Freed: (Phoebe Meadows Book 2)

by Carlson, Amanda

  “And I will go next,” Callan said. “I will take the wolf’s back and your front.” He nodded at me.

  Before I could react, my mother said, “Agreed. Then Phoebe, then myself. Willa, I want you to stay here and keep your ear out. When you hear the battle lessening, you may come down. If you go with us now, you will be harmed.”

  Willa was devastated at the news.

  I intervened on her behalf. “If she’s found here, they will kill her,” I told my mother. “She is safer with us. I vowed to take her back to the Valkyrie stronghold. I hope that plan has your blessing. She has served you well and has aided us with no regard to herself.” I didn’t mention that my father had left her here to die if things went wrong. “It’s the least we can do.”

  My mother met my gaze. “Years ago, I would not have readily agreed with your logic, daughter. We do things differently in Asgard. But I agree and support your decision to bring her to the stronghold. I’m not of the same mind that she would be safer with us than here, so let it be up to her. What say you, Willa?” She turned to the mixed elf.

  “I would very much like to accompany you,” she answered softly. “Your daughter speaks the truth. I will not be tried in court now, as I am now tagged a traitor, and I will be killed on sight. I will take my chances by going with you.”

  My mother nodded once. “So be it. You will go down with Phoebe. I will bring up the rear.” Once she said those words, a moment of panic hit me. What if something happened to her and some elves snatched her before she could get down? I’d only just gotten to meet her. Something in my face must have shown. “Have no fear, daughter. I will be right behind you. Once this battle is over, we leave together. Nothing will stop us.”

  “I apologize,” I said. “I don’t doubt your abilities. I’m just grateful to have found you and don’t want to lose you before we have a chance to begin.”

  My mother smiled, moving forward to cup my face in her palm, her thumb brushing against my cheek. “I love your innocence, Phoebe. It’s something only very young children have in Asgard. I come from a world of harsh realities where sons and daughters lose their wistfulness by the age of two. I was robbed of being a part of your life when you were a child, and I’m happy you still carry that tenderness with you now. In time, you will harden, as is our way. But I will always be grateful to have seen this side of you.”

  I blushed, feeling human and awkward.

  I was ecstatic my mother loved that side of me, but in these realms it would hinder me. I looked forward to shedding my soft shell, even though I would mourn who I’d once been.

  Willa turned and opened a small compartment in the wall.

  Fen moved, sword in hand. My heart beat faster because we were heading into danger. Right before he entered the chute, he turned to me, placing a light kiss on my lips. “I’ll see you down there, shieldmaiden. It would be nice if you didn’t disappear on the way down.” As he broke the short kiss, I reached up, running my hands through his hair, pulling him closer for an even longer kiss.

  Oh, how I’d missed this man!

  I grinned, murmuring into his lips, “I won’t leave, and you have to promise not to get yourself into trouble until I get down there to back you up. Remember what happened with the fire demons?”

  He lifted one of his massive legs into the slide. “You shouldn’t remind me of your follies just before battle.” His tone was light. “It’s distracting. And make sure that when you arrive, you stay out of trouble. Keeping you safe is hard work.” The small space was barely enough to hold him. He would have to lie flat.

  “I’d like to think the benefits of being with me far outweigh the negatives,” I quipped.

  “Lucky for you, they do.” As he disappeared down the chute, weariness crept over me.

  This battle wasn’t going to be easily won.

  21

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  “W illa, hang on to me.” It was our turn. Callan had just disappeared, giving us a cocky wave and a wink. “I’m not sure what we’re going to find down there.” I had Gundren out and was ready to go. The chute was tall enough for us to sit upright.

  Willa climbed in behind me and did as I asked.

  “I will be right behind you,” Leela told us. “I’m certain this victory will be ours.” Her voice held an excitement that didn’t match my own mood. Maybe when I was a seasoned Valkyrie, I’d feel some bloodlust before a battle. Right now, zero lust was happening. Well, there was lust, but it was aimed at a big, strong wolf, not at a bloodied sword. “This war has come at exactly the right time.”

