Dead Silence (10 page)

And in the wake of the horror of the quake, such a drink was surely well needed for all our faculties. Without Odin to take charge of this disaster we had to make do on our own.

Thor drained his glass and handed it back to Frigga without even a word of thanks. His lack of manners didn't even raise an eyebrow.

Frigga reached for a nearby table, overturned by the quake, set it on its legs and placed Thor's empty flute on it. Then she took a seat beside him and motioned for me to take the single sofa opposite.

Everything in the room was white and seemed to lend a certain sense of calm to my soul. So when Thor did speak the shock he gave me did not completely kick the feet from under me.

He cleared his throat. "This quake, all this destruction . . . It is Jormungandr." His voice was raspy, as if even the thought of it was unbearable.

I frowned. "Jormungandr? Isn't that the Serpent of Midgard?" I asked.

I'd learned a little about Norse myths since I'd been plunged into the reality of the Nine Realms, but when someone says Serpent of Midgard my mind automatically derails into 'that's just a myth' territory.

Thor nodded absently while Frigga remained frighteningly still, the whites of her eyes bright and almost scary. She glanced at me, taking pity on my ignorance. "He is one of Loki's children. Odin banished him a long time ago, to remain beneath the seas, where he has kept the Midgard world in balance. Unfortunately, Loki did not take it too well."

I snorted. "I'm not surprised. If the serpent is his child, of course Loki would have been unhappy with the banishment." The words were out of my big mouth before I could think to stop them.

Frigga nodded, not showing even the slightest concern for what they'd done to Loki. "He was. He petitioned Odin to release Jormungandr but the All-Father was adamant that he didn't want to endanger the realms. And when the serpent went against Thor, and when the oracles claimed that he would kill Thor at Ragnarok, Odin felt it was best to banish him for both his safety, and for the safety of the nine realms."

I opened my mouth, then closed it before I said anything that would get me in trouble. I was beginning to understand why Loki had it in for the gods of the Aesir. His serpent child banished to live beneath the oceans, his child Sleipnir taken from him to be Odin's steed, his daughter Hel banished to rule the Underworld, his son Fenrir transferring his loyalty to Odin. And he himself imprisoned in Hel with viper poison dripping down on his face.

That he'd been granted his freedom in the first place was a wonder in itself.

Thor laughed softly, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "I know what you are thinking, Bryn. How can we blame Loki after what we have done to him and his children? But you must understand. There is more."

"More?" I flushed as I'd been unable to keep the skepticism from my tone.

Thor nodded, "Do you know about Fenrir and his incarceration?"

I shook my head, unsure of which tale he was talking. There was still a lot of gaps in my Norse knowledge considering my time in Asgard has been spent more with sword than with history books.

"Fenrir is Jormungandr's brother. And the gods decided, dangerous as he was, and as he was predicted to be, that they needed to bind the wolf before he wreaked havoc on the Nine Realms. So bindings were made, manacles and ropes and chains. Nothing worked until Odin had the dwarfs create Gleipnir, an unbreakable length of ribbon. The god Tyr lost his hand in order to trick Fenrir into allowing himself to be tied with that ribbon." Thor laughed softly, as if the memory was mildly amusing. I was pretty sure Tyr didn't agree.

Frigga picked up when Thor paused. "And the binding was a success. Fenrir was unable to break the bonds, and the gods tied him to the stone Gjoll. But you see, because Fenrir was brought up here in Asgard by the gods of the Aesir, Odin had already developed a soft spot for him. From a young age, Fenrir had been close to the All-Father, and knew little of affection from his own absent father. Thus, Odin felt sorry for Fenrir, and often visited him where he'd been bound. This continued until Odin became convinced that Fenrir could be trusted to do no harm and he set him free. From that moment Fenrir was Odin's man, and Loki has hated both of them for it, ever since."

I sniffed. "I want to say poor Loki, but I feel no pity for him. Not one iota." I spoke the words through gritted teeth, remembering the numerous building plans from the old house that I'd tied to my scabbard.

