Dead Silence

by T. G. Ayer

  Ms Custer whispered something to my mother, and I watched at her back stiffened. After a short moment, she glanced immediately over her shoulder at me. The slight turn caused her to hit a mug off the draining board with her elbow.

  It crashed to the floor, the sound incredibly loud as I gasped and lunged toward them.

  "We have to go. Don't let go of me." I heard the stamping of one of the frost giants as he raced to the kitchen to investigate the noise. At the outside door, the guard was already turning the handle.

  Neither of the women moved to hold onto me and I grabbed Ms Custer's hand and said, "Hold her." She reached for my mother's fingers and held tight as I stamped the spear onto the floor of the kitchen.

  We disappeared before either of the Jotunn reached the kitchen.

  ***

  We arrived outside Ms Custer's house in Craven, Brody jerked away from us and almost face-planting in the dirt beside the bush.

  "Sorry, Brody," I hissed, covering my mouth so he wouldn't see my amusement.

  I must have failed because he glared at me and said, "Not funny, Bryn." Then he glowered and folded his arms, falling back onto his heels as we ducked behind the bush.

  Chuckling softly, I said, "Consider it payback for the bugs, you miscreant."

  He frowned for a few seconds then laughed softly. "So we're even then?"

  I nodded as Suri asked, "What bugs? Miscreant? What's going on?"

  Even as I moved I felt the pull of fatigue, accompanied by a hint of nausea. I swallowed hard, trying to push the feelings away.

  Forcing myself to pay attention to what I'd come here to do, I glanced back at the house and front verandah where the Jotunn stood like a statue in front of the door. From here he looked like an FBI agent, complete with dark sunglasses worn at night. I wondered if he was watching us right now, but we'd been very quiet so I didn't think so.

  "Long story. Tell you later." I pointed at the house. "Where are the women, Brody?"

  He tilted his head in the direction of the kitchen. From where we stood at the corner of the house we could see along both the front and the back walls. The light in the kitchen was on, throwing long shadows on the ground, elongated dark reflections of the two women as they moved around the table.

  "There's a Jotunn guarding the back door and also one that lurks inside the house doing general sweeps every ten minutes."

  Nodding slowly I frowned, as I worked through my plan. "Right, I can't take the two of you with me. Stay here and cover me in case I'm discovered. I'm going straight in and transporting them to Asgard immediately. You two head for the Bridge the moment you see me leave with them."

  I got two nods and two thumbs up. Then I tapped Gungnir onto the ground and disappeared.

  As I materialized in the warm kitchen, I had to suck in a breath to push away the webs of dizziness that seemed to want to drop me on my ass. Breathing through it, I turned to see my mother at the sink with her back to me, the curdled moon throwing sickly light onto her pale skin. The tap was running, splashing water giving cover to any sound my arrival would have caused. Ms Custer had her head inside the fridge with her ample behind sticking out. I grinned and waited as Ms Custer straightened and closed the fridge door.

  I remained still as she placed a block of butter and a jug of milk on the table, waiting until I could get her attention without making her die of fright. She started when she saw me at last, her eyes going wide, and I put my finger to my lips.

  She smiled so wide, her white teeth shone, assuring me that she was happy to see me. Then she gave me a tiny nod before moving slowly to my mother who'd remained oblivious that an additional person had entered the room.

  Ms Custer whispered something to my mother, and I watched at her back stiffened. After a short moment, she glanced immediately over her shoulder at me. The slight turn caused her to hit a mug off the draining board with her elbow.

  It crashed to the floor, the sound incredibly loud as I gasped and lunged toward them.

  "We have to go. Don't let go of me." I heard the stamping of one of the frost giants as he raced to the kitchen to investigate the noise. At the outside door, the guard was already turning the handle.

  Neither of the women moved to hold onto me and I grabbed Ms Custer's hand and said, "Hold her." She reached for my mother's fingers and held tight as I stamped the spear onto the floor of the kitchen.

  We disappeared before either of the Jotunn reached the kitchen.

  ***

  We arrived inside my room and I swayed from fatigue. The more I moved around, jumping from plane to plane, the weaker I seemed to be getting.

