Joshua II

by T. G. Ayer

  Fen’s eyes narrowed. “More urgent than figuring out the black poison killing warriors?” asked Fen, his tone cold now.

  Joshua shifted from foot to foot, and then nodded. “Yes.”

  The uflr warrior sat back at that, his features relaxing. “Speak, einherjar.”

  Taking a deep breath, Joshua said, “Mika is insisting on going with Bryn to Swartelfheim and I think that’s a mistake.”

  Fen grunted. “I believe I agree with you.” He got to his feet and went to the fire, where he rested a hand on the mantelpiece and stared into the flames. “But I see no way in stopping her without revealing that we suspect her.”

  “Can you not reassign her? Or maybe go with Bryn instead of Mika?”

  Fen frowned. “That is an option, but how do you know this?”

  “Mika hijacked me in the hall. I was following her. Guess I didn’t do as good a job as I’d hoped.” Joshua smirked. “She confronted me, threatened to hurt the people I care about.”

  “She threatened Bryn?”

  Joshua nodded. “And Aimee, and my parents. She kindly reminded me that Midgard was a big place and she had numerous contacts. She didn’t say the actual words though.”

  “She doesn’t need to. The implication is clear.” Fen rubbed his chin, the golden glow of the flames shining on his profile. “Which brings us to a position in which we have to accept there is nothing we can do but allow the mission to Swartelfheim to continue.”

  “And leave her alone? Mika could kill her. We have no real idea why Mika even wants to go with her,” Joshua said, his fingers curling into tight balls, so tight he felt his nails dig into his palms.

  “She is going because she wants to ensure Bryn does not obtain the goblet.”

  Both Joshua and Fen startled and looked over at Grand Lady Tyra, the dragon queen—literally. She smiled gently and glided inside to come to them beside the fire.

  “I apologize for barging in, but I wanted to reassure you of something. Bryn may not be entirely safe with the little Ulfr, but there is something our little traitor does not know.”

  Joshua winced as Tyra referred to Mika as a traitor, but it was clear the dragon didn’t know of the relationship between Fen and said traitor.

  Fen didn’t seem to have taken offense anyway. “Which is?” he asked, his tone curious without an ounce of displeasure.

  “The dragon’s eye,” Tyra said with a cheeky smile.

  Fen heaved a sigh of relief and moved to sit in one of the closest chairs. “That means they are both safe,” he murmured more to himself than anything.

  “I don’t understand,” said Joshua, looking at Fen and then Tyra. “What’s the dragon’s eye and how can it keep Bryn safe?”

  Tyra smiled and then glanced into the fire. She waved a hand before the flames and an image appeared—one that revealed the dining hall at Valhalla. The image seemed almost one-directional, as though limited to the vision of one person. Joshua caught sight of a basket of fresh rolls, a familiar slim-fingered hand pausing to select two. The view shifted to a butter bowl and a knife—held by that same hand—as it scraped a generous amount onto a small plate before adding that to her trencher.

  “That’s Bryn,” Joshua murmured as he shifted his gaze to Lady Tyra.

  “I gifted her the dragon’s eye in order to protect her. The eye is somewhat unsavory, given that when the owner had it on their person, the eye projects everything they see.”

  “Bryn doesn’t know?” asked Fen, now sounding as conflicted as Joshua.

  “No. It may constitute a violation of her privacy, but I personally have a much higher moral standard than the younger generation. I only gift a dragon’s eye to those who deserve it, and even then, I limit them to people whom I trust. The eye is an extension of me, it contains the blood of my forefathers, as well as my blood. And it is only I who can see what the dragon’s eye sees.”

  Both Fen and Joshua let out a sigh of relief.

  “Good,” said Joshua with a chuckle. “Still, could I be there when you tell Bryn what it really does? I can guarantee that conversation will be fun.”

  Tyra smirked. “Your Bryn is quite feisty. That much I am well aware of.”

  Joshua stilled at the dragon queen’s words. She tilted her head and took a step toward him. “Young man, there will come a day when you discover your true destiny. All the trials and tribulations you face now will afford you a great strength in body and mind…but they are merely stepping-stones to a future in which your life, as well as those around you, will depend on that strength.”

