They were almost upon us as he rolled from our hiding spot and darted behind a tree.
The first of the women reached the other side of the shrub, spotting me. “There you are,” she sighed. “You must come with us back to the sanctum where you’ll be safe.”
Still in a crouch, I stared up at her.
Without warning, Mikael leapt out behind her, kicking her in the back to knock her to the ground face down right beside me. The other two women charged into view.
As Mikael spun on them, I darted for the fallen woman’s spear, snatched it up, then pointed it at her before she could react.
“Don’t move,” I ordered, pressing the sharp spearpoint between her shoulder blade and spine, where the back of her dress draped to show bare skin, forcing her to flatten herself on her stomach.
I glanced up at Mikael as he kicked one of the women’s spears from her grasp, then nicked the other in her right arm with his dagger. He rolled out of the way as she jabbed her spear at him. He came up behind her, his arm around her neck, pressing the dagger against her throat.
“Drop your spear,” he demanded of the third woman.
She glared at him, then flicked her gaze to me.
“Do it,” I ordered, dramatically pressing the spear harder into the flesh of the handmaiden at my feet. A dab of blood emerged.
The armed woman tossed her spear aside, glaring at us both.
“Now get on the ground beside your sister,” Mikael instructed.
He glanced at me and I nodded. I’d watch over the two on the ground.
Once my prisoners were in place, my spear on one and my boot on the neck of the other, Mikael used his free hand to undo the leather belt around the woman’s waist, his dagger yet at her throat. “Hands behind your back,” he ordered.
She slipped her hands behind her back while glaring daggers at me. Mikael tossed his knife aside then grabbed both her hands before she could pull them away. She struggled as he wrapped the belt tightly around her wrists, securing it, then half-dragged, half-carried her toward the other two hostages and forced her to the ground.
My gut twisted at the feel of the women’s anger, fear, and humiliation, but we really didn’t have any choice. At least Mikael had managed to take them down without killing them. Perhaps I was the only one who’d considered the latter option.
Mikael bound my two captives with their belts.
Standing back a bit, I gazed at the three bound women, face down. “Should we tie them to a tree?” I questioned.
Mikael nodded, then undid his own belt, our only remaining tether. He lifted each of the women as he would a sack of flour, seating them with their backs against a small tree.
“You’re fools,” one of the women hissed. “When Hecate finds out what you have done to us—”
“She’ll be glad you weren’t killed,” Mikael finished for her. “Truly, you should be thanking us.”
The woman turned her glare to me, as if it was all my fault.
Mikael finished securing them, then moved to my side. “Let’s hurry. I don’t imagine it will take them too long to escape.”
I nodded. Before I could protest, he scooped me up in his arms once more and began to run.
As the trees whipped by us, I retreated deep into my thoughts. We hadn’t had the time to finish discussing our kiss, though part of me was grateful. I loved Alaric, I really did, but I could admit, if only to myself, that maybe I loved Mikael a little bit too.
8
Aila sped the truck down the highway toward the beach. Alaric clenched his fingers around his knees hard enough to turn his knuckles white. They’d spent the last few hours of the night planning, and were now prepared to face Hecate.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, he examined Tallie, Maya, and Kira in quiet anticipation. One of the communal cars shared by their clan carried Freyja, Sophie, Faas, Marcos, and Tabitha ahead of them.
Only the women, minus Sophie and Freyja, would be able to approach Hecate. She’d never met Tallie, Maya, Kira, or Tabitha, and they were the only women among the clan that Alaric trusted enough with the truth. They’d all proven themselves the last time Madeline’s life had been in danger, even if some had been traitors in the past.
Aila slowed the vehicle as they neared the turn off, then immediately parked. They’d all need to walk down the path to the tree, since they couldn’t let Hecate spot any of the men, or anyone else she might recognize. She would think the women had been found by Marcos to be her new handmaidens, prepared to once again destroy the World Tree.
