Viking's Crusade (Viking Ancestors: Rise of the Dragon, #6)

by Purington, Sky

  “That’s not focusing on bigger things,” she said aloud in answer to his thoughts. Her tone was suddenly different, and her dragon eyes flaring. “By bigger things I mean the retribution I plan to exact on our enemy. More so, how I intend to get close to him.”

  Chapter Eleven

  ONE MOMENT SHE sat next to Soren in the main lodge the next she was someplace else entirely. Smoke and fire filled the air. Lava pools hissed and spit on the horizon.

  This was undoubtedly Múspellsheimr, her dragon's home world.

  “Tell me of this plan, Daughter,” came a deep rumble. “This bigger thing you are focused on.”

  She peered up at one of the largest dragons she had ever seen, and an overwhelming familiarity washed over her. That’s when she realized she was in her past life, residing in the body of her previous dragon.

  “You will see in good time, Father,” she replied. “I will bring Skáld to heel. You will have your glory. Revenge for our kin so recently taken.”

  “And I will assist you, Sister,” another dragon said with venom. Tess? It had to be. They had crossed enemy lines together. So this clearly took place prior to that. Before they were infected by love.

  “No,” Níðhöggr growled. “I will not have both of my daughters taking such a risk.” He huffed smoke. “Neither of you will go.”

  They looked at him in shock.

  “What is wrong with you, Father?” Ava’s dragon tried to hide her disgust. “Our enemy must fall, and we are warriors in your army. Trained by you. Why hold us back now? Have you another plan?”

  “That is not for you to ask,” Níðhöggr thundered. “You will not execute your plan. If you do, I will kill you myself.”

  Yet they had, and he hadn’t killed them. At least not Tess. Skáld had finished her off only for Níðhöggr to mourn her passing and tether her soul so that it might return. As to what he did to Ava? She had no idea but sensed he had not killed her either.

  Her former dragon replied to Níðhöggr, but Ava couldn’t hear it. Everything faded away only to be replaced with her original surroundings in the main lodge. The only difference was that someone new had joined them. An attractive dark haired woman stood by coughing out black oily smoke that vanished a chant later.

  “What happened?” Ava glanced from the woman to Soren who had shifted closer as though protecting her. “I was...somewhere else for a moment.”

  “We know.” Sage introduced her to the woman who turned out to be the head seer, Vigdis. “While you were visiting him in the past, Níðhöggr was warning Soren that you two should not linger here. You need to get back to your ship and head for his Realm so you can find your truth.”

  “I’d say one truth was just confirmed.” Ava looked at Tess. “Níðhöggr definitely didn’t approve of us infiltrating the enemy.”

  “Nope,” Tess agreed. “Which means he had to have been infected by love himself.” She shook her head. “Because if there’s one thing I learned about my former self before I hooked up with Rokar, it was that we dragons had damn cold natures.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” she replied. “I just felt the same of my former self.” She frowned. “What an intolerable place to be for those who felt love...which makes you wonder why love ever popped up there in the first place. If anything, that’s where love goes to die, not flourish.”

  “Right,” Sage chimed in, eying Ava. “So we're pretty sure our ancestor was infected before you and Tess. I wonder if he was before the rest of us too? Because I’ve yet to get the impression he has a fated mate.”

  “No.” Ava sat forward and steepled her fingers on the table. “But based on what happened on Tess’s journey, he definitely had love for his daughters.”

  “I think he had love for all his kin or you would not have come together with your mates again,” Sven said. “As we now speculate, his reasons were not necessarily prideful because he had lost the battle to Skáld, but more than that. The extent of his actual involvement in getting dragons off Múspellsheimr has yet to be revealed.”

  “But will be soon,” Soren said. “We need to head to Níðhöggr’s Realm and finally get to the bottom of things.”

  “Yes, you do,” a man with a patch agreed, joining Vigdis. “The only question remaining is who will travel with you on this final quest?” He introduced himself to Ava as Magnus, the seer’s husband. “I sense you have the answer to that, dragon.”

