by Eva Chase
This might be the first battle I’d fought where I was fully present in over a thousand years.
The other dark elves around us had all fallen. Loki strode up to the ragged opening of the gate.
“Let’s close this up before yet another assault comes our way,” the trickster said. “All of our powers together should do the trick nicely, I’m starting to think.”
I lifted my arms, summoning the glow coursing through my limbs back into my hands. Thor struck the rocks above the crevice with his hammer. They crackled and jittered with lightning as they tumbled across the opening.
Before they could fall through into the blackness beyond, Loki cast a wave of fire over them. Instinctively, I tossed a burst of light to meet his flames. Our combined powers fused the rocks between them and melted them into the edges of the crevice.
Hod released a flood of shadow over the molten mass, cooling it into a solid barrier that sealed the gate from top to bottom. The surface shone like obsidian.
Aria prodded the seal with her switchblade. The glossy mass resisted even the jab of the blade, not a scratch forming beneath it. Freya came up beside us and prodded the spot with a whirl of her magic as well.
She stepped back with a satisfied expression. “That feels as though it’ll hold. Now what in Hel’s name was happening between the rest of you?”
“I don’t know,” Hod said. “The last couple of times we’ve fought together, I’ve felt a sort of synchronicity—as if our movements and powers are flowing toward each other. I’ve never seen my shadows combine with anyone else’s magic before.”
“I can feel it too,” Aria said. “Like a hum between all of us.”
“Between you and the four of them,” Freya said. “I haven’t felt anything different.”
The valkyrie nodded, her gray eyes sliding over us. “You didn’t lend your powers to making me, right?” she said to the goddess. “They were the ones who summoned me. I’m a patchwork valkyrie made out of the pieces of your powers. Maybe that’s got something to do with it?”
“It has to,” Thor put in. “Odin may have a clearer idea. We can see what he makes of it.”
He made a motion for us to take to the sky again. My body balked for a second before I called up the beam of light that would carry me onward.
The Allfather had stayed back, rather than join us on this mission, to continue recovering from his long imprisonment. We hadn’t wanted to delay our efforts to contain the dark elves. Of course he’d want to hear our report and all that had happened. And well he should, as our leader. But I found I wasn’t looking forward to that meeting at all.
You wouldn’t have known Odin was at anything other than his best to see him now, poised on his throne in the meeting room of his great hall. He sat tall, his silvered brown beard trimmed down from its previous wild state, his single dark eye alert. His great gleaming spear leaned against the arm of the throne, ready, as if he might need to leap into battle in an instant.
The ruler of Asgard didn’t believe in showing weakness.
“This effect you saw,” he said, his penetrating gaze roving over each of the six of us in turn. “You’ve never experienced anything like that before?”
“Only today and briefly in the fight when we found you in Muspelheim,” Thor said.
“It appears to be connected to our valkyrie,” Loki said, resting a hand that looked unusually tentative on Aria’s shoulder. “Or rather, that we have become increasingly connected through her. The process of summoning a valkyrie—each of us contributing some of our essence—it took a lot of out us, and most of what it took went into reforming her spirit as she is now. My best guess is that when she’s fighting alongside us, something of that merging activates and allows our powers to work in greater harmony.”
Harmony. Yes. That was the word for what I’d felt in those moments as we’d pushed back the dark elves together. I’d spent most of my existence striving for harmony, but I’d never had it come to me as deeply and fully as then. I’d found it thanks to Aria.
Her eyes caught mine from across the semi-circle we’d formed in the high-ceilinged room, and she shot me a little smile as if she were thinking the same thing. And I realized what I’d just thought wasn’t entirely true. I’d experienced that exquisite harmony one other time—when Loki, Thor, and I had come together to demonstrate our desire for our valkyrie in every way we could.
A trickle of heat coursed over my skin. I’d much rather find the sensation again there than on the battlefield, given the choice.
