Freyja snorted. “Hardly. We had all agreed to bide our time until it was clear Yggdrasil was stable, then Loki hopped down a branch when no one was looking. I’m here to find him and bring him back.”
Alaric gave Freyja a wide berth as he moved to stand beside Aila. Aila glanced at him, clearly asking permission to tell Freyja the truth.
Not wanting her to divulge that some of them had used Yggdrasil themselves, he turned to Freyja and explained, “He was here for a time, but now we don’t know where he went, nor why he left.”
Freyja rolled her eyes. “Of course I missed him, that blasted gnat.” She glanced back at the house, then to Aila. “Is this your abode? I could stand a meal before I continue my search.”
“Of course!” Aila replied, more flustered than Alaric had ever seen her. She gestured for Freyja to lead the way toward the door.
With a nod, Freyja turned and sauntered onward with Aila hurrying after her.
Alaric hung back with the others until Freyja and Aila had entered the house, shutting the door behind them.
“I do not think we should divulge anything about Hecate until we can find Marcos and learn her plan,” he explained, keeping his voice low as he eyed the closed door.
He turned to see the others nod their agreement.
“I’ll go around the yard and see if I can pick up his energy signature,” Faas whispered.
“I’ll find Tallie and quietly bring her out,” Frode added.
Alaric met Sophie’s gaze, nodded, then turned back to Frode and Faas. “Sophie and I will see what we can learn from our newly acquired goddess.”
Alaric turned to lead the way toward the house while Faas branched off toward the side yard.
He felt a small sliver of hope blooming within his chest. If they learned they could trust Freyja, she could take them back through the World Tree to find Madeline.
He’d have to be quite sure though that Freyja had no ill intentions toward Madeline. If she did, he’d need to come to terms with the fact that Maddy was likely better off lost . . . at least for the time being.
6
The sky had grown dark, and the guard duty still hadn’t thinned. Two women in flowing white dresses, cinched at the waist with leather belts, guarded the barred door of our strange, outdoor cell, and four more were placed around the perimeter.
Mikael and I had bided our time, but there really hadn’t been much to do besides eat the dinners we were brought and stare out at the lush jungle beginning roughly fifty feet from our cell.
It seemed the handmaiden guards all lived in small white tents, unless there were structures on the far side of the sanctum that I couldn’t see.
I yawned, then shifted uncomfortably on my cushion. I really had to pee, but I didn’t want to ask to go until the timing was right. A bathroom break would likely be our best bet of escaping, whereupon we could hopefully confiscate the cell door keys.
I glanced at Mikael, lounging on the cushions beside me, seeming none too worried.
Shaking my head, I turned away from him to observe the padlocked cell door for the millionth time, and the guards holding their spears beyond it. If some of them didn’t go to sleep soon, I was going to ruin our chances of escape during a bathroom break by peeing my pants.
Just when I thought I could no longer hold it, a guard from the side of our cell approached the two at the front, then spoke with them in hushed tones.
I forced my gaze away from them, not wanting to seem overly curious.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a guard nod to the one speaking, then the first strode away toward the white tents. A few minutes later, another followed the same process.
I fought the urge to grin. Our lack of escape attempts might have actually made the women comfortable enough to let their guard down, if only a little.
A third guard eventually departed, and I decided it was time to make our move. Three guards was far better than six, and I didn’t want to risk any of them returning.
I leaned forward, then used my arms to help push me and my belly to my feet. With a final glance at Mikael, who subtly nodded, I walked toward the barred door.
“I need to use the bathroom,” I announced.
One of the guards, a redhead, turned toward me, then gestured with her spear toward the far corner of the cell. “Use the chamber pot.”
I frowned. I’d noticed the small bronze pot, but hadn’t guessed what it was there for. “We’re a bit . . . modest in my realm.” I explained. “Women usually don’t relieve themselves in front of men.”