  Familiar with the fire demon, more specifically Demon Sorcerer, thanks to her sisters, she knew Magnus had been monumental in their battle against Skáld, helping where he could.

  “Why would I know the answer to that when I can't even remember how I knew to create the Portal?” She frowned. “I’d need a map of my past first. A sense of direction.”

  Sven’s wife Emily, who had been quiet up until this point, glanced at the king in surprise as though she had just figured something out. “Are you thinking what I am?”

  “Yes.” He nodded. “You should give them to her.”

  When Ava looked at them in confusion, Emily rested a sheathed blade and her ring on the table. “I received these around the same time Sven got the sword now known as the First Blade. A blade forged by Níðhöggr in the fires of Múspellsheimr and sharpened by Thor before manifesting in the magic of the Portal’s creation. Though this sword I give you is not the First Blade, we believe it possesses great magic.”

  “As to the ring,” Emily went on. “It was a map of sorts for me, so maybe it will lead you too.” She arched a brow. “Perhaps give you a sense of direction?”

  “Maybe.” Ava glanced from the ring to Emily and frowned. “But are you sure you want me to take it? It’s so beautiful...” She narrowed her eyes as she sensed something. “Sven made it for you, didn’t he?”

  “Yes.” Emily offered a warm smile. “I’d like it back after your journey, but for now I have a feeling it would serve you better, so I insist. Please wear it. As Sven felt about giving his sword to Rokar who in turn gave it to Soren, I hope my blade and ring can further assist us all in this war.”

  “Thank you.” Ava slipped the ring on. “I’ll keep them both safe...”

  Something shifted inside her the moment the ring was in place.

  “What is it?” Soren asked, alarmed when he evidently sensed a change in her.

  “It’s...everything at once,” she whispered. “I feel super connected not just to my sisters but their mates and more...”

  While she briefly feared they might be able to see her past atrocities, she couldn’t bring herself to remove the ring any more than she could stop herself from gripping the blade. The moment she did, lightning zigzagged over the First Blade at Soren’s waist, and she began to feel a pattern more than see one. More importantly, she knew Magnus was right.

  She had to choose who came and who stayed.

  All roles were equally important. Those who went would need to stay with her and Soren and see this war through to the end. Those who stayed would have to defend the Fortress against Skáld if he made his way here. The best thing about it, though, the ring just put her in direct contact telepathically with everyone.

  “I couldn’t have asked for a better gift,” she murmured. “I should be able to speak to anyone wherever I am and vice versa.” She looked at those present. “That means I’ve got everyone backing me no matter where I end up.”

  “Even on our dragon’s home world?” Sage asked.

  “I think so,” she confirmed. “Because of the metal in the ring. It’s native to Múspellsheimr.”

  Soren seemed relieved by her revelation. “So who is to come with us?”

  “Tiernan because I know he refuses to be anywhere else.” She looked at her sister. “Tess and Rokar because in their previous life they created the Portal, Burn of Transition and the First Blade.” Her eyes swept over the others. “And those connected to the creation of the Portal.”

  Ava narrowed in on a blonde man and woman who had just entered the lodge. She recognized them th
anks to her newfound telepathic connection with everyone. “Pierce for his elven blood, and Halla for her ability to hide her dragon kin.” She looked to the Ancient. “Leviathan because of his close connection to dragonkind's home world.” Her attention went to Magnus and Vigdis. “You two for your demon and seer blood.”

  “Why do you need someone with seer blood?” a dark haired boy asked when he and Thorulf joined them. “Seer magic had no part in bringing dragonkind to Midgard did it?”

  “Hello, Dagr,” she said in greeting before explaining why she felt Vigdis was necessary. “Not only can the head seer tap into a unique kind of magic when it’s combined with Magnus’s but she’s often been a conduit for our ancestor. Not to mention seer magic, in general, has offered us protection from the start between the mountain contributing its magic to the Great Serpent’s Realm and the Vanaheim Willow in Skáld’s Domain.”