  I tilted, releasing Gungnir and would have hit the floor hard if Ms Custer hadn't reached for me. She helped me to the bed and sat me down, clicking her tongue as she picked up the spear and set it in the corner before sinking beside me to test my forehead with her fingers.

  "Bryn, you're burning up." She spoke the words as if they were an admonition and I smiled at her and grabbed her hand in mine.

  "I'm fine. I'm just glad you're safe. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" The questions were all directed at Ms Custer, more so because I didn't dare to meet my mother's eyes.

  Strangely, I felt guilty, but I wasn't entirely sure why. She'd left me, not the other way around.

  I shifted to face her and found she was standing in front of me, so very still as she stared. "We're both fine," she said softly. "They didn't hurt us."

  Although she spoke the words I wanted to hear, I was still afraid. And Ms Custer could tell. She enveloped me in a warm hug and patted my back. Only then did I find I was shivering.

  "We are both fine. Promise."

  And suddenly my tears fell. The great warrior Valkyrie was crying, big fat tears dripping from my eyes. "I was so afraid," I said to my foster mother, hiccupping as I spoke. "I'm sorry I took so long."

  "Now you don't worry about anything. That man wanted us alive as leverage. He wouldn't have hurt us, even if he'd wanted to."

  I sniffed. "He told you that?"

  She nodded, "He didn't seem to be able to shut up."

  Laughing, I said, "That sounds like Loki alright."

  "Loki?" asked my mother. She remained a foot away, watching me in the arms of Ms Custer and I wondered how she felt. Seeing her own child being comforted by another woman.

  Sniffing again, I got to my feet. I had things to do. "Both of you have to stay here for now. Nobody must find you here. Can you do that?" I looked at Ms Custer but the question was meant more for my mother that anyone else.

  Ms Custer nodded and my mother said, "We'll wait here, Bryn. You go do what you have to do."

  I wanted to talk to her, to find out if she still hated me, to ask her if she'd ever regretted leaving me. But I did none of those things.

  Instead, I grabbed Gungnir and stowed it in the sheath on my back, then left the room with a quick wave at the two worried women. I hurried to Fen's Hall, tucking my red hair out of sight and pulling the hood of my cloak low over my face.

  No-one knew it was me as I stopped at the door and hovered for a moment. I entered silently, weaving through the crowded room. Pausing at Fen's side, I whispered in his ear. He nodded and I stepped away to stand with the light of the fire at my back. All I wanted to do was to sink to floor and fall asleep with that heat soaking into my bones, but I stiffened my resolve and watched as Fen sent everyone out on various errands.

  At last, with the room empty, he turned to me. "Nita is on the way."

  I nodded but all he would have seen was the bobbing of my head. Shifting to one of the chairs closest to the fire, I sighed in relief as I got off my feet.

  And Fen left me to it. He didn't ask me any questions, just let me rest until a knock on the door announced Nita's arrival.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  As I pushed the hood off she stiffened for a moment, her eyes darkening. "Hello, Bryn," she said with a frown. She barely gave Fen a greeting as she focused on me. "Are you feeling okay? You look ill."


  "I am," I said softly, basking in the warmth of the fire as it soaked deep into my ice-filled bones. "I'm not sure how much time I have left, but there is one thing I mean to do before I die."

  The elf's face whitened and it took her a few seconds before she was able to respond. "What is it, Bryn? Do you need my help for anything?" Her gaze went from my face back to Fen's, and I found it really hard to believe that she had betrayed us.

  "You can tell us where Loki is holding your son," I said, so softly that I wasn't sure she heard me the first time.

  I took a breath to repeat my request when she said, "How do you know about that?" Her voice was a whisper as she stared at me, fear tightening the skin on her face.

  "Loki told me. He paid me a visit and insisted I butt out of his affairs. Said he has my mother and won't set her free unless I obey his demands. He also said that he has your son."

  Nita's eyes filled with tears and suddenly the elf didn't look ancient or regal any longer. She just looked broken.

