After the Fire (After the Fire: Book the First) (10 page)

“You
will do this,” said Magda to the weasel. “Do as she says,
or I will kill you myself.”

“You
are a coward,” said Eleni. She handed him back the falx. “Very
well, take the weapon. But you will hunt for your people. Do you
understand? Starting now.”

The
man took a step back, unsure, the falx pressed to his chest. He
looked at Eleni. She responded by lifting her hand and allowing a
flame to burst from her palm. The man scrambled away from her
quickly, and into to the forest. Eleni looked around at the crowd of
people,mostly women, some children, a few old men. They were
whispering and looking at Eleni. Eleni made a fist and extinguished
the flame. She looked beyond them to the figure standing at
the edge of the crowd, in shadow and sunlight at the same time. Fin looked back at
her, an odd small smile on his face. He tipped his hat to Eleni and
strode away, toward a blue tent at the edge of the encampment. Eleni
touched the lump under her collar. The necklace sent a buzzing into
her fingers.

“I
hope you're pleased with yourself,” said a voice. Eleni turned
for the first time to give her full attention to Magda.

“Pleased?”
said Eleni. “Why would I be pleased?”

“Hrm,”
Magda grunted. “Come with me,” she said, walking toward a
green tent. “You will sleep first. Then I will tell you
everything.”

Chapter
Eight

The three figures loped up the slope, upright on two legs, but they
would have looked just as menacing on four. They were covered in dark
brown fur crusted in ice and snow. If not for their sheer power and
the size of the gleaming white teeth protruding from their jaws, they
would have looked almost comical, awkwardly stumbling up the
mountain. As it was, the very trees seemed to shy away from the
three, crashing their way up to the summit. There was a fierce
intelligence behind their cruel black eyes, and when all three turned
to face Perun at the top of the mountain, even the great god of
lightning hesitated.

Perun
stood tall and waited for the creatures to approach him. They looked
on him with their beastly eyes. He flexed his fingers, readying
himself should they choose to attack. It was in their best interest
to keep their distance, but Perun didn't trust them. And with every
task, they had grown stronger with the essence they
believed was making them into gods. Perun feared that soon he
wouldn't be able to kill them. But he couldn't lose them now. Not
yet. He was so close.

Though
he towered over most men, Perun had to crane his neck to look up at
the two that stood in front of him. The third lingered behind,
smaller in stature, but still immense. Perun had never heard the
small one make a sound. He was always watching, those sharp black
eyes examining, boring into him every time they met. The quiet one
made Perun even more uneasy than the larger, noisier two. He had
shown up with Skoll and Hati only recently, and any inquiry into who
he was or where he came from was met with growls and snarls.

The
quiet creature stared at Perun, as if watching a performance, a
play-act. If he hadn't had the head of a wolf, Perun would say he
wore an almost bemused expression. Perhaps he was only imagining it.

“Our
payment,” growled Skoll, in a voice that put Perun's teeth on
edge. It was a voice that was not meant to be a voice. Something
meant only for snarls and howling and guttural growls. “You
will give it to us now.” Frozen slaver was icicled on the
beast's chin. His lipless mouth curled up over his teeth as though
containing the urge to rip out Perun's throat.

“In
good time,” said Perun. “First, tell me if you found
him
.”

“He
cannot be found,” said Hati, matching his brother's fierce
tone. “He does not exist in the world. We have searched
everywhere for him.”

“He's
here,” said Perun. “You have found someone, haven't you?”

Skoll
stopped baring his teeth, which Perun guessed was the same as smiling
for him. “Three,” he said. “Two sisters and a
brother. We found them on the Western Islands. They put up a great
fight. But we were stronger.”

“What
were they?” said Perun.

“Order
gods,” said a voice. Perun looked up to realize it was the
first thing the small one had ever said in his presence. He spoke
clearly, unlike the other two, but there was venom in his voice.

“Indeed,”
said Perun. “And where are they?”

