Dead Silence (25 page)

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I woke with a shock, sitting straight up in my bed, my nose filled with the metallic odor of blood and hot steel, of sweat and fear. I shivered and found my shift soaked with perspiration, my hair clumped together in wet locks.

And I knew where Loki was taking the great battle.

New York City.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

I stood to one side, my fists tight, feeling the wobble in the muscles of my legs, but not revealing a hint of it on my face. I'd come dressed in my armor, wearing the golden headgear of the Valkyries of Asgard, and now stood on the shore of the Asgard Lake with Joshua and the rest of my team, waiting for the small procession to arrive.

They'd taken Aidan's body to the newly repaired Hall of Valhalla, where they'd dressed him in his armor, and as the bier drew closer, the sunlight glinted sadly off the metal.

Held aloft by six warriors, Aidan reached the pebbled shore, on the last leg of his journey. Mrs Lee and Enya followed the procession and I moved the few steps forward to stand beside them in front of the bier. I'd deliberately missed the first ceremony that would have been conducted inside Valhalla, mainly because I didn't think I could manage to attend both.

Joshua, Aimee and Suri moved with me, and I was glad for their proximity. Although I had no intention of telling anyone, I knew how weak I was. Too weak to be walking around, too weak to be fighting. But I didn't plan to let that get in my way.

Bitter tears burned my eyelids as I watched the warriors pile twigs around Aidan's body. How many friends was I supposed to lose before it all stopped?

I had accepted this war wasn't about me, that the fight we were in was bigger than one person and that all these people that I'd lost had been in this fight of their own volition. And yet that fact couldn't change the depth of my grief.

On top of losing them all, I was now being robbed of my strength, my health. And likely even my life.

Enya shifted so she was standing right beside me, then slid her hand through the crook of my elbow. She held onto me tightly and I was glad she was there. If only she knew that it wasn't her that leaned on me, that it was, in fact, the other way around.

The scene before me blurred and I recalled the day I'd first seen Aidan. He'd swooped in on his Ducati, all black leather and gorgeous ebony curls that brushed his shoulders. He'd been sexy and intriguing right off the bat, and I hadn't been able to resist him. My lonely heart had been searching for something. I don't think even I knew what it was that I'd wanted, but for a time I'd thought it was Aidan. And for a brief moment in my life, things had seemed good.

Then he'd betrayed me

A betrayal that I couldn't blame on him in entirety. Dr Lee had used his son, threatening to keep him from his mother and sister if he didn't do as he was told. So Aidan had come to Craven and broken my heart on his father's orders.

And then I'd brought him to Valhalla. So many experiences in my life directly linked to Aidan and my true identity. Images flickered before my eyes. An old book with a drawing of a Valkyrie who with her height and her red hair, bore a striking resemblance to me, a bullet-hole in the middle of Aidan's forehead, the skin burned from close contact with the weapon, the sight of Aidan's eyelashes, impossibly long as he leaned in to kiss me that first time, the sight of him clutching his abdomen his fingers bloody from the wound Loki had inflicted.

So many experiences we'd had together, and so many more that we'd never have again. We'd mended our torn romance, fashioned it into a comfortable friendship and then it had shattered into nothing.

Now, he was gone forever.

I blinked as the burning arrows left the bows of the warriors lined up along the shore. My thoughts had taken me far away and I'd missed them placing his bier into a small boat, and pushing it out into the lake.

The boated bobbed among the waves and then an arrow landed, sending flames spurting into the air. The idea of burning a body had once seemed barbaric, but that was a long time ago. Today it seemed appropriate, and as the fire blazed I understood why Mrs Lee had chosen not to give Aidan a burial back in Midgard.

The fire burned hotter and as time ticked by the boat caught alight. A breeze lifted the burning embers and ashes, flinging into the air to catch a current and float away.

I turned to smile at Mrs Lee, when I saw a cold face behind her. They'd brought Dr Lee to the funeral as promised and now he stood, his hands bound in front of his body, his eyes focused on the burning boat beyond me.

