Thor jerked his hand back as if he'd been burned.
"Sorry I—I just need to be alone for a little while. I'll meet you back at the castle later, okay?"
Thor’s mouth opened and closed several times while he tried, and failed, to come up with something—anything—to say to stop her.
"Okay."
"OKAY," THOR SAID SOFTLY.
“You idiot,” I whispered from a position high above them. I’d managed to teleport, after an ungodly number of failures, to the last place I remembered seeing before my departure. But after arriving and spotting Ayla and Thor on the deck of the Gungnir, I’d decided to stop by and say “Hi.”
What a colossal mistake that was. Now I was stuck floating above the couple while my instincts pulled me in two different directions. On one hand, I could sympathize with Thor. I understood his feelings and the truth behind his words, because not long after I started dating Sarah, I’d asked her the same question, for mostly the same reason. On the other hand, this was my daughter Thor was pursuing and I wanted to protect her.
But was that truly the right thing to do? Without the monstrous hunger I’d been barely able to suppress, I was able to think clearly. And for the first time since my reincarnation, I could see the effects my actions had on the two mortals—two people. Which meant there was only one thing I could do. Nothing.
I decided then and there that the best course of action was to simply let the two handle this on their own. Whatever came of this would be entirely of their own making.
It was time they had someone in their corner.
"No, Ayla, it is possible to forge your own fate." I shifted into a six-foot-long pale green snake with miniature suns for eyes. And this old father of yours is going to make sure that no god interferes with your ability to do so. I teleported away from the area in a flash of pale-green light.
AYLA DIDN'T RETURN to her room until just before dawn the next morning. After passing through the canteen and somberly greeting the guards stationed there, she made her way through the overly opulent halls of the ship to her room.
However, just before she could open the door and enter, she heard a loud crash and several bangs coming from inside. She threw open the door and rushed in, only to stop short at the sight of her six-foot-long Jormungandr slowly spinning as it floated just above the floor.
"Mom! Help me, please!" the serpent aspect on the head of the staff hissed.
"Oh, stop complaining! You're the one that jumped me in the first place."
"Wait, Dad!?" Ayla yelled after recognizing the voice and spotting the six-foot-long serpent lounging across her bed.
"Howdy."
"You're back!?"
"Nope, I'm Dad."
“How!? Since when!?"
"Well, when a mommy snake and a daddy snake love each other very much, they—"
She stared at him in confusion until his surprise appearance finally wore off and his words clicked inside her head. "Oh, ha ha ha, very funny! Can I please just get a serious answer from you, for once?"
Torga grinned at her. "I finished my trip and got back last night. I figured I'd wait for you in here, but that odd looking staff over there decided to jump me when I flew in through the window."
"It's not my fault, Mom! He scared me and I just—reacted.”
"So he says," Torga huffed and laid his head back down on Ayla's pillow. "Ohh," he moaned. "You have no idea how much I missed this feeling."
"Um, Hello! Can you please explain what the hell happened while you were gone!?"
Torga let out a deep sigh and painstakingly lifted his head off the pillow again. He moved to the end of the bed and slowly blinked his eerie orange eyes at her. "Alright, Ayla. You should order two cups of coffee, pull up a chair, and sit down because this is going to take a while."
AFTER HIS CONVERSATION with Ayla the previous night, Thor had barged into his parents’ quarters and all but demanded they rescind the deal. It certainly took a lot of convincing on his part, but eventually, his mother grew tired of the argument and simply ordered her husband to comply. Which is what led to the two of them, Thor and his mother, plus a dozen or so guards, flying at breakneck speeds across the planet and landing just outside of the Greek kingdom boundary to await a permit for entry.
But the last thing he expected to happen is exactly what did happen. Zeus, a truly massive man, stood over seven feet tall. He had tanned skin, salt-and-pepper hair, the heavily muscled body of a warrior, and lightning-colored eyes. He was accompanied by his royal guard and Athena, a beautiful young woman with tanned skin, rose-colored hair, and turquoise eyes—and she was Thor's soon to be ex-fiancé.
