Shoots and Tatters

by Sara C. Roethle

  Was he serious? He gave me permission to go back and stop Hecate, and Loki took me to Hecate’s realm. I had permission for all of it…except maybe regrowing Yggdrasil.

  “You know I did those things,” I stated boldly, smoothing the skirt of my lilac gown over my legs, “and you also know what little I did without permission, I had no choice in.”

  The murmurs began anew. Odin slammed his palm down on the podium. The noise echoed across the large room, immediately cutting off all conversation.

  “Since you will not debate you crimes,” he said smugly, “we shall vote on your punishment.”

  I shook my head. These trials moved so fast it was jarring. They weren’t really trials at all. Anyone who sat before the podium had already been deemed guilty. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t debate them!” I blurted. “I said I had permission for most of them! Loki took me to Hecate’s realm, and you told me I had one day to go back in time and stop Hecate from using the well, which I did.”

  “Yes,” Odin agreed blandly. “Then you brought even more mortals into our realm when you returned.”

  “Enough of this,” Loki’s voice sounded from behind me, closer than where he’d been sitting.

  I turned to see he had vacated his seat to approach us.

  He didn’t stop until he reached my side and glared up at Odin. “Just tell Madeline what you want from her so we can all get on with our lives.”

  Odin’s eye glittered with mischief, and I knew I wouldn’t like whatever he was about to stay.

  “As you wish,” he replied. “I am reluctant to sever our hold on Midgard now that Hecate has been dealt with, but the land will soon be in utter ruin. Though the well remains unactivated, magics will still be drawn toward it. It’s only a matter of time before things get even worse.”

  Thinking of my world, I bit my lip. All of those Hecate had killed, the wild magics we’d seen in the woods…it was only the beginning as long as Yggdrasil stood.

  “You truly cannot expect her to do anything about it,” Loki gestured down to me.

  Odin tilted his head to the side. “She is the reason it has happened, therefore she must clean up her mess.”

  “What?” I gasped, shaking my head in disbelief. I’d seen the wild magics in the woods, and felt the well’s power. “How do you expect me to clean it up?”

  The room was eerily silent. I could feel the crowd’s eagerness and excitement as they waited to hear Odin’s final ruling.

  “You have two choice’s,” he began. “We can put your fate to a vote, a vote which will likely end in your death, or you and I can strike a deal.”

  I glanced to Loki. Would the gods really all vote for my death? I supposed in their eyes, maybe I wasn’t much different from Hecate.

  “Let her hear your deal,” Loki suggested, “then let her decide.”

  Odin inclined his head. “Very well,” he turned his eye to me, “I will offer you one year in which you and your child will reside in our realm. You will be allowed to venture forth with your companions to fix your realm, but your child will remain here to ensure your return.”

  Suddenly all thoughts of my own survival went out of my head. “I will not leave my child here.”

  He raised the brow above his eyeless socket. “You would rather take her into your realm, where chaos reigns?”

  I opened my mouth, then shut it when no words came out. What could I say? Would Erykah truly be safer here?

  “If I’m to agree to your deal,” I began hesitantly, “it will only be on the condition that some of my people may remain here to care for her when I cannot, and that I will be allowed to return to her every night.”

  Odin narrowed his one good eye. “So be it. You may choose five companions total to either travel back and forth with you, or stay with the child. You will have one year to save your realm, and if you fail, your child will remain here forever.”

  My jaw dropped as my stomach plummeted. “What are you, the Goblin King? I will not give you my child.”

  “You will have no choice,” he countered. “You can choose to let the council decide your fate, which I guarantee you, will be death. If you die today, your child will remain here. Or, you can choose to take one year to save your realm. If you succeed, you, your child, and all of your companions may live out your days peacefully in Midgard.”

  I looked to Loki again, who shrugged. “I’d take the year. At least that way you’ll stand a chance.”

  My heart fluttered in my chest like a caged hummingbird. One Year. A lot could happen in a year. If I couldn’t save my realm, it would at least give me time to figure out how to escape Odin, and in the meantime, Erykah would be safe from the wild magics in my world.

