by Amy Sumida
“I'm not entirely sure,” she whispered. “All I know is that the Shining One queen you had imprisoned is gone.”
“Fuck!” Cerberus swore. “That's one slippery bitch.”
“I'll talk to Odin,” I said. “You guys wait out here.”
I stacked my armload of books by the door.
“Are you sure?” Torin asked; his sapphire eyes darkening with concern.
“I'll be fine,” I said. “It's Odin; he'd never hurt me.”
I went into the room before anyone could stop me. Odin looked up, noted the group outside his door, and then focused his only eye on me.
“Shut the door, Elaria,” he growled.
I closed the door on the others with an apologetic look and then I turned around and went to Odin. He was standing in the center of his living room. His hands were clenched into fists, but the room around him was as orderly as ever. Even in his fury, Odin couldn't destroy his stuff. I smiled a little at that.
“This is not funny,” he growled.
“No; Eileen escaping is not funny,” I agreed. “But I'm smiling at your perfect room. Most people would be throwing things by now.”
“And what would the point of that be?” Odin scowled. “I'd only be hurting myself.”
“Exactly,” I said. “Your practicality made me smile.”
“I'm so glad I'm able to entertain you,” Odin huffed. “But we have a problem, Elaria. Mimir has been plotting against us for longer than we thought. He was the one who got Eileen out of that cell.”
“I figured as much.” I nodded. “Do you know how he did it?”
“That day Mimir came to see me”—Odin started toward the door that led down to his work area—“he didn't start off asking about you. First, he asked for help with a spell. It was a benign spell; one to heal some of his livestock. But he didn't mention what he needed until we were in my workroom.”
Odin led me down into his workspace, and I was surprised to see that one of the shelves was messy. Not torn apart, just messy; as if someone had rifled through it. In Odin's orderly world, it stuck out like a neon sign reading “someone's been here.” But Odin walked past it. He took me to his prison cells and showed me the open door to the cell Eileen had been in.
“Mimir knew I kept certain ingredients upstairs in my fridge,” Odin said.
I lifted a brow at this.
“Some spell components need to be kept cold,” he huffed. “Anyway, Mimir knew that I would need to go back upstairs to get the ingredient.”
“Leaving him alone in your workroom,” I concluded.
“Yes; with access to my prison cells.” Odin pointed at the inside of the door. “Mimir used that time to install this.”
I couldn't even see it at first; I had to crouch and peer into the locking mechanism. Inside, there was the slightest glimmer; a copper glimmer.
“Fuck,” I whispered.
“Yes, indeed.” Odin grimaced. “Mimir slipped a charged piece of copper into the locks of both cell doors.” He pulled something out of his pocket and showed it to me. It was a sliver of copper. “They held spells that could blast through my wards; spells that only a copper Shining One would have been able to trigger. I found this one intact inside the other door.”
“He didn't know which cell you'd use,” I said.
“No; but he knew I'd bring Eileen here,” Odin said. “Mimir may not be the best spellcaster, but he's very intelligent. The steps he must have taken to plan this is astounding. He would have to create such mischief that it would draw my attention and then set someone into place to take the fall for it while he escaped. His involvement would pull me in, while the trauma of the events would make me insist on placing the villain we did catch in my cells.”
“That's pretty devious,” I noted. “But why go through all of that? What did he accomplish? He got Eileen captured so that she could escape? That seems stupid.”
“He did it to get Primeval,” Odin said. “I think my theory is right; Mimir wants Tír na nÓg, and he's only getting started.”
“I still don't see how Eileen's escape helped him.”
“You noted the chaos in my workspace?” He asked.
“If by 'chaos' you mean the shelf that's been messed up a bit,” I said with a smirk, “then yes, I noted it.”
“I've cataloged every item on that shelf, Elaria,” Odin said gravely. “There is only one thing missing; the Drachen Diamond.”
“The Drachen Diamond?” My eyes went wide. “There's a dragon diamond?”
“There are several,” he said, “but only one in my collection. It's nearly impossible for a non-Drachen to acquire a Drachen diamond. The dragons hoard their treasures; especially those of their own creation.”
“The dragons make the diamonds?” I gaped at him.
“When they hibernate beneath the earth.” Odin nodded. “The combination of their sleeping-movements and their fiery breath can create the jewels. The Drachen often awake to find themselves lying in a bed of diamonds.”
“Which they must love,” I concluded.
“Quite,” he said crisply. “And due to the way the diamonds are formed—products of this dominant, fiery, earth-shifting energy—they are magical gold mines of power.”
“What do you think Mimir's going to do with that power?” I whispered.
“Well, here's the whole of my horrifying theory, Elaria,” Odin said softly. “Years ago, when I was young and so very stupid, I wanted to rule a world. I created a spell to reform a planet and make it mine.”