Frigga sat forward, her glass dangling from her long lean fingers. "So, do you think Loki has freed the world serpent at last?" she asked Thor urgently.

"As it was predicted, so shall it pass," Thor muttered, clearly unwilling to accept the reality of the situation. "As bad as Asgard has been affected, Midgard has been struck worse."

"What do you mean?" I asked sliding to the edge of the sofa, leaning forward now desperately needing information about my home world.

"Asgard received only a jolt by the current calculation. Unfortunately, Midgard has been hit much harder. World-wide volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis. Your North American volcano, Yellowstone, has erupted, as well as Mt St Helens, and various volcanoes in the South Pacific including New Zealand and Japan." Each revelation rang in my ears as I absorbed the destruction that had run rampant across my world.

"Crap," was all I could manage.

But Thor didn't seem to hear me. "There is an ash cloud covering seventy percent of the surface of the earth, and the world's scientists are frantic. They believe crops will begin to fail because the cloud will restrict sunlight for at least two years. There have been tsunamis across most shorelines around the world, all due to ocean quakes. Everything is, as you say, 'crazy'."

Shock coiled in the pit of my stomach, heavy and sickening. "Sounds unbelievable." My words were almost a whisper.

As much as I wished to reject the news, I had to face reality. I wasn't one for living with blinkers and denying what was right in front of my eyes. In addition to Loki, things just seemed to be getting progressively worse.

And there was more to tell them. "There is something else. I will be back in a moment." I got to my feet and tugged Gungnir from its sheath, glad it contracted to a short enough length that I could carry it wherever I went without much thought. I shook it out and waited as the golden rod lengthened into a spear in one smooth move. Then I tapped it on the ground three times and disappeared.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

In my room, I grabbed the maps which Turi had left on the large chest that contained my weapons and armor. In a flash, I was back with Frigga and Thor who were both frowning, impatient to have me return.

I handed Thor the rolled up plans and said, "Take a look. These are plans for dozens of major locations around the world. I wish I had a way to tell what he's planning but just from these maps I have to accept that it's something very big and very bad."

Thor nodded and unfurled the scrolls, smoothing the paper over his knees. He looked even more awkward now. Something Frigga noticed too. She got up and went to a small low table that sat at the foot of her bed.

Bringing it over, she set it in front of Thor who gave her a grateful glance, then he scrunched up his forehead as he studied sheet after sheet.

A few moments passed before he sat back, his spine stiff. "Are these not the plans to the house of the American President?" Thor pointed and as I grabbed it and turned it around, an iron band of fear tightened around my chest. How had I missed it?

Blood drained from my face as I stared at the plans for the White House. Then I knelt beside the table and began to flip through the papers.

The Vatican, Buckingham Palace, the UN headquarters in New York, and a host of other important locations around the world. I sucked in a harsh breath. "It must be a terror plot, against the whole world. We have to warn them," I whispered, relinquishing the plans to Thor as I began to pace.

"What do you suggest we do?" Frigga asked as she rose and headed to the balcony. She moved her hands listlessly, as if she needed something but didn't know what it was. I suspected I knew what she really needed. Or who.

I moved to her side reluctantly, unsure what to say to make her feel better. But we had to get down to business and maybe that business would get her mind off her absent husband.

"I think we need to inform them. All the people Loki has targeted need to be told of the danger. We have to tell them what's going on and ask for their help."

"And who is to say that Loki hasn't already infiltrated their defenses?" asked a voice from the doorway.

Fenrir stood there, leaning against the threshold, arms folded, steel-gray eyes glittering. Had he overheard us talking about him? Then I banished the thought. In light of what had just happened to Asgard and to Midgard, the last thing Fen would be doing was indulging in self-pity.

"Good point," I said nodding, giving him a small welcome smile.

Fen pushed off the threshold and walked to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I heard about Joshua. Don't worry, he will recover. He is strong."

I nodded and looked away, at once feeling both embarrassed and cared for. A strange combination of emotions.