  “Why do you say that?” I asked.

  She smiled at me. “Because you have reached your immortality, and I believe it was meant to happen like this. Go now.”

  I pushed off, and we began to slide. It was slow at first, but it picked up quickly. “You didn’t tell me it was as steep as a cliff!” I didn’t hear Willa’s response, because the air was whooshing by my ears too quickly. It must have been close to a ninety-degree drop. It went on and on for a long time—too long—and just when I thought it would never end, the chute took a sharp right turn, our bodies slamming into the wall. I never thought to ask how we’d land, and now I prayed it was onto something soft and fluffy.

  In the next turn I had my answer as we shot out onto some sort of conveyor belt. Nothing soft about it. We landed hard, bouncing along like a kid’s toy flung from a slingshot. It took everything I had not to tumble off.

  Thankfully, Willa was still gripping me with all she had. The mixed elf had some moxie.

  As we slowed, I had to make a decision. Either continue riding the belt through the hole, or get off and investigate. I chose the latter. It was better to figure out where we were first than dive headfirst into the fray. Plus, I wanted to wait for my mother to arrive. “Hang on!” I called to Willa. “We’re getting off here.” I stabbed my swords into the belt to halt our forward motion as I pivoted.

  The drop was farther than I’d anticipated. Luckily, I landed with Willa still on my back, with my knees bent. Willa sprang off, and I stood, catching my breath. “Holy cow, how did the elves get up there to retrieve their things? It must be twenty feet high.”

  “They do not use this room much. They wait for the items to land in the cavern through that opening.” She gestured toward the wall.

  Before I could question my decision to get off when we did, we heard voices.

  “No more will reach us through here!” an elf voice declared.

  “Shall we blow it up?” another elf asked.

  I grabbed Willa’s arm and tugged her behind a large boulder before two elves entered through a small hole in the rock on the other side of the room.

  “I don’t know. Invaldi only said to shut it down,” the first elf replied. “Do you suppose that means we should blow it up?”

  “I see no other option. We could get a troll in here and stuff it with boulders, but that would take too much time. We are in the middle of a crisis and must act fast!”

  “Those Valkyries will not win! No matter who comes to their aid.” That meant Fen and Callan had indeed made it into the fray. “Invaldi is just playing with them now. Wait until he unleashes the surprise!” Sounds of battle echoed in from the cavern.

  My mother was on her way down. I was going to have to stop them. These elves weren’t going to blow up anything. I took a step forward to reveal myself, but a small hand stilled me, tugging fervently on my wrist.

  I bent down as Willa leaned in, her voice not above a whisper. “It will take them some time to carry out their agenda. Let’s see what they do. If your mother comes down and interrupts them, our time would be better spent fighting them before they can alert others to our presence.”

  I nodded. “You’re right,” I whispered. “But if they start something, we have to stop them. I’m not risking an explosion. Leela should be down any second.” We both glanced toward the entrance of the chute, waiting expectantly.


  No Leela.

  Where was she?

  My pulse started to beat quicker. She should’ve been right behind us. The elves were busy gathering stuff and heading toward the bottom of the slide. I took a step. I couldn’t just sit here. My swords were up and I was just about to reveal myself when a new noise hit the room. One beat later, something crashed onto the conveyor belt, surprising the two elves.

  One of them dropped the load it had in its arms, and one of them tumbled off the rocks, screaming wildly as it fell.

  My mother recovered quickly and stood, feet splayed, her borrowed broadsword up and at the ready. She was glorious and clearly feared nothing.

  “Come on,” I told Willa. “We have to help her.” We both scrambled out from behind the rock.

  At the same time that I cleared my throat to call to my mother, the elf left standing shrieked, “Our prisoner is free! We must alert the others!” It turned to run.

  Leela’s position shifted smoothly as she faced the threat. “Stop!” She aimed her broadsword at the elf.

