by Ben Zackheim
“Amazing,” Rebel said. “I’d love to hear more about your style.”
He glanced up at her and they locked eyes for a second.
I hated to break up the moment but I totally did not at all hate to break up the moment. “Okay,” I said. “So what happened?”
“With one sword, I halved the head of one man and slashed the throats of two with the second. My hope was that they’d see their mistake and give me time to go my own way on land. But their captain, coward that he was, stood on the stern barking orders from a safe distance.
“Three by three they advanced until the deck slopped with red. The pitch of the boat threw the blood from side to side.”
“That must have made you hungry,” Dino said.
“I was not undead yet.”
“You killed them all?” I asked, impressed.
“Aye,” he said. “Well, most. The captain and the boy were all that was left. He ordered the boy to attack but I told the coward to face me and leave the boy in my care. I’d guide him well. The captain laughed. It was the laugh of a madman, someone who knew he was to die within a couple of breaths. But if he could squeeze another few minutes of life out of it, he’d do it.
“The boy was terrified. His eyes streamed as fast as his bowels. I knew I would have to kill him if he attacked. I didn’t think he would. So I attacked first.”
“The boy?” Rebel asked.
“The captain. I jumped off of my perch and kept my balance on the red tides of its crew and found my way up the steps to the point of the captain’s sword. I expected to be injured and I expected it to be something I could manage. But if it could spare the boy’s life then I was willing to lose something. Not everything, mind you. But something.”
Fox took a seat beside his friend. The hand was the only part of Baldr that looked any better. I assumed that the rest of the shield would heal him completely.
Wherever the hell it was.
“But I didn’t think the boy would attack me from behind. I felt the dagger in the small of my back and instinct moved my sword. Years of battle left the boy’s head laying across the deck. His eyes still saw me. He knew the mistake he’d made. He saw his own body on the other side of the ship before his pupils drifted into a stare of death.”
A moment passed. We waited for him to talk again.
“The captain laughed but I ended that with one thrust. So he enjoyed the gift of eternal rest and I sailed his ship as close to the shore as I could. But I was not trained on the open seas. When I could make out the shadows of the shore’s stone wall I dove in to swim the rest of the way.”
That’s when Baldr made a sound.
A chuckling sound. Fox smirked.
“Apparently, I was not a swimmer either. I was smart enough to shed my armor but it didn’t occur to me that I may need to abandon my swords, too. They brought me down. Saddled in the scabbard at my side they anchored me to my death in the sea below. I couldn’t free them, hard as I tried. I watched the sun paint a circle of light in the gray water above me and I remember thinking that view of the sun would be my last. Rest would be good. Instead, I saw him.”
He pointed to Baldr with his thumb.
“He was a bit healthier at the time. He says he pulled me up to the rocky shore and stayed with me until I awoke. I have to go on his word because I don’t remember a thing. But it’s probably true because I opened my eyes to a night by a fire with the sounds of the surf nearby. Baldr fixed a meal of boiled potatoes. I should have known then that he was not a normal man.”
“Why?” Dino asked.
“Potatoes don’t grow in Iceland, troll.”
“Fuck you, Vampire knight person,” Dino barked back.
“Chill, you two,” I said. “So what happened?” I was like a kid at camp listening to a counselor tell a bullshit story.
“He asked me what I was doing so far from the embrace of a woman and I told him I searched for the Holy Grail for my king. He said, ‘The cup of the man with the smooth tongue?’ and I assumed he was a heathen who had heard enough to know about our Lord. I nodded and he reached his arm into a sack at his side. He pulled out a wooden cup and threw it at me and said, ‘There’s your Lord’s sipping cup. Shall I lead you home now?’”
Chapter 19
“Holy shit,” I said.
“Is holy shit really an appropriate thing to say at this juncture?” Dino asked.
“Was it really the cup?” I asked.
“Ask him,” Fox said.
“I would, but he doesn’t appear to have much of a mouth at the moment.”
The wretch glanced up at me. There was no way to tell what it was thinking. If it was thinking anything at all. Hard to think when your head is full of air and rot instead of brain.
“Baldr was…” Fox stopped himself. “…is the most beloved of Asgard. The strong looked to him to be strong. The wise went to him for wisdom. The kind for kindness.”
“Sounds boring,” Dino said.
“That’s because you don’t know what we once aspired to be. Man was once a creature of aspirations. He understood his place on earth was to strive for a better life because he knew the worst of it. He knew he was imperfect and worked hard to grow as he could. There was no humility in the journey because the path was the point. The adventure was now, not something we’d envy of someone else.”
Fox looked down at his friend, the thing.
“Baldr was beloved,” he continued. “He’d say that’s because he was made to be that way. He’d say he was a symbol, created by Odin to stand for man at his best. But I saw Baldr struggle for that mantle. He didn’t have anything easy except for the paths he built from kindness and bravery and brotherhood.”
“So he was a great guy,” I said. I realized I sounded like a jackass and tried to settle down. “I get it. But how does the shield fit into this story?”
Rebel nodded. “He’s right. We need to find some clues. Anything that may tell us where the shield is and how to find it.”
