How one human held so much power over the most dangerous creatures, disturbed me. They could force her to tell them, easily. Yet…
The wizard stood, his arm extended. “We’ve given you what you want. Tell us where they are…now.”
Serenity relaxed in my grip when Kitty took her attention away to placate the powerful man. The girl would pay for what she had done to Jack. It must have been her who led the witches to his club in the first place. She had known that I was his close friend.
“I want you to do one more thing.” Kitty held her head high when the room exploded in protest. The people were ready for their answers. “Listen. I just need you to get him secure upstairs so he can’t escape. Once you do that, I promise to take you to them.”
They surged for me, their individual war-cry resounding in the room. Throwing Serenity to the side, I vowed to get her back later. I would have a hell of a job beating the whole fucking lot of them on my own.
“Sorry,” Kalic said as he bared his pointy teeth.
They lunged in unison.
Holding my arm in front of me, I grabbed my dagger from my knife belt, held it up in the air and roared. Thunder boomed in the room, the floor vibrating so hard, everyone stopped moving and dropped to the ground. Throwing my head back, I kept my gaze on the blade of the dagger and conjured Thor’s lightning, just by thinking about it.
A flash of electricity came through the ceiling and hit the metal. The heat of it burned my palm, but I held tight, ready to use the blade. Oh, if they thought the myth of Thunder Hunter wasn’t real, then they would know the truth now.
“Shit!” Serenity gasped as the lightning disappeared and the earthquake under our feet stopped. She was on the ground, her eyes big as she gazed at me. “It is you!”
“Get him!” Kitty shrieked as I ran for the door.
They cried again, now free to move. My blade would kill them in an instant, but there were still too many of them.
My foot was grabbed from the ground…by Serenity, the little bitch. Tripping, I swore to myself before my knees smacked into the hard floorboards.
Fingers wrapped round my arm. I thrust the dagger towards them, smiling to myself when someone screamed and the digits fell away. Probably disconnected from their owner.
A witch…I knew it was a witch, because of the jolt of magic that poured into me…took hold of my arse cheek. Scrambling to get up, I was pushed back down when more than one person piled onto my back. The witch was squeezing my arse. Was she having a good feel?
Swiping my blade again, I laughed when it plunged straight into the oncoming face of the Dark Crawler. His scent crept up my nose as he screamed, writhing to the ground as his spirit was sent to Helheim and his human host bled out beside me.
Someone was punching me in the head. “Just go down,” Kalic whispered in my ear. “I’ll come back to rescue you later.”
As if I would trust a filthy vampire. They were just as bad to the humans as crawlers were. Draining the poor beings of their blood so they wouldn’t be hungry. Greedy bastards.
“Fuck you.” About to aim backwards, I winced when he squeezed the top of my arm and plunged his teeth into my muscle.
Sucking hard, he shot off me as my blood hit his stomach. Vomiting on the floor beside me, he grinned when we made eye contact. What the hell was he playing at?
“Don’t worry, I’ll get him.” The wizard came to stand in front of me.
Flicking my dagger behind me, I disconnected the witches hand from her arm. The power in the blade would kill her too. The only problem with my plan was that I ended up with a slouched dead female on my back. And, there were still two more people pinning me to the floor.
The wizard bent down to look me in the face, distracting me from those that pawed at my body. I couldn’t look away, no matter how much I tried. Ah, Rusty’s trick. Maybe this was the wizard responsible for my pet’s superpower. Not that he was my pet, he was Chloe’s.
“You can’t move, can you?” His warm clean breath hit me. I couldn’t even turn away to avoid it.
Gesturing, he made the others climb off me. I watched as he rose to his feet, his magical hook in me somehow. “Get up.”
As if…what the fuck? My muscles started to move of their own accord. My knees bent under me as my hands pushed me up from the wooden floor. The wanker was controlling my every move. No wonder the others had been the ones to protect him.
“Go upstairs, into the first room on the landing.” The corner of the wizard’s lips sunk into his cheek when I growled and snarled in his direction.
