When we dismounted, I tied the horse to the nearest watering post, and Charlie and I went inside the dark shop where two men were working separately, hammering on swords as they applied heat on the steel. We bypassed them and went up the stairs to the apartment above.
I banged on the door, and Fen swung it open. “About time you got here. I was going to send out a search party for you,” he said as I pushed past him.
“No need to get those knickers in a twist. We’re here.” I looked around the small studio. It had a small kitchenette, a bed, and a table with a computer hooked up. There was a door that I assumed led to the bathroom, and the walls were lined with art. Very rare art. “Is that a Monet?” I squinted as I pointed my finger at the painting on the wall.
“Don’t touch,” Thor grumbled as he walked back into the room from the bathroom, adjusting his belt. “It’s priceless.”
“No shit,” I murmured. “Did you steal all of this?” I gazed around the room. There wasn’t enough space for the lot of us.
“Steal is such a dirty word.” Thor brushed me off and went to sit at his computer desk. He was definitely weird. “Now let me see that memory chip. I have a memory card here somewhere we can use to insert it.” He scrambled through his belongings until he found it. I stood there dumbfounded as I watched him surrounded by a bunch of contraband. It was quite funny when you thought about it.
“How the hell do you have all of this when you haven’t been to Midgard in decades? You shouldn’t even know what a computer is.” My gaze lingered on the stolen goods.
“I’ve kept up with the times, Hrefna. Humans fascinate me, and man’s evolution has been remarkable. Now hand over the chip.” He wiggled his fingers at me.
“Here.” I handed the chip over when he found the card. He slipped it inside and then inserted it in the port on his PC.
“All right, let’s see what we have,” he mumbled as he navigated his computer to open up the file. Just then, Tyr walked into the room, and it was perfect timing. We all crowded behind Thor to take a look at his computer screen.
The first file he opened was schematics to what looked like a tunnel system. It was massive and was the first file of many for that layout. Different sections were marked off with a red dot, but there was no explanation as to what that meant.
Tyr cleared his throat. “That’s just a portion of a bigger map, correct?”
“That’s what it looks like,” Thor said as he opened other files that looked similar.
“Can we put them all together to see the whole picture?” I asked as I leaned forward, resting my forearm on the back of Thor’s chair.
“I can try. Hold on,” Thor muttered, and we gave him space to put it all together. Setting them side by side was easy. But finding out which connected with which file was the tough part. It was like a puzzle.
In the meantime, I leaned into Tyr and whispered, “Is Will okay?” Since he was here, that meant he wasn’t with Will, and that made me a little nervous.
Tyr grinned. “He’s in good hands, Hrefna. Don’t you worry.” I wish I didn’t have to worry, but I did. Will was human; he was fragile. And he was currently vulnerable. These Asgardians weren’t going to care much about him, unlike me. Whether he lived or died, he was just another human to them.
“All done!” Thor called out, and we all snapped our attention to him. Before us was a massive grid of underground tunnels with red dots scattered throughout. Like pinpoints.
“What is this?” Charlie murmured as she narrowed her eyes. “I don’t recognize this location.”
“Neither do I.” I shrugged.
Tyr tilted his head as he stared at the screen and then cursed. “Bloody hell.” He snapped his fingers. “This is our underground tunnel system, Thor.”
“This is Asgard?” I shouted as I pointed to the screen.
Fen chuckled beside me. “My sister’s smart; I’ll give her that.”
We all spun around to face him. “What are you talking about?” I asked.
He raised his brows. “Don’t you see what’s going on here? The dead have been a stall. She’s planning something underground. So while everyone’s been fighting up above, she’s been sneaking in down below. Genius really.”
I frowned. “Don’t give her too much credit.” I turned to Tyr. “Get some soldiers down there and see what she’s been doing. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with those dots.”
Thor printed out the map and handed it to Tyr before he left. Then he closed out of those files and searched through the rest.
