by S. E. Babin
Loki sagged against the kitchen counters. "So she isn't bound?" he said, relief dripping from his voice.
Morrigan shook her head. "Oh no. She's definitely bound. But..." she grinned, a sharp smile on her ethereal face. "Hel won't harm a hair on either of your pretty heads so long as the binding stays intact." Morrigan looked entirely too pleased with herself.
That was surprisingly good news. I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop, though. "I want you to tell me the exact wording you used when you bound us."
"Spoilsport," Morrigan grumbled, but she rolled her eyes and pretended to think about it. "Hel obviously needs you for something and she isn't above using someone, in this case, you, Loki.” She winked at him. "If someone as powerful as her agreed to be bound, she's desperate." Morrigan studied her dark nails for a moment before continuing. "I know how to manipulate the gods, Freya. Desperation was my bread and butter for a long, long time. So, Hel is not allowed to harm either of you, any of your potential offspring, or anyone you claim as family."
My eyes widened. That was really good news.
"She is also not allowed to tell you what it is she really wants for the period of seven hundred and thirty days."
Loki's eyes glittered with dark amusement. Morrigan had bought us two years of peace from her. Gods bless the woman. I could kiss her right now.
"However," she continued, "if her request is within your power to grant and doesn't violate any of the old rules, you will be required to grant it."
That ... wasn't so great. My lips twisted. But it wasn't terrible. The old laws prevented us from murdering each other and some other things, but a clever god could usually get around it. I'd have to tread carefully with this.
"Also," she continued, "Hel will be required to report in and help around the town for three months of the year."
Loki burst out laughing. A smile made my lips twitch. "Like volunteer service?"
Morrigan grinned at me. "Whatever you wish for her to do."
A wide grin spread across my lips. "You, my friend, are a deviant."
"Yes, well," she purred, "I try. Hel will be quite angry when she has time to examine the terms of it. It was to our advantage Odin was there throwing a wrench in everything." Her smile fell. "Speaking of the old coot, we need to get the wards repaired and back up before he finds his way out of Jotunheim."
Loki chortled again. "Morrigan, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."
An impudent dimple peeked from her cheek. "I agree, Trickster. Though if you harm one hair on Freya's beautiful red head, I will string you from the whipping post myself and allow my ravens to peck out your eyes over and over again."
Though Loki paled a bit at the thought of that, he offered Morrigan an elegant bow. "And I would richly deserve it," he said gallantly and went back into the kitchen. I was still hopeful he was making me a cup of coffee.
I reached across the space and put a hand on Morrigan's knee. "From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, Morrigan." Sending a hint of magic through my voice, I spoke again. "I claim thee, Morrigan, as sister of my heart, and protect you under the binding between the goddess Hel and I."
Her eyes widened and, to my surprise, tears shimmered in them before she looked away. "Well," she said, her voice thick with emotion, "you really took the fun out of me stepping out of this town and being violently murdered by Loki's daughter."
I laughed. "Like anyone could murder you. You're far too devious to allow that to happen."
"You're right," she said airily. "Your husband is bringing us coffee," she said suddenly. "I have to admit. He's more delightful than I expected."
A couple of seconds later, the smell of coffee filled the air. "He uses the good cream," I said.
"We'll fix the wards afterward," she promised. "I've never had a man make me coffee before." There was a tinge of sadness in her voice.
"Stick around here," I said. "Every morning he brings it to me."
"In bed, I hope," Morrigan said with a saucy wink.
I rolled my eyes and waited for my husband to come out of the kitchen. We still had a lot of work to do, but there was no place like home.
Fifteen
Suitably caffeinated, Morrigan, Loki, and I walked to the edge of the town. You couldn't tell just by looking at it that the wards were damaged. In fact, even when I opened my othersight, there still appeared to be nothing wrong with them. It wasn't until I began examining them with a fine-tooth comb that I found a dark spot. A tiny dark glimmer inside of the Valkyries' magic. If Trin wasn't the one responsible for it, she definitely at least had a hand in it.