My feet started to pass him, taking the rest of me with them. I couldn’t stop myself from moving. What a clever wizard. One that I would have liked on my side if I had known about him.
Maybe that had been my problem. For so long, I had kept to myself. Yet, if I had taken the time to get to know the members of the underworld, I might have had some very powerful allies.
“You’ll pay for this,” I barked at them all.
I couldn’t blame them for doing what they did. I was a stranger to them, only previously a myth. Why should they help me? But, if they were powerful enough to bring me down, why the hell were they letting Kitty dictate to them?
“Serenity, Kalic, make sure he does what Isaac has ordered him to,” Kitty called as I exited the room and lumbered up the stairs.
Willing my muscles to stop engaging, I clenched my fists at my side as I walked straight into the first room at the top of the landing. I had never been so powerless in my whole thousand years. It wasn’t a feeling I relished. In fact, my heart was pounding in my chest so badly, it vibrated through me.
Heat suddenly encased my whole body, making me fall to the floor. The Fallen One. They were near again.
“Are you okay?” Serenity asked.
Both she and Kalic, the vampire, stood in the doorway, watching me. Was that…? I put my hands on my chest to steady my heartbeat. It was a good job I couldn’t die of natural causes. My body temperature was so hot, I would have died of a heart attack if I was fully human.
The Fallen One. It was the only thing I could think of.
The others looked genuinely concerned as I crawled up onto a dirty old mattress that lay on the floor. A bucket was in the corner, obviously waiting for me to piss in. The joy of being a captive for the very first time.
“You can fuck off now,” I said, resting my back against the baby pink wall.
Serenity stepped into the room, her dark eyes imploring me. I had no strength to work out her secret communication. And, I didn’t fucking care. She deserved everything she got from Kitty.
“Serenity, don’t,” Kalic said, his teeth growing in warning.
He obviously hadn’t been around humans very much recently, he seemed to react to any smell coming from her. How did a powerful vampire become so…pathetic? Funny coming from the Viking warrior who shivered on a shitty mattress.
“He’s right, you should go. I won’t be able to control my temper.”
The burning inside was getting more and more intense. The dagger that was still clasped in my grip dropped to the floor as the handle scolded me. The Fallen One was coming nearer. If I hadn’t just been put under the spell of a wizard, bitten by a vampire and touched up by a witch, I wouldn’t be feeling so damn feeble and able to react accordingly.
“I…I’m sorry,” Serenity said as she retreated. “I didn’t realise this would happen. She made me tell her everything about you. I’m obsessed with Viking history and when I found information about you, she somehow found me.”
Looking at Kalic, I raised my eyebrows. “Get my fangirl out of here…now.”
The vampire nodded once, came into the room and carted Serenity away. How she knew about me was a mystery that I would solve once I had regained my strength. No normal human had ever been interested in me before, why now?
“Look at you.”
I glanced up from my dagger, instantly sweeping it into my hand when Kitty came over the threshold,
Isaac, the wizard, sticking close to her.
“You’ve got what you want, why don’t you send them all away now?”
As soon as I had her alone, I would kill her. Whatever reasons she had for causing so much hassle would never be enough of an excuse for me.
“You really think you’re so powerful, don’t you? Yet, you just got your arse handed to you. Isn’t my friend clever?” Kitty ran a hand over Isaac’s bicep.
The man’s eyes still swirled, the magic pulsating through his being. In fact, if someone drained him of it, his body would probably wither and die. No one could handle loosing that amount of magical sustenance.
“He is clever, indeed. I never thought a powerful wizard would become a little slave bitch to such a…bitch. What power do you have over them?”
Taking a deep breath, I tried not to laugh when Isaac’s face screwed up, his lips almost disappearing. My barb had obviously hit a nerve somewhere in him. Somewhere under all that inflated ego.
“The leaders are being held by…a certain someone. But, don’t worry, you’ll find out in time.” Almost skipping out of the room, she cackled as she went, indicating for the wizard to shut the door behind him.