When Madeline arrived, if she arrived, they’d be ready. There was really no saying how long it would take her to escape. They were simply banking on the idea that Mikael would get her out of there just a day after she’d been taken. After all, Mikael was Mikael, over a thousand years old, and he’d not yet been defeated.
Everyone silently climbed out of the vehicles, shutting the doors gently behind them.
Soon enough, they were all gathered together, taking a final moment before they split up.
“Remember what we discussed,” Alaric began, eyeing each of the large group in turn. “Delay Hecate at all costs until Madeline can arrive.”
Everyone nodded.
“I will assure her there are more handmaidens on the way,” Marcos explained. “The ritual would be difficult with so few, so she will be inclined to wait.” He glanced at Freyja. “The goddess should not get too close, lest Hecate sense her.”
Freyja glared at him, but nodded.
“And don’t worry,” Sophie added, eyeing Tallie, Kira, and Tabitha, “we’ll be nearby.” Her comforting words did not seem to encompass Aila, who didn’t know what fear was, or Maya, with whom Sophie still had a strained relationship.
A few others muttered comforting words, then they dispersed. Alaric watched as Maya, Tabitha, Kira, Tallie, and Aila followed Marcos down the path that would eventually lead them to Yggdrasil.
Freyja moved to Alaric’s side and crossed her arms. “I hope the necromancer is trustworthy, for your sake.”
“He’s not,” Alaric replied, “but Madeline has put her trust in him on many occasions. She would tell me to trust him now, and so I shall.”
Freyja smirked, but did not comment further. Truly, he was just as worried about trusting the goddess standing at his side as he was anyone else.
I waddled alongside Mikael, deep in thought. After leaving the three handmaidens far behind, we’d slowed our pace to assess our plan. No mention of the kiss was made, which was fine by me. No way was I prepared for that conversation.
“Yggdrasil’s branch should not be far now,” Mikael muttered, slowly creeping forward as he surveyed the tropical trees around us.
“I can feel it,” I replied. Stepping lightly, I pushed a strand of my long hair behind my ear. I really didn’t want to encounter any more of the handmaidens before we reached the branch. We might not be as lucky as we’d been the first time.
Mikael glanced at me as he continued walking, his stride shorter than it would be without me. “Good. Hopefully you’ll have no trouble attuning yourself with its energy.”
I nodded, though I wasn’t as confident as he seemed to be. I’d only done it once, after all, and I had a feeling once we reached the branch, I wouldn’t be able to take my time. We’d have one shot at it before we were captured again.
Mikael held out an arm to stop my forward momentum.
I froze, then in the sudden silence heard what had halted him. Female voices, not far off.
“They must be guarding the branch,” he whispered.
I nodded, having expected no less. “So what do we do?” I hissed.
He leaned near me, and my heart skipped a beat at his closeness. I gritted my teeth, angry with myself, and also angry with Mikael for opening such an uncomfortable can of worms.
Seeming to not sense the added tension, Mikael whispered, “I’ll lure them away, then I’ll try to loop back around and hop a ride with you when you’re ready.
”
I whipped my worried gaze toward him, my earlier thoughts suddenly forgotten. “What if I jump the gun and get sucked in before you return?”
“Don’t,” was his only reply before he took off at a jog.
A moment later, shouts erupted ahead of me, and I could hear the thud of footsteps as the women began to chase Mikael.
“Shit,” I muttered, waiting a few seconds before trotting forward as gracefully as I could manage.
The clearing where we’d first landed in Hecate’s realm came into view, along with two remaining handmaidens guarding a glittering gold branch reaching down from the sky.
“Double shit,” I muttered, skidding to a halt before crouching to observe the two women. I should have guessed not all would run off after Mikael. Both women held spears at the ready. There was no way I was going to be able to fight them. I didn’t have enough energy left.
My gaze whipped up as something across the clearing rustled in the bushes. I held my breath as my gaze flicked back to the two women, who’d noticed the rustling. Glancing at each other, they moved to investigate. I wasn’t sure what was in the bush, but it was the best opportunity I was going to get. I’d just have to hope Mikael circled back around soon.
