Shoots and Tatters

by Sara C. Roethle

  “Madeline,” she sighed softly, seeming relieved that I was now close to her, surrounded by her handmaidens. Her entire demeanor seemed to shift. Suddenly she seemed like the most kindly grandmother, trapped in a younger woman’s body. “I’m so glad you were able to come,” she whispered. Darting her gaze past us, she added, “Even if you brought one of the old gods into my realm.”

  She turned her sparkling green gaze back to me. “You have already achieved so much,” she said softly. “I knew you had the ability to regrow Yggdrasil, but to actually follow through? You were willing to sacrifice everything, and I would expect no less.”

  I wasn’t quite sure what to say to her. She was suddenly acting like I was her best friend in the world.

  “So,” I hesitated, “about why you brought me here . . . ”

  “Oh yes,” she continued. “I want you to stay here where you and your child will be safe. I will return to your world in your place and set things right.”

  I stared at her. “Why can’t you just come back to my realm with me? I mean, I’d appreciate your help, but I can’t stay here.”

  Rage washed across her expression, then was gone. It had been so brief that I almost would have questioned if I’d seen it at all. That was, if I couldn’t still sense her emotions. Her anger was like fire ants marching up my skin.

  I glanced at Mikael, wishing I could tell him what I was sensing.

  Hecate sighed. “I cannot go into that world while you are there. If we are in a single place together, the energy that fuels us is shared. I need all of my power if I am to face the old gods.”

  “So you’re saying you and I are sharing our power here?” I questioned.

  She chuckled. “No no, Madeline. This is my realm, created especially for me. You cannot best me here, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  I was thinking it, but I shook my head. “Not at all,” I lied. “I just don’t quite understand. You said you’d tell me why I was created.”

  She tilted her head. “You truly do not know, do you?”

  I wanted to yell at her in frustration, but I bit my tongue. “I have no way of knowing,” I said honestly.

  She sighed, then smiled. “Alright, I’ll explain it to you. You were created when the Morrigan perished, she was created when the World Tree was torn asunder.”

  “Um, no,” I replied. “I’m not that old.”

  She tsked at me. “Of course not. You’ve died and been reborn many times. You are only the latest incarnation of my energy. You were not created by any one individual, you simply are. Your energy must exist in the world, and so it has perpetuated.”

  “So, I was born like a normal person?” I asked.

  She chuckled. “Of course. Everyone is born, except perhaps the Morrigan. She was spontaneously created, but everyone else is born.”

  “Fancy that,” I commented. “So if I’m meant to be in the world, why would the old gods want to destroy me?”

  “The old gods do not understand you and I,” she said conspiratorially. “We are a pure part of nature. They are merely elevated humans.”

  I glanced at Mikael, who seemed to be deep in thought, not offering me any help.

  I turned back to her. “While I appreciate the information. I’m not sure how it helps my situation.”

  “I already told you,” she chided. “You will stay here where you and your child are safe. I will even permit your consort to remain with you. I will return to your realm and solve all of your problems.”

  “I’m sorry,” I replied. “I can’t do that. Too many people are depending on me.” I gestured to Mikael. “On us. We are Doyens of a clan.”

  Hecate simply smiled.

  “Step back, Madeline,” Mikael ordered, as if noticing something I hadn’t. He put a hand on my shoulder and pulled me out of Hecate’s reach.

  I suddenly noticed that it was eerily quiet behind us. I turned to find that everyone was gone, including Hecate’s handmaidens.

  “They were never with us,” Mikael hissed. “It was an illusion. They are likely back where we landed with the handmaidens.”

  “Oh no,” Hecate purred. “They followed you for a time, but were led down a different path when you crossed the first of my barriers.”

  “I don’t understand!” I cried, glancing frantically around for Alaric, and for everyone else.

  “She tricked us,” Mikael explained, tugging me further back.

  “B-but why?” I asked, directing my gaze toward Hecate. “Why negotiate for us to step forward, if no one else was even there at all?”

