“You should have stayed under the covers,” I griped, not masking my annoyance.
“I must stand,” he mumbled.
Of course. Men and their stupid pride. I eased my hands from his waist and stared at the door with uncertainty. My heart pounded hard with dread as the footsteps drew closer. I glanced at him. He nodded reassuringly. On Monday, I’d listened to him challenge his mother and lose. How the heck was he going to do it when he could barely stand? He was leaning against the bed, but I didn’t think he could hold himself upright for long without my help. Still, crazy as it might seem, I trusted him to protect me.
The first bolt on the door clung.
“Start a fire,” he ordered. “A big one.”
“The first one got out of control. I was aiming for the torch.” It was now flickering and close to dying. The second bolt snapped.
“Do it,” he said.
“Why?”
He growled in frustration.
“Okay, fine. But as soon as you can talk more and growl less, I will need an explanation for the things you do and say, because they don’t make sense.”
He closed his eyes and growled again.
“Sheesh. Fine.” I lifted my hand, palm out toward the wall and mumbled, “Embers of the dying torch, spread across the wall and scorch!”
The torch burst into flames and leaped across the wall just as the last bolt was released. The door flew open and a giant entered the room. A giantess going by her clothes. Eirik took my hand and pulled me beside him, letting me carry some of his weight, but I didn’t protest. I was busy gawking at the giantess.
She was real. All of it was real. I had projected into Hel. The giantess was nearly twice my size, and the torch she carried was huge. Curly red hair fell to her shoulders and partly hid her face, so I only caught a glimpse of it. The drab clothes couldn’t hide her breasts, tiny waist, and hips. She was gorgeous and curvy. No wonder the Asgardian gods often fell in love with giantesses. But how the heck did they have sex? Her green eyes met mine before she bent down and picked up the bleating lamb.
A triumphant laugh drew my attention to the woman standing in the doorway. She entered the room and my breath got caught. I tried to swallow, but my mouth had gone dry. The woman was nothing like the pictures online. She was my idea of a goddess.
She glowed. And not from an aura radiating from her. No, her skin was iridescent. As she came closer, I noticed why. Glowing tattoos appeared and disappeared under her skin. They coiled as though someone was etching them and outlined her exquisite features.
Her face was flawless—cheekbones high and eyes brilliant blue. She could be twenty or a thousand years old. Her beauty was timeless, and I had this crazy urge to reach out and touch her. Her hair was half-black and half-white, and silky with a sheen that said the same tattoos on her skin affected her hair. Her dark-purple flowing gown hugged every inch of her body, a black cloak trailing behind. If she noticed me, she didn’t show it. Her eyes were on the burning wall.
“You are like your grandfather, Eirik,” she whispered. “Creator of fire.”
So Eirik was his name. It had a Scandinavian ring to it and suited him.
He didn’t answer, but I now knew why I was here. Why I had projected here. As long as I performed magic, he could claim my work as his and get his mother off his back.
The mother looked at the lamb in the giantess’ arms and frowned.
“You missed.” She sounded disappointed. She turned and faced us. Her eyes locked on me. “What is she doing here?”
“Leave her alone,” Eirik said.
From the look that entered the goddess’ eyes, she wasn’t planning on it. Completely ignoring me, she focused on Eirik, not bothering to hide her displeasure. “How could you miss the lamb?”
Jeez, there was no pleasing her. I could just imagine what she would do to him if she found out he hadn’t started the fire. Probably take him to Corpse Strand and torture him along with the damned souls.
“Not in the mood for rack of lamb,” he said.
I caught myself before laughing. He had a wacky sense of humor. Even his mother’s lips twitched, her frown melting away. I adjusted my stance to shoulder his weight. He was growing tired and leaning more on me.
“Then you shall have your choice of food,” his mother said, and two guards entered the room. “Take my son to his bedroom in the main hall.”
“No,” Eirik said.
Was he seriously refusing help? Now? I swear the guy was not normal.
“I’ll walk out of here on my own,” he said, speaking slowly.
His mother lifted her hand and the guards stopped. “When?”
“When I can walk unaided,” he said.
That pride of his would one day bite him in the ass, but at that moment, I wanted to applaud. He had serious cojones. His mother wasn’t too happy, but she nodded, respecting his wishes.
“Stop torturing Viggo,” he said.
She grinned. “Viggo escaped days ago. I don’t know how you did it, but I’m happy he is gone. He would have distracted you from your goal.”
“I’d like…” his voice trailed off, tremors shooting through him.
I wasn’t sure whether the trembling was due to fatigue or whether his body was starting to function normally. Aunt Genevieve had said shivering was good after hypothermia. It meant the body was starting to regulate its own temperature.
He should order his mother to leave before he fell flat on his face. I could support him now because he was carrying some of his weight, but if he fainted, we would both go down. I barely reached his shoulders, and despite not eating for nearly a week, he was heavy.
“Tell her what we need,” he whispered.
“Me?” I managed to squeal.