As the women approached the still rustling bush, I emerged from hiding and crept up behind them. My heart thudded in my throat with every step. All it would take was one of them glancing over their shoulder and they’d have me.
The bush continued to rustle though, providing me with a better distraction than I’d hoped for.
I continued my slow advance, my eyes trained on the women. I jumped as a hand darted out from beneath the rustling bush, grabbing one of the women’s ankles and pulling it out from under her. She landed on the black soil with a thud as her partner jabbed her spear into the bush. The hand let go of the first women’s ankle to grab the spear, then started tugging it away from its owner.
Wildly curious, but running out of time, I hurried across the final small expanse and placed my palms against the dangling golden branch. Just like before, the energy felt familiar to me. It was easy to attune myself. Now I just had to be careful not to jump through too soon.
“Hey!” a new handmaiden shouted, running full speed into the clearing at my back. She barreled toward me as the woman fighting what was in the bush looked to the commotion. Sighting me, she grunted in outrage, then hurried toward me, spearless.
I froze, unsure what to do. I needed to be in contact with the branch the moment Mikael arrived.
Slowing their pace with cautious expressions on their faces, the women closed in around me.
“Do not go,” one pleaded. “You will not be safe in your realm.”
“Mikael!” I called out, unwilling to remove my hands from the branch. I was pretty sure I could get us out of there quickly at this point, though I might accidentally pull a few of the handmaidens along for the ride.
One of the women reached out to grab my arm, then turned as Mikael came charging toward us, trailing a whole herd of women in white dresses.
“Now!” he shouted.
I closed my eyes and focused on the most familiar energy I could think of, Alaric.
“Loki!” one of the handmaidens shrieked.
My eyes shot open and darted to the side as Loki pounced out of the rustling bush. He and Mikael reached me at the same time, then the tree swept us up, sending us plummeting toward earth.
I had a moment of silent weightlessness, then my butt thunked onto the sand with Mikael and Loki on either side of me. Several of the handmaidens plunked down around us, then gazed around in horror at the hazy beach.
“What are you doing here!” a woman shouted.
I turned to see Hecate charging toward us, dressed similar to her handmaidens, but with accents of gold at her waist and shoulders. Her auburn hair whipped about in the cool ocean breeze.
My confusion grew as I glanced behind her to see Aila, Tallie, Maya, Tabitha, Kira, and . . . Marcos? What the hell was going on?
Loki and Mikael each took one of my arms as they stood, hauling me to my feet.
“Ah,” Loki mused, flexing his hands as he stepped away from me, “it feels good to be at full power again.”
“I thought you left us,” I accused.
He rolled his eyes. “I waited near that branch for an entire night for you to show up.”
“Silence!” Hecate shouted upon reaching us. She paused as she glanced at Loki, shook her head, then took a step toward me. “Go back immediately, Madeline. You are not safe here.”
The four handmaidens who’d come through the tree with us huddled behind Hecate, flicking sand from their long dresses.
“The only thing I’m not safe from is you!” I growled, ignoring the nervous looks from Tallie, Tabitha, and Kira, while Maya and Aila stood stoic behind them. “You imprisoned me against my will!”
Hecate sneered, then took another step toward me, but was intercepted by Loki.
“Old god,” she hissed. “How did you elude me? You should have been powerless in my realm.”
Loki shrugged. “Powerless, but not stupid. You should know better than to employ illusions against a trickster god.”
Mikael touched my arm, drawing my attention away from the godly standoff to small forms approaching us from further down the beach.
Hecate whipped her gaze toward them. “Freyja?” she muttered in disbelief. She turned around to glare daggers at Marcos. “Have you betrayed me?” she hissed.
He tilted his head to the side. “I never did enjoy having your voice in my mind.”
“What would you have us do?” one of he handmaidens asked of Hecate.
