by T. G. Ayer
I managed an automatic nod, a bit out of my depth with an actual god attempting to help make me feel better, but still very touched that he bothered at all. In the greater scheme of things, I wasn't all that important. The approaching great war of Ragnarok reduced most problems to minor ones in the face of the greatest battle ever, a battle that would bring the world to its end.
"I didn't mean to laugh. It's just that . . . Asgard, Valhalla, Ulfr, everything . . . even the whole Valkyrie thing has been a lot to absorb. And this cloak . . ." A sigh escaped my lips. I ran my fingers over the silky darkness. "It just made me realize how easily I've accepted everything that should have been ridiculous and unbelievable and impossible."
Thor's grin widened. "It comes easily to those who are made for Asgard," he said. Then the smile disappeared, replaced by a somber, grey scowl. "You will need to take extra care, Brynhildr. This journey you are taking is one that guarantees danger. Your life may be at stake many times, and there is one piece of advice that is paramount."
Thor placed his hands on my shoulders with a gentle intensity that forced me to look up at him. An alarming urgency filled his next words. "Do not trust anyone. And I mean anyone."
I frowned, confused and worried. How could I not trust anyone? To begin with, I wasn't the most trusting person, but considering the importance of my impending assassination attempt, surely I'd need help. Which would mean I'd have to place my trust in someone. I shrugged Thor's hands off my shoulder, and he released me with just the merest hint of a raised golden eyebrow. "So does that include you?" I demanded. "You've just told me to penetrate the home of the queen of the dwarfs and kill her. Maybe it's you I shouldn't trust. Maybe I should be questioning your motives." I narrowed my eyes and waited, more than annoyed with his contrary advice.
"You are a very wise person, Valkyrie Brynhildr." Thor stepped back and nodded his approval. "I do not want you to allow anyone to control or direct your decisions. Neither should you allow yourself to be betrayed. Do what you need to do, but take the greatest care with whom you keep close."
I cradled the cloak close to my chest. Thor grinned once again, then bent at the waist, executing a small bow. He left me alone on the balcony.
The sky had begun to darken, a deep sea blue escaping into the inky darkness of night. In the distance, the aurora borealis swirled and twisted in the sky, heralding the mortal death of Odin's newest Warriors, the courageous dead who lived again to serve the All-Father.
I sent a twisted prayer for their souls to remain safe until they reached the safety of Valhalla.
Chapter 25
Thor's footsteps echoed as he retreated, leaving me with just the gloaming sky and the thoughts of murder and dead kings for company.
I retreated from the balcony soon enough, morbid contemplation and icy night urging me back into Odin's Great Hall. I slowed my steps as I passed through the now-silent hall, savoring the peace of the ancient room. Sigrun, Mika and the others were nowhere to be seen. Flickering torchlight reflected against the gigantic carved doors at the far end of the hall, filtering in from the passageways.
A sudden grumble disturbed the silence, startling me. I did a double take, eyes stabbing the shadowed corners of the huge room. Then I laughed out loud as the rumble of my empty stomach came again, this time louder and more insistent. Now that I was back in Asgard, my appetite had returned with a vengeance.
But first, I hurried to my room to hide the cloak, preferring not to have to explain to anyone why I was in possession of such a rare magical object. A large wooden sword box sat beside my bed, given to me by Njall when he'd bestowed me with the sword of the legendary Valkyrie Brunhilde. I traced the ancient runic writings and the intertwining branch designs smothering the polished wood, and smiled. Njall, with his generous hugs and his honesty, had been one of the highlights of my first few days in Asgard. When he looked at me, his eyes held no judgment, no expectation. He liked me for me, and I liked that very much.
Turning the cloak invisible side out, I folded it carefully and placed it in the rich purpled silk that lined the inside of the box. I shut the lid, and though there was no lock, I was pretty sure nobody would dare touch Brunhilde's possessions but me.
Satisfied the cloak was safe from prying eyes, I set out for the food hall. Hunger clenched my stomach in a twisted fist, urging me on.
