We shook on it, and the pact was made. I was going to learn how to travel to other realms using Yggdrasil. I’d used the tree for time travel once before, but this was far more exciting . . . or maybe it was just terrifying. I hadn’t quite decided.
4
An hour later, having agreed to learn how to travel through Yggdrasil, I was strapped in the backseat of one of the two vehicles that headed toward the beach. Next to me was Alaric, our backpacks in the middle. We each had a change of clothes, a winter coat, and enough food and water to last for days. I’d dressed in heavyweight jeans with a belly band, a loose green flannel, and hiking boots, since we weren’t quite sure what sort of biome we’d be entering, and we had no idea how far we’d need to hike to find Hecate. I had twin daggers ready to affix to my belt once we reached the beach, and two more already hidden at my ankles. While some of the other Vaettir would be bringing swords and axes, I was far more comfortable with the smaller weapons.
Aila, Mikeal’s tall, blonde, and deadly second in command drove, and Loki rode in the passenger seat. The other vehicle held Faas, Mikael, Frode, Sophie, and Alejandro. Everyone in the vehicles had now been informed of our plan, and of Loki’s true identity, but we’d be telling no one else. Things might get out of hand if the clan knew both their Doyens were in another realm. Aila and Alejandro would be remaining behind to watch the clan, but had accompanied us since we needed someone to drive the vehicles home in case we were gone overnight. Faas and Frode would be coming into the other world with us. Faas, because he understood energy better than any of us, and Frode for extra muscle, just in case.
Alaric took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “You know I’m only upset because I’m worried,” he muttered.
I nodded. “I know, and I’m sorry. I’m the reason we never seem able to live in peace.”
“You’re also the reason we’re free from Estus and the key. Do not apologize.”
I squeezed his hand, feeling better. The situation was already dire, and I really hated adding a lover’s spat to the mix.
“How sweet,” Loki commented, watching us in the rearview mirror. “I had no idea death energy could be so loving.”
“I’m more than just death energy,” I grumbled.
Maybe that was why Hecate disliked the old gods. She got tired of being called a death goddess all the time, when she was so much more. Although, I supposed Loki probably got called a lot of names too.
The trees thinned as we neared the coast. The silver car containing our friends turned off the highway ahead of us, taking the same narrow road Alaric and I had taken the previous day.
I let out a long breath, then gently removed my hand from Alaric’s to make sure I had everything I needed in my pack. I switched off my cell phone and stuffed it back into an exterior pocket of the pack. It wouldn’t work in another realm, but I wanted to make sure we’d be able to call Aila and Alejandro to pick us up when we returned.
Yggdrasil came into view as we made our way down the bumpy, narrow dirt road, its golden branches vibrant in the harsh sun. The silver car parked ahead of us, and Aila maneuvered the truck into the narrow space beside it.
We all exited the vehicles, hoisting our packs onto our backs and affixing weapons that had been too awkward to wear while crammed in the vehicles.
Loki sauntered toward the tree line unhindered, having refused a backpack or any other supplies. He didn’t seem to mind that he was weaponless and still in the same outfit we’d found him in.
Alaric came around the side of the vehicle to stand near me. “Are you entirely sure about this?” he asked softly.
I nodded. “As long as I feel confident that I can bring us back without Loki’s help, it will be fine.”
As Mikael wordlessly led the way down toward the beach, Alejandro fell into step at my other side. He flipped his dark hair over his shoulder then flashed me a smile. “If you don’t come back, can I have your truck?”
I rolled my eyes at him, then aimed them downward, watching my footing as I carefully picked my way toward the beach through the brambles bordering the forest. “If you touch my truck, I’ll haunt you from the other side.”
He pouted. “Aw, you’re no fun.”
I laughed, then turned away. Alaric took my hand. I glanced at him to see his gaze on the distant World Tree.
“I hope we don’t have to physically climb it,” I commented.
He smiled. “Don’t worry. All you’d have to do is climb on my back.”