"We should completely destroy these wards," Morrigan said. She frowned as she stared at them. We stood next to each other, both studying the complicated cross hatching magic patterns.
"You don't think they're salvageable as they are?" I asked, unnecessarily.
She gave me a sharp smile. "Have you seen your town lately?"
"Burn," I said, my voice mild. "Alright. But if the wards fall, we will be exposed to humans."
Her brow furrowed. "Where is this place situated? I've rarely been to earth, except for this place. But this town feels like it's not quite on earth but not quite off, either."
"It's sort of in a pocket," I explained. "There are aversion wards set up to warn humans away. We haven't had any issues with unsuspecting people wandering in. If they tried, they'd bounce right off the protections and since we don't want that to happen, we just make them feel very unpleasant until they decide to go away."
Morrigan made a noise in her throat. "It's almost evening time. Let's go grab a bite to eat. Then we can come back and work in the dark. It should make it easier to keep from human eyes."
I nodded and looked up at Loki.
He stared into the distance.
"Do you have an opinion?" I asked, a little amused at his inattention.
He blinked in surprise. "Ah, no." Loki chuckled. "Sorry, you caught me daydreaming."
"Oh?" I asked as we began to walk toward the bar. "What about?"
"What this town could look like with the four of us putting our heads together and creating something new." Loki stuck his hands in his pockets and looked forward.
"I thought we already did that?" I asked, a little confused.
"You did this, Freya, and it was a wonderful thing. But you're asking for our help now and together I think we can really do something even more spectacular."
"We aren't getting stripper poles put in the middle of town, Loki," I warned.
Morrigan snorted beside me.
Loki laughed. "Although that puts a lot of wonderful pictures in my head, I was thinking of something else. Perhaps we could start a community garden."
I tilted my head and looked up at him. "That's a wonderful idea."
His expression brightened. "We could grow heirloom crops only and we could give some to the restaurant for dinner service and give the rest to the townspeople for their contribution to it."
Morrigan looked flummoxed. I sent a questioning look her way. "This is wonderful," she murmured. "I never wanted to be part of a community because I never wanted to be ruled by a despot." She shrugged. "I don't know how to garden, but I learn easily."
Loki slung a companionable arm over her shoulder. "I'll be happy to teach you and so would Freya. You're going to love it here, Morrigan. I can feel it in my old bones."
A slight smile touched her lips all the way to Freya's Place. Happiness filled my heart at the sight. We could all be happy here if we worked hard enough.
Gravelbeard threw his kitchen towel down and rushed out of the kitchen. I took a step back but he continued barreling toward me until he'd gathered me into a bone-crushing hug. He stepped back, cleared his throat, and said, "We will never speak of that again, aye?"
We nodded.
The dwarf nodded to Morrigan and Loki and motioned us back. "Eyra did all the chopping already so we're just about finished with dinner service prep. Are you hungry?"
/> "Famished, honorable dwarf!" Morrigan declared, pretending not to see the flush of pleasure on Gravelbeard's cheeks. "And when we're finished here tonight, we're going to need you to come back to the edge of town with us so you can add in your input about the wards."
The dwarf nodded and waddled off to make us bowls. I came up beside him and helped. Pulling the lid off of one large pot, I inhaled. The smell of tender beef, garlic, and gravy wafted up to my nose. "This smells amazing."
"Beef stew," he said, "with carrots and herbs from my garden. There's a massive pot in the back, too. I figure people could use some comfort food right about now. There's tiramisu in the fridge, too."
"You've outdone yourself," I commented as he scooped a huge ladle of stew into my bowl.
"I hoped you'd be back tonight and I wanted to have something comforting for you. I didn't know whether you'd be successful or not, though I hoped you would be." He eyed Loki. "I like the god over there. Both of them. But especially the violent woman. She seems like someone good to have on your side."
I nodded, studying the two people who'd crashed my life in such a wonderful way. "I agree." I lightly hip-checked him. "And so are you."
