Son of Thunder (Heavenly War Series) (14 page)

Jord took a deep breath and smiled. The cavern was a beehive of activity. The forges were running again, but now they were manned by free people, forging weapons for their own defense. Activity was high, but so was morale. People worked hard and smiled freely around him.

They’d suffered losses. The great mound of dead was built in the center of the cavern. Jord, Sif, and Freyr honored them, then Jord used Mjolnir to call down lightning to light the funeral pyre and send the spirits to Valhalla.

As the smoke from the fire rose, Jord could just make out the winged, ethereal shapes coming through the solid rock of the cavern ceiling.

“Really, Jord.” The voice said from behind him. “As if we weren’t busy enough.”

He turned to see his sister, Thrud, standing there, but she was smiling at him.

“Honor them, sis. They fought so bravely.”

Thrud looked around the cavern, at those that survived. “You freed many more than you lost.”

They’d managed to save most of the slaves. Jord had done everything he could to defend those that were still bound in chains during the attack. In the end the giants started to vent their frustrations on the helpless, but the freed slaves fell on the giants quickly, to defend the others.

“Thrud!” Jord’s mother came up on them.

“Hello, Mother,” The Valkyrie turned and hugged Sif. Jord wondered how long it had been since the two last saw each other.

“You look tired.” Sif brushed back her daughter’s hair. “You look so tired.”

Jord noticed his sister’s eyes were dark, almost sunken. Thrud had always been such a strong woman. Now she seemed almost frail.

“It’s been busy, Mom. “With all the wars down in Midgaard, and now this war up here, we haven’t had a moment’s rest.”

“Take some time off.” Sif held Thrud at arms length. “Come home for a while.”

“I will, Mom. Real soon.”

His sister was lying. And his mother knew she was lying. Thrud had a calling, a mission, and until the world knew peace, she would probably never rest. There were too few Valkyries, since very few of the young goddesses felt the calling, and with Val dead there was now one less.

“I have to go, Mom. I swear. Grandpa is going to have to add on to Valhalla again. So many brave souls.”

Thrud flew up, fading from sight.

His mother wiped a single tear from her eye. He hadn’t really thought about the importance of the work his sister did or how taxing it could be. There were so many more people down on Midgaard than there used to be. So many more conflicts to watch over.

Jord thought about Val, and for the first time in his life, realized how hard it must have been for her to watch over him and still do all the other things a Valkyrie did. He also realized how much he missed her.

“Lord Thor.” One of the freed men came running up to Jord. “There is a new recruit that desires to meet with you.”

“I’m not . . .” Jord started for what must have been the hundredth time, but his mother touched his arm.

“They need to believe.” She spoke softly, so that only Jord could hear.

Jord sighed. “Send him over.” The man dashed off.

He was some yards away, but Jord instantly recognized his father’s swagger. Thor had aged a bit, deprived of the golden apples of Idun for the past six months. His hair was a bit long, his beard a bit scraggly, and his clothing in rags, but his eyes were bright and he was smiling, and that said a lot.

“So.” Thor stomped toward Jord. “I’m out of commission for a few months and you take over the whole franchise.”

But the man was laughing, as Sif all but tackled him. Jord felt his heart swell. His parents were so in love, even after thousands of years together.

“So, you missed me a little?” His father almost sounded surprised. Jord laughed.

Suddenly, she was there. Meghan appeared out of nowhere, right in front of him. The necklace sparkled on her chest. Her eyes were bright and she smiled at him.

Jord ran to her, scooping her into his arms. Holding her close he twirled her about, and when he finally put her down he kissed her, long and hard.

Meghan. His Meghan. Safe and in his arms, where she belonged. He cared so much for her—needed her so much.

“So.” She echoed Thor’s comment. “You missed me a little?”

She smiled, then hugged him tightly. He smelled her hair again, felt her body against him, and he hardened instantly. If only there hadn’t been people around . . .

“Oh, I see how it is, Meghan Larson.” His father was speaking with that mock-grumpy tone he used. “Some young buck wiggles his fancy, new hammer your way, and you run off and leave me.”

Meghan giggled.