“Aria isn’t the first valkyrie you summoned,” Odin said. “Did you see a similar effect with the ones previous?”
“The others… didn’t remain with us for long enough for any connection to really gel,” Hod said.
“We’ve been through much more with Ari,” Thor said. “The bond between us—it goes beyond the hand we had in creating her new life.” He cleared his throat, as if he weren’t sure how much detail to go into there. “We’ve come to understand each other on every level: mentally, emotionally…”
Physically. The slight arch of the Allfather’s eyebrow made me suspect that he’d guessed that aspect even if no one had outright told him. Very little escaped Odin. I couldn’t read from his expression how he might feel about the idea that three of his sons and his brother by blood-oath might be centering their affections on the same non-godly woman.
Then Odin’s gaze found me. “You haven’t said much about the situation, my son,” he said. “Do your impressions align with the others?”
“Yes,” I said quickly. “The sense of harmony, the bond that’s been forming—I’m sure it’s all related.” I paused, unsure how to continue. The mechanics of magic were far from my forte. And ever since Odin had returned to us, I’d found it hard to look him in the eye for very long and still remember how to use my tongue.
I’d have given anything to bring my father back to Asgard. A large part of me was overjoyed at our victory, ecstatic to see him sharp and determined as ever in his throne. We had been aimless for a long time without his guiding force, and now, with Surt preparing to invade both Asgard and Midgard, we needed that guidance more than ever.
But no matter how bright my happiness might be, a shadow lurked beneath it. I couldn’t erase the memories Loki had shown us from my head—and I shouldn’t want to.
My father had approved of my murder. He might even have encouraged it. He’d let me fall into the vast void that had wrenched me apart so thoroughly I couldn’t imagine my spirit would ever heal completely, as part of some immense plan he’d never bothered to speak to me about, before or after.
No, he’d let me think any blame I could have assigned belonged with my twin, who had thrown the mistletoe spear that had struck me down, and Loki, who’d guided Hod’s hand. Where was the justice in that?
I hadn’t spoken to Odin of it. He’d been recovering, and I wasn’t certain Loki would even want me to reveal the secret he’d betrayed. But most of all, I hadn’t known what to say that would express the tangled emotions inside me, or what Odin could possibly offer me in return that would tease them apart into some sort of peace.
As the Allfather turned back to the others, the tendril of darkness that had tugged at me earlier twisted around my gut and shot through the muscles of my legs. Before I could contain it, my heel jammed against the floor. A small crack spread across the smooth stone surface, spidering at its edges.
My heart lurched. I eased to the side, covering the mark with my foot. No one was looking at me. No one had seemed to notice.
I’d held the darkness inside me at bay for all those years by burying myself in a dreamy haze. I couldn’t go back to that. I’d just have to quash it down with all the light I had in me. I’d survived this long. A sliver of the void couldn’t overpower me.
“This is a new development, but a welcome one,” Odin was saying. “Combining your powers around the valkyrie may be the key to defeating Surt quickly and decisively. We haven’t located any
of the other gates to Nidavellir yet, have we? Any spare time you have until we do, you should practice together, experiment. The more you can control this new skill, the more potent it will be.”
A pleased smile slipped across his lips with those last words. The master planner had discovered a new strategy. I should have been happy too, but an uneasy shiver traveled through me.
3
Aria
Odin leaned back in his tall chair with a satisfied expression, as if he’d said everything he needed to and now we were all supposed to jump to do his bidding. His presumptuous attitude itched at me.
Who the hell was he to call all the shots here anyway? Okay, sure, the king of the gods, but he’d been stuck in some cage locked away from the rest of the world for decades. He hardly even knew that much about what had been happening around his capture, let alone anywhere else. The six of us had been working together—and working well—for weeks now. He’d only just joined the party.
And he hadn’t bothered to ask my opinion about any of this.
“We can’t count only on this special power, whatever exactly it is, right?” I said. “We have to find out exactly what Surt is doing right now, what plans he’s making, so we can go in prepared.”
