Highway to Hel

by S. E. Babin

  "It will pass," a voice to my right said. I blinked to clear my vision and saw a woman standing over the bed of a patient. My heart pounded, but I could tell almost right away it wasn't Loki. My gaze strayed back to the woman.

  She looked heartbreakingly young. Chestnut colored hair curled down to her waist and her eyes were the color of wheat. Her nose was small and pert and her top lip was thinner than the bottom. The woman was pretty in a maiden sort of way, though innocence wafted from her. I knew better than to take it at face value, though. Sometimes, it was protective magic that made them seem more harmless than they really were. I suspected this was the case with her.

  "Eir, I presume?"

  She nodded, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "You presume correctly. Come in, goddess. Please make yourself comfortable. I'll have a nymph fetch us tea."

  I waved a hand. "I just want to gather Loki and then I'll be on my way."

  Eir sighed and walked over to me. A seating area appeared right next to me. "Sit just for a moment. I promise you'll be on your way soon."

  I sat, though we both knew I didn't want to. "How is he?" I blurted. I was bad at small talk on the best of days and this had not been one of the best.

  Her eyes clouded over and I steeled myself for the news. If he hadn't survived, I would be free of the bond. I would be ... free. The thought sank in my stomach like a heavy boulder. After Odin today, I realized maybe I didn't want to be alone. Maybe I wanted someone in my life like Loki. Maybe I should give us a chance.

  "Please tell me he's okay," I whispered, clearing my throat of grief. "I'm not sure I could bear it if he wasn't."

  "He took a lot of damage," Eir began, "but I was able to stabilize him when he came in. Right now, I'm cautiously optimistic. I had to untangle Hel's magic and it wasn't easy. But with my help and his own magic working to speed his healing, I believe he'll be up by tomorrow morning."

  A slow smile worked its way to my lips before I caught myself. It wouldn't be wise to show another goddess how much I cared about Loki. Knowledge like that could get him killed.

  "Child," Eir said, patting my hand, "we are neutral territory. This city is full of healers and we practice discretion in every area. Do not fret that you've come to care about Loki." A dimple hit her cheek. "This is not the first time we've seen him here and the last time he came in, he damned near charmed the pants of all of my nurses."

  A snort escaped me. That sounded like him.

  "He's definitely in worse shape than before, but something tells me he has someone else to chase now instead of my people."

  I pressed my lips together and remained silent.

  Eir sighed. "Very well, Freya. Remain mistrusting." She rang a tiny bell on the table and a woman scurried around the corner mere seconds later. She was dressed in gold as well, though her suit was not covered in glitter. "Tea, please, Miriam. Something restorative for Freya and something uplifting for me, please."

  The woman nodded and gave a shallow bow before disappearing around the corner.

  "Loki isn't going anywhere, Freya. I assure you. Sit with me a moment and talk. It's rare we get visitors here anymore. Sure, we have patients, but it's rare someone who genuinely cares about another stops by."

  I gave her a long look and waited for her to elaborate, but she fell silent. "That's sad," I said after the pause went on too long.

  "That's the gods," she said. A sad smile crossed her lips. "Now tell me, I find it very curious that a dark goddess ... no, the dark goddess showed up carrying a limp Trickster in her arms. Can you tell me how that came to be?"

  I shook my head. "Nope."

  Something flashed in her eyes. "Ah well. More's the pity. I'm sure it would have been a great story."

  "Speaking of her, did she happen to say where she ran off to?'

  Eir's amber gaze met mine. "She told me to tell you she hoped you liked coming home to a 'shithole'," her nose wrinkled delicately at that, "and that she'd be busy tearing it apart to spite you."

  I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing out loud. Morrigan was telling me she was home and she was probably rebuilding the wards. Leave it to her to make an insult into code for something positive. I tried my best to look alarmed, but it was hard. I was tired and I still had a lot of work to do before any of us were safe.

  "I must leave soon," I said, sending a thread of urgency in my tone. "Morrigan has been trying to get into my town for months now."