  Hecate chuckled. “You had to enter the second barrier of my realm willingly for my spell to work. I had to get you this far, by allowing you to think you were in control.”

  I took another step backward, and it was like I’d hit a wall. “What did you do to them?” I growled, flattening my palms against the invisible barrier.

  I felt sick and dizzy, but if this woman had done something to Alaric and the others, I would tear her heart out, goddess or no.

  “They will be returned to your realm,” she explained. “Do not fear, they are safe. You and I are friends, even if you don’t realize it now.”

  I glanced at Mikael, then back to her. “Is he real?” I asked.

  “Of course I’m real!” he replied.

  Hecate nodded. “I told you I would not deprive you of your consort. I did not lie. He will remain here, safe with you and your growing child.”

  I whipped my gaze to Mikael, eyes wide.

  He eyed me intently, silently urging me not to blow his cover.

  I took a deep breath. He was right. I wasn’t about to let her know he wasn’t my consort and have him taken away too. There was one thing I didn’t understand though. Marcos knew Alaric was the father of my child. Why had he not told Hecate? Didn’t he tell her everything?

  “Come now,” she instructed happily. “I will show you to your lodgings.”

  “I don’t think so,” I replied, backing against the invisible wall once more. We just needed to get back to Yggdrasil’s branch and we could return to our world.

  Several handmaidens appeared behind Hecate and started toward us.

  Mikael moved to my side and took my hand. “Do not fight just yet,” he whispered. “We will escape when the time is right.”

  I nodded, though I was struggling to fight back tears. I couldn’t be trapped in this realm. I needed to go home, even if it meant I had to face every single one of the old gods. Any fate was better than being trapped here.

  The handmaidens closed in around us, grabbing our arms, and guiding us forward.

  Hecate turned and walked ahead of us toward the distant white tents. I watched her narrow back and felt nothing but rage. I had a new number one enemy on my list. It could be a long list at times, but I never forgot any of the names.

  5

  Alaric lifted a hand to his head. Someone was squirming beneath him. He pushed away from the second body as his vision slowly returned. Damp sand soaked into his pants.

  “Damn it,” he cursed under his breath, looking up at the golden tree before him.

  “My sentiments exactly,” Faas muttered behind him, seeming relieved to no longer be crushed by Alaric’s weight.

  “Where the hell is Loki?” Sophie’s voice growled.

  Alaric glanced over his shoulder. A few paces behind Faas, Frode was helping Sophie stand. Loki, Madeline, and Mikael were nowhere to be seen.

  He pinched the bridge of his nose to stave off his headache, then looked back up at the tree. They’d been following behind Madeline and Mikael toward Hecate. He hadn’t liked the idea, but as long as Madeline was within sight, he would be able to rush to her rescue. Then suddenly they’d hit an invisible wall. The next thing he remembered was landing rather harshly on this blasted beach, without Madeline, as if they’d been thrown away.

  He struggled to his feet, then stumbled toward Yggdrasil, running his palms across the smooth bark. There had to be some way to go back
to Madeline. He realized now that Hecate had tricked them. She’d lured Madeline to her realm, then sent the rest of them back to theirs . . . but then, where were Mikael and Loki? Mikael might be imprisoned with Madeline, but Loki?

  He concentrated on the tree, though he knew it was futile. He did not possess the power to return to Hecate’s realm. He could only pray that Hecate did not intend to harm Madeline.

  A hand alighted on his shoulder, and he turned to see Sophie’s worried expression.

  “We were fools to ever trust Loki,” he muttered.

  She nodded. “Yes, we were, but,” she aimed her gaze upward toward Yggdrasil’s branches, “there are more gods where he came from. Gods that can bring us back to Hecate’s realm.”

  He cupped his hand over hers, yet lingering on his shoulder. “Thank you for understanding. We have to go back, no matter what it takes.”

  Sophie nodded, her hand slipping back to her side, just as Faas approached. “I don’t think Loki did this,” he explained, flicking his sand-speckled blond hair out of his face. “I think he was caught up in the illusion just like we were.”