His gaze shifted then focused on my face. Then he tipped his head, giving me a short nod. I suppose it was his way of saying thank you, but I didn't respond. It seemed ridiculous to still hold him responsible for his son's death but I did.

Too many bad things in my life started with 'If it hadn't been for Dr Stephen Lee'.

I turned my back on him and gave that smile to Aidan's mother. She reached out and grasped my free hand, her eyes glittering. "Thank you, Bryn." I just shook my head, a little unsure why she'd thank me. Then she reached into the small purse she carried and pressed me a little book into my hand. "He kept a diary, and I think there are some parts of it that you should read. I think he'd want that."

I slipped the book into the pocket of my cloak. "Thank you."

The smile she gave me was enough and it made me want to burst into tears. But I steeled myself against giving in. A part of me said I was being disloyal to Joshua by grieving for Aidan and I wondered what that meant.

But, for now, I didn't want to think about it. I remained with Aidan's mother and sister, until the fire died down and the bier was a mere pile of ashes.

CHAPTER FORTY

They were turning to leave, and I was moving to do the same when I caught sight of a large boat, drifting toward the shore.

It had a Nordic air, its wooden prow high and crafted into a serpent's head. As the vessel passed Aidan's little boat a blast of fire streamed out, incinerating the vessel, leaving a black pile of soot to swirl on the surface of the lake. Now, no sign remained of the bier or the boat, no sign left of Aidan.

My attention focused on the boat as I felt bodies close in on both sides of me. A quick glance confirmed them to be Joshua and Aimee. Not surprised, I linked arms with Joshua and gave Aimee a grateful smile.

Then we turned our attention back to the vessel that had at last reached the shore. A ramp was thrown off the side and landed on the pebbled shore just clearing the water. A tall, rather imposing, flaming-haired man descended, then continued to hurry up toward Thor and Frigga who stood a few yards behind us.

But before he got to the gods, the man turned to face his boat then reached out a hand. Within seconds the boat began to rise out of the water. As it floated toward the man it shrank until it was so small it fit into the man's palm. He pocketed the boat, then spun on his heel, crunching the pebbles beneath his soles as he walked up to a grinning Thor.

Smiling, the curve of his lips lifting his reddish gold beard, he grasped Thor's hand then shook it and proceeded to bow before Frigga. The happy greeting he received made me certain he was an important man, if not a god. And boy did he have a cool magical boat.

For a few seconds, I was amazed at the magic I'd seen, but it didn't last long and soon I felt sad and tired all over again.

"Who is that?" asked Aimee, peering past me to sneak a peek at the new arrival. Even Suri came around on Joshua's side to catch a glimpse of the visitor.

"Probably a guest of Frigga, Miss Nosy Parker," I said, realizing I'd been leaning heavily on Joshua and he hadn't said a word.

I shifted my weight back to my own two feet, but Joshua didn't let go of my arm. I smiled weakly and said, "Let's get back. I need to speak to Fen about our next mission."

We turned as a group and headed up the incline, and would have passed the group of gods if Frigga hadn't waved at us to join them.

"Er . . . I think they want you, Bryn," said Aimee, a little hesitant to take the next step.

"Well, you're with me, so you stay with me. I'm weak. What if I fall flat on my face?"

Aimee looked past me at Joshua and Suri, then snorted. She surreptitiously slipped her fingers around my arm. "There, I'm holding you up. Now what?"

"Now, we all get to meet the new guy," I said with a faded grin.

We headed to Frigga and the moment we reached her she grabbed the new guy by the arm and pulled him forward.

"Freyr, I want you to meet Brynhildr." Frigga flicked her fingers at me. "Bryn, this is Freyr, brother to the goddess Freya. And owner of the remarkable ship he now keeps in his pocket."