“So we sort of have an idea of what she has planned for Asgard, what about Midgard?” I said as I went to stand beside Thor.
“It will have to be big because Midgard is at a larger scale than Asgard. Also, the population of Asgard is aware of supernaturals,” Fen said. “Destroying the human race is no easy feat.”
“Of course not, but I doubt she will have a villain’s checklist on here either.” I rolled my eyes.
“Funny,” he deadpanned.
Thor snorted. “It might not be a villain’s checklist, but we do have a list of some sorts.”
“Shut the front door.” Charlie gasped, and I chuckled at her attempt at not cursing.
Thor nodded. “It’s a list of names, origins, and addresses. They’re sorted by city, state, and country. It’s a huge list.”
“Look up Portland, Oregon.” I tapped him on the shoulder to hurry him up before I took over with the mouse and glanced up at Charlie. I scrolled to the O’s and found her name. “Goddamn, this is a list of all supernaturals. I don’t see a single human. How the hell did she acquire this?” I turned to Fen in hopes he had the answer. He seemed to know a lot.
He shrugged, wide eyed. “Beats me. I’m just as shocked as you are.” Was he really though? What could Hel possibly want with a list like this?
“Do you think she wants to out us?” Charlie whispered as she fiddled with the edge of her fresh tunic. “It might take a while, but the humans could kill us off first, and then she could swoop in with her hellhounds and the dead to off the humans. It’s not too crazy, right? Or have I been in captivity for too long?”
I gave her a sad smile. “It’s completely plausible, Charlie. The more she kills, the stronger her army becomes. We need to fight her now, before it grows any further.”
“She’ll hit Portland first, that I’m sure of it,” Fen said. “It’s where we are, so that’s where it’ll start.”
“We’ll make sure that’s where it’ll start.” I grinned. “Because we’re not going to wait for her to attack. We’re going to attack first.”
8
Thor took Charlie to Will to get him ready for travel. We were going to be leaving tomorrow for Midgard, and no one was getting left behind. Will needed a human hospital, and that’s where he was going. Fen and I were getting the rest of our things in order in the meantime.
“I don’t like your plan, Raven,” he said for the hundredth time. We were back at the inn where we were spending the night. “It’s dangerous.”
“Is it really because it’s dangerous or is it because you’re bait?” I smirked.
He growled. It was one of the few times his wolf showed. “I don’t mind being the bait, but we don’t have an army, Raven. My hellhounds are not enough against her forces.”
I nodded. “Which is why Thor is taking me to see Frigg tonight in hopes she’ll have some info on the valkyries. All hope isn’t lost, Fen. Have some faith.”
He scoffed. “You? Having faith? Where is Hrefna and what have you done with her?”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know. I just feel a renewed sense of hope after getting Charlie and Will back. For a long time, I thought it would be impossible. So sue me for having some faith that we’ll find these damn valkyries.”
“And that they’ll cooperate?”
“Yes.” I sighed. “I can’t imagine them not wanting to. Having wings and not doing something greater with them just seems …”
&nb
sp; “You spent almost a century—”
“Shut up!” I frowned, because yeah, I sounded like a total hypocrite. But I was also a thousand years old. I was due for a midlife crisis.
A knock at the door sounded, and I went to answer it. Thor was there. I thought I’d at least be able to have dinner before we went to see Frigg—Odin’s first wife and true queen of Asgard.
“You’re early,” I grumbled.
“You’re not the only one who has to prepare for their trip to Midgard. It’s been a while since I’ve last been,” he said with a sincere smile.
“Well, you’re famous,” I tossed over my shoulder as I went to grab my belt and wrap it around myself. “They’ve made movies about you, comic books, the works. I even have a Pez dispenser with your head on it.”
“A what?” He quirked a brow.
I grinned. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
The palace grounds were massive, and one could easily get lost in the garden alone. I thought we were going inside, but Thor walked me through the maze of shrubs so high, you couldn’t see the palace. It was dusk, so lighting was limited, and I couldn’t see very well where we were going.