  Joshua wasn’t sure what to say to the dragon matriarch. As far as he knew, Bryn was the one who’d been destined to make an all-encompassing difference in the Nine Realms. Not that he envied her, or even that he was jealous of the glory.

  He smiled. “I’m afraid I’ve never been the heroic type.”

  Tyra patted Joshua’s cheek gently, a gesture that surprised Fen enough to elicit a frown from the Ulfr. Tyra leaned close and said, “You are more than what you know.” The dragon queen was so close to Joshua that he was ninety-nine-point-nine-nine percent certain she was going to kiss him. She didn’t. Instead she turned to Fen and gave him a stern glare. “Do you see?” she asked softly.

  Fen got to his feet, his entire body stiffening as he drew closer. He studied Joshua for a long moment and then nodded. “It makes perfect sense now.” He nodded and then looked at Tyra. “I will prepare accordingly.”

  Joshua stared at each of them, shaking his head. Raising his hand, he said, “I’m right here. What’s making perfect sense?”

  Both Tyra and Fen chuckled. Then Tyra glanced at the fire again. “I have been offered accommodation two doors down from Lady Eir’s rooms. You will find me there should you need me. I shall keep a close eye on our Bryn, and I will inform you if she is in dire straits.”

  With that Tyra shimmered away, disappearing in a cloud of embers that swirled on an invisible breeze before fading into nothing.

  Joshua stood there for a long moment, the warmth of the fire burrowing deep into his bones. Then he looked up over at Fenrir. “What did she mean? I am more than I know?”

  Fen shook his head. “At this point, I cannot divulge what Lady Tyra meant. Not until I discuss her claim with the All-Father. I will tell you as soon as I am able.” Fen turned and walked off without waiting for Joshua’s reply.

  The Ulfr disappeared out the door, his boots thudding on the stone floor. Joshua listened until the footsteps faded and silence reigned.

  He turned to stare into the fire. If Lady Tyra was protecting Bryn, then he would have to accept that. She didn’t appear to be a person who didn’t keep her word.

  Still, Joshua hated feeling helpless. Bryn had probably already left for Swartelfheim. With Mika. And he’d been told to sit on his hands.

  With a low growl, Joshua strode out of Fen’s hall in search of Aimee.

  Boy, was she going to be pissed.

  Joshua spent the last few hours worrying about Bryn, and eventually gave up. He headed to see Lady Tyra and was passing the goddess Eir’s open door when he caught sight of Aimee.

  Slowing his steps, Joshua paused and watched as Aimee bent low over a warrior’s broken leg while the goddess directed her on how to reset the bone.

  Joshua’s eyes widened and he forced himself to keep moving. So that’s where Aimee had kept disappearing to. That would also explain why she’d been bypassed for various scout missions to Midgard.

  And why though she’d been frustrated, she hadn’t appeared to be all that unhappy with missing out on the missions. Joshua smiled as he reached Lady Tyra’s open door to find her staring into the fire.

  “I suspected you would come,” she murmured as she gestured for him to come to her. He obeyed and reached her side to stare into the fire. “You are just in time.”

  The fire revealed a view of a barren land filled with dead trees. The view shifted erratically, enough to make a person seasick, but he watched anyway. Watched as th
e view shifted to the sight of an object hitting the stone wall of a building and shattering into tiny shards.

  “What’s happening,” asked Joshua, his voice strained as Bryn fell backward.

  “Mika has attacked Bryn and has thrown the goblet onto the wall.”

  Joshua’s jaw dropped. “We have to help her,” he said, aware that he’d almost yelled at the dragon queen.

  Tyra patted his arm. “I shall go, einherjar. Do not worry. Mika cannot hurt Bryn.”

  Just as the dragon matriarch faded away, Joshua caught sight of the images in the fire. Mika’s face looked above Bryn, closing in to attack. Bryn’s hand moved so fast he’d almost missed it.

  She slammed something sharp deep into Mika’s neck, and then the Ulfr fell to the ground, eyes wide, blood spilling from her lips.

  And then the flames were just flames, and Bryn was gone.

  Joshua sank to his knees before the fire, holding his head in his hands for a long moment, a mixture of relief, confusion, despair, and hope flooding his very soul.

  Then he took a deep breath. Nothing mattered right now. Nothing except Bryn.

