“I should be very cross with you,” he told her.
“I’m sorry, Professor. I’m just so busy, getting used to the way things are done here…”
“Excuses.” He grinned. “I’m playing with you. And please, call me Rahim.”
She looked down at her plate and toyed with her salad. “How is your research going?”
“Very well. In fact, I’ve almost finished.” He gestured with his fork. “Now I just have to do the writing.”
“I’m sure you’ll do a fine job,” she said, smiling.
The conversation was strained. She could tell that he was trying to be charming, and she was trying to be friendly, but it was clear that he had more on his mind than research papers.
“Thank you. I have news, by the way.”
“Oh?”
“I have accepted a position at Stockholm University.”
“That’s wonderful! I’m very happy for you.” It was a lie. She felt a sinking in the pit of her stomach. He wasn’t leaving. She was beginning to feel hunted.
“Thank you.” He looked down at his plate. “Have you heard from your boyfriend recently?”
“Not in a few days. I’m sure he’s very busy.”
“I would never be too busy for a woman like you.”
That’s enough. Nika pushed her plate aside. “Professor, this is becoming inappropriate. I am not interested in pursuing any sort of relationship with you outside of the professional arena.” She rose. “Thank you for lunch.”
She turned and began to walk away, but his next words stopped her in her tracks.
“I know about the Veithimathr.”
She turned. “What did you say?”
“The inscription that you were asking about. I learned something about the Veithimathr.”
Against her better judgment, she returned to the table and sat again. “What did you learn?”
He grinned. “What, here? In front of all of these witnesses? Do you really want me to tell everyone about the Draugr?”
Her mouth dropped open. “How…”
“I have my ways.” He leaned forward. “Now I have your attention, I think.”
“We should go to my office,” she said. “We can talk more there.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
They left the cafeteria for the privacy her office could provide, and once they were there, she closed the door. Amari looked immensely pleased with himself. She sat down behind her desk while he occupied a chair in front of it.
“What do you know about the Draugr?”
“I know everything… Ithunn.”
As he spoke, his face began to change. The features shifted, and his skin faded from swarthy to pale. His grin remained undimmed as his appearance changed completely. Now muscular and tall with long blond hair and dancing green eyes, he was as strikingly handsome as he was frightening. Watching the transformation took her breath away.
“You…”
“I am not Rahim Amari, no. The good professor met with an… unfortunate accident while he was still in Baghdad.” He smiled, and she suddenly felt overcome by a wave of energy flowing out from him. He smiled more widely when he saw her reaction. “I am not Draugr, but I am older than they.”
“What are you?”
“A rude question, but at least I know the answer. I wonder, could you say the same?”
She reached down toward her purse. She still had a can of mace in it from Central City. “What do you mean?”
“Your Captain Thorvald has told you that you are Draugr, just because he gave you dreyri. That is not true.”
She reached her purse and unzipped it. His eyebrow twitched, but he showed no other reaction. She repeated, “What do you mean?”
“I mean, my dear, you are not a Draugr yet. And to answer your question, I am called by many names. Shifter. Trickster. Nøkken. But you may call me Loki… or Sigurd, if you would prefer.”
She grabbed her mace and sprayed it into his face. He recoiled, and she bolted from the room. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the security desk on the first floor. When she arrived, panting, the officer behind the counter looked up in alarm.
“In my office,” she said. “Someone attacked me. I sprayed him with mace, but…”
The officer frowned and called for one of his companions in Swedish. Nika nearly screamed in frustration. Of all times to have a language barrier!
Someone put a gentle hand on her shoulder, and she spun to see an old woman with kind eyes and thick white hair in a single braid down her back. The woman smiled softly.
“These people cannot help you,” she said. “I am Ingrid. Come with me, Nika, vessel of Ithunn.”
Shocked, she swallowed hard and obeyed.
