They waited, and nothing happened.
“Did you need to say it again?” Sif asked.
“I read the words as they appeared.”
Sif nodded. “Well, I did my part. I now need to go get Chi.”
“We’re not leaving until this is taken care of.”
“What do you mean? I did what you asked. And you are still getting upset with me. You are miserable because you want to be. But I have to do my part in making sure I save my friend. Friendship means something to me, and it might not mean a thing to you, and maybe that is why the magic isn’t working. You just don’t have what it takes for the spell to work.”
Hel watched Sif leave. She snapped her fingers, and the book appeared before her. What had she done wrong? She second-guessed her choices, her words. She concentrated on love, and maybe that was the problem. Harley used to be the mad king who enjoyed a little mayhem.
She cupped his face with her blacked hand and watched tinges of green magic flow from her fingertips into his grayish face.
How had she lost that confidence to change destinies? How had they taken away that which had given her the most power? The room suddenly began to lose its oxygen. She couldn’t move, as the air whooshed from her lungs, and forest-green eyes opened. Eyes filled with maniacal murder. His face green in coloring.
“Harley?” Hel asked.
His hand shot out and took her by the throat lifting her from the ground. “Dear wife, why do you call me the name that means nothing. It took you long enough to raise me.”
He pulled her into his grasp and cradled her to his chest, and the air reappeared. Again she heard his heartbeat, and again she felt like she had a piece of home within her grasp.
“Why have you brought me back?” he asked.
“I missed you.”
“You always miss me.” She felt his lips press on her hair.
“But you have even better plans for us this time, right? I hope to have some fun,” he said.
“What do you have in mind?”
“Total death and destruction, of course.” His eyes danced, and she was content in seeing his madness. He remembered who he was, is, and that of her Harley was now gone, pushed into the background to an existence that had lasted less than a fortnight in the comparison of things when one was eternal. Nevertheless, she loved him no matter which incarnation he appeared. He was her other half, and together they could dance in mayhem.
“We can plan that tomorrow, though. I wish only to hold you for a moment longer. Tell me you have something devious setup.”
“Of course. I can’t make things too easy.”
The alarms began to blare! “Warning, warning. Oxidation to begin in T-minus 10,” shouted the overhead speaker. The room would soon be disintegrated.
What had she done wrong? He was back, She looked at the crown he wore and the truth hit her. It held eight stones instead of the original nine.
She’d awakened a monster.
Chapter 32
Sif
Screw this. I moved back through the elven castle, and away from the drama that followed Lady Hel. I wasn’t going to remain behind and watch her decimate anything and everything.
And, I’d let the men argue all day long over their role in my life, but without me. I wasn’t going to let Chi pay the ultimate price. I’d waited long enough.
I put my earbud in my ear and signaled Heimdall. “Heimdall, please, send me to Midgard,” I said.
He paused. We’d been doing these missions for a while, but never with my leaving not under the cover of night. With this trip, everyone would discover what I’d been doing, and his helping me. “I was wondering if you were going to ask for my help.” He chuckled.
“I like to keep my promises.”
“And that is what all those men like about you. You’re a good person.”
I didn’t feel good, just burdened with the task of cleaning up a mess I’d started. What good was it to have power, might, and access to Asgard’s armory if I wasn’t going to use it?
“Well, you were ignoring me earlier,” I countered, “but there was a light of hope at the end of the tunnel. With all of that testosterone and them trying to force me to decide, I think I choose my friendships. My goodness.”
“You found Njord?” he asked.
I knew that one reason he’d been helping as well, as he wanted me to stay helping the gods, and finding everyone’s favorite uncle was a great start to keep me grafted into the Asgardian family tree.
“Yes, but things are not well.” I couldn’t keep the sorrow out of my voice. Heimdall deserved the truth.
“I figured as much as he was not easy to find.”
“Can you find anyone?”
“Usually, why?” Heimdall asked.
“He said that Freyja is not Freyja. And that got me to thinking. She hasn’t been her usual self.”
“Hmm, I’ll check it out, but it might not be the best for you to go down to face Arma without any backup.”
I smiled, hearing his concern. “Send Kara if I get into a pinch. Someone will come.”
With a beam of bright light, I landed on a rooftop back in Richmond and took in my surroundings. The city hadn’t changed since the last time I’d been here, just more fire residue from Arma’s recent meteorite attacks.
This time, I was less than a block away from where Arma and the elves gathered. Below, she had what appeared to be a garrison on either side of the street, while she stood on the median.
Like every night, the elves were again chanting and calling for the slayer to come. “Come, Sif, I can smell you,” Arma said and stood in the street surrounded by guards, but this time there was something different: Chi was hung up, stretched out on a rack.
Descending the building, I took a giant leap and leapt over the line of guards to land on the street’s paved blacktop.
The chant died down, and I could feel the heaviness on my back as all eyes focused on me. I took a step forward toward Arma, who sneered at me with her jagged teeth.