  It slowly turned around and shook its head. “No need to get overly excited,” it squeaked at her. It was not wearing a guard uniform. It had to be a worker.

  “You will not stop us,” my mother said as a thin bead of energy raced out of the tip of her blade, tossing the elf back into the wall. It had been an extremely precise strike and not overly strong. Just enough to stun him. I waited a second to see if the elf would rise, but he didn’t.

  “There’s another elf below you!” I called as Willa and I climbed up the rocky wall to the conveyor belt.

  Without comment, my mother addressed the threat. The elf had been trying to sneak up on her, something in its hand. My mother dispensed another shot of energy, and the elf dropped to the ground. Once she was done, she leaped onto a large boulder. “I’m glad you waited for me,” she said. “This way, we can do a little recon before we show ourselves. It always pays to plan.”

  “The elves know that Fen and Callan used the chute to get here,” I told her. “They were planning on blowing it up.”

  “It matters not,” she replied. “The majority of them will be too distracted to come and do anything about it. They sent in workers, not fighters.”

  A loud roar came from the cavern.

  Fen was in his wolf form.

  He had to be monitoring the conveyor belt exit and wondering where I was. If I didn’t arrive soon, he would come after me. That would leave the Valkyries without a fighter.

  “Willa,” my mother asked, “are there other ways to access the cavern other than this main artery?” She pointed to the hole.

  “I’m not very familiar with this area, but the elves came in that way.” She gestured across the room. The tunnel they’d used wasn’t visible. It was likely hidden behind some rocks.

  “Then that’s the way we go,” my mother said, taking off. She tossed over her shoulder, “It’s an advantage to come from behind. I am certain the elves have created an enchanted barrier that is protecting them while they throw their magic at the Valkyries. If we can break through that, we can give our sisters an edge.”

  My mother had effortlessly taken up her mantle as Valkyrie warrior.

  It was an amazing thing to witness. It was like she hadn’t missed a day in all these years, and there was no doubt she was a decorated member of the battle group. She effused power, and her voice held command. Her sisters would be overjoyed to be reunited with her.

  We reached the other side in no time. Behind a boulder was a small passageway. We lowered our heads and raced through, winding around a few curves until another opening came into view. My mother put her arms out to slow us as she knelt at the base. I joined her, motioning Willa to stay back.

  The scene before us was chaotic.

  We were positioned above and behind the elves. The cavern was massive, much more so than I’d imagined. My mother had been right. The elves fought with magic that sailed right through some kind of barrier. It made it impossible for the Valkyries to engage in any hand-to-hand combat. The shieldmaidens stood on the other side trying to defend themselves, rather than being on the offense.

  I counted eight shieldmaidens, along with Fen, Callan, Baldur, and Junnal. I was glad to see the Jotun was alive and well and that Baldur had escaped once again and had joined the battle.

  Fen was in his wolf form, standing at the forefront. His fur was dark and sleek, his teeth sharp, his growls ferocious.

  “What’s creating the invisible wall?” I asked. “If the Valkyries could fight, we’d be done here.” Even though there were hundreds of elves, they were small and no match for the team that had assembled, each Valkyrie fighting with a powerful weapon.

  My mother gestured down into the melee. “Do you see that shiny gold box?” It was positioned exactly in the middle of the elves, almost like they surrounded a sound system at a concert.

  “That thing that looks like a huge overstuffed chair?”

  “Yes. It’s called an enhancer, and it amplifies all the magic from the elves’ weapons, as well as creating a line the Valkyries can’t cross. The elves craft very powerful weapons with dark magic, and the enhancer makes them even more deadly. Right now, by the looks of it, I believe they are toying with the shieldmaidens and nothing more. There is no doubt Invaldi has a plan up his sleeve.”

  This was toying? Several elves shot magic out of guns, and we watched as the Valkyries were forced to take cover.

  “Will that magic kill?” I asked.

