by S Lawrence
I run through the falling snow, letting it hide me until I'm miles from Valhalla. I shift into a great stallion and plow through the snow that grows deeper the closer I draw to the mountains. I change into a snow leopard when it becomes too steep for the horse. Higher and higher, I climb. I can't sift to her, for he will be looking for the whispers of my magic, so I shove myself deep within the animals I choose. Of course my daughter would build her nest on the highest part of the mountain. I continue my assent. Finally, I can see the giant trees in the distance. The sun is turning the sky pink as I pad into the clearing. I change back to myself and stand dismayed.
It has been destroyed. Her home. Her escape. Her place of sanctum. Fire and smoke rose from the ashes. Astounded, I fall to my knees. It had taken me hours to get here. She had said they were going to rest. My eyes skim over the rubble, looking and praying I don't find them. Raven. My heart stutters as the image of another comes into my mind. Cora.
A cry breaks from my throat and I raise my eyes to the stars, letting it ring through the land. An answering howl rings back to me. Not my son but someone else. I spin to the right and look out at the mountains. 'They race to save him. But they must first find him. If you will not wait for my call, track them at a distance. You are not ready to face him yet, my son. Soon.'
She sounds sad and it gives me pause. "What happened?"
'It is not what has happened, but what will.' I feel her draw away from me.
My stomach somersaults, and I'm filled with dread. What will? What will happen? I'm breathing fast, and my eyes flash red, my power surging with my fear. Who will we lose? Who will I lose? I could sense her unspoken pity in every word. I will lose someone this day, unless I can stop it.
The cool feminine power of Cora wash over me, soothing me. I hear her voice in my head. 'I'm trying to change it.' And then, she too, is gone.
Has she seen who dies? Is it her? Who is she to me? How is she connecting to me? I wonder if she even realizes she is. At the thoughts and questions, I stop and open my mind, searching to bring the threads into view. Raven's and Fenrir's connect to mine as do many others, even those in New Orleans crisscross over my thread but one is slowly winding itself around mine. I startle and the threads are gone, the vision lost. Never, in my thousands of years, has another bound to mine.
My life is too filled with deceit, too many enemies and spies in my life. I can't move. When did this happen? How do I have so much to lose?
Chapter 43
SEAN
We are racing through the mountains. Cora saved us again. Warned us. We were just to the trees when Odin struck. Tears are sliding down Raven's face, and I want to burn his world to the ground just like he did her home. White hot flames appeared as we ran to the trees. The heat singed our faces as we turned back at the sound of the air being sucked from around us. She had whispered one word. Gone. Now her rage is fueling her tears. I run beside her, and her fingers slide over my fur every few moments. She needs reassurance that we will find him, Fenrir. I wish I could give it to her. I look back at my brother. He is magnificent in his cat form. Huge. Silent. Deadly. He carries Cora on his back, and she smiles solemnly at me.
Her eyes are filled with despair, and I wonder what she has seen. She won't tell us, only that we must hurry. Each moment that passes, she grows more despondent, and I fear we will not change the future she has seen. I push my body to run faster. Fenrir is Raven's brother. She loves him, deeply. I will not let her down. I can't.
There is no sign of him. No scent. Odin hides him well.
"I don't know how they could keep him prisoner. There has never been magic or binding that could hold him. That is why Odin has long feared Fenrir. It was foretold that Fenrir would bring his death. Odin felt only hatred for him since his birth." Raven is speaking mostly to herself. She slows, letting Michael catch up to her. She turns her eyes to Cora. "Did your vision show you how they are holding them?"
"It must be wrong, or I must be seeing it wrong," Cora murmurs as she closes her eyes, focusing on the vision. We slow to a stop, waiting for her to continue. Her head shakes as she argues with herself.
"Cora. Please tell me," Raven pleads. Her eyes snap open, and they are filled with regret.
"It is a ribbon. Like I wore in my hair as a child. Thin and silken." She shifts her eyes between mine and Raven's. Her hand gripping Michael's velvet fur. "See! It makes no sense. No ribbon would hold him. She is with him, hurting him." Tears spillover her dark lashes and steak down her cheeks.