He nodded. I glanced up and his mother was looking at me again. I gave her a weak grin. From her expression, I might as well have crawled from a sewer. I dry-swallowed nervously.
Eirik buried his face in my hair and whispered, “Do it. Please. I can’t hold on much longer.”
A shiver shot up my spine and I knew it had nothing to do with talking to the goddess. Eirik’s face in my hair, his warm breath on my nape, and the way he pressed so close were making me react oddly again. It was the same reaction I’d felt when he’d squashed me on his bed.
My face grew warm when I realized my arms were around his waist. I couldn’t remember when I’d wrapped them there. My shoulders and back burned from carrying most of his weight, yet I was more concerned with how I was reacting to him? I was officially a nutcase.
“Please,” he begged.
“He needs high-energy foods that he can digest fast and easily without irritating his stomach,” I said, speaking in an unsteady voice. “Water for drinking and bathing.” His mother’s blue eyes glowed eerily, and I wondered just how powerful she was and if she could blast me just to shut me up. “Fresh bedding and a decent bed. Light and, uh, fire to warm up the room.”
His mother ignored me and asked, “How long are you planning on staying down here, Son?”
“Until I regain my strength.”
Her lips tightened. “Suit yourself, but you have three days before your next level of training begins.” She glared at me. “And she leaves with the guards.”
Fear slammed into me. I didn’t dare project with her here. She’d know I wasn’t from her realm.
“She stays,” Eirik said.
You tell her! I liked this guy. He was about to fall on his face, yet he had the balls to stand up to his tyrant mother and protect me. Just like he’d promised.
“Your obsession with this girl is ridiculous. She has manipulated you, taken different forms, and worked with the Norns to hurt you. Maliina belongs on Corpse Strand.”
“She’s not Maliina,” Eirik ground out.
“Of course she is,” the goddess retorted. “She disappeared the night you arrived and has been sighted in different halls, but she always disappears by the time the guards get there. We didn’t know yo
u’ve been hiding her.” The goddess’ eyes narrowed on me. “Seize her.”
My fear became full-blown panic. If they caught me, I was never going home. She tortured souls on her island of horrors, and Maliina was headed there.
“NO!” Eirik snarled. “No one touches her. She’s. Not.” He paused to take a breath. “Maliina.”
“Then who is she?” The goddess extended her hand toward me and the urge to go to her became unbearable. I wiggled out of Eirik’s arm. At least, I tried to, but his grip tightened.
Tendrils of warmth coiled around my energy and it felt amazing, until images flashed through my head and I realized she was probing my memories. I tried to fight her, but she was too powerful. She went through my memories like someone turning the pages of a book. I whimpered and pressed closer to Eirik.
“Stop it, Mother!” he said, squinting at her, his breathing harsh. “Her name is Celestia, and she is under my protection.”
The probing stopped, but I still felt the pull of her powers. “A soul under a god’s protection? That’s ridiculous. I am the only one with the power to offer souls sanctuary.”
“You have countless to do with as you wish. I want one. Her. She is mine, or I’m never going to be what you want.”
Silence followed, but I wanted to applaud and hug him and kiss… No, I didn’t want to kiss him. He smelled like gym socks and he didn’t look like hero material at the moment. I was the one stopping him from crumbling. In fact, I was sure his need to protect me was the only thing keeping him upright. But he sounded and acted like a hero and I loved it.
“Who is she to you? A consort? A servant? Trudy and Litr can see to your every need.”
“She’s my servant,” his words were slurred, his eyes closing. “Leave us. She has things to do.”
His mother studied him, then me. A smile that didn’t reach her eyes lifted the corners of her lips. “Trudy, show her where she can get her master’s food. Take care of the rest.” She turned and swept out of the room.
Eirik slumped forward. I barely caught him before we both fell. I braced myself for impact, even twisted my body so my shoulder would hit the ground first, but giant hands stopped our downward journey. The giantess lifted him from my arms like he weighed nothing and placed him gently in the middle of the bed.
“Thank you,” I said, picking up my coat and blanket. I layered them on top of him. He was pale, but color was rushing back to his cheeks. He was truly heroic and I did want to kiss him. On his cheek.
“FYI, I’m not your servant,” I whispered, but I was grinning. “And if I weren’t a nice person, I’d let you rot in here.” When I leaned back, the corners of his mouth twitched. “Was that a smirk? I hope not, because you won’t have anything to smile about when I’m done with you.”
I stepped back, turned, and froze. Something was happening to the giantess. What had the goddess called her? Trudy.
I watched in amazement as she grew smaller and her clothes shrank until she was regular size. Regular meant several inches taller than me, just like everyone in this castle. But her shrinking answered my question about how the gods had sex with giantesses.
She was even more gorgeous at a normal size, and she looked young. Probably about my age. And she was supposed to be Eirik’s servant? He would not be able to resist her. And I’d…
I would be back at home. I glanced at him, but his eyes were closed. He was probably out. I didn’t belong here. My purpose was to help him then leave. He had the girl he was crazy about. Maliina. Who was she and what had she done that was so terrible the goddess wanted her fried? Why was Eirik obsessed with her? And why did I hate the idea?