  She sat slowly in the chair beside her, and stared at her hands. They were shaking so hard she had to squeeze them to stop the shivers.

  "Where is your son, Nita? I know you know where he is. You have the power to find him."

  "Why do you want to know?" she asked softly, as if afraid someone would overhear her.

  Fen cleared his throat, shifting his eyes to look at Nita. "Since Bryn is not allowed to help us in our cause, I will find your son and bring him safely to Asgard. All you need to do is tell us where he is."

  Nita looked up and met my eyes, revealing her tear-stained face. She shook her head and bit her lip for moment. "I don't think I can. What if he hurts my boy?"

  "As long as you tell him nothing, he won't know we're going to save your child. Loki is secure in the knowledge that you will do nothing, and the knowledge that you will give him whatever information he requires on our progress."

  Nita whitened and I reached out to her, taking her hand in mine. "Don't be afraid. We know why you did it. And none of us blame you. We would all have done the same thing given the circumstances."

  Nita nodded then wiped the tears from her cheeks, although she didn't look entirely convinced. "What do you want me to tell him?" she asked, fiddling with the ties of her long cloak.

  "Tell him that we are proceeding as planned, that the teams are all heading to the Vigrid plains, preparing for the battle. Maybe tell him that Freyr has arrived too and will go to the battlefield soon. Make him think that everything here is going to plan."

  "You want me to tell him your real plans?" she asked, shocked.

  Fen nodded, his eyes hidden within shadows caused by the flickering firelight. "Yes, but only because I am sure he has other spies who will tell him the same thing. The only difference is we know about you. The other mole, if there is one, is still unknown. But none of that matters. Tell us where your son is and we will save him."

  Nita sighed and her white-blond hair fell forward, framing her face. Tears collected on her lower lids, then spilled onto her cheeks. "What if I tell you and Loki finds out?"

  "He won't find out. Only the three of us know about this. If word gets to Loki then we know one of us was the leak." I said nodding at her. "But I can assure you neither Fen nor I are on Loki's side." I spoke with a confidence that I didn't feel. Not that I didn't trust Fen. I just felt so tired that it was a huge effort to summon a confident expression.

  Nita looked up at me, her eyes fixed on my face as if just by looking at me she could ascertain my honesty. I didn't mind though, because I knew the truth of my own intentions.

  Then she sighed and leaned forward, elbows on the table. "He is being held in an apartment building in Shanghai."

  "Interesting choice of places," I said, feeling my throat begin to ache.

  "It is because my son is from Thailand. Loki thinks he can hide him in what he called 'plain sight'."

  "He certainly knows strategy," I said sitting back, trying to move closer to the heat. "Give us the address and we will take the boy somewhere safe. Maybe someplace other than Asgard, just as a precaution.

  I handed her a piece of paper and a pen. Nita nodded then took the pen and scribbled down an address. Then she got to her feet, shivering slightly. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked at me. "Keep him safe, please."

  "I will, I promise."

  And before I could say a word more she turned and fled from the room. I stared after her and prayed that she wouldn't let Loki know what the plan was.

  When I looked at Fen it seemed he'd read my mind. "I'll get the child. You are in no condition to do this."

  "But-"

  "I know you want to go with me, and I also know that nothing will stop you from fighting in the battle. So, if you want to be there and fight alongside your fellow warriors you need to get some rest. That poison is only getting more entrenched within your body."

  "What poison?" asked Nita as she entered the room again. When she saw our questioning glances she said, "I came back to thank you for doing this for me. I . . . I realized I have been quite rude."

  I waved her apology away, "You weren't rude, Nita. You're a mother afraid for the life of her child."

  She took a deep breath. "That I am. But tell me what this poison is?" She turned her gaze to Fen as if she already sensed I wouldn't talk.

  Fen cleared his throat and evaded my eyes. "Loki poisoned her. We aren't sure what he used, but we know it is slowly killing her."

  Nita wasted little time in moving to my side. I pulled my cuff up and held out my palm without being asked. Even I sucked in a breath as I saw how much worse it had gotten. The lines of poison had taken on a much darker hue and now gleamed black and insidious. My entire palm was blackened and it looked like it needed amputation.