“If you were planning on butchering me, you should have chosen somewhere a little less pretty.” I reached for the petals of a blossoming flower in the bushes.
“I’m not going to kill you, Hrefna,” Thor grunted. “Frigg just wanted somewhere private with no prying eyes.”
“And ears,” said a feminine voice as we walked down a narrow walkway into a clearing that had multiple openings throughout the maze. “Hello, Hrefna.” Frigg turned around to face me, and in the little bit of light I could see the delicate features of her face. Her hair was wrapped in a crowned braid around her head, and it was a golden blonde that sparkled in the dimness. She wore a flowing powder blue dress with tendrils of gold, and she looked every bit the queen she was.
“Frigg,” I whispered as I bowed before her. “It’s an honor.”
“The honor is all mine, Hrefna.” She walked closer to me and lifted me up by my chin. “I heard of your journey thus far. It has not been an easy one.” Her eyes traveled to the shortness of my hair, and I subconsciously went to touch it.
“I’ve made some mistakes,” I said with a steady voice and looked her in the eyes. There was no point in being shy about it. I might as well take ownership in what I’d done. I couldn’t change it.
She shook her head and smiled. “Not mistakes. Decisions. Life is all about making decisions, sometimes difficult ones, and learning from them.” She brushed a strand of my short hair away from my face. “I see you, Hrefna, and you’re possibly the strongest valkyrie I know.”
I coughed to hide the choke that bubbled in my throat. She couldn’t be serious. I wasn’t doubting my skills, but strongest? I wouldn’t go that far.
“It’s all about what’s made us, Hrefna. And you’re made of tough stock while the others hide behind golden doors. Remember that. Now tell me, what is it you seek of me?”
It took me a moment to gather my thoughts because I really didn’t expect this from her. “Uh … right, I had a question about the other valkyries. The ones in Midgard.”
Her expression was impassive. Neutral. I couldn’t get a read. “Expand on what it is you mean.”
She knew what I was talking about but wanted me to say it to make sure. “I know about the valkyries that Odin never brought to Asgard. They lived among humans to be raised as such. Now there’s a whole group of them in Midgard. I need to find them.”
Frigg walked around me in a circle as she eyed me warily. She hummed quietly as she processed what I’d said. The valkyries in Midgard were supposed to be this well-kept secret, but it seemed like a lot of people already knew about them.
“Who told you?” she asked when she stopped in front of me again. “Because I know it wasn’t Odin.”
“Does that really matter? What’s important is that I know, and I need your help to find them.”
She pressed her lips together. “For centuries, they have been gathering and finding one another. Last I heard of them was decades ago, so my information may not be the most reliable.”
“I’ll take anything you can give me,” I begged.
She nodded. “Very well. Last I heard they were in a country called Norway, in the area of Trolltunga to be exact.”
It’d been a while since I was last in Norway. My memory was hazy, but I’d never heard of Trolltunga before. Then again, I was there during the Viking age, so it wasn’t like it was yesterday.
“It’s a start. Thank you, Frigg,” I said as I reached for her hands. She took mine and patted them softly.
“Don’t thank me just yet, Hrefna.” Her eyes narrowed, and her hands squeezed mine. “These valkyries are unlike your sisters. They’re savage and feral. To them, you are the outsider.”
Was this why Odin didn’t want me looking for them? I doubted it was for my well-being but maybe to keep them contained.
Frigg let me go with a small smile. “Be careful, Hrefna. What you seek may not be what you want. And with this, my debt to you has been paid.” She spun around and started to walk toward one of the maze entrances until she disappeared.
We stood in the clearing for a moment in utter silence until Thor cleared his throat.
“We can find another way,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes as I gazed at where Frigg retreated to. “There is no other way,” I murmured. “We have hellhounds, and now we get valkyries. That will be our army on Midgard against Hel.”
