Dead Embers

by T. G. Ayer

  I couldn't find anything appropriate to say to that. What could I say that would make her feel better about her captivity?

  "If you two are done with your little heart to heart, could we leave?" Mika's gruff voice interrupted us. "And Bryn, is it really necessary to take this human with us? She is slowing us down."

  I parted the cloak and glared at Mika, annoyed with her lack of compassion. "We're taking her with us," I said, my voice and eyes brimming with anger.

  Mika shrugged, her own eyes flaring yellow. I couldn't care less about her temper. I held onto Sarah's arm and snuck around the corner, allowing the girl to lead us up and down corridors; some dark, many brightly lit by torches.

  I hoped I wasn't going to regret it.

  Soon the dull throb of the forges could be felt through the stone floor and walls. We were almost there.

  But just when we thought the end was in sight, the thunder of bootsteps rang down the corridor. A dozen or so dwarfs bore down on us. Any second now, they would see Mika and it would all be over.

  My heart thudded, faster than the forges but unable to match the stamping of oncoming boots. Sarah and I were safe, hidden within the Tarnkappe, but Mika was totally at their mercy.

  Unless . . .

  At the very last second, I grabbed Sarah and jumped in front of Mika, flattening her between the cloak and the wall. The breath whooshed out of her in an angry huff, but thankfully she didn't resist. I'd banked her safety on my assumption that anything behind the cloak could not be seen.

  I was right.

  The guards stormed past us, so close that Sarah and I had to hold our tummies in to avoid being jabbed by errant elbows and dangerous dagger scabbards. I held my breath too, imagining the cloak catching on a guard's sword and being pulled off, ending with the three of us being beheaded for killing the ruler of Swartelfheim.

  I needn't have worried.

  The troop passed us by, and not until the last of them disappeared into the darkness did we begin to breathe again at last.

  "As exciting as that was, I think we should be going." I grinned, and Sarah and I headed off. Mika followed without even a thank you. Guess she didn't appreciate being pancaked between us and the wall.

  Tough.

  We picked up the pace and took the next turn at a canter.

  And almost ran straight into a dwarf pushing a cart filled with black rock. The dwarf goggled at us; the cart wobbled, tipping over, black rock cascading onto the ground. He grunted, and what I could make out of his cheeks flared red. He stared hesitantly at us, fingers hovering a few seconds above his sword. He pulled free the obsidian blade and squared his shoulders, ready to charge. A single torch beside us cast a doubtful flame upon our contrary gathering.

  My heart gave a resoundingly relieved thump as it dawned on me that he couldn’t see us hidden inside the folds of the cloak.

  But he could see Mika.

  Sarah and I shared a worried glance, then looked from dwarf to ice-cold Ulfr. The dwarf's nostrils flared.

  A low growl erupted from Mika's throat, and a sickening dread ferreted in my gut. This would not end well. Once again, I wondered at the irony of taking an Ulfr along, right into a den of Ulfr-detecting dwarfs. I squeezed Sarah's arm and held a finger to my lips. At her acknowledgement, I snuck out from under the cloak, drawing my sword as I sprang forward.

  The sword sang, startling both Ulfr and dwarf. I rammed into Mika, registering her almost fully transformed Ulfr form: eyes glaring yellow, canines lengthened and deadly. She backpedalled, and I took the opportunity and bore down on the dwarf.

  He stared at the sword, then at me. Or maybe not at me, but at my wings. All he saw was a charging Valkyrie. Fear flooded his eyes, but he held his ground. A courageous dwarf? I was impressed.

  I swiped my sword at him, and he struck back, defending himself. Swinging again, I shifted my body, pushing him further against the wall. The cart sat almost in the middle of the passage, and my maneuver gave Sarah and Mika the chance to move around to the opposite end, into the waiting darkness of the passageway. I played my little swordfight act with the dwarf. It was really no challenge. He was a worker, not a warrior.

  My peripheral vision confirmed that Mika had passed safely to the other end of the corridor. "Sarah?" I grunted as the dwarf lunged and I parried, his blade missing me by an inch. Never underestimate an opponent, dwarf or otherwise.

  "I am here," she said.

