Triumph Of The Dwarf King

by Charley Case

  “Stephanie?” Mila said quietly. She stepped forward and pressed two fingers to the girl's neck, feeling for a pulse but found nothing. Her skin was still warm and supple under Mila's fingers, but there was no bodily response she could find.

  “Stephanie?” she said a little louder, shaking her by the shoulders.

  Nothing.

  Mila spun, looking for anything that might help her figure out where the hell she was, but the endless white light extended forever in all directions.

  “Shit. I’m in the fucking Matrix.”

  “That’s a pretty apt description,” a deep female voice said from behind Mila.

  Spinning, Mila reached the holster on the back of her corset, pulling the Ivar out and pointing it at a tall, pretty woman with long wavy blonde hair. The woman wore a black pinstripe suit that had obviously been tailored to fit her perfectly. She stood with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face as she appraised Mila. In all ways, she looked like a normal Caucasian woman…except for wings of pure light coming out of her back.

  Mila’s eyes widened. She turned her head from side to side to see them from tip to tip. They glowed a warm golden color and seemed to be translucent, but it was hard to tell with the white background. There were no feathers; instead, the wings were made up of sharp lines and angles that hinted more at the idea of wings rather than functional appendages.

  As Mila watched, the thirty-foot wingspan faded, becoming thinner and thinner until only a wisp of golden light remained, which twisted and twirled away as if on a light breeze. Eventually, even that faded to nothing.

  “That won’t work here, but I do have to admire your reaction time.” The woman said with a slight smile. “Quite impressive.”

  “Who are you?” Mila asked, not putting the pistol away, but lowering it a few inches.

  “I was about to ask you the same thing.” The tall woman said, dropping her arms and strolling around Mila and Stephanie at a leisurely pace, her stiletto heels making a tapping noise with each step as if the ground were made of marble. “I thought you were Genevive at first, being so short with that dark hair, but you’re the new one, aren’t you?” a smile lit her lips.

  “New what?” Mila asked, wearily. She didn't turn her body, but she did track the woman with her eyes.

  She laughed, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. “The new sister. You’re a Valkyrie, are you not?”

  Mila’s eyes widened. “You’re a Valkyrie? Like me?”

  The woman stopped walking, having made a full circuit and ending where she had begun. She spread her hands out to encompass the endless void. “Of course. How else could we be here together?”

  Mila looked around. “I don't know where this is, let alone the rules here.”

  “This is Elsewhere. The place between life and death.”

  “I’m dead?”

  The woman looked at her with concern. “Do you not have any memories of this place?”

  “Why would I? I’ve never been here before,” Mila said with exasperation.

  This seemed to bother the woman. “That isn’t possible. You should have the memories of your past lives. Of the sisters that contained you through the millennia. When I spoke to your friend Gregory, I thought it was odd you hadn't contacted us directly, but I had no idea you didn't know how.”

  Mila set her jaw. She was just about done with this conversation. “Look, lady. I don't know how this usually happens, but I didn't even know magic existed until a few months ago, let alone I was a Valkyrie. If I’m supposed to have some head full of memories, I must have missed the download. It’s just me in here.” She said, tapping her temple with a finger. “If you would be so kind, please explain what the fuck is going on. How did I get here, and how do I get back?”

  The woman cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. This is very unusual. My name is Victoria. I’m the head sister at the moment. Please forgive my flippant comments. You have to understand there are only so many Valkyries on Earth. I assumed you were one of the sisters that had not returned after her last death. There is always a handful of us missing while we wait for new bodies to be selected. If you truly have no memories of past lives, then you must be a Firstborn. We didn't think it was possible anymore.”

  Mila sighed and, reaching around her back, put the Ivar in its holster. She extended a hand to Victoria. “I’m Mila. And I promise you, I have only my own memories. I don't really know what that means, but I’m sure we can have a nice long conversation about it in the future. Right now, I really need to get back home, and I have a feeling that I need to help Stephanie here before I go. Can you help me?”

  Victoria shook Mila's offered hand then looked the red-headed woman over, compassion at Stephanie’s palpable terror coming through in her eyes. “I can not help with this, but you can do it yourself. I assume Gregory conveyed my message to you?”

  “Yeah, something about how my power comes from my conviction, not my desire?”

  “Correct.” Victoria smiled kindly. “It is not enough to want a thing, you will need to believe it is also for the best for your powers to work. If you truly are a Firstborn, it will take time for your powers to fully manifest, but helping this poor soul is well within your reach.” She considered something before continuing, “Unless you want to change her powers. You could do it, but I must warn you the cost is steep, and we would need to bring the Reaper.”

  Mila raised a questioning eyebrow. “The Grim Reaper?”

  Victoria laughed, her rich voice making it a pleasure to hear. “No, dear. The artifact. The Reaper.” Victoria shook her head. “Right. It’s going to take some getting used to having a new Valkyrie among us.”

  Mila wanted to roll her eyes at being called a Firstborn, but she refrained. From the other Valkyrie’s perspective, she guessed she was rather like a newborn.