I waited until the sound of their footsteps faded before I dug my phone out from the pocket of my hose. Luckily, I had put it on silent before I went into Martin’s party. How stupid of them not to check me for it.
Jack had sent me a text asking where the fuck I was. He was planning on grabbing Chloe and rescuing me, even though I had told him not to. Shooting him a quick reply, I told him where I thought I was. The direction we had travelled stayed strong in my head. Asking him to be extra careful, I told him to bring Chloe and her magic.
Never before would I have requested help from my warrior in training, but her magic would be helpful around all the different supernatural creatures. I didn’t trust her not to mess it up, but like she had said, experience was key to a person’s development.
Putting my phone away, I got to my feet. Trying the door first, I swore when my skin made contact with the metal handle and the heat of it seared the flesh on my palm. Clutching my chest to try and stem the heat from the Fallen One, I cursed even more. The bastard wizard had spelled the door closed.
Turning to check out the window, I paused when the air in front of me moved, a very faint figure appearing. Shit, it was Thor!
“Trygger, I don’t have much time. This is taking all my strength.” My grandfather was weak, his usual mighty form bent forward as he clutched his chest.
Spirit couldn’t visit earth, how was he here? “Thor! Grandsire, it’s good to see you.”
I stood frozen as he smiled, his teeth gritted together. It had been so, so long since I had last seen him. What a sight he was, even though he looked nothing like his former glory.
Stepping forward, I reached out to help him. He waved me away as I almost moved straight through his image. He was dead, but still in spirit form.
“Don’t panic, I’m fine and healthy in Valhalla. It’s just taking a lot of energy to be here. I want to thank you for all you’re doing. I’ve never had the chance. And, although Freya attempted to convey my message last month, she didn’t do a very good job. Please keep believing that you can do this. I cannot wait for the day you can be with me in Valhalla.”
I frowned, not quite comprehending him. “In Valhalla? But…”
Tales had been told around our camp fire in Scandinavia when I was a child. The heavens that the gods lived in were luxurious. Their spirits had no worries or cares, not like the human souls that resided in Valhalla. But, then, the gods were usually alive, not dead. That was a point, how could my dead spirit live amongst the gods?
“Trygger, my grandson. You will meet me here to give me back my power. And, then…well, you’ll find out. Hopefully soon.” Thor groaned as his energy drained even more. “I have to go now, but listen to me…there will be times soon…when you’ll want to give up. Don’t. Don’t ever give up.”
As his image faded, my knees gave out from under me. The man I had loved so very much, reduced to such weakness. I hated to see it. It reminded me of his dead body outside Valhalla, an image I had pushed away almost a thousand years ago.
That was my reason for being. For playing out this mission. To erase that memory by returning the Fallen Ones and restoring Thor’s power to him. That was the only reason I still lived today. I sometimes pretended it was because I longed to live with the gods, which I did…but, if I died, Thor’s thunder, his lightning…it died too.
“Trygger?” someone hissed on the other side of the door.
A female. Who? Moving closer, I stood to the side, holding back a laugh when she obviously tried to open the door and cursed when the magic burnt her. I was impressed by her colourful language.
“Who’s there?” I asked, my dagger raised and ready to plunge.
The swearing stopped as a deep breath was inhaled. “It’s Serenity. They’ve just left, all of them, except me and Kalic. We’re supposed to keep guard, but I changed my mind.”
Why would she change her mind? She had obviously been working for Kitty all along. The little human was dabbling in experiences that were far beyond her stupid capacity. It amazed me how crazy humans were. They really didn’t have the brain to know when to keep out of something.
“Go away before you get yourself hurt.”
Moving to the window, I looked down into the street. It was quiet. A couple of cars came through, just like most London streets in the middle of the night, but no people were around. The rows of brick townhouses were in darkness, most normal humans going about their ordinary routine. Sleep, eat, shit and work. It was so…boring.
“Trygger…?”
An idea struck me. Going back to the door, I decided to test Serenity. “If you want to help, tell me where we are.”