They landed twenty feet behind the Asgard-Greece border and climbed off their Pegasus mounts, gleaming white horses with manes and tails of the purest blue and birdlike wings. The party that greeted them were all wearing the standard outfit of Greek royalty, which consisted of snow-white robes, leather sandals, and a lightning bolt shaped pin just above their right breast.
However, instead of coming to greet them, the Greeks stood beside their horses and waited for them to make the first move.
"They're waiting to see what we do," Thor said to himself.
He knew that if they crossed into their territory without permission, it would be a declaration of war. Which is what the Greeks ultimately wanted since the two kingdoms had been at war since the time of their ancestors and they were just looking for an excuse to eliminate the Asgardians. On the other hand, the Greeks’ pride was preventing them from outright attacking due to the contract they'd sworn to uphold.
The Greeks may have been a paranoid lot, but they were honorable—in their own way. Thor took several steps towards them and stopped just before he crossed the border. "Athena!" he yelled. "I beg of you, please stop these attacks against my fiancé!"
"Are you accusing my daughter of something, young prince?" Zeus asked in a falsely polite tone.
Thor turned to look back at his mother and his eyes pleaded for her assistance. But his mother just gave him a kind smile and a nod of encouragement.
"Lord Zeus, please, you must convince her to stop," he replied after returning his attention to the Greeks.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Thor," Athena said. The pleasant smile on her face would have given almost anyone else the impression that she was sincere. But not Thor. No, he knew very well the mask she wore to hide her true nature. After all, he used one to hide his nature as well.
"Athena, please, you have to listen to me." He took another step forward, which prompted her to do the same. "This is the only opportunity you're going to get to save your people from a senseless death."
"As I said, Thor, I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Damnit, Athena! There is no chance! Not one opportunity or outcome in which you succeed in this! Now, maybe you do succeed in killing Ayla, and maybe I'm too weak to protect her from you. But in doing so, you will have doomed your people to extinction."
Zeus stuck his arm out in front of Athena and pushed her behind his body. "Are you threatening us, boy? Need I remind you that it was your father that initiated this deal because you were losing the war?"
"Oh, spare me the ‘I'm insulted’ speech. My father offered me up like some kind of prize to whoever would listen. Just ask the Atlanteans. He offered me to them when I was still just a child."
"Be that as it may, you should watch your tongue, boy. We still have an army that could easily wipe you off the face of Yggdrasil."
"Yeah? Well, my fiancé has a Torga."
"A—She has a what?" Athena asked.
"Torga, I believe, is the name of the elf girl's father," Frigga said as she stepped to her son's side. "And I'm in agreement with my son on this one. If you do somehow succeed in killing the girl, you will have only yourselves to blame when Ragnarök comes knocking at your door."
That’s what finally got Zeus and Athena to show some emotion other than disdain, as mild surprise flitted across their fa
ces. And Thor understood why; anyone who'd ever known his mother as more than just "queen” of Asgard, knew she'd never use the term Ragnarök lightly. In fact, she and his father both were deathly afraid of the prophesied end of the world and avoided just the casual mention of the word. So, for her to use it in such a way showed how serious this situation was.
"Then, let us hope your guards are as competent as you brag, or we just might get to see this 'Ragnarök' you so fear," Athena replied after a moment of silence.
"Athena—What have you done?"
"What I swore to do if you tried to back out of our deal."
Thor's eyes widened and his fists tightened until his nails drew blood. "Gods damnit! Tyren, contact father and have him quadruple the guard around Ayla! No one gets to her!" he barked to the captain of the guard.
"Aye, sir!"
Thor glared at the Greeks with unadulterated rage in his eyes. "If you cause her harm, you're dead."
