by C L Walker
His hands were curled into fists and his teeth were clenched as he glared at me, unable to come up with words. He wasn’t used to being denied what he wanted and I couldn’t stop smiling.
He spun around again and left. I wasn’t sure if he’d send Erindis down or have someone fetch me and take me to her. I did know, however, that I was going to kill anyone who tried to make me do something before I saw her. I was pretty sure Invehl knew it too.
I closed my eyes and tried to calm down. I was about to speak to my wife for the first time since I was cursed, since the elder god within her had been killed and I had struggled to keep her alive. For the first time in millennia I wouldn’t just see her from a distance; I would get to touch her.
It was a reunion I had been dreaming of my entire life.
Chapter 5
Invehl waited an hour before bringing her down to me himself.
She was more beautiful in person than I remembered. There was an aura about her, a gravity to her that pulled me in and made me want to laugh. I had not held her in my arms since I’d been cursed and it was all I wanted to do.
I stood and waited for her to approach me, my arms open and ready. She kept her distance, her face unreadable. Something approaching horror or fear.
I looked up at Invehl standing in the doorway, watching. Erindis didn’t want to give him anything he could use against us in the future, and that included showing affection while he was present. I could accept that. I offered her the bench and stepped away to give her space.
She sat slowly, keeping her eyes averted. Her short blonde hair was still dirty and hung in her face. Her nails were broken and cracked, and she seemed to be trying to bury them in the wood of the bench.
I hadn’t been near a woman from my time in so long I’d forgotten how they acted. Modern women expected to be seen as equals, partners in life, but my wife wouldn’t be that way. She would defer to me. She would avert her gaze if she thought I was angry.
I dropped to my knees so our faces were level and I tried to reassure her.
“I’m not angry with you,” I said. She looked up at me and for a moment I thought I’d said the right thing. Then her lip curled and she looked away, toward Invehl still watching from the doorway.
“He’s your husband,” the god said. “Talk to him so we can get this going.”
She looked back at me and I still couldn’t read her face; I was awestruck by her presence, barely able to control myself. But she was withdrawn, anxious, her muscles pulled tight beneath her torn, filthy clothes.
I was being an idiot, I realized. She was scared because she’d been held prisoner for a long time. This little god had hurt her and forced her to summon me when she wouldn’t have wanted to. She had put me in harm’s way because she had been in harm’s way, and it had almost broken her.
“Erindis,” I said, trying to be as gentle as I could. “I will get us out of here, my love. I will free us from this pathetic creature.”
“That hurts,” Invehl said.
“Our time here is short, and then we can be together.”
She still wouldn’t look at me. She wouldn’t talk to me. I was going crazy with the need just to hear her voice.
“Please, my love,” I said. I was inching closer to her, trying to get into her line of sight like a cat trying to get the attention of its owner. “Just tell me you’re alright.”
She finally looked up at me, her dark blue eyes filling the world. I reached out without thinking and put my hand on her face.
“No,” she said as she slapped my hand away.
“Why?” I reached out again and tried to take her hand.
“I think the lady has made herself clear,” Invehl said, a hint of concern in his voice.
“You be quiet,” I snapped at him. Erindis jumped at my raised voice, frightened as a bird by the loud noise.
“Agmundr,” she said. Her voice was soft and warm, something I’d been missing without realizing it.
“Erindis,” I replied. My hand was on hers and I didn’t see what was coming, didn’t feel how stiff she was under my touch.
“Get away from me.”
I backed away without thinking, her order the most important thing in the world. I wanted to return, to hold her and feel her warm skin against mine, but she was looking at me like I’d hit her. Like I’d offended her simply by trying to touch her.
“Why?” I said. I sounded pathetic and I didn’t care. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. I had lived my life for her, never hurting her, making sure she survived the death of an elder god, and she didn’t want me near her.
“I need you to follow Invehl’s orders,” she said.
“Why?”
“I need you to do what he says as though the words were my own.”
“I don’t understand.” I was standing and I didn’t remember getting up. My back was against the wall and I didn’t remember retreating. “Why?”
“Do as he says.” Her voice, her gaze; everything was wrong. She wasn’t behaving the way she should, the way she always had when we were together.
“What did you do?” I said to Invehl.
“Me? Nothing. Her dislike is all about you.”
I ran for him, not thinking, only reacting. He’d changed her, brainwashed her, hurt her so bad she didn’t understand what she was doing. I was going to make him pay with his life.
“Stop,” Erindis said.
My muscles froze again, the tattoos constricting and forcing me to obey her orders.
“You’re going to have to understand,” Invehl said. He walked over to me until he was within striking distance. I could almost feel his bones crumbling under my fists. “You aren’t in charge here. Whatever reason she has for this, she is your master and you will obey her. Which means obeying me.”
I looked at my wife, begging her to let me do what had to be done. But she sat, impassive, as her captor taunted me.
“Stand to attention,” Invehl said. I obeyed immediately. “Do you know what a salute is?”
