Dead Chaos (22 page)

I took once last look behind me and the ground began to shake and dust rained from the stone roof.

"Hurry. Someone's coming." I urged Joshua and the wolves, hoping we could get away without meeting whoever was coming thundering down the tunnel.

My heart thwacked against my ribs as I slipped my hand into my satchel. The first thing I felt was the ball-and-chain. Appropriate to say the least. A figure appeared in the shadowy distance of the far end of the tunnel.

Bal.

He roared his anger and I yelled at Joshua to leave. A glance back and I watched Joshua and the wolves to go, taking the light with them. Bal ran faster and I stepped into his path.

He held his sword straight in front of him, his flaming eyes appearing almost crazed as he sped toward me. "You dare to enter my realm and steal from me?" His voice raged, echoing around me, threatening to bring walls of stone down on our heads. A flame appeared on the tip of his sword, flickering like a newly lit candle. And then the entire blade was aflame. He
was too close for me to jump onto the bridge. The entrance would remain open long enough for Bal to follow me right into Asgard.

I couldn’t let that happen.

I stood fast. At least Gjallerhorn was safe from Bal and Loki. And everyone else had gone through except for Hugin and myself.

I drew the ball-and-chain. Holding on to the chain, I began to spin it slowly, a little envious of Bal's ability to draw a flame to his weapon. A trill of fear ran through me. I would prefer to avoid hand-to-hand combat with a fire giant in this confined space.

I blinked as an idea flitting into my head. Grinning, I spun the ball-and-chain faster and faster until it gave off a dull whirr. When Bal was way too close for comfort, maybe ten feet away, I let the ball-and-chain loose, watched it spin away, and fly at the giant. I'd thrown it low and was satisfied when the ball hit Bal in the ankle. The chain spun around to tie both his feet together. That would stop him long enough for me to escape and for the Bifrost to close safely behind me.

He roared his anger as he fell, his eyes filled with fury and flame. He was down. Out was a question I was about to answer. Bal flung his sword at me just as he hit the ground. The angle was strange, the blade quivering as it came at me. I spun fast and dove for the Bifrost. I'd been too sure of myself. Good thing his aim was off. I felt the tip of blade slice my upper arm and fly past to crash into the wall to my left.

A searing pain spliced my arm, but I was safely on the bridge and out of Bal’s reach.

As the Bifrost closed behind me
the last thing I heard was the furious roar of the Surt.

***

I stumbled off the Bifrost into the transfer room, and my heart thumped against my sternum so hard it felt like the bone was about to shatter. I sighed, relieved and a little unsettled. Bal had gotten too close too fast and he’d managed to injure me pretty well even with his faulty aim. Blood had seeped from the slit in my arm and soaked into my shirt and coat.

The team was waiting, worried expressions twisting their features as I appeared in a rush, out of breath and bloodied.

"What happened? What took you so long?" Joshua came to me, lifting my hand off the wound. His face clouded with worry. "How the hell did this happen? We were only gone a few seconds."

"Bal." The word came out a little rushed as I swam in a melee of emotions. Adrenalin, relief, and a touch of spinning attraction for this incredibly caring man. "He came at me just after you left."

Joshua growled. "Damn it. I shouldn’t have left you."

I smiled at the thought he simply wanted to keep me safe. "It's fine. I stopped him." I quickly ran through my run-in with Bal but none of them seemed too thrilled even though I'd managed to escape with my life. "What's wrong? I'm alive aren't I?"

"We shouldn’t have left you." Aimee shook her head. "We should have waited."

"No. You had the horn and had to get it out of there. Why should we have risked all our lives and the horn when I was clearly able to get out of there myself?"

"Not without damaging yourself. That wound is not a small matter." Sigrun scowled.

"I'll get it seen to. As soon as we get the horn to Frigga for safekeeping." They looked like they were about to argue. "I'm not going to delay getting the horn to safety just because of a stupid sword wound. Now let’s go."

They didn't say anything, but I could see they were all fighting the urge to refuse. I left them to ponder their indecision, took the horn from a startled Sigrun, and marched out of the transfer room. I headed for Odin's hall, pleasantly surprised to see Fen speaking to Frigga. The lines and the shadow of sadness on the goddess’s face only served to remind me how much I myself missed the All-Father too.

Ulfr and goddess paused in mid-conversation as I hurried to them. Footsteps came up behind me, making me smile. My team had decided to come with me. Frigga's eyes widened at the sight of my burden. She left the dais, hair flying as she sped to me, her face awash with happiness.

"Brynhildr, you did it. You brought Gjallerhorn home." Frigga's gaze embraced the horn while her fingers trailed its cool surface. I handed it over and grinned.

"My lady, I'm happy to say we succeeded. And now that the horn is safe we are ready to go bring home Heimdall."

Frigga nodded. "You know where he is?"

"As far as we know, he is in Jotunnheim. The Norns told us he was being held in the Tower of Mord. So we have to find him when we get there." I frowned. "Has there been any progress in finding the All-Father?"

