by S. T. Bende
“It will be all right.” Ull gave me the smile every other goddess in Asgard swooned over. Straight teeth, pale pink lips, square jaw… it had zero effect on me.
“Whatever. Let’s just go.”
We jogged the rest of the way. Ull pointed to three empty seats in the back. We settled in while Odin worked his way down his roster.
“Skadi Snorenson,” Odin called from the front of the hall. The Chosen One herself clomped toward Odin, waggling her fingers at Ull as she passed our row. Blech. “For excellence in combat and service to the realm, you have been reassigned Warrior of Asgard.”
Gunnar twirled his finger at his temple and crossed his eyes at me. He leaned so his mouth was against my ear. “She’d be dritt at her job if you weren’t training her.”
I squeezed his thigh. “Jeg elsker deg.”
“Ditto, doll.”
“Bjorn Fiskerdag,” Odin continued, as Skadi filed out of the room.
“How much longer is this going to take?” I whispered.
“Knowing Odin, probably two hours.” Gunnar rolled his impish green eyes with a wink. If I wasn’t so frustrated, they would have been a beautiful distraction.
I murmured, “Hurry it up, for the love of—”
“Big plans?”
“I was hoping somebody might want to take me on a moonlit stroll after dinner.” I nudged Gunnar. “You, me, a blanket, and a basket of my freshly baked pastries…”
“Count me in,” Ull whispered. “I saw those scones on the counter this morning – wondered what they were for.”
Gunnar and I exchanged a glance. Ull had been making himself the third wheel a lot more often lately. He was lonely – plain and simple. Unfortunately, he was also too stubborn to date.
Finally, Odin dismissed Anders. Only Gunnar, Ull and I were left. We sat, backs straight and hands folded in our laps, waiting for the All Father to finish marking his scroll. When he did, Ull nodded.
“Took you long enough, Grandfather.”
“Ah, my Terrific Tre.” Odin’s remaining eye crinkled in a smile. He’d lost the other one so long ago, nobody remembered what he’d looked like without the eye patch.
“I presume we shall continue in our posts.” Ull stood to leave.
I could never have been that cavalier – the Head of Asgard made me kind of nervous.
“Not quite – sit, son.” Odin climbed down from his golden throne and walked our way. Gunnar raised an eyebrow; this was different.
“I do not know if you have heard the rumors.” Odin sat across from us in a wooden chair.
Of course we’d heard the rumors. They were all anyone could talk about anymore. Dark factions were allegedly moving to strike Asgard, some kind of a preemptive Ragnarok attack. Travel between the realms had been banned for over a week.
“Does this have anything to do with the Valkyries running the humans through new fight sequences?” Gunnar sounded guarded.
Odin grimaced. “My sources in Alfheim tell me their dark brothers intend to attack soon.”
“Svartalfheim? Why don’t the light elves stop them?”
Odin shook his head. “You know they have no control over the dark elves.”
“So what does this mean?” Ull’s eyes narrowed.
“It means that things are changing in Asgard. And I shall need the three of you to change as well.”
Oh here it comes, here it comes. Inga Jensson Andersson, I hereby appoint you Head Valkyrie. Junior Valkyrie. Any Valkyrie.
“We will always serve Asgard.” Ull’s sense of duty had nothing on the overwhelming joy I felt. I was finally going to get to do what I was really good at. And Gunnar couldn’t say anything to stop it because the realm needed me.
Please, please, please. Please.
“I am glad to hear you say that, Ull. Gunnar, you shall continue to serve as a warrior. We need your leadership, now, more than ever.”
“Happy to do my part.” Gunnar bowed his head with a smirk. I stopped just short of rolling my eyes. He’d earned the right to be cocky… that was what made him so freaking sexy.
“Inga,” Odin continued. I pressed down on my thighs to stop my legs from bouncing. “I shall require that you exercise your gift for analyzing attack patterns to develop the most effective counter moves for the dark elves.”
“You need me to fight the dark elves? Hand to hand?” I asked hopefully.
“No, I need you to analyze their movements over the past millennium. Determine their methodology and systematize a counter attack to debilitate them.”
My shoulders dropped. Bloody Helheim. The end of the cosmos was upon us, and I still had to be an advisor?
