by T. G. Ayer
I frowned. "Why don't we get Mrs Brentwood to do some rounding up as well? That should lessen the jumps and get this done faster."
"Good idea." Thor was gone before I could say anything else.
I was about to leave the room when the President walked over to me. He looked haggard, the strain clearly taking its toll.
"My dear, I wanted to thank you."
"I was just doing my job, Sir."
"Even so, had you not gotten me to safety in time, I'd be dead right now." He smiled and held out his hand. After shaking it, he left me to return to the huddled group who were now talking to Thor.
I moved to head upstairs when the house began to shake.
"It's happening again," muttered Kwama, his eyes stark white in his soot-dark face.
I tried to maintain my footing but I failed and slipped, hitting the floor hard, my hip taking the force of my landing. I struggled to my feet again and surged into the air, hovering over the floor as the mayhem continued.
Dust rained down on the occupants of the room as they stared around wildly. The delegates and the President were all still seated and remained so as the floor shook.
A crack appeared in the far corner of the living room floor, and began to run diagonally, toward the President and Mrs Brentwood who were both clutching at the sides of the sofa, oblivious to the encroaching rift.
I flew at them, grabbing Mrs Brentwood first, then hooking the President under the arm. Although their weight was a strain, I flew them out of the way of the now widening slit in the floor.
I hovered over the gap, swallowing hard as it became clear that the rift had split through the entire house, all the way through the basement and down into the dark depths of the earth.
And slowly the walls were beginning to give way too, tearing the house in half on the diagonal.
Footsteps thundered down the stairs as the Warriors rushed for the exit, followed closely by half a dozen Valkyries, all who'd taken to the air like me. Just as they reached the door the shaking stopped, causing everyone to halt in their tracks.
The silence felt a little overwhelming for a while until Thor strode closer to the seated delegates. "And it will continue to happen for a while yet." The delegates turned to Thor whose voice had rung out so clearly in the silence.
As the god returned to his discussion with the delegates, I went to the window to peep outside. Although night, the sky had taken on a reddish hue, so that now the stars were blocked from our view. Who knew how long the ash cloud would remain enclosing us within its sickly shield.
The sound of yelling snapped me back to the present. Derek was shouting from upstairs, the urgency in his voice sending me racing up the stairs and into the room opposite the infirmary.
I ran in to see Derek bundling his laptop, cords and papers into his arms. "What happened? What's wrong?"
Derek's voice was breathless as he answered. "We have incoming. It's a drone. Military I think. It's heading this way, beeline to us. And weapons are hot."
"Crap." I gritted my teeth and turned on my heel, heading for the stairs. I flinched as the sudden movement jarred my wounds. Pressing my comm, I said, "We have incoming, people. Let's get to Asgard. Now." It was my turn to yell.
Then I was racing downstairs, with Derek close on my heels. I barreled into the living room. "We have to go now. Asgard everyone." I spoke more for the benefit of the delegates and the President who didn't have comms. Nobody asked any questions. They just raced for the door, and headed down the street into the murky night, running headlong for the Bridge.
Joshua closed in as I held onto the President's arm, and told Mrs Brentwood to hold tight. The moment Joshua touched my arm I tapped and got us straight to Asgard. Thor flicked into existence In the Transport room beside me, leaving Bertrand and Kwama behind before flicking out again. He was doing double-time bringing people back. Good thing gods had the power to move up to six people at a time.
The place was mayhem for a while as warriors arrived, almost on top of each other, but I paid little attention to them. I rounded up the four politicians and took them to Fen's hall, then rang the bell for a Huldra. I ordered food and drink for them and then sank heavily into one of the chairs.
I was deep in thought, paying little attention to the delegates as they ate quietly. I felt no hunger whatsoever so I was happy to see Fen and Thor walk in the door.
"Everyone is home safe," said Fen. Neither of the men looked happy.
"When can we get them to Muspell?" I asked, eager to get the delegates to safety.
"As soon as they are ready."
"Maybe we can take Monsieur Bertrand and Professor Kwama to Muspell, and do a couple jumps with Mrs Brentwood. That should give the President some time to recover from this jump."
"I want to help," said a gravelly voice from the other end of the table. I turned to see the UN head, Kwama looking straight at me. "I won't go to safety until I know the rest of those people on that list are all safe too. Let me help you to convince them and bring them away."
Thor nodded slowly, a look of admiration blooming on his face. "Very well. Let us make a plan and divide everyone into three lists." Then they were discussing the lists among themselves, while I drifted off to one side, the white noise around me lulling me into deep thought.
Fen moved away from the group to join my pacing. "What's bothering you?" He rested against the wall and watched me as I paced the floor.
"Loki," I responded, my words more grumbled than spoken. "Where is he? Why has he been so quiet all this time? The world is crumbling and he's taken a leave of absence? Or is he watching from somewhere as his minions do his dirty work for him? I don't understand what he's up to."
"Me either. My only guess is that he's waiting for the right moment," responded Loki's son. "And just so you know, all the gods have headed for the Vigrid plains. They want to be on hand in case Loki tries to get a head start on the final battle."
