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

by Purington, Sky

  “I will make my way to him on my own,” she replied. “It is best he does not know that we met first...that we are together at all.”

  “He will know,” he growled in declaration, “that you belong to me.”

  “I belong to no one,” she growled back before softening her tone, almost as if she had no choice. As though her heart would allow her nothing else. “At least not right now.”

  “They’re struggling between personalities,” Soren murmured. “What they were and what they’re becoming.”

  “You have come to destroy my brother,” his dragon rumbled, a variety of emotions churning in his eyes. “I should kill you now for that...I should end your life...”

  “Yes.” Her dragon peered at his, her gaze vulnerable. “Will you then? Because if you do not, I will kill him...me and mine will kill all of yours...” She blinked several times as though something had just occurred to her. “Though not those like us.”

  “Those who are infected,” he murmured, grappling with the idea before his eyes cleared and he nodded. “I am in agreement, mate. All must die but those who are infected.” He shook his head. “For they will not let us live.”

  “No, they will not,” she agreed.

  “We were way outnumbered.” Ava met his eyes. “There’s no way the amount of infected could have ever hoped to defeat those who weren't.”

  “No,” he concurred, looking to the dragons again.

  Soren’s dragon bid hers farewell, telling her where to go to seek out his brother. When they crossed paths again, they would act as though they just met. As it happened, his dragon had just left when the unexpected happened. Her dragon was heading into the woodland when they heard the same thing as her incarnate based on the way she froze.

  A tiny heartbeat.

  Everything changed in that moment. Not just for her former dragon but for him and Ava.

  “Oh my God,” she whispered. Her misty eyes went from her former dragon to him, and she rested her hand over her stomach. “Even though I’m not pregnant, I feel what she felt...the little life inside me...” She blinked, sensing even more. “Our son.”

  He felt it too. Not just the connection to the child but to Ava in an even deeper way.

  “I feel it as well,” she whispered. A tear rolled down her cheek. “It’s so strong...so much more than I imagined...”

  Though she didn’t finish her statement, he understood what she was trying to say. How eye-opening the experience was. He had felt the same thing when Thorulf’s heart first beat, so he understood. There was something even more profound about experiencing it alongside his mate, though.

  The way it transcended time.

  Her former dragon lowered her head, rested her cheek against her womb, and released a heartfelt keen of unabashed joy. Something that never would have happened had she not been infected. Rather, from what he sensed of Múspellsheimr dragons, she would have remained unemotionally attached to the babe and revered for birthing a son.

  Several moments later, her dragon's attention was caught by a bright red fiery glow that sparked in the lava pool above then drifted in the molten flow down the mountain.

  “That’s it.” Ava was wide-eyed. “That’s the spark of life Tiernan referred to.” She shook her head, in wonder. “It activated alongside the heartbeat...an echo of the heartbeat.”

  Curious, her former dragon followed it down to the lava spring.

  “She knows it’s connected to her baby,” Ava murmured. “But beyond that, she doesn’t understand what’s happening.”

  The red light drifted into the spring then went round and round until it drained away into its center. Meanwhile, her dragon stood at the edge, seemingly mesmerized.

  “Something’s there,” Ava whispered, closing her eyes. “Something’s coming.”

  Soren peered into the lava pool. “I don’t see anything.”

  “Child of my Serpent,” came a deep, reverberating rumble from all around them. The masculine voice sizzled in the lava, whispered through the fiery trees, rained down from the heavens. “Do you see me, Serpent Child?”

  Though the voice spoke to the dragon and he could see nothing, Soren fell to a knee and lowered his head in respect.

  “It’s Him, isn’t it?” Ava stared at the fiery whirlpool, caught in the immense power surrounding them. “Odin’s here.”

  “Yes.” Soren kept his head lowered. “Our All-Father is present.”

  “Who are you?” her dragon growled. She bared her teeth at the spring, took a few steps back, then held her ground. “What do you want with my offspring?”