  With both Mika and Sarah safe, I forced the dwarf to lunge again, allowed the momentum of his swipe to carry him forward, then kicked his feet out from under him. The poor guy landed on his face, eating black rock.

  He struggled to his feet. I winced, knowing I had no choice, but still not happy to beat up an almost defenseless dwarf. Maybe I needed to borrow some of Mika's coldness. Glad that, anatomy-wise, dwarfs were built pretty much the same as humans, I slammed the heel of my hand into the base of the dwarf's skull.

  Lights out.

  I wasted no time checking on the poor dwarf, just turned and fled toward Mika, slipping beneath the cloak held open by a grinning Sarah.

  Despite stumbling onward in near darkness, it didn't take long to get to the entrance, and soon we were pushing the stone door open peeking out into . . . bright sunlight? Morning already? I blinked and squinted. Weird. Wasn't this the bloody underworld? What happened to the gloomy shadows?

  I began to step out into the light—when a snarl and a sniff right at my elbow made my heart thump. The brothers—we had forgotten the two dwarf princes.

  ***

  I turned around, an inch at a time, keeping Sarah safely against the wall. But the brothers, safely out of the deadly rays of the sun and no doubt searching the corridors for their attacker, had come up behind us. And spotted Mika. And smelled her. The two dwarfs, faces bearing bruises and scratches from their earlier encounter with her, lifted their weapons, grimaced, and charged toward us.

  My heart thumped at their proximity. But I was safe beneath the invisible cloak. Or so I thought. The tip of one brother's sword hooked onto the edge of the cloak, ripping it free in a whoosh of satiny fabric.

  And I stood there, suddenly exposed, wondering if I'd be better off not visualizing bad endings. I'd just imagined my worst nightmare into reality.

  The first dwarf slid to a stop, and his jaw dropped. I trembled, certain we would meet a gory end. On the point of his sword. But his dark and swarthy face transformed into something resembling a pretty good-looking dude. "Sarah!"

  He dropped his sword to the floor in a thunk and rushed past me again, this time to wrap his arms around the girl. "What happened? How did you get free?" He grabbed her shoulders to peer at her face, then squashed her to him in a gripping hug all over again. His brother blinked and gave a confused-looking grin that bordered on a sneer.

  "They helped me," Sarah said, pointing a finger at me and Mika over her shoulder, a tender, happy smile on her face.

  The dwarf's eyes widened. Near Mika, the other dwarf prince lowered his weapon. "You have my thanks, Valkyrie," he said to me. And then to Mika, less warmly, he added, "And you."

  "Don't mention it. Just take care of Sarah." I inclined my head.

  As the dwarf prince glanced at his beloved, his face shifted from tenderness to worry. "We will have to leave, Sarah, before my mother realizes you have escaped! But we cannot go this way." Bright sunlight poured through the doorway. "The far tunnels! We must hurry."

  The prince spoke with a desperate urgency that revealed the depth of his affection for the human girl. I was amazed.

  The dwarf and the girl—a romance? Who would've thought?

  Sarah shook her head. "No, she won't be looking for us." She pulled herself free from the arms of her beloved and held up the bloody pillowcase. Then she tipped the queen's head out of the pillowslip. It thudded again, rolling along the stone.

  The dead queen's head disconcerted me. I gaped as it rolled over and over—her wide open, staring eyes were there one moment, gone the
next.

  The queen's decapitated head didn't pause in its journey to the open doorway. And no one made a move to stop it. It bumped along across the threshold until it came to a hesitant, rocking halt. Five pairs of eyes watched in silence as the sun fell upon the queen's dark skin and, as if a magical hand had passed across it, the ebony color turned to a pale grey.

  I shuddered.

  The entire head took on a solid, almost stony look. Ripples of disgust and relief warred their way up and down my spine. The witch's head solidified into smooth stone. The sun had done its job, and the queen was no more.

  I held my breath, unsure of what Sarah's prince's reaction would be. Would he want to kill us? Would he want revenge for the death of his mother? The muscles in his face tightened at the sight of the head, and he didn't move, nor did he challenge us to a death duel. He shook his head and sighed, turning to face his brother. "She is dead, my brother. We are free at last."