“He’s your consort,” she said, gesturing with a nod toward Mikael. “If a man can get you pregnant, he can watch you urinate.”
I shook my head. I couldn’t deny that he was my consort now. They might kill him. “Not where I’m from,” I argued. “I require privacy.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Fine, but if either of you try to escape, you will be separated henceforth.”
It was a risk I was willing to take if it got me out of this damn cell. I nodded eagerly.
The redhead waved to the single guard stationed at the backside of the cell, facing the jungle, and the woman trotted around the cell toward the front.
“Find Tamara,” the redhead instructed. “We require extra guards.”
I caught myself before my shoulders could slump in disappointment. The guard trotted away to follow her orders.
So much for only dealing with three guards, unless . . . I glanced back at Mikael. At the moment we only had two, but it wouldn’t be long before the others returned.
He glanced briefly at the two remaining women, then nodded. Suddenly he hopped to his feet.
Knowing his plan, I turned back toward the women and blasted them with energy. Mikael dove toward the cell bars, snagging his fingers around the keys at one of the women’s belts as they were knocked from their feet by the impact of my energy blast.
He whipped his hand back inside the cell, then through another bar near the padlock. I had a split second to prepare myself, then the door swung outward just as the two women climbed to their feet, spears in hand. Shouting erupted from the nearby tents. We only had seconds to make this escape work.
Before I could even react, Mikael swooped me up in his arms like a child and darted through the open door. His leg swung up, launching his foot into one of the woman’s chests before she could ready her spear.
The other woman was faster and lunged for us, trying to force us back into the cell with her weapon. I used every ounce of remaining energy I had left to throw at her, but this time she was prepared for it, and merely staggered upon impact.
Still, it was enough of an opportunity for Mikael to kick her spear away and run past her, just as dozens of female forms hurried toward us, spears raised.
With my body still grasped firmly in Mikael’s arms, he quickly pivoted and started sprinting toward the jungle. All I could do was hold on to his neck and cross my fingers that Hecate’s barrier was no longer up to trap us.
The women shouted behind us as we entered the tree line, and I exhaled in relief. No magical barrier stopped us, at least, not yet.
Mikael wove between the dark trees and I did my best to keep my feet tucked down, lest I impede our ability to fit through one of the smaller gaps. I was incredibly grateful in that moment that I’d ended up with someone tall and strong like Mikael, and not someone smaller like Faas. I never would have been able to outrun the warrior women on my own.
The shouts began to grow distant as we lost ourselves in the deep foliage, but Mikael did not stop running for a long time. I hoped he knew where he was going, because we still needed to somehow make it back to the World Tree branch to go home.
Eventually, when the night air was utterly silent around us, he slowed, then let me down to my feet.
Unfortunately I was unable to express my gratitude in that moment, because I had to hustle toward the backside of a nearby shrub to relieve myself.
When I was finished, I walked back around the bush to
find Mikael scanning the darkness. “I believe we lost them,” he observed, “but we should keep moving. Odds are ten to one those women know how to track.”
I nodded. “I can’t believe we actually made it out, and you didn’t even have to use your dagger.”
He pouted, then knelt to withdraw the small weapon from his boot. He turned it over in his hand, the blade glinting in the moonlight. “Pity,” he muttered, then handed the weapon to me as he stood.
I took the blade, looking at him questioningly.
“In case we get separated,” he explained. “I expect you’re low on energy now.”
I was low on energy, but I was surprised he’d give up his only weapon to me.
“We should go,” he said before I could question him again.
I nodded, slid the dagger in between my thick socks and the interior of my hiking boot, then we both started walking, though my ankles ached and I felt unbelievably tired.
Mikael glanced over at me as we walked. “Would you like me to carry you further?”
I shook my head, feeling down on myself for needing to be carried so far in the first place. “No, I can walk. Do you know what direction the World Tree branch is in?”