Gravelbeard made a disgusted noise and ladled out two more bowls for Morrigan and Loki. I carried one and the dwarf carried the other over. Morrigan leaned down into the bowl and inhaled deeply. I remembered what she'd said about eating earlier, and I hoped she liked it. Gravelbeard was a wonderful chef and it would mean the world to him.
"This smells amazing," she said, lifting her gaze to him. Gravelbeard's beard twitched and he looked away.
I hid a smile and began to eat.
We were going to be okay.
After the dinner rush, we closed the bar down early and headed over to the edge of town. When we arrived, we filled Gravelbeard in on our plans. "So what happens if someone is already here who has ill intent?" he asked.
It was a question I hadn't thought of, but from Morrigan's glittering eyes, she had. "The wards will cast them out," she said lightly.
"Not kill, right?" I needed clarification. Morrigan was still Morrigan, no matter that we were friends.
She rolled her eyes. "It won't kill them. Just sting a little."
"What if they have a family?" Loki asked. "It would be wise to cast them all out, not just one person. We don't want anyone with grudges living here."
"It seems harsh," I admitted.
"Is the smoking ruins of your town not harsh enough?" Gravelbeard muttered as he spat on the ground.
I held my hands up. "Fine. I'm soft. I know. I don't want to kill anyone," I said again. "We can just have them and any blood relatives or other non-blood family cast out. I don't think it will be anyone else," I said hopefully.
Morrigan scoffed at that. "Darling, there's always someone waiting to kill you. All of you. Me included. We have too much power to be without enemies."
Loki nodded. "I agree with the dark one."
"Fine," I relented. "Do what you think is best."
"We'll rebuild and key them automatically to you, Freya. Loki and Gravelbeard as well," Morrigan said.
"And you as well," I said.
Morrigan blinked. "I don't think that's wise, Freya. I have too many enemies.” She paused and exhaled a soft breath. “But I do not mind building them. I just don't think I should have control over them. If I key them to you, you'll be able to open and close them at will."
Loki and I locked gazes. Morrigan wasn't wrong. We were both aware of her history and some of the enemies she'd made. The woman was legendary and with that came legendary enemies. It was already a risk having her here. Would it be foolish to entrust her with the safety and well being of our town? I remembered our first time meeting. She'd scared the hell out of me. She still scared the hell out of me, but I was beginning to think I understood her. I'd never know her completely. I don't think any Asgardians knew each other all the way. Maybe it was the same way with humans. I didn't know.
I looked over at Gravelbeard and he was staring at Morrigan with a curious glint in his eye. "I say give her the keys and fuck all the rest of them," he said right before he spat on the ground.
Morrigan's lower lip wobbled. "I insist," she said after a moment. "I appreciate the sentiment, but it's foolhardy to entrust someone like me with something like this. I can promise you I'd never betray the trust, but no one knows if I'll ever end up in enemy hands." A fleeting smile crossed her face. "I feel like I may be on the tail end of luck in my life now. So please, let me do this for you." Her eyes pleaded with me, silent.
I nodded slowly, not liking it, but not wanting to make Morrigan uncomfortable. "For now," I told her. "But I want you to know it isn't because I don't trust you. You don't trust yourself. And when you do finally trust yourself, I want you to come to me and we will fix this. Okay?"
Loki gave me a slight nod of approval and Gravelbeard grunted.
Morrigan exhaled a relieved breath. "That is agreeable." She blinked. "I agree."
"Good. Should we start?" The sky was dark and the moon hung low and heavy in the sky. Stars twinkled above us, brighter than normal now that most of the town's lights had been dimmed by the fire. If we dropped the wards now, we'd have less of a chance of being exposed due to the time. I made sure to choose a remote area just in case of something like this, but humans were unpredictable even at the best of times, and we couldn't chance some random hiker happening on our town by accident.
"Alright," Morrigan said. "I want everyone to join hands."