“Yes, Odin.” I blinked back tears.
Gunnar rubbed my back with the tips of his fingers. “Sorry.”
I shrugged in reply.
“And Ull, I shall need to shift your duties as well.”
“Grandfather.” Ull’s voice had an edge.
Odin held up his hand. “I understand, but you must protect your realm. You know this.”
“What are you asking of me?”
Odin held Ull’s gaze. “For the time being, and remember this is only until the threat from Svartalfheim has been eliminated…”
“Yes?”
“You shall set aside your post as God of Winter and pick up the duties of God of War.”
Oh, no. This was not going to be pretty.
“That is Tyr’s job.” Ull growled.
“He is… otherwise occupied.”
“Grandfather, I cannot accept. We have discussed this.” Ull kept his voice steady but his jaw twitched. That wasn’t a good sign.
“And I have respected your feelings in the past. But the well-being of Asgard is at stake, and I need my strongest warrior overseeing the battle.”
“I would never turn my back on my realm. I will fight. But you cannot ask me to take that title.” The twitch in Ull’s jaw kept rhythm with his clenched fist. He was seriously displeased with this turn of events.
“I am not asking.” Odin stood. “You shall assume the post God of War, effective immediately. Meet me in my chambers at sunrise to discuss our strategy.” With that, Odin swept from the Great Hall, his golden robes billowing behind him.
This was so not good.
I caught Gunnar’s look and closed my eyes. We wound our fingers together, and waited for the tirade to begin.
It only took Ull ten minutes to work through his anger. First came the shouting; then a few chairs were thrown, and finally, a flag was ripped from the rafters. Gunnar and I had seen it hundreds of times before. Ull’s temper was rivaled only by his stubbornness, and he’d made it more than clear to Odin that his assassin days were behind him.
“Sorry, mate,” Gunnar offered when Ull sat down.
“I will not do it,” Ull muttered, head in hands.
“You have to,” I whispered. “It’s a command.”
Ull raked his fingers through his hair and slumped back in the chair. “I can fight. I cannot oversee the attacks.”
“You’re going to have to collect the families, aren’t you?” Gunnar asked.
Ull nodded. It was the oldest trick in the battle book. Asgard was notorious for going after the families of infidels and holding them hostage, to force our enemies to back down. It was lousy, underhanded and cruel – but Odin always said, all’s fair in war. And the Father of All Things knows best… even when he was being completely and totally heartless.
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
“Me too.” Gunnar clapped Ull on the back.
We sat in the Great Hall until the sun started to set. My roast would be ruined, but I didn’t care. None of us had the energy to head home. Who knew what the morning would bring?
As it turned out it, the morning was the least of our concerns. Nightfall was what we needed to worry about.
Chapter Two
WE’D BARELY MADE IT home when the sirens started blaring. I shot Gunnar an uneasy look as we raced to our bedroom,
throwing dress robes on the floor, and suiting up in black combat gear. I grabbed my rapier and dagger from the hall closet and tossed Gunnar his crossbow. By the time we got back to the front door, Ull was already in his fatigues, battle sword in hand.
“Go,” Ull commanded. We obeyed. Despite his feelings on the subject, he was the best fighter among us.
We ran through the night, down the dark meadow and past the pond. The Great Hall filled as we entered, gods and goddesses moving into ranks. Ull took his place at the head of the hall alongside Thor. Together, they were a peculiar pair – one a battle-scarred redhead who looked like the stereotypical Midgardian Viking; the other a fierce blond assassin who looked like he might moonlight as a movie star. But they shared the same set jaw, the same intense look, and emitted the same waves of fury. Whatever was going down, it was serious. Gunnar and I stood in front of Ull and waited for our orders.
“Asgardians,” Odin’s somber tone rose through the frenzy. “Svartalfheim has attacked the Bifrost. Dark Elves overtook Heimdall and are crossing the bridge. I believe their goal is simple destruction, but we must protect the Unknowables nonetheless. Anders, your team is to guard the War Cabinet. Bjorn, ensure your men protect the Treasure Room. Dagnir, oversee the Sanctimony. And Magni, patrol the residential areas. The rest of you, follow Thor to the Bifrost.”
