Dead Silence (31 page)

When she looked up I gave her a once-over. "Something you picked up in Muspell?""

"Yup," she shot me a grin. "It's all the rage now. The curse of being a princess."

I snorted. "Whatever you do, please don't start wearing your underwear on the outside."

Suri choked and sputtered, "Now that would definitely trend."

While we filled the dead air with inane chatter that would likely mean nothing once we hit the battlefield, I'd suited up and grabbed Tarnkappe from the foot of my bed. Someone had left it there and I can only assume it was Brody, returned from Craven.

Shrugging it over my shoulder and making sure it was upside down so the magic won't work until I wanted to, I straightened my spine and was ready to leave.

The last thing Suri handed to me was Freyr's sword. I took it in my hand, weighed it in my palm until I found its center about a hands-breadth from the hilt.

"When will you give it to Freyr?" she asked. Her frown told me that she was afraid.

"As soon as I use it to lop off Loki's head," I said with a grin that I think might have had an evil edge to it.

Loki was rubbing off on me.

Suri shook her head. "No, you can't do that," she whispered and a flame of fear spurted in my gut. Was Suri the one loyal to the trickster? She walked to the fire, oblivious to my sudden fear. "Loki is too wily. He'll never make it easy to kill him. You should leave the gods to fight each other."

Her words were a relief. "How can I do that when Odin is counting on me?" I asked, suddenly afraid that she may yet win me over with her sensible talk.

"Odin is counting on you to lead the charge, to command the warriors, not to kill the gods. Whatever they do or have already done, they are still gods. Aesir or Vanir, it makes no difference. Do you want your destiny to be forever known as a god-killer?" Suri tilted her head and stared at my face. "Tell me you will think about this. Please."

I shook my head. "I thought you were in this war to fight for Odin?" I asked, my head filled with emotions I didn't have the energy to untangle.

"Fight for Odin yes. Fight Odin's battles for him, no." She folded her arms and stood stiffly in front of me.

I opened my mouth and was saved from speaking by a great rumbling beneath my feet. The ground tilted and both Suri and I lost our balance.

The moving floor tossed us onto our sides like a couple of tumbleweeds. I reached for Suri with one hand and for Gungnir with the other. My fingers curled around the staff of the spear and within seconds we reappeared in the training fields outside of the palace, far away from crumbling buildings.

We watched as one half of the palace tumbled to the stone floor of the valley. Rocky turrets and stone walls simply came loose and fell like bricks tossed aside by a sullen child.

The only thing I could think was that, thankfully, the Valkyries were the only warriors with quarters in the palace as they were able to transport themselves out to safety.

The destruction of the palace, unlike the chasm beneath Valhalla, may not have taken many lives. But it did manage to break our hearts.

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

Someone came up beside me and I looked up at Thor. His expression was inscrutable as he stared at the remains of Odin's home.

"I'm sorry," I said, unsure what else to say.

Thor grunted. "We have more important things to talk about than broken down old palaces." Thor turned to me, his blue eyes so dark they looked inky. "It has begun. We are needed in Midgard immediately."

Heimdall came up behind him. Giving me a small smile, he looked at Thor, then back at me. No words were necessary, but I did feel the tug of tears. If the oracles had truly predicted fate, and if everything today happens according to fate's decree, then we will not see Heimdall after today.

He must have sensed my thoughts because he stepped closer and placed a hand on my shoulder. Giving it a squeeze, he said, "Should it be my time then who am I to complain. Destiny is greater than the gods." I struggled to smile and managed a weak nod. "When I am gone, Tyra will need comfort. I believe she thinks highly of you.

This time my nod was stronger though I valiantly blinked back tears.

"She will take it hard. Not an easy woman to break but when broken she takes a long time to heal." He gave my shoulder a small shake. "Take care of her for me.

I opened my mouth to say I would and then it hit me. I would likely not survive either. But I couldn't bring myself to decline his last request, so I nodded and glanced at Suri who snuck past me to give Heimdall and tight squeeze.

Then, we were ready to face this battle. As I put my hand into Thor's outstretched palm, I wondered where my friends were. Had they all gone to Midgard to join the battle or were they somewhere within the walls of that pile of stones that was once my home?

Suri's fingers close around Heimdall's wrist as he and Thor transported us to New York, where we arrived on the northern edge of Central Park. The park was known for its scenic natural beauty. Ponds and ducks, jogging paths and hundreds of trees, lush green grass and wooden benches.

None of that remained.

The place looked like a fire had ravaged every inch of it. The trees were stark black fingers reaching for the dull bloody sky. Burnt grass trailed wisps of smoke, and the ponds were black mirrors filled with soot and dirt.

I gasped at the sight but had to put my shock aside and keep up with Thor whose strides were long as he marched to the top of the nearest hillock. I fell into a jog and reached him in time to see the gathered warriors below. A third of the park was packed with warriors, and not too far away from me I saw Joshua and Aimee, their stances revealing their tension.

When he caught sight of me, Joshua offered a small smile, one that spoke volumes, making me wish we'd had a chance to say goodbye properly, just in case.

At this end of the gathered troops, Freya and Frigga sat upon two Sleipnir while the god Freyr walked up and down the line of warriors rousing them up for the fight.

A shiver skittered down my spine and I looked at Thor. He gave me an encouraging nod, then hurried down the embankment to meet the battalion.

Suri and I followed him, stopping only when we reached Frigga's side. I shifted the front of my jacket, hoping to keep the gleam of Freyr's sword hidden from the gathered gods.