The
brothers turned toward the third, whose great, clawed paw went to a
pouch at the quiet one's hip. Perun had not even noticed it before
because it was covered in fur the same color and texture as the
beast's. His movements were smooth and Perun frowned. He tried to
remember the third beast's name, but he couldn't remember if he had
ever known it. The beast seemed to sense Perun's thoughts because he
looked up at him. Something passed in the beast's eyes, making Perun
blink at him. For a moment the eyes had turned a deep shade of
violet, Perun was sure of it.

Perun
caught the pouch from the great wolf-beast. Finding the opening in
all the fur, he emptied the object out into his hand. Perun held the
carved horn up to the light. It was so light, it was hard to believe
what it contained. The designs carved into the bone were foreign to
him. There were symbols among the weave-work that Perun didn't
understand. Every time he saw it, it vexed him. He should know what
they meant. He was a god, after all. Nothing was a mystery to him. No
written or spoken language should have been alien. Yet here he was
squinting at the corked horn, as unable to understand as a mortal.
Perhaps his power was fading
.
He banished the thought as soon as it had come. Impossible.

Perun
looked at the hulking wolf-men. Skoll looked as though he were ready
to pounce, his muscles coiled and his eyes watching Perun. Hati
licked his teeth. The quiet one just stood, watching him.

“Remind
me,” said Perun, his eyes on the flask. “Skoll, your
brother's name.”

“You
do not know me?” snarled Hati.

“Not
you,” said Perun. “Your third.” His eyes met the
beast's and Perun swore his liquid black eyes filled with amusement.
But he blinked and it was gone. Skoll looked back at him.

“Not
our brother,” growled Skoll. His lip curled to reveal teeth as
long as Perun's fingers. “But family. He is not your concern.”

“I
would like to know who I am trusting,” said Perun. He
swallowed. He was a god, he should not feel nervous. He knew he could
turn the brothers to ash with his lightning. But it was the other
that made him increasingly uneasy. He could never remember much about
the creature when he wasn't looking at him. And he felt he should
know his name, but when he searched his mind for it, he couldn't
remember. Something very strange about him.

Hati
snarled and Skoll scratched his chest, flexing his knife-like claws.
“We are the sons of Fenrir,” said Skoll, his black
nostrils flaring. “We do not earn trust.”

“Have
it your way,” said Perun. It would be a pleasure to kill these
abominations. But for now, he needed them. He could not leave just
yet. Even now he could feel another approaching the mountains. They
never stopped trying to get in. He could send the wolves after him
but he needed them on a different path.

“I
have seen something,” said Perun. “Just for a moment.
Down there.” He pointed down the mountainside, towards the
canopy of an old and wild forest. It was unusual to see aged
wilderness, but it was easy to see why it had been protected. It was
surrounded by high mountains, like the one they stood upon now.

“What
is it?” said Skoll, squinting his eyes.

“You
cannot see it, but there is a village down there. I felt him there,
just for a moment. Then he was gone. I want you to find him. He may
be at the village, protected by something. Or someone. Or he may have
gone off. The only other things in that forest are Reivers,
and I very much doubt he would deign to hide amongst them. Too much
pride.”

“How
do you know this?” said Hati. “He may not be the same.”

“We
are gods,” said Perun. “We are unchanging.” The
quiet one gazed at him and Perun looked away. “Find him. Kill
him. Bring what is left back to me.” He frowned. “I have
also sensed someone else that could cause trouble, but I believe her
to be mostly harmless.”

“Who?”
said Skoll.

“The
Crone,” said Perun. “Without her sisters, she is useless.
She can do nothing but flap at you with that raven of hers.”

“A
Norn?” said Skoll, looking at Hati. “We cannot kill a
Norn.”

“Of
course you can't kill her,” said Perun with a sigh. “Nothing
kills the Sudice. I said she was harmless. Ignore her. Tie her up
with her own entrails. She is not my concern. You know who it is I
seek.”

“Our
payment,” growled Hati.

“Yes,
fine,” said Perun. He rubbed his thumb against his index finger
and felt the power spark. Only a god could use the essence of another
god, and even then, you had to be very powerful. Perun only meted out
very small amounts to these wolves. Any more, and they would be too
powerful to overcome later. Placing two fingers on the flask, he
pulled the contents gently through the polished bone. Pulling his
fingers away, he felt the residue on his hand. Skoll stepped forward
and Perun placed his hand on the beast's chest and let his power
carry just enough essence into the monster. Skoll lay in the snow
where he had been thrown by the force and blinked into the snow that
had begun to fall. Perun repeated the process, and
Hati was
on the ground next to his brother.