"Aphrodite." Raven spits the name out, fists curling automatically. Michael shifts and moves to her side, trying to calm her.
"Raven," he murmurs drawing her attention. "We cannot let the bitch know we are coming." Teeth clenching, she draws air in through her nose and nods slowly. She fights to rein in her anger. Cora turns away, eyes scanning the distance, trying to get a clue as to where we should all be running. Her heads shakes continuously, and I move behind her, placing my hands on her delicate shoulders.
"Lass, this isn't ye fault. No one blames ye. Ye can't blame yerself." Fresh tears fall as she leans her head to the side, rubbing her wet cheek on my hand. I squeeze her gently and stand silently behind her, offering my support. We all wait, trying to give her the time she needs and hoping she can narrow down the search area for us.
"Are we there when he dies, Cora?" Raven's voice, barely a whisper.
A sob shakes the shoulders under my hands. Staring at the ground. she refuses to look up when she shakes her head. "He is alone." Her voice breaks when she finally speaks. I can tell there is so much more she isn't telling us. I don't press, and Michael's face says he agrees. We will let her tell us in her own time or maybe she won't.
Chapter 44
FENRIR
Something has happened. She hasn't said anything, but her demeanor is very different since she returned. She is pacing, her eyes on the mountains. I move, trying the fucking ribbon one more time, knowing in my heart that it will still hold.
My movement draws her attention. She looks back over her shoulder, her blonde curls swing and bounce as she smiles at me. I freeze in my bonds, the crazy reaches her eyes. I have been watching her face since I woke up tied to this alter. Sometimes she seems as sane as anyone I know, and other times, like now, you can tell she hopped and left on the crazy train. The sane moments are few and far between. Even in those moments of lucidity, she is still bat shit crazy. She stares at me in glee, crazy glee.
"I'm afraid our time together is drawing to a close." Her bottom lips pokes out in what I'm sure she thinks is an adorable pout.
"Damn, and I was just starting to enjoy myself." She stills at the sound of my voice, something very few have ever heard. I choose to speak into their minds, which they find less disconcerting than a huge dog talking.
A slow smile covers her face and her eyes light up. "I didn't realize you could speak. If you can speak, you can scream." Her eyes shine with her excitement. I growl. She glances back at the mountains before gliding over to my side. Her fingers run through my fur, and I fight a shudder. "This is in the way. I can't see my work." She holds her hand up, grinning when a razor appears. "I could snap my fingers and you would be hairless but this will be fun." She starts at my neck and works her way down. Blood drips from the many cuts she leaves in her wake. She tires long before she is finished and ends up snapping her fingers after all.
"Once I covered a man in cuts ,and then we had sex covered in his blood." She talks mostly to herself.
"You plan on fucking me?" I ask, ignoring the pain.
"Ew, no. I plan on gutting you. Maybe coating myself in your blood and then I'll call Ares to me. Maybe I'll call him before you're dead." Her eyes go soft at the thought.
"I'd rather die than see you fuck some loser," I growl, hoping to push her to kill me now. My skin is on fire from the cuts. She just smiles and makes more cuts. Shallow, precise cuts all over my body. Stepping back, she surveys her handiwork as I pant in pain. She manifests two long
spikes. Running her hands over my legs, she grabs at my front left paw. I bare my teeth at her, and she laughs.
"Everyone has been so afraid of you for so long and here you are, the big bad wolf, unable to stop me." She drives the stake through my foot. A howl escapes my mouth. "I don't want a howl, I want a scream. I want your voice to become hoarse with screams." She leans in close, and I snap at her. She doesn't move, just shakes her head at me. "I guess I need to try harder."
She does. My body shakes and trembles from the pain. She starts a small fire after I still refuse to give her what she wants. She tsks at me, and I can only watch as she melts balls of lead. I only know that it is lead because she tells me. I fight my bonds.
"Where is this ribbon from? Who made this?" I wonder if it was made for me.
