“People were no longer willing to turn a blind eye,” said Yowrnsaxa, “once Peli and Oesk’s story was made public.”
“I’d think not.” I cleared my throat and considered what remained of the cooking fire. “I’ve never met Vowli, but the Dark Queen, as you’ve described her in that story, sounds a lot more like the woman I knew as Elizabeth Tutor than your previous descriptions. I can see the beginnings of the Luka I knew on my klith in the behavior of the Luka in that story.”
They were all quiet for a moment, each thinking their own thoughts and keeping them to themselves. Finally, Meuhlnir looked at each of his wives in turn, and it seemed like something passed between them. He cleared his throat and looked up at the darkening sky. “I think it’s time to tell you about how I lost two brothers, was exiled and started a revolution in a single day.” His voice was gruff. “Though, I also won the companionship of two of the greatest ladies of my time that same day.”
Sif looked at him with compassion from her place next to me, and Yowrnsaxa put her hand on his knee.
“Luka was in a rage the next time I saw him,” said Meuhlnir. “He wanted the Midnight Queen to punish Paltr, but she wouldn’t even discuss it.”
“At least not out in the open,” said Sif.
“As you say, dear. She called the three of us together later that evening. I hadn’t seen much of Luka for a while, and I was disturbed by how he looked when I saw him waiting outside the doors to the queen’s reception chamber.”
Twenty-nine
When he saw his brother, Luka, standing outside the doors to the queen’s reception chamber that night, Meuhlnir was disturbed by the drastic change in his appearance. “Brother, have you been ill?” he asked.
“No,” snapped Luka. “Why do you ask?”
“You look so thin, so pale. You’ve lost a lot of weight since I saw you last. You are wasting away.”
“Serving her Majesty has kept me very busy of late.”
Meuhlnir’s face clouded over like a fast-moving thunderstorm rolling in over a lake. “Yes,” he said with some heat in his voice, “Paltr told me about his visit this morning.”
Luka bristled. “Of course, he did! Now both of you can have a crack at lecturing me! Or do you want to jump straight to the beating part?”
“I don’t think you’re being very fair, Luka.”
“Fair? Fair? Did he not tell you that he beat me like a child in front of everyone? Is that fair?”
Meuhlnir broke contact with his brother’s blazing eyes, feeling somewhat guilty. “He mentioned that—”
“I shouldn’t have allowed Sif to stop it until I’d beaten more sense into you, Luka,” barked Paltr walking up the hall toward them. “What were you thinking? Do you imagine that our father would be proud of how you conducted yourself? Do you think Father would be proud of your role in the so-called Ministry of the Queen’s Justice? Do you?” His voice grew louder and louder with each step and each question he shot at Luka until he was almost yelling in his brother’s face.
Luka sneered at him. “Do you think our father would be proud of you? Because I’m willing to bet he’d have words for you about how you treated me. And the fact that you did it in public!”
“Gentlemen,” said Queen Suel, leaning in the doorway to her reception chamber. “Perhaps we should continue this discussion in private?” She arched an eyebrow and looked first at Paltr, then Meuhlnir, and finally Luka. Luka was the only one she smiled at.
“As you wish, your Grace,” said Meuhlnir, putting a meaty hand on the shoulder of each of his brothers and pushing them toward the door. “Perhaps standing in the hall of the palace is not the best place for a family matter to be discussed.”
“Perhaps not,” said Suel in a crisp voice. She turned on her heel and led them all into the room. Yowrnsaxa stood next to the queen’s throne, but there was no one else in the room. Suel sauntered toward her throne, frowning at a spot of blood on the marble floor. “Tell me what all this ruckus is about,” she said, “and why I had to hear about this incident from someone other than the people directly involved.”
Luka and Paltr glared at each other, and Meuhlnir sighed. “They have always been like this, your Majesty. At each other’s throats for a few days and then inseparable until the next blow-up.”
The queen arched an eyebrow at Luka. “Is it so? Still, I’d think we are all old enough to leave the trappings of childhood behind us.”
Luka looked at his feet, and even Paltr’s snarl softened with what looked like embarrassment.
“Of course, your Majesty,” said Paltr in a soft voice.