Ingrid walked her quickly out of the building and to a car parked directly across the street. She got behind the wheel while Nika quickly occupied the passenger seat. Almost as soon as Nika’s door was closed, Ingrid pulled into traffic and sped away.
“How do you know who I am?” Nika asked, trying desperately to stave off panic. “Who are you?”
“I am Ingrid. In other lifetimes, I was called Frigg.”
She gasped. “Erik said I needed to speak to you!”
“He was correct. I was waiting for him to bring you to me, but I realized when I sensed Loki’s arrival that it was too late for waiting.” She careened through the street, cutting off other drivers and nearly causing a dozen accidents. Nika gripped the seat tightly.
“What is going on? I don’t understand anything.”
Ingrid smiled sweetly. “Oh, my dear. You have so much to learn, and Thorvald has never been a very good teacher. He does his best, poor man, but he has his limitations. Men of action are seldom good at words.”
She skidded around a corner and got onto an expressway headed north. Nika closed her eyes when a lane change took them a little too close for comfort to a massive truck. Ingrid chuckled.
“We have a long drive ahead of us, Nika. Now is a good time to ask questions.”
She had so many that they were like a logjam in her throat. She took a deep breath. “He said he was Loki, and that he was a Nøkken. How can that be? I thought all the gods were melded with Draugr.” She put a hand to her head. “I’m so confused.”
“What confuses you, dear one?”
“The Draugr were created as punishment by Odin. But then the gods were melded with the Draugr. Was that at the same time? Where do the Valtaeigr fit into this mess? Are all Valtaeigr vampires, or what? He tells me stories, but they’re so hard to follow!”
Ingrid chuckled. “The first Draugr were Hakon and his band of raiders, turned into the undead by Odin as a punishment. Those fifteen men were the First. They were forced to live forever, which is actually a horrible curse for the hearts of men. They became unclean, doomed to exist only by swallowing the life force in human blood, marked by human hunters who wanted to destroy them because they were predators. They learned how to perpetuate their kind, using the secrets of death and blood and dark magic, and more Draugr were made. Then the gods fell out of favor and began to fade, and the best-hearted among the Draugr were selected to be Huntsmen. A few of the First were included in that number, like your Erik.
“The Huntsmen carried on a rebellion against the Draugr kings. They served only the Aesir, and they stood as protectors of humanity against the worst Draugr excesses. Those were bloody days.
“In time, the people stopped worshipping the old gods, switching instead to the veneration of the Nazarene. The gods became pale and weak, and they began to fade. They decided that they needed to meld with the undying into order to stay alive. They needed vessels.
“A few Valtaeigr were also selected to be vessels. We are immortal, but only some of us – those who have been turned – are Draugr as well. We were created separately. We can use magic that the Draugr cannot.”
Nika’s head was pounding. Every time she talked about this, she got a headache. “So all Valtaeigr are immortal, but n
ot all of them are vampires. The Veithimathr are Draugr, but not all Draugr are Veithimathr, and not all Draugr are vessels.”
“Exactly.”
“So why isn’t Loki in a Draugr vessel?”
“Well, that’s complicated.”
“What isn’t?”
Ingrid chuckled. “Loki was not in favor with Odin. In fact, he rarely ever was. He was prevented from melding with a Draugr soul for this reason. Loki is clever, though, and he found his own way to maintain his immortality.”
She changed lanes abruptly. Nika was tempted to close her eyes. Ingrid kept talking while she drove.
“He had long been worshipped and served by the Nøkken, who are shape shifters who used to live in waterways and lure people to untimely deaths. They are tricksters, like Loki himself, and usually up to no good. He went to them and they selected one of their number – I believe he was their chieftain’s son – to undergo the melding ritual. It worked.
“The Nøkken can appear as anything in the world that they want to, and as anyone. Their native form is as a beautiful young man, the better to lure women to their deaths. They are not to be trusted, not at all. They consume humans, body and spirit. They are dangerous creatures.
