Warrior Nights

by Sheryl Nantus

  “Stop joking around. You’ve more than done your bit today.” She choked up, unable to speak further.

  His eyes closed, his breathing slowing to a hollow echo.

  She couldn’t breathe, the pain in her heart expanding to suck her soul in—an emotional black hole leaving nothing behind.

  The air around them shifted, turned warmer. A silence fell and shut out all sounds, including the wheezing of the mercenary leader as he lay on the ground a few feet away.

  Goose bumps rose on Kara’s skin as she recognized the sensation.

  “Mother,” she whispered.

  Freyja materialized beside her, smiling as she stared down at the couple.

  She made a gesture with her hand. “Stand.”

  It was a demand Kara couldn’t refuse.

  She held onto Liam’s limp hand as she rose.

  Freyja gave a flick of her wrist, and Kara’s uniform was gone, her clothing replaced with the armor and robes of a Valkyrie. Her wings snapped open, the multicolored feathers vibrant and alive.

  The lance materialized in her free hand, extended to its full length of six feet and ready to be used.

  She gasped and rocked forward, the transformation striking her with the flash and heat of a hot summer day.

  “You’ve done well,” Freyja said. “Now it’s time to finish your work here. Collect his soul and deliver it to Helheim, as you did with so many others.”

  Kara shook her head, keeping a tight grip on Liam’s hand. “I’ve done as you’ve asked for decades, centuries. But in this…” She swallowed hard, standing tall. “I can’t. It wouldn’t be right. He’s changed, he’s a good man. But I understand that the balance must be kept, his judgment based on his past sins. So, I offer you this—I’ll take his place in Helheim if you let him stay here to finish his mission.”

  Freyja glared at her. “Do you think you can bargain with me like I’m one of the peddlers in the town square?”

  “I meant no disrespect, Mother,” Kara said. “But I can’t let an injustice like this be done.”

  Liam’s hand tightened in hers. He let out a strangled cough and opened his eyes.

  She dropped down beside him, laying her lance to the side. “Don’t…” Her voice failed her.

  He propped himself up on one elbow and snarled. “What? You can’t…”

  Kara released his hand and pulled her helmet off, tossing it to one side. She shook her head. “No. this isn’t right. You deserve to finish your work. You won’t help anyone in Helheim. Who’s going to help Geraldine clear the walkway, deliver firewood to the Jarretts?” She felt Freyja’s stare on her, centered between her shoulder blades.

  She didn’t care.

  “This town needs you. Those charities need your monthly donations. So many people here, so many opportunities to help.”

  “I guess someone else’ll have to step in.” His gaze went past her to the waiting goddess, and he raised an eyebrow. “Freyja, I presume.”

  Kara turned to watch Freyja’s reaction.

  She smiled and nodded. “Liam Wolfson. You’ve been quite busy as of late.” She sent a sideways glance at Kara. “Starting with corrupting my Valkyrie a year ago.”

  Liam began to laugh, ending in a strained cough. “It was mutual, believe me. But she’s been a great help, keeping me on the path to redemption.” He reached up and cupped Kara’s cheek. “God, I love you. And your wings—so beautiful.” He fell back, the effort taking the last of his energy.

  “Yes.” Freyja turned her full attention on him. “Yes, she has. But don’t give her too much credit—you were on the right path before you met Kara.” Her stare fell on his wounds, and she scowled. “Enough of this. I want to speak to you face-to-face. Stand up and take your place as one of Odin’s sons.”

  She flicked her right hand. Kara gasped as a wave of cool air whistled over them.

  Liam let out a long, strangled sigh, his chest rising off the ground as he followed up with a deep breath. “It doesn’t…” He looked at Kara. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

  She nodded, unable and unwilling to hide her wide smile.

  He staggered to his feet with Kara’s help, touching the holes in the shredded turtleneck and vest.

  “There. Much better.” The goddess eyed Kara. “I assume you agree.”

  His eyes widened as he stared at Freyja. “What did you call me?”