Frigga's eyes clouded as she shook her head. "Sometimes I can feel him with me. I do think he is sometimes here with me. "

I nodded. "I think he is. He tried to explain where he was, but one thing was clear. He can visit us but not in corporeal form."

"So you believe he knows what is happening? You think he knows we have Gjallerhorn?"

"Yes, I do." I smiled at the little ray of hope that brightened the goddess’s face. "We will be leaving as soon as possible."

"You have your team?" Frigga asked.

I nodded. Then Fen spoke, his face ridged and shadowed. "I will go with them."

"But, Fenrir, I need you here." Frigga frowned, worry clear in her strained face. "We have gods coming in on a daily basis and we still need to manage the scouts that are going out looking for the ones who haven’t arrived. And what about your Midgard scouts? Who will oversee them?"

Fen bowed. "My lady, as you need me, I will remain in Asgard." Although he’d relented, he didn’t look entirely thrilled about it. I was both relieved and disappointed. It would have been good to have Fen at our back. But it was clear Frigga couldn't manage without him.

My attention wavered as pain simmered hotter in my arm.

"Bryn, you are injured," Fen said, his gaze fixed at the cuff of my jacket where my hand peeked out. He raised an eyebrow and his eyes dropped to the top of my wrist where blood stained my skin bright red.

"Yes. It's just a cut." I waved my hand at him as he opened his mouth to do what my team had already done — bully me into getting the wound seen to. "Don't worry. I just stopped here to drop off the horn. I'm off to see Eir. Maybe she can do something about all the broken parts of me."

"I expect a full report later." Fen smirked and turned his attention to Sigrun as she moved toward him with a smile, her wings fluttering in what I'd bet was excitement to see her lover. I hid a grin at the expression in Fen's eyes. Those two were so beautiful together.

I turned and headed for the exit and Aimee and Joshua accompanied me to the door.

"If you're going to be okay, we'll head off to Valhalla," Joshua said, his gaze running over my face as if he didn't want to stop looking at me. I longed for an embrace or even for him to touch my hand. Ached for it. But he didn't touch me. I nodded. We headed out the door, and set off in opposite directions.

***

A few moments later, I reached Eir's room, knocking lightly before entering the open doorway. I hitched my satchel onto my shoulder, realizing I'd forgotten to leave it in the transfer room. It didn't matter. The weight didn't bother me anymore.

The room was bright and white, large windows letting in the sun's warming rays. Eir stood beside a bowl of water, rinsing her hands. She smiled as soon as she saw me, wiping her hands quickly on a soft towel.

"Bryn, how are you?" She held her arms out to me.

"I really need your assistance." I shrugged my jacket off, the rip in the soft black fabric mirrored by a similar slash in the sleeve of the armor beneath it. Clearly the specialized armor wasn't immune to the charms of a fire giant’s blade. I shuddered to think what would’ve happened if the ball-and-chain had missed.

Bryn shish kebob, that's what.

Eir took my jacket and tossed it onto a nearby seat. I cringed to think what the bloodied garment would do to the pristine white of the fabric. I dropped my satchel beside the seat and followed Eir. Next she helped me take the armor off. As thin as it was, it seemed near impossible to remove while wet and sticky with my life’s-blood clogging up the tiny links.

She guided me to a stool beside the bowl of water she'd been using. She grabbed one of the towels and wet it before wiping away much of the blood around the cut.

"It's deep." Eir's voice hummed softly in my ear. Her ministrations were calming and I was finally feeling the effects of the blood loss. Apparently Valkyries weren’t immune to fainting. "I will have to sew it."

I nodded. I'd expected it. Just looking at the length of the cut in my jacket and the amount of blood the wound had spilled, I'd been prepared for stitches.

"Come and lie down. You need to relax." Eir showed me to a small daybed. As I seated myself, she disappeared behind me to return moments later with a goblet. "Drink this. It will help with the healing and of course it will help you to relax." She grinned.

Mead. I was most pleased to drink the honeyed liquid.

After swallowing the entire cupful, I lay back and waited. Eir placed a stool beside the bed and went to shut the door. She hurried back, washed her hands, and brought a small tray with her, which she laid on the bed. She shifted the stool closer and pressed the tender red flesh at the mouth of the wound then nodded to herself.

Choosing a vicious-looking needle, she looped the thread into the eye and bent to her task. "When I say, take a deep breath. It should ease the pain at the entry of the needle."

I nodded and tried to relax. Too bad Eir didn't have a shot of general anesthetic lying around somewhere. I made a mental note to make that suggestion, then concentrated as the goddess brought the needle to my skin. I breathed deeply, feeling the prick of the needle, the pressure and the break in the skin, the penetration of the sharp point as she pushed it through the flesh and made the first loop to pull the two pieces of skin together.

Each time she inserted the needle, it seemed to be easier and less painful. I was about to comment on that when I realized my eyelids were drooping as the Mead took effect. I swallowed, remembering she had one more wound to attend to. One that I was grateful I'd most likely be unconscious for. Or at least plenty out of it to not feel the pain.