  “All very good points,” Dagr agreed. “Would you like me along then too? I am very powerful.” He nudged Thorulf. “Me and my first-in-command.”

  “I thought you two were at war?”

  “When we are not friends and allies.” Thorulf’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Were you not listening to me earlier? I believe I was very clear.”

  She bit back a smile. “I must’ve gotten things turned around. I can only hope you forgive me.”

  “Forgive you?” His eyes widened even more. “Warriors do not ask for forgiveness.”

  “Friends do though,” she countered.

  “She is right about that,” Dagr counseled.

  Thorulf crossed his arms over his chest, sighed, and eyed her. “I will consider forgiving you on one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I think you know,” he said gravelly. He and Dagr preened as if they had her right where they wanted her. “Choose us to accompany you, and all will be well again.”

  “No,” Soren, Eirik, and Kenzie said at the same time.

  “I agree with your parents.” She earned a frustrated pout from the boys before she continued. “But that doesn’t mean that I won’t need highly specialized co-counsel to liaise with telepathically along the way.”

  “What does highly specialized mean?” Thorulf asked.

  “It means she recognizes how brilliant we are,” Dagr informed, impressed. “You have a very wise—‘Other Mother,’ Dagr said into her mind—but aloud said, “new friend, Thorulf.” He nodded once at his comrade. “You have chosen wisely for the upcoming Great War.”

  Thorulf nodded in agreement before he and Dagr whispered in each other’s ears then came to attention. Thorulf spoke first. “We accept your request to li..lia..e.”

  “Liaise,” Dagr said out of the corner of his mouth.

  “Liaise,” Thorulf said a bit better this time and nodded. “We look forward to seeing you safely through your mission to save Midgard.”

  “Yes we do,” Dagr agreed. “And we'll start now by telling you to use the Great Serpent’s Realm the way it was meant to be used.” He gave his parents a pointed look before his gaze returned to Ava. “Your dragon is far stronger and better protected there than most places.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” she promised. A sense of urgency overcame her, and she glanced at Soren. “We should go soon.”

  “A storm is heading this way,” he warned.

  “Not like the storm we dealt with,” Tess kicked in, winking at Rokar when he joined her. “Anyway, we’ve still got the Burn of Transition at our disposal.” She snapped her fingers. “Which means we can get your crew and ship wherever you need to go in a snap.”

  “So that wasn’t just part of your journey together?” Soren asked.

  “No, it is part of who we are,” Rokar said, resting his hands on Tess’s shoulders.

  “Noted,” Ava said. “And convenient.”

  “We think so,” Tess agreed, grinning.

  As it turned out, everything went smoothly. After they bid everyone farewell, they used the Burn of Transition to get to Níðhöggr’s Realm in the nick of time before the storm hit. Ten strong, they furled the sail and made their way up the tunnel that led into the heart of the place.

  Ava felt far more in tune with Níðhöggr’s Realm than she did last time, either because of the ring or perhaps because her dragon had surfaced more. At least she assumed it had based on her non-stop response to Soren. Where she was supposed to be focused on trying to figure out what had happened in her last life, all she did was ogle the man discreetly every opportunity she got.

  She wasn’t herself at all. In fact, she felt like she was in high school all over again, crushing on a guy. Something Tess seemed to very much enjoy teasing her about telepathically by referring to one of their conversations in the twenty-first century. “And you said Soren was just ‘okay’ in the looks department.” She rolled her eyes. “Please.”

  “I saw him from far away,” she reminded. “Across a thousand years or so to be exact.”

  “Bull, you saw him and Leviathan just fine,” her sister chided. “You’re just letting your dragon out to play now. Trust me, once you do that there’s no turning back.” Tess grinned at her in the torchlight as they made their way along. “Screw that, you wouldn’t want to turn back even if you could.” Her eyes drifted to Rokar’s ass. “They’re damn rock stars in bed.”

  “Not a priority,” she began but trailed off when Soren suddenly stopped short and turned. His dragon eyes flared and locked on hers before he said words that definitely belonged to his former dragon.

