Highway to Hel

by S. E. Babin

  She looked at it, awestruck. "For me?"

  "Don't make me regret it, Morrigan. Take the damned plate." Gravelbeard glared at her.

  Morrigan didn't argue. She snatched the plate, grabbed a fork, and cut into a piece of the pancake. I thought for sure her eyes were going to roll into the back of her head. She moaned with delight, and a laugh bubbled from me.

  "Shut it, Freya. This is like ..." she shook her head and took another bite. "Everything. This is everything."

  Gravelbeard smiled, though when he saw me looking, it dropped from his lips. He got off the stool and opened the oven. The fragrance of baked goods made my mouth water.

  He slipped a pair of pot holders on and pulled two more pancakes out. I hoped one of those was for me.

  Gravelbeard tipped the pancakes out onto separate plates and motioned me over. He handed me one.

  "Apples and sugar are over by Morrigan. Do it yourself," he grumped and took his own pancake.

  "Thanks, Gravelbeard," I said. He had a knack for knowing when we were going to show up. I didn't know if that was part of his magic or just him, but I loved how he used food as a way to show his friendship. It was kind and he was an incredible cook, so I never said no to anything he gave me. Not anymore.

  Morrigan wolfed down her pancake like a starving beast and when she sent me a hopeful look I jabbed the air around me with my fork.

  "Not a chance, woman," I said and continued to eat my pancake. "We'll come back for lunch. There are leftovers in the fridge."

  Her lower lip jutted out in a pout. "I have to wait that long?"

  "You do, and you have to work for it," I said. "None of us have official jobs. Not really. But we all pitch in to help when it's needed."

  Morrigan grumbled about it but hopped up on the stainless steel table to sit. "Fine. But I want seconds next time."

  "If there's enough left," I said.

  I finished up my meal and asked Gravelbeard if he wanted to come. He shrugged and took his apron off. There was still no sign of Loki, so we headed out of the bar and to the area where the worst damage had occurred.

  No one said a word as we walked up to where the most damage occurred, though you couldn't see it now because of the winter's touch on the land. Most of the houses here were almost completely burned away, and the pieces still left standing were covered in snow. It almost looked like a graveyard.

  "I still can't believe you're bound to the witch who did this," Gravelbeard spat. His face looked haunted as he looked around at the partially standing structures.

  "It was Odin," I said quietly. "Hel might have done it, but Odin was the one who instigated it."

  Gravelbeard sighed. "I wish you all were a little kinder to each other."

  "Me too," I said. I plopped down in the snow, knowing full well I'd have a wet butt later. "Tell me what you think we should build."

  Morrigan sat down beside me, but Gravelbeard remained standing looking out over the town. "I don't know that it matters," he said. The sunlight hit Gravelbeard's profile just right, giving him the appearance of a craggy, but wise old man.

  "What do you mean?" I picked up a handful of snow and rolled it into a ball.

  "At the end of the day, Freya, all people really want is a place to call home. They want a place with a roof and four walls, enough room to make a meal and share it with people. They want a yard where the kids can run around and they want someone to share it with. We might be Asgardians, and you might be gods, but we all need people to love. The rest doesn't matter much, does it?"

  Morrigan stared up at Gravelbeard, a slight frown between her brow. An emotion I couldn't name flickered in her eyes.

  He was right. He usually was.

  I nodded slowly and looked around. I could still hear the shouts of the children screaming with laughter as they played in the snow. My bar still stood strong and steady and should have a somewhat full crowd tonight even with the absence of so many people.

  "Home," I murmured. I closed my eyes and allowed the magic to fill me. I thought about my childhood when things were simpler. I thought about my mother and father and how much they'd loved me. Then I thought about Odin and how I felt about him in those first tentative years. I thought about Morrigan and Gravelbeard, and then I thought about Loki and the future.

