Tur: An Elsker Saga Novella (The Elsker Saga) (2 page)

“Wouldn’t hurt him to break one rule.” Gunnar grumbled. “Scratch that. It might. Fine, doll. You win this one. But this isn’t over.”

“I should hope not,” I stroked the stubble dusting his jaw. “Besides, you might only need half an hour. But I’m going to need more.” With a wink I laced my fingers through Gunnar’s. He let out a soft growl.

“Careful what you wish for. You don’t know what you’re getting into.”

“Oh, I know
exactly
what I’m getting into.” I pulled my hand away from his to smack his behind. Then I strode down the hallway, punctuating my exit with a hair toss. I heard Gunnar’s laughter as I entered the living room of the house we shared with our best friend. Ull sat on the couch, muscular arms stretched across its back. His hair was in characteristic disarray, and his pale blue eyes sparkled in the early afternoon light. From a distance he was the picture of calm, but when I looked closer, I noticed his fingers tapping. He was ticked.

“About time,” Ull grumbled. “We are late.”

“I know.” I patted his head.

“I am not your pet, Inga.” Correction. Ull was
really
ticked.

“Right.” My fingers moved side to side, ruffling his hair instead.

“Stop that.”

Ignoring him, I crossed to the door. “Instead of being mad, you could try congratulating me. My morning student is ready to declare me fight choreographer extraordinaire, since I gave him the tools to whomp on that troll, Skadi.”

“She is still acting out, I take it?” Ull stretched his long legs as he stood. At six feet five inches, he stood two inches over Gunnar, and nearly a full foot over me. He had the kind of posture typical of Elite Team warriors – shoulders back, head high. But unlike most of the warriors, Ull never let his guard down; not even at home.

“She’s still fuming you won’t go out with her. And arrogant as Helheim that she’s the only female warrior. Is there any chance she’ll go back to whatever realm she crawled out of?” I tried not to stare while Gunnar adjusted the ridiculous number of medals pinned to his uniform. He was the third highest ranking warrior in total kills, after Thor and Ull, and he had the hardware to prove it. It wasn’t fair that he had to look so sexy on a day we had somewhere to be. Maybe he could keep the medals on later…

“Ull’s not so secret admirer, leave Asgard? I wish.” Gunnar closed the front door. “I can’t wait to see Christian take her down. When do they spar next?”

“Tuesday morning.” I hurried after Ull, who walked purposefully ahead of us. Rule follower that he was, he’d never been late for anything in his entire existence. “I’ll be watching.”

“Me too.” Gunnar ran a hand through his brown spikes and raised an eyebrow at Ull. We broke into a jog to catch up.

“I hope this thing is over quickly,” I took Gunnar’s hand as we ran. The day was gorgeous, and I wished we could spend it outside.

“You say that every cycle.” Gunnar traced a small circle inside my palm with his thumb. My insides fluttered like a swarm of dizzy bumblebees in an untapped lavender field. That god knew how to get to me.

“Mmm… well, I set the oven for a five-hour cook. If this thing goes long, we’re looking at a seriously dried out dinner.” The bumblebees slowed, probably at the thought of a ruined roast.

“If it goes long, I will barbeque salmon,” Ull offered. His mood was considerably lighter now that the Great Hall was in our sights. “We have some from our last fishing trip, right?”

Gunnar nodded. “About twenty pounds, in the storage freezer, mate.”

“Great. The two of you can cook if Odin dries out my dinner.”

“You going to be okay if Odin makes you Tactical Advisor again?” Gunnar nudged me with his shoulder.

“What do you think?” These meetings had become the bane of my immortal existence. Every five years, Odin handed out jobs for that cycle. And I never got my top choice.

“Listen, Inga—” Ull began.

I cut him off. “You and Gunnar get the jobs you want every cycle.
Every cycle
. And I’m happy for you guys, I really am. You’re the best assassins we have. I just want the chance to fight with you.”

“I do not fight anymore,” Ull offered.

“No, but that was your decision. You spent ten cycles with Gunnar on the Elite Team before you transferred out. You chose to become God of Winter – just like you chose to leave the assassins.” My hair bounced across my shoulders as I shook my head. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous.”

“If they let goddesses on the Elite Team, you know you’d be Odin’s first choice,” Gunnar said. “Well, except for
her
.”