Frigga winked as the god Freyr smiled at me then bowed his head. My eyes widened at the sight of a god bowing before me and I was completely at a loss for words.

When he straightened he said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Brynhildr. My sister has told me much about you and I am only regretful that we have not met before this tragic day. Frigga has informed me of how important the
einherjar
Aidan was to you and your friends." The god's eyes were a deep black and his expression was open and friendly. I could sense no negativity, nothing beneath the surface that would imply that his allegiances were questionable.

It was my turn to bow and I did so. "I'm pleased to meet you, Lord Freyr." I didn't have much else to say considering I'd only heard about this god in passing.

Frigga went on to introduce both Joshua, Aimee and Suri in turn, which I thought was very kind of her.

Then Frigga cleared her throat. "Freyr, have you had any luck in finding your sword?" asked Frigga as she turned the god in the direction of the path to the palace, she glanced over her shoulder and motioned for us to follow. Fen walked close by so I figured I might as well head back with them and get the opportunity to speak to Fen too.

Freyr grunted, clearly unhappy. "It does seem to be a hopeless task. I have been searching for centuries now. I think I may as well give up the hunt considering Ragnarok is already upon us."

Frigga met my eyes over her shoulder. Her expression became sad for a moment then she said, "Without the protection of his sword Freyr, he is destined to die at Ragnarok."

Her words fell upon me, a battalion of tiny swords all aimed at my heart. Another god who will die in this stupid battle.

I couldn't find anything to say, but then Fen spoke. "Perhaps we should step up our efforts and search for the sword." The first thing I wanted to say was we had enough to do without going on a hunt for a sword, but it would mean one god's life saved which was enough for me, so I nodded. And then Dr Lee's words returned to my fuzzy brain, reminding me of what he'd mentioned about Loki and his hunt for a particular weapon. Could it be Freyr's sword after all?

"You'd have to get a plan together but unfortunately I won't be able to join you. I'm heading straight back to my bed." I gave Joshua's arm a squeeze and then sent Fen a meaningful look.

Fen nodded as Freyr asked, "Are you ill, Brynhildr?"

"I'm afraid I am. Much too ill to be of any use to anyone."

Freyr frowned. "That is a great pity, Brynhildr. I had heard for a long time now what an asset you have been to Odin and to Asgard."

"Thank you, my Lord. I believe it is best not to have me around taking the focus off the mission and onto my illness. As much as I hate the idea, I have to remove myself from the missions."

Freyr nodded sadly then Frigga rose on her toes to whisper something in his ear. He smiled and then walked off with Frigga toward the palace. Before she left she gave Thor and Fen a pointed look, clearly urging them to talk to me.

Once they were out of sight, Fen and Thor closed in on our group.

Before they could speak I said, "We need that sword. I recall something special about it though I'm a little fuzzy on the details."

Thor nodded as a little frown played on his forehead. "Yes, we spoke about Freyr's sword before. It has the ability to fight on its own, but only if the one who wields it is worthy."

Now, I was more sure than ever that the poison was a total success. It was already messing with my brain. "Yes. We need to find that sword and something tells me if we can't find it, then Loki already has it in his possession."

"You are likely correct," said Thor with a frown, "But let us hope not."

"Anything on those plans that relate to New York City?" I asked.

Fen stared at me. "Did you see the city plans?" I shook my head. "Then how did you know?"

I shivered at the memory. "I dreamt about it. It felt strange but it was pretty straight-forward. I dreamed of the battle but only it happened in the streets of a city, and I figured the most likely location would be New York considering it's an important location, plus the UN Headquarters are there too."

Fen nodded but he gave me a strange look. "So we know he's targeting New York. I'll put New York HQ on high alert and get our teams in other cities mobilized to move in."

"And we need to find that sword." I paused and frowned as I tried to recall the locations of some of the plans I'd found. "I think I remember seeing some museum plans. Until Dr Lee filled in the blanks, I hadn't been able to figure out why Loki would target a museum of all places."