  Eir looked a little alarmed, but also a little put-out. The nymph came back through the door with the tray of tea, and I stood. I didn't have time for social niceties, and I also wasn't sure how wise it was to consume a beverage in a goddesses' territory I wasn't familiar with.

  I stood up and stretched. "Please take me to Loki, Eir. I need to get him back home immediately. Someone is waiting on him.” That someone was me, but I didn't tell her that. So far, Eir didn't seem all that threatening, but she was an unrepentant gossip. Eir sniffed and rose, her skirts falling perfectly around her as she stood. The dress was more reminiscent of a medieval play than anything I'd ever seen and carried the faint scent of must when she moved.

  She set her tea mug down delicately and led me to the back of the room. She placed a hand on the wall and a panel slid out.

  "Look away, please."

  I did, knowing full well she'd change the code on the lock within 24 hours after me leaving. I heard the snick of another panel sliding out and turned to see the wall had turned into a massive opening. Eir motioned me in and I walked into the weirdest sight I'd ever seen. It looked like a hospital, but the kind they had on earth. I'd only seen one once and this one was similar, but appeared to be a lot more technologically advanced.

  "Woah," I said.

  Eir smiled proudly. "We develop new medicine in the labs down the hall and work with witches and the gods to do it. We rarely see anything that can't be cured with magic, but just in case, we have a fully developed human lab next door. It's rarely used, but we keep all kinds of medicines on hand. If you'll follow me."

  She led me down the hall and into an area where there were partitions sectioning off semi-private rooms. Eir opened one of the curtains and inside lay Loki. His golden skin was pale against the white sheets and his face looked even worse under the bright lights. There was something hooked into his skin and attached to a bag full of glowing blue liquid above him. I went over to him and brushed his ebony hair back from his forehead.

  "Loki," I whispered.

  He didn't move a muscle. I looked around and grabbed a chair so I could sit next to him. Eir let herself out once I gave her a long stare, though she didn't seem super pleased about it. I got up, shut the curtain, and allowed a slip of magic to cover Loki and me so no one else could hear me.

  "Loki." I leaned down to whisper in his ear. "We need to get you out of here. I don't think you're safe." My breath moved his hair as I spoke, and I touched a raven lock of it.

  Odin made the edict protecting Eir and her healers, but that also meant he could break it without punishment. If he suspected Loki was here, he wouldn't hesitate to come after him. I just didn't know if I could safely move him without damaging him more than he already was. I tested to see if Morrigan had left the link between us open. I would have her close it down when I got home, but for now it would be helpful.

  Morrigan?

  Oh, thank the gods, she responded immediately. I was too scared to reach out just in case someone realized what we were doing! And that bitch Hel wouldn't tell me anything. Where are you?

  I'm at the Healing Mountain.

  There was a long pause. You need to get out of there. Immediately. I took Loki because I had to, but I had plans to leave him only long enough so he wouldn't die.

  Do you think I can move him?

  Is he conscious? she asked.

  No. It looks like he's dead. And there's something hooked up to his arm.

  What color is it?

  Blue. It's glowing.

  Hmm. Sounds like it might ju
st be fluids or something. I'm going to walk you through unhooking him, but you need to get the hell out of there right afterward because you'll probably trip an alarm.

  Okay. Tell me. I took a deep breath and began to listen.

  I had no idea I was squeamish until I had to remove a four-pronged needle from my husband's arm. I gagged when the needle pulled on his skin and finally had to say screw it because I couldn't get it out easily. If he couldn't heal a star-shaped cut on his skin, we had bigger problems than this.

  I yanked it out, shut my eyes, and whispered the words to take us home.

  We were disappearing just as shouts of alarm rang out. Morrigan had been right. They were monitoring him via the IV. I guess it made sense just in case something happened, but they knew the second I unhooked him.

  We landed in a heap inside of my ruined house, right at Morrigan's feet.

  "Shit!" she exclaimed, her hand over her heart and her eyes wide with surprise. "A little warning next time, please!"