“The shield was made by Odin to carry the rage of Thor. When Thor was overcome by revenge or hatred or anger, the hammer was his conduit. But Thor was a raw god, filled with struggles of all kinds that overwhelmed Mjölnir. Odin had a dwarf blacksmith craft the shield to contain the damage the hammer could do. And he assigned Baldr to be at Thor’s side so his presence could calm him when it could and his shield could absorb the fury when it must.”
Fox’s pause gave us all a chance to study the carcass of a man at our feet. His clouded eyes darted around, but not to see. They moved like the eyes of someone trapped. He wanted to find a way out of that shell.
It must have been hell.
Fox’s words must have moved me because I realized I was in the presence of a great man whose greatness wasn’t diminished by his form, just imprisoned by it.
“Can he help us find the shield?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Fox said.
“Can you give me more to go on here?”
“What would you have me say, Kane? Should I lie to you? The shield and Baldr are linked. But I don’t know the kind of connection. Or the strength of it.”
I had an idea. It may have been a crazy one, though. For a second I pondered not telling anyone and just doing it. In fact, I was about to do just that when Rebel put a hand on my shoulder.
“What are you up to?” she asked, as if she’d read my mind. But she just knew me too well.
“I’m opening the portal,” I said. “The Vault Portal.”
“Why would you want to do that?” she asked. “You told us it was busted, too.”
“It’s not busted. It’s… acting up.”
“Oh, that’s comforting,” Dino said.
“Look,” I said, “If the Vault Portal couldn’t handle the shield’s power then maybe the shield’s power is too much for it. Remember when Bonehead used the shield to break the hammer?”
“Hard to forget,” Rebel said.
“There was that explosion of light whe
n he slammed the two together.”
“Yeah, but it didn’t do any damage that we could see.”
“But maybe it did damage on a level that we can’t see,” I said.
“I see,” Rebel said.
“I don’t see,” Dino said.
“He’s saying that the shattering of Mjölnir might have released enough of Thor’s fury and power to hurt the portals.”
“But how will opening the Vault portal help us any?” Dino asked.
Rebel looked at me for an answer.
“How did Baldr just end up near us in the middle of New York City? He senses the shield on me and he’s following it. Now look at the way a small piece of the shield helped heal his hand. I’m thinking maybe being exposed to the light, the power, whatever it is that’s in my portal, maybe it could help him.”
Fox stood, his face lit up with a mortal smile. He put his hand on my shoulder. “That’s the smartest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” he said.
“That’s great,” I said. “Thanks so much.”
“Wait a minute,” Rebel broke in. “It could also do a lot of damage. To him. To us. Who knows?”
“What the hell! You only live once!” Dino yelled.
We all looked at him.
“Fine, for fuck’s sake. Just trying to break through the indecisiveness.”
“I’m ready to do it,” I said.
Rebel and Fox glanced at each other. Fox nodded.
“Fine,” Rebel said. “Fox where are we?”
His eyebrow arched up. “In my apartment.”
“I know that! Where in the city?”
“776 Park Avenue.”
“What the fuck? No way!” Dino roared. “That’s my building!”
“I know,” Fox said.
“You’re my neighb…OOOOOOOOOOH! You’re the tenant in the seventh basement level! I heard about you! You rent all the basement units for your privacy.”
“Seven rental units on Park Avenue?” Rebel asked, staring at the Vampire, wide-eyed.
The troll nodded. “I did some digging and that comes to 8.5 million PER MONTH!”
“Can you not tell the whole world, troll?” Fox asked.
“No, no, mum’s the word, Lancelot! Now I know where I can find you! I’ll kill you later.”
We all glared at him, Rebel’s mouth was open.
“You are the most unhelpful motherfucker I’ve ever met,” she said.
“Thanks!” Dino said, a big, toothy grin spreading across his face.
“How far underground are we?” she asked.
“About 150 feet,” Fox said. “It would take a big boom to make an impact on the surface.”
Rebel sighed. “Fine,” she said, glancing at me like I was nuts. “This is on you if anything goes wrong, Arkwright.”
“Thanks for the reminder,” I said.
Everyone took a few steps back.
Baldr’s eyes settled down for the first time. They landed on me. Somewhere behind those dim eyes, he knew what I was going to do. Could he hear us? Could he even understand what we were saying?
I didn’t know.
But I knew he’d be gung-ho for my idea.
That was the extra push I needed to get it done.
“Cover your eyes, just in case,” I said. “Put something over Baldr’s face, too.”
Fox pulled a blanket off of his couch and and draped it over his friend’s head.
I closed my eyes.
I felt the air give way to my portal.
The portal’s presence felt normal. At first.
But then my control slipped away. I felt the power surge all around me. I couldn’t get a handle on it. It was like trying to grab water.
It was too much.
Dino screamed as the light filled the room.
“Close it!” Rebel yelled.
“I’m trying!” I yelled back.
After a few seconds, I could feel the surge subside and the control return.
The portal was almost closed.
I opened my eyes before everyone else and saw the crack in the air mend itself.
