by Amy Sumida
“Like my emerald,” my hand went to my throat automatically, but my emerald necklace wasn't there.
I used to wear it into battle, but I'd taken to shifting into my dragon form when I fought, and the necklace wouldn't survive the shift. The emerald could store a god's magic, and combined with my ability to take said magic, it was very useful. But-
“I get the premise of storing magic. I know that's possible, but taking it,” I shook my head, “I thought that was something rare.”
“It is very difficult, yes,” Hygieia nodded. “It had me stumped for awhile. Finally, I realized that I didn't need to be able to take someone's magic. The child would do it for me.”
I stared at Lesya, trying to sense a pull. I felt a flare of a connection to her, but there was no drain on my magic.
“I don't feel her taking anything,” I said.
“No, you wouldn't, because I've already collected a supply, as I mentioned before,” Hygieia bent down, and opened the side of the machine. The inner workings of the unit were set around a large, citrine colored stone. It glowed even brighter than the artificial womb. Hygieia pointed to it, “This is the stone which stores your magic. My theory was that as soon as a magical baby was set into the machine, the baby would reach out for the source of her magic, her mother. I simply needed to direct her pull through the faux placenta, and then into the collector. And my theory was right!” She beamed at me. “When I placed the collector upon you, the link your daughter had already established with you, flared into place again, and your magic flowed into the collector. It then served as a sort of magic IV. It releases the energy drop by drop, as the baby requires it.”
“Your theory?” I blinked wide eyes at her.
“Well yes, I told you I've never tested it,” she shrugged. “How could I?”
“So Lesya could have died when you put her in there?” I was starting to lose my sense of gratitude.
“There was no other option available,” Hygieia held her hands up. “It was either this or Lesya died.”
“I gave my approval,” Kirill said, “and I'm glad I did.”
“I am too,” I shook my head. “I'm sorry, I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. So how long will she need to stay in there?”
“She's growing rapidly,” Hygieia grabbed a chart off its hook near the door. “I'd say only another month, give or take a week. We'll monitor her constantly, and as soon as she's reached a healthy weight, we'll remove her.”
“The magic,” I waved to the machine. “Will that need to be refilled?”
“Perhaps,” she shrugged. “We're in new territory here. But don't worry. Lesya is in good hands, and the real danger has been averted. Your daughter will live.”
“Sweeter words have never been spoken,” I sighed as I settled my gaze back on Lesya.
Chapter Forty-One
There was only one problem with the artificial womb; it couldn't be moved. I couldn't take my daughter home with me, and I didn't want to leave her there either. I'd already failed Lesya by taking her into battle with me. Ragnarok. I'd gone into the Viking Apocalypse pregnant. It was horrible, but I knew I would have done it again. Family was family, in or out of the womb, and I had a lot of family in that battle. There was no way I could have sat it out.
Still, I would carry the guilt of it around for awhile.
“You both could have died,” Trevor wrapped himself around me from behind. His body was wound tight, practically vibrating against mine. “I'm so sorry, Minn Elska. I should have let Fenrir go. I should have stayed behind and helped you with Odin. You didn't belong in that battle.”
“First of all, he's your father,” I turned to look up at Trevor. “You had to be there for him. And second, I could have left before the battle started. This was my decision. It's not like I haven't been pregnant on a battlefield before. I knew exactly what it entailed. I risked Lesya's life. I chose to do it because I needed to help our family. Our family, Trevor. Not just Fenrir, but Odin, Vidar, Vali, and Thor. And you've forgotten that the whole thing happened because Freyr wanted to kill me. I'm all kinds of responsible here, but you are not.”
“Ve knew ze risks vhen ve decided to have Lesya,” Kirill joined us, taking my hand gently. “Ve all know vhat life vith you is like. But ve also know zhat our children are destined to be born. I don't believe zhat Lesya vas ever truly in danger.”