I barely reached her when Frigga said, "Get on the horse." She said waving at the blazingly white Sleipnir just behind her.

Ara?

The last thing I'd expected was to be riding a horse into battle, but if it had to be my Sleipnir, Ara, then I knew we'd be good together.

Also, I was well aware how weak I felt, how my eyes blurred and my limbs threatened to topple me onto my ass. A horse would be a brilliant idea.

I hurried to Ara and swung a foot over her back. Being higher up would be an advantage.

I looked down at Suri. "Are you ready?" She nodded and grinned far too happily for my liking.

Someone shouted and pointed to the pink sky and all heads turned in the direction of the oncoming creatures. The two dragons circled the gathered troops, leading in a great swarm of flying creatures, then came in for a landing beside Suri. As they landed, golden dragon's feet became legs, dragon scales reformed into golden armor and the dragon matriarch Lady Tyra and her son Steinn touched ground in full human form. They both nodded at me, before Steinn strode over to Suri, giving her a bear hug before holding her away to study her as if inspecting her entire person for one thing out of place.

After the father-daughter greeting, the two turned their attention to the sky again.

Suri began to shimmer, the air around her taking on the appearance of a mirage. Then her form shifted, changed, lengthening and growing larger and larger until a golden dragon stood in Suri's place.

And my heart lifted as I saw the swarm of dragons flying at us. Steinn had brought his dragon army and I wanted to whoop for joy. But I curbed the urge, reluctant to expend any unnecessary energy.

The swarm of dragons swooped in, wings rising from their backs, and landed behind Odin's warriors, performing the same impressive feat as their leaders, making their landing even more spectacular when multiplied by a thousand.

A horn began to blow and I swallowed hard.

This was suddenly all the more real as the final notes of the horn faded. From my vantage point on Ara's back, I could see policemen surrounding the park, guns drawn, cruisers shining their headlights onto the ruined park.

Their faces appeared stunned but they didn't fire on us. Yet.

I hoped that local law enforcement agencies would use some common sense and keep their officers out on the streets in full force, keeping the spectators away.

Bystanders surrounded the park, and the buildings facing the battleground would no doubt be filled with viewers. I could imagine hundreds of people holding out their phones and cameras to catch this strange sight for posterity.

Hopefully, after today, they would have the opportunity to put those videos on-line, that they would be alive to do it would be the first blessing.

Shifting my concentration back to the troops, I focused on the opposition, way down on the other end of the park. It was strange to think that I could see the other end of the park when all my life I'd known the place to be overflowing with trees and shrubs.

Loki stood in front of his battalion, a horde of Jotunn who'd thrown off their glamor, plus dozens of giant-sized Jotunn bearing arrows longer than your average car.

The Trickster raised his arm high, then pointed at our army and screamed out something that made the Jotunn army race towards us.

On our side, Freyr and Thor shouted for the army to go. I could barely breathe as I watched the two armies race towards each other.

CHAPTER FIFTY

Dizziness drew a cloud of numbness around me and I stiffened, trying to claw my way out of its web. I shook my head and as I blinked I heard someone chuckle.

I knew that voice.

Frantically, I searched around me until I saw a man step out of thin air and land on the ground. He was tall, perhaps taller than Thor, and with his silver hair and muscled body anyone with eyes could see the resemblance between father and son.

Odin was with us.

I grinned and turned to Frigga, whose attention remained on the armies about to clash. I reached out and touched her arm, thinking a call out to her might take too many people's attention off the impending battle.

Frigga glanced over at me, irritation clear in her expression until I tipped my head in Odin's direction. Her eyes widened and a smile spread across her face.

Odin returned her happy grin and then glanced back at me. "I told you I would be back in time."

Before I could ask him any questions, we heard the clash of the two armies as they met.

The dragons took to the air and began to circle the heaving mass of fighting warriors. Metal and ice glinted in the sickly glow of the poisoned sky.

A dragon swooped down onto the field. Claws outstretched, he caught a Jotunn, then rose into the air only to fling the frost giant away from the battle. The body tumbled over and over, the frost giant's shrieks barely discernible as he landed. I couldn't tell where he ended up but it was beyond the perimeter of the park.

Another dragon swooped down on the farthest frost giants, the ones who hadn't yet mingled with our warriors. The beast opened his mouth and sent a blast of flame twenty feet long across the waiting horde of Jotunn. He set them alight and left them to be run and die.

Two other dragons joined him and repeatedly char-grilled dozens of Loki's warriors, slowly decimating Loki's battalion.

I felt helpless just sitting there and watching the battle rage. It seemed that Odin was restless as well. The Jotunn's forces were forging through our ranks, making their way very quickly towards us.

Fifty yards away, I saw the flash of metal as both Joshua and Aimee fought off the enemy. I shifted my gaze, feeling useless, helpless while they fought with such courage.

I spotted Fen a few hundred yards away, majestic in his half-wolf form, swinging his sword, battling and killing one Jotunn after another. His Ulfr form was fearsome and formidable and it even scared me.

With Fen occupied, I didn't see him able to kill Odin. So I focused my attention on keeping the all-father safe. He shifted into his twelve foot tall god form and soon his golden armor glinted in the sickly sunlight.

Thor and Freyr, Heimdall, Vidarr and a few other gods I hadn't yet met, followed Odin's lead and drew themselves to god size.

Then they ran, hurtling into the heaving throng of fighters, with the earth vibrating beneath their feet.

Thor, with his hammer drawn, swung it left and right sending frost giant bodies flying. From where we sat watching, it was clear all the gods knew how to fight. But something was bugging me. Something I should have been able to put a finger on by now.