  “I have to be your priority.” He strode back and yanked her into his arms. “If you forget that, all is lost.”

  Then, as their surroundings fluctuated between the tunnel and Múspellsheimr, he closed his lips over hers.

  Chapter Twelve

  FOR A BLISSFUL second, he felt Ava’s lips beneath his own then they were watching another couple kiss. Without a doubt, it was him and Ava. Taller, and more muscular, they had shimmering thicker skin built to withstand the fiery world in which they stood.

  “Now there’s something you don’t see every day,” Ava said softly, her eyes glued to the couple. “We seemed very...” She cleared her throat. “Passionate.”

  “Yes.” He fought the urge to pull her back into his arms. To enjoy the same sort of kiss. Yet if he did, nothing else would matter, and they needed to focus on why they were here. “The words I just said sounded like we were playing a very dangerous game.”

  “One that involved me forgetting to make you a priority.” She considered that. “If I didn’t know better I’d say there was another man involved.”

  “Which had to have been Skáld based on what we learned from Tess.” He met her eyes. “I have wondered since I heard that how you managed to love me without Skáld being aware.”

  “He wasn’t aware of Tess and Rokar’s love either,” she reminded. “And Rokar was his son.”

  “True.” He frowned. “Still, it’s curious.”

  “Tess said I talked with Skáld a lot in that life,” she said. “Something she had assumed wouldn’t interest him, but I’m getting the sense it did.”

  “Which in turn makes it harder to believe that he never sensed you had fallen in love,” he said softly. “That we were in love.”

  Soren said it in such a way that it drew her eyes to his. He could tell she knew something had changed in him, but she wasn’t sure what. Or was she? Because seconds later, her thoughts went to that moment on the ship when he nearly took her. His certain realization about the depth of his feelings for her.

  “Love,” his incarnate murmured against her former self’s lips. He cupped her cheeks. “You must remember how strong it is between us, mate. And you must keep it separate from what you are cultivating between you and Skáld.”

  “That sounds so clinical,” Ava murmured. He sensed her draw to their conversation in that life. Her struggle to remember more. “But you had to be that way, didn’t you? Because of the game I was playing...”

  It a
lways came back to that. This elusive plan of hers.

  “There you are,” Tess exclaimed.

  Múspellsheimr faded, and the tunnel reappeared.

  “Looks like you two are going down a similar road as Rokar and me.” Tess looked at Soren. “Don't forget to keep a close eye on your tat after Múspellsheimr flashbacks. It’s bound to have changed the more you remember, and the closer you two grow.”

  Having purposefully worn a sleeveless jerkin for this very reason, he nodded and removed his fur cloak. “There is some red in it now.”

  “Yup, there it is.” Tess smirked at Ava who appeared frozen in place, staring at his arm. She snapped her fingers in front of her sister’s face. “You okay, Sis?”

  He assumed when Ava saw his tattoo that she was having a revelation about their past. Evidently not though because she blinked several times, cleared her throat, and tore her eyes from his shoulder without further comment. When he looked at Tess in question, she only chuckled and shook her head.

  “Your mate is not used to being around men,” Rokar enlightened within the mind, amused. “I cannot imagine what she will do when she sees more than just your arm.”

  He could imagine just fine, and it drove him to distraction the remainder of their hike into the Realm. By the time they arrived, night had fallen, the storm had retreated and clouds raced by a nearly full moon.

  “My God,” Ava whispered in awe, stopping beside him. Her gaze locked on Níðhöggr’s Ash aglow in lunar light across the way. “Look at that. It’s magnificent.”

  “It is,” he agreed. “More so, when not just seen within the minds of our kin.”

  “Definitely.” She looked at Tess. “So you and Rokar see that tree on fire?”

  “We do,” Tess replied. “But it’s a good thing. Tethered souls and all.”

  “Right,” Ava murmured. Her eyes were misty as she referred to the child her sister had lost. A daughter that would be reborn thanks to the tree. “I look forward to meeting her someday.” She nodded at Rokar. “Both her and your son, Bjárr.”