  “It is less what I want from your offspring, child,” came the deep rumble. “But more what I want from you...what I can give you.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Show yourself.”

  “You do not need to see me,” he replied. “When you already feel me so well.”

  She looked from her womb to the spring. “I do not understand.”

  “Yes, you do,” he said. “You felt me the moment you connected with your mate then again when new life sparked inside you.”

  “You’re the root of the infection,” she whispered.

  “I am the root of far more than that,” he echoed. “You cannot stay here, Serpent. You must lead those like you to another place. To a world where you can flourish.”

  “What world is that?”

  “I will show you when the time comes,” he said. “But first, you must open the door.”

  They listened in amazement as Odin told Ava’s dragon what she needed to do to create the Portal. Who she needed to seek out. The lengths she would have to go to.

  “Yet it was Tess and Rokar’s love that ended up aiding in the creation of the Portal,” Ava said the next morning as they sat with the others. Múspellsheimr had faded away shortly after Odin gave his instructions and pre-dawn lit the sky when they returned to the present.

  “I don’t think it would have mattered whose love created the Portal,” Tess said. “Just as long as it was created.” Her eyes went between Soren and Ava. “In the end, you had to have done what Odin requested. You led infected dragons off Múspellsheimr.” Her eyes met her sister’s. “And you were definitely pregnant when you did it.”

  “Yes,” Ava said softly, clearly still coming to terms with that. With everything she had just felt. She reflected on what Odin had shared. “Now we know why none of us heard the heartbeat. Odin kept it hidden.”

  “Even from my dragon,” Soren said just as softly.

  “For your own good.” Ava rested her hand over his in comfort. “Your dragon never would have been able to go through with the plan had it known.”

  While tempted to argue the point, deep down, he knew she was right. Newly infected with love, his incarnate would have done anything to protect his child, which meant not allowing her to put herself in harm’s way. Not only that but had his dragon known, there was a greater chance Skáld would have too.

  “So love spread from dragon to dragon based on how it manifested in their species.” Magnus mulled over what they had learned. “Only those truly capable of connecting with another and bonding for eternity were infected.” He shook his head. “And fire demons were not initially infected at all but in essence more compatible with the infection? Most pointedly the fire demon you sought out?”

  Ava nodded. “Interestingly enough, because of the way demons treated their females and because of their avid hatred of Skáld, they were the most probable route to help with the Portal.”

  “They had to have become infected at some point, though.” Magnus’s eyes went to Vigdis. “For us to love now.”

  “You are half human,” Leviathan reminded. “So you were bound to love eventually.”

  Though some might think the words harsh, they were technically true.

  “So demons were allowed to pass to Midgard.” Magnus remained logical. “Then found love when they mated with humans.”

  “That’s a hard one to envision.” Tess looked at Magnus. “
Must’ve been blazing hot sex for those poor humans.” She winked. “Pun intended.”

  “It is,” Vigdis assured with a small smile before she grew serious and focused on what they had revealed. “So, like all parties involved, the fire demon was needed specifically for what he could contribute to the Portal.” She perked a brow. “Which as it happened was a type of fire that harms Múspellsheimr dragons that are not infected, but only creates a burning sensation for infected dragons. Hence the Burn of Transition. It was a protective barrier that must have prevented dragons without the ability to love from going through the Portal.”

  “Interesting that though demons weren’t infected,” Halla said, “their fire was compatible with love...or at least less damaging to those dragons.”

  “As Ava said, it was in the kindness they showed their females,” Pierce said, clearly in tune with his elven blood. “It was the only kindness on the world and definitely the only thing comparable to love.”

  “Not to say it counted for much within their darkness,” Soren said, remembering well his hatred of demons in his previous life. His eyes went to Magnus who might be on their side but still made him wary. “A darkness that still dwells within fire demons on Midgard to this day.”