“Oh, leave them alone, you old cuss.” Jord heard his mother come to his defense. “I’m sure they have some catching up to do.”

She was dragging his father away from them. “And so do we.” The two disappeared into a tunnel.

“I did miss you.” Jord gave her a little squeeze. As he hugged her, he noticed Freyr staring at them. There was something unreadable in the god’s eyes. Jord would one day have to confront the fertility god. Freyr’s interest in Meghan was unsettling. But before he did that, Jord had to sort out his own feelings.

Hours turned into days as the ‘Army of Thor’ continued to grow and equip. The dungeons were cleared to the lowest level, and scouts were working their way toward the upper keep itself.

“The army of Fenrir is still camped at the foot of the mountain,” one of the scouts told Jord two days after they’d taken and secured the entire dungeon below Utgard. Fenrir was obviously not in any great hurry to move out, and Jord felt that a good thing. A plan was starting to form in his head, and he was hoping they could catch Fenrir’s army as it made its way toward Asgaard.

Jord hadn’t realized what a task it was to organize such a large force. The army now numbered over a thousand and more seemed to be coming in by the hour as his force continued to clear the vast dungeon below.

Provisions had been found and were being made ready. Food was their top priority. Most of the slaves had been starved for quite a while. Then they had to find clothing to replace their rags, and weapons to arm them. People ate, rested, healed, and worked. It was a happy production.

His mother drafted Meghan and a number of others to organize a kitchen area. Freyr took a group of people to drag tables, chairs and benches into the central area by the kitchen for a dining hall. Hearty soups and stews were always hot and ready, and the smell of freshly baking bread filled the air.

Thor tromped toward Jord. The man had found some new clothes and was toweling his damp hair. They’d located an underground lake and Thor had been eager to check it out.

“The bathing lake is great.” Thor smiled as he approached. “A man doesn’t appreciate being clean until he’s forced to live dirty for a few months.”

While the lure of a hot bath was seductive, Jord had taken it off his personal to-do list. There just wasn’t time. “Are people finding the lake?”

“I put up some signs to help, but they’re finding it okay.” Thor laughed. “The lake was pretty full when I left, though I think there was more cavorting than washing going on. Food wasn’t the only thing these people have been deprived of.”

Jord shook his head. “I don’t even want to know.”

“I’ve also set up signs to the privy areas, and there are plenty of places for people to sleep. It’s a pretty nice resort you’ve got set up here, Lord Thor. A pity we won’t be staying long.”

Jord winced when his father called him ‘Lord Thor’. They’d agreed Jord should continue to let the people think he was the God of Thunder. Thor was now calling himself Torvald, to avoid confusion.

“You have done well, son. Makes a father real proud.”

He patted Jord on the back. “Well, I’m off to find an empty bed. You might want to look for one yourself. Don’t burn yourself out.”

As his father left him, still toweling his unruly hair, Jord was approached by Doldar, his chosen lieutenant. Doldar was an Aesir from Asgaard, and knew Jord from years ago. The young god, with his entire battle group, disappeared in northern Jotunheim a few years ago, while trying to turn the giants back from a portal to Midgaard. Jord was pleased to find the young god alive.

“I have been ordered to relieve you, Lord Thor.” Doldar knew he wasn’t Thor, but also agreed with the need to continue the illusion.

Jord laughed.

“As I am in charge of all this, and you are my second in command, who is giving
you
orders?”

“Your mother, of course.” Doldar replied with a grin.

Sif stood, off to the side, arms crossed, tapping her foot. Jord shook his head and went to confront his mother. There was too much left to do for him to even think about taking a break.

“Mother, I have things I need to do.”

“You sure do.” The golden haired goddess raised an eyebrow. “And you can’t do them, if you’re dead on your feet.”

“But . . .”

“Food first.” Sif sniffed. “Then a bath, and then to bed with you, young man.”

The tone was exactly the same as when he’d been four years old. The little boy inside of him rebelled, as he always had, at his mother’s directives. But the adult saw the logic in what she was saying. Jord had to admit, at least to himself, he was almost out on his feet, and the food did smell amazing.