Luka nodded without looking up.
“Now, would someone please tell me what brought this division between brothers to pass?” the queen asked.
When neither of the brothers looked inclined to speak, Yowrnsaxa stepped forward. “There was an interrogation, your Grace. It seemed to have gotten a bit out of hand, and Paltr put a stop to it.”
“Using force?” asked the queen, turning her gaze to Paltr.
“Yes, my Queen,” said Paltr. “I…I hit my brother—more than once, I think—and I regret that.”
Luka looked at him sidelong without lifting his head. His expression was inscrutable. “We were trying to get to the truth in a tax evasion case that led to some treasonous talk, and perhaps more. The subject was…stubborn.”
“Indeed?”
“Yes, your Majesty. Vowli and I had been working with him for some time, and we had already gotten a partial confession that implicated his fiancée and her family—a rich karl family. We were trying to assess their involvement and—”
“By biting a chunk out of her cheek?” asked Paltr with heat in his voice.
Luka bristled, anger splashing across his face. “You don’t know what it takes to—”
“Boys! Boys, please,” said Queen Suel. “Can we not discuss this without coming to blows yet again?”
“My apologies, your Grace,” said Paltr, keeping his eyes away from Luka. “The events of the day are still quite fresh in my mind.”
“And you don’t approve of the Ministry’s methods?” Suel asked in a neutral tone.
“No, your Grace, I do not. The methods are…without honor. Not to mention being inadequate to the task of getting at the truth.”
Suel stared at him for a long moment, long enough that Meuhlnir grew concerned for Paltr’s safety. For his part, Paltr returned the queen’s gaze without moving.
“I see,” she said in her accustomed flat voice. “Perhaps, then, it’s best for you to stay away from the Ministry.”
Meuhlnir couldn’t believe his ears. He’d expected some kind of rebuke to Luka and maybe a bit of mild reproach for Paltr’s temper, but this was… It turned his stomach to think that the queen approved of such actions.
“You see,” Suel went on in a voice turned sweet, “there are troubles in the realm. People are being…deceitful. Dishonest. Two-faced. They are plotting things in the dark of closets, and I need the Ministry to get to the bottom of all these plots and accusations. I need answers promptly. Luka and Vowli are very good at getting me those answers.”
“I…I see, your Majesty. As you command,” said Paltr with a waver in his voice and blood burning in his cheeks.
Meuhlnir could understand his emotions. It’s one thing to think the queen has grown savage and vicious, but quite another to be confronted by the depths of the darkness that had grown inside her. “You used to trust your people, your Grace,” he muttered.
Suel turned her head and fixed him with her cold, lizard-like eyes. “My people used to trust me,” she said with a hint of heat in her tone. She stared at him hard and then shook her head. “But we are not here to discuss politics. We are here to mend a rift between three brothers that I’ve come to rely on.”
Luka‘s gaze locked on the queen’s and some hidden signal passed between them. “You are right, your Grace, as usual. I fear this is mostly my fault.”
“You do?” Paltr sp
uttered.
Luka sighed and treated them all to a self-deprecating smile. “Yes,” he said. “I should not have exposed Sif, Yowrnsaxa, or my brother to such an interrogation on the first day. I should have started with an introductory interview with another subject so they could appreciate the level of deception practiced by these…people.”
Paltr looked at Meuhlnir with some confusion. He shrugged. “And I’ve already said I regret how I handled things. I certainly didn’t give Luka a chance to explain.”
“No, you did not,” quipped Suel. “Instead of trusting your brother, you waded in like a karl from some storybook, saving the princess and all.”
Paltr chuckled, but to Meuhlnir it sounded forced. “It does sound like that, doesn’t it?” he asked.
Queen Suel nodded. “Meuhlnir?” she asked without looking at him.
“Your Majesty, if my brothers are satisfied, then I certainly am. For my part, all I wanted was peace between us brothers.”
“It’s good to keep in mind that you three are—excuse me, the three of you and poor Huthr, are all the family you have left since your father’s passing.”
“Yes, my Lady,” said Meuhlnir.
“All better then?” Suel asked, her voice bright.