  “A Son of Odin,” Kara whispered, her knees weak with the revelation.

  “Better than a Son of Cain,” he said, not taking his eyes off of Freyja. “Mind explaining that one? I had a father and a mother—solid, honest people.”

  “Yes, you did.” Freyja clasped her hands in front of her. “The lineage I speak of is decades old, centuries old. Odin has wandered the earth in human form at times, seeking to connect with the people under his protection.”

  “He ‘connected’ a bit too well, I’m assuming.” Liam’s arm went around Kara, keeping her close. One of her wings curled protectively around his back.

  “Quite,” Freyja said. “Your skills as a warrior are due in part to your bloodline.” She glanced over where the men lay motionless, the throwing knives embedded in their legs—nonlethal wounds. “That is also why you were able to see Laila during that last mission.”

  “I see.” He cleared his throat. “That explains a few things. So, what happens now?” His grip on Kara intensified. “I’ve done a lot of bad in my life, things I’m not proud of. But I don’t want a free pass for my sins.”

  “You’re not getting one.” The goddess nodded her agreement. “Odin has decided you should stay down here and continue your self-rehabilitation. As Kara said—who will help the people here in town if you’re gone?” She raised a finger in warning. “You are not worthy of Valhalla yet, but your actions here have gone a long way in erasing your blood debt. He is proud of you, but not ready to have you by his side.”

  “I’d be upset if you or he thought otherwise.” He gestured at Kara. “And what happens to her?”

  “What do you think?” Freyja asked Liam.

  He drew a deep breath, smiling as he studied her face. “I understand she’s done bad things in the past. But so have I. And while I’ve been working to become a better man on my own, I never knew how important it was until she came into my life.” He chuckled. “Came back into my life.”

  Her cheeks burned as she stared down at the frozen ground, away from Freyja’s prying look.

  “It’s not enough to be a good man because I want to be one. I need someone to be a good man for, I need someone to help me keep on the right track. And she’s the one. I love her like no other.” Liam leaned in and kissed her, sending her pulse racing.

  “Well spoken, Son of Odin.” Freyja gave a soft laugh. “But the final decision is yours, Kara. No one else can make this for you, and I would not have it any other way.”

  She lifted her head to see Freyja smiling at her.

  “I will not make you come back to Valhalla and resume your duties if you don’t want to. But if you wish, I shall make it so.”

  “I want…” Her voice trailed off, her heart pounding in her ears. “I want to stay with Liam and help him in his quest. His redemption shall be my own, and maybe, if you and Odin feel we are worthy, at the end of our lives we’ll ascend to Valhalla together.” Her tone rose on the last few words, hopeful of her wish being granted.

  Freyja laughed. “You drive a hard bargain, little one. But a deal it is.” She turned at Liam. “At the end of your life you will come to Valhalla and sit with your brothers.” A weary look crossed her face. “Of which there are many. And Kara will be with you, at your side through it all until Ragnarök, until the end of the world.”

  “Thank you,” Liam said.

  “Wait,” Kara said. “What about Marie and the Sons of Cain and…” She glanced around, finding to her shock the men still unmoving.

  Not unmoving. Frozen in place.

  A water drop hovered over the ground, its escape from the icic
le on the overhead roof thwarted.

  “I didn’t want us to be interrupted,” Freyja explained. “I’ve also taken the liberty of cleaning up a few loose ends to assist in your endeavors.” She turned to Liam. “I hope you don’t mind. Consider it my blessing on your decision.”

  “Thank you,” Liam said. He grinned and gave her a short bow. “Say hello to Dad for me.”

  She tilted her head to one side, an eyebrow raising in a mixture of laughter and warning. “You have his sense of humor. Tell him yourself, when the opportunity arrives. Go in peace, Odin’s son.” Freyja smiled at Kara. “Be well and happy, Kara.”

  A crack of thunder startled her—Liam’s grip on her tightened, and she felt her wings disappear again, the sense of loss somehow less debilitating than it was before.