  Morrigan gasped beside me as the magic rose, strong and pure. Not of war but of creation. I rarely used these powers because so much of my life had been about destroying, but today I felt like I needed to stretch this power as far as it would go. It had helped me when I first built this place, but the Valkyries had also helped. Then Trin had tainted it. There was no more of that. Just me and the friends beside me. Morrigan grasped my hand in hers and added her power to mine. She didn't try to force my magic or in any way bend it. She merely boosted my already substantial power. Morrigan said nothing.

  She just allowed me to create.

  I remembered the small houses we had and the fires we used to cook over, but these were different times and I'd grown accustomed to the modern comforts I'd once done without. I thought about my house and the things I'd initially wanted then scrapped because I thought they should all be the same. This time I didn't censor myself. I thought about the families who were left and when I was done, my breath exhaled in a soft puff of air. I slumped down and Morrigan caught me.

  "Freya?" She pulled me against her and murmured something to Gravelbeard.

  A warm mug was pushed into my hands and my head lolled as I struggled to sit up. Blinking, I swallowed hard, my throat clicking with dryness. With shaky hands, I pulled the mug to my mouth and sipped.

  Cider. I inhaled the spiced drink and sighed with relief.

  It was only then that I looked up.

  My mouth dropped open at the sight. Houses of all shapes and colors littered the now hilly countryside. All of them had large yards with no fences. The ground was still covered with snow, but tiny blue flowers poked through the ice, covering the landscape in a riot of color. I looked to my bar only to see Loki standing in front of me with a thunderstruck expression on his face.

  "I asked you to wait!" he said, but then grinned in delight as he looked around.

  My bar had been painted an antique white and planters surrounded the place filled with spilling colorful flowers.

  "Good gods, woman," Gravelbeard said, his voice rough with awe.

  It was the same place and yet, it was completely different. I turned to Morrigan and grinned. "I made you something," I said.

  Her eyes widened with surprise, quickly replaced with wariness. I took her by the hand and stood. "Come on."

  She allowed me to lead her down a stone path. The air was still chill with cold, but this place now felt alive in a way it never had before. Right next to my brand new house stood hers. It was a smaller home with dark grey siding with purple shutters. I'd made it a one-story with a wrap-around porch and put a black rocking chair by the front door. The garden in the front was riotous and disorganized, full of poisonous plants like hemlock and foxglove, all spelled to stay alive during the winter. It was wild and dark, just like the goddess herself.

  Her hands clapped against her mouth and a low moan escaped from between her fingers. Her eyes were huge and moist as she stared.

  “Do you want to go inside?” I walked up the steps and pushed the door open. I hoped she’d love it. If she didn’t, I could change whatever she wanted. But I took extra care with her place, so I was hopeful.

  She nodded and came up the step. Loki and Gravelbeard walked up just as I’d ushered her inside. Gravelbeard’s face was somber, but his eyes were sparked with happiness. Loki wore a small smile and waved me in. I held up my index finger to tell him just a minute, then followed her inside.

  I’d made the floors a dark hardwood. The entryway had a deep purple paint and a mango wood foyer table with a large silver mirror suspended above it. But as we walked further in, numerous windows lit up the house. I’d chosen dove gray for the kitchen and amethyst countertops with
chrome appliances. I knew she probably couldn’t cook well right now, but if she wanted to learn, they were there. The living room had windows all in the back with large french doors and I’d chosen one deep purple recliner and dove gray furniture.

  Tears streamed down her face as I led her room through room. We were just about to go into the bathroom when she stopped suddenly and flung her arms around me. Surprised, I wrapped my arms around her.

  Morrigan trembled. “This is -” She stopped and buried her face in my shoulder.

  “Come on,” I said quietly. “The bathroom is my favorite part.”

  I opened the door and allowed her to walk in first. Her gasp of delight told me what I needed to know.

  I’d chosen a white and gray ceramic tile. A massive copper clawfoot tub rested toward the back wall next to a huge stained glass window. I was a little cheeky about it and had chosen a scene of Morrigan with two hounds at her feet. She wore a smirk and a cloak of feathers and carried a massive sword.

  She trailed her fingers over the tub and stepped into the massive walk-in closet I’d designed for her.

