by J. C. Diem
Putting her hands on Violet’s and Ava’s shoulders, Nat whisked them to the outskirts of Las Vegas. She squinted at the bright lights of the city, then headed for the nearby highway. The military had arrived and had blocked off access to the area. Their vehicles were parked near the dome. It was impenetrable and their bullets and missiles just bounced off it. That didn’t stop them from continuing to try to smash their way in.
The beginnings of a hole had been dug, but the excavation had been abandoned. Judging by the pools of blood, the aliens had put a stop to their attempt to dig beneath the shield. The bodies of the dead soldiers had been taken away.
Crossing the highway, Nat reached the guardrail and peered downward. At the bottom of the steep slope, she saw concrete sewer pipes right where she expected them to be. She teleported them to the ditch below rather than risking their limbs by sliding down the dangerous incline.
Seeing how small and cramped the pipes were, Violet held in a shudder. A small dribble of water oozed out of the one on the right. They entered the one on the left that was dry and moved in a bent-over shuffle. The pipe ran straight for some time and eventually ended at a far larger tunnel. Noisome water ran below. With a grimace, they stepped down into the stinky liquid. Nat knew the way and unerringly led them deep beneath the city. Hearing frightened screams and roars of triumph overhead, they kept going until they found a manhole in a quieter area.
Nat climbed the rusty, slick ladder and cautiously pushed the manhole lid up. The area was deserted, so she slid the lid aside and climbed out into the relatively fresh air. When her two companions escaped from the sewer, she put the lid back in place. All three stank of the questionable substances that coated their pants and shoes.
“The shifters will be able to smell us from a mile away,” Violet said quietly. Nat couldn’t help herself and let out a snigger. Her sense of humor had always been strange and her companions slanted her a look.
“I can do something to rid us of the smell,” Ava said. Lifting her hands, she concentrated and the air became charged. A small cloud formed above them, then torrential rain blasted down. Washed clean of the filth, Fate’s champions gaped at the nagi. Dripping wet, Ava let the cloud dissipate.
“How did you do that?” Violet asked.
“It is easy for me to wield elemental magic,” Ava said with a shrug. “Sustaining it for a long time is more difficult.”
Flicking her drenched hair out of her face, Nat gestured for them to follow her. Moving at a quick trot, she headed for the Glitter Strip where most of the action was taking place. Their shoes made squelching noises and she hoped they wouldn’t give them away. It was too quiet as they moved through the suburbs. Most of the houses had been evacuated. The civilians had headed towards the center of the city. They’d gone in search of help and had instead found only danger.
As Nat trotted through familiar streets, a strong sense of déjà vu overwhelmed her. Images from her war with the Viltaran clones and droids flickered inside her head. This time, her enemies were Grimgorg and Frost Giants, but they were just as dangerous and needed to be destroyed.
A group of Grimgorg soldiers rushed at them from between two small houses that were set close together. Nat drew her swords and Violet called on her golden axe. Ava stood back to watch the two warriors chop their foes to pieces. Natalie moved with supernatural speed and grace as she relieved the aliens of their limbs. Violet was just as deadly and almost as fast. With enviable skill, she whirled her golden axe over her head. She swept it downward and split an alien’s head open. Even before his body fell, she spun and lopped off an arm before a sword could skewer her in the stomach. In seconds, the battle was over.
Cocking her head to the side, Nat couldn’t hear any sounds of alarm coming their way. Their short fight had gone unnoticed. Battle lust made her eyes glow red as they stalked closer to their nemesis. Loki would be in the heart of the city where chaos reigned. All they had to do was find the ice palace the Frost Giants had created and he would be somewhere nearby.
Staying out of sight as much as possible, they felt the icy chill of the frozen lake before it came into view. Even though it was only the size of a small house, the ice palace was still impressive. Unused to the heat of Vegas, Frost Giants came and went, taking turns to recharge their magic. It was far cooler at night, but it was still too hot for them.