Paltr looked at Luka and held out his hand. Luka looked back for a moment before taking it.
“Good,” she said. “Now, let’s all do something fun. Let’s go visiting.” She stood up and clapped her hands. “Nothing better than taking a trip to help put things behind us, eh?” She looked at Meuhlnir with something approaching the mischievous twinkle he used to see so often. “I’ve got a surprise for you three.”
“A surprise?” asked Meuhlnir.
“Why, yes, Meuhlnir, a surprise.” Suel grinned and led them all out of the room and down the hall toward the chamber in which she had anchored a proo. Outside the door, she stopped and said, “The surprise is in multiple parts, the first of which is inside this door.” She opened the door and walked through.
Meuhlnir was the last to walk through the door, and once inside, a smile blossomed on his lips like the first flower of spring. His brother Huthr stood leaning on his walking stick next to the queen’s tamed proo. Vowli stood next to him, beaming a huge grin at them all.
“Huthr!” exclaimed Paltr. “What are you doing here?”
“That’s the first part of my surprise,” crooned Suel. “All of the brothers united.”
Luka grinned like a cat and walked over to thump Huthr on the back. He leaned close and whispered something in Huthr’s ear, which made Luka smile wider and made Huthr chuckle. The two brothers had always been close, and ever since Huthr had lost his sight, Luka had taken special pains to keep that closeness.
“Brothers,” said Huthr, smiling in their general direction. “Her Grace sent Vowli to bring me here so we could all travel together.”
Still grinning, Meuhlnir bowed his head to the queen. “Thank you, my Lady. This surprise is a most welcome one.”
She wrinkled her nose at him and grinned back. “There are still more to come,” she said.
If it weren’t for the fact that the mirth on her face did not extend all the way to her eyes, Meuhlnir thought it would have been like the old times with Suel. He smiled back, doing his best to hide the discomfort he felt and the sad pangs of loss for the friendship they once had shared.
“Most gracious, my Queen,” muttered Paltr. “I thank you.”
“You are very welcome, my friends. Now, let’s cross this proo and see the other surprise I’ve got in store for you.” She grinned at Vowli, and he grinned back.
Their grins made Meuhlnir even more uncomfortable. There was something about them…something hidden, deceitful.
Yowrnsaxa stepped up beside him and took his big paw in her small hand. She gave it a firm squeeze and grinned at him, looking demure and coquettish. “You see? All is not lost,” she whispered.
Suel glanced at their hands with a small curl of jealousy to her lip but plastered a smile on her face as if she was not going to let anything ruin the moment. She gestured to Vowli.
Vowli took one of Huthr’s arms, and Luka stepped up on the other side and took the other. Luka leaned close and whispered in Huthr’s ear again, and then they both laughed. Vowli grinned as if he was in on the joke, and then they guided Huthr to the proo. As they stepped into the proo, the air around them made a loud pop, and they were gone.
Paltr looked at Meuhlnir and Yowrnsaxa and gave them a knowing grin and then he, too, crossed over with a loud bang.
Suel smirked at them and went across, leaving the two alone.
Meuhlnir looked at Yowrnsaxa with raised eyebrows.
She blushed to the roots of her hair and smiled. “It seems the queen doesn’t mind,” she said.
“Nor do I,” said Meuhlnir with a grin, hoping that Yowrnsaxa couldn’t see the pain caused by what she had said.
She grinned and pulled him toward the proo, but before they could cross, she stood on tiptoe and kissed Meuhlnir on the cheek.
“This has been quite a day for surprises,” Meuhlnir said. He squeezed her hand and then pulled her through the proo with him. They emerged with a pop in the cave that the proo was anchored in the realm that they had named Muspetlshaymr. There was a small crowd in the cave, their party from the palace, but also Veethar, Pratyi, Frikka, Kertr, and Freya—the latter three being Trohtninkar Tumuhr.