  “Deal,” I breathed, though it felt like my heart was tearing in two. “I’ll take the year to save my realm.”

  Odin’s smile turned the blood in my veins to ice. I’d given him exactly what he wanted. I’d had no choice. The only question now was, why did he want it? Why did he want my child?

  Mikael fumed like an angry storm at my side as we made our way down the hall back toward the room where Alaric, Sophie, and Faas waited with Erykah.

  “We have to escape,” he growled. “We can run away to our realm and destroy Yggdrasil.”

  “That is unwise,” Loki replied calmly from my other side. “There are other ways, ways long ago forbidden, to travel between the realms. I have no doubt Odin will break our laws to use them. He will find you.”

  I could barely focus on their words. All that mattered were my feet moving me forward, slower than I wished as I was still sore from childbirth despite Sif’s remedies. My arms yearned to hold my baby to the point where I felt ill. How was I supposed to leave her in this realm every day to go back to my reality without her? Alaric and Sophie wouldn’t like it, but I planned on asking them to stay behind with her while I tried to contain the magics in our realm, maybe Faas and Aila too. Mikael would need to stay in our realm to watch over our clan with me having to go back and forth.

  Mikael and Loki both fell silent as we reached the door.

  I gripped the handle, flung the door open, then rushed inside, my heart in my throat. I had no reason to believe something had happened while I was away, but I couldn’t help my worry. I didn’t feel safe here, not when the gods could easily decide that none of us should exist.

  My shoulders slumped in relief to find Alaric and Sophie sitting side by side on the chaise with their matching black hair and clothing, fawning over Erykah, swaddled in white. They both looked up at me, smiles on their faces.

  “What happened?” Alaric asked, his smile faltering.

  I shook my head, unsure of where to begin. Fortunately, Mikael stepped in.

  “We have one year to fix the magic leak in our realm,” he explained. “We will all live here, venturing into our realm each day to work on remedying the problem.”

  I’d started toward Alaric to take Erykah from him, but Mikael’s words gave me pause. I turned toward him. “We can’t all live here. What about our clan? I assumed you’d be returning to watch over them, especially with the threat of wild magics on the loose.”

  He scoffed, a hint of panic in his amber eyes. “I cannot just leave you and Erykah here unprotected, Madeline.”

  Alaric got to his feet beside me, a slumbering Erykah still in his arms. “I’d say she won’t be unprotected, but I’d really like to know what the hell is going on first. How are we supposed to stop the flow of magic into our realm? Why are we supposed to stop the flow of magic into our realm?”

  I bit my lip as I turned to him. “I’m supposed to stop it, and Erykah has to stay here while I do. I want you and Sophie to stay with her. I’ll be able to return each night, but during the day…” I shook my head. “I cannot stand the thought of leaving her with anyone else.”

  “Why do you have to leave her at all?” Sophie demanded, moving to stand beside Alaric. “I don’t understand. Isn’t everything supposed to be over now? We need to return to our n
ormal lives.”

  Faas entered the room, a tray of food in his hands. Instantly sensing the vibe, he asked, “What’s going on?”

  Loki, who’d been waiting quietly by the door, stepped forward. “I believe I can explain.”

  We all turned to him.

  “Odin wants your child,” he stated. “I do not know why, but I intend to find out. In the meantime, you must all play along with the deal he has offered Madeline. You must all play along with everything Odin says, while I try to figure out his agenda.”

  Erykah woke up in Alaric’s arms and began to sniffle. I was dying to take her, but we had to clear one thing up first.

  “Why?” I asked. “Why are you so willing to help us?”

  Loki’s face was uncharacteristically serious as he replied, “Because I had children once too, and Odin did not do them any favors.”

  I was stunned as Alaric handed Erykah to me, then wrapped us both in his arms. He kissed the top of my head, but did not speak.