  “So where is he?” Sophie asked.

  Faas shook his head. “Perhaps imprisoned, just like Madeline, and I assume Mikael too.”

  “But why Mikael?” Sophie questioned.

  Frode walked toward them, brushing damp sand from his jeans. Joining the group, he said, “The why is not important. What’s important is our clan is now missing both of its Doyens.”

  “That’s not important,” Alaric growled. “What’s important is getting Madeline back.”

  Frode frowned. “So summon your goddess. The two of you are descended from Bastet, are you not? Ask her to aid you.”

  “Bastet is a goddess of war,” Sophie replied. “I do not foresee her wanting to aid us.”

  Frode raised a blond eyebrow at her. “Do you want Madeline back, or not?”

  Damn it, Alaric thought. He was right. He gazed back up to the tree. It had taken Madeline to gain Loki’s attention, what would it take to call down another one of the gods? Not to mention, they didn’t even know how to deal with Hecate. She might just send them back again, godless.

  He looked to his sister. “We need to figure out what Hecate plans. We need to find Marcos.”

  “But how?” she questioned, her dark eyes wide.

  He turned to Faas. “You can track energy, can you not?”

  He nodded. “Yes, but not as well as Tallie.”

  “Marcos was at the house last night,” he explained, divulging the information that had previously been kept between him, Madeline, and Mikael.

  “And you let him escape!” Sophie exclaimed.

  Alaric glared at her. “I did not see him.” He turned back to Faas. “Do you think you can track him?”

  He nodded. “If he has remained in the area, yes.”

  Alaric looked back up to the tree, the only gateway to Marcos’ goddess. “I highly doubt he’s gone far,” he muttered, “and at this point, he is our only link to Madeline.”

  “Alaric!” a voice shouted in a strong Scandinavian accent.

  He turned to see Aila running toward them down the beach, her bright blonde ponytail streaming behind her. Soon enough she reached them and hunched over, panting heavily, not from exhaustion, he realized, but from panic.

  “What are you doing here?” he questioned.

  She straightened. “I have come in hopes Mikael would return soon. Magic is running amok. We believe the old gods have arrived, and there will be hell to pay.”

  Alaric’s eyes widened, then slid toward Sophie. The old gods returning meant only one thing to him in that moment. A way to reach Madeline.

  “This is bad,” I groaned.

  “We’re still alive, Madeline,” Mikael replied, aiming his amber eyes at me.

  I leaned back against the colorful cushions in the outdoor, harem style space . . . the harem style space surrounded by iron bars and handmaidens with spears. The roof of our outdoor cell shaded us from the dwindling sun, and thick carpets laid across the raw earth provided a surface for the ornate, colorful cushions.

  Mikael’s eyes met mine for a moment, then flicked to the handmaidens. We needed to be careful what we said.

  Hecate had left shortly after imprisoning us. I wanted to fight, but Mikael had held me at bay. At the time, I’d thought he was right. The time to escape would be after Hecate left us, but now she had, and we were in an oddly lavish prison with no way out. I still had my magic, but bursts of energy wouldn’t do much good against solid metal bars.

  I rolled my eyes back to Mikael. It was beginning to grow dark, and I really did not want to spend the night in our prison.

  “Come here,” Mikael requested, holding out his arm as he leaned back on the cushions across from me.

  I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. If he was about to flirt with me now, I was going to punch him.

  He beckoned me with his hand, his expression saying, don’t argue, just get the hell over here.

  I sighed, stood and waddled over to him, then slumped back down onto the cushions beside him.

  His arm, inches from mine, shifted minutely, drawing my attention down. There was a single thin dagger, more like a letter opener, in his hand, hidden between the cushions. They’d taken all of our other weapons, but he’d somehow smuggled it through.

  I sighed. A dagger wasn’t going to do us much good against multiple armed handmaidens. They’d easily confiscated all our other weapons.

