by Amy Sumida
It gave me enough time to process what Fenrir had said.
“Don't fucking touch me, you bitch!” I hissed, and the entire room went silent.
Angrboda stared at me with an open mouth, so did most of the room actually. But my men formed a solid wall behind me. They knew exactly what I was thinking. None knew it better than Trevor, who came forward to confront his grandmother with me.
“What are you doing here?” Trevor growled. “You abandoned my father as soon as he shifted. Now you stand before us as if you're a loving member of our family? How dare you.”
“Son,” Fenrir sighed.
“No, Father,” Trevor slashed his hand down. “You've always been too forgiving when it came to family. But this woman is not family.”
“I understand,” Angrboda said stiffly. “I was a horrible woman to have abandoned Fenrir like that. It scared me. We'd never seen anything like him on Atlantis. A shapeshifter?” she shook her head. “It was unheard of. A mutation,” her gaze angled to Re, who stood just behind me. “Now I know it was all those experiments the High Twenty were conducting. Your magic infected my baby, Re.”
“That's very possible,” Re agreed.
“Gods damn it, Re,” I hissed, and turned to him. “Is there anything else you need to tell me? Any other kind of horrible sin you think you should confess?”
“I didn't do it on purpose, Lala,” Re said. “And I'm not even certain it was our magic that made Fenrir a shapeshifter.”
“If it was, then I thank you,” Fenrir joined us, and held his hand out to Re.
Re looked at the massive palm in surprise, but quickly shook it, and said hesitantly, “You're welcome?”
Fenrir laughed, “I'd never want to be a normal man. Why would I, when I could be this?” Fenrir held out his arms, and the Froekn cheered.
“I'm proud of who you've become, Son,” Angrboda said.
“Shut up,” Trevor sneered at her. “You don't get to call him 'son'. You didn't raise him, and you don't get to be proud of him. You've no right to any of his accomplishments.”
“I know, and I'm sorry,” she said gently. “I made a mistake, and your father has forgiven me. I came when Loki called. I came to fight for you, beside your father, in an effort to make amends. Will you not forgive me too, VéulfR?”
“No,” Trevor said calmly. “I don't forgive you. One battle isn't enough to wipe away an immortal lifetime of pain.”
“Son,” Fenrir sighed, and laid his palm on Trevor's shoulder. “Blood is blood. We all make mistakes.”
“Yeah,” Trevor set angry eyes on his father. “But you weren't so forgiving of Ty's mother, when she left. You cursed her, yet now you want me to forgive your mother for doing the exact same thing?”
“What now?” Ty eased around Fenrir. He must have been standing there the whole time, but we didn't see him behind Fenrir's bulk.
“Damn it, Trevor,” Fenrir growled. “I haven't told him yet.”
“Haven't told me what?” Ty's bright blue eyes looked from his father to his brother, and all I could see was Vejasmate. Those eyes were all hers.
“The werewolf attacks on the Yakuza Gods,” I explained, since neither Trevor or Fenrir seemed to know what to say. “It was your mother and her children. Fenrir cursed her when she abandoned you, so that she would bear only wolves. She did. She bore a lot of them, and she's a little bitter about it.”
“My mother?” Ty looked to Fenrir. “You cursed my mother?”
“I was angry, Ty,” Fenrir laid a hand on Ty's shoulder, but he flinched away.
“You cursed the woman who bore me because she was scared?” Ty shook his head.
“You were my third child,” Fenrir growled. “Veja knew what she was getting into. She knew it was likely that you would shift.”
“Then why did she leave?” Ty asked.
“Because you shifted while she was breastfeeding you,” Fenrir sighed. “You bit her, and she cast you upon the ground.”
Ty closed his eyes in pain for a moment, then opened them to stare hard at Fenrir. “It was probably an automatic response. I hurt her, and she pushed away the thing which caused her pain.”
“It wasn't an automatic response when she packed her things and walked out on us,” Fenrir snapped.
“And yet you can forgive this woman for it,” Trevor waved a hand at Angrboda.
“It's been centuries!” Fenrir shouted. “I forgive Vejasmate too. I went back to Latvia twice with UnnúlfR. We searched for her just so I could tell her how sorry I was that I'd cursed her. She was gone. Okay? I tried.”