  “I will leave you alone to process,” Loki continued, still oddly morose. “Tomorrow we will begin to discuss our plan for remedying the magic leak in your world.”

  “You’re going to help us with that too?” I blurted as he reached for the door.

  He smirked. “Venture about with a glowing death ball and a thousand year old Viking intent on corralling age old magics and shoving them back up the World Tree? I wouldn’t miss it.”

  I took a shaky breath. “Do you really think it can be done?”

  He laughed. “I’ve learned to not question the possibilities where you’re involved.”

  I smiled hesitantly, then looked down at Erykah. Maybe we did actually stand a chance. Maybe we could return things to normal and escape to our realm when our year was up. I would give it my all, but if it seemed like I was going to fail, or like Odin wasn’t going to keep his end of the bargain, well he’d have a hell of a time finding Erykah after I spirited her away to Midgard, or perhaps some other realm beyond.

  I remained wrapped in Alaric’s arms as Loki exited the room. Faas set his tray of food down on the small table next to the chaise, then faced us.

  “I’m sorry,” he began, “but you’re going to have to explain this all to me again. Don’t tell me I’m going to be staying here to play nanny for a year.”

  “And don’t tell me I’m supposed to wait here while you return to our realm and endanger yourself,” Alaric added.

  I looked down at Erykah in my arms. I was still nervous, but underneath that was quiet determination. Odin would not win, no matter what.

  “What do you think?” I crooned, gazing at Erykah’s plump face. “Should you tell them, or should I?”

  Alaric sighed. “Please Madeline, this is serious.”

  I nodded, still looking down at my baby. “I know.” I glanced between Faas and Sophie. “Could you guys give us a minute?”

  Sophie scowled. “Fine, but I want a real explanation at some point too.” She strode past me, grabbed Faas by the sleeve, then tugged him out of the room, closing the door behind them.

  I sat on the chaise, cradling Erykah. “Hecate was sentenced to live out her life in a cell as a mortal,” I said as Alaric sat beside me.

  “What does that have to do with you being tasked to fix our realm?” he asked softly.

  I shook my head. “There was no way I could get out of it. It was that, or the gods would have voted to kill me. At least this way, we stand a chance.”

  He gently stroked Erykah’s dark hair. “And she must remain here?”

  I nodded. “For now, at least until I figure something else out. And I need you to stay here with her. It’s the only way I’ll be able to bring myself to leave her.”

  He put his arms around me and kissed my cheek. “I’ll stay, but I don’t like you going up against wild magics.”

  I leaned into him. “I’ve faced immortals and necromancers, and I’ve even been possessed on more than one occasion, but none of it scared me as much as this. Not because of what I’ll face, but because of what I stand to lose. I don’t trust Odin.”

  “Nor do I,” he replied, “but I trust you. It pains me to have to leave such a burden on your shoulders, but I will stay and protect our daughter, because I trust you to protect us all.”

  I turned into him, bringing my legs up as I held our daughter to my chest. He rocked us both gently, and I gave in to the moment. I gave into the feeling of being a mother with my wonderful partner by my side.

  Tomorrow I’d worry about being a warrior. Today I’d just worry about being a mom. Or, I thought as my heart welled with fierce protectiveness, perhaps they were the same thing.

  Epilogue

  I walked down the silent hall in a burgundy tunic and soft black pants Freyja lent me, my boots clicking on the marble tiles. At least when I went home, I could retrieve some of my own clothes. Mikael had ventured back once to explain to Aila and the rest of the clan what was happening, but had come back empty handed, rushed and anxious to see Erykah.

  One week had passed since I’d made my deal with Odin. It felt impossible to leave Erykah, but I needed to start my task. With so much to do, the year would go by quickly. In the morning Mikael and I would venture through the World Tree branch to Midgard. We’d begin our quest to contain the magics there, then would bring someone back with us, hopefully Tallie if she agreed, to help the others with Erykah.