My brain clicked into fight mode, and I clenched my rapier in my left hand. I barely noticed Gunnar’s tug on my jacket as he pulled me to the wall.
“Inga,” he whispered. “Please be careful.”
“You too, baby.” I smiled. I knew he was worried, but I couldn’t contain my elation. I hadn’t seen a real fight in a century. Anticipation thrummed in my veins.
“I mean it. You are my life, and if anything happened to you—”
I cut him off before he could get too sentimental. “Zip it, Andersson.” I kissed him gently, melting against his soft lips. “Save it for the after party back home.” He raised an eyebrow and I curled up against him for the briefest of moments before we righted ourselves and fell back into rank. Ull moved in to my side and relayed Thor’s orders.
“The two of you are to stay with me. For some reason Thor thinks I am a target, and he wants Gunnar at my flank. Inga, you are free to follow Skadi’s group to rescue Heimdall. But, knowing how you feel about her, I asked for your assistance as well. Is that all right?”
“Thanks, Ull.” Doing anything at Skadi’s command would be suicide. She made stupid mistakes trying to prove she was tough enough for a god’s job, and I had no intention of getting myself killed because of her ego.
“Now if anything happens, Gunnar, we protect Inga first. Get her to safety.”
“Hey,” I protested. “I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can.” Ull chuckled. “Or I would send you back to the house right now.”
“I wouldn’t go.” I put my hands on my hips. If Ull thought he could keep me away from this fight, he had another thing coming.
“Yes, you would. No matter. Come.” He jogged into the darkness, away from the troupe filing steadfastly behind Thor. His muscular form ran lithely toward the trees, then disappeared. That was weird – protocol dictated we stay with the others. A three-person hunting party would be easy for an enemy to pick off.
Ull knew something he wasn’t telling us.
Gunnar raised an eyebrow and shrugged. I shifted my weapons to my left hand as we jogged into the woods after Ull. It’d been a long time since I’d been in the Dark Forest, and it still gave me chills. Asymmetrical trees cast shadows across uneven footpaths and the eerie silence confirmed that all the animals had fled. Someone – or something – was in here.
“Ull,” Gunnar began. Ull held up a hand, and Gunnar fell silent. We followed him deeper into the forest, for Odin knows how long, until we heard a low grumbling. Dropping behind a quintet of boulders, we held our breaths, listening to the foreign voices coming from the clearing. I’d taken Svartish in secondary school, but it’d been a while since I’d tried to conjugate the verbs. Enter the chamber; decapitate Odin; end the bloodline… oh Ymir. The dark elves were going after Odin. The next in the bloodline was Thor. And after that was…
“Get out of here. Now!” Gunnar shoved Ull. The three of us took off at an even sprint, two massive killers shepherding me through the thick wood. Thor was right – Ull was a target. He was the last of the royal bloodline, even if it was through marriage. If the royal bloodline was eliminated, it could take a year to go through the electoral process to select a new king. Asgard would be leaderless and totally susceptible to attacks. It would be the perfect time to incite Ragnarok.
I ran like my life depended on it. In all likelihood, it probably did. The dark elves might keep me as a hostage, but that wasn’t how I planned to spend the rest of my days. My arms pumped as I willed myself through the forest. Keeping pace with Gunnar and Ull was easy enough, but without warning a tree fell across the river, stopping us all.
A voice broke through the darkness, speaking in English. “Going somewhere?”
I whipped around, my back against Gunnar’s in a defensive position. I held my rapier at eye level, keeping my dagger at my hip. The muscles in Gunnar’s back tensed against mine as I felt him flex his crossbow. Without having to look, I knew his chin was down, his knees were bent, and his arms were raised to pull the trigger. He was ready to fight.
“Show yourself,” Ull commanded, now two feet ahead of me. His shoulder blades were pulled back and his elbows were slightly bent. A lock of blond hair ruffled in the breeze, but other than that he didn’t move; he’d taken up a protective stance.