I chuckled, taking comfort in his presence. Loki might leave us all for dead, but Alaric and Mikael would both stand by me to the bitter end.
Loki reached the tree first, shortly followed by Aila and Mikael, basically those with the longest legs. As we followed their footprints in the sand, Faas walked silently behind me, but I could sense his nerves.
I released Alaric’s hand from my grip as we reached the tree. Up close, it looked more silver than gold, at least in the areas the sun didn’t hit.
“Time for your lesson,” Loki instructed, stretching his hand toward me.
I glanced nervously at Alaric, then stepped forward.
Loki gently grasped my wrist, guiding my palm against the tree. “Do you feel that?”
I closed my eyes, focusing on the impossibly smooth bark beneath my palm. The tree was formed of the fates, the key’s chaos energy, and the Morrigan’s emotion and life/death energy. They were all highly familiar to me. Almost comforting.
“I can feel Mara’s energy,” I said softly, then opened my eyes to look at him. “I mean the Morrigan.”
He nodded. “Good. That you are familiar with the energy should prove useful. It is not difficult to travel through the tree. The difficult part is ending up in the right place.”
I frowned, thinking about the countless realms to where the branches might lead. We could end up anywhere.
“Fortunately,” Loki continued, “you’ve come in contact with Hecate’s energy signature before.”
I tensed, thinking he’d somehow found out about my meeting with Marcos, then relaxed, remembering that I’d explained to him how Hecate had helped guide me to regrow the tree, if only in a small way.
He pressed his hand over mine, making a firm connection with the tree. “All you need do is tune in to the tree’s energy, then focus on the energy signature you would like to reach. That was how I ended up here. I was examining one of the branches, and I sensed you on the other side. I focused on your energy, and poof!”
“Sounds simple enough,” I commented.
“Not simple at all,” he countered, “but still, easily done for beings like you and I.”
Still pressing my palm against the tree, he gestured for everyone to gather round. As everyone moved in, he explained, “You will be the one to take us to Hecate. In doing so, I will have upheld my end of the bargain. You will have proven you can travel the tree without my magic.”
I glanced at Faas as he moved to my other side. “I’ll watch him to make sure it is only your power transporting us.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
As everyone gathered even closer, Mikael said a few words to Aila and Alejandro before they stepped away.
“You might want to go farther back than that,” Loki called out to the pair, who’d only taken a few steps before turning to watch us. “As this is her first time, she might accidentally sweep you up.” He turned back to me. “Now Madeline, focus on the tree’s energy.”
As Aila and Alejandro jogged away, I did as he asked, which wasn’t difficult. My eyes fluttered closed, and my muscles slowly relaxed as I fell into the familiar rhythm of the tree’s energy. Slowly, my awareness expanded. I could feel the tree’s shimmering roots reaching deep into the sand, and the impossibly high branches kissing the sky.
I became so enraptured that I almost didn’t hear Loki as he said, “Now focus on Hecate’s energy, focus on her name, for names hold power. Use Yggdrasil’s magic to bring us to her realm.”
Since I’d never m
et Hecate personally, I focused on the feel of Marcos’ magic. Not on Marcos’ himself, but the taste and power of true necromancy in its most potent form. Hecate.
I had a feeling of weightlessness as my surroundings seemed to slip away. For a moment I became frightened. It felt almost as if I no longer had a body, and I feared for the tiny life growing inside me.
Then my hiking boots touched down on loamy soil. I stumbled to the side, dizzy. Two set of hands reached out and caught me.
I opened my eyes to see both Alaric and Faas holding on to me, watching me as if I might faint. I glanced up toward a golden branch dangling overhead, as if the tree it belonged to was rooted in the sky, growing down toward the earth rather than up.
“I’m fine,” I muttered, and they slowly released me as I stepped away.
We were in a dense forest, no, not quite a forest, more like a jungle. The trees around us seemed vaguely tropical, but at the same time the soil was dark instead of sandy. The damp air was pleasantly warm on my skin.