"Both Frigga and Eir have said he'll be fine," I said the words and yet I was afraid to believe them. And knowing how well Fen had grown to know me, I knew he could tell.

At least he didn't say anything further on the topic. He cleared his throat and pointed at the stack of papers Thor had laid on the table. "Of those buildings, which are the most important?"

"The White House. Without a doubt." The words popped out automatically.

"Okay. Then my suggestion is we take a team to the White House, and speak to your President immediately, offer him protection, anything to get him to assist us in getting the rest of the likely targets on board."

"I agree. I will take Jo-" I stopped speaking. What was I thinking? I couldn't take Joshua with me. "Okay, I'll take Suri for her fire power. I would take Aimee but I was hoping to take as small a team as possible since we've already had so many casualties."

Fen grunted then nodded, his eyes still focused on the plans. "This is just what Loki would want." Fen sighed and scratched his head as he frowned. "But we have no choice. I would have suggested a larger team as well, but maybe for now small is the way to go. And I will join you to back you up."

"So few?" asked Thor, frowning as if he'd expected us take an army into the President's house. "Shall I come with you?"

His fingers flexed and I wondered if taking Thor would be good protection, especially if he brought Mjolnir with. That hammer can do some epic damage.

But then I shook my head. "We don't want to put the President on the offensive by bombarding him with a huge battalion. I want to go straight into the Oval office, speak to him and get his response, and then leave immediately. A few minutes at the most."

Thor scowled. "And if he refuses, or if he's already Loki's puppet?" he asked folding his arms. He wasn't happy to be left out of the visit.

"Then we take him out of there, bring him to Asgard. If he's just guilty of making the wrong decision then we keep him safe until it's all over, or you and Frigga can work him over until he agrees to help us. If he's Loki's man possessed then we find a way to free him. And we all know what we'll do if he turns out to be a glamored Jotunn." And it was no joke by the expressions on the faces of all the occupants of the room. "Oh, and speaking of Jotunn. What did we do to the guy I brought back from Loki's little prison?"

Thor shrugged, as if the well-being of a frost giant was none of his concern. "He couldn't provide us with any usable information. Seems Loki even keeps his thugs in the dark about his overall plans. We sent him straight down to the dungeon. He's keeping the good doctor company."

Not physically, I hoped. I suppressed the comment and said, "Okay. And you've just reminded me of something else." I glanced at Frigga and then to Fen. "Have you heard anything about Aidan's funeral? I suppose with this disaster any plans would go out the window."

Fen shook his head, his expression filled with worry. He'd been through his own world of grief not too long ago and Aidan's death was something he could empathize with. I hoped it didn't open too many of his wounds, and even if it did I'd probably never know. Fen was a very private man.

"We had thought that you may want to speak with his mother. Also, the doctor has not been told. Neither the mother nor the sister have requested to see him. I was wondering if you planned on informing him?" I frowned, knowing very well why the doctor's wife and daughter were unwilling to see him. He'd been the one to put Aidan in danger one too many times. But Loki was Dr Lee's father, so I wasn't too sure I could expect the man to have any more feelings than his own father had displayed so far.

"I thought we'd granted the doctor permission to spend a limited amount of time with his daughter?" I asked.

Fen bent his head to look at me. "Bryn, it's only been a couple days."

I sighed. I'd needed the reminder. "It feels like weeks." I sat a moment to think about my next steps. "Okay. Let me tell him. I'm wondering if Dr Lee might have something to offer in terms of information."

Fen nodded. "That's a good idea."

I turned to the door then did an about face. "So I suppose we don't have any way to know for sure if Loki let his serpent son loose. What if the prophecy is unraveling as it was foretold. Maybe we're giving Loki too much credit?" I asked and watched Thor consider my words. "Would you be able to investigate the serpent's behavior a little further?" Something told me there was more to know than met the eye.

Thor rose and paced a few feet. "Let me see what I can find out, although, even for a god, going under the sea may certainly be a one way trip."

Frigga smiled. "I wish there was a way to get in touch with Odin." She sighed and wrapped her arms around her body tightly.