  “The Reaper is why we are here in the first place. It is the secret we all must keep, but it defines us as a sisterhood.” She pursed her lips. “I’m guessing that you do not want to change her powers since you didn't know it was a possibility. That is good. Reaping is far too costly for one like you—a topic for a later time.”

  “If I believe helping Stephanie is for the greater good, then what?”

  “Then do it. It’s really that simple. But you must truly believe it will help. Otherwise, nothing will happen. Our powers cannot be used for frivolous things, a blessing in disguise over a long enough life. You will see.” Victoria smiled, putting her hands on her hips. “I have a feeling there is something special about you—a greater role to play than you know.”

  Mila didn't know how to take that last part. “Thanks, I think.” She looked back at Stephanie. “So, how do I take us home after I’m done?”

  “Simply will it to happen.” Victoria spread her hands out. “We hold dominion over this place. Our will is enough to make things reality here.”

  Mila turned to Stephanie. “Okay. I guess I’ll give it a try.”

  There was no reply, and when Mila looked for Victoria, the Valkyrie was nowhere to be seen. She turned back to Stephanie. She felt compassion for Hellena’s daughter in a way that went to Mila's core. Hellena had imprisoned her own daughter, kept her magic sealed away, then Stephanie finds out the only family she has left wants to start a war. To top it off, oh yeah, magic is a real thing, and she can't stop setting off destructive spells every two damn seconds.

  Mila thought about what she would have wanted to know the day she found out magic was real. The small details that kept the magical world running and how she could fit into it. She gathered her memories of all the conversations she and Finn and Penny had had over their time together. She thought about Danica and her unique form of healing magic. She included the conversation about how witches needed wands to focus their power, not that she had a lot of knowledge on the subject.

  She took all those thoughts and brought them together. Once she understood how it would make Stephanie’s life better, she coalesced those understandings into a
conviction—Stephanie needed to know.

  There was a feeling of everything clicking into place in the back of Mila's mind, and she knew it would all work out. She wrapped her arms around Stephanie and felt the power flow from her into the young woman.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Finn glanced over at the pimply kid, as the phone rang, but he was still engrossed in his memes and cigarette.

  The call connected, and Finn turned to focus on Mila and Stephanie.

  “Hello, my friend!” Danica answered, sounding ready to take on the day, even though the sun was starting to set.

  “Danica. We have a bit of a problem. Penny thought you might be able to help,” Finn said, his tone somber.

  “I’ll do my best. By the way, I got you a little surprise from the mall. Mila will love it,” she said mischievously.

  “I can't wait. First, though, we might need to wake Mila up.”

  There was a pause. “I don't get it,” Danica confessed.

  Finn related the story of how Mila grabbed onto Stephanie, and they both froze. He told the tail quickly, leaving out the more extensive details, like who Stephanie was and the fact that Penny had been passing out in the twisted magic, but Dani got the gist.

  “Are they breathing?” the elf asked in her medical voice, all playfulness gone.

  Finn double-checked, looking to see that both of their chests were rising and falling at a slow and steady pace. “It appears they are. I would say it's a little slow considering the circumstances.”

  “Okay, take their pulses. I need an estimate.”

  “Hang on.” He handed the phone to Penny, who was watching from his shoulder, then reached out with both hands, placing two fingers lightly on both women's necks and began to count. After ten seconds or so, he took the phone back. “Mila’s is around sixty and Stephanie’s is closer to eighty.”

  “That’s good. Can you move them? Or are they rigid, like their muscles are locked up?” Danica’s calmness kept Finn’s anxiety under control.

  Finn gently tried to lower one of Stephanie’s arms. He expected her to stay in the same position, but her arm lowered. When he let go, it stayed where he had positioned it.

  “I can move them.”

  “Interesting. Can you drive the Hellcat?”

  The question caught him so off guard he had to do a restart, opening his mouth, then closing it as the problem registered, and he glanced over at the large black muscle car. “I’ve driven it before; the first time I met Mila, actually,” he said fondly, remembering their first interaction at the Kum & Go.

  “She let you drive her car? She doesn't let anyone drive her car.”

  “She lets you drive it all the time when we use the Subaru.”

  “That’s different. Mila lets me do anything. I’m her best friend.”

  “I’m her man-friend, and she doesn't let me drive it.”

  “That’s different. And, for the love of all that is holy, don't use the word man-friend! It’s so not right. Here’s what I want you to do. Get them both in the car and bring them straight here. It sounds like whatever is going on isn’t an immediate threat, but I need to see them to better figure this out.”

  Finn nodded, stepping up to the two snow-covered women. He hesitated. “What if separating them does something? Like, there’s a connection I break, and they get stuck this way.”

  “Shee shir?”

  “Never mind, Danica. Penny figured it out. Okay, we’re about twenty minutes away. Meet me out front of the condo. I don't want some stranger to think I’m kidnapping two women.”

  “How will my being there stop someone from doing that?”

  “Because you’re a pretty woman, and people don't associate pretty women as creeps. A six-five bearded guy, however?”

  Danica was silent for a few seconds. “I hate to admit it, but that makes sense. Okay, I’ll meet you out front in twenty.”