  His brother nodded weakly, his leathery face streaked with pain, and I knew in that instant that Mika had hurt him pretty badly. I glared at her, but she merely shrugged. Protecting the entrance to Swartelfheim was his duty, but he didn't deserve a mauling by a rabid Ulfr for his troubles. What did she have against dwarfs anyway? Was it the fact that the dwarfs had helped to imprison Fen, long ago? I guess that would give her a reason to hate them.

  "Thank you," Sarah said, and I beamed at her. I quite liked this feisty, courageous girl. A little unsure of her choice in partner, but who was I to judge? The boy I cared for was no longer alive.

  "It was the least I could do."

  "I too thank you, Valkyrie." The dwarf prince bowed low, and I felt like a curtsy was almost in order, but I restrained the urge and just nodded. He continued, his tone and attitude so formal I wanted to smile, "You have freed our realm from the tyranny of my mother's rule. All of Swartelfheim is grateful."

  "I did only what I had to do." I inclined my head, throwing a quick glance toward the door. I really wanted to get out of there before Sarah slipped up and mentioned the goblet. What if it was important to them for some reason? The last thing I needed was to have to battle the princes for it. "I'm afraid it's time for us to leave."

  Mika drew closer to me, and the princes bowed again. "Come, Sarah." They limped past me, without a word to Mika, leaving us at the unguarded entrance, alone with the stone head of their mother.

  "Finally." Mika said, staring at the disappearing trio. She glanced at me, her face hardened, resolved. Boy, was she eager to get the Hel out of there.

  I grabbed the cloak, folding it over my arm as we walked out, and shoved the door shut with a nudge of my shoulder. With the door closed behind us and warm sunlight on our heads, the whole experience seemed quite surreal. And yet the queen's stony eyes stared sightlessly at us as we passed, sending a shudder down my spine. Stony eyes that proved all the craziness of the last few hours had really happened.

  At least it was all over. Relief and elation bubbling up inside me like a geyser, I turned to Mika, a smile of triumph on my face. I wanted to enjoy the victory with her, to celebrate our triumph. Despite her special Ulfr aroma giving us away all the time, Mika had been instrumental in the success of this mission. How would I ever be able to thank her for insisting on coming with me?

  I meant to reach out to her and give her the biggest hug.

  Instead I froze, feral fear now flooding my senses.

  Mika glared at me, her eyes half transformed, her forehead low and teeth bared.

  With deadly intent, Mika sprang at me.

  Chapter 31

  She attacked with a ferocity that surprised and hurt me. But I didn't have time to ponder the possible reasons for her assault.

  Mika struggled against me, hands grappling with my bag. I stumbled backward. We fell to the ground, stones crunching beneath my back as Mika straddled my torso, hands still feverishly digging within the leather satchel.

  It took me far too long to realize what she was after. She wanted the goblet. I dived for it. Too late. She'd already grabbed it and rolled away.

  Fury reddened my vision and I rose, throwing myself at Mika, lunging at her, wrapped within a ball of pained anger as I berated myself for ever trusting her.

  On my knees, I ignored the bite of the stones on the ground. I grabbed Mika's hands, struggling, putting all my strength into my upper body; biceps and triceps strained against the leather of my jacket as I fought against my Ulfr, my friend and my own betrayed heart.

  Mika elbowed me in the chest and shoved me away as I struggled to force air back into my lungs. She grasped her sword with her free hand, swinging it around wildly, aiming for my head.

  I lay there panting, flat on my back. My heart froze in my chest as her sword descended, sunlight glinting on the vicious metal as it bore down on me. I flicked a glance at Mika's crazed expression. She grinned, sure of her aim.

  A swift punch to her abdomen sent the blow slightly left, and the blade crashed into the stone head of the dwarf queen, shattering what was left of the dead queen into a million little stones. The remains of Queen Huld scattered around the clearing like a handful of random pebbles, falling between the darker stones as if they belonged there.

  How fitting.

  What she did next was the last thing I expected. Mika, so intent on preventing me from reaching the goblet, rolled away from me and threw the crystal against the stone wall behind us. Huge shards of colored glass rained upon us, and I spun away just in time to avoid being stabbed in the eye.

  My sword lay beneath me. The Ulfr bared her teeth again and lunged. I didn't think, just grabbed at the ground and moved my hand forward just in time.