Serenity cleared her throat. “Okay. We’re at 24 Findhorn Road.”
Taking my phone out, I text the address to Jack, pleading with him to be careful as it may be a trap. He shot back a message saying they were on their way and the address wasn’t far from the co-ordinates I had given them.
“What now?” she called.
A masculine voice said something to her from somewhere else in the house. Probably the bottom of the stairs.
“I can’t get in, the wizard has spelled the door.” Serenity sounded flustered, her tone rising as footsteps thundered up the stairs and Kalic told her to move.
A thud against the door made me step back. The vampire had super strength, even more than I did. The wooden door didn’t budge as he threw himself against it a couple of times. “Nope, that’s not going to open.”
The corner of my lip sneaked into my cheek. The powerful vampire couldn’t break a spell with sheer muscle. He reminded me of myself. Yet, we were worlds apart in our whole life experience.
Going back to the window as they spoke between themselves, I touched the glass. It burnt the tip of my finger, the same as the door had. They really had locked me up tight. Magic…that’s where I could be bested. Thor’s power was strong, his thunder and lightning able to…
Rushing to the door, I knocked on it at the same time as shouting. “Hey! If you leave the building, I can get out. But, you have to go outside.”
They were silent for a second. “How?” Kalic called.
“This might sound odd to you, but I can knock this house down.” I could. Back in the day, I had trained myself to use Thor’s power to control the weather.
My mother had made me practice in the mountains where no one could come to harm. Staying for days at a time, I would starve as I practiced summoning his lightning. Eventually, I went back to the village, exhausted, but satisfied that I had made progress. Eating and recovering, I waited a week or so until I went to the mountains again.
One time, my brother followed me and I didn’t realise. He was my youngest sibling. A boy who adored me and wanted to be exactly like me. However much I tried to dissuade him from his fantasy of bei
ng a slave to the gods, he ignored every word I said. Unless it was to do with Thor and all of the Norse gods. He was obsessed.
“How the hell can you knock the house down?” The slight shake in Serenity’s tone told of her inexperience.
Still trapped in my memory, I barely replied. “Trust me, I can.”
The day I was on the ridge almost a thousand years ago, I laughed heartily as I called for Thor’s lightning to hit my sword. My little brother ran out to me, yelling in elation. However, I was always on guard, always afraid. The Fallen Ones knew about me by then, they could come to find me much easier than I could get to them.
“Trygger!” The sound of Serenity and the remembrance of my brother calling blurred as I almost stumbled.
My sword swiped down in my memory, slicing into the little boy who had always looked up to me. His eyes widened as the joy in them faded away. I gasped as the sword fell to the ground, along with the boy. Tears fell from both our eyes as the light disappeared from his body.
“Trygger!” The male voice jolted me out of the past.
Reaching up to my face, I frowned when my finger traced a fallen tear. I couldn’t remember the last time I had cried.
“What?” I called back, shaking away the first nightmare that had started the downfall of the people I loved.
“Tell us how you’re going to knock the house down!” Kalic’s tone was agitated, impatient.
Kitty probably wouldn’t leave us alone for long. She would want to get on with the task of attracting Chloe so she could kill her. That wasn’t going to happen. Which was exactly why I needed to bring the bricks of the house tumbling down. That way, I could get her to safety as quickly as possible.
“I can’t tell you. I’m warning you now, if you don’t get out, you’ll go down with the house.”
“So will you! We’ll all die!” Serenity shouted.
Going to the door, I fought back the next memory that wanted to surface. The one that finally killed my emotions.
“I won’t die, trust me. Neither will Kalic…but you will, Serenity. Just go outside, wait for me in the street.”
Stepping back, I looked down at my feet. The last time I had used this part of Thor’s power, I had been so wrapped up in my task of slaughtering a Dark Crawler, I hadn’t remembered the first time I had found out about the particular talent. Or burden.
Lightning Seeker: Viking Soul Book 2 (Viking Soul Series) Page 12