And I saw the heel of a boot taking one last step into my Vault Portal.
Chapter 20
“Where’s Baldr?” Fox asked as he looked around.
“He just took a stroll into my portal.”
“What?” Fox and Rebel said together.
“What did he look like?” Fox asked.
“I don’t know. I just saw his boot. I’ll open it again.”
“No,” Fox said. “He knows what he’s doing. At least I hope he does.”
“That’s comforting,” I said. I didn’t like the idea of carrying Baldr around in my portal. “Stand back.”
Rebel put a hand on my shoulder. “Maybe he’s right, Kane,” she said. “If he went in then maybe something drew him there.”
I was frustrated. I didn’t like being clueless about what was going on. Doubt and darkness were always a part of the job. But, at that moment, I felt helpless.
The idea of standing back and seeing if Baldr was up to something didn’t sit well with me.
But I’d also learned to listen to Rebel. If she wanted to give Baldr some time in there then I could handle it.
For about an hour.
“We should go to Skyler,” Rebel said, predictably. Our old teacher was her go-to guy when shit wasn’t making sense.
“Not a chance,” I said. “I need answers. Not more questions.”
“Do we even know where Skyler is?” Fox asked.
We all looked at each other. Silence.
“That answers that question,” I said. But it made me uneasy that even Fox and Rebel didn’t know where the old man was. He usually kept one of them in the loop. “We need to come up with our own answers.”
“Okay, quick review,” Rebel said. “We know that the hammer fed its power to the shield when it was broken. We know that the combined power was too much for Bonehead’s Vault Portal to handle.”
“So he came to me to save his skin,” I said. “We know that the shield messed up my portal and beckoned to Baldr. But it didn’t just mess up the Vault Portal. Remember, I can’t use the Swap Portal either.”
“Maybe the destruction of Thor’s hammer had some kind of impact on you, Kane,” Fox said.
Rebel dropped into a cushy leather chair.
Her glare cut right through the wall.
“Or it had an impact on the source of the portal’s power,” Rebel said.
“What’s that mean?” I asked.
She didn’t answer. We waited. Finally she glanced up and noticed us staring at her.
“The source of the portal’s power,” she repeated. “No one knows where the portals come from. They’re Solo Spells. You can’t learn them, you can only inherit them.”
“That’s not what Bonehead says,” I said.
“Screw Bonehead,” she shot back. “I trust Skyler’s teachings more than him.”
“Get to the point, partner.”
“The point is that the magic I practice draws from me,” she said. “I’m the source of its power, its effectiveness. I’m also its conduit.”
“More of Skyler’s teachings,” I said. Skyler tried to teach me magic too. I sucked at it.
“Yeah,” she said frowning at me. “It is. But you can’t learn Solo Spells. So where do they come from? What is it that you tap into to access them?”
“You guys feel like getting high?” Dino asked.
“The portals draw from a source,” Rebel continued, paying no attention to the troll. “A powerful source. Maybe something all around us.”
“Or below us,” I said.
“Or below us,” she repeated, though I don’t think she actually heard me. Her eyes brightened. “Yeah, below us. Interesting.”
“They’re from Hell?” I asked.
She tsk’d me and shook her head.
“Come on, partner. Try harder here. You learned from the same teacher I did.”
“Stop messi
ng around,” I said. “This isn’t a fucking quiz.”
She leaned back in the chair and rubbed her forehead. “Ley lines, Arkwright.”
“Okay, that’s it, I’m getting high,” Dino said, reaching into his leather fanny pack. He pulled out a doobie the size of my head. He lit it up and took two long puffs before I got over how huge the joint was.
“What are Ley Lines?” Fox asked.
Rebel was too deep in thought to answer, so I did it for her.
“They’re lines that run between places with spiritual significance. Some people say they have power of their own and that they flow under the earth’s crust.”
“What if the source of the portal’s power is Ley Lines?” Rebel asked. “Skyler thinks they act as a conduit between humans and the planet. They make a symbiotic bond that we all depend on.”
“You guys really need to try this shit,” Dino said, holding in a deep, deep puff and handing the joint to me. I swatted it away.
“Okay, Rebel, we all depend on this power for what?”
“To… I don’t know, ground us? To link us, maybe?”
Dino let out a stream of smoke that made all of us cough. He looked at us with his eyes half-mast and said, “To make us see the world with our eyes in the same way. Smell. Hear. Touch.” He reached his hands out and groped the air as if he were petting something.
Then he leaned back on the couch and nodded his head as if he’d scored a touchdown.
“Okay, you don’t get to talk anymore, troll,” Rebel said.
“I don’t know about Ley Lines,” I said. “But it is possible the shield damaged the source of my portals. Whatever that source is.”
“Could it cause even bigger problems?” Fox asked.
“You mean bigger than blowing up a city if I can’t contain it?”
“You said that Ley Lines run around the world,” he said. “Then that could mean that the strain your portal is under could be causing strain everywhere.”
We all stared at each other, not sure how much of Fox’s statement made sense because he was actually onto something, and how much was because of the second-hand smoke.