  Mikael angled his gaze toward the barred door of our outdoor cell, and the heavy padlock keeping it closed. I could see a set of keys dangling from the belts of each of the handmaiden guards.

  Suddenly the dagger made sense. If the guard detail lowered at any point, we could probably lure one against the bars, place the blade at her throat, and steal her keys.

  Now we just had to get rid of some guards.

  “Night will come soon,” Mikael said cryptically. “It will be time for rest.”

  I nodded. It was our best bet. We’d simply have to wait for the right opportunity.

  Alaric peered out the passenger seat window as Aila drove them down the highway. In the back seat Sophie, Faas, and Frode sat in silence

  He could see flashes of color and lights in the slowly darkening woods surrounding the highway. The return of magic had clearly increased, but was it truly the old gods, or simply beings of other realms who’d discovered Yggdrasil’s newly grown branches?

  While he’d been dreading the old gods’ return, now he hoped for it. Hecate had proven herself their true enemy, and Loki himself had said he wasn’t the only god who didn’t want to destroy Madeline.

  “Has anything been on the news?” he questioned distantly, keeping his eyes on the passing trees.

  “That’s how we first realized something had changed,” Aila explained. “Alejandro and I reached the house to find everyone in a panic. Hillsboro is experiencing massive blackouts, and there have been countless car accidents whose victims are claiming they saw spectral forms in the road.”

  He clenched his fists. Could this be a result of them using the World Tree to reach Hecate, or had this increased magical . . . leakage been inevitable? Or, was this all Hecate’s doing? Had she taken Maddy away only to enter their realm herself?

  “Our first priority is still to find Marcos,” he decided. “We must learn what Hecate is planning.”

  Aila turned off the highway onto the road toward the house. “We’ll recruit a few others along with Faas and Tallie to track him, then send another group into Hillsboro to see what’s really going on.”

  He gripped his knees, unable to quiet his anxiety. Did Aila have to drive so slowly down the neighborhood road? “Yes,” he agreed. “Do what you need in Hillsboro. I must focus on Madeline.”

  Aila glanced at him as she drove, then turned her eyes back to the road. Finally, they reached the last turnoff that would lead to their long, winding driveway.

  “I hate to be t
he one to bring this up,” Sophie began from the back seat, “but what are we going to do with Marcos once we find him? He’s a powerful necromancer. He might have spent the past months gathering power. How will we make him talk?”

  They hit the driveway and started down while Alaric mulled over Sophie’s question. Madeline had been the one to keep Marcos in line before. If he was able to gather enough energy, he was a force to be reckoned with.

  “Who is that?” Aila asked, narrowing her eyes as they neared the end of the dark drive.

  Alaric looked toward the house. The headlights illuminated a woman walking around outside, glancing at her surroundings as if confused. Her long, flaxen hair glistened in the artificial light, draped over an icy lavender tunic and black pants.

  Aila parked the vehicle a few feet from the woman, who’d turned to gaze at them with pale eyes.

  “Um,” Sophie began, leaning forward in her seat to place herself between Alaric and Aila, “correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that woman dressed a bit like Loki?”

  “Another of the old gods?” Aila asked.

  Alaric threw open his door and hurried out of the car.

  The woman watched him approach, hands on hips, then looked past him to the others.

  “Ah,” the woman observed, “there you are.” She walked around Alaric as if he didn’t exist.

  He turned to see her stop in front of Aila, who blinked at her in disbelief. “Freyja?” she questioned breathily.

  Alaric stared at the woman’s back. The goddess’ back. It had to be true since she’d recognized her descendant, Aila, almost instantly.

  Faas, Sophie, and Frode kept their distance, seemingly unsure of the new goddess.

  “What are you doing here?” Aila questioned, clearly still astonished. “Have all of the gods returned?”

  Freyja snorted. “Hardly. We had all agreed to bide our time until it was clear Yggdrasil was stable, then Loki hopped down a branch when no one was looking. I’m here to find him and bring him back.”