  “I figured when you went shopping, you’d have some stuff to fill it up.”

  She nodded but didn’t turn to face me. Morrigan stepped in and messed with the built in drawers and shoe rack. When she did turn to face me, her face was flushed and her eyes bright.

  Morrigan dropped to her knees.

  I blinked in surprise.

  She held her hands out in supplication and a sword formed on top of them. Morrigan lifted the weapon and her gaze to me. She cleared her throat. “Freya -”

  I took a step back. “Don’t you dare,” I said. “I didn’t give this to you for your fealty, Morrigan. I gave it to you because I care about you.”

  “And this is the highest honor I can give anyone, Freya, for I’ve never given it before.” Her cheekbones stood out in the sharp planes of her face and her eyes were wide and shiny. “I want to do this. You’ve given me so many gifts since I’ve met you.”

  “They aren’t to be repaid,” I snapped. “That is not what friendship is.”

  Morrigan’s eyes flashed with irritation. “I know. Stop trying to make this something it’s not. I know I don’t have to give you anything back. And that’s exactly why I want to give you this.”

  I felt Loki before he stepped into the room. His presence loomed and he stepped in, silent, but offered his support by standing behind me, his strong hands on my shoulder. I trembled beneath his fingers. I had no idea what to say to her. This was the highest honor you could give someone. But I only wanted her to be my friend.

  “Morrigan, I want you to know that anything I give to you is freely given. Always. Unless I say otherwise.” I rolled my eyes at that. “You don’t have to do anything. At all.” When she started to speak, I held my hand up. “I need you to know that. This is not necessary. All I want is to be your friend.”

  Morrigan’s lips curled in a smile. “I know. Though I appreciate you saying it again.” She bowed her head. “I pledge fealty to you, Queen Freya, and through you to your consort, Loki. My sword is your sword. My magic is yours to call. I will honor you, follow your leadership, and profess my eternal friendship to you for so long as I shall walk upon the nine worlds.” Her magic curled along the sword.

  I hesitated, frowned, and thought about what I wanted to say. My lips rose in a smile when I figured it out. I dropped to my knees and called my falcon daggers. I hadn’t used them in centuries, but they felt appropriate here.

  Morrigan’s mouth dropped open and her look became suspicious. “What are you doing?”

  I held my daggers out and allowed my magic to rise. “I accept your fealty, Queen Morrigan, and I also pledge fealty to you. My daggers are yours. My magic is yours to wield as a weapon or for peace. I will honor you, your place in my realm, and respect your leadership for all time. I offer you my loyalty and my eternal friendship for so long as I walk upon the nine worlds.”

  “You’re ridiculous!” she sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

  “You’re even worse, drama queen,” I said as I dashed at a tear that had slipped from my eyes.

  Our magic rose and curled around each other until it snapped with a loud crack. Above us a curl of pink and black smoke merged together and plunged into both of us.

  Our heads snapped back at the same time and thunder cracked in the skies.

  “Whoa,” Loki whispered. “Odin was bound to have heard that.”

  I reached over and clasped Morrigan’s hands. “What do you think of the house?”

  “It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” she said.

  “You can change whatever you want. If you want to move it, you can. If you want to add more rooms or take them away … whatever.”

  “Freya,” she said, exasperated. “It’s the most wonderful gift anyone has ever given me.”

  “FREYA!” Gravelbeard screamed from outside.

  I scrambled to my feet. I’d never heard him so frantic. Morrigan and I locked eyes, and I rushed out the door with her close on my heels.

  I skidded to a stop on the front porch, my heart in my throat. Odin’s face loomed above us taking up half the sky. It was like an outdoor horror movie but even if we moved away, the screen was too big for us to escape it.

  “What the Hel?” Morrigan whispered from directly above me. “Can he see us?”

  “He shouldn’t be able to,” I said.

  “I know you’re there, Freya,” Odin said conversationally. I knew that tone. He only got that friendly when he was murderous with rage. “You’ve always been too curious for your own good.”

  "What do you want?" I called up to the sky.