Perun
motioned for the third to come forward. The beast stepped toward him,
but to Perun's surprise, he shook his head. “Allow me,”
he said, in his smooth voice, so unlike the rough voices of his
brethren. He took the flask from Perun's hand and held it in two
cupped paws. Perun felt the earth shudder under his feet. The snow
fell from the trees, quivered its way in chunks down the side of the
mountain. The wolf-man in front of him was no longer a wolf, but a
tall, slender man, naked, with plaited silver hair that fell over his
shoulders. His violet eyes glowed as he absorbed the entire contents
of the bone flask. Perun could see his veins throbbing and bursting
with light all through his body, pulsating up his neck and through
his arms with a shining lump pounding in his chest.

The
man closed his eyes as the light faded, but Perun could see the
symbols lit up on the flask like fire, a flask that Perun knew was
now empty, but moments ago had contained the souls of three gods. The
man gradually returned to normal and then, as though it had never
been, became once again a hideous wolf-creature just as his cohorts
rose from the snow, not seeming to be aware of what had just taken
place.

“We
go now,” said Skoll and headed toward the place Perun had
pointed out. Hati followed. The third stepped toward Perun and took
the fur pouch from him. His eyes glowed violet again for a just a
moment as he looked at the lightning god. He dropped the horn carved
from bone into the pouch.

“You
know me now, don't you, old man?” he said quietly, baring his
teeth in what resembled a smile. Then he walked away, following the
other two.

Perun
did know him. He couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before.

“Loki,”
he said.

Chapter
Nine

Eleni awoke at dusk. Before she even opened her eyes she knew someone
was watching her. She looked to the corner of the tent to see a girl
hunkered down in the shadows, something in her hand. The girl started
when Eleni sat up. Fear was radiating from her.

“Why
are you afraid?” said Eleni.

The
girl didn't answer. She started to stand up, seeming to want to do
something, but crouched back down again, as if unsure.

“I
won't hurt you,” said Eleni. “Come.”

After
a few stops and starts, the girl finally managed to get up the nerve
to walk over to Eleni. She was not as young as Eleni had first
thought. She was nearly a woman, though so thin that she looked
scrawny. She moved with her head down, as if she were afraid to meet
Eleni's eyes. The object in her hand appeared to be a carved wooden
comb. She had a bundle under her other arm.

“Is
that for me?” said Eleni.

The
girl stared at Eleni for a moment, before seeming to remember what
she came for. She nervously handed Eleni the bundle under her arm,
visibly jumping when Eleni reached out to take it. It was softer than
anything Eleni had ever touched. Eleni spread the fabric out and saw
it was a dress, made of strips of fabric smooth as water that shifted
under her hand. She ran her finger over the embroidery. Dozens of
suns sewn into the skirt of the dress in reds and oranges. The colors
were so bright they almost hurt Eleni's eyes, but she couldn't look
away from it. It was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever given
her.

“This
is for me?” Eleni said. The girl nodded quickly, staring with
wide, dark eyes that seemed to fill up her whole face. “I thank
you.”

“I'm
to comb your hair,” the girl said, her voice hardly more than a
whisper.

“Why?”
said Eleni, still holding the dress against her. It felt cool against
her hot skin.

“Grandmother
told me to.”

“Grandmother?”
said Eleni. “You mean Magda?”

“Yes,”
said the girl.

“Why
do you call her grandmother?” said Eleni. “Are you
blood?”

“No,”
said the girl, losing some of her nervousness. “It is a way we
honor her.”

“Give
me the comb,” said Eleni. “I will do it.”

The
girl tentatively handed Eleni the comb. Eleni began dragging it
through her tangles, feeling the roots rip out. Eleni tried to pull
the comb out but it had become tangled in the knots. Gritting her
teeth she began to yank at it.