“Your table is set, Lord Thor.” The voice came from behind him. Meghan stood there smiling at him. She took his hand and led him to a table laid out with a feast. A huge slab of roasted mutton awaited him, along with fresh slices of hot bread, and a great goblet of mead.

“Did you know your mother has about a hundred different ways to serve goat?” Meghan’s eyes sparkled, and suddenly one thing made sense.

His father had come to him earlier and asked to borrow Mjolnir and the orb that turned into the flying chariot. Shortly thereafter quite a supply of fresh mutton had been discovered.

“Snarler and Teeth Grinder?” Jord pointed his fork at the mutton.

“The poor dears are a bit miffed at your father right now, but they’re okay. At first I was surprised when he took a knife to them. I’d never read that part of the myth. It was amazing to watch the bones brought back to life.”

Tanngrisnir (Snarler) and Tanngnjóstr (Teeth Grinder) were pretty amazing animals. On top of being able to fly and pull Thor’s chariot, the two goats could be slaughtered, at need, for eating, then with the magic of Mjolnir, Thor could bring them back to life, as long as he retained the bones. The two goats really did not enjoy that part of their magic and Jord’s father was loath to use them that way, except in need. Well, there had certainly been need of fresh food this day and as he ate he was thankful for the wondrous magic.

Jord winced. “How many times?”

Meghan lowered her eyes. “Four, and the last time Snarler bit him, but your dad just laughed it off.”

Jord hadn’t eaten at all since freeing the slaves, knowing all of them had gone without sufficient food much longer than he. Now the meal tasted amazing, and did much to bolster his sagging constitution.

Meghan ate with him. He could see she was every bit as tired as he was. The woman had been working tirelessly, trying to do everything she could for the poor people around her. She’d never flinched at anything he’d asked of her and was the first to volunteer for the dirtiest of duties. Now she looked all but spent.

“I’m looking forward to that bathing lake, your father found. I could use a good scrubbing.” She quirked a smile at Jord, then added, “so could you.”

Jord found himself just staring at her, eating and not even tasting the delicious food. Her hair was disheveled, her face smudged and her clothing stained and torn. She was absolutely beautiful. Those bright eyes—man could easily get lost in those eyes. Her wonderful spirit and enthusiasm lit up any room she entered. There was so much to love about this woman—this mortal.

And that was the problem. He was in love with her. He couldn’t be. He shouldn’t be. But he was.

Meghan rose and pulled on Jord’s arm. “Come on. You look like you’re about to drop, but you’ll feel so much better waking up clean.”

Meghan dragged him through the tunnels. Brightly burning torches lit up the once drab underworld. Busy people scampered about the tunnels as they made their way down two levels from the dining area.

“Take a bath, you stink!” a sign with an arrow said, his father’s attempt at humor, no doubt.

“Yup, stinky, you’re going the right way,” the next one read, and Jord chuckled.

A branching tunnel had a sign that read: “Potty this way. No dumping in the lake!!!”

Before they reached the bathing lake they’d encountered four more of his father’s signs and Jord and Meghan could barely contain their laughter.

Steam curled up off of the vast underground lake. Fed by a natural spring, the waters were heated by the volcanic nature of the great mountain. People washed and played in the water by the sandy beach, but off in some of the semi private bays Jord caught glimpses of couples, people brought together by their shared suffering and pain, embracing, kissing, probably doing much more under the warm waters of the bathing lake.

Jord snuck a glance at Meghan. If he’d had any strength left, he wouldn’t have minded finding a quiet bay of his own. In spite of his exhaustion he felt his body harden as his mind took flight with the possibilities.

Meghan was picking up soap, washing cloths, towels, and a change of clothes for each of them, from the stacks supplied on the beach. The storerooms in the dungeons of Utgard Keep had been well provisioned. His father had done an excellent job of organizing the bathing area.

“Come on.” She took his hand. “I’ve reserved us a spot.”

“Reserved us a spot?” Jord followed as she dragged him down the beach, toward a large outcropping of rock. A wooden sign on the rock read: “Reserved for Lord Thor. Go find someplace else to cavort!”

“Oh, it’s perfect.” Meghan pulled him around the corner. There, in a hidden bay completely enclosed by rocks and stalagmites, a small waterfall trickled down the side of the cavern and emptied itself into a pool of steaming water.