  "I want a lot of things, but the first thing I want is for you to drop this nonsense and come home."

  I could feel Loki's presence behind me. He whistled low and whispered, "He still has no idea you two aren't bound anymore." He stepped up beside me. "If he did, I never would have escaped that cage. I would have been dead the second he found out."

  I agree with Loki's take on the situation. Odin didn't like to share. I couldn't help but be amused, though. If he wasn't so damned self-absorbed, he would have realized the bond had been severed. But Odin had stopped using it years ago and our connection grew tenuous because I didn't use it either. If he wanted to communicate with me, he usually sent a servant or bellowed throughout the castle.

  A thought occurred to me even as a smile curled my lips. "What do you think will happen if I tell him?"

  Morrigan let out a choked laugh. "Are you serious?"

  Baldur knew about the bond but from Odin's presence here today, he hadn't told his father. That was good to know. I tucked that away for the future. Apparently he was not as loyal to Odin as he said he was. I nodded. "Will the wards hold?"

  She grinned. "Yes. Odin and I are of equal power." Morrigan shrugged. "He is more powerful than me with some things and vice versa. I can assure you I have more talent in ward creation than he does."

  Loki was shaking his head, though mirth was in his eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

  "Baldur told me he wanted a divorce, but I haven't heard from anyone since his escape from the Norns." I straightened. "I'll just tell him his divorce was granted."

  Gravelbeard stared at all of us, rolled his eyes, and lumbered away.

  "What about our divorce?" I called.

  Odin's frown was thunderous. "I said it in a moment of weakness. You should know I'd never want to be parted from you, Freya."

  I allowed a touch of scorn to enter my voice. "And what about all the other women?"

  "Mistakes," he growled. "No one can compare to you, my darling."

  I'd heard some form of this song and dance for thousands of years. "So you'll never, ever touch another woman while you're married to me?"

  Odin's enormous eyes softened above us. Loki was giving me a quizzical look.

  "Well," I said slowly, "I guess that's good, bu
t feel free to imbibe on all the women you've missed out on. We're no longer married, Odin. In fact, our bond was broken a long time ago."

  I enjoyed the look of thunderstruck shock on his face and I could tell the moment he reached through the bond to call my bluff.

  I waited for him to realize it. Loki stiffened next to me. "Do you want me to tell him about us?" I asked

  He inhaled one long breath and exhaled slowly. "Yes. I think you should."

  The sky rolled with dark, frightening thunderclouds and lightning filled the sky. "FREYA!" Odin boomed, his face apoplectic with rage.

  I held a hand up. "But that isn't all."

  Odin stilled, the lightning flashing around his face. "There can't be anything else," he said. "You've somehow divorced me! I should strike you down where you stand!"

  I shrugged. "You can try. You'll find the wards are much stronger than they were before."

  I reached over and took Loki's hand, even though it didn't appear like Odin could see us. "I've remarried," I said mildly. "And my husband and I would like you to stop projecting your face all over our settlement."

  "MARRIED?" Odin's eyes widened comically and I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. "That's laughable," he said.

  The thing was, none of us, certainly not Odin, were laughing. Loki's entire body was tight with tension. Morrigan had stretched out on the ground, her lithe body relaxed. Her lips were tipped up in amusement and her hands rested behind her head - the picture of relaxation.

  When none of us said anything, Odin's eyebrows beetled together and his face went almost purple in color. "Who is it?" he demanded.

  Loki looked over to me in question. I shrugged.

  He took a deep breath. "Me," he said.

  Odin's eyebrows lifted to his hairline. "Ah," he said, his voice deceptively quiet. "The Trickster. I should have known. Is this your final joke on me then? A way to proclaim you've fooled the All-Father? And what about Freya, Loki? Would you handle her heart with the same callous regard you've shown everyone else?"

  Loki had never handled my heart carelessly, but I knew the man wasn't perfect. You didn't get a nickname like the Trickster without resorting to some shady tactics, but I didn't blame him. You either were smart or you played the long game in this world. Loki happened to fall into both categories.