“I’m going to rip your head off.”
“Salute, soldier.”
I saluted despite my best effort to hold position. He had her under a spell but it didn’t matter. Her orders were still binding as long as she made them clearly and without apparently being under duress.
“We’re going to go upstairs now,” Invehl continued. “I am going to assign you to the squad who will be accompanying you on your little adventure. You will do as they say, too.”
I was still staring at Erindis, still waiting for the order to attack and end all this. Instead, she looked away from the god and me, lowering her head and closing her eyes.
“You’ll scream as you die, little god,” I said. He was so close I could smell the mint on his breath.
“Your threats mean nothing to me, Agmundr.” He stepped back and bowed his head to Erindis before turning back to me. “I’ve been killed before and I am just reborn. The world is full of vessels for me. I am a god.”
“Then you will die screaming a thousand times, over and over until the world ends.”
He shook his head and pointed out the door. “Go and wait for me at the top of the stairs. Erindis, let’s go back to your cage, shall we?”
I left, following his orders as though they were hers. He led her out and down the hallway while I climbed the stairs.
I made myself calm down. Losing control didn’t help anyone, and I had to work out what was going on. Erindis was doing as he wanted her to, for some reason, and I had to find out what that reason was. Failing that, I had to work out how I could kill him and free her from his control.
I stood at the top of the stairs and waited for him give me his next orders, dreaming all the while of what I was going to do to him when the time came.
Chapter 6
Invehl walked me to a loading dock and ordered me to remain standing where I was until he returned. A night breeze blew in through the open doors where a white van was parked. He didn’t come bac
k for an hour.
Soldiers approached me carefully, curious and afraid. Word of what I’d done had clearly spread and they gave me a wide berth as they went about their duties. I held my space and let them look.
When Invehl returned he brought Erindis with him, as well as a squad of six soldiers. They arranged themselves behind me on the floor of the loading dock while Invehl and Erindis stood on the upper level.
“Men,” Invehl said, standing to attention and looking down on us. “You are about to embark on a fantastic adventure. It’ll be dangerous and will change your view of the world, and when you return you will be heroes.”
“What about the freak?” I recognized the voice of O’Leary behind me.
“He is your way through the first hurdle. He is yours to command, of course, but he is the only one who can take you where you need to go. You know what you’re looking for and how to take it, and I expect nothing less than complete success.”
“Sir,” the men said in unison.
“Are there any questions?” Invehl waited in silence for a few seconds. “O’Leary?”
“What if the freak tries to kill us?”
“A very good question, O’Leary.”
Invehl grabbed Erindis by the arm and dragged her forward. I held my place, but I knew my exits and I knew how many people I would have to kill if this went badly.
“Agmundr,” Invehl said. “You are to follow their orders as you would hers. Do you understand?”
“Sir,” I said.
“If you misbehave while you’re out there, I’m going to hurt her. Do you understand?”
“Sir.”
“I’m going to need you to start saying yes or no. Understand?”
“Yes, I understand what you’ve said so far.” I didn’t say I agreed with any of it, but that wasn’t the question he’d asked.
“If my men don’t come back in one piece I’m going to hold you responsible and I’m going to take it out on her. Do you understand?”
“I understand that if you make good on your threat I’m going to show you what your heart looks like. Sir.”
The soldiers behind me couldn’t suppress their surprise at my words and Invehl didn’t like it. It was probably a mistake to say it, I realized, but it was the truth.
“I think you need a lesson.” Invehl drew a knife from his belt and held it to Erindis’s throat.
“You should rethink what you’re doing right now,” I said. I tried to keep calm, to let him perform his little show so I could get out and start working to stop him. All I could see, though, was the blade touching her delicate skin.
“You need to fix your attitude.” He moved the knife to her exposed arm and pressed it to the skin there. A thin line of blood appeared.
I was standing beside him before he finished cutting. I grabbed his hand and squeezed, trying to crush it as punishment.
“No,” Erindis said. “Go back to where you were.”
I didn’t need to follow her order, not when her safety was at stake. I didn’t need to, but I did. I got a good look at the men who would be going with me as I made my way back to the group. O’Leary seemed to be enjoying the display but the others didn’t look happy. Perhaps they were men of honor sickened by what their leader was doing, or perhaps they were angry that I hadn’t been properly punished for my outburst. I couldn’t tell.
I took up my position again and waited for Invehl to finish. Erindis stood as still as I did, blood slowly dripping down her arm.
“I trust my demonstration had the desired effect?” he said, lowering the knife. “Answer me, Agmundr.”
“You don’t know what you’re trying to achieve,” I said. I knew I could get to him quick enough to stop him from hurting her if he lashed out. “You think you’re threatening me by hurting her, but you’re showing your men how weak you are and you’re pissing me off. They know what I’m going to do to you and they’re watching you deserve it. No, I don’t think your demonstration had the desired effect.”