“Even fate can be twisted,” I shook my head. “I know better than anyone that the future is not set in stone. I could have killed her,” I looked over to Lesya. “Before she even had a chance to live.”
“You didn't,” Arach took me by the shoulders and turned me to face him. “She lives. Guilt is a waste of time. If this had been caused by an enemy, then fine, we would go and kill them. Simple. But trying to lay blame upon ourselves is a stupid exercise. It matters not what choices brought us here or who made them. We all try to do what's right, you most of all, Vervain. So stop shouldering the guilt because your decision may have been wrong.”
“May have?” I asked. “My daughter has to finish growing inside an artificial womb.”
“And who knows what may have happened if you had not gone to Ragnarok?” Arach squeezed my arms. “What if Freyr had seen that you weren't at the battle, and went after you while you were alone?”
“I know you're all focused on Vervain and Lesya,” Re interrupted. “But you must realize that without her, Ragnorak would most likely still be underway. Vervain needed to be there. I believe that everything has happened just as it was meant to. You were right to go into that battle, Lala. You may have just saved an entire pantheon from being wiped out.”
“You mentioned that earlier,” I frowned at Re. “What are you talking about? I didn't stop Ragnorak.”
“You don't remember your star ending the battle?” Trevor lifted his brows.
“My star...” I blinked as the memory swam back to me.
“No one knows what you did exactly,” Re said. “You just lit up, brighter than you do when we make love, and it shone across the battlefield. Everything it touched seemed to be purified. Blood and filth disappeared, weapons fell from limp fingers, and warriors began to weep.”
“Weep?” I gaped at Re.
“It was like they'd all had this epiphany,” Azrael added. “They realized the senselessness of what they were doing, and they were overwhelmed by it.”
“Everyone picked up zeir veapons and left,” Kirill nodded. “But zen you fell, and ve saw...” he swallowed hard.
“That's when Teharon stabilized you,” Trevor nodded, “and we brought you here.”
“So you don't know for sure if the battle is over?” I felt my eyes widen with panic.
“We do,” Odin assured me. “It's over, Vervain. You ended Ragnorak. I believe that your star has finally begun to fulfill its destiny.”
“To save the realms,” I frowned. “I couldn't figure out how to use it, but Cernunnos said I simply had to want something. Give my star a goal. Right before I blacked out, I was thinking, wishing, that it was all over. That we were safe and Ragnorak was finished.”
“Sounds like Cern knew what he was talking about,” Re observed.
“If my star is so damn powerful, why didn't it heal me?” I shook my head, baffled. “It ended the battle and then just left me and my daughter to die.”
“You're thinking of it as a sentient being,” Arach said gently. “It may seem like it is, but it's not. It's a force inside you. Magic. You need to direct it, just as with any other magic. You didn't even know you needed healing, so how would your star?”
“Fair enough,” I sighed.
“You did say Cernunnos used the word 'want',” Trevor added.
“I just have to want,” I whispered. “Want? That's how I focus it? Sweet sirens, the damage I could have done unknowingly...”
“You would never cause unnecessary harm, not even unknowingly,” Arach scoffed. “Your heart is too kind for that. I am certain that you will direct the star honorably. Cons
ciously or subconsciously. You wouldn't have been there, in that battle, if you weren't honorable.”
“I could have made some kind of crazy wish,” I shook my head. “You have no idea what kinds of insane things go through my head.”
“I don't think any of it would surprise us,” Odin chuckled.
“Odin,” I snapped, “what if I had wished for none of it to have happened? Would it have wiped away the Norse Pantheon?”
Odin sobered.
“This is why it's taken so long for you to learn to access the star,” Trevor mused. “It's been learning to decipher your true desires, learning to read what you actually want. You've needed time to get to know each other.”
“Of course,” Odin gaped at Trevor. “Like learning a new language, it was discerning the nuances of your soul, the tones which made one wish fantasy and another a firm need.”
“Learning to speak Vervain,” Azrael chuckled. “Yeah, I can see how that might take awhile.”
