Fragments of your Soul (The Mirror Worlds Book 1)

by Erbsland, E. S.

  “It made sense,” said Loke.

  Hel laughed. “This answer is very much like you,” she said. “But you’re right. It’s never wrong to marry a soul mate.” She stepped back from the table. “May your days together be numerous and full of successes.”

  As soon as she was gone, a small group of people approached, all of them dressed in brown from head to toe. Desrei and Mardun were among them, too. They bowed deeply, then Mardun rose to speak.

  “We want to convey our congratulations on behalf of all of Sölunnir’s servants. We didn’t want to bother you with the presence of all of us, my lord, my lady, that’s why I was chosen to speak for all of us.” He tugged at Desrei’s sleeve, and she hastily stepped forward and put something down on the table in front of them. Arvid saw that it was a long chain of small beads in all sorts of colors.

  “Our gift,” Mardun said. “It’s not valuable, but we didn’t want to come empty-handed. Each bead of this chain stands for the gratitude and loyalty of one of us.” He stepped back from the table and bowed again.

  “Thank you so much,” said Arvid, touched. She let the chain slide through her fingers. She saw that the beads were made of different materials. A few looked like glass; many were made of clay or wood. Arvid glanced at Loke, who looked at the extraordinary gift with an indefinable expression.

  “Please express our thanks to everyone,” Arvid said to Mardun. “It’s a wonderful gift.”

  He smiled sheepishly and nodded, and Desrei and the others looked happy when they bowed and retreated again.

  “Would it be rude if I wore this necklace?” Arvid asked Loke.

  “Of course it would,” he replied. “About as rude as inviting all servants to this celebration. But I see that your efforts bear fruit. Every single servant in Sölunnir is at your feet.”

  “I didn’t invite them to buy their loyalty!”

  “No?” Loke asked mockingly. “Then why?”

  “They are people like me! They have few rights. Many giants treat them badly, although they quite naturally and diligently do their job every day. Don’t you think that should be honored somehow?”

  “No. It’s their job to do that. Their only job. Do you also want to thank the trees because they bear nuts?”

  “That’s hardly the same thing!” Arvid objected angrily. “Do you want to compare a human to a tree?”

  Loke’s face darkened, but instead of saying something, he reached for his cup and took a sip of wine. “I really appreciate our arguments,” he said then, “but I think we should move this one to later.”

  Although Arvid was angry, she had to agree with him. She refrained from any further comment and took a big gulp of wine herself.

  A little later Loke’s brothers turned up, but while Helblindi and his wife disappeared right back into the crowd, Byleist unceremoniously sat down at their table.

  “Has mother been here?” he asked, shooed a servant away and poured himself wine.

  “No,” Loke said. “She will take her time. Perhaps till tomorrow morning.”

  “Who knows. After all the marriage isn’t officially completed before tomorrow.”

  “As long as she appears for signing the letters I don’t care.”

  Byleist nodded, took a sip of wine and looked at Arvid. “You did well during the ceremony. Not that I ever tried, but… a demon has ripped open my arm once.” He pulled up his sleeve and showed Arvid his arm, which was covered with a huge scar. “I imagine it to be a bit like that.”

  Arvid grimaced, but Loke just snorted contemptuously. “You have no idea, Byleist. Why don’t we just find you a woman?”

  Byleist guffawed. “You would like that, wouldn’t you?” he said, then turned to Arvid and winked. “Loke would secretly swap the rock flour with salt, just to get back at me.”

  “Thank you for this wonderful idea,” Loke said.

  Although Arvid’s mood had just been anything but good, she now chuckled.

  “I’m not going to get married anytime soon anyway,” Byleist said.

  “Aren’t you as Isvirndjellen’s heir obliged to marry?” said Arvid.

  “Eventually. This must be well considered. A woman from Utstern… Maybe one day even a connection with Borkh might be possible, but at the moment the situation is too tense. Every little thing could provoke a conflict.”