Loki peered around as he walked toward me. “Well,” he began, “the ride wasn’t exactly smooth, but congratulations on getting us here. I honestly assumed it would take more than one try.”
“So we made it?” I questioned in disbelief. “We made it to Hecate’s realm?”
“Yes,” Loki replied.
Faas let out a gasp. “And we lost our magic in the process.”
We all whirled on him.
Pushing his long blond bangs away from his face, he lifted his pale, horrified eyes up to meet mine.
“I can’t feel anyone’s energy,” he explained.
I tilted my head, confused. I could still feel the pulse of my magic beneath my skin, amplified from our trip through Yggdrasil’s branches.
I turned my attention to Frode. “Try freezing something,” I instructed.
Turning his broad back away from us, he lifted his hands, but nothing happened. Normally he could summon ice with his magic.
I shook my head. “I don’t understand. I can still feel my magic.”
Faas harrumphed in irritation. “We are such fools. Of course we don’t have magic here. We are not a part of this realm. Our magic is tied to our realm.”
“Then why do I still have magic?” I questioned.
Loki scowled. “I do not have my magic either. Hecate must have nullified all magical signatures in this realm except her own. You still have magic, because you share similar energy. You truly are cut from goddess cloth, pure transcendental energy.”
“Well if we didn’t have proof of that theory before . . . ” Mikael trailed off. He paced around the small clearing, hand on the axe at his belt. Not his father’s axe, I realized, wondering if he feared he might lose it in another realm.
Alaric put an arm around my waist and pulled me backwards. “There’s something out there,” he whispered, his lips pressed against my ear.
I tensed. I still had my magic, and everyone was physically armed. We could probably handle whatever was out there . . . unless it was Hecate.
I darted my gaze from tree to tree, but could not yet see what Mikael and Alaric had sensed. Everyone else gathered close around us while Mikael and Loki investigated.
Alaric whirled me around as something rustled in the bushes behind us.
“Halt!” a woman’s voice demanded.
I watched as she stepped out of her hiding place, followed by several other women. They all held massive, gleaming steel spears, aimed in our direction. The finely made spears seemed out of place with their flowing white dresses, cinched at their waists with thin brown belts. Most had hair down to their waists in varying colors, with some tresses pulled back in loose braids.
“Hecate’s handmaidens,” Loki commented, suddenly standing right beside me.
Noticing Loki, the women began to mutter amongst themselves, then the first one who’d spoken, a brunette who couldn’t have been more than twenty, called out, “You are not welcome here, old god!”
“Do you think they’re talking to me?” Loki asked facetiously, then snickered.
“We’re here to see Hecate,” Mikael explained, stepping out ahead of the group while Loki stayed back with us.
The woman in the lead shifted her feet, then muttered something to her comrades I couldn’t quite hear.
“They know who you are,” Alaric whispered in my ear.
“So you still have your acute hearing?” I asked softly.
“That is part of my physiology,” he explained, “not my magic.”
“We will bring the woman to Hecate,” the brunette explained. “The old god must stay behind.”
I looked to Loki, who shrugged.
That was all fine and well for him, but I didn’t want to venture into a goddess’ inner sanctum with only my magic. If the others still had their abilities, I might be willing to leave Loki behind, but I didn’t trust my magic enough to protect everyone on my own.
“He comes, or we leave right now,” I decided. “Hecate asked me to come to her, now she’s going to have to meet me halfway.”
The women muttered amongst themselves again, then turned back to us. “You and a single escort will come to the border, the others may follow behind,” she ordered. “Hecate will meet you there.”
I hadn’t meant for Hecate to literally meet me halfway, but I supposed I was getting what I wanted, so I kept my mouth shut.
The women turned to lead the way, leaving us little choice but to follow.
“Walk with Mikael,” Alaric instructed quietly. “If any negotiations are needed, he will be the one of most use to you.”
I peered at him for a moment, then nodded. Mikael was the most skilled negotiator among us. It made sense for him to stay at my side.
Having heard his name, he approached and offered me his arm. “I’d be honored to face the goddess with you.”