“What the fuck does that mean; reform a planet?” I asked.
“It means that the spellcaster can alter landscapes to his pleasure,” Odin said. “Oceans and mountains moved, forests replanted; the possibilities are endless.”
“But what happens to the living creatures on the planet when such reformation takes place?”
“The caster can save whatever and whoever he chooses,” Odin went grim, “and who he lets die.”
“Fuck,” I hissed.
“Yes, indeed.”
“And let me guess,” I said with a scowl, “it requires a Drachen diamond to power it?”
“Precisely,” Odin confirmed. “Not only that; Mimir knows the spell. I created it back when I was with the Norse Gods, and I shared it with him.”
“What? Why would you do that?” I gaped at him.
“Because I was under the impression that we were friends,” Odin huffed. “And I wanted him to help me take a planet. You can't rule a world alone.”
“It looks as if Mimir has adopted your plan and found himself some new partners,” I muttered.
“So, it does.”
“How fucked are we?”
“If we can find Mimir before he casts the spell, we'll be fine,” Odin said calmly.
“And if we can't?”
“Then Tír na nÓg is as good as his.”
Chapter Forty-Three
We went back upstairs and let Vivian, Cerberus, and my consorts inside. Vivian sent the other Witches away. Then Odin explained the situation to everyone, while I sat to the side and tried to come up with a plan. Before we did anything else, we had to find Mimir. The obvious place to look would be Primeval; but that was a large search area unless he was dumb enough to go back to the Amber Temple. I had offered to sing-search for him, but Odin pointed out that Mimir was most likely the one to lock me out of my previous searches. Even if he wasn't, he'd know better than to leave himself unwarded. We'd have to find him the old-fashioned way.
The Shining One men had looks of horror on their faces when Odin finished, while the rest of the group just gaped at Odin. Then they all burst out shouting. Odin waited for them to calm themselves; looking at me with a pained expression. I nodded in commiseration; sometimes people needed to vent before they could speak rationally.
“So, what do we do about this?” Banning was the first to come to reason.
“We kill that son of a bitch,” Torin snarled.
“But we must hunt him
first,” Gage added.
“Where do we hunt?” Declan asked.
“Wouldn't he be in Primeval?” Vivian asked.
“He'll end up there eventually,” Odin agreed. “But I don't think he'll venture into Primeval until his spell is prepared.”
“How much preparation does it take?” Banning asked.
“Now, that's a good question.” Odin smirked. “It's a complicated spell, and Mimir isn't the most talented caster. It would take me weeks to prepare it.”
“And him?” I asked. “How long do you think it would take Mimir?”
“I can't know that for sure,” Odin admitted. “From what I know of him, I'd say months, but without any of his recent work to judge by, I can't be certain.”
“Would his spellbooks have enough information for you to make that kind of conclusion?” I asked.
“Shit,” Odin huffed. “You're right; I should have grabbed some of his books. They would have had notes in them that I could have used to determine his level of skill.”
Declan smirked at me.
“Go ahead,” I said to the Alexandrite King. “It was your idea; you take the credit.”
“What was your idea?” Odin asked.
“To bring Mimir's spellbooks with us,” Declan said as he headed for the door. He opened it and bent over to retrieve a stack of books. “We took as many as we could carry.”
Declan set the books down before Odin while the rest of us went to bring in the rest of them. Odin began to smile.
“Good thinking, King Declan!” Odin immediately snatched up a book and started flipping through it.
“I can help with this,” Vivian said as she started searching spellbooks too.
“That's great, but we still need to find Mimir,” I said. “And Eileen. Fuck; I really thought she was innocent, and all along she was only wasting our time until Mimir could lure us away from Coven Cay.” I shook my head. “Then she grabbed the diamond and ran; a fucking Shining One queen turned into a jewel thief. There's some irony in that.”
“Well, there's one way to find a Drachen diamond,” Vivian said absently.
“What is wrong with me?” Odin cried to the ceiling.
We all stopped to stare at him.
“I should have thought of that!” He wailed at Vivian.
“Odin,” Vivian said gently as she laid her hand over his. “You have ever been this way with Mimir. He simultaneously makes you feel superior and inferior. He has a brilliant mind, but a complete lack of finesse for witchcraft. Mimir was your most challenging pupil as well as your most challenging rival, and that sets you off your game.”
“Thank you, Vivian,” Odin whispered. “You're right; I need to focus on the matter at hand, and not the man behind the chaos.”
“Yes, wonderful,” Torin drawled. “Now, would either of you care to let us in on the one way to find a Drachen diamond?”
“With a Drachen, of course.” Vivian shrugged.
“It has to be a specific Drachen,” Odin amended. “Drachen diamonds are imbued with the energy of their creator. They can be tracked by the dragon who formed them.”