  “That’s the official reason,” Loke said with a sidelong glance at his brother. “In fact, he just enjoys bedding a new woman every week.”

  Arvid stared at him, dumbfounded, but Byleist just laughed and shook his head. “Rude as always. I hope he is a bit more considerate toward you.”

  Arvid forced a smile. “It happens… Sometimes he’s very nice.”

  “Really?” asked Byleist, amused. “Then you know a side of him that I never get to see.”

  “You don’t deserve to,” growled Loke. “When have you ever spoken well of me?”

  “I guess that’s because there’s nothing good to say about you.”

  “No?” Loke asked with raised eyebrows. “And thanks to who are you heir to the throne today?”

  Byleist waved. “That was all part of your big plan.”

  “What kind of plan?” asked Arvid.

  “To cast doom and destruction over the world, of course,” replied Byleist. “If we are to believe the oracle.”

  Loke’s face showed the hint of a smile. Arvid looked puzzled between the two of them. “The Oracle of the North?”

  “Oh yes,” Byleist said, “this is what it prophesied Loke back then. One day he would bring the downfall of this world. This woman is not in her right mind.”

  This prediction sounded absurd indeed. Loke might be the god of chaos, but why would he even have the slightest interest in destroying his own homeworld?

  “Hmm,” Arvid said. “It also made a very strange prophecy about me.”

  Byleist nodded. “Of course we’ve all heard about that.”

  “It’s not unthinkable,” Loke said, “just very vague.”

  “Vague?” asked Byleist. “The oracle said that Arvid will be responsible for a crucial event in the conflict between humans and demons. This is anything but vague. It had not made such a clearly understandable prophecy in two centuries.”

  “But it’s not said when this event will occur, or exactly what it will look like,” said Loke. “It could happen tomorrow or in hundreds of years.”

  “Or not at all,” Arvid said. She still thought this prophecy to be absolute nonsense.

  “Or not at all,” said Loke. He sipped his wine and looked at her with his gray eyes. Arvid felt a pleasant tingling in her belly. Loke was so beautiful. She would have given anything to kiss him again right now.

  Shortly after Helblindi came back, now without his wife, and sat down with them. He was unlike Byleist, prudent, almost silent, not easy to cheer, but obviously a good and interested listener. Byleist told of the new caves that were being created at the moment. They were located quite a bit higher and were colder and more secure.

  During the evening it became increasingly difficult for Arvid to concentrate on what was being said. Understanding Old Jördish in detail still required lots of attention and concentration, and as she didn’t really understand much of the subject, her interest was limited. The fact that she almost constantly sipped wine made it no easier.

  The cuts on her arm still hurt terribly, burned and itched. Again and again she had to suppress the urge to knead or scratch her bandaged arm. She knew that this would only aggravate the wound.

  “Loke, you should take care of your wife,” said Helblindi somewhat reproachfully. The conversation ceased. Three pairs of gray giant eyes turned to Arvid. She started and forced a smile, although she didn’t really feel like it. She felt exhausted.

  “I’m fine
,” she hastened to assure them, but now the old Njorkma had stood up and approached.

  “Let me see.” He looked her in the face carefully. Then he took her bandaged arm, looked at it from all sides and then cautiously ran two fingers over it. Just this fleeting touch made Arvid wince in pain. She saw that the fabric had dark spots on one side.

  “Is that normal?” said Loke.

  The Njorkma nodded. “It’s not unusual,” he said. “She’s a human.”

  “Still, it’s time,” said the Njema and rose also. “It’s better if we wait no longer.”

  “Then we don’t want to keep you up,” Byleist said cheerfully, patting Loke on the shoulder. “We’ll make sure the guests have fun without you.”

  “I’m sure of that,” said Loke. “You make an excellent jester.”

  The Njema had taken the white cloth off the wall. Arvid started to feel uncomfortable again. What would happen now? Loke had said that the white cloth was part of the ritual. Although Arvid tried to convince herself that the worst part already had to be over, she had great fear of another painful procedure.