I hoisted my pack more securely on my back, then placed my arm in Mikael’s. I gave Alaric a final worried look, then started forward. Everyone else brought up the rear, talking amongst themselves in low voices.
The women led us down a well-trod path through the foliage. Now that I had time to really observe our surroundings, I noticed strange, brightly colored songbirds up in the trees. Their lilting melodies were so beautiful, I could hardly believe they were real. The further we traveled down the path, the more vibrant flowers there were spread amongst the odd, tropical trees, producing an almost overwhelming scent.
At this point it felt as if we’d crossed some sort of magical barrier, right where the flowers had increased. I glanced back to make sure everyone was still behind us. Alaric, walking beside Sophie, nodded at me encouragingly.
I turned my attention forward as white tents came into view in the distance. I had a feeling we were about to reach the edge of Hecate’s inner sanctum. I wondered if Yggdrasil’s branch being so close to it was merely coincidental, or if Hecate had intentionally set up shop in the vicinity. Now that we were so near, I felt a little silly for wearing hiking boots and a camp pack to meet a goddess.
While most of the women walking ahead of us continued onward, the brunette turned back to face us, leaning casually against her spear. “You will wait here,” she ordered.
Ready for a rest, even after such a short walk, I pulled my arm from Mikael’s and slipped my pack from my shoulders, leaning it against a nearby tree. I almost considered sitting, but I really didn’t want everyone to see me awkwardly climbing back to my feet when Hecate arrived. Being pregnant amongst perfectly fit people is the pits.
I glanced behind us as Sophie and the others lowered their packs to the ground, not understanding why they all had to stay behind. If Hecate wanted them out of earshot, she had another thing coming. Alaric and Sophie at least could still hear us from this distance.
I glanced in the other direction as the brunette turned toward some of the other women appearing behind her. They flocked around a tall woman with long auburn hair.
I knew the instant I saw her that the au
burn-haired woman was Hecate. Though she appeared just an inch or two shorter than my 5’9”, she seemed almost frail, but carried herself with a quiet dignity. Her dress was similar to what her handmaidens wore, except the fabric seemed to be spun from pure gold. It glistened in the gentle sunlight filtering down through the broad leaves of the nearby trees.
She stopped roughly twenty feet away from us. I had to rub my eyes to clear them as I watched the foliage around her, but even after blinking several times, the plants still seemed to move. As I watched, several flowers near her feet bloomed.
“Welcome, Madeline!” she called out.
I shivered as she said my name. She was what I had pictured a goddess looking like, somehow much more impressive than Loki, though perhaps it was all a show for our benefit.
Mikael took my arm again as Hecate swayed toward us, a mischievous smile curling her pink lips. She looked me up and down, then turned her gaze to Mikael. Her delicate nose sniffed the air. “You are practically mortal,” she said with distaste.
“Only in this realm,” Mikael assured.
Hecate nodded. “One escort for Madeline, that is all.”
I chewed my lip, then turned to look over my shoulder at Alaric, standing with the others well out of reach.
He shrugged, which was uncharacteristic for him. Why wasn’t he worried? Something was off.
“What’s going on?” I asked, turning back toward Hecate.
She frowned. “I wish to negotiate. You and I are the same. I would never harm you. Step forward with your chosen escort and I will tell you everything you wish to know. The others will not be harmed.”
I looked to Alaric again. He nodded.
I turned my attention to Mikael.
He patted my hand where it rested on his arm. “I will accept the role of escort.”
We all turned to Loki.
He raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, I’m just here to watch anyways.”
Mikael took my arm and guided me forward as Hecate turned to walk beside us. We kept walking until we were at the spot where the flowers had bloomed at her feet. I felt an odd twinge of magic, like we’d passed another barrier. I wasn’t sure if Hecate was aware that some of the Vaettir, like Alaric and Sophie, would still be able to hear her from this distance, even if she whispered, but I wasn’t about to let her in on that secret.
Shoots and Tatters (Bitter Ashes Book 5) Page 4