“Loki was banished from these lands by Odin after the melding rituals took place, and ever since then he has wandered the world. He wants nothing more than to reduce the Aesir and take his position on Odin’s throne, to take all of the gods’ power for himself. He wants to be king of the universe. He is ambitious, but he is not stupid. Odin watches and opposes him, and sometimes in the past that has been dire and painful for Loki. He would not have come back unless he had a very good reason to risk defying the All-Father.”
“What do you think the reason is?”
“I couldn’t begin to guess. But there is a way to find out.”
“How?”
She winked. “Magic.”
“What kind of magic?”
“I told you, the Valtaeigr can perform all kinds of sorcery,” Ingrid assured her. “You have much to learn.”
They drove along in silence for a few minutes. “Where are we going?” Nika finally asked.
“To my house. We’ll be safe there. Not even Loki would dare invade my space.”
“I’ll take your word on it.”
“Wise woman.” Ingrid smiled. “I like you already.”
Chapter Thirteen
Things were starting to come together.
Stenmark still hated him, of course, but that was unimportant. The important thing was that he was listening to Erik now, obeying his orders and accepting his instruction. The team behaved more like a cohesive unit, with the four humans falling into complementary roles that made the team stronger as a whole. He was proud of them.
Major Ulvaeus called him to his office right after physical training. Erik took a fast shower and changed into a proper uniform before reporting to his commanding officer. When he arrived, another officer he did not know was in attendance.
He came to attention and saluted. “Captain Thorvald as requested, sir.”
Ulvaeus nodded. “At ease, captain. This is Kommendör Holm from Special Forces Command.”
The commander was studying Erik with open curiosity and just a hint of hostility.
“A pleasure, Kommendör,” Erik said.
“Likewise,” replied Holm. “I’ve never met a Draugr face to face.”
“Then that’s one thing you can strike off your bucket list, sir.”
Ulvaeus chuckled. “Kommendör Holm, you will learn that Captain Thorvald has a very dry sense of humor.”
Holm did not reply. Instead, he kept looking at Erik like a scientist with a new lab specimen. He was appraising the Draugr soldier, making judgments about his capabilities and his intentions. Erik had been studied like this before. Humans of power were always a bit askance when they first encountered one of their kind. The powerful disliked being introduced to someone more powerful than they. Erik bore the scrutiny with decorum, never breaking out of his parade rest.
An awkward silence fell for a moment, and then Ulvaeus picked up the reins again.
“As you know, we have been preparing your team to resume hunting rogue Draugr. According to your reports, they’re coming along well. Do you think they’re ready to go into the field for a live test?”
Erik considered. “Well, sir, they’ve learned as much as they can here on the base. A live field test would be the logical next step.”
Holm finally spoke up. “In two weeks’ time, the G8 will be having a summit in Stockholm. We absolutely must get all potential rogue vampires eliminated before the dignitaries arrive. I cannot stress enough the importance of this.”
He was familiar with the G8, a political entity created from the eight largest economies in the world. The attendees at the G8 summits were generally the heads of state for the various countries. He could only imagine the damage that a Draugr with a bad attitude could do if he were able to kill or turn a sitting president or prime minister.
“Yes, sir.”
“SOG will be handling the security for the summit, along with the protective services from each of the different countries involved. It will be a logistical nightmare.” Holm already looked as if he’d been losing sleep. Erik was certain he’d be losing more before this event was over. “We cannot have any Draugr interfering.”
“Sir,” Erik asked, “is there a particular Draugr that you were concerned about?”
“Possibly.”
Ulvaeus provided him with a dossier. Erik opened the folder and looked inside. The face in the photograph was lupine, with amber-brown eyes and a messy shock of red hair. The expression in his eyes was purely predatory.
Erik thought the Draugr looked somewhat familiar, but he could not place any particular memories of him. Perhaps he had seen him in passing at some gathering. It was entirely possible they had encountered one another once before. The Draugr community was not as large as the human population, obviously. Predators were always outnumbered by the herds they hunted.