Odin’s one-eyed gaze settled on me with prickling intensity. It was hard to focus completely on that eye and not also the knot of scar where his other one had once been.
“I am keeping watch over Muspelheim from my high seat,” he said.
“Great,” I said. “Then you know how big his army of his is already? You’ve heard him talking about when he thinks he’ll attack?”
The Allfather’s mouth tightened. I got the impression he didn’t appreciate getting this many questions thrown at him.
“The suggestion that my high seat allows me to ‘see all’ has been slightly overstated,” he said. “I can look down over anywhere I please, but walls still restrict my view. Surt has kept his strategizing and his army mostly shut away.”
As if I trusted this guy to tell us the full story even if he’d seen something useful. I set my hands on my hips. “We’ve got to get down there and take a closer look, then, don’t we?” Get behind those walls if we could. Make sure there weren’t things Odin was deciding not to tell us.
“Scouting out Muspelheim will not be an easy task. Surt has shut away the gates that allow access to all the other realms inside his fortress. Getting there is simple enough, but anyone who does would have to fight their way out.”
“You’ve got your rainbow bridge magic for an instant transport out.”
Odin chuckled at my phrasing, but his gaze didn’t lighten. “Bifrost is a powerful tool, but not a subtle one. Surt would have his guards on anyone who used it the moment it appeared.”
Okay, fair enough. But I’d make my way back to Asgard before without any bridge or gateway. That was the whole reason the gods had summoned a valkyrie to help them find Odin.
“I can go,” I said. “My connection to Valhalla means I can will myself back there if I need to, no matter where I am. I’ve done it before.”
Loki grinned. “That’s the spirit. You’ll be out-scheming us all soon enough, pixie.”
Odin’s expression shifted, a curious light coming into his eyes. Or maybe it was amused. I wasn’t sure I liked it either way.
“An excellent point,” he said. “All right then, my unexpected valkyrie. Are you proposing to set off on this scouting mission immediately?”
Across the room from me, Baldur was frowning. “She should get some rest first after the fighting today.”
Odin’s gaze didn’t waver from me. I raised my chin. The question felt like a test—of how committed I was to this course of action, of whether I really had the guts to follow through. If I backed down even until tomorrow, I’d be giving the Allfather room to doubt me.
“I’m not that tired. I can make a quick initial sweep to give me an idea where I’d want to spend more time spying the next time around.”
“I don’t see how it could hurt anything,” Freya said from where she’d come to stand beside her husband. She patted Odin’s arm. “It would be good to have a clearer sense of our enemy.”
Thor had turned to me, his forehead furrowed. “Are you sure this is a good idea, Ari? Surt will be watching for anyone from Asgard. It’s been a long day already.”
I shrugged, offering him a reassuring smile. “I’ll sleep better tonight knowing what Surt and his minions are up to right now. If I start to get tired or I feel like I’m in danger, I’ll just leap back to Valhalla. Nothing to worry about.”
He gave me a look as if to say I should know he’d worry about me anyway, but his stance relaxed a smidge. “I’d feel better if I—or any of us—could go with you.”
“That isn’t possible though, right?”
Loki let out a huff of breath. “Sadly, it does sound as though the rest of us would be reliant on tangling with Surt directly to make our way home. Unfortunate, because I’d quite like a longer look for myself at that realm he’s made his own. But I have every faith in your skills and judgment. If I can’t go, you’re my next choice out of all of us. I did lend you some of my wits, after all.”
“I had plenty before you did any lending,” I said, giving him a playful glower, and he laughed.
“Why do you think I picked you, pixie?”
Yes—I was Loki’s valkyrie more than anyone else’s. He was the one who’d insisted they try summoning a woman with a little more street smarts and a little less pureness of heart. If they’d stuck with the same criteria they’d used for their first three valkyries, my life would have ended with the impact of that idiot junkie’s speeding jeep.