  Finn hung up and dropped his phone in his jacket pocket while he tried to figure out the best way to lift them both without hurting them.

  “Can you open it up while I get these two?” Finn asked Penny, who gave him a nod and launched herself towards the open passenger door.

  Finn stepped up beside the two women and squatted so that his chest was even with Mila's but sideways relative to her body. He wrapped his arms around them, pulling both in so their sides were against his chest. He stood and lifted them a good two feet off the ground, then he slowly walked to the back of the car as Penny popped the trunk.

  “Can you fold the backseats down?” he called to Penny as he slowly tilted the women to the side so that Mila was now mostly laying on Stephanie.

  The left side of the split backseat went down, followed by the right. Now there was a good six or seven feet of flat surface to lay them on, but holding them by the waist like he was, he was not able to simultaneously lay them inside the trunk and get out of the way of the trunk’s edge.

  “Dude. Those girls are dedicated as fuck to this living statue thing.”

  Finn snapped his head around and saw the kid standing behind him, watching him struggle with the awkward load.

  “Uh, yeah. They really like to use the method acting process.” Finn hesitated a second. “I don't suppose you would help me get them in the trunk?”

  The kid shrugged. “Sure. I still have five minutes.”

  Finn had the kid take their feet while he did the heavy work of gently feeding their heads and torsos into the now-folded down backseat. After a minute or two, the girls were half in the trunk and half in the backseat, still entwined in each other’s arms. Finn took a minute to reposition them into the most comfortable position he could manage, then closed the trunk.

  “Thanks. I’m glad you were here to help,” Finn said, shaking the kid’s hand.

  “No problem, man. That's why I’m in the service industry,” he said flatly.

  “Good for you. It’s nice to know what you want to do with the rest of your life at such a young age.”

  The kid smirked. “Dude, it was a joke. I work here because my dad made me get a job.”

  Finn slapped him on the shoulder. “Still. It might grow on you. Who’s to say.”

  “Whatever, man. Take her easy.” He sauntered off around the building towards the front.

  “What a helpful young man,” Finn said to Penny as he climbed into the driver’s seat and cracked his knuckles.

  Penny rolled her eyes. “Shir?”

  “Yeah, I’m serious. I like to think that kid’s got a bright future ahead. Out here helping people in need.” Finn pressed the start button, and the Hellcat roared to life.

  Penny cocked her head at him, a look of disbelief plastered across her face. “Squee shir chi!”

  Finn waved the comment away. “He didn't help me kidnap two women off the street. They’re my friends.”

  “Chi.”

  Finn thought about that as he pulled the car out of the parking space and drove around the building towards the main road.

  “I suppose you’re right. He didn't actually know they were my friends.” Finn looked through the large glass window at the kid, now behind the counter, his face once again buried in his phone. “What a creepy little dude.”

  Seventeen minutes later, Finn pulled into an empty space at the front of their condo building. Ever since they bought out the rest of the tenants' units, parking around the building had become much more accessible.

  True to her word, Danica was standing in the small lobby, watching for them through the glass door and windows, and came out to meet them before Finn was even out of the car. He popped the trunk and closed the driver's door as Danica looked in the backseat and saw the top halves of the two women.

  “Seriously? Penny's great idea was to put them in the trunk like bags of groceries?” Danica said with a disappointed look.

  “It worked, didn't it?” Finn argued, going around to the back of the car and reaching in to grab both Mila and Stephanie by a thigh. “Get inside and help with their s
houlders.”

  Danica sighed and climbed into the back of the Challenger, helping to maneuver her friend and their new charge out of the awkward space.

  Two minutes—and lots of cursing—later, Finn was able to carry them into the building while Danica held the door. They received a few odd looks, but more out of curiosity than anything. It wasn't every day you saw someone pulling two rigid people from a trunk and take them into a condo building in downtown Denver.

  Finn stood the two women up in the elevator, and Danica hit the button for the fourth floor. She began checking on the two immediately, taking their pulse and feeling for fever or chill with the back of her hand.

  On the ride up, Finn heard the distinct sound of hammering and sawing on the second floor. “Did they already start construction?”

  Danica nodded, using a stethoscope she pulled from around her neck to listen to first Mila then Stephanie’s heart. “Yeah, Kevin and his guy showed up around noon raring to get started. I called Remmy like you asked. She had a few suggestions, but nothing too extravagant. Kevin wanted to get a jumpstart on the project, so I gave him a key to the building, and he brought his crew back this afternoon. Me and Remmy have been playing Mario Kart ever since.”

  “Is she any good?”

  “Better than me, but she wouldn't hold a candle to Penny.”

  Penny puffed up like a rooster on Finn's shoulder. “Shir, shir.”

  “I still think you cheat,” Danica said, draping her stethoscope over her neck. “No one gets that many blue shells and still wins. I’m pretty sure the game is designed so that can't happen.”

  Penny gave her the finger, and Danica laughed. “Right back at you, punk.”

  The elevator opened, and Finn squatted, picking the two up and taking them to the front door. He had to squat-walk to get them through without hitting Stephanie’s head on the door frame, but he was soon depositing them on the couch, laying them down along the long part of the L-shaped sectional.