“Now let’s get you in.” She reached for his belt. “Meggy, you either behave, or get wet.” And the belt instantly popped open. Jord set Mjolnir down in the sand and placed Járngreipr next to it. As Meghan added Megingjörð to the pile, he could only stare for a moment in wonder. The three artifacts, his father’s most prized possessions, yet the man let Jord continue to use them, even after he’d been found. His father was an amazing man.

Meghan had somehow been able to strip him completely naked while he’d stood lost in his thoughts. How tired was he?

“Get in the water.” She gave him a push. “I’ll join you in a minute.”

Jord could hear her struggling to get out of her own clothes, and was sorely tempted to turn around and watch.

“And don’t you dare drown on me, damn it!”

As he slid into the warm water aches and pains he hadn’t noticed until that moment began to ease. He was so tired. It had been a long . . . How many hours had it been? Days? Time held no meaning in the darkness of the caverns below Utgard.

He laid his head back, letting his long hair free. Jord floated for a moment, in the warm water, only his face above the surface. Then Meghan was beside him, her breasts shimmering as the water dripped from them.

“Now, relax, and let me take care of everything.”

She had a bar of soap in one hand and a washing cloth in the other. She started with his hair, soaping and rinsing, her fingers caressing and massaging his scalp. It felt so good. She moved down then, running the washing cloth and her hands over his chest and arms, then down lower. Despite his exhaustion he felt his body react.

“Oh!” There was an evil twinkle in her eye as she reached down to caress him. “Well, I did say I would take care of everything.”

She pulled him toward the shore until his head and shoulders were resting on the sandy bottom of the lakebed. Jord heard her slosh to the shore, when she returned she had a towel. Folding it up, she placed it under his head and neck like a pillow.

She reached down, once again and ran her hand up and down his erect shaft. “Now, just relax and let me take care of this.” She gave him a sly smile.

Jord didn’t have the strength to resist, even if he wanted to. And he certainly didn’t want to. Her hands felt so good on him. She cupped his sac with one hand while continuing to slide the other up and down. His cock grew even larger in response.

She stood, the loss of her touch an agony, then she swung her leg over to straddle him. Jord licked his lips, her beautiful breasts hung enticingly in front of him. He groaned in utter ecstasy as she slid herself onto him. Her velvety sheath was hot as he slid into her.

He was completely at her mercy, and as she slid up and down, riding his shaft, her sheath tightly gripping him. Jord’s body clenched, trying to hold back his rising orgasm. Meghan smiled, gazing down at him, her eyes bright. She bent down to kiss him. Long and slow, her tongue exploring, pulling from him, yet giving so much.

When the kiss ended she pulled back up, increasing the rhythm as she rode his shaft. The way her breasts moved was mesmerizing, enticing. It was more than he could bear.

Jord reached up, cupping one breast, feeling the nipple harden at his touch. With his other hand he pulled Meghan toward him, taking her other breast in his mouth. His tongue swirled around the hard bud, and her sheath tightened around him as an orgasm rolled through her.

Jord growled, pushing up with each stroke, meeting her intensity. She called out his name and he quickened the pace. He forgot how tired he was. His internal fire fueled him. All that mattered was pleasure. His pleasure. Her pleasure. Their shared passion drove him higher and higher, closer to the edge.

His release came powerfully, completely. Heart pounding in his chest, he poured himself into her. She ground herself onto him, quivering in her own release before collapsing on top of him.

The gentle pressure of her breasts on his chest, the warmth of her heavy breath on his neck sent his spirit soaring. Could even a god survive such bliss?

Afterward it was all he could do to crawl, with her help, back up onto the beach. She’d laid out a blanket on the sand and he collapsed onto it. She folded a towel to serve as a pillow, and covered him with another towel.

“Get some sleep.” She kissed him on the cheek, before heading back in to finish her own bathing. Jord was determined to watch her, his beautiful water nymph, for as long as he could, but quickly the haze of sleep crept over him. His last vision was of her, running her soapy hands through those luscious brunette curls on the top of her head then down over her wonderful breasts. His dreams were anything but pure.