King Rho and General Kretu were missing, as was Loki. Hunchbacked shamans guarded the portals. A group of twenty humans shuffled into view, guided by a lone Frost Giant. They were herded over to a portal that reflected Odin’s palace in Asgard. One by one, they leaped through the doorways and appeared in the throne room below. Each wore a silver necklace that stripped their will and most of their intelligence away.
Scanning the shamans’ minds, Nat learned that King Rho was planning to double cross his allies. That wasn’t exactly a surprise. All versions of the Grimgorg ruler seemed to be the same. No doubt, General Kretu would have similar aspirations.
She whispered her findings to her companions and Violet smiled nastily. “If they’re so ready to turn on each other, it probably wouldn’t take much to start a war between them.”
“What do you have in mind?” Nat asked in interest.
“Can you use fire?” Violet asked Ava. The nagi nodded hesitantly. “I think we should ambush General Kretu. If you can blast him to death with a fireball, it might make his soldiers go berserk. That’s what happened to the Fire Giants on Nat’s world and maybe it will work this time, too.” A lot of the Grimgorg magicians favored using fire. Ava’s attack would hopefully blend in with the general mayhem.
Nat’s smile grew into a fierce grin. “I like how you think, V. The Frost Giants will think Rho was behind their leader’s death. It’ll be a bloodbath.”
Ava couldn’t hide her trepidation at being called on to fight. She was a pacifist and she didn’t usually engage in the fighting.
“We’ll have to keep you hidden so they don’t realize who was really responsible,” Violet said to the nagi.
“You haven’t tested all of your abilities yet,” Nat pointed out. “Can you take on someone else’s form like you did in hell?”
It hadn’t even occurred to Violet to try it. She reached out and touched Ava’s hand. With a shimmer, she became an exact copy of the nagi.
Ava gasped at seeing her identical twin looking back at her. “You are a shapeshifter, too?”
Letting the image fade, Violet shook her head. “It’s just an illusion.”
“Can you make Ava look like a Grimgorg shaman?” Nat queried.
“It shouldn’t be a problem.” She just needed to touch one of the magicians and she could turn them all into the Grimgorg’s duplicates.
Creeping through the shadows when they could, they searched for the leader of the Frost Giants. They found Kretu directing a group of his soldiers to search one of the casinos for fresh victims. The Frost Giants all carried silver collars that would render the humans docile.
Hiding behind a dumpster at the mouth of an alley, they saw a large number of shifters guarding a building directly across the road from them. Loki had to be somewhere inside the edifice. With him absent, now would be the best time for them to assassinate General Kretu.
“Wait here,” Nat whispered. She took off so fast she was almost a blur. Only a few moments passed before she returned with a Grimgorg shaman in her clutches. She’d already stabbed him to death so he couldn’t give them away.
Violet used her camouflage ability to change all three of them into a replica of the magician. The Grimgorg were all very similar in appearance, so they didn’t stand out too much.
Effectively disguised, they left the safety of the alley. Mimicking the movements of the other Grimgorg shamans, they walked in a bent over shuffle towards the leader of the Frost Giants.
~~~
Chapter Twenty-Eight
~~~ Alpha World ~~~
Fate was waiting for Loki when he tracked down the next squad of soldiers.
She stepped out from the shadows as he levelled his sword at one of the armored trucks. “I wondered when you would make an appearance,” he said. He wasn’t displeased to see her. Bianca’s revulsion at him for dismembering the soldiers had touched a nerve and he was in the mood for a fight. Humans didn’t have the stamina or the strength to survive for more than a few seconds against him. “Why do these beings mean so much to you?” he asked. He was truly curious about her answer.
“All life is precious,” she replied.
“Even theirs?” He sneered at the soldiers who were frozen in terror. “They are beneath beings like us.”
“If you knew what sort of being I was, you would not make such a claim,” she said dryly.
“Why not tell me what you are then?” he asked with a charming smile and leaned on his sword.