“I waited with a gift for you, dear slayer,” Arma said and stepped to the side to highlight that which she’d been hiding, a rack.
“What have you done to her?” My voice shook with rage.
Amra swung the rack around and there, Chi rested, prone, and her back was flayed open with her ribs severed, and her lungs pulled through. “I made sure that you were coming to face death.”
“No!” I screamed as hot tears welled to the surface and raced down my face, then the dark elves on either side of the street advanced on me.
“Did you think you could get away with killing my men without some payment being needed in return?” Arma asked. The soldiers began to chant again, but this time they weren’t demanding that I appear, but that I die.
I needed to think. This was not what I expected. I thought they’d hold Chi captive, maybe they might have tortured her some, as they waited on me, but this…I couldn’t remove my gaze from her still body, splayed out in front of me.
No one deserved such an ending. Chi had been my best friend, the closest I had to an extended family and she didn’t deserve such an end.
“Sif? Are you okay?” Heimdall called out, but I couldn’t speak. Tears filled my throat. “You have to get out of there.”
I shook my head, overcome with grief and burning rage. Now I would die too, but I deserved it. I deserved the same pain she’d received because of me.
“Take care of them all,” I whispered under my breath and hung my head.
“You have to get up. You have to fight!” Heimdall urged in my ear.
I had nothing to lose, anger rumbled, the ground thundered, and lightning sizzled across the sky. I felt the shifting. This time, there would be no monster beckoned to charge forth to face down my enemy, but instead, walk into the trusting of my instincts.
I am the key.
What does that mean?
That I can open doors, and lock them.
I’d lost love because I’d been
too afraid to go this alone. To face this evil head-on.
The key had the power to decimate, and also to call forth.
I’m so sorry, Chi.
More tears slid down my face to puddle at my jugular notch. Maybe my sorrow could serve as an offering to her. Poor Chi.
“Tie her up. It’s time she suffers the same fate as her dear friend,” Arma commanded with a sneer.
My shoulders shook. I felt rough hands pulling on me, tying me down. I was powerless to affect something else. My thoughts circled only on the dead body next to me.
“Look at the little girl bawl like a baby. We shall fight to the death, and then this realm and all that remains in it will be mine. I shall rule, and you will be my stepping stone. You’re already defeated; weakened.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow move through the crowd of elves coming closer to me, and I saw her smile at me, my Chi. “Girl, you are the freaking key. You can resurrect me if you want to. Don’t you know that you can control time—past, present and future? You are the Norns fourth sister.”
I have the power.
“Sif, you are the power. Believe it and do what you’ve been training to do all of this time. Kill this bitch and resurrect me. I have a date on Friday that I’ve waited too long for. I’d rather not miss it.”
As if a soundtrack began to play in my head, I slowly rose from my knees and advanced on Arma. I watched in slow-mo as she began to form a fireball, but the bounds sizzled away, as lightning shot from every pore of my body erupting from my limbs like an arsenal of weapons going off. The lightning sizzled outward, zigzagging, tagging everything in its path.
I would be that one-woman army. I would slay them all.
Thunder clapped around me, and instead of dark elves falling to the ground, incapacitated, they floated away in whisks of dust.
“No, no,” Arma shouted. “Get her!”
A second wave of soldiers approached as Arma raced back through the crowd away from me.
“Heimdall, I think this would count as a holy war. Send the Valkyrie to assist.”
“And Arma?”
“Oh, I will make her pay, greatly.”
Like a horror movie serial killer, I advanced on Arma, who raised her hands and caused the sky to rain down meteorites and fire. I walked straight through it; the chaos parted for me. I wasn’t afraid of it or her.
Instead, she looked scared and foolish. There would be no apologies accepted, despite her sniffling. I could be gracious, but that wouldn’t change things. No, this show of might had to be washed out. The old Sif might have extended grace and mercy, but not this one.
“You have committed treason against the gods, and your sentence is death,” I said
“You are not judge and jury; only Odin can do that.”
“Well, you can take it up with him.”
“I will,” she began, “I will make sure that you—”
She’d worn out her welcome, and my axe quickly separated her head from her shoulders. It would be a nice apology gift to Odin for my betrayal, in not obeying him.
Although silence was all that should have remained, I noticed the sound of approaching footsteps, of Lady Hel, alone.
“That was quicker and better than expected,” Lady Hel began, “but I’m not quite done with you yet.” She then swung back her arm and stabbed me with one of her enchanted daggers. With a flick of her wrist, I began to float.
“I warned you that you’d die—and that you will.” Paralyzed, I couldn’t do anything about it.
Trapped in my mind, I couldn’t speak, let alone move. I heard Heimdall yelling my name in my ear right before Hel removed the earbud and tossed it onto the street.
“We wouldn’t want someone to come get you before the getting is good, right, dear?”
The strength had to be somewhere within me. Chi, get help. I didn’t think that Lady Hel could see Chi, at least I hoped she wasn’t so easily discovered.