“So, you wouldn't want to go stealing one from a dragon,” Gage noted.
“Which is why it's so difficult to acquire a Drachen diamond.” Odin nodded. “I did a favor for a Drachen once, and in exchange, I received a diamond.”
“Do you know where we could find this Drachen?” I asked.
“I do.” Odin smiled softly.
“Well?” I asked. “Where is he?”
“She is on her home planet of Drach, I would imagine,” Odin said. “In the Dragon Realm.”
In the Beneath—the secret world of supernatural beings on Earth—there are two types of dragons, but they had both originated from the same realm; the Dragon Realm. In their universe, there are two habitable planets. The Drachen come from planet Drach. When they first arrived in the Human Realm, they landed on what is now Germany. They influenced the people there and helped to develop the language and the culture. Thus, the German word for dragon is “Drachen.” The Ryū come from planet Ry—pronounced Ree—and they landed in Japan; having the same influence on the Japanese as the Drachen had on the Germans. And so, the Japanese word for dragon became “ryū.”
Both planets are known to be dangerously beautiful; full of wild creatures and even wilder people. Most Dragons returned to their home worlds and only visit Earth on occasion. Though some remained and live as humans in their alternate, human shape which allows them to blend in. Being in human bodies for prolonged periods of time can be taxing on dragons, which is why beneather Drachen are known to be volatile. Their Ryū cousins learned to meditate and control their emotions, and are less prone to outbursts of violence. I've worked with Ryū before; they are lovely, well-mannered people. The Drachen, however, are another matter entirely. I've interacted with enough of them to know better than to go traipsing onto their planet asking for help. Especially without an invitation.
“Odin,” I said in a low tone.
He smiled brightly. I didn't have to express my concerns to Odin; he obviously knew the Drachen better than I did.
“It will be all right, Elaria,” Odin said. “I'll get us an invitation.”
“Just when I thought I knew you, you go and say that you can get an invitation to Drach,” Vivian said with wonder.
“I have many secrets, my dear.” Odin winked at her.
“Fine,” I huffed. “But you're coming with us, Odin.”
Odin blinked in surprise. “I can't go; I need to look through these spellbooks.”
“I'm not going to Drach on an invitation made to the Earthshaker, without the Earthshaker!” I growled.
Odin sighed deeply. “There's no need to be so melodramatic, Elaria.” He got to his feet. “I'll contact Ilis now, and if she'll receive us, we'll leave as soon as possible.”
“Thank you,” I muttered.
“You know that I want to stop Mimir as much as you do,” he chided me.
“Odin, why do you have to go all daddy on me?” I asked. “It gets weird.”
“Well, they do call me the Allfather.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Drach was a planet of deserts, oceans, and a few forests. The most populated regions were the driest. But perhaps I'm doing Drach a disservice by calling them deserts. There weren't mountains of sand; it was more like Arizona than the Sahara. Massive rock formations dominated the landscape, with hardy plants clinging determinedly to the stone and to life itself. But there was more to Drach than what you saw on its surface.
We arrived on Drach in one of the drier zones; standing before a mountain of bare rock. The stone wasn't the auburn color you're probably imagining. When I said it was like Arizona, I only meant it in the most basic way; the shape of its terrain. The natural monuments around us were colored in shades of green and blue; from cypress to cyan with some cerulean thrown in. There were mineral deposits in the stones that glimmered in the sunlight, but despite the sparkle, the color tricked the eye into thinking the land was a lush paradise covered in foliage.
The heat was high and the humidity low; perfect for reptiles, I suppose. As I stared around at the rocky soil and looming stones, a panel in the mountain opened, and a woman stepped out through it. I gave a little start and focused on her sharply. She was muscled like an athlete, but not a body-builder; perhaps a tennis player. In spite of her obvious strength, she wore a very feminine gown of glittering teal silk. The color made her green eyes even brighter, and her strawberry-blonde hair seem almost auburn. Her skin was fair, but not pale; a perfect counterpart to the bright hair that flowed past her waist. She stepped forward with confidence and a warm smile.
“Odin!” She held her arms out to him.
“Ilis,” Odin said as he went into her embrace. “It's been far too long, and yet you're as breathtaking as ever.”
“Thank you,” she said softly as she eased away from him. “I cannot say that you haven't aged, but I will say that the years
look good on you.”
Odin chuckled. “It's the eye patch; it gives me that bad boy appeal.”
“What happened?” She asked as she looked over the leather patch.
“An accident.” Odin sighed. “Though I'm not sure of that anymore. Coincidentally, we are here with the hope that you will help us find the man who may have been behind the accident that took my eye.”
“You want me to help you get vengeance?” Ilis smiled like Odin had brought her jewelry and roses.