“He could let me be a Valkyrie,” I suggested.

“Inga,” Ull sighed.

“Why not? I could do it.” Valkyries got to harvest mortal soldiers for Odin’s collection. The top Valkyries got to train the dead humans to fight for Asgard at Ragnarok.
Such
a sweet deal.

“Sorry. You know how I feel about that.” Gunnar dropped my hand.

“Great Odin, still?” I turned to face him. “Gunnar, you
have
to let it go.”

“Nope. I’m not going to risk losing you again. I talked to Odin last week. No Valkyries. Sorry.”

“Ull.” I turned the full force of my blue eyes on him.

“Sorry. I agree with Gunnar on this one. I do not want to lose the closest thing I have to a sister.”

The two of them were so overprotective; I could thank the stupid giants for that. If they hadn’t kidnapped me forever ago, I could have been fighting alongside my husband instead of sitting in the training room, sketching out battle plans like some fragile ballet mistress. It was excruciating to hand over my carefully orchestrated moves to a group of meatheads who didn’t appreciate being taught by a girl. I probably didn’t help myself out by leveling the ones who sounded off.

“Fine,” I sighed. This was a battle I would never win. Both of my boys were stubborn as an ox.

“It will be all right.” Ull gave me the smile every other goddess in Asgard swooned over. Straight teeth, pale pink lips, square jaw… it had zero effect on me.

“Whatever. Let’s just go.”

We jogged the rest of the way. Ull pointed to three empty seats in the back. We settled in while Odin worked his way down his roster.

“Skadi Snorenson,” Odin called from the front of the hall.
The Chosen One
herself clomped toward Odin, waggling her fingers at Ull as she passed our row.
Blech
. “For excellence in combat and service to the realm, you have been reassigned Warrior of Asgard.”

Gunnar twirled his finger at his temple and crossed his eyes at me. He leaned so his mouth was against my ear. “She’d be
dritt
at her job if you weren’t
training her.”

I squeezed his thigh. “
Jeg elsker deg
.”

“Ditto, doll.”

“Bjorn Fiskerdag,” Odin continued, as Skadi filed out of the room.

“How much longer is this going to take?” I whispered.

“Knowing Odin, probably two hours.” Gunnar rolled his impish green eyes with a wink. If I wasn’t so frustrated, they would have been a beautiful distraction.

I murmured, “Hurry it up, for the love of—”

“Big plans?”

“I was hoping somebody might want to take me on a moonlit stroll after dinner.” I nudged Gunnar. “You, me, a blanket, and a basket of my freshly baked pastries…”

“Count me in,” Ull whispered. “I saw those scones on the counter this morning – wondered what they were for.”

Gunnar and I exchanged a glance. Ull had been making himself the third wheel a lot more often lately. He was lonely – plain and simple. Unfortunately, he was also too stubborn to date.

Finally, Odin dismissed Anders. Only Gunnar, Ull and I were left. We sat, backs straight and hands folded in our laps, waiting for the All Father to finish marking his scroll. When he did, Ull nodded.

“Took you long enough, Grandfather.”

“Ah, my Terrific
Tre
.” Odin’s remaining eye crinkled in a smile. He’d lost the other one so long ago, nobody remembered what he’d looked like without the eye patch.

“I presume we shall continue in our posts.” Ull stood to leave.

I could never have been that cavalier – the Head of Asgard made me kind of nervous.

“Not quite – sit, son.” Odin climbed down from his golden throne and walked our way. Gunnar raised an eyebrow; this was different.

“I do not know if you have heard the rumors.” Odin sat across from us in a wooden chair.

Of course
we’d heard the rumors. They were all anyone could talk about anymore. Dark factions were allegedly moving to strike Asgard, some kind of a preemptive Ragnarok attack. Travel between the realms had been banned for over a week.

“Does this have anything to do with the Valkyries running the humans through new fight sequences?” Gunnar sounded guarded.

Odin grimaced. “My sources in Alfheim tell me their dark brothers intend to attack soon.”

“Svartalfheim? Why don’t the light elves stop them?”

Odin shook his head. “You know they have no control over the dark elves.”

“So what does this mean?” Ull’s eyes narrowed.

“It means that things are changing in Asgard. And I shall need the three of you to change as well.”