Loki clasped my left and Gravelbeard took the right. Both men joined hands with Morrigan and we stood in a circle. A circle full of powerful gods - gods I'd never once thought would ever be here with me doing something this wonderful - and one angry dwarf I never thought would be loyal to me. The hair stood up on the back of my neck as Morrigan raised her magic. Mine rose in response and Morrigan nodded in encouragement.
Loki's emerald green magic rose in the air and combined with all of ours and Gravelbeard ... that tricky little dwarf even had some magic of his own. It rose as well - a coppery color that floated away from him and tangled with mine and Loki's. Morrigan was the last to mix - her black smoky power curling sinuously around ours.
"I want you to think of this place, think of what you want it to be, think of the safety and security you want to have here and hold those thoughts in your mind."
I imagined children playing, adults relaxing at the park, community dinners, plays, theatre, events where all of us participated and got along. I thought about people in need coming here and contributing to our society. Gods and goddesses with a similar vision coming together to create something new. I thought about reinforcing the wards with all of our power and deflecting evil intent. I thought about Loki and Gravelbeard, my bar, and my friends, and I thought about the future.
Power rose above us, the thick tang of magic cracking through the air. I could tell the moment the wards fell, exposing us all. Gooseflesh rose on my skin, but I continued holding on to Loki and Gravelbeard and Morrigan's low voice began to chant.
Cold, Virginia wind roared over our skin, exposing us to elements that hadn't been there before. I'd kept the place temperate on purpose, though I thought maybe I should give it four seasons. We didn't have that where we were from. Each region had a season or two, but it wasn't like earth. It would be a nice thing to mark the passage of time with the human seasons and so I began to think about that. I smiled as the thought of a human Christmas crossed my mind. We could have snowball fights. A Christmas tree. Presents by the fireplace. I realized as I stood there, I wanted to experience everything.
I opened my eyes only to see the townspeople gathering around us, their faces perplexed. Magic swirled around us as Morrigan began to remake the wards.
As we remade our town.
A low moan came to my left. I looked over my shoulder only to see a man clutching his stomach. He gasped in pain. I almost broke the circle, but Morrigan uttered my name with a sharp bark.
"Freya! Remember the purpose of the wards."
The realization hit me in the solar plexus. The man sank to his knees and as I watched in horror, he began to disappear, one atom at a time.
Screams of horror began as the woman next to him disappeared as did a small child holding the woman's hand. So ... I was wrong. There were people here who wanted to harm me. I swallowed hard and tried my best to hold the same picture in my mind - a place of happiness and love. I hoped he was the only one here with ill intent, but it was less than a minute later when a woman began to scream.
Loki squeezed my hand. "Breathe, Freya."
"I offered them everything," I whispered.
"I know," he whispered back. "For some people, it's never enough. It will never be enough. You never know how many of these people Odin sent here to spy. If you want to remake something, you have to cleanse it with fire. Perhaps that's what Hel has done for us. I do not like looking at the destruction as a favor, but perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.”
Two more people began to scream. By now, the townspeople were growing restless.
"What is happening?" one of them called.
"The wards are being rebuilt," Morrigan intoned, her eyes two blazing silver orbs. "Those who are here with ill intent are being cast out."
Gasps came from several people and I did my best to tune the noise out. If I kept thinking about this, I would make Morrigan stop.
It felt like we stood there forever with the skies full of magic, but it couldn't have been more than twenty minutes. I knew the moment the wards were back up. They felt different. Clear and pure, and I could feel the magic within me. I knew all I had to do was send a thought up and I could open and close the wards at will.
I couldn't bear to look to see how many people were left. Dropping my eyes, I inhaled a shaky breath. A sharp crack in the air made me jerk in surprise. Magic washed over me and exploded from Morrigan, filling the air with the smoky tang of it.
She dropped Loki and Gravelbeard's hands and swayed a little. Loki reached out and took her elbow and she smiled at him gratefully. "It is done," she announced. Morrigan turned and walked back toward the bar, her steps unsteady.