  I glared at her and picked Loki up, thanking the gods again for my freakish strength. "We need to get him into bed," I said, having no idea if that's what we should actually do. "Then we need to get the wards fixed ASAP. If Odin suspects we're vulnerable, we're completely screwed."

  Morrigan eyed Loki. "Damn. He looks worse than when I dropped him off."

  I headed down the hall, grimacing at the damage to my house, and pushed open the door to my bedroom. Nothing was touched in here, but the smoke smell overpowered just about everything. It wasn't ideal, but we didn't have much else right now. Creating something new would take time, and right now, we didn't have much of it.

  I laid him gently on the bed and covered him with a blanket. I placed both my hands on his temples and sent a request for Morrigan to fully open the bond.

  Pain ripped into me and I doubled over, groaning. Gasping in air, I clutched my stomach as tears pooled in my eyes. It took a moment for me to straighten up and when I did, I touched Loki's temples again. I wasn't sure what I could do, but we were bonded, so there had to be something.

  I tentatively touched him with my magic. The pink and white of my Seidr power reached out to him and gently curled around his body. I poured it into him and concentrated on healing his wounds, internal and external. Pain racked my body and I trembled as I grew weaker and weaker.

  Cool hands on my neck startled me out of it.

  "Let go," commanded Morrigan.

  "No," I whispered.

  "Look at him, Freya" she demanded.

  I blinked and looked down at my husband. His flesh was once again golden. The black eyes had disappeared and he was no longer swollen everywhere. I still continued pouring magic into him.

  "Stop!" she said again.

  "What if it isn't enough?" I cried.

  "You're killing yourself, Freya," she said softly. "Look." My power hitched and stalled and my skin paled. I swayed over Loki.

  I turned my gaze up to Morrigan and was just about to speak when my eyes rolled back and I lurched forward.

  Darkness claimed me and my power sputtered out and died.

  Fourteen

  I awoke in a room I'd never seen before. The walls were a dark purple and the ceiling was covered in the night stars. I blinked wearily and frowned wondering where in the hell I was.

  "You like?" Morrigan asked. "You've been passed out for ten damn hours, so I took it upon myself to build myself a space."

  A croaked laugh escaped me. "Onto my house?"

  "Of course," she said brightly. "I don't have my own yet." She looked amused, but I could see the worry in her eyes and in the grim set of her lips. She grasped my hands and peered into my eyes. "Don't ever do that to me again, Freya. I swear to the gods. I only have one friend in the world and if you die, I'm just going to snap my fingers and kill everything out of annoyance."

  "Please don't do that," I croaked.

  "Then stop trying to be the hero.” Morrigan stood, and I noticed she'd changed into a dark wash pair of grey jeans and a ripped tank top. I'd never seen her look so casual. She wore no feathers in her hair and her face was devoid of makeup. She looked like someone's little sister, though I'd never dare to tell her so.

  "Loki?" I asked, sitting up and crying out as soon as I did because my head felt like it was about to explode.

  "Your boy toy is fine," she said. "I won't let him come in because all he does is pace around the room. I just installed this carpet and I don't want a Loki stress line through it."

  I pressed my lips together for a second. "Can he come in now?"

  She rolled her eyes. "Fine. But no hankie pankie. You are in no shape for the horizontal mambo, and I swear to the gods, if you do it in my bed, I'll kill you both."

  "Morrigan," I said, "please stop."

  She huffed and opened the door. Loki spilled into the room, his green eyes wide with relief as he spotted me awake.

  "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," she said and squeezed past him as she walked out of the room.

  He looked tons better than when I saw him last. His dark hair remained unbrushed, but instead of it looking disheveled, it gave him a rakish air. We looked at each other, and I saw a man I'd never fully noticed before.

  Someone who loved me very much. I wasn't sure I deserved it. I also wasn't sure if I was ready to give everything to a man again. I didn't know if he could accept that. Loki deserved the world, and I wasn’t sure I could give it to him.

  I inhaled a shaky breath and was about to speak when he rushed forward and fell on his knees by the side of the bed. He picked my hand up and pressed a kiss into the knuckles.