I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the stress and strain of the last few days begin to weigh down on me. I felt like I needed space, like I needed to get out of this hall and be alone for a while.
I looked at Fen. "How do you do it," I asked.
"Do what," he asked, a frown creasing his brow.
I waved my hand at the room. "Do all of this in spite of how you feel, in spite of wanting to just get away from everything. How do you not let the pressure get to you?"
My throat tightened and I struggled hard not to allow the tears fall. When I looked at Fen's face I could see that he understood how it felt, could see that he understood my struggle.
He nodded. "It's best if you take time for yourself. Go somewhere where you can be alone, where you can think about it and sort out how you feel about everything. Sometimes it can feel like it's all too much. And when that happens, nature tells you to run. That's not always the best choice. Sometimes avoiding the issue can only make the problem worse."
I laughed. "This," I waved my hand again at the gathered throng behind us and said, "is not just a problem. This is huge."
Fen nodded. "I know how you feel. But what is happening here is bigger than all of us. Each one of us will play a tiny part in this drama. All we can do is the best we can. And right now, fighting back is the best thing that we can do."
I fell silent for a few moments.
And then Fen patted me on the shoulder, his hand warm and comforting. "Take some time for yourself. Go someplace quiet and try to find some peace."
Pasting a smile on my face, I nodded, grateful that he'd taken the time to speak to me, grateful that I had someone else with whom I could share my burden.
I glanced around the room, watching Joshua talk to the President, watching Aimee hovering over Derek, staring at the computer screen, watching Suri interact with the group of warriors as if she'd been with us forever. All these people depended on me. They relied on my strength, and as much as the burden of responsibility seemed too much to handle right now, I needed some peace in my soul if I
was going to keep heading down this path.
Because soon everything was going to get much, much worse. And for that, we all have to be prepared.
I glanced at Fen. "I'll head up to the Valley for a while." He gave me a nod before striding toward Thor and the delegates. I stepped out of the room and headed to my quarters. There, I grabbed a warm cloak and wrapped it around me, then hurried down the corridors and out of the palace looking for peace.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
I rounded the side of the building and stared at the path that led up into the mountains. The last time I'd walk this path had been when Fen had taken me to the Hollow of the Valkyries to learn to fly. I laughed at the memory, recalling how furious I'd been when Fen had pushed me off the side of the cliff.
He'd certainly had a strange way of teaching a girl how to fly. Thankfully, my instinct had kicked in and I'd flapped my wings just in time to save my ass from becoming a splat on the bottom of the valley floor.
I shook my head, not bothering to suppress my self-deprecating snort.
For a moment I'd completely forgot that I had the option not to walk all the way to my destination. With a smile, I thrust my wings and surged up into the air, rising higher and higher until the palace below me looked unnaturally small. From this height I could see the entire valley around me.
And all of the destruction wreaked on it by Jormungandr.
My heart felt heavy as I stared at broken Asgard. Would we ever recover from this horrible quake? I turned away from the sight, knowing that brooding about it would be no help at all.
I flew through the air and up over the mountain studying the cracks within the rocks, damage up here also caused by the quake.
No part of Asgard had remained untouched.
From a distance, I saw that the two gigantic stone Valkyries that guarded the entrance to the beautiful valley had fallen over, one tilted across the threshold, the other broken into pieces that littered the entrance. I flew higher, going over the rock threshold and hovering above the snow covered valley. Up here, it was so cold that everything remained blanketed in snow all year round. Something I thought was actually perfect. I couldn't imagine the valley any other way.
Simply being in this place gave me a tiny bit of peace. I wondered why I hadn't thought of coming here before. I lowered myself to a rocky outcropping and sank to the ground. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my hands around them as I stared out into the white valley, watching an errant breeze kick up small piles of snow and send them swirling in tiny little tornadoes.
Despite the snow that covered the valley, it wasn't too cold. The mountains on either side of the valley floor rose high up into the air enclosing the space and protecting it from high winds.
My thoughts began to drift back to my talk with Joshua, to everything that he'd said to me and I realized that a big part of me agreed with. Although none of this was my choice I had to keep going if only because so many people depended on me.
With my knees smashed up against my abdomen, I felt the round shape of the metal container which held the magical water given to me by the Norns. I've been keeping it in my pocket all this time making sure that it was with me every time I left Asgard. Mostly, like with the amber dragon's eye, I didn't go anywhere without it.
The Norns had said that the water would render Loki vulnerable. I'd used it in Jotunnheim when I'd encountered the trickster god in the form of a gigantic raven. I'd moistened the tip of golden spear with the magical liquid and a well-aimed throw had delivered some of that liquid into Loki's bloodstream, weakening him enough to give us time to escape.
Was it possible to use that liquid to create a special ammunition to use on Loki? Derek could get the ball rolling to create the bullets. I only hoped it won't be too late.
At last, feeling a marginally relaxed, and more than a little eager to get on with things, I got to my feet and was about to surge into the air when the snow in front of me began to spin around and around forming a small tornado.
My wings were spread and I was already on my toes, ready to rise into the air, when someone began to materialize within the spinning snow.
Loki.