Oh here it comes, here it comes. Inga Jensson Andersson, I hereby appoint you Head Valkyrie. Junior Valkyrie. Any Valkyrie
.

“We will always serve Asgard.” Ull’s sense of duty had nothing on the overwhelming joy I felt. I was finally going to get to do what I was really good at. And Gunnar couldn’t say anything to stop it because the realm
needed
me.

Please, please, please. Please
.

“I am glad to hear you say that, Ull. Gunnar, you shall continue to serve as a warrior. We need your leadership, now, more than ever.”

“Happy to do my part.” Gunnar bowed his head with a smirk. I stopped just short of rolling my eyes. He’d earned the right to be cocky… that was what made him so freaking sexy.

“Inga,” Odin continued. I pressed down on my thighs to stop my legs from bouncing. “I shall require that you exercise your gift for analyzing attack patterns to develop the most effective counter moves for the dark elves.”

“You need me to fight the dark elves? Hand to hand?” I asked hopefully.

“No, I need you to analyze their movements over the past millennium. Determine their methodology and systematize a counter attack to debilitate them.”

My shoulders dropped. Bloody Helheim. The end of the cosmos was upon us, and I
still
had to be an advisor?

“Yes, Odin.” I blinked back tears.

Gunnar rubbed my back with the tips of his fingers. “Sorry.”

I shrugged in reply.

“And Ull, I shall need to shift your duties as well.”

“Grandfather.” Ull’s voice had an edge.

Odin held up his hand. “I understand, but you must protect your realm. You know this.”

“What are you asking of me?”

Odin held Ull’s gaze. “For the time being, and remember this is only until the threat from Svartalfheim has been eliminated…”

“Yes?”

“You shall set aside your post as God of Winter and pick up the duties of God of War.”

Oh, no. This was not going to be pretty.

“That is Tyr’s job.” Ull growled.

“He is… otherwise occupied.”

“Grandfather, I cannot accept. We have discussed this.” Ull kept his voice steady but his jaw twitched. That wasn’t a good sign.

“And I have respected your feelings in the past. But the well-being of Asgard is at stake, and I need my strongest warrior overseeing the battle.”

“I would never turn my back on my realm. I will fight. But you cannot ask me to take that title.” The twitch in Ull’s jaw kept rhythm with his clenched fist. He was seriously displeased with this turn of events.

“I am not asking.” Odin stood. “You shall assume the post God of War, effective immediately. Meet me in my chambers at sunrise to discuss our strategy.” With that, Odin swept from the Great Hall, his golden robes billowing behind him.

This was so not good.

I caught Gunnar’s look and closed my eyes. We wound our fingers together, and waited for the tirade to begin.

It only took Ull ten minutes to work through his anger. First came the shouting; then a few chairs were thrown, and finally, a flag was ripped from the rafters. Gunnar and I had seen it hundreds of times before. Ull’s temper was rivaled only by his stubbornness, and he’d made it more than clear to Odin that his assassin days were behind him.

“Sorry, mate,” Gunnar offered when Ull sat down.

“I will not do it,” Ull muttered, head in hands.

“You have to,” I whispered. “It’s a command.”

Ull raked his fingers through his hair and slumped back in the chair. “I can fight. I cannot oversee the attacks.”

“You’re going to have to collect the families, aren’t you?” Gunnar asked.

Ull nodded. It was the oldest trick in the battle book. Asgard was notorious for going after the families of infidels and holding them hostage, to force our enemies to back down. It was lousy, underhanded and cruel – but Odin always said, all’s fair in war. And the Father of All Things knows best… even when he was being completely and totally heartless.

“I’m so sorry,” I said.

“Me too.” Gunnar clapped Ull on the back.

We sat in the Great Hall until the sun started to set. My roast would be ruined, but I didn’t care. None of us had the energy to head home. Who knew what the morning would bring?

As it turned out it, the morning was the least of our concerns. Nightfall was what we needed to worry about.

WE’D BARELY MADE IT
home when the sirens started blaring. I shot Gunnar an uneasy look as we raced to our bedroom, throwing dress robes on the floor, and suiting up in black combat gear. I grabbed my rapier and dagger from the hall closet and tossed Gunnar his crossbow. By the time we got back to the front door, Ull was already in his fatigues, battle sword in hand.

“Go,” Ull commanded. We obeyed. Despite his feelings on the subject, he was the best fighter among us.