Thor walked around to stand in front of me. He placed both hands on my shoulders and shook me a little. “You have me, Hrefna. I’m no slouch.” He smirked. “Between you and me, we can defeat Hel together.”
It wasn’t lost on me that he kept Fen out of it. He had trouble trusting the wolf, and every bone in my body wanted to defend him. But there was this nagging in the corner of my brain that questioned him, just a little. And I hated it.
“Will you come to Norway with me?” I asked him as I tilted my head up to stare at him.
He grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”
9
Flashback
The palace was decorated with all its finery, curtains in an array of colors encircled the room, and everyone was dressed in their best clothes. Musicians played ballads of heroes lost and battles won, while Asgardians danced the night away. I was the only valkyrie besides Kara that was allowed to attend. I hadn’t wanted to come; these events weren’t to my liking, but Kara made me come. She said father would be disappointed if we didn’t show. It was an honor just to be invited.
“Are you having a good time?” Odin said from behind me, and I almost flinched in surprise but kept my composure.
“Yes, Father. Thank you,” I said without turning around to face him. My hands were clasped behind my back as I looked at the dance floor.
Odin stepped closer to me, and I could feel his breath on my neck. “Hrefna, you’re here to have fun. Relax.”
“There’s no such thing as relaxing for a valkyrie, Father.” I tensed.
There was a pause before he laughed. “Good girl.” I heard his retreating steps and loosened my shoulders just a tad once he was gone.
I continued to observe the night as it wore on, never eating or drinking. It wasn’t what I was here to do. I walked around the room when I noticed the seat beside Odin had been empty for some time. I scanned the room for Kara and found her with some Asgardian soldiers. She wasn’t paying as close of attention as I was. Something was wrong.
I searched the room and found no sign of Frigg Slipping through the sheer curtains, I went to the back rooms where Odin resided, and that’s when it hit me. The coopery scent of metal. Blood. My hand went to the hilt of my sword at my back, and I unsheathed it quickly. I roamed through the multiple rooms until I was led to the bedrooms. I wasn’t allowed in there, and if caught I was sure to receive lashings, but someone was hurt.
I went inside th
e bedroom, and there stood Frigg, Odin’s first wife, coated in blood. My gaze scanned the room for a threat, but I found none.
“Your highness—” I started and then looked at her feet. There was a head with blinking eyes, the bed obscured the rest of the body.
“I-I don’t know what I’ve done,” she said as something clanked on the floor.
I sheathed my sword and slowly stepped closer to Frigg. On the ground was a woman, clutching her bleeding neck, and beside her was the knife used to stab her.
Frigg’s wide eyes turned to me, and she clutched my arms, shaking me. “What is your name, valkyrie?”
“Hrefna,” I said with detachment.
“Hrefna, please help me,” she pleaded. “She is Odin’s human lover. If he finds her—”
It was all making sense now. This was an act of jealousy. But this was odd; Odin had many lovers and wives. Why did this woman bother Frigg so much?
I looked behind me to the door, in case anyone was there, and then back to the queen. “I will help you, but answer me why? Why this woman?” I peered down at her helpless victim who was dying a slow death.
Frigg’s face tightened and darkened. “He never brings them to our bedroom. He disrespected me.”
I wanted to tell her she should have stabbed him, not her, but that would be treason. I knelt down beside the human woman, my expression cold and detached. I grabbed her head and snapped her neck, putting an end to her misery.
Frigg gasped, covering her mouth. “You killed her.”
“She was going to die anyway,” I said as I stood. “Now we get rid of the body.”
10
Present Day
Fen, Charlie, Will, Thor, and I crossed the rainbow bridge into Midgard without a hitch. Before we left Asgard, we learned that bombs were being placed strategically beneath Asgard throughout their tunnel system to level the realm. That was what Hel’s hounds were doing while the dead attacked above. When we left, they were in the process of deactivating the bombs and clearing out the tunnels, while preparing for the night’s attack.
The Last Valkyrie Series Complete Boxed Set Page 42