"Oh, good story. I'm pretty proud of this. Years and years ago, Odin told me how he despised you, how he had been told you would kill him, according to legend. We all knew that couldn't be true but he hated anyone thinking you could. Mostly, he hates you because Loki loves you. Anyway, I knew in that moment, that one day, I would get to play if I could find a way to catch and hold you. So, I tricked Hades into making this ribbon. I told him I wanted to bind Ares to my bed. I told him I wanted to punish the man for embarrassing me. He's always hated Ares… So it was easy to trick him. He thought it was funny to make it look like a ribbon." Her laugh is maniacal. A ribbon strong enough to hold a god and now it tethers me to await my death. Aphrodite turns back to the bubbling lead and scoops it into something I can't see. She turns, my death in her eyes. She will be the one to end my life.
She walks to my side, drawing out her pleasure. My eyes roll in fear. She holds up something that looks like a tea strainer on a stick, watching me stare at the thing. "It's a lead sprinkler, developed by the Greeks. You fill it with very hot liquids and sprinkle them over the person you wish to punish. Sometimes, for very bad people, it was placed INSIDE you. Don't worry, darling, I'm not THAT mad at you. I just want to play before your sister and those stupid humans arrive. Those Druids already ruined my fun in Greece and because of them, I lost Arias. I loved him."
I have no idea who she is talking about. Well, I know of the Druids. Those are the two Raven has grown so interested in. I'm glad they survived their trials and have reached her.
"Are you listening? I said they killed Set!" She screams at me.
"Good, he was a dick," I reply. The first drops of lead burn into my flesh. I grit my teeth to keep the scream inside. She lets the first drops cool and harden in my skin before flicking her wrist again. She pulls the fire pit close so she can keep the lead hot in between flicks. On and on the cycle goes. At some point, blackness takes me. I dream of Raven. I dream of running. I dream of peace.
Frigid water rips me from my dreams, and she is peering down at me. "Time to get back to our fun." She rolled me to my other side while I was passed out. The pain from the hard stone beneath me is almost unbearable and then she flicks her wrists again, the molten lead is burning my flesh away.
She goes on and on until I scream, "FATHER!" I scream for him to save me or for it all to end. I scream until my throat is raw and her eyes are filled with lust. I feel her magic as she calls for her lover, but I am beyond caring. A tiny sliver of sanity reminds me, if her magic can get out, so can other things. I slide my head over the rough stone and look out at the darkened mountains. It is well into the night, the stars are shining in the sky, a full beautiful moon shines like a beacon. I howl. My eyes fall shut as it echoes through the night. She looks around wildly as she realizes what I have done.
"He will come for you," I choke out. "They will all come for you."
Ares appears, and she stumbles to him, her arousal dying with her fear. He looks at her, covered in blood and drags her to him, kissing her deeply. She struggles to break free, to warn him, but he only tightens his hold, growing more excited by her fighting him. He pulls her head back and looks at her with a smile. "I've been waiting for you to call for me."
"You idiot! Did you not hear his howl? It broke through the wards. They will be here soon." She pushes him away from her.
"I should go then." He sifts away, leaving her staring, mouth agape.
She turns to me and then looks back out. "I told him I would kill you or leave you beyond help." She walks to my side, manifesting a dagger, it glints in the firelight. "Such a waste," she says to no one. Her fingers trail through the pools of my blood. She is no longer paying attention but I am. Lightning cuts through the dark sky, letting me know Raven races to me. I hear another howl and her eyes turn wild as she searches the darkness for those that come. I haven't heard his call in thousands of year. Cu Sith comes for her.
She looks back at me, and I glare. "Sorry, darling, but I really must go." Her hand smooths over the fur on my head as she slides the dagger into my stomach. It is so sharp, I feel hardly any pain as it slides up. She is gutting me like a fish. Fingers dance along my muzzle, and I see the sky light up very close now. I don't mind dying for my father but I refuse to let this bitch get away. I use my last bit of strength to lock her wrist within my jaw, sinking my teeth to her bones. Her screams echo around us, and I watch as she becomes frantic. I’m holding on with everything I have in me.