  “As it does in many dragons,” Magnus countered. “We are always a bit of where we came from, are we not?”

  “Some more than others,” he agreed. Keeping things peaceable because they needed everyone to remain in accord with one another, he looked at Pierce, another piece in the puzzle. More so, his ancestors. “Then there was the help from the elves. Something truly unforeseeable.”

  “They took some time to convince but came through not just because of what Shea did for them but because Odin had requested it,” Ava said. “The light that helped us with our great escape blinding others to us as we traveled on to another world.”

  “A Portal specifically manipulated by dragon love,” Tess went on. “So that infected dragons were not blinded in the process.”

  “Pretty intense,” Ava murmured. “A fool proof plan had it gone off without a hitch.”

  Tess sighed. “The hitch being my former dragon and her barge ahead mentality.”

  “Your dragon rallied all the players at the request of my dragon,” Ava reminded. “None of it would have happened otherwise.” She shook her head. “That much I remember for sure. Skáld wanted me around him far too often for me to get away enough to pull everything together.” Her eyes leveled with Tess’s. “Always remember that, Sis. We wouldn’t be sitting where we are right now if not for you.” She looked at Rokar. “Both of you.”

  “My kin and their mates were heroes,” Vigdis cut in, her eyes suddenly black with Ancient Matter. They locked on Ava. “The war is not over yet, though, Daughter. You must see through my vendetta soon.” For the first time ever, the black turned to actual dragon eyes. Níðhöggr’s eyes. “You must go home and end the war once and for all before it’s too late. You must go before the ocean of your future becomes the ocean of your present.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “WEIRD HOW HARD it was to leave that place,” she said to Soren. They followed the pattern of the ring and made their way down the other side of the mountain later that day. “I feel so connected to it even though it’s not really Múspellsheimr.”

  “I do too.” He helped her down a particularly steep incline. “It will always represent a very special time for us.” His knowing eyes met hers. “In more ways than one.”

  Very true. She was still reeling from all she had experienced there. Not just the intimacy they found yesterday but the deep connection she had made with Soren both in their previous life and this one. Then, of course, the connection she had made with her son.

  “It’s strange,” she said softly. “He feels like he’s part of me. Like he’s still with me in a way.” Hopeful, she looked at him. “Do you think that means he lived a long life? That we all had a life together here on Earth...Midgard?”

  “It cannot hurt to imagine we did.” Soren kept her hand in his as they continued walking. “He had a strong heartbeat.” He nodded once in assurance. “One I sense beat for many years.”

  Though he sounded sure enough, she had a feeling he wasn’t so convinced. While tempted to mention it, she wanted to pretend for a while longer that everything went as planned. They made their way to this world and lived a long, happy life as a family. Yes, it was out of character to hope like that, but she did. She had to. And it had everything to do with the little life she had felt inside her.

  Almost as if he knew they were talking about children, Thorulf’s voice entered their minds. “We are checking in for duty. Surely, you need Dagr and me by now.”

  “Not yet, Son,” Soren replied. When he glanced at Ava, she shook her head no. So, appeasing her concern that Skáld could possibly hear them via Soren’s tat, he remained vague. “We are still traveling the Realm in preparation.”

  “Have you met someone new?” Thorulf asked. “I sense you came across another mighty warrior.”

  Ava and Soren glanced at each other in surprise. Was Thorulf referring to their former dragons? Odin? Or possibly even their child from another life?

  “We have learned new things.” Soren remained vague. “We will tell you everything when we return.”

  “You mean when we join you,” Thorulf countered.

  “Yes,” Soren agreed.

  “Have you embraced your dragons yet?” Dagr piped up.

  “No,” Ava reported. “But soon.”

  The little dragon issued a telepathic sigh. “I do not understand the hesitation. It really is quite wonderful...a pathway to a whole new experience.”

  “It is, isn’t it,” Ava murmured and stopped. “We will very soon, Dagr. I promise. But we have to go, for now, okay?”

