“They don’t have access to it,” Hannah said.
“They what?”
“Sorry,” Hannah said. She knew she should’ve told them. It was hard not to feel like a hypocrite keeping secrets. “I was a little worried about telling you, and then it kind of slipped my mind. That’s why we need the belt, so I can clear the way to Asgard. The tree is still there.”
“Oh.” Alys sighed. “Then Hel will be glad she didn’t kill you. Shit, she’s not gonna like this.”
“I thought you weren’t working for her anymore?” Emily asked, the distrust already back in her voice.
Hannah glared at her. They had patched things up. They’d been joking with each other a little while earlier.
Alys sounded so hurt when they replied. “I said I was gonna be a double agent. I have to keep reporting to her. She has to think I’m still working for her. I’ll make sure she doesn’t kill you, but that apple would’ve been a good bargaining chip.”
“Well, now she’ll know she needs us alive,” Hannah said. “Hopefully, that’ll work.”
“‘Hopefully,’” Emily muttered.
“I’m all ears if you have something better.” Alys was currently looking in a bush, so Hannah couldn’t tell if they were covered in ears, but she could imagine it. Alys would absolutely do that for a pun. She blinked. Did she really know them well enough to say that? Given how many times they’d made the joke about taking a weight off their chest, she supposed she did.
“I don’t know. We’ll figure something out,” Emily said.
“Well, then, until we do, this is the best plan I’ve got.”
Emily groaned loudly enough that Hannah could hear it from the piles of broken rocks she was sifting through.
Something glittered in the distance. Hannah ran to it. It was definitely metal, but it was covered in a heavy layer of dirt. After a minute or so of digging and brushing it off, Hannah found a metal belt buckle still clinging to a leather and metal belt. It looked familiar, but she needed the expert. “Alys, what’s it supposed to look like? I think I found it.”
When they arrived, Alys chuckled. “Pretty much like that.”
“That’s it? You’re sure?” Emily asked.
“I am.”
“Yes!” Hannah actually jumped for joy. She could prove who she was…she could be Thor. She breathed a sigh of relief. Her life was perfect and exactly what she wanted, but she couldn’t just ignore this part of her. She’d ignored parts of herself for too long. She hadn’t come out properly until college, and she wasn’t okay with hiding anything else. She was a god, and she wanted to be part of the community of gods in Idavollr. Hell, she wanted to get to know her kids. They were family, and she was only now getting to know them. She loved family. Her parents meant the world to her, and so did her sisters, and they were even less blood related than Modi and Magni. She wanted to know her sons, and she’d rather have an eternity to do so.
Glancing over her shoulder, Emily said, “We need to hurry. If we wait much longer, I’m not sure there will be a way back through the fire.”
Hannah was still hoping that it’d blow itself out, but based on the smoke towering over the trees in the distance, it wasn’t doing so. It didn’t, however, seem to be spreading that quickly. The old trees of the forest must have been made of sturdy stuff. “Let’s hurry,” she said, unsure if it was because she wanted to get back and claim her title or because she needed to make it to work. Or the fire, but that wasn’t on the top of her mind.
“Alys?” Emily asked, looking hopeful.
They could all smell the fire, and they were going to have to head right through the part of the forest it had started in.
Alys glanced at her, and understanding dawned on their face. “Fine, whatever.”
The deer ran through the forest. There was smoke but still no flames. They knew where to go, even if they had gone southwest a few dozen miles past where they’d come from. Heading northeast, they closed in on the flames, close enough that Hannah could hear them instead of only smelling them. Looking to her left, she could see them. They were still a while away, but a good deal of the forest was on fire.
“Please hurry,” Emily muttered.
Hannah could feel her squeezing tight as Alys picked up pace, leaping over logs and moving as fast as six legs would carry them. They ran for hours. Hearing a deer pant was strange, but clearly, they were as scared of being devoured by the flames as Hannah was. Only when Hannah hadn’t heard the fire for a good ten minutes or so did they finally slow down.
They seemed to grow slower and slower after that, letting out weird little deer pants. Hannah climbed off to give them a break, but before Emily could do so, Alys began to fall, taking her with them. Hannah swooped in, lifting them up, and holding the two of them in her arms. “I can carry you from here.”
With a quick peck on the cheek, Emily climbed out of her arms, her feet already touching the ground. “It’s fine. I can’t see the fire, and the smoke doesn’t look as bad.”
“Maybe it stopped?”
“If so, we might not have needed all that, and then I’d feel bad for Alys, so let’s assume it’s just slowing, and that they saved our lives.”
“All right.” Hannah slung the deer over her shoulders. They barely moved. “You okay?”
“I’m all right,” Emily said.
“I think she meant me,” Alys muttered. “I’m fine. Just tired.” They were still panting.
“Rest. I can carry you.”
They moved on. At a couple points, they had to wake Alys up to consult on directions, since they were winging it a bit more than they’d hoped, but in three hours, they found the cliffs towering over the ocean, and it only took another couple hours—the first half hour or so spent walking in the wrong direction—before they found the ship they’d left waiting for them.
“Ready to go home?” Emily asked.