  And right now, Mika was dead, and Bryn was safe.

  Chapter 17

  The arrow hit the blood-red dot in the center of the bullseye, the thwack loud enough that it echoed around the field. Joshua had stormed out of the palace and ended up at the archery range and plugged arrow after arrow into a range of different targets set up around him.

  Mutilated scarecrows, wooden cutouts of armored samurai, knights, and even a few vikings, plus bales of hay and bottles, fake birds, mammoths, and saber-toothed tigers. Ten out of ten for creativity to whoever set the range up.

  Tyra had helped Bryn, Bryn had delivered Mika to Odin, and now she was in Helheim, waiting for Aidan to recover before bringing him back to Asgard.

  As he reached for another arrow and nocked it, Joshua accepted that he was feeling sorry for himself.

  At this point he didn’t care.

  He let the arrow fly, and watched it hit its mark so well that it split the previous arrow he’d shot, splaying it in half right to the arrowhead.

  “Great shot. Now get your ass to Odin’s Hall. Fen sent for you,” yelled Aimee from beyond the low stone wall.

  Joshua huffed, but obeyed. He couldn’t really trust that Aimee wasn’t lying, but he wasn’t about to take the chance that Fen had really summoned him.

  Joshua left the arrows embedded in the targets and followed Aimee back to the palace.

  As he neared Odin’s Hall, Joshua joined Jill and a few of the warriors who’d entered Valhalla with him and Aimee. Fen was standing just outside the door, watching Joshua as he closed in. The group was busy teasing Jill who’d just recently revealed her second-to-none skills with a sling. Though funny, they were all well aware of how effective that simple weapon could be.

  “Are you well, Joshua?” asked Fen as they entered the hall with the group.

  Joshua nodded. “Well. Maybe that’s a lie. But how are you?”

  Fen’s face remained unreadable. “I am holding strong. This is a great disappointment. One I wish I could rectify. But the only truth of it is that you can raise your children as best as you are able, but once you let them go, their actions, their thoughts, their decisions, none of that can be your responsibly.”

  “You sound like my Mom.”

  “She appears to be a very wise woman,” said Fen softly.

  Joshua was about to reply when he spotted Bryn. At the same time, Aimee let out a soft whoop and broke into a slow run. Joshua followed, forcing a smile onto his face. Before they reached Bryn’s side, Aimee growled out an instruction. “Smile. Be nice.”

  Well then.

  Joshua joined the team as they greeted Aidan with smiles and pats on the back, welcoming him home.

  Fen kept walking and stopped to greet Bryn. “I see you have had a successful mission,” the warrior said, his tone even. Joshua’s gut clenched at the thought of what Fen must be going through.

  His blood daughter had betrayed him, and had attempted to kill Bryn, who the Ulfr warrior cared for deeply.

  Bryn’s expression faltered and Joshua nodded to himself. Good. At least she’d understood that rushing off without notifying her commanding officer was unbefitting for her warrior status.

  “Yes. Aidan is well, and the Nidhogg’s daughter will be well soon enough.”

  “Brynhildr, what happened in Swartelfheim?” Joshua kept an eye on Fen as the Ulfr father kept a tight rein on his emotions. He knew what had happened, but he was maintaining the secrecy between Tyra, himself, and Joshua.

  Only Odin and Frigga had been told about Mika’s betrayal before Bryn’s return.

  Although Bryn’s face darkened, she gave them a rundown of her journey into Swartelfheim, her theft of the goblet and her subsequent beheading of Queen Huld. Fen’s gaze flickered over to Joshua as Bryn glossed over Mika’s attack and her death at Bryn’s own hand.

  The group fell deadly silent at the revelation, glancing at each other in shock and disbelief. Thankfully even Aimee maintained the pretense of ignorance.

  But just then, another voice broke into the conversation. “What did you say about Mika?” asked Odin from the dais, his attention now focused on Bryn.

  “My lord, I was forced to defend myself against my Ulfr partner when she attacked me and tried to take the goblet from me. She was so desperate for me not to have it, that she destroyed it.”

  After a moment’s thought, the All-Father asked, “Fenrir, is Mika able to walk?”

  Bryn went white, and gave a shocked, gasping-choking sound as she stared at Fenrir in disbelief.