“Take my hands,” Hecate muttered, then gestured for the other women in my group to join them.
The handmaidens each clung to her, but the others just stared.
“False followers sent to delay me?” Hecate sighed, glaring at Marcos.
My friends crossed their arms smugly as the forms on the beach neared. I picked Alaric out amongst the group and nearly tipped over in relief that he was alive and well.
I looked back to Hecate. I still wasn’t quite sure what had been planned while I was away, but it seemed the Vaettir had set a trap for her. She glared at me with her fierce green eyes.
“It’s over now,” I said evenly. “Either go back to your realm willingly, or we’ll force you there.”
“I don’t think so,” Hecate sneered just as the others reached us.
I felt a wave of power, then Hecate and the handmaidens disappeared.
I blinked at the now empty space in disbelief, then turned to Loki. “Did you know she could do that?”
He shook his head. “Not in this realm. She shouldn’t have such power.”
I turned away from him as those speeding down the beach finally neared us. Alaric, Sophie, and Faas, as well as an extra woman I’d never seen before.
“Ah hell,” Loki muttered. “She found me.”
“Friend of yours?” I asked.
“Fellow Norse deity,” he scowled.
I turned away from Loki as Alaric reached us slightly ahead of the others. He swept me up in a hug, nearly crushing me.
“I was only gone one night!” I laughed as he pulled away, leaving his hands at my waist.
“Which could have turned into an eternity,” he explained. “Hecate planned on destroying the tree, trapping you in her realm forever.”
It felt for a moment like my stomach had fallen to my feet. I took a deep, shuddering breath. “I had no idea. I knew she wanted to screw over the old gods, but I didn’t realize just how far she’d go.”
“Not to interrupt,” Faas said as he stepped forward, “but with both Hecate and Madeline in this realm, does that mean that the flow of magic is going to get worse?”
The flaxen-haired woman beside him nodded. “I believe so. It stemmed off temporarily when Hecate entered this realm without Madeline, but now that they both are here, things might become . . . chaotic.”
I’d been focused on Faas and the woman, so I didn’t notice right away that Loki had been slowly slinking off toward the trees.
“Not so fast!” the woman snapped, whipping her gaze to him.
He froze.
She stalked across the sand toward him. “What were you thinking, taking Madeline to Hecate’s realm? Do you realize the trouble you’ve caused?”
Alaric put his arm around my waist and gave me a squeeze. “Freyja found us shortly after we were sent back,” he whispered in my ear. “She believes you exist to keep balance in this world, and does not wish to destroy you.”
I turned wide eyes up to him, then toward the flaxen-haired woman. First Loki, now Freyja? I had to admit, having them both on our side was a sudden, strange relief.
“And you all came here to kill Hecate?” I whispered.
He nodded. “We’d hoped to ambush her as soon as you arrived, since your energy would weaken her, but we’d thought Loki had abandoned us. No one expected him to journey back with you.”
I sighed. There was so much going on, but my stomach was twisting in knots for other reasons. “Alaric, I—” I began, but Freyja had turned away from Loki to approach us.
“We must formulate a new plan,” she explained as Loki slunk up behind her. “Both of us,” she gestured to him, “will see it through to the end. We need to stem the flow of magic before worse things come through the trunk.”
Alaric took my hand, then explained, “It seems having both you and Hecate here throws off the balance in this realm, allowing magics to leak through Yggdrasil’s branches to its trunk. The same occurred when you were both in Hecate’s realm. Too much or too little of your energy leaves a vacuum. This is the reason you belong here, and Hecate does not. Your energy has been reborn here countless times.”
I blearily took it all in as everyone gathered around us.
Aila shook her head, tossing her blonde ponytail from side to side. “What will we do now? Can we leave the tree unguarded?”
Marcos nodded. “Now that Madeline has returned, Hecate cannot risk destroying the tree, lest she be sucked back into her realm. Her only option now is to eliminate Madeline’s energy.”
Shoots and Tatters Page 8