had not known anyone at this school and she had missed him when they were apart. However he never left her alone for a minute and it was becoming tiresome now. She really wanted to start making friends and hanging out with other people. All Hadron kept talking about these days were their wedding plans. She shook her head at the absurdity of it, she was only seventeen. She had a very long life ahead of her and had no plans to settle down and get married any time soon.
The Cursed Sword (The Nine Worlds Trilogy Book 1) Page 15