And the gods might never have found their way to Odin. I’d made that possible. I could make a difference here too. For them, and for Petey and everyone else Surt threatened.
“I can go by Yggdrasil, can’t I?” I said, lifting my chin to indicate I was ready to get started. “I just need to know which branch to take.”
Odin rose from his throne-like chair, gripping his silver spear like a walking stick. He’d left off his rumpled broad-brimmed hat, but somehow he looked even taller without it. He strode forward with his cloak rustling at his heels. “Come along then. I’ll show you.”
Loki brushed his fingers over my arm as I turned to follow the Allfather. Thor nodded to me, and Baldur aimed his bright smile my way. They drifted toward their own halls as we left Odin’s, but Hod fell into step beside me.
“Did you think I needed an extra escort?” I asked the dark god with a raise of my eyebrow he couldn’t see.
“I don’t have anywhere better to be,” he said casually. “Do you mind the company?”
Not when it was him, and not when my only other company was the ominous Odin. “I guess I can cope with a little hovering. As long as you’re not planning on trying to convince me not to go.”
Hod guffawed at that. “Oh, believe me, valkyrie, I know better than that by now.”
It was only a short walk from Odin’s hall down the marble-tiled path to the immense Valhalla, which once hundreds of reborn warriors and maybe as many valkyries had called home. We trailed along behind the Allfather, who walked briskly without a backward glance. The sun shone bright but not as starkly as it had down in Midgard, the breeze pleasantly warm and full of sweet flowery scent. It might have been a nice little stroll if I hadn’t known I was on my way to a realm of barren rock and flowing magma.
Hod hesitated for a moment inside the great hall with its rows of long tables and its walls hung with gleaming weaponry. I guessed he hadn’t come into this place often enough to have a solid sense of the layout. Shadows unfurled around him, testing the edges of the benches, as we made our way more slowly to the golden throne at the far end.
Odin stopped at the huge stone-lined hearth beside that throne. The back of the hearth gave way to a deep void I’d stepped into once before, when I’d traced Odin’s kidnapping to the realm of the dark elves. I wasn’t su
re which I’d have looked forward to seeing less: those cramped dank caves or the searing heat of Surt’s realm.
At least in the realm of fire, I had room to really fly.
As Hod and I reached the hearth, he touched my shoulder. When I turned toward him, he raised his hand to my cheek, his blind gaze knowing exactly where to find my eyes now.
“Look after yourself,” he said. “I’ll wait here for you until you get back.”
A lump rose in my throat. Was he thinking about my last venture through Valhalla, when I’d dragged myself back to the gods bleeding and beaten? “I plan on making it back on my feet this time,” I said.
“I’m glad to hear it.” He dipped his head, and I bobbed on my toes to meet his kiss. His shadows wisped around me, holding me like an echo of his lean arms. In that moment, I wished I could just stay here with him and forget about Muspelheim and Surt and the rest—lose myself in the passion we’d sparked between us before.
Not just passion. He loved me. He’d told me so. That knowledge quivered in my chest, joyful and nervous at the same time. I wasn’t sure I was equipped to properly handle my own heart yet, let alone anyone else’s. But it felt like an honor to be given this much devotion from a man who’d endured so much.
I kissed him hard, wanting him to know how much even this gesture meant to me. Hod traced his thumb over my cheek and eased back, his pale cheeks faintly flushed. He kissed me once more on the forehead and sat down on the nearest bench to begin his vigil.
“Ready?” Odin said with just a hint of dryness. I had no idea what he thought of the intimacy he’d just seen, but I didn’t really give a damn about his approval anyway. There didn’t seem to be much point in hiding just how close all four of my gods and I had become.
“Let’s go,” I said, swiping my hands together.
The Allfather ducked into the cavern behind the fireplace, and I slipped after him. On the opposite side, the prone tree stretched out like a path of bark and branches into a thick nothingness.