“The humans have a saying that is appropriate in this instance.” He lifted his brow in polite enquiry and waited for her to continue. “It is above your pay grade.”
One of the soldiers snorted out a laugh, then clapped a hand over his mouth at the dirty look Loki gave him. “Are you saying that I am beneath you?”
Fate inclined her head. “That is exactly what I’m saying.”
Never in all of his long life had he ever been so gravely insulted. Loki demonstrated his anger by sending a short blast of raw magic at her. Fate disappeared as he’d known she would and his shot hit the armored truck as he’d intended. She shared some of his tricks, but she wasn’t omnipresent and she hadn’t anticipated his move. With a nasty laugh, he sent another blast at a different vehicle.
Fate bent down and grasped hold of a manhole cover. With a toss, it intercepted the magical projectile and burst apart in a shower of metal. She shook her head at the petulant glower on Loki’s handsome face. He had so much potential, yet he was wasting his lengthy existence by obsessing over his perceived slights.
His pain and anguish at being shunned by his mother was a source of pity for her. It was also the root of most of his emotional problems. He might be a minor deity, but he wasn’t above wallowing in his emotions. It was clear that he was spoiling for a fight. He intended to take his anger out on the soldiers and any other nearby humans. “Go,” she said over her shoulder to the men who were gathered behind her. They were happy to follow her command and scattered.
Loki’s smile widened into a grin when Fate pulled her daggers. Finally, he would see what she was made of. This time, he wasn’t going to let her kiss him into a stupor and steal the rest of his magic.
The street had emptied and they circled each other beneath a streetlight. He held his sword ready. Fate was fast and agile, but was she as cunning as he was? It was time to find out. He had no intention of going easy on her just because she was female. He didn’t even care that she was tiny even in her four inch heels. He lunged at her and she nimbly blocked his thrust. She made no effort to slice him open, although he was certain she could have if she’d wanted to.
Attuned to Loki’s mood, Fate knew he wanted to see her bleed. He was positively vicious as he swung his weapon at her head. She countered the move, but he wasn’t there when she blocked it. Sensing him behind her, she spun just in time to catch his blade with her crossed daggers. If she’d been any slower, it would have skewered her. “I should have guessed you wouldn’t fight fair,” she said in disapproval.
“I am not called the God of Mischief without reason,” he said with a wink.
His sly amusement turned to alarm when her foot rose to kick him in the groin. He barely managed to skip back from the blow and tut-tutted. “Please, nothing below the belt,” he chided her, wagging a finger in disapproval.
“Yet, you do not have a problem with stabbing me in the back.”
“At least I intended to stab you above the waist,” he said with a mischievous grin.
She surprised him with a low laugh, then she became a whirlwind of motion. Her daggers flashed towards him and he quickly realized he was outmatched. For all of his training in battle, she put his skills to shame. Fate could have wounded him a dozen times within a few seconds, yet she chose to drive him backwards until he was pinned against the burned-out husk of the armored truck. One of her blades was at his throat and the other was pressed against his stomach. “How fares the girl?” she asked as if she didn’t have him in a compromising position.
“Bianca Caldwell is fine,” he replied easily, as if he wasn’t afraid she was about to disembowel him.
“How can you possibly know that when she isn’t even within your sight?” Fate made a show of looking around in search of his ward.
“She promised me that she would remain where I left her,” he said tightly. He disliked being questioned even less than he’d liked being beaten in battle. It stung even more that his adversary was so small.
“How admirable that you took her at her word,” Fate said and smiled. His eyes strayed to her mouth and he remembered their kiss. He was very tempted to close the distance between them, but he also recalled what had happened the last time they’d locked lips. She’d already taken half of his magic. What would she take from him the next time? His very soul?
His rage fled and a frown furrowed his brow. Humans could be nearly as treacherous as he was. He was suddenly unsure that Bianca would still be in the penthouse when he returned. The missile fire had ceased and there was no need to spend any more time hunting down the soldiers. “Perhaps I should check on my ward,” he conceded grudgingly.