  She looked down to see her armor was gone, the lance as well. Her uniform had returned, and her muscles ached from the recent battle, signaling her mortality.

  “Shit.” Liam rubbed the back of his neck. “That was… intense.”

  The sirens continued, growing closer.

  “Guess we better prepare for company.” He pulled her into his arms, delivering a kiss that left her breathless and dizzy. “We got some explaining to do. But first, let’s get inside. It’s cold out here.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The warm hotel lobby was a welcome change from the freezing temperatures outdoors, helping ground Liam as he wrestled with the sudden shift in his reality.

  His head was spinning—had the entire encounter been a dream, a reaction to a concussion when he fell to the ground? Hallucinations, brought on by stress and concern for Kara and the others?

  But the bloodied clothing he wore proved it’d been real, the bullet holes, the shredded fabric proof he shouldn’t have survived.

  Holy…

  Liam forced himself to stay quiet as he and Kara finished tying up the last of the mercenaries, using rope brought out from the storage room. His knives had hit true, taking the men down, but with minimal damage. He left the blades in, waiting for professional medics to deal with them. All of the attackers were unconscious. But they were alive, and that had been his goal.

  There was no one in the back room—the open window signaling the hostages’ successful escape. Deep trenches in the snow showed their flight toward the police station.

  “Now what?” Kara asked.

  “We go outside and wait to see if they arrest us or not.” He rolled his shoulders. “That’s all we can do. It’s out of our hands now.” He led her out onto the porch.

  The firehouse siren had died off, replaced by loud grinding noises and the roar of angry engines rising up over the snow as the plows entered the town. Military vehicles emblazoned with the state logo on the side trudged behind them. Snow flew in all directions, the trenches expanding through the town as the plows did their jobs.

  One all-terrain truck pulled up in front of the hotel, rumbling through the remaining snow with ease.

  Liam held his hands up and gestured for Kara to do the same. The detonator lay between them, protected from a casual touch.

  Marie was the first to hop out, wearing a bulletproof vest. She rushed toward the couple as other policemen fanned out behind her, heavily armed.

  “Liam!” She threw her arms around him in a tight hug. “Thank God you’re all right.” She stretched out a hand toward Kara. “And you, too. When we came across the abandoned snowmobile and the flares, we got worried you’d gone off in the woods and gotten lost. We couldn’t stop—we flagged the snowmobile and prayed we’d find you at some point.”

  “I walked back here,” Kara replied as the police moved in on the mercenaries. “The snowmobile ran out of gas.”

  “That,” Liam spoke hurriedly, hoping to discourage questions about Kara’s return to the town. He pointed down at the detonator. “That’s hooked to explosives set throughout the hotel. I saw one in the stairwell—no idea where the others are, but you’ll need the bomb squad to dispose of it. The building’s already evacuated, but we can’t afford to let it go off.”

  Marie eyed the small black box as if it were a deadly spider. “On it.” She pulled out her radio and spoke rapidly into it as Kara edged closer.

  “Your name,” she murmured.

  He nodded, unsure what to make of the slip. Marie had used his real name, not the alias he’d lived under for the past year.

  Landsdowne moaned as he was yanked to his feet by two men, shaking his head. “Fuck.” He glared at Liam and Kara. “Goddamn do-gooders. Should have never gotten in our way.” He let out a yelp. “My knees…my knees.”

  Marie scowled at the mercenary as a stretcher was brought over for the crippled man. Paramedics descended on the other men, caring for their wounds.

  “There’s two men tied up in our apartment back at the motel—the door’s kicked open, should be easy to figure out which room it is,” Liam added. “They should be okay, but probably a bit dehydrated.”

  Marie nodded as she kept talking into the radio.

  “There’s another man upstairs here,” Liam offered. “Top floor, room by the stairwell. He’s likely got a concussion; I was told he’s in the bathroom being ill. On my way up, I saw the explosive in the stairwell.”

  “Bastards,” Marie mumbled into the radio before turning back to Kara. “I got a call from the police station—the hostages are there, safe and sound. How did you get them out?”

  “The back window.”