“I understand why you want to forgive your mother, Fenrir,” I said into the tense silence. “Just as Ty wants to forgive his mother,” I looked to Ty, and he nodded. “There is nothing like the bond between mother and child. But it's harder for us to forgive Angrboda for the pain she has caused you. I just can't do it.”
“Now you understand why I couldn't forgive Loki,” Thor said from my left as he walked over to our growing group. “After the battle in Asgard, Fenrir forgave him. You forgave him, Vervain,” Thor shook his head. “But I couldn't. And you couldn't understand.”
“No, I couldn't,” I said to Thor. “And I still don't.”
“What?” Thor scowled.
“You were angry because of what Loki did to me,” I explained. “I get that. But Loki didn't abandon his son completely, he just wasn't the best father.”
“And he was a gigantic asshole,” Thor snarled.
“I've shifted into a lot of large things,” Loki mused casually, “but never an asshole. That's just disgusting.”
“Shut up, Grandpa,” Trevor snapped.
“Loki made an effort to change,” I continued.
“By coming to a battle to help his son,” Thor nodded, “just as Angrboda did.”
“I figured if it worked for me,” Loki shrugged.
“Shut up, Dad,” Fenrir snapped in the exact same manner as Trevor.
“Sheesh,” Loki rolled his beautiful, purple eyes.
“You could forgive him, but not Angrboda,” Thor cocked his head at me. “And you still can't understand me? Why?”
“I've already said it,” I huffed. “There is no greater bond than that between a mother and her child. The fact that she,” I pointed at Angrboda, “abandoned her baby, is bad enough. That she never tried to return to him, even after her fear was conquered, is unforgivable. As a mother, her behavior horrifies me.”
“I couldn't bring myself to return,” Angrboda spoke up. “But I did watch over Fenrir in my own way. I helped him when I could. I did everything within my power to prevent his banishment, but I failed. Loki tried to warn me that the High Twenty would simply come after us as well, but I didn't listen. I kept trying to save our son. We fought violently over it, and stopped speaking entirely for many years. It was only after we built the Nine Worlds that Loki and I were able to bury our past.”
“I'm happy for you, Dad,” I said to Fenrir, ignoring Angrboda completely. “I really am. You have your mother back, and that's a wonderful thing. But I don't have the same connection with her. I'm not invested in her enough to forgive her so easily. But I won't pull a Thor and be a complete jerk about it either,” I shook my head at Thor, “You know you were.” I looked back to Fenrir. “I can be polite, but don't expect affection from me.”
“That's enough for me,” Angrboda nodded. “And I understand.”
“But if my husband decides that he wants to behave otherwise,” I took Trevor's hand. “Then I will support his decision. He comes first. So what's it to be, Honey-Eyes,” I looked to Trevor. “Do we kick her ass? Walk out? Or tolerate her for Fenrir?”
Trevor glared at Angrboda, then looked to his father. His expression softened minutely, “For you, Dad, I'd do nearly anything.”
“VéulfR,” Fenrir grabbed Trevor into a rough hug. “Thank you, Son.”
“I didn't say I forgive her,” Trevor pushed his father back. “But I can hold my tongue... a bit.”
> “Thank you,” Angrboda said to Trevor. “I hope someday you'll be able to forgive me too.”
“Don't hold your breath,” Trevor huffed, and then looked back to Fenrir. “You should have told Ty about his mother. That was wrong, Dad.”
“Yeah,” Fenrir rumbled.
“Where is Ty?” I looked around.
“Ty?” Fenrir scanned the crowd. He wasn't the tallest one in the hall, a rare occurrence indeed, but there weren't enough giants there to impede his vision. “Where is he? TryggulfR!”
“Oh shit,” Re sighed.
“What?” I looked to him.
“Well, it's obvious isn't it?” Re asked. “UnnúlfR is gone as well.”
“What's obvious?” Fenrir snarled. “Did you see where he went? And what does UnnúlfR have to do with it?”
“UnnúlfR went back with Fenrir to search for the Vilkacis,” Azrael groaned.
“Exactly,” Re nodded.
“Where are my sons?!” Fenrir shouted.
“They went after Vejasmate,” I said gently. “UnnúlfR took his brother to Latvia.”