  “It could,” my mother replied. “So they can’t take the chance. That’s why no one storms this realm. There are many things of value, including priceless gemstones by the ton, but no one wants to risk dying by elf magic.”

  “Why would Invaldi toy with the Valkyries? Why not just blow us all up and be done with it?”

  “Invaldi has the right, since he didn’t grant permission for them to enter, but he knows all too well that if he kills these Valkyries, he will have to face Odin. The god will be very angry, possibly to the point of ending the elf leader’s life. Invaldi waits for them to make their move, because if they act aggressively, and he can prove it, his punishment will be less severe.”

  I surveyed the scene in front of me. “If we take out the enhancer, what happens?”

  My mother met my gaze.

  It was strange looking at someone who resembled me. I’d never experienced that before. “I do not know for sure,” she answered. “I imagine their weapons will be much diminished. And you’re right, the elves don’t relish combat. If they are overcome, they will flee.” I’d seen that firsthand. They talked a big talk, but hid behind their magic. “Since our goal is only to escape, and not loot, it might be best to take it out and cause enough pandemonium that we can slip out.”

  “How much energy would it take to blow it up?” I asked. “Can you achieve it from here?”

  My mother shook her head. “No. Valkyries don’t carry that much power within. We utilize what we have in short bursts in the best ways possible, perfect for combat. From here, the enhancer looks small, but it’s the size of two caskets end to end.”

  I thought about the toilet I’d destroyed in my cell and wondered if I could generate enough power with Gram alone. I glanced around the cavern. I always felt strongest after I fed from Yggdrasil, and I sensed it near. “Is the tree of life in this cavern?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure, but I feel its presence,” she said. “It calls to me. It’s been a long while since the elves let me feed from it. My body aches for pure sustenance.”

  I turned to address Willa. “Does Yggdrasil reside here?”

  “Not now,” she confirmed. “But many, many years ago, an arm of the tree ran through the cavern, or so I’ve been told. There’s nothing left but a dead cillar.”

  A cillar!

  I got excited. I’d traveled through a few thought-to-be-dead cillars. I had no idea why they’d opened up for me before, but they had. One took me to Muspelheim, and the other dumped Fen
and me in New York City. “Where is it?” I eagerly searched the room, but saw nothing that looked like the archway in Muspelheim.

  My mother gave me an interesting look as she moved to make way for Willa. “It seems they have amassed a large army already,” Willa commented as she looked out into the cavern. “But this is their full fighting guard. If you defeat them, there is no more army.” Her gaze wandered around the room below us. “I’ve only been inside this cavern a few times, but I think the cillar is there.” She gestured below us and to the right. “Do you see the smooth surface against the wall there?”

  “I do.” Even though it was hard to see from this angle, it looked similar to the others I had seen, but with no archway. Fen began to pace below us, his head angling to where the conveyor belt ejected, no doubt wondering where I was. We had to act fast. “Can you cover me?” I asked my mother. “If I can get down there, and the cillar opens for me, I believe I can channel power directly from the tree into my weapon. I don’t have much experience, but if it worked with Gram, it should work with Gundren. It might be enough to take out the enhancer.”

  My mother was quiet before she said, “That’s not typical behavior for a Valkyrie, though I have seen those who have successfully tapped into Yggdrasil and used the energy as you describe. It’s hard to do, and you would need a lot of it.”

  “Based on my abilities thus far, I think I can do it. Cillars have opened for me in the past, and I recently used Gram to channel energy, and it gave me enough to blow up a toilet.” She gave me a look. “I know, long story. But the important thing is it worked, and I don’t think we have any other options. As it stands, the Valkyries can’t defeat the elves, and they will eventually be picked off, injured, or worse. I have to try.”

  My mother appraised me. “I feel your strength. I know you have much in you. I’m not surprised, with Odin being your father. You are both a demigod and a Valkyrie, a very powerful being indeed. I will cover you and match your output with my own. If we discharge at the same time, we might be able to do enough damage to the enhancer.”