  “So soon?” Thorulf said. “Is something happening?”

  “Not yet,” Soren assured. “Tell everyone all is well. We will be in contact again soon.”

  “All right,” he responded. “Fight well father...and protect Ava.”

  Dagr ended the connection before he could respond.

  “What is it?” Soren asked Ava. “You sense something, yes?”

  “Yeah.” She eyed the Realm. “I think Dagr sent a message without even realizing it.”

  When he looked at her in question, she went on. “His reference to a pathway leading to a whole new experience.” She shook her head. “Why is it again that we don’t shift here?”

  “Sven worried it might be a beacon for the enemy or possibly even harm us,” Halla volunteered. She shrugged. “But I have shifted here, and it’s wonderful. No harm came to me.”

  “Or Rokar and I when we were dragons here,” Tess said. “So I think that precaution is behind us.”

  As it turned out, Níðhöggr had urged them to make their way back to the ship and though vague, Skáld’s Domain and its ash. A doorway they needed to close before Skáld made his way through it.

  “Dagr’s godliness was trying to tell us something,” Ava whispered. “I just know it.”

  “We have to fly there.” Soren’s eyes locked on Níðhöggr’s Ash though he spoke of another tree. “We need to fly to the Vanaheim Willow.”

  Ava felt more than saw Soren’s own godliness kick in and it was a hell of a feeling. But then everything to do with him was.

  “Okay, Soren,” Tess said slowly. “Why are you looking at Níðhöggr’s Ash so intently though you’re talking about the Willow?”

  “Because that is the way there.” Soren’s eyes met Ava’s. “That is the way to the Vanaheim Willow. There we will know more...we’ll get more answers.”

  “What about Pierce, Tiernan, Magnus, and Vigdis?” Halla said. “They can’t fly.”

  “We can use magic to transport ourselves there,” Magnus began, but Soren shook his head.

  “No,” he said. “You must fly with us through the Realm into the tree.”

  The seer and demon looked from him to the ash, clearly
not thrilled with the idea.

  “That is a dragon’s tree,” Magnus growled. “Yet you want an elf, seer and Demon Sorcerer to fly into it?” He shook his head. “That is not wise.”

  “But it’s definitely our next step,” Ava murmured, holding her ring finger up in that direction. “Look.”

  Everyone crowded in, stunned at what the ring showed. Not just the tree as they saw it from their vantage point but even more. The flowers and metal cut out a visual of six dragons, four of which carried a person.

  “Well, hell,” Tess said. “Looks like you guys are right.” She narrowed her eyes. “So who’s riding who?”

  “From what I can see,” Ava said. “Magnus is on Tess, Pierce on Halla, Vigdis on Rokar and Tiernan on Leviathan.”

  “What about your ship?” Halla said. “Everyone before you has needed their ship at the end.” She cocked her head. “Won’t you?”

  “It may have already served its purpose,” Ava said. “If not, Tess and Rokar can get us back to it quickly enough.”

  Though there were several grumbles of dissent as they refocused on flying into the ash, everyone agreed in the end that it was best to follow the ring’s direction. As it so happened, however, things got slowed down a little before they took off.

  “Christ, Sis, when’s the last time you shifted?” Tess’s dragon nudged the side of Ava’s head when she froze up. “Just shift already.”

  “It’s been awhile,” she grumbled, unsure why she hesitated.

  “It has been a while,” Soren agreed, speaking into her mind. The only one who hadn’t shifted yet, he held her shoulders gently and searched her eyes. “Your human half has been holding your dragon back for so long, I sense it’s having trouble letting go.”

  “It needs to, though,” she replied. “I just feel...” She rolled her shoulders. “Stuck somehow.”

  “But you are not stuck.” His dragon eyes flared, prompting hers, trying to draw her inner dragon out. “You are right here with me, and you are dragon.”