Ulvaeus continued his briefing. “His name, or the name he goes by now, is Lorgan. He was last seen in Gothenburg. He’s been hunting.”
“I presume he kills his prey?”
Holm looked ill. “Yes. And he flagrantly discards the bodies. We’ve kept this quiet for now, but people will start asking questions. The United States has already requested murder and disappearance numbers from us and I don’t need him creating an anomaly that will draw their attention. He’s already done too much. I need to you and your team to find him and eliminate him before he kills anyone else.”
Erik closed the dossier. “Yes, sir. It will be done.”
“Excellent. Brief your men, and then have them all come here for a formal briefing with Kommendör Holm,” Ulvaeus directed. “Dismissed, Captain.”
Erik saluted and then turned on his heel to leave.
He went to the barracks, where the team was relaxing after their hard workouts. Stenmark looked up with a sneer, and Sven nudged his brother. Ulf was lying on his bunk, eyes closed.
“Okay, men, listen up,” he announced. “Magnusson, get up.”
Reluctantly, the sergeant obeyed. When he was certain he had their attention, he continued.
“Training is over. It’s time to go live.”
The Jansen brothers high-fived each other. Stenmark pumped his fist. “Yes!”
Erik opened the dossier and displayed the photograph of Lorgan so they could see him. “This is our target. His name is Lorgan. He is Draugr, and he is killing in Gothenburg. We are going to stop him.”
Stenmark snorted. “Friend of yours?”
Erik narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know him.” He closed the dossier. “We are going immediately to Major Ulvaeus’s office for a formal briefing by Kommendör Holm from Special Forces Command. This touches upon a very important event coming up in Stockholm, the G8 Summit.”
Magnusson rubbed his chin. “I used to have good luck with poli
tical summits. There was always someone to shoot.”
He was well aware of Magnusson’s past as a hired killer. “Well, there still is, but this time it’s a vampire. Let’s go.”
He led them back to Ulvaeus’s office, where they stood in a respectable version of parade rest before the major’s desk. Erik fell in beside them.
“Huntsman Team One reporting for briefing, sir.”
Holm nodded to Ulvaeus, who closed the door and locked it. The Jansen twins exchanged nervous glances, and Erik growled softly at them. They returned their eyes to the front. Their superior officer began to speak.
“What you hear now is not to leave this room. We have reason to believe that the Draugr are planning an offensive on the G8 Summit. They are led by this man…”
He held up a grainy photograph of a dark-haired man in a suit, his facial features difficult to discern due to the quality of the image.
“His name is Rahim Amari, a professor of history from Baghdad. We believe he may be linked to terrorist cells operating in Europe.”
Erik knew that name. He had read it in Nika’s letters. His heart sank.
Holm passed the photograph around for the team to see.
“Three days ago, he was observed meeting with these three known Draugr.” He produced another photograph, and this time it was easier to see the people in question. “The three Draugr here have until recently been residing in St. Petersburg in Russia. Why they are here, meeting with this Iraqi national, we do not know. Given the timing, we suspect that they may have designs upon the Russian president.”
“That guy’s an asshole,” Stenmark commented. “Let ‘em eat him.”
“Sergeant, you are out of order,” Erik snapped.
The former convict sullenly fell silent.
Holm scowled at the outspoken man. “I trust that I do not have to tell you the damage that would be done to Sweden’s standing in the European Union if we fail to keep our esteemed guests safe. We do not want an international incident taking place in our country. Do you understand, Mr. Stenmark?”
The man grumbled. “Yes, sir.”
“You are all on probation from His Majesty’s prisons, with the exception of Captain Thorvald. You are all here out of the crown’s mercy and good graces. If you can hunt down Lorgan, the vampire in Gothenburg, then we will consider you ready to protect the G8. If you fail, you will be returned to your former cells with no hope of any sort of parole - if you survive.” His harsh gaze fell on each of the men in turn. “Do you understand?”
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