“Yes,” he replied, turning his gaze back out to our surroundings, “but we shouldn’t go there yet. We need to lead the handmaidens as far from the path as possible, then we can loop back around.”
I sighed. If that was the plan, he’d definitely have to carry me again at some point, but I wasn’t going to admit defeat just yet.
“I can’t believe we actually escaped,” I mused again. I’d known our loose plan had been a long shot, but it had gone off without a hitch.
He flashed me a smile. “I never doubted our abilities for a second.”
Before I could reply, shouts behind us came into hearing range.
“But perhaps it’s too soon to celebrate,” he added, then swooped me back up in his arms. He took off at a sprint, his strong legs carrying us tirelessly into the night.
Alaric peered out the dark kitchen window, tired of watching Aila stare in awe at Freyja. Freyja loudly chugged a bottle of water, her flaxen hair trailing down her back. She’d already eaten three chicken sandwiches and was on her second bottle of water.
Alaric glanced over his shoulder anxiously, wishing he could communicate with Faas. Had he found Marcos’ trail?
He turned back to find Freyja staring at him, while handing her empty water bottle to Aila.
She stepped toward him. “So,” she began suspiciously. “You say Loki simply . . . departed? He gave no reason?” One of her blonde eyebrows lifted, ever so slightly.
He shrugged, acting casual. “He showed up, curious about us, then before we knew it, he was gone.”
She tilted her head. “Curious about the Vaettir? That seems a bit silly. We know what you are. You are the destroyers of the World Tree.”
He frowned. He was wondering when that would be brought up. It had happened well before his time, but the gods had long memories. “Loki’s reasons are his own. Do you truly believe he would have shared his motives with us?”
She seemed to relax. “I suppose not,” she sighed.
Everyone turned as Alejandro burst through the side door leading into the dining area. He panted, his bronze skin glistening with sweat. He glanced curiously at Freyja for a moment, shook his head, then turned to Alaric. “The shit has seriously hit the fan,” he panted. “Tabitha and Maya were on their way to Hillsboro, but they only made it halfway there. All of the cars on the highway are at a standstill, their drivers missing. The girls are running back home as we speak.”
Freyja sighed loudly. “This is what you get when you mess around with Yggdrasil. It should be guarded. Things are slipping through from other realms.”
“What things?” Alaric questioned. Were Freyja and Loki truly the only gods to come through? Could all of the magic he’d seen in the woods been something else?
“Who knows?” she replied with a shrug. “There are countless realms. I cannot be expected to know what dwells in each. Leaving a single branch unprotected is one thing. It takes a certain level of intelligence to reach other branches, but anything with the right type of energy can reach the trunk.” She paused as a sudden thought seemed to hit her. “That reminds me. I must ask, who regrew the tree?” She flicked her gaze to each of the Vaettir in the room. “None of you possess such power.”
Shit, Alaric thought. The questions would inevitably always come back to Madeline. Part of him just wanted to tell Freyja in hopes she’d be more helpful than Loki, but he was hesitant to risk it.
Of course, there was a positive aspect to her questioning. It let him know that Freyja didn’t know who regrew the tree, which meant she didn’t know someone like Madeline even existed. They had feared the gods would come through the tree to hunt Madeline specifically.
When he didn’t immediately answer, Sophie blurted, “We don’t know!”
Freyja whipped her narrowed gaze to her. “You’re lying,” she snapped. “Whoever regrew the tree is responsible for the chaos that will only increase. Perhaps they know of a way to stop it.”
“We cannot say who was directly responsible,” Alaric began, having an idea, “but we do know Hecate had hand in it.”
Freyja’s eyes widened. “That’s impossible. She was sealed in another realm where she could not reach mortals centuries ago.”
Alaric shrugged. “Well she was able to reach at least one, a necromancer claiming to be her direct descendent.”
Sophie flicked her gaze to him, silently asking, What the hell are you doing?
“Where is this necromancer?” Freyja demanded.