Just the odd flickering torch lit the empty hallways. I'd just rushed past a passage that headed off to my left when an odd sound drew my attention back to it. I hesitated, hunger twisting my gut and urging me onward, but with all the abductions and escapes we'd experienced, it made sense to check. I turned back and stepped softly, heel to toe, heel to toe, until I reached the wall.
Peeking around the corner, I got the shock of my life. The source of the strange sound gave a low soft laugh and tightened her arms, which were slung around Joshua's neck. He leaned against the stone wall, completely at her mercy. And he seemed to be enjoying the attention. Enjoying it too much, as far as I could see. My stomach twisted again, but this time it felt like a punch in the gut. I blinked and released my grip on my sword hilt, unsure why I felt so off balance.
It really was cool to see Joshua head over heels with someone, cooler still that his new flame was Mika, who had been firmly at my side all these weeks.
But as cool as it all was, no way did I want to stick around and watch them make out. A final glance confirmed they were way too busy to notice me. I turned back and went off in search of food.
***
I didn't get far. It seemed I'd been spotted after all. Footsteps thudded rapidly behind me, and I popped a glance over my shoulder to see a red-faced Mika racing after me. The hazy form of Joshua lingered in the distance. Clearly, he wasn't eager to find out if I was okay. Knowing Joshua, he'd be far too embarrassed to face me.
"Bryn, I do apologize. We did not mean for you to see that."
"That's cool with me, Mika. I know what kissing is all about." I smirked, but my stomach spasmed again, closer to my heart. I thought of Aidan, unconscious and waiting within his poisoned slumber.
Mika flushed. "So what did Thor say?" she asked. "You were out on the balcony together for a very long time." She sidled up to me and linked her arm with mine, her tone playful.
Her eyes widened as I gave her a brief rundown, skimming over the existence of the dwarf queen's goblet. Thoughts of my instructions to kill the dwarf queen simmered on the tip of my tongue, but I clamped my jaw shut, recalling Thor's warning. He'd been so clear about not trusting anyone, and here I was already blabbing my mouth off to a girl whom I still hardly knew. Stupid.
Or was I being silly? This was Fen's daughter. Of course I could trust her. What reason did I have not to? She'd been constantly at my side, saving my ass and protecting me.
Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed, as if she suspected I held something back. After a brief silence, she said, "Very well, then. Do not leave without me."
I looked sharply at Mika. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I am coming with you. Do you really think I will let you go off on such a dangerous mission without protection? Without backup?" She scowled at me, as if I were a little child and needed to be told off for my naiveté.
Despite her friendly smile, a river of trepidation slid up my spine, sending little warnings shooting off to my brain. Thor had told me not to trust anyone. That really did mean anyone—which meant anyone included Mika. But my friend was offering to come with me, to help me, to be there to protect me. How could I be so ungrateful as to say no?
And how blessed was I? I actually had people in my life that would go to such lengths to help, to put their lives on the line just for me. Gone were the times when I was so lonely, so adrift, without an anchor to hold to me in place. Here in Asgard I had found happiness and security at last.
Joshua still lurked in the passage, his face distorted by shadows. I sent him a tiny, annoyed wave. He should have been the one ready to sacrifice himself for me, to come along and prote
ct me. If Joshua had offered, I wouldn't have wasted a second hesitating. I would've jumped at the opportunity. I almost clicked my tongue, annoyed with myself for being annoyed with Joshua. So many things had happened in the last few weeks for both of us—not all of them good.
Was Joshua still a little mad at me? Surely he'd gotten over my stupid loss of control during our stupid sword-practice session. We hadn't talked about it since it had happened. I'd just wanted to forget about that strange surge of power that had flooded my muscles, that strange wave of violent power that had taken me over in mind and in body. I'd almost killed him.
I shook my head, replacing those morbid thoughts with my current problem: the object of Joshua's affections, and an offer I found difficult to refuse, despite Thor's words of warning which still curled in my ears.
"What is there to think about, Bryn?" she asked, eyes narrowed again, forehead scrunched in a disapproving, almost disappointed frown.