Dang it! I was back to thinking about the least important things. I focused on Trudy. I had questions I wanted to ask her, all of them intrusive, yet a sudden urge to push her away from Eirik’s bed washed over me.
I said the first thing that popped in my head. “Is he always this rude and arrogant?” She scowled. “Uh, never mind. Thanks for lifting him. He was really heavy and my back was killing me.” I smiled and rotated my neck for emphasis. She didn’t smile back, hostility written all over her pretty face. Okay. Everyone in this castle had an attitude.
“You cannot threaten the son of the goddess,” Trudy said in a mean voice. “The punishment is the Gjöll.”
Sheesh, even her voice was melodious and I didn’t care to find out what the Gjöll was. “Oh, I didn’t threaten him. That was a promise.” The giantess gawked at me. “Okay, I need to get him soup. Where’s the kitchen?”
“Dimples,” Eirik whispered. “Come here.”
Dimples? Was that his nickname for me now? No one had ever given me a nickname. Heck, my family had even refused to shorten my name. I’d wanted to be called Tia. I grinned. I liked Dimples better than Kewpie.
“Is the kitchen far? I’m getting him the soup, then leaving.”
“Please,” Eirik added.
“Oh, since you asked nicely. Yes?”
“Closer,” he whispered. I leaned in toward him. He reached out, grabbed my arm, and pulled me closer. I lost my balance and landed on top of him. “Act like a servant or my mother will probe your memories again,” he warned in a hard voice. “If she learns you are a Witch from Earth who has somehow found her way to her realm, she will trap you here and plug the leak.” He let me go.
CHAPTER 8. HEL’S HALL
CELESTIA
Thoroughly annoyed, I peeled myself off him. The man didn’t know his own strength. What the hell did he mean by plug the leak? I wanted to ask him, but Trudy was already gone.
“You will explain that later. But for now, Eirik,” I added in a mean voice, “if you ever grab me like that again, I will hurt you. I might be smaller than you, but my spells pack quite a punch. You’ve been warned.”
He didn’t respond, but then I hadn’t expected him to. I hurried after Trudy and burst into the hallway to see her disappearing around the bend on the stairs to my right. She wasn’t alone.
“Trudy?” I called out, running to catch up with them.
“My name is Trudnir,” she snapped, not slowing down. The two men disappeared through a wall as though swallowed by it.
“Slow down,” I said, winded from the short run. “Please.”
She glanced at me and shook her head, but she slowed down. The stairs curved around upward. There were no windows, just torches along the wall and an eerie silence.
“Where and how did those people disappear?”
“How? Magic. Something a soul from Earth wouldn’t understand. Where? None of your business.”
Okay, so she didn’t like me. I got it. But there was no need to be rude. “How far are we going?”
“Eljudnir Hall.”
Grimnir. Eljudnir. Trudnir. I was seeing a pattern in names around here. “What’s that?”
“The goddess’ Hall.”
“How many halls are there in the castle?”
“Countless.” She continued to stomp upstairs.
“If you are ticked off that I’ve replaced you as Eirik’s whip girl, don’t be. He’ll be all yours soon enough. I’m leaving after this and never coming back.”
She ignored me. We reached the top of the stairs. A hallway stretched ahead of us. No, it looked more like a tunnel. The torches were set wide apart, shadows dancing in areas the light didn’t reach. I shivered and moved closer to Trudy.
“How come you all speak English so well?” I asked, walking beside her.
“Magic.” That seemed to be her answer for everything. “You hear what we want you to hear.” She said a string of words I didn’t understand. “That’s the language of the gods. Midgard languages are easy,” she added with a smirk.
Thank goodness I was leaving soon. The girl’s attitude was beginning to tick me off. After what seemed like forever, I said, “Okay, I get that you don’t want me here and you are probably making me take a longer route, but this is ridiculous. There must be a shortcut to the kitchen around here.” I touched the wall, b
ut it was solid.
“There is, but we are not going to the kitchen.”
“Why not? Eirik needs food.”
“You’ll get it from Grimnirs Hall.”
Getting information from her was like pulling a tooth. There was something I’d missed while trying to keep up with her. Magical crystals had replaced the torches on the walls, and we were entering another building, one with a well-lit hallway.
“Listen, I just want to get Eirik something to eat then go home,” I said.
She stopped. “Home?”
I winced, realizing what I had said. “Yes, home, where my family is.”
“Which hall?”
“Uh, I don’t know. This place is so huge I lost my sense of direction.”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “How did you get out?”
“Magic.” It was her answer to everything. She continued to scowl. “Souls can still practice magic if they were Witches. I was one. Yeah, we have Witches on Earth,” I added when she harrumphed. “We were just operating underground.” Her eyes stayed steady on me. “This place is huge, Trudy. You said so yourself, but I will find my way