“I don’t know, I was having fun.” Alys was now a human with long silver hair, yawning from their seat on Hannah’s broad shoulders. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Hannah felt beyond gross from her days at sea and running through a forest fire, plus fighting the undead, all in the same outfit. When she woke again to the sight of the empty ocean for miles and nothing but a starry sky above, she found herself wishing for a change of clothes or at least a bath.
“What time is it?” Emily asked, stirring next to her and stifling a yawn.
Hannah had plugged her phone into Emily’s portable charger before she’d fallen asleep, so she powered it on and waited for it to tell her. As the home screen lit up, she tried to swallow her dread. “Fuck.”
“What?” Looking concerned, she sat up, squeezing Hannah’s free hand.
“It’s almost five,” she muttered, holding back the curses she wanted to add on top of that. They were still a good while from home. Likely seven hours, if not more, judging by their current progress. “Shit, babe, what am I gonna do? I have work in three hours.”
“It’s okay, honey. We’ll figure this out.”
“According to the map, we just passed Hawaii,” Alys said. “It looks like one of the islands shouldn’t be too far from here if we turn back. Maybe an hour. You should have a cell signal there, and you can at least call in. Probably better than showing up at noon with no prior word.”
Hannah nodded. They were right, as loath as she was to turn back. Though she doubted she could get a doctor’s note in Hawaii, unless she wanted to say she was sick and on vacation, but that sounded less believable. “Thank you. You’re a real hero.”
“That mean I’m forgiven?”
Hannah shrugged, giving them a sympathetic smile. “I wasn’t the one mad at you.” She’d known Alys for maybe three weeks before they’d confessed everything and betrayed their oldest friend to keep from killing her. It was hard to hold a grudge against that.
Emily grumbled. “Fine. You’re at least mostly forgiven. At least enough that I’m w
illing to stay your best friend.”
“Great, then maybe I can join your snuggle pile.” Sitting up, they flashed Hannah a winning grin that had no doubt been shapeshifted into perfection. “Actually, you mind turning the boat around? I’m still not clear on how to do all that.”
“I’d love to.” Hannah hopped to her feet and began her job with the boat, using oars and sail to turn them in the right direction, double-checking with the map. In a little over an hour, they’d find the coast, and then Hannah could call and explain that she was sick. Hopefully, that would be enough to save her job, though she should still get a doctor’s note.
“Forgive me for being a bit confused, as I’m apparently the only one who wasn’t aware of this, but how the hell are we past Hawaii?” Emily asked. “I don’t know much about sailing, but shouldn’t that have taken days on its own? We ended up in Vigridr in like fourteen hours.”
Alys chuckled. “Magic.”
“Right, but really?”
“Yeah, really. Magic. If something with a motor would’ve been faster than Hel’s ship, she’d have insisted I take that and ensured that I had the money to do so if I didn’t already. The same magic that keeps the boat from going off course also lets it use the wind, well, a lot more efficiently than should be possible. Though apparently, still not as fast as Hannah needed when traveling against it. Hel had gone on about how it worked for a bit. She seemed really proud of it, but I’d be lying if I said I listened to the whole speech. I’m sure Hannah would’ve been in heaven—though that turn of phrase would result in some very interesting mythological crossovers—but I just don’t care that much. What I got was, ‘it’s magically fast, it can shapeshift, and it doesn’t need a constant hand.’ Good old Naglfar is one hell of a ship.”
“‘Hel’ or ‘hell,’” Emily asked, making a second “l” sound.
“Exactly.”
Hannah sat by the cooler, watching the other two as she grabbed a drink. She would finally have the chance for something other than pulled pork soon, so she didn’t bother with breakfast. “You hadn’t called it that before. What does it mean?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Why? Is it like the ferry of the dead or something? Does this ship take people to Hel?”
“I don’t think the dead need a boat. There’s a bridge, to my knowledge. No, this ship is disconcerting for other reasons that I’d rather not trouble you with.”
“No, come on. Tell me,” Hannah pleaded.
They sighed. “If you insist, I’ll tell you when we’re on land, and then you can decide if you’re up for getting back on it.”
“But now I want to know even more.” Hannah grumbled, sipping her beer. She’d never cared much about mythology, but it was growing far more personal the more she knew, so she’d rather have all the answers already. “It’s not like I’m going to swim to Hawaii.”
“Fine. It means nail farer, because it’s made of the finger and toenails of the dead.”
Her stomach turned. “I want to swim.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
Emily sat back while Hannah moored the boat at a dock in Hanalei, and Alys paid the outrageous fee.
When she was finally on dry land, Emily had to stretch her legs and be thankful the ground wasn’t moving or covered in zombies before she could properly appreciate the view. Only then did she look at the palm trees, the gentle waves splashing on the white sands, and the handful of locals and tourists fishing in the pre-dawn light. “Wow. It’s beautiful.”
“It’s not bad,” Alys said.
“I’ve only ever been to Honolulu before, and that was at a resort.” Hannah looked around, taking in the view. “I’m starving.”
“I need a shower,” Emily replied. “There’s still dead guy blood on me.”
“Maybe don’t say that out loud,” Alys suggested.