“And so now it's fluent?” I asked as my stare strayed back to Lesya.
“No,” Odin laid a hand on me, knowing exactly where my thoughts were headed. He was already fluent in Vervain. “I don't think you should use it unless you have to. Leave her be.”
“But this isn't fair to her,” I shook my head. “If I could have her back, where she belongs-”
“From what you've told me of your daughter,” Arach cut me off, “I believe she would have approved of your choice to enter battle with her. She would have told you to take the risk, and she would have been satisfied with the results. But it doesn't really matter. It's done. We were all beside you the entire way, and we never told you to turn back. We made our decisions together, and I think we made good ones. The important thing is that Lesya lives, and now we must make sure she continues to do so. The best way to accomplish that, would be to go with the certain result. She is fine where she is. Leave her there.”
“You're right. Thank you, Arach,” I hugged him as a weight lifted from my heart. “This could have gone so much worse without you there.”
“You're welcome, A Thaisce,” he whispered, and then kissed my forehead. “I'm glad you summoned me here. Now,” he set me back, and looked to the other men. Hygieia had slipped away, to allow us a little family time. “Since the child must remain here, I suggest that you set up some kind of guard. We cannot leave the baby unprotected.”
The other men nodded in agreement, and we worked out a schedule in which we'd all take shifts guarding Lesya. Then Arach said he had to return to Faerie, and I walked him out of the room, so we could say goodbye privately.
“Thank you for staying so long with us,” I hugged him again.
“As if I would leave you with a fatal wound,” Arach rolled his eyes. “I knew you would live, but I wanted to be here with you during your recovery, in case I was needed. Now that you are awake and well, I must return to you and our sons in Faerie.”
“You knew,” I whispered.
“Knew what?”
“This,” I waved a hand back to the room. “Lesya, the injury, all of it. You knew this would happen.”
“I didn't know exactly,” he sighed. “You told me that you received an injury, and the baby had to be removed. You refused to give me specifics, in case I tried to stop the attack against you. And you made me vow not to warn you in any way. You said that if I did, you'd try to save Lesya, and in trying, you might end up killing her instead. You allowed me to tell you that you lived, that was all. Even your star had to remain a secret.”
“That speech you made in there,” I narrowed my eyes on him. “About going with the certain result. Those were my words, weren't they?”
Arach chuckled, “They were your sentiments, but my words. You said that at least this way, we knew Lesya and you would survive. It was absolute. Better not to risk that.”
“Yeah, I think I was right,” I huffed, “or I will be. Whatever.”
“And this is why I must return,” Arach kissed me. “Time travel is a delicate dance. We mustn't push our locks.”
“Our luck, honey,” I corrected him with a smile. “Push our luck.”
“Oh, yes,” Arach thought about it, “that makes much more sense.”
“I love you,” I laughed, and then kissed him properly.
“I love you too,” he stepped back, smiled brightly, and disappeared. Back to an earlier time, in another realm. Where I waited for him.
Chapter Forty-Two
We wrote our guard schedule down for Hygieia, so she'd know who to expect to be there and when. She had her own security team, and she would be posting two guards outside Lesya's door as well. I told her how grateful I was for that, but she insisted that Lesya was her biggest priority now, and it was her responsibility to ensure that nothing happened to my daughter while under her care.
Kirill took the first shift with Lesya, and the rest of us returned to Fenrir's island. It felt so strange to be suddenly alone in my body again, and part of me screamed at the prospect of leaving Lesya behind. The rest of me felt like Lesya was safer there, with her father guarding her on Hygieia's island, than she would be with me on Fenrir's. It was a sobering thought, and a depressing one.
So, as much as I hated leaving my baby behind, I did so knowing that she was somewhere where she'd be well cared for until I could take her home with me. The rest of my men and I came out of Fenrir's tracing chamber to find a wild party in full swing.