Chapter Forty-Three
I went home to get a coat before we headed to Latvia. Yes, I could regulate my body temperature, but I didn't want to have to waste energy on it if I didn't have to. Besides, my men needed some cold weather gear too. So we grabbed our coats, and I also grabbed Tlaloc's goggles just in case. Then we traced over to Latvia.
The field was exactly as I'd remembered; stark, snowy, and hemmed in mostly by forest. Except now it was also full of Froekn. My lions had offered to come with us, but I'd left them behind. This was a wolf thing, and I didn't want Vejasmate to think she was under attack. Especially if she had Trevor's brothers. I wasn't sure what this woman was capable of.
“I can smell them, but there aren't any tracks,” Fenrir reported as I approached.
“I brought the goggles with me again,” I waved them at him, “but let's see how far we can get with their scent first.”
“Alright,” Fenrir looked to the forty or so Froekn he'd brought with him. “Stay together. I don't want them using some kind of trick to separate us.”
We followed Fenrir into the woods, and raced after him for a few miles. I was glad I'd thought to pull some boots on, the snow cover was thick, even among the trees. Evergreen branches bowed under the frigid weight while their less hardier brothers had only a frosting on their bare branches. Each step was a plunge into at least a foot of packed, icy snow, which made running a miserable endeavor of lifted knees, cold feet, and steamy breaths. I was beginning to think the shifted Froekn had the right idea. Their paws were perfect for the environment. They skimmed the surface of the snow, making the run look easy.
Then Fenrir stopped. I crunched up beside him with Trevor, and scented the air. Nothing.
“It ends right here,” Fenrir scanned the area, but there wasn't anything to indicate where the brothers had gone. We were in the middle of the woods; no clearing, no path, nothing but snow and more snow. “Try those goggles, Little Frami.”
“Alright,” I put on the goggles and took a closer look. “Whoa,” I held up my hand as I walked forward slowly.
A wall of magic went straight up from the forest floor to far above the tree canopy, and swept out to either side. It shimmered iridescently, but when I tried to touch it, I had no sense that it was there. In fact, I had the distinct feeling that I should turn away.
“Nice work,” I pulled off the glasses and looked to Fenrir. “She must have hired a witch to set this ward in place. I can't sense it, even knowing it's there, and there's a repellent layer added, to make people avoid it. It's damn fine spellwork.”
“Go get Torrent,” Fenrir said to Trevor. “Tell him we need his help unmaking a ward.”
“No, wait,” I stopped Trevor. “I don't think we should do that.”
“Why not?” Trevor and Fenrir both asked at once.
“Because it would be rude,” Re rolled his eyes.
“Shut up, Golden Boy,” Trevor shook his head.
“Actually, he's right,” I defended Re, and the Sun God smirked. “We're here to make peace, right? I think it would be better to try and request entry before just destroying her expensive wards and storming in.”
“She won't let me in,” Fenrir huffed. “I've already tried. I searched these woods for hours, calling her name.”
“Yeah, but now she has your sons,” I said gently. “If Ty is in there, he'll speak on your behalf. You know he will.”
“So what would you have me do?” Fenrir held out his massive arms. “Shall I just stand here and shout 'Little pig, little pig, let me in'?”
“Cute, but I don't think any woman likes being called a pig,” I rolled my eyes.
“No, we don't,” Vejasmate suddenly stood before us, staring daggers at Fenrir.
She looked so little when compared to Fenrir, but then most people did. Vejasmate was a slim woman, dainty looking, especially in her tight leather pants and silk blouse. She had a fluffy fur coat over the ensemble, and everything was white. She looked right at home in those frozen woods. In fact, if she laid down, she'd probably be nearly as invisible as her wards.
“Frozen,” I mumbled to myself with a smile.
“What's that, Vervain?” Vejasmate glanced at me.
“Sorry, I was just thinking about how you remind me of Queen Elsa from Frozen,” I waved an apologetic hand at her. “I blurt things out when I'm nervous.”
“Or breathing,” Re chuckled. He stepped forward, and bowed gallantly to Vejasmate. “I am the Sun God, Re,” he held out a hand to her. “Would you do me the honor of an introduction?”