A twinge of guilt rippled through me. I was being an ungrateful witch. A smile crept across my face. "I'm sorry. Of course you can come with."
And if Thor disapproved, too bad.
***
With the thought of decapitation foremost in my mind, I figured food would be the last thing I wanted. I was wrong. Asgard's food was nothing to sniff at, and all I craved was delicious roast beef and fresh bread.
After a hearty meal, I headed back to my room to regroup. With armor and weapons readily available, the only thing I seriously lacked was courage. Throwing a last glance around, I tugged the strap on my satchel and threw Thor's gift of invisibility over my arm. Time to get on with it. The evil witch waits for no Valkyrie.
Mika and I met at the Bifrost entrance, where the warmth of the great fire flitted through the stray strands of our hair. Bellies full, strength and arms replenished, we stood at the entrance to the Bridge of the Gods, ready to walk straight into what legend claimed was pretty much another Hel.
Swartelfheim. The realm of the dwarf race.
I smoothed down the lapels of my coat and tightened my belt. Although it wasn't at all necessary, I wore Midgardian clothing over my Glasir Kevlar: dark jeans and a short leather jacket. They gave me a certain comfort I refused to pick apart. I belonged to Asgard, but also to Midgard. Waste of time trying to tear myself apart trying to be something I'm not. I guess I was both.
I carried the Cloak of Darkness over my arm, carefully concealing it, as Thor had done before he'd revealed to me, sitting there on his arm in plain sight. The cloak's outer layer of invisibility folded around itself, rendering it totally unseen. Unseen, yes, but if someone accidentally brushed against it, the cloak's rich silkiness would give it away. I didn't want to take any chances.
I hugged the cloak close, watching Mika as she packed her bag full of weapons. When she looked away, I quickly rolled the cloak up and stuffed it into my satchel, then slung that over my shoulder. For some strange reason, I didn't want to reveal all my cards before we left. Probably Thor's warning knocking on my frickin' conscience. I was still worried. I'd agreed to take her along even though Thor had said this was my mission—mine alone. But I guess I could do with the company.
Mika slipped her satchel onto her shoulder, metal clinking softly inside the leather bag. "Ready?"
I gave her a sharp, businesslike nod and drew closer to the doorway. The entrance to the Bifrost swirled in the middle of the room, molten ether turning and twisting and waiting for us to enter.
We stepped in together. I stiffened, holding my body hard against the twisting pull of the bridge as it drew us across realms and across time to our destination. A strange magic lived inside the Bridge of the Gods. Its ability to identify your destination without being told fascinated me no end. Beyond any technology modern Midgard possessed. Wow.
We reappeared at the foot of a dead tree that towered over us; leafless branches reached overhead like ghostly arms threatening to steal us into the night.
Disconcerting.
Chapter 26
A murky, insipid twilight shrouded our arrival; the strange moon, a thin, hazy sliver, hung low in a burnished sky, furtively peering down on us.
I stared into the gloom, pulling my jacket close against rude fingers of cold. Vague, shadowy shapes promised a dense forest of wooden-fingered trees ahead, spreading out far into the distance. I swallowed hard, unable to make out an easy path through the menacing black forest. Flicking Mika a beckoning glance, I slipped between thick tree trunks and wended my way through the growing darkness.
I spent the next few minutes dodging broken branches that I could have sworn reached out to tug at my hair, or weaved and swayed just to hinder my progress. At last, I ducked around the final tree and let go of a breath I hadn't realized I'd held all the while.
Surveying the area, I was supremely relieved to find a wide clearing at the foot of a monstrous granite mountainside made of night and shadows. Even the sparse moonlight failed to reflect on its rocky face.
Mika poked a finger into my arm and pointed ahead. Straight across the clearing, and carved into the base of the dark mountain, sat a gigantic doorway, like the shadowed stone jaws of a sleeping granite beast.
I studied the monstrous entrance. A towering lintel curved at the top of the arch, edged all the way around by a thick strip of carved letters. Ancient Norse again. I squinted, trying to make sense of the words.