I’d gotten snotty, and now I’d pay with my life after all.
I struggled to breathe, struggled to make sense of it, but without the ability to speak or move, I couldn’t change or risk anything.
The one I’d called friend had ordered my demise, and Lady Hel would do anything for love, including killing the one person with the power of resurrection.
Chapter 33
Thor
“We can’t sit here and cast lots on what to do,” Thor began. It was the worst of predicaments to be in: Who will play the hero and save the girl?
They still bantered back and forth in the garden at Alfheim, determining who should do what. The elves had long ago left, and Vali and Kara waited to the side.
“Do you think if we went to save her, it would end all of this?” Vali interjected.
“There is nothing that can be said about how I feel for her,” Thor countered.
“Hogwash. You are only interested because I am,” Loki accused.
“You had your chance and blew it.”
“I did no such thing.” Loki huffed. “This is childish. You will leave her in peril until you are given the opportunity to play her.”
“You mustn’t love her if you are willing to play games with her life,” Thor chastised.
“Who are you to even inquire as to my connection to Sif?”
“Guys, time is of the essence here,” Kara shouted.
They ignored Kara.
“Enough!” Kara interrupted. “What is meant to be shall be, but not like this. You risk her for your own pride. Should either of you care, then you will rush to Midgard, and work together to save her. If her best friend Chi is a ghost, that we can see, that surely shows the peril that Sif is in. And if you lose the key, Odin is going to be beyond pissed.”
Thor clenched his jaw. The last thing he wanted was for his father to even consider being angry and causing a galactic war because the key had been broken.
“But, she is not just a key,” Vali said, “She is a person, a nice one. And If you are just trying to use her for what she is, maybe neither of you deserve her. Maybe I should throw my hat into the ring.”
They all cast Vali a scathing look. “Well, it would solve the issue here right now. Let’s gird our loins and prepare to fight.”
“Son, let Thor and I handle this.”
“No, if the prince goes, so will I,” Kara said.
“And if she is going, then so will I,” Vali chimed in.
“Heimdall,” Thor called out. “Send us to Midgard please.”
It didn’t take long for them to land at Sif’s coordinates, and all that remained were remains of what must have been an extraordinary melee. “She knocked them out of their boots. That’s my girl,” Kara said and inched up to Chi’s remains.
Now they knew what happened and why Chi was able to appear to pass on the message that Sif was in trouble, even if they couldn’t hear Chi speak, as no one spoke ghost.
Chapter 34
Sif
“She’s coming to.” I recognized the voice as being that of Harley, and my eyes opened to stare at the man who stood above me. If I hadn’t known Harley beforehand, I might have been afraid. This man barely resembled my often-shy friend. Power oozed from him.
A shiver raced up my spine. I was in the presence of pure evil.
“No, no,” I cried out and shook my head back and forth on the metal gurney, and over me, Lady Hel rushed to my side, and shushed me.
“You needn’t worry, dear Sif, but this is for the greater good.” I watched her take an IV bag and hang it on an IV pole. The blue liquid curved through the tubing and towards my strapped down arms. Unable to move, I shook in my constraints, rattling the handcuffs against the gurney’s metal bars. “This is for the best. You’ll see.”
The more of the concoction that pumped into my system, the more the world around me began to break into a haze.
“You see, Sif, this is required, a needed pain to ensure that we can rise. You are our key, the key, and must be strong enough.”
/> When the liquid hit my veins, I screamed until my throat burned as much as the liquid now coursing through me. My veins protruded until I could see them poking through my skin.
The room began to fill with blurry blue and delicate flowers. I longed to pick one up and pretend for a moment that this wasn’t happening. My vision unclear, I couldn’t see anything.
My heart thundered in my chest like ten thousand horses, to then slow to a simple, slow trot.
I smelled heaven, whiskey, and the pain began to ease. I swayed, and the warmth of skin wrapped around me.
“Tonight, you shall not die, Hjarta.”
“Why are you here? They will surely kill you,” I stuttered. The coldness that cloaked me, I couldn’t shake.
“Let them come. I do what I want!”
Maybe I should have thought about the consequences, but here he was, and that was better than anything else.
Loki was back by my side.
“We must hurry, Loki, before they come back,” Thor said.
He’d never been one for sneak attacks, and working with Thor, that must have meant that I was in the middle of my own nightmare, or afterlife dream.
“Heimdall open up the portal,” Thor ordered.
“What the hell?”
Loki was going to betray his children, work with Thor, and Lady Hel had gotten me to resurrect her mad king, only to then try to kill me, and oh, my best friend is still a ghost.
Before I could ask questions, the portal opened, and we vanished leaving the hospital room in Helheim behind. With these men in my life, maybe this time we had a chance of winning. Now, we knew we needed to not react to their madness, but act.
“First we have to find Freyja,” I muttered, and collapsed.
There was relief in the darkness.
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