Vejasmate blinked in the face of Re's radiance. He was hard to resist, and she proved no match for his charm. She blushed a pretty pink, and placed her hand in his. He kissed it slowly as she told him her name.
“An honor,” Re smiled. “Thank you for coming out to meet us. It's rather cold in your woods.”
“Oh alright,” she huffed and waved her arm behind her. A portion of the ward dropped, and an open field was revealed. In the center of the field, a huge complex lurked. It was built of logs and boulders, very rustic looking, but it stretched out like a fortress, with several buildings branching off the main one. “Come in, but know that not all of you are welcome.”
The ward shut behind us, and we found ourselves enclosed in a courtyard. There were high, stone walls around the clearing, hidden by the ward until we stepped through. So even if someone had made it past the repelling nature of the spell, they'd walk right into a wall. Vejasmate had all her bases covered. Including an army of wolves which immediately surrounded us.
The gate closed with a hollow thud.
“Dad!” Ty walked through the wolves with UnnúlfR close behind him. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you think I'm doing here, boy?” Fenrir growled. “I've come for you.”
“I'm fine,” Ty looked at his father like he was acting crazy. “She's my mom, she wasn't going to hurt me.”
“How was I supposed to know that?” Fenrir snarled. “For that matter, how were you supposed to know that?”
“Because she's my mom,” Ty said again.
“Boy, you're not-”
“Dad,” I interrupted him with a grin. “He's right. Nature versus nurture.”
“Am I the only sane one here?” Fenrir asked.
“Out of all of your children, who would you say is the kindest?” I asked Fenrir.
“I...” Fenrir frowned as Ty came up beside his mother and took her hand.
Vejasmate looked to Ty, her expression immediately shifting from anger to love.
“TryggulfR,” Fenrir whispered.
“And as much as I love you, Dad,” I waved my hand to Ty. “I don't think he got his generous nature from you. If he didn't get it from your genes or learn it from the way you raised him, then it goes to reason that he inherited it from his mother.”
“She's wonderful, Dad,” Ty shot a worshipful l
ook to his mother, and she laid a small hand to his cheek.
“Wonderful?” Fenrir growled, and stepped toward Vejasmate aggressively. “If you're so damn kind, how could you leave us?”
Vejasmate's wolves started to growl, hunching in closer. The Froekn tensed, and growled back. Hackles rose and teeth were bared.
“Dad!” Trevor jumped between them. “You said you forgave her.”
“Forgave me?” Vejasmate narrowed her eyes on Fenrir. “I had a bad reaction to my child shifting and nearly biting my breast off. It wasn't exactly something I could control. But you sent me away for it!”
“I did nothing of the sort,” Fenrir snarled. “You packed your bags and left all on your own!”
“I went into our bedroom, and found my things packed for me,” Vejasmate snapped. “You packed them, you arrogant ass! I left because it was obvious that you wanted me gone, and I left TryggulfR because I knew you'd hunt me down if I took your son.”
“What nonsense is this?” Fenrir reared back as if she'd slapped him. “You got scared and abandoned your child, just as every other woman before you.”
“Um,” UnnúlfR cleared his throat. “Excuse me?”
It was so shocking to hear UnnúlfR speak hesitantly, that we all looked to him immediately.
“I packed her things,” UnnúlfR confessed.
“What?” Fenrir gaped at his son.
“It's why I wanted to bring Ty here,” UnnúlfR sighed, and turned to Vejasmate. “I wanted to apologize to you in person, and reunite you with your son. I'm sorry, Ty,” he swallowed hard, then looked at his father. “Sorry, Dad.”
“Why?” Fenrir looked horrified.
Vejasmate just started to cry. Ty swept an arm around her, and comforted her as he gave his brother a sympathetic look. That was Ty.
“They always left,” UnnúlfR shook his head. “All of them. When I saw Ty shift and bite her, I knew she would leave too. I wanted her gone before you could be hurt again. I thought if I packed her things, she would just leave, maybe without saying anything mean to you.”
“Oh, Son,” Fenrir sighed.
“I'm so sorry,” UnnúlfR said again. “I just couldn't take any more desertion,” he looked to Vejasmate. “I loved you. You were my first love. It was hard enough to see you with my father, but then to watch you reject him? And my brother? Reject them for being what I am? I couldn't take it.”