I gaped at the carousing werewolves, stepping over a few who'd fallen into drunken heaps, as our group made its way to the dining hall. There we found Fenrir holding court with his wife. My Intare were scattered throughout the room, hitting on beautiful Viking goddesses of all sizes. There were quite a few giants there, and the Light Elves had remained behind as well.
Fenrir stood and shouted when we walked into the room, “Little Frami! Is your babe safe?”
“She's alive and well,” I assured him.
“Then we may celebrate your victory more fully,” Fenrir declared. “Come forth, Conqueror of Ragnorak! Look, all of you, upon my daughter, the Trinity Star!”
Everyone cheered as I made my way to the center of the room. My men and I received good-natured pats, verbal congratulations, and even a few hugs. A triumphant parade to the victor's table. Eamon approached me, and we exchanged a few relieved words over Freyr's death.
“Hey, who were those gods who boarded your ship?” I asked Eamon.
“The Dark Elves,” Eamon replied with a note of surprise. “They come from Svartalfheim. You've never seen them before?”
“No,” I thought it over. “I do remember hearing about Svartalfheim though. Just haven't met the residents.”
“We've always been at odds,” Eamon shrugged. “Light and dark, I suppose it was fated.”
“That's a shame,” I said.
“It is the way of magic,” Eamon smiled serenely. “We had no losses today, so I'm thinking of this battle as a win.”
“No losses?” I lifted a brow.
“You stopped the fighting before any lethal blows were dealt to either of the elves,” Eamon bowed to me. “Trinity Star, the First.”
“Trinity Star!” the other Light Elves shouted.
“You came to our aid,” I reminded them, “and I'm grateful for that. At least now we won't have to worry about Alfheim.”
“It was our battle too,” Eamon protested. “We would have been here sooner, but Freyr had some of the Frost Giants freeze the entrance to our harbor, and it took awhile for us to break through.”
“Why would he do that?” Trevor asked.
“He didn't want them in the battle,” Odin answered for Eamon. “Freyr still considered the Light Elves to be his people. He probably thought he was protecting them.”
“Yes, but all it did was confirm to us that this was some sort of false Ragnarok, a trick of Freyr's to get Alfheim back. We knew we had to attend.”
“Little Frami!” Fenrir shouted to me again. “Come and meet the rest of your fami
ly.”
“I'd better go,” I laughed.
Azrael made a path through the throng for us. His wingspan was helpful in a crowd. As soon as we reached Fenrir's table, my Father-in-law's eyes fell on my flat stomach. He stood in shock, and scowled.
“You said the baby lived,” Fenrir pointed to my belly in accusation.
“She does,” I reassured him. “But she had to be put into an artificial womb. It's a design of Hygieia's. Miraculous really.”
“Magical is the word you're looking for,” Odin smiled, and nodded to his sons.
“Mom,” Vidar came over to hug me, “we were so worried.”
“Are you alright?” Vali asked as he stole me from his brother.
“I'm fine,” I gave them each a kiss on the cheek. “Just still a bit in shock. Kirill stayed behind with Lesya. We're going to rotate baby duty.”
“It's good practice for when we bring her home,” Trevor said.
“What the hell is an artificial womb?” Fenrir asked.
“Exactly what it sounds like,” Azrael said. “It's a magically empowered device in which Lesya can continue to grow. When she's at a healthy weight, we can remove her.”
“Sounds like a nice, easy delivery,” a giantess seated beside Loki said.
“Except for the part where Hygieia had to cut my wife open to take Lesya out,” Azrael grimaced.
“But I was asleep for all that,” I said to the woman. “It feels strange actually. I passed out with her inside me, then I wake up empty. It was scary at first. I thought I'd lost her.”
“I'm glad you didn't,” the woman said. “So many were lost today, an innocent life dying would have been too much to bear.”
“Vervain,” Fenrir waved to the giantess, “this is my mother, Angrboda. Mom, this is my daughter, Vervain Lavine.”
“It's an honor to meet you, Godhunter,” Angrboda stood, and came around the table to greet me.