What the hell was he doing here?
At last, the snow ceased its spinning and floated slowly to the ground. I glared at the god as anger surged through my veins. But he seemed unaffected by my fury, just standing before me with a smirk on his face. One thing I did notice was that he was dressed for battle.
He wore a long coat of chain mail armor that came to his knees, over which he wore a solid gold breastplate engraved with hundreds of runes.
He held the staff in his hand, one that looked a lot like Gungnir. It seemed that despite his hatred for the All-Father, Loki still wished to emulate him in many ways.
He smiled wider, his blue eyes glittering. "Well Bryn, are you not surprised to see me?"
"Actually no", I said coldly. "I knew I'd see you again soon. You have a habit of appearing at the most unexpected moments. What do you want?" I was beginning to wish that I hadn't gone off alone. Seemed Loki had an uncanny knack of finding me whenever I was on my own.
"What I want is for you to butt out of my business." His cold tone didn't match his cheerful smile.
I raised an eyebrow and folded my arms, my fingers still holding the steel container carefully tucked away so he wouldn't see it. "Why? Am I making things difficult for you?"
"Yes. And it's time you stopped."
"And what if I don't?" I asked, watching him closely as he strode toward me.
"Well, then. If you don't there are two people that wouldn't be very . . . alive." Now his eyes matched his grin, cheerfully happy, but not.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I asked, my voice rising. Loki seemed to be implying that he'd hurt the people I cared about, and right now that implication was making me feel a little lightheaded.
"It means this," said the god as he reached out and grasped my upper arm, his fingers far from gentle on my flesh.
Immediately, the air around us began to shimmer and the snow-covered valley disappeared, quickly replaced with the image of a small weather-board house, with rose bushes around the front porch and a bicycle abandoned on the lawn.
Ms Custer's house in Craven.
I gasped, my eyes fixed on my surroundings, my chest tightening so much I found it hard to breathe. "No," I whispered.
"Sorry about that, Bryn. It's just that you're becoming a bit of a thorn in my side. Every plan I make, you end up spoiling it in some way. So, it's time for you to stop. If you want those women to live then I suggest you back off."
"Those women?" I frowned. "What women?"
Loki sighed, as if just talking to me tired him too much. Then zoomed us forward until we floated through the front door and into the kitchen. The sensation of passing through walls made me feel slightly sick and mostly disoriented, but I forced myself to shrug off the discomfort.
"I thought it best to have them both in one place. Easier to guard, you understand." I barely heard Loki as I stared at the two woman who sat at the wooden kitchen table, moonlight bathing them as they stared silently into their cups. One dark-skinned and plump, the other thin and pale. Ms Custer and a woman I barely recognized.
I knew her, of course. But age had sagged the lines of her face, eaten away at the fullness of her figure.
The woman was my mother.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
My chest hurt as I watched the pair of women who sat silently sipping at their cups. The cookies in their saucers remained untouched and it seemed even conversation no longer occupied their time. It occurred to me that they would have talked a lot, considering who they both were to me, and a large part of me wanted to know what she'd had to say, what she thought of me now, the freak she'd abandoned, not once, but twice.
Once when she'd left me at the age of five, to be brought up by an older man who had mastered the art of eccentric forgetfulness. The second when he'd died and the trust had a
sked if she'd take me in instead of allowing me to end up in the foster system. Her critical choice had given me that unstable, unhealthy environment, and for years I'd longed for some semblance of the family I'd had with my father. Now, seeing her right there, in front of me, I wasn't sure how I felt about her anymore.
And yet, the knowledge that Loki held her hostage made my fingers ball into fists of fury. "What are you going to do to them?" I asked, my voice ice cold.
"Well, nothing. If you cooperate." He still wore that annoyingly cheery smile, and I was convinced he was insane.
"What is it you expect me to do?" I asked watching his face, wary of what he might do now that he had me in this weird limbo world.
"Leave matters alone. This isn't your fight, Bryn. You belong in Midgard, not fighting for the Aesir."
"Have you seen Midgard lately?" I snapped, raising an eyebrow.
Loki didn't reply, just shook his head sadly.
I glared at him. "By the way. How did you get into Asgard?" I was curious and hoped he'd tell me his secret. He'd managed to gain entry to Asgard even when Thor and Fen had conjured magic to keep him out. "How did you get past the wards?"
Loki grinned, then waved away my question. "Those wards are nothing to me. Do you have any idea how long I've had Vanya by my side? That elf has power beyond belief. She's helped me all this time."
Although shocked to know who had been helping Loki, I wasn't surprised since we'd save Vanya from Loki not long ago. Looks like we'd walked right into the Trickster's trap by saving the elf ancient from his clutches. It now made a little bit of sense. Except for one thing.
I shook my head. "I don't understand why Vanya and Nita didn't just leave. What else did you have against them?"
Loki laughed and the sound echoed around us so loudly I wondered how the two women remained oblivious of us. "I did what I'm doing now. Hostages are powerful things. People will do anything for those they love."
"Who do you have?" I asked. If he still held this hostage, Vanya and Nita in Asgard were a bomb waiting to detonate.