He was angry, his knuckles white from gripping the knife. I prepared the tattoos to power me in case he snapped.
He slowly got control of himself, putting the knife away and carefully stepping away from Erindis. I remained ready to go, but he seemed to know what the best course of action was.
“Go,” he said. “Conquer the heavens and save the world. Agmundr, follow their orders and bring me a heartstone. Dismissed.”
The men turned and walked away but I stayed where I was. Erindis was looking at me, sadness in her eyes. I wanted to save her as much as I ever had, and all she had to do was let me. But she remained silent and eventually Invehl snapped.
“Get moving, dammit.”
I turned to follow the soldiers. They were filling the back of the white van and left me a space. I climbed in and looked back at my love still watching me from the spot where she’d been hurt.
I was going to kill Invehl, and I was going to enjoy it. I didn’t care about the humanity I felt I’d rediscovered or the fallout of slaughtering a god. I was going to crush him for what he’d done, and I was going to work out why Erindis was acting the way she was.
The soldiers were silent as the van pulled away.
Chapter 7
O’Leary was the first one to speak. The others had better sense.
“So you can catch bullets,” he said. The others shot him skeptical looks. “No, seriously, Bannon shot him and he caught it out of the air like it was nothing.”
“Bullshit,” one of the others said. He wore the same street clothes all the soldiers were wearing, identical outfits that they hoped would help them blend in if needed.
“Can you do it on command?” O’Leary pointed a pistol at me.
“If you fire that weapon I’ll make you eat it,” I said. O’Leary didn’t seem to be taking me seriously but the others watched the situation intently.
“Why are you such hot shit?” he said, his pistol still aimed at me. “The colonel can move like you. Why are we stuck in here with you?”
“Your colonel is too weak to do what he needs done.” I was picking a fight with the devout, and I knew it was a bad idea. I also knew I didn’t care. “He’d rather send you in to fight for him in case things get difficult.”
“And you,” O’Leary said, waving his gun in my direction. “You’re in it with us, freak. Maybe once we go through we make sure something bad happens to you.”
I looked away. He was showing off in front of his people and I didn’t have the energy to put him in his place. I had other things to worry about.
I looked out the window at the city. Invehl’s base of operations was on the outskirts of Fairbridge and I didn’t think it was a coincidence. He might not have been following me but he knew there was a gate here somehow. Perhaps the gods could tell where they were, even if they lacked the ability to use them.
“Turn left at the lights,” I said.
“Shut up,” O’Leary said. “We know where we’re going.”
“Then your dear leader has misled you. Or he’s too goddamn stupid to know where the gate is. Either way, you’re going in the wrong direction.”
I could feel their anger in the air, in the way they sat so straight and kept their hands near their guns. They didn’t like what I was saying about their god and they were on the edge of making me stop talking. Or trying to, anyway.
They turned left at the lights.
I continued giving them directions, trying to remember how to get to ACDCs. I hadn’t driven a car since Fletcher summoned me, taking cabs or being driven by Bec instead. I hadn’t been paying attention to the roads and I was guessing more than anything. It was fine, though; I didn’t want them to die too close to the bar.
“What did that fine woman ever see in you?” O’Leary said. The man was trying very hard to die first. “She’s something else and you…you’re just you.”
Even sitting down, crushed against the back of the van by the press of men beside me, I looked down on everyone else. My
being there made a mockery of their bravado, and they knew it.
“Oh well,” he continued. “Seems like she doesn’t see it anymore, right?”
The others chuckled, but they weren’t stupid enough to join in.
The city felt a little like home. I was surprised at how pleased I was that they hadn’t summoned me somewhere new. Before the fight with Seng I would have been happy to see it all in ruins, like Greece or Qantaharas. Seeing those civilizations brought low had made me smile despite what I was being made to do.
“Where are we going, freak?” O’Leary said when I didn’t give them new directions for a few blocks.
I was lost. Nothing outside the tiny window in the back of the van looked familiar to me anymore. If we’d been heading for ACDCs at any point we were off track now.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I think the gate was in another city, now that I think about it.”
“Agmundr,” O’Leary said. “Tell me where the gate is. You have to. She told you to.”
I made my voice monotone and spoke slowly. “The gate is inside your mother, O’Leary. We will all have to crawl up inside her to find it.”
“Asshole,” he replied.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “She’s used to it.”
That got a chuckle out of the guys too, which I was annoyingly pleased about.
“There’s a vacant lot somewhere around here,” I said. “Find it and you’ve found the gate.”
I kept quiet while the driver went in circles for twenty minutes. Eventually he found a lot beside one of the downtown skyscrapers and pulled in.
“Where is it?” O’Leary said. He still had his pistol hanging loose in his hand. Whoever had trained these men – probably Invehl – hadn’t done a good job.
“We’ll have to walk from here.”
“We can drive. There’s tracks all over.” O’Leary was more suspicious than the others, or more aware.
“You can’t drive up to it. It’s a magic thing.”