  I reached the end of the hall and turned, following the directions Freyja had given me. I wasn’t sure why I felt compelled to visit Hecate in her cell, but something told me I needed to speak with her before I left. Perhaps it was just for closure, or perhaps to apologize. She may have deserved what she got, but she was still an ancient goddess. Her punishment seemed somehow wrong, even though I’d technically been the one to suggest it.

  I reached the end of another hall and came upon two guards dressed in muted gray coats with brass buttons. Both appeared around my age, one with dark hair, and one red. Behind them was an iron-barred door. They both looked me up and down, then nodded.

  “Goddess Freyja said to escort you inside,” the dark-haired one said.

  I stepped back as I realized he was the same guard I’d escaped that day after throwing porridge on Sif.

  “No icy glasses of water today?” he asked with a smirk, his dark eyes glittering with good humor.

  “Sorry about that,” I muttered. “I was in a bit of a hurry to escape.”

  He chuckled as the other guard turned and unlocked the iron door, then held it open for us.

  The dark-haired guard offered his arm to me. “I’m Morgan, by the way. I’m told you’ll be staying with us for a while.”

  I slowly took his arm, wondering if he was secretly plotting revenge. “For a year,” I replied, “though not by choice.”

  He nodded as he escorted me through the doorway. We entered a torch-lined corridor with large prison cells along one side.

  “Few of us choose to live in Asgard,” he explained, “but we must do as the gods decree.”

  “So you’re not a god?” I asked curiously, peering into each of the cells as we passed. A few held prisoners, but most were empty.

  “Not even close,” he replied with a laugh. “I hail from a realm not terribly different from Midgard. It was a small, rugged land, but I will always think of it as my home.”

  We reached another iron door, which he unlocked with a key from his belt.

  “How did you end up here?” I asked without thinking, then added, “If you don’t mind me asking.”

  “It’s quite alright,” he answered, “I’ve been gone from my realm long enough for the loss to no longer sting. I actually ended up here in much the same way as you.”

  I stopped walking down the seemingly endless hall of cells to blink up at him.

  The corner of his lip quirked up in a smile. “No, I didn’t bargain for a year to save my realm, but I did make a deal with one of the lesser gods. My wife was sick, and I pledged five hundred years of servitu
de for her to live.”

  “Five hundred years?” I questioned. “Are you immortal?”

  He shrugged. “For now, I suppose. When my term is over I will be allowed to die, knowing my wife lived a long life with our children.”

  Well, that was sad. I shook my head. “But how were you able to make a deal with the gods without Yggdrasil to bridge the gap between worlds?”

  “There’s more than one way to travel between worlds,” he said cryptically. We reached another door which he unlocked, then gestured for me to walk in ahead of him. “Take as long as you need. I’ll be waiting right out here.”

  I stepped inside the torchlit space and the door soon shut behind me. This corridor only had one cell, with one occupant.

  “I’m surprised you’ve come to see me,” Hecate muttered.

  Her cell was sparse, with only a lumpy looking bed, a small basin of water, and a chamberpot. She sat on the bed, slouching so that her auburn hair covered most of her face. Her white gown had been exchanged for a shapeless black tunic and loose pants. She had been my enemy, and still was, but it hurt my heart in some odd way to see her in such disgrace.

  “I’m surprised too,” I admitted. “I hadn’t planned on it.”

  She pushed her hair out of her face as she looked up at me. “What do you want, Madeline? You have claimed my place on earth as your own. What could you possibly want from me now?”

  “Odin has given me one year to clean up your mess,” I explained. “I have to send all of the wild magics back from whence they came, or he will try to keep my child.”

  She let out a bitter laugh. “How poetic. You spurned my offer, an offer that would have seen you and your child safe forever, and instead put your faith in Odin. How does it feel to be screwed over by the gods? Not pleasant, is it?”

  I scowled at her. “I shouldn’t have come. I leave you to your eternity in a cell.”

  I began to reach for the door, then stopped as she snorted. “Not an eternity. You wanted me to be made human, remember? I’ll probably die of pneumonia before terribly long.”