  "My gods, Freya. I thought I'd lost you." He squeezed his eyes shut and took a shaky breath. "I prayed you'd stay away, but I couldn't help myself for wanting you to come."

  I realized I hadn't told him about Hel and her role in freeing him. There was so much I needed to tell him, but all I wanted to do was talk to him about nothing for a while.

  "I would never leave you trapped somewhere, Loki. Of course, I came for you. Morrigan did, too."

  He rolled his eyes. "Yes, she's told me no less than ten times."

  A surprised laugh came from me. Sounded like her. "She's ..." I paused. "I think you'll like her."

  He nodded. "Of all the people she finally made friends with, I have to admit I'm not surprised it's you." His eyes narrowed. "She's not going to live here, is she?"

  "For a little while," I said, realizing I hadn't talked to her about it yet. "Just until we get the place fixed up again."

  At that, his mouth took on a grim set. "I haven't seen it yet. Morrigan won't let me go out of the house."

  "I'll walk with you this evening and take you around. There are some things I need to tell you first."

  Loki kept hold of my hand, his warm and large around mine. "Morrigan told me about Odin." He shook his head. "The first thing we need to do is get the wards fixed. I'm not sure where Hel sent him, but it won't take him long to find his way back. If he suspects we're vulnerable -"

  I nodded, cutting him off. "As soon as I get out of bed, Morrigan and I plan to fix it."

  "Morrigan?" he questioned.

  "The Valkyries compromised the wards and allowed Hel in. And that's also what I need to talk to you about."

  "Hel," he muttered, his lips pressing together.

  I put a hand on his arm and squeezed it gently. "It's a little more complicated than it appears. She took you to get to me."

  Loki rolled his eyes. "And because she hates me."

  I smiled at him. "The thing about that is, I don't think she does."

  His gaze sharpened. "She bargained your life with Odin to bring me to her. I don't quite understand her motivations behind it, but I don't understand most of the Asgardians’ motivations. They all play the long game."

  His expression turned thoughtful. "What did she want?"

  I sat straight up, wincing as my head pounded in time with the movement. That reminded me. Morrigan never told me the details of the
binding. I'd never placed that much faith in someone before. If she had wanted to screw me over, it would have been the perfect time to do it.

  "Morrigan!" I called, swinging my legs over the side of the bed.

  Loki put a hand on my knee. "You don't have to get up. The magic you expended exhausted you. I wouldn't get up for a while if I were you."

  "And you almost died today and yet here you are."

  His lip curled up on the right side. "Touche, little witch." Loki held a hand out and helped me to my feet.

  Morrigan entered the room, her face perplexed. "You can't already be finished making up. After all that? Totally weak."

  I rolled my eyes and pointed for her to go out. "I'll follow you into the living room. We need to talk about Hel."

  A wicked glint appeared in her eyes before she turned around. My stomach clenched and I hated myself for it. Morrigan risked a lot to help me today. She wouldn't betray me.

  It's just that I was so used to everyone betraying me when I was married to Odin, I'd forgotten what it was really like to have a trusted friend.

  I could only hope Morrigan was one of those.

  I curled up in my oversized chair and watched Loki as he went to the kitchen. I prayed he was making me a cup of coffee, but asking him to felt too domesticated.

  Morrigan plopped onto the couch and curled her bare feet under her. She pulled down the fuzzy blanket from the top of the couch, though she winced when the smell of smoke drifted up. "Ugh. We're going to have to replace everything," she muttered.

  "Tell me about the binding between me and Hel," I said, as I wished I had a blanket.

  The sound of a cup crashing in the kitchen made Morrigan laugh out loud. "Loki is appalled," she whispered to me.

  He came out of the kitchen, his eyes wide with shock. "Freya, no. Please tell me you didn't."

  I couldn't deny it, so I didn't.

  An anguished breath exploded from him. "To save me?" he bellowed. "Of all the things ..." his nostrils flared. "I would rather have died than link you to the Underworld! You cannot trust Hel."

  I didn't have to say a word because Morrigan interrupted. "Relax, Trickster."