The knife slips, and I see it cut through the ribbon. I want to roar my frustration at the image. I'm free but it is too late. Biting down harder, I lock my jaws closed and force myself off the table. Her eyes widen as she realizes her mistake. I drag us to the barrier. It is a one way door, and I make it halfway out before I collapse, my breathing ragged and labored, my guts spilled along the path. Any moment now, I will die and she will be free.
Chapter 45
RAVEN
His howl rings out, filled with pain. I follow his magic, racing over the steep incline to reach him. We were already so close, and the others are still running at my side. Cora waved us on, knowing she couldn't keep up. I call out for my father, 'Cora is alone. We race to save Fenrir.'
I don't know if he will go to her. I pray she is alright, safe as she runs after us. I no longer hear her steps. Lightning lights the sky, my rage showing her the way. Sean and Michael pace along my sides. They are ready to kill for me, but I intend to do the killing.
We break over the ridge and I see him. Lightning crashes around us and my Guardians shift on the run. I scream his name, "FENRIR!" His eyes roll up, meeting mine just as my father sifts into the clearing. A sigh leaves my brother, and he is gone. His jaw falling open, releasing her wrist. She is filled with fear but she grins as she straightens, clutching her destroyed arm. She isn't aware death stalks her from above.
"You are too late." Her voice is maniacal as she taunts us. Father is frozen, his eyes burn red, tears falling like rain from them. He flicks his wrist, and I stalk forward, wings rising high. She tenses, ready to flee when death lands at her back and latches on to her leg. Michael could have caught her neck, killed her instantly, but those icy eyes lock onto mine. He knows I need to do this, have to do this. Sean paces in front of her, and I step around him as she hits Michael with all her power. He stumbles but keeps hold of her. The wolf leaps, locking onto her good arm, keeping her from hurting his brother.
I stop in front of her as they pull her down, holding her still, locking her here with their own magic. "You deserve to be held, to be cut to pieces, but I won't sink to your level. I should send you to Hades because he searches for you." Her eyes widen in fear and she cries out. "Cerberus searches for you as well, also unhappy with what you did to his mate." She flinches. I look back, and my father has curled around my brother and my eyes fill with tears. "You stole too much from my father and me. I thought I needed to kill you myself but I don't." I look at my Guardians. "Rip her apart." Growls fill the night as I turn away.
I walk to my brother, letting the tears fall at the sight of his destruction. She had destroyed him. I block her screams; they are taking their time killing her. Good. Father doesn't look up at my approach. I'm afraid this brok
e some part of him. The sound of footsteps in the distance has me getting ready to fight. Cora stumbles into the clearing, and her footsteps slow to a stop. She falls to her knees, shaking her head in denial. I relax and lower to my knees beside my father and brother. My hand strokes over the small amount of fur she had left on him. Father draws his massive head onto his lap, and I lay my face against his muzzle, uncaring of the blood that soaks into my hair and coats my face. I want to be close to him.
My father is silent; he has made no sound since appearing. "Father?" He turns unseeing eyes my direction but he is far from here. The silence lets me know that they finished killing her. I see Cora look behind me, and she gasps. I glance over my shoulder and I'm pleased with what I see. They ripped her apart leaving only her head untouched. Her blonde curls are pristine - eerily so. They shift back and walk to Cora's side, letting my father and I grieve alone for now. I feel their support through our bond. I'm grateful for it.
I don't know how long we sit in silence, night turns to morning and then to day. Suddenly, Father stands and looks around the clearing. While the others come to their feet, Cora keeps her eyes down, and I cross to her.
"This is not your fault. You tried...," I choke on fresh tears. "You got us here in time to make her pay." Still, she will not look up, and I see her body shake from sobs.
"We must take him to the Vanishing Isle," Father calls out calmly, as he stands looking down at Aphrodite's face frozen in pain and terror. "But first, I need to send a message to my brother and those that fight with him."
I feel his power flare and I stagger under the magnitude of it. Never have I felt it like this from him. This loss did something to him. Cora steps toward him, eyes unfocused, unaware of what she is doing. Michael steps in front of her, stopping her progression, his eyes lock on mine. I can offer no insight. I do not understand what is happening with either of them.