  The Njorkma and the Njema led them along a long corridor. At the end, they stepped through a narrow door and into a magnificent living room. There were tapestries and furs, a small table and several large wooden chests. In the back of the room was a kind of niche in which Arvid saw a richly decorated bed with skins and blankets.

  To her relief, it turned out only the bandages should be changed. The sight of the red, gaping wounds underneath was hideous. Although Arvid was unable to take more than a quick look, she could see that not only cuts had been made, but narrow strips of skin had been removed.

  The wounds were superficially cleaned, covered with dark red leaves and then tightly bandaged. The cuts began to throb and burn again, but this time it was easier to endure the pain.

  “Thanks,” Arvid said, as the Njema rose to clear away the dishes and old bandages. She paused and smiled at Arvid. “You need not thank me,” she said. “I’m honored.”

  Before she and the Njorkma turned to leave, they brought the white cloth and handed it Loke with a bow.

  “At the fortieth hour we return,” said the Njorkma, “then the last part of the ritual must be completed.”

  Loke nodded. The two giants bowed their heads and then left the room.

  Suddenly there was silence. It was the first time since the beginning of the ceremony that Arvid was alone with Loke, and it felt strange. She knew Loke. She had often been alone with him. Why was it suddenly so different?

  “What about… the cloth?” Arvid asked hesitantly.

  Loke turned and looked at her thoughtfully. “It belongs to the last part of the ritual,” he said. “It becomes the key, the element that finally closes and seals the band of life.”

  “But what… what is the last part of the ritual?”

  “It’s easier if I show you,” Loke said. He walked over to the alcove with the bed, unfolded the white cloth and spread it across the skins. Some of the fine soul gem granules dissolved and floated glittering through the air. Arvid stepped closer, watching as Loke smoothed out the cloth at the corners.

  Finally, he straightened up and turned to Arvid. Without comment he undid the buttons of her coat and finally removed it entirely. He untied the straps of her robe and pulled it off while watching Arvid attentively. She suddenly realized that he wouldn’t stop at this point. He continued to undress her, piece by piece, until the bandage around Arvid’s arm was the only piece of fabric that still covered her body. The ground beneath her bare feet was uncomfortably cold, and the hairs on her skin slowly began raise.

  Arvid’s heart was in her throat as Loke carefully looked at her and finally reached out to touch her. “You’re beautiful,” he said earnestly, his fingers leaving a cold, tingling track on her shoulder and her arm. He closed his hand around hers and pulled her to the bed, where he grasped her with one arm and gently laid her down on the white cloth in the middle of the skins.

  Arvid gasped when Loke sat up and began to get rid of his own relatively light clothing. She watched the thin, smooth fabric of the robes slipping from his body, wiry and slender, yet marked by tight muscles. He pulled off his boots, then his trousers, and was soon as naked as Arvid.

  She looked at him and was overwhelmed by his strange beauty, the gray shimmering skin and his dark eyes. At the same time she was so nervous that she even forgot the burning pain in her arm.

  “What… are you planning to do?”

  “Isn’t that obvious?”

  “You mean we should… you want…?”

  “It’s part of every marriage,” Loke said, “even if it is closed for logical considerations. It’s not valid before the partners have physically become one. That’s what the white cloth is there for. It’s part of the rune spell, the last missing piece. It is here to witness this connection.”

  For weeks Arvid had longed to be close to Loke, but now she felt a subliminal fear at the thought. Loke was a giant and Arvid much smaller. In addition, he was unpredictable. It was a situation she didn’t know. She wouldn’t have the slightest chance to properly assess anything Loke did. Nevertheless, she finally nodded.

  “Do you… want to do it now?”

  “I wouldn’t be averse,” Loke said. He carefully knelt over her, took her hand and ran his cold fingers over hers. “Why are you trembling?”

  “I… don’t know,” she said haltingly.

  “Have you never lain with a man before?” Loke rubbed her palm in small circular motions and looked at her carefully.