  Mika threw herself at me. To grapple for my sword or strangle me. I'd never know. She let out a low, agonized howl that ended in a visceral growl. Then she rolled away from me, slowly tipping over onto her back.

  The shard glittered, embedded deep in her neck. I'd grabbed at it, the first thing I could think of to use to defend myself. I hadn't expected her to throw her entire body weight onto me.

  Tears burned my eyes and throat, and I desperately held them back, fearing the despair I would feel should I give in to my emotions. "What the hell were you thinking, Mika?" I got to my knees beside her. She lay choking on blood that streamed from her wound.

  "I had to destroy the goblet." Her eyes, still stark with anger and hatred, narrowed against the glare of the sun.

  "Why? You've just destroyed the possibility of Aidan's recovery. And Siri's. How could you do that?" Saying the words out loud brought me so much closer to the breaking point. Huge, wracking sobs pushed at my throat, but I fought them back down. Not now.

  "Casualties of war. . . . They are a small price to pay for the bigger picture," Mika gasped, choking as her words escaped, wet and sluggish, from her throat.

  "What is this big picture? What the hell was so all-fired important that you had to get yourself killed to get it?" I yelled, angry and hurt and mourning my friend.

  Her reply was so ominous, I could feel the death knell of it deep in my bones. "The days of the Aesir are at an end. Ragnarok is here, and I chose my side."

  "What side is that?" I wanted to shake her.

  "I have chosen the one who is worthy of my loyalty. More worthy than a father who snuffles after Odin like a traitorous cub. Fenrir knows not where his loyalty lies." Mika rolled over, palms flat on the ground. I wanted to stop her, remind her that she did more damage to her injured body by moving around, but I bit the words back. "My loyalty lies with my true leader," she said. "The great god Loki."

  Loki.

  Can we never escape the mad insanity that is Loki? Anger welled within me, so visceral, so virulent. But my sadness and disappointment tamped it down.

  "But what about Fen? How could you betray your father like this?" I sobbed, unable to assimilate the crude fact that Mika had denied and betrayed her own father.

  "Loki is more a father to me than Fenrir will ever be. Fenrir is the traitor, and he will
bring about the end to the reign of the Aesir no matter how hard he tries not to. He is a fool to think he can change what is meant to be. Fenrir cannot change his own future." Mika now crouched, an odd physical act for someone with a gleaming shard of crystal embedded in the side of her neck. The sliver jutted from the top of her shoulder, the wound brutal and bloody.

  I shook my head. "You betrayed your own father!" I just couldn't accept that someone who had the privilege of having their father around would deliberately betray him and all he stood for. Had Fen been my father I would never have done such a thing to him. Ever. How long had I dreamed I would someday get my father back? Irrational childish dreams, and yet they were so real I could still remember.

  Mika laughed, and her laughter sounded hollow to my heated ears. The sound echoed, gurgling and drowning within the warm blood spurting from her artery. The wolf-warrior slumped backward, collapsing on the gravel, weakened from so much blood loss. Flat on her back, she met my eyes, and in that instant I saw something that hurt more than anything she'd done yet. She was so proud of her actions; not one hint of regret or sadness lay within her eyes.

  It hurt to know that she was so sure of herself, so convinced that Fenrir was the bad guy.

  She died then, while I watched her chest rise and fall, each breath shorter than the next. Blood leaked from her jagged wound to drip and pool in the dry sand beneath her, gleaming in the rude brilliance of the Swartelfheim sun.

  At last, when I could no longer bear the scorching heat of the sun on my head, I rose to my feet. I had to gather every shard and piece of crystal I could find.

  I hesitated, unsure of where I would store the pieces. The cloak was too large, and I might still need to use it. I'd chosen to wear my short jacket for this mission and not the long coat—so no deep pockets. Then I grimaced as my gaze fell on just the thing I could use.

  The pillowslip.

  I shuddered; the thought of touching fabric still moist with Queen Huld's blood just grossed me out, but I had little choice. When I reached the stone door, I pushed it open with ease, despite the crawling fingers of a strange fatigue that tugged at me. With the fabric tight in my fist, I returned to the sunlight, blinking against its awful brightness.