“Yeah. You’re right.”
“How about, since I’m already trying to make things up to you, I get us a room at a hotel? Hannah can call into work on the way, and we can have a shower and spend a nice day in whatever this town is.”
Emily shrugged. “Sounds good to me.”
“I guess,” Hannah said. “But I was thinking I should go to a clinic in Portland today so I can get a sick note.”
“Well, I want a shower either way, and a hotel seems like the easiest way to do that.”
Alys patted her shoulder. “There’s no way you’ll need a sick note for one day. Don’t worry about it. I know how much that job means to you, but I promise, it’ll be fine, and if they’re jerks about it, then I’ll put a spell on them.”
“All right,” she muttered, pulling her phone out of her pocket and tapping it a few times.
“Wait.” Emily put her hand over the phone before Hannah could hit call. “We’re out in the middle of the street. I’ve called in when I wasn’t really sick enough times in my life to know how to do it, and you want to wait until we’re someplace quieter.”
“I should’ve called at sea.”
Alys snorted. “Yeah, because that wouldn’t sound suspicious.”
“But it’s almost six.”
“Which is still early and also might mean we can’t get into a room yet,” Emily said.
“Then I’ll pay for last night and tonight, I don’t care,” Alys said. “I need a shower too. You have no idea where all of my appendages have been. Shapeshifting has a few disadvantages.”
“How about you buy us some new clothes too?” Hannah asked. “I need to get out of this outfit, and I’m sure you two feel the same. I could even go shopping while you shower.”
Emily breathed a sigh of relief. “That sounds amazing. Anything that’ll fit me and isn’t covered in blood is fine.”
“Size doesn’t matter, just grab me some men’s clothes,” Alys said. It seemed there were some advantages to shapeshifting too. “I could go with you if you need. I just hate only wearing shapeshifted clothes. I feel naked.”
Hannah stammered. “I didn’t know you could do that.”
They shrugged.
At the advice of a local, they headed down to Kuhio Highway, as it had food, a hotel, and some clothing stores, all within a brief walk from their spot at the Hanalei Pier. They’d had Hannah ask, as she had the least gore on her.
Twenty minutes later, they were checked into the hotel and in their room. Alys had had to pull a few strings to let them check in so early, and pay a substantial upcharge, but they got away without having to pay for an entire extra day. The second they were in, Alys made a beeline for the shower. “But I was gonna do that,” Emily whined.
Hannah tapped the still-open call button on her phone. After waiting a moment, she said, “Hi, sorry, this is Hannah Olsen. I’m an intern in the accounting department, and I’m really sick this morning. I was hoping it would go away, so I didn’t call in earlier—” The voice on the other end must have cut her off.
The call was too quiet for Emily to hear it all, but she distinctly made out “Do you know how often accountants call out?” and tried not to laugh.
Hannah breathed out a sigh of relief. “Okay, thanks.” She added a few more thank yous after each pause, sounding increasingly grateful, until she finally hung up and collapsed into the nearby chair.
“This is your first time calling into work, isn’t it? Like ever?” Emily asked. Of course it was. There was no way her workaholic dork had ever been irresponsible a day in her life.
Hannah nodded.
Emily sat on the armrest, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her head to her chest, stroking her hair. She knew how panicked Hannah was. Being an accountant was her dream, it meant everything to her. But a single sick day wasn’t going to cost her it. “It happens to everyone. I promise, you don’t have to worry.”
She nodded again.
“I’m getting blood on you, aren’t I?”
Another nod.
Emily jumped up, grinning. “All right. I’m gonna go grab Alys’s wallet, and you can buy o
ur stuff.”
“Okay. You sure you—”
“They don’t have modesty.” Emily didn’t bother knocking and threw open the bathroom door. “Where are your pants?”
Alys poked their head out from the shower curtain, their short-cropped hair still covered in shampoo. “Over there.” They pointed to the corner, opening the curtain some more and revealing nothing Emily was used to seeing in all the previous times she’d seen them naked. “Tell her to order food too. Or you can. Get delivery.”
“Awesome,” Emily said, collecting herself. She was never going to get used to shapeshifters. The wallet was in their back pocket, as always. “How do you keep these when you shapeshift? You weren’t wearing pants as a deer.”
“Magic.”
Emily shook her head. It was probably the best answer she was going to get. At least it meant she could have food. She took out one of the cards and tossed the wallet to Hannah. “Mind getting us clothes while I order food?”
“Not at all. Get a lot.” she said as she headed to the door. After the door swung shut behind her, Emily pulled out her phone to order, only for the door to open again and Hannah to poke her head in. “Can we go get food? Once you’ve both showered and changed, I mean? I really want to go out on the town.”
“Are you not gonna shower?”
“After we all shower, then.”
Emily groaned. Collapsing into bed sounded so nice, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t gotten enough sleep. “Yeah, all right. But pick out some awesome clothes.” As gross as she felt, and as badly as she needed to shower and put on something clean, it almost felt wrong. It was her first big adventure, her first real fight. She was a proper hero now. Way cooler than any mythological Sif. But she was also sticky.
Thor: Daughter of Asgard Page 23