When Mika jabbed me in the ribs and pulled me down, I scowled at her, only to quickly realize my error. In my fascination with the dwarfish inscriptions, I'd stepped forward, away from the cover of the trees, without realizing. "Careful!" Mika whispered, her words edged with a guttural growl. Though still annoyed, I mouthed an apology.
Together we scrutinized the terrain and planned our approach. A pair of huge, dark granite doors filled the entrance, very much shut to the world. The doors towered, carved into the shape of two large, rough trunks. It would've been easy to believe the ancient Swartelfheim builders had taken two monstrous trees and turned them to stone before using them as doors. Amazing sculpting skills. I was very impressed.
So impressed, I almost missed the guard.
Almost.
The crunch of stones beneath his thick boots drew my attention to him. Short, squat and roped with muscles. For a brief hysterical second I imagined this miniature, manlike creature pumping iron in a fancy New York gym. Glistening with sweat on his hairy body, wearing too tight gym shorts and grunting loud enough to draw annoyed stares. Too funny.
His entire demeanor screamed don't mess with me—bow and arrow at his back, daggers dotting his belt, even the hilt of a short spear sticking out of his little boot. He twisted in place, facing the opposite doorpost, then made a short march across.
Even blanketed in darkness, pockmarked with shadows, his face troubled me: heavily jowled, bushy haired, fat and sad. Yes, a sadness definitely creased his lumpy face. Or perhaps I felt a little empathy toward the poor prince whose mother had stolen away his kingdom and relegated him to door warden. What a life. It must suck to have everything taken from you by your own mother. Talk about total emasculation.
He focused on the forest of ghostly arms, studying the shadows for possible intruders. I huddled closer to the ground, hoping the encroaching gloom would hide me. For one horrible second he stared straight at me, as if he'd seen me cowering behind the tree trunk, watching him. But then he spun on his heel and made his little march across to the other end of the doorway again. One more march in a lifetime of marches.
Mika pulled me down beside her. "Right, we have to get him away from the door." Her whispered words were soft against my ears.
It was time to go undercover. Thor may have handed down his don't-trust-anyone law, but I certainly didn't see him hanging around to give me a hand. Besides, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. I whispered back to Mika, "I have something that can get us there safely."
Mika raised one delicate eyebrow, an action that asked, "Now what?" I dug into my satchel and withdrew what p
robably looked like nothing to her.
She scowled. "What are you doing?"
Then she had to swallow a squeak as I threw the cloak around me and did a quick disappearing act. I leaned against the solid, rough bark of the tree trunk and stifled a giggle as her eyes goggled in amazement. She reached out, running her fingers across the cloak, still unable to see what lay beneath.
"I do not believe it," she whispered in soft amazement, her eyes gleaming with wonder. "I never would have thought it was real. Where did you get it?"
I pulled the cloak off me and shuffled to my knees, giving a quick shrug. "It was given to me for the journey. And it looks like we're going to need it."
I examined the clearing again, glad that the solid, packed dirt wouldn't show footprints. It would be a total fail if we scurried across the clearing leaving ghostly footprints as we went.
"Come on," I said. "We need to get in quickly."
Mika rose and huddled beneath the cloak. Strangely, the expanse of fabric suddenly seemed large enough for both of us.
We walked slowly, one tiny step at a time. The plan was to approach the doorway and wait until the guards changed. Thor had said they changed twice a day, after sunset and after sunrise. I assumed this soupy gloom meant it was one or the other here in the dwarfs' realm. A glimpse of the horizon in the distance behind us revealed the last of what looked like a sunset streaking across the darkening skies.
Not long now.
Halfway there, our luck ran out. The prince turned toward us, eyes narrowed, and took a few hesitant steps. I swallowed. Had we made too much noise? Did the two of us not quite fit under the cloak?
He stopped a foot in front of us and lifted his face to sniff the air repeatedly. Beneath the safety of the cloak, Mika and I exchanged puzzled glances.