“Perhaps you should,” she said mockingly and disappeared.
Loki returned to the building where he’d left Bianca. She wasn’t in the kitchen, living room or the dining room. He checked the bedrooms and she wasn’t in any of them either. His hand clenched around the hilt of his sword and his rage began to build. Then she stepped out of the master bathroom wrapped only in a thin robe and his anger was snuffed out in an instant.
Starting when she saw Loki glowering at her, Bianca stumbled to a stop. She’d found a collection of silky white robes meant for the female guests of the previous penthouse owner in a closet in one of the spare bedrooms. She’d also found other clothing, most of which wasn’t suitable for anyone other than strippers or hookers. Only a small selection would be wearable. She swallowed nervously when Loki continued to stare at her in silence. “Are you hungry?” she asked, hoping to divert him from whatever had made him so angry.
Loki flicked his gaze down to her feet and back up again. “Very,” he said quietly. Her enticing body was clearly outlined and he could see her breasts all too well through the almost sheer fabric.
Ignoring his innuendo, Bianca brushed past him and headed for the clothes she’d laid out on the bed. “I’ll get changed, then make us some dinner,” she said over her shoulder.
Loki noticed that Bianca refused to meet his eyes as she sidled past him. She was careful not to touch him. They hadn’t exactly been comfortable together before, but she now feared him far more than she previously had. Perhaps he’d gotten a little carried away when he’d killed the soldiers in front of her. He regretted allowing her to see his handiwork, then wondered if he was going soft. Why should he care what the human thought of him?
Dressing in a tight hot pink t-shirt and matching sweatpants, Bianca left her feet bare as she headed for the kitchen. The dresses Loki had stolen for her were beautiful, but it was nice to wear something she could lounge around in. She highly doubted they wore sweat suits on Asgard. As far as she could tell, Loki didn’t own underwear either. Maybe undies didn’t exist on his home world.
Finding the idea of the godlike race running around without any underwear hilarious, she stifled a highly inappropriate snigger. Her emotions were as interchangeable as Loki’s at the moment. Maybe she’d snapped and she just didn’t realize it yet.
“May I ask what is so amusing?” the object of her thoughts said from right behind her.
Her feet nearly left the floor in surprise. She whirled around with her hand over her racing heart. He towered over her with
his arms crossed, being careful to keep some distance between them. “Uh, it’s not important,” she said and edged around him to check the contents of the fridge.
“But, I insist,” Loki said silkily. He wanted to get back into her good graces, if that were possible. There was no telling how much longer he would have to watch over her before Fate deigned to take the girl off his hands. The sidelong look she sent in his direction was embarrassed and her face went red. Now he really did want to know what was on her mind.
Caught out, Bianca tried to act nonchalant. “I was just wondering what Asgardians wore when they weren’t conquering other worlds.”
He knew she wasn’t telling him the truth, but he could see no way of forcing it out of her without causing her physical harm. In the blink of an eye, his usual leather suit was gone. He now wore a soft green shirt that laced up at the neck and comfortable brown trousers. Like her, his feet were bare. “We wear something like this,” he said, indicating his new outfit.
Bianca checked his butt when he turned away. She couldn’t tell if he was wearing undies or not. Her expression was as innocent as she could make it when he glanced back to ask her a question. “How do you work this apparatus?” He pointed at the coffee machine.
This time, Bianca smiled. Loki could do many strange and sometimes frightening things, but he couldn’t work a simple coffee machine. He watched her as she filled it with coffee beans and water and produced two mugs of coffee. He retrieved the cream from the fridge and handed it to her. She rolled her eyes at his unwillingness to do something as menial as adding cream to his own drink. He nodded his thanks when she handed him the mug.
With their fragile and unwilling alliance partially restored, Loki wandered into the living room and sat down to watch TV. The news was showing footage of the citizens of Dallas being converted into clones or being collared. It was a theme that would keep playing out until he and his allies had visited every city, town and village on this planet.