"We'll just have to see about that. now, won't we?" Zeus replied with an infuriating smirk. He mounted his Pegasus and pulled the much shorter Athena onto the horse behind him. Then they took to the skies and within seconds were out of sight.
REINA WAS WALKING WITH her companions Donna and Leon. Donna was tall and possessed fiery red hair with white highlights, wide green eyes, and a body most men would die for, as evidenced by Leon's near-constant staring at her ass. She was wearing two diamond earrings that seemed to glow in the dimly lit guildhall. She was also wearing a modest green robe, which looked decidedly un-modest on her. A long ebony staff was leaning against her shoulder.
Leon was a twenty-something-year-old human, slightly over six feet tall, with sun-kissed skin, chocolate-colored eyes, bright white teeth, and short black hair. His chest plate, gauntlets, and pauldrons were all polished to a mirror shine, and his long-sword was inlaid with gold. Overall, he looked like a rich guy with more money than sense.
The three of them were walking through the massive gate that protected Taranis from the outside world, when the sight of someone she recognized brought Reina up short. Sitting at a little table in front of what appeared to be a modern-day cafe was Findral, the dark-skinned elf with demonic looking horns that was traveling with Ayla the last time she'd seen her.
"You two go on ahead and find some lodgings for the night."
"What're you going to do?" Leon asked after taking the proffered bag from Reina's shoulder and adding it to his own, which he carried on his back.
"I think I see an acquaintance. I'm going to go say hi."
"Oh, well, can I come too—"
"Will do, Reina," Donna interrupted and tugged on Leon's arm. "Let's go."
"Aww, but Donna," he whined, "I wanted to go see Reina's friend."
"Which is why we're going in this direction."
Reina just rolled her eyes at the byplay between the two and made her way over to join Findral. She was spotted almost as soon as she neared the table and the dark-skinned elf pleasantly smiled at her.
"Hello, Reina. It's nice to see you again."
"Same to you." Reina smiled back. "So, do you mind if I join you?"
"No, please, by all means," she replied while motioning to the empty chair beside her.
"Thanks." Reina sat down and stretched her legs out in front of her.
Findral took a sip of her coffee and said, "So, Reina, what brings you to Taranis? Are you on a contract or something?"
"No," Reina replied in confusion and shuffled to the edge of her chair so she could pull a piece of white parchment out of her back pocket and handed it to Findral. "This was delivered by a guild messenger a week or so ago."
Findral set her coffee to one side and took the paper from Reina's outstretched hand. After just one glance at the title written in opulent golden ink, Findral groaned and used her other hand to massage the bridge of her nose.
"What is it? Did I miss the wedding?"
"No, it's just that I forgot they'd already sent these out."
"But... isn't it normal to send out invitations before a wedding?"
"Yes, but not when the couple in question have yet to even set a date for said wedding."
"You're kidding! Then who sent out the invitations?"
"King Odin and Queen Frigga most likely." She leaned closer to Reina and whispered conspiratorially in her ear. "But I think it was just the king’s doing. He’s far more excited about the wedding than the queen is. "
"Figures," Reina sighed.
Findral smiled at her, downed the rest of her coffee in one gulp, then walked over to the counter and ordered an extra-large, extra strong coffee to go. She walked back over to Reina and motioned for her to follow.
"C'mon. Ayla will be glad to see you and I'm sure the master will be too."
"The—master?"
"Ayla's father."
"Oh—OH! I didn't think he would be here since the wedding wasn't happening yet."
"He returned from a trip just last night, actually. You do want to meet him, yes?"
"I mean, sure, I guess. Though I don’t know how I feel about a man that has so many servants," she said as she stood to follow.
"Servants?" Findral asked in confusion.
"Well, you do call him 'master' don't you? That makes you his servant, right?"
"Oh," Findral laughed. "No, he actually hates it when I call him master."
"Why do it, then?"
"Because in spite of his unwillingness to admit it, he deserves all the respect and praise we can throw at him. After all, how many men do you know that would search throughout the cosmos for a wife who may or may not still live?"