I cleared my throat just as Eir began to go in for another stitch. "What is it?"

"There is another wound. I needed to tell you before I fall asleep."

"Most likely a wise idea." Eir smiled. "Where is it?"

"My scalp. I hit a rock wall pretty hard and it was bleeding. Still is a little, I think."

"I'll take care of it. You just relax."

Good thing I'd told her when I did. Within minutes, I was asleep, blissfully unaware of the piercing and tugging against my wounds.

***

I woke in the day bed hours later. I hadn’t felt this good, this rested, in ages. A Huldra greeted me when I woke, informing me that Eir had been called away and that I could leave as soon as I felt ready. Then she left, her cow’s tail bobbing at the hem of her skirts.

I touched my scalp gingerly, and felt the small row of stitches Eir had made and winced as my finger brushed a thread. Rested but still sore, I got to my feet and gathered my clothes together. Before long, I returned to my room to be greeted by a pair of swiftly wagging tails and dark, glossy eyes that looked very concerned for my welfare and very happy to see me back.

"Down, Fleabag. Give a girl some space." I waved the dogs off and sank into the fur on my bed. I fell against the furs, relishing the soft comfort, my eyes too heavy to keep open any longer. Just as I was about to fall asleep, Turi entered the room to take over my weapons and clothing. She came with a tray of hot food, which fully roused me and had me drooling very quickly.

Steaming slices of roast beef and gravy and vegetables. Fresh hot bread with lots of melted butter. I devoured the meat, surprised at my hunger. At last, replete and strangely more exhausted than I'd been before eating, I lay back on the furs and watched Geri and Freki as they lounged in front of the fire.

My heavy lids shut and I was asleep so fast I didn't have a chance to put together a plan for our mission.

***

"So once you arrive in Jotunnheim, you will head for the castle." Fen and the team bent over a map spread open on his desk. I'd summoned them to meet me at Fen's, assuming he'd be the best person to give us the lay of the land of the frost giants.

I was still sore but well refreshed and ready for action. "Do we know the layout of the castle? How to get to the Tower of Mord?"

Fen nodded. "The Mord Tower is the only place Loki would keep Heimdall—highly secure, well-guarded, no escape. The perfect prison."

"Isn't there a king or ruler of Jotunnheim? Maybe we could bargain with him?" I suggested although I suspected it would never be that easy.

"Yes and no." Fen's response was cold and I suspected he had a history with this ruler of the frost giants. "The King of the Jotunn is Bergfinnr. His loyalty, although at times questionable, lies with Loki. He does not have much love for the Aesir, especially Heimdall and Thor. He will not deign to bargain with you or any one of us."

"Guess that means we do it the hard way." I shrugged, giving the team a cursory glance. Nods all around. We were all ready to go. "So where’s this tower, then?"

"West wing of the castle. I have made a copy of the plans for you. You should have no trouble following it." Fen rolled the map up and handed it to me along with another smaller scroll of paper. "And be careful. Avoid fighting the giants if possible. They are hard to defeat even for a powerful Valkyrie."

I glanced up at Fen but he was looking at Sigrun, a shadow of worry on his brow.

"We'll be careful. I'd prefer not to tangle with them either. Not after my last experience with the fake Brody we tried to rescue just before Dr. Lee’s henchmen caught me," I said, and Fen nodded. We shuffled, ready to leave.

"Oh, and don’t forget your Sleipnir," said Fen.

My jaw dropped. "My Sleipnir?"

"Yes. You have been trained to ride. And so has your team. You each have you own assigned mount and they will accompany you to Jotunnheim. I do believe they will be an advantage in the Jotunn terrain." I was still surprised but managed a weak nod. "Oh and, Brynhildr? Please be careful. The last thing we need is to lose anyone on this mission."

I bobbed my head in agreement as I walked off with the others.

"Bryn." I stopped
at the doorway as Fen called out.

I sensed he wanted a private word and turned to the team. "I'll meet you guys at the transfer room in two hours." They nodded and left, each face somber, aware of the dangers we were inviting by invading Loki's territory. After they departed, I faced Fen, a little startled to see he'd come up close behind me.

He placed his hands on my shoulders. "Be very careful, Brynhildr. Keep your eyes and ears open and trust no one. Loki is the king of tricksters. He will try to make you see things that aren’t there. Watch your back." Fen's expression was grave.

"I'll be careful. But what's wrong? You weren't this worried when we went to the Tree or even when we went for Gjallerhorn."

"We have the one thing that Loki would have been sure was the key. Gjallerhorn. You have thwarted his plan. And if you free Heimdall, Loki will be furious. And so much more unpredictable that ever before."

"I can imagine. He's crazy to begin with," I said, my voice dry and edged with residual fury at the god.

"Whatever you do, do not underestimate Loki."

I nodded, knowing full well what Fen meant. The more we succeed, the more we stepped on Loki's toes.

And we all knew what happened when you angered the Trickster god.

***