  “Excellent.” The police chief shook her head. “Can’t believe these idiots thought they’d be able to kidnap Thomas Vak and get away with it.”

  “What?” Liam blinked.

  She gestured at the mercenaries, now being loaded into the back of one of the military-style trucks. “Don’t you remember?” She touched the side of her head. “Maybe you got knocked for a loop or something—Thomas Vak and his board members were here on a retreat, they’re the reason the Sons came to town. You know, Vak Industries?”

  “Yes, yes.” Kara nodded. “Just got things jumbled up in the heat of battle.” She smiled. “We were focused on keeping the building from going up in flames.”

  “Can’t blame you.” Marie led them away from the detonator as a bomb technician approached, his vest labeling him as such. She jerked a thumb at the nearby street, already cleared of the deep snow. “Let’s get back to the station.” She eyed Liam. “You’ve got to be cold without a coat.”

  He ran a hand over the turtleneck and vest, realizing with a shock the gouges and holes were now gone.

  As they walked toward the police station the familiar rumble of the plows filled the air, raised voices greeting each other as the snow shovels came out. The town was coming back to life, digging out from the storm.

  Kara clutched at his arm, the confusion evident on her face.

  “What’s going on?” he whispered. “Who the hell is Vak?”

  She shook her head. “I’ve no idea.”

  Marie mumbled into the radio before turning back to them, keeping pace as they rounded the corner. “You’re also out of uniform, Liam.” She chuckled. “I know it was an emergency deputation, but the least you could have done is keep it on for a single day.”

  Kara laughed. “Didn’t want to tear up the new shirt.”

  That earned an eyeroll from the older woman. “Dwayne’s going to be back as soon as he finishes digging out of the Jarretts’ cabin. Caught him on a few minutes of decent cell reception—he made it up there with the patrol car, running on fumes.” She wrinkled her nose as she led them up to the front door, now cleared of snow. A pair of Bobcats rolled nearby, tossing snow left and right as they worked the sidewalks.

  “So much help digging out,” Kara said, glancing at the military men working the small bulldozers. “This isn’t usual, is it?”

  “Not a chance,” Liam answered. “Last year it was Billy, myself, and whoever could raise a shovel.”

  “Everything changes when you’re dealing with a famous man like Vak. Hold on
.” Marie turned away, talking to someone on the radio. She opened the front door and waved them inside.

  “Did something happen while we were…” Liam lowered his voice. “Visiting your friend?” He couldn’t figure out another way to phrase it.

  “Your guess is as good as mine.”

  The inside of the police station was a beehive of activity, men and women scuttling around with “FBI” emblazoned on their jackets.

  Liam stopped still, eyes wide. Kara pressed herself against the wall, tugging him past two men in military gear taking up guard positions at the front doors.

  Marie smiled. “Everyone’s present and accounted—they’re in the break room away from all this. Including Thomas Vak, who wants to have a word with you.”

  She rubbed her fingers together. “He’s also looking to make a sizable donation to the town in appreciation for what you did for him—pay for some upgrades to the fire equipment and the like, including our own industrial snowplow. The big boy, with all the bells and whistles, get through stuff like this like a hot knife through butter.”

  Marie looked at Kara. “You did really well. Lizzie says you were calm and collected as you got the hostages out.” She tilted her head. “Jamie did a fine job of getting them to the station while you stayed to help Liam.”

  Kara reached out and took Liam’s hand, squeezing it. “Didn’t want him to take on the bad guys alone.”

  “Well, he did—and made a fine job of it. If he were still in the military I’d put him up for an award. Instead, all we got for you is the town’s thanks.”

  “That’ll be enough.” He felt odd, accepting the praise.

  “Let’s head to the back.” Marie led them around the counter. “Get out of everyone’s way. Homeland Security and the FBI get first crack at these mercs, and I’m glad to give it to them.”

  It was like walking on shifting sand, the reality around them the same as it’d been only a few hours ago but still… things had changed.

  He wasn’t sure if he was pleased about that or not.