"Um—What?"
Findral stopped so suddenly that Reina walked into her back and bounced off, hurting her nose in the process. Findral spun around and began checking on her. Once Reina had assured her that she was, indeed, fine, Findral sighed and said, "Please don't mention this to the master. He doesn't like talking about it."
"Sure, I can do that," Reina said after wiggling her nose a few times to make sure it wasn't bleeding.
"Thanks."
Reina just waved her off.
After a few minutes of walking in silence, Reina politely asked, "So—he's looking for Ayla's mother?"
"Hmm?"
"You said he was looking for his wife, right? I just assumed that was Ayla's mother."
"Oh, no, it's not Ayla's mom."
"He had her out of wedlock, then?"
"Nope, he adopted Ayla after the death of her last living relative, her grandmother."
"Oh." Reina was quiet for a few more minutes as they wound their way through the throngs of people. "Does he have any other children?"
"He's mentioned that he and his wife had three children together."
"Are they here too?"
"No, and I've never actually met them either. He very rarely talks about his time before he was taken from them."
"What do you mean? How was he taken from them?"
"Master is a reincarnator. He was taken from his home planet by a god and basically dropped on some backwater planet on the other side of Yggdrasil."
He's like me? She was getting more and more interested in this mysterious “father” Ayla and Findral had told her about.
"What kind of elf is he?"
Findral burst out laughing at the question. Her outburst was so loud the surrounding people glanced at her in consternation.
"Sorry, sorry everyone," she apologized, then turned to Reina. "Sorry, but I'd forgotten that we hadn't told you much about him the last time we met. Torga—that's the master's name—isn't an elf."
"He's not?"
"No. He's most definitely not."
"He's a human, then?"
"No, he's definitely not that either. You know, it's probably better if you just see him for yourself. I seriously doubt you'd believe me if I just told you what he was."
"I don't know about all that now. I've seen some pretty weird stuff in my travels."
"I'm sure you have," Fi
ndral said with a smirk on her face.
Just as the two passed through the gatehouse leading inside the castle, an alarm went off and the massive iron gate slammed shut behind them.
"What's happening!?"
"I—I don't know. C'mon, we need to go check on Mistress Ayla!"
"I'll be right behind you," Reina said, nodding.
Suddenly, it felt as if the entire world rumbled and Reina and Findral wound up sprawled on the ground.
"That's not good."
"What's not good?"
"Something must have pissed off the master..."
"What does that have to do with anything—Wait, are you trying to say Ayla's dad did that?"
"Unfortunately."
"But that's impossible!"
"Ha! You'll soon find out just how little that word means in the face of my master's will," Findral said with a grim expression on her face.
"You bastards!" echoed a voice seeped in power. Every syllable caused the world to shake and fear to race down the spine of all who heard it.
An explosion rocked the castle as a wall on the top floor was destroyed and two masked figures in black clothes plummeted towards the ground, while a third leaped out of the hole after them. However, before they could reach the ground and possibly die on impact, their downward momentum came to a halt. Their bodies halted in midair and stayed there as if they were held by invisible hands.
Not long after they stopped falling, a heavily muscled, green-scaled man with short black hair floated out of the hole. The only clothes he seemed to be wearing was a bath towel wrapped around his waist. In a bridal carry held within his arms was the unmoving form of Ayla.
"Who is that?"
"That would be the master," Findral said matter-of-factly.
"That's Ayla's dad!?"
Instead of answering her, massive wings of pure flame burst from Findral's back and she flew up to meet him, leaving Reina to gape after her.
The hulking snake-man floated to the ground, accompanied by Findral and the still unconscious Ayla, which caused all of the surrounding humans to back away in fear.
The snake-man swiveled his head to look at the three would-be assassins and waved his hand at them. Whatever forces were keeping them in the air slowly lowered them to the ground.
A Snake's Path (A Snake's Life Book 2) Page 25