“Ah, but what would be the fun in that? I would much prefer you meet my friend.” A muffled voice erupted in laughter from somewhere in the shadows and another tree fell across the river. The tree rose, then fell again, closer to us. My knees buckled, and for the first time I felt the tiniest bit of fear. That wasn’t a tree at all. It was…
“A giant,” Gunnar whispered, pressing his back closer to mine. No doubt he was thinking about what happened the last time a giant breached Asgard. I’d been kidnapped; a half dozen warriors died saving me. It ended well enough, with Gunnar charging to my rescue and realizing I was the one for him and all. But, it hadn’t exactly been a pleasure cruise for me. Or for my saviors.
“It’s all right. I’ve got this.” I did. Of the three of us, I’d been the only one to spend any goodly amount of time with a giant. I knew they had a weakness for pretty girls. And I knew they got distracted by shiny things. I stepped into the creature’s sightline and tossed my white-blonde hair behind my shoulder.
“You want me?” I raised my chin to shout into the sky. It was generally understood that giants were somewhat hard of hearing.
“What are you thinking? Stop that!” Ull hissed.
“I know what I’m doing.” I shushed him. Gunnar gave me a nod. “Down here, you want me?”
The giant looked around until his eyes focused. Slowly, he bent down with a hand outstretched. I stood very still.
“That’s it,” I called up. “Come and get me.”
From the corner of my eye I saw a spiky-haired warrior aim his bow.
“Now,” I screamed.
Gunnar let the arrow fly, catching the giant in the eyeball. The beast roared and stumbled backwards, yanking the object free.
“Again, Gunnar!”
My avenging assassin leapt from the trees. He soared through the air, arms cocked with his crossbow held at eye level. When his body was parallel with the giant’s waist, he let four arrows fly in succession. They struck the monster’s chest with a wet splice, blood dripping from the points of impact in a thick stream. The giant tripped over a fallen tree and fell into the stream, cracking his skull on a sharp boulder.
“One down.” Gunnar lifted one corner of his mouth in a grin. But there wasn’t time to celebrate. A unit of dark elves quickly filed out of the forest, their swords glinting in the filtered light. Ull raised his bl
ade to draw their attention.
“Get Inga out of here,” Ull instructed.
Gunnar pushed me into the trees. Ull stood his ground, swinging his sword at the onslaught of dark elves. They weren’t the brightest beams in the Bifrost, and although they outnumbered us by twenty, they hadn’t undergone the centuries of training we had.
“Stay here. Please.” Gunnar cupped my cheeks with warm palms.
My hand twitched around my weapons. “I can’t.”
“I know.” He sighed. “But I had to try.”
We ran back to Ull’s side and took up arms.
“I told you to get Inga to safety.” Ull grunted as he struck an elf between the shoulders.
“You know she doesn’t listen to me.”
“I’m not sitting this out.” I swung my rapier over my head and plunged it into an oncoming sternum. I tossed my hair over my shoulder as I withdrew my blade. “Do you know me at all?”
“I know you all right.” Ull shook his head as he raised thick arms and brought them down at a ninety-degree angle, decapitating one of Svartalfheim’s finest. Blood shot everywhere. “Stubborn… pigheaded… unbelievably frustrating…”
“Asgardian beauty queen, award winning baker… patience of a saint to put up with you,” I countered as I fought off the next attacker.
“Stop it you two,” Gunnar groaned. He delivered a series of jabs to his opponent’s face. “You’re distracting me. Oh, enough of this hand to hand dritt. We’re wasting time.” He swung his crossbow around and started to fire. He quickly eliminated ten of the intruders with his arrows. I took down two more.
It was incredible.
Years of frustration at not being taken seriously by the Asgardian aristocracy were wiped clean with each thrust and parry. These elves were flat out stupid to try and mess with Ull. Nobody was going to come after my family and get away with it.
With only three to go, we closed ranks and moved in. The survivors were the strongest fighters, and for the first time, I began to fatigue. I pocketed my dagger, using both hands to exert the full force of the rapier on my attacker. He was strong, and I was exhausted. He backed me a good twenty feet from my partners, down the river. I fought back, but he outmaneuvered me. This guy was seriously quick for a dark elf. They were supposed to be slow in movement and thought. But this one was too fast for me to keep up. He had the long legs and slender build residents of Svartalfheim were known for, but something about his face was off. Instead of being angular and sallow, it was rounder, with a slightly bluish tint. If I didn’t know it was impossible, I would have thought he was some kind of hybrid.