  “Yes,” she replied. “But that was… different.”

  “Different?”

  “You’re different. You make me insecure. I don’t know… what exactly you want… what you’re doing…” She nervously licked her lips. “I know nothing about giants. Maybe… maybe you find me repulsive. Maybe giants take no pleasure in… well… the things that humans…” She broke off.

  Loke released her hand. A loose strand of his hair tickled her cheek as he bent over her and looked her in the eyes. “I already told you that you’re beautiful,” he said softly. “I like to look at your naked body. Your warmth is exciting… it invites so many pleasurable games. If I could do as I liked, I would lick the salty taste off your skin and watch all the fine hairs erect when I do. I want to look into your eyes when I find your most sensitive spot. I want to see how you lose control as my cold fingers enter your body. I want to hear you moan, feel how you lustfully rub against me, experience how you scream, without thinking about who could hear you. I want to penetrate deep into you, completely fill you and feel your hot body enclosing me.”

  Arvid stared at him speechlessly, amazed by his directness and simultaneously overwhelmed by the ever-increasing desire his words triggered in her.

  “Now you know what I want,” he whispered to her. “Does that make you feel better?”

  Arvid didn’t answer his question. “Kiss me,” she said. “Please kiss me, Loke.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and firmly pressed her lips to his. How long she had been waiting for this moment. She wanted him so much. She could feel his breath on her face, and his hair tickled her bare shoulder. Then she suddenly felt Loke’s hand on her breast, and it was so icy that Arvid winced and took a sharp breath.

  “Cold?” murmured Loke. Gently but firmly he freed himself from her arms and looked at her, amused.

  “I just… wasn’t prepared.”

  “But now you are,” said Loke and gently put his hands on her belly. Arvid took an audible breath and felt the prickling cold spread on her skin. Loke’s fingertips wandered, leaving cold marks on her sides and on her breasts. He circled her nipples, slowly stroked along her arms and continued over her shoulders, while Arvid breathed in and out in short gasps in order to withstand the freezing cold.

/>   “I like it when you make those noises,” Loke said softly and gently let a single finger slide over her neck. Arvid shuddered and could feel a tingling heat spreading in her abdomen. She felt a warm wetness between her legs and wanted nothing more than to hold his body tightly pressed against hers.

  “I want more of you,” she said, full of desire. With gentle pressure she let her hands wander over his strong arms and enjoyed the feeling of taut muscles beneath her fingers. “I want… to feel your body.”

  Loke leaned over her and kissed her passionately on the lips. He slipped an arm under her, sank onto the bed beside her and pulled her close. The sensation of his naked body on hers was so arousing that Arvid gave a soft moan. Loke’s breath had grown heavier, too. Arvid was even more aware of how small she was beside him. Her knees barely reached down to his belly, but that fact didn’t change anything about her affection for him.

  Arvid pressed her lips against Loke’s neck and covered it with kisses. A pleasant sound escaped his lips, as Arvid increased pressure and let her mouth wander on, suckling and gently licking over his collarbone and down his shoulder. Loke’s skin was cold and salty, and his scent so beguiling that Arvid’s lust grew almost unbearable.

  She moved her hands and lips over his torso, searchingly licked over his nipples and slowly continued her way down. Arvid couldn’t get enough of him. She wanted to explore every centimeter of his beautiful, silver-gray skin, caress and taste it. Loke’s chest rose and fell quickly, and when she reached his stomach and let her hand wander deeper, he groaned so loudly that Arvid shuddered.

  In her lust mingled excitement as she carefully closed her fingers around Loke’s penis and felt how hard and big it was. She let her lips slide along the smooth shaft and continued upward. She listened to Loke’s quiet, pleasurable moans that filled her with a wonderful mix of happiness and desire. In a circular motion her tongue stroked over the silky skin of the glans, then she gently began to lick the small opening at the top. Suddenly she felt the irresistible urge to connect with Loke.