  Nita waved at my chest and I unbuttoned my collar allowing her to inspect the poison's path to my chest. She slipped her hand into her pocket and withdrew a slim stiletto knife. I stiffened and Fen took a step toward her but the elf ignored us both and just let the sharp edge of the blade rest on my neck. The edge cut into my skin, but I felt nothing.

  She used the pad of her forefinger to remove a drop of blood, then touched the liquid with the tip of her tongue. Her face was emotionless as she wiped the inky blood off her tongue with the back of her hand.

  "This is really bad." She was staring at me the way I'd once stared at Aimee; the way I'd done when I'd realized the yellow bandanna she wore covered a bald skull, the result of chemotherapy.

  "Tell me something I don't know," I said dryly.

  "How bad?" asked Fen, "Do you know what the poison is?"

  Nita nodded. "Loki was working on a poison that could be specifically designed to affect only one person."

  DNA-specific bio terrorism. Interesting.

  "How long does the poison take to act?" I asked, thinking about the smile on Loki's face as he'd grasped my hand to seal our deal.

  "About an hour."

  Nita put a hand to her heart, as if the mere action could still the emotions within her. "I will make a potion for you to drink. That, together with the Mead, should give you a little more energy."

  "Can we get rid of the poison?" asked Fen. I hadn't dared to voice that question yet because I felt like I already knew the answer. Loki would want to go out with a bang and killing me would be his last stroke of genius.

  Nita's face darkened, quite a feat for a person with such pale skin. "I'm afraid I have no idea. The substances used are not known to me. I know they are manufactured in Midgard from unnatural materials." She looked at me helplessly. "I'm sorry, Bryn. All I can do is mix the potion. Only a god like Odin could rid you of that poison."

  I wanted to laugh. Odin wasn't around to help, though that was no fault of his. I frowned. "Could Loki have been planning this all this time? It just seems so convenient that I'm poisoned at the brink of the battle and with Odin too far away to help."

  Fen grunted. "Loki wants Odin to know what it feels like to lose
a child."

  "Hasn't he done that already with Baldur?" I asked, feeling more weak and drained than ever before.

  With a shrug, Fen said, "For Loki, Baldur was probably not enough. Likely he wants to take Odin's favorite from him."

  "And he did. Loki had Thor in his clutches and we saved him."

  "It was not Thor I was referring to."

  Finding it hard to control my amusement I asked, "You think I am Odin's favorite?"

  Fen raised an eyebrow. "Do you see Thor with Gungnir in his hand, or Hugin on his shoulder?"

  Staring at Fen, it all fell into place for me. Loki wanted me out of the picture for very personal reasons. I wasn't just a pawn in his game to be moved around at will. I was the goal, the one thing he wanted to remove from the board entirely. He could have killed Odin, but he didn't. Instead he banished the All-Father to some in-between ethereal hell, leaving me wide open to be crossed off his list.

  His goal was not to kill Odin, but instead to hurt him as much as possible. And I'd do whatever I could to ensure he didn't win this ridiculous game.

  I sighed. "Okay. Fen, you get Nita's son somewhere safe, and Nita, can you bring the potion to my room? I thinks it's past time I took a nap." Fen nodded then took a step toward me.

  "What are you doing?"

  "I'm taking you to your room." His expression was innocent.

  "You are not going to carry me-"

  "So, do you plan on walking all that way?" he asked raising one dark eyebrow."

  "Fine," I snapped. "But do it fast before someone sees us."

  Fen grabbed hold of me and walked out of the hall as Nita looked on, not caring to hide her amusement.

  We were fortunate enough not to run into anyone as Fen navigated his way through the half broken corridors until we reached my quarters. Fen left me there and I didn't even remain conscious long enough to introduce him to the mothers.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  The dreams of the battle were vivid. Glinting blades, and blood spraying onto walls, armor and screams echoing along the streets. Somewhere, an explosion hit, the sound searing my eardrums, drumming through my bones. The ground rocked and I lost my footing, smashing painfully onto my left knee.