“Our people are trying to track him as we speak,” Alaric explained, “but I imagine you might be far more suited to the job, given you found us so easily.”
She nodded. “Tracking is one of my gifts. It is why I was sent to find Loki, though he is equally skilled at eluding me.” She placed a hand on her chin, deep in thought. “I’ll still need to find the little weasel, but perhaps learning Hecate’s plan should be of equal importance.”
Alaric nodded encouragingly. “As we don’t know Loki’s location, finding Hecate’s necromancer could at least prove productive in the meantime.”
“Yes,” Freyja decided. “That is what we shall do. Take me to your trackers.”
“Um,” Alejandro interrupted, still standing in the dining area, slightly apart from the group, “are we going to do anything about all of the magic rapidly leaking into the world?”
Freyja turned toward him. “If Hecate had a hand in growing the World Tree, I imagine this is all somehow her doing. Learning her plan is the next step to solving all issues.”
Alaric couldn’t agree with her more. Plus, if Freyja decided to go after Hecate, perhaps Alaric could convince her to take him with. He could spirit away Madeline while the goddesses duked it out.
“Our trackers should be out in the yard,” he explained. “The necromancer was here yesterday evening. They hope to pick up his energy signature.”
“Energy trackers?” she questioned. “How delightful. Take me to them.”
Sophie joined his side as he led the way. She met his gaze more than once, clearly conveying her worry. He was worried too, but he knew in his heart if he wasn’t willing to at least take a small risk, he might lose Madeline and their child forever.
When the shouts could no longer be heard, Mikael finally let me back down to my feet. I guessed it was sometime close to midnight. I felt almost guilty for being absolutely exhausted, since Mikael was the one that had been carrying me for most of our escape. We’d walked through a few small streams on our journey, traveling down or upstream through the water for long distances to conceal our tracks. The handmaidens hopefully wouldn’t be able to find us now, unless they could track energy like some of the Vaettir. They didn’t seem in any way magical though, just like regular women, so hopefully that meant we were safe.
“I suppose we c
an rest for a time,” Mikael suggested.
My shoulders slumped in relief. I hated to rest when I was desperate to get home, but I really needed it. I’d used up my energy stores fending off the handmaidens, and since we didn’t have any food, sleep was the only way for me to recover.
He glanced around the dark woods, then pointed to a rocky outcropping. “Let us rest in that alcove. That way, we at least won’t have the enemy sneaking up behind us.”
Too tired to think straight, I nodded, then started walking toward the rocks.
Though close, getting there seemed to take forever. Finally, we sat down side by side, leaning our backs against the hard, cool, stone. I shivered. It wasn’t absolutely freezing outside, but cold enough that sitting still was uncomfortable.
I sighed. “What do you think happened to the others? Are they alright?”
He put an arm around me and pulled me toward him, sharing his warmth. “I told you once before that you would know if Alaric were dead. I still believe that to be true.”
I sighed again, then closed my eyes. “He might be okay for now, but if Hecate sent them all back to our realm, he could still be in trouble. All of our people could be in trouble. Hecate might have it out for the old gods, but I have a feeling she won’t care who else gets trampled in her quest for revenge.”
“We’ll just have to get back there and figure it out,” he comforted.
I nodded. “Do you think Loki is still with the others? I’m worried they’ll all try to come back here again and we might miss them.”
He gave my shoulder a squeeze. “I do not know. I told you we could not trust him. He might not have had his magic in this realm, but he is still an ancient, clever being. Yet, Hecate was still so easily able to separate him from us.”
“You’re right,” I muttered. “We shouldn’t have trusted him. You’d think after all the times I’ve been betrayed, I’d stop trusting strangers.”
“You see the good in people,” he replied, his voice soft. “That is not a fault.”
My eyes still closed, I smiled. “Except when I see the good in mischievous, ancient Vikings. I should probably stop doing that.”
Shoots and Tatters (Bitter Ashes Book 5) Page 6