  Fen patted Bryn’s arm, attempting to comfort her as he answered Odin’s question. “Yes, my lord. She is well enough to walk.”

  The All-Father sent a huldra off to bring Mika to him, but none of this was easing Joshua’s frustrations. Everything was just too calm, too civilized. Joshua would have been happier with a fight to the death.

  The rage he felt reminded him of berserker-Bryn and in that moment, he understood what she’d gone through. Fen’s fingers curled around Joshua’s upper arm, a gesture of comfort that thankfully Bryn missed as she stared at Odin and then at Fen, her gaze flicking to the entrance to the hall as she asked, “Is she really okay?”

  “Yes, Brynhildr. It is a natural ability of the Ulfr. We are fast, strong, and we heal faster than humans do. Faster than Valkyries do, too.”

  “But she was dead.” Bryn was shaking her head, obviously unable to process the rise of Mika from the dead.

  Fen shook his head. “Not dead. Our bodies go into a stasis. We regenerate, healing damage to organs, regaining our health. Mika will be weak. But she will soon be healthy again.” Fen’s voice vibrated with anger and Joshua felt a pulse of emotion, a blend of intense sorrow for the Ulfr’s pain and of pure anger at Mika.

  At that moment, Bryn looked over at Joshua, and though he’d schooled his features he knew he’d not been fast enough. Her expression—confusion and hurt, and guilt—was sufficient confirmation. Bryn thought he was angry at her, and at this point there was absolutely nothing he could do about dispelling her of that notion.

  Mika’s arrival had everyone watch her progress through the hall toward the dais where Odin waited, his expression a cloud of darkness.

  When Mika stopped in front of the All-Father, her expression was calm, serene, with not an ounce of guilt displayed.

  Odin’s anger only added volume to his question, “Mika, daughter of Fenrir,” and the sound echoed within the hall. “You have been accused of sabotaging the mission of your partner, the Valkyrie Brynhildr. You have also been accused of betraying your father. We have heard from Brynhildr that you willingly and knowingly followed the word of the god Loki, thus betraying your father, your general and your duty as an Ulfr of Asgard.”

  Joshua’s anger rose as Mika stared defiantly at the god.

  “Mika, daughter of Fenrir, what have you to say?” Odin’s
anger came with a rumble of thunder that filled the room and penetrated to Joshua’s bones.

  But Mika remained silent.

  “Speak, Mika. You stand accused of a terrible crime.” The All-Father got to his feet, and suddenly he began to grow larger in form, soon becoming a terrifyingly threatening god—nothing at all like the god Joshua had grown to know.

  Though Mika flinched, she didn’t back away. Instead she snapped her head back and glared up at Odin. “I have committed no crime,” she called out loud enough for the whole hall to hear.

  Joshua’s gut tightened as he shared a glance with Aimee. When they both looked over at Bryn they found her watching them, her eyes filled with hurt, her cheeks red.

  Thankfully, Sigrun approached to offer Bryn support, and Joshua sighed with relief. Then he stiffened as Aidan drew up on Bryn’s right.

  If Joshua knew any better, he’d have pegged the move as strategic, since only Sigrun had gone to stand with Bryn. It made it look to everyone that Aimee and Joshua didn’t support Bryn. And that pissed Joshua off royally.

  Mika’s voice drew Joshua’s attention back to the dais. “I have done nothing wrong besides following my beliefs.”

  “So you admit to the attempt to thwart Brynhildr’s mission, endangering the lives of both Aidan and the daughter of the Nidhogg?”

  Calmly, Mika replied, “Yes. I did as Loki asked. My god guides me, and I do not question his requests of me.”

  “So you admit to your loyalty to the god Loki.” Odin’s voice rang with thunder again, this time darker and angrier.

  Mika let out a dry laugh. “I follow the one true path. I have done everything he has asked of me. But it was the Mead that was the most important.”

  Bryn’s gasp was loud, probably as loud as the shockwave that went through the gathered crowd. Pieces fell into place, and Fen glanced at Joshua, his eyes haunted.

  The mead Bryn had been given for Aidan while they’d searched for Freya’s jewels had been poisoned. That explained why Aidan hadn’t recovered as fast as he should have.