“Good. We are all here,” said Suel smiling at everyone in turn. “I know recent times have been hard on all of us. Things have… Things have happened that not everyone may understand. I know it has been difficult.” It was very quiet in the cave—even the sound of their breath seemed to be suppressed. “I want you all to know that I have a reason for every decision and for every action. I am not losing my mind.” She looked pointedly at Yowrnsaxa and then turned her gaze to Frikka. “I am faced with an impossible situation and have had to do things that I do not like, as I am sure I have done things some of you don’t like. Please, my friends, have faith in our friendship. Have faith in me.”
“Always, my Queen,” said Luka, beaming his mischievous smile at her.
Suel put her arm on Luka’s shoulder. “Enough of this serious stuff,” she said. “I wanted us all together, here in the land of fire, so that we can get away from the things happening at home and so we can renew our friendship. Our palace here has been made ready.” Suel looked at Yowrnsaxa with a sad expression plastered on her features. “I only wish Sif were here,” she said with a hitch in her voice. “Please, Yowrnsaxa, tell her how sorry I am. Tell her that if she can forgive me, I will be happy to welcome her back.”
Yowrnsaxa let go of Meuhlnir’s hand and bowed. “Yes, my Queen. I’ll be sure to tell her.”
“Good. Now, to the fun!” Suel clapped her hands twice and then walked toward the entrance to the cave. “Don’t just stand there staring at my little sister, Pratyi, beautiful as she is. Play us a merry tune,” she called over her shoulder.
Pratyi blushed as Freya looked up at him and smiled. He unslung his harp. “I’d ask you to take my arm, my Lady Freya, but I need them both.”
She laughed and walked closer to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Maybe this will do,” she said.
Beaming a smile fit to split the heavens, Pratyi start strumming a jaunty little tune and walked after Queen Suel, her little sister in tow. Vowli and Luka led Huthr toward the daylight, lost in some hushed conversation that seemed to be quite funny by their smiles and chuckles.
Paltr looked at Yowrnsaxa and Meuhlnir. His expression was muddled. Meuhlnir shrugged with a small smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. Veethar looked at them from under arched eyebrows.
Frikka sighed and grabbed Veethar by the arm. “Sometimes a woman gets tired of waiting, Veethar,” she said. She pulled him toward the mouth of the cave, with the quiet man looking at her sidelong in astonishment.
Paltr laughed and offered his arm to Kertr. She nodded and put her hand on his forearm.
The four of them left the cave in silence.
Muspetlshaymr was a dark, dreary land in any season. The sky was darkened by swirling clouds of ash and smoke, what plants that could live in a place with so much sulfur and ash in the air were dark-hued—often approaching black. The dim light of Muspetlshaymr’s star was further muted by the atmosphere. Most of the illumination came from the streams and pools of burning lava.
Outside, Suel stood beaming at them all with the dim light dancing across her features. Behind her, picketed in a line, were eleven magnificent horses, coats sleek and manes braided. Each wore an elaborate saddle accented with gold and silver that gleamed and reflected fiery highlights from burning stone in the valley below. “The next surprise: horses befitting gods,” she said with a laugh. “Thanks go to Veethar.”
Veethar blushed and, as usual, said nothing.
“They are magnificent, Veethar,” breathed Frikka, which made him blush an even deeper shade of red.
“Indeed,” said Meuhlnir. “You’ve outdone yourself, my friend.”
Veethar hung his head, but everyone could see the pleased smile cracking his otherwise austere expression. “It’s nothing,” he said.
“Hardly,” said Paltr. “Luka, take Huthr over so he can see them, too, if you please.”
Luka flashed a look of irritation at Paltr that was very familiar to Meuhlnir, but instead of snapping something snippy, Luka just inclined his head and led Huthr toward the horses, muttering in Huthr’s ear all the while.
“Do you care to assign horses to riders, Veethar?” asked Queen Suel.
Veethar shook his head, still looking down at the ground and blushing. Frikka rolled her eyes at Queen Suel and shook her head with a look of amusement on her face.
Suel motioned everyone toward the horses with a wry grin. She stepped close to Frikka. “Maybe he needs a kiss to warm him up,” she said in a lilting tone.
Frikka chuckled and put her hand under Veethar’s chin, forcing his head up. She planted her lips on his and kissed him long and hard. At first, Veethar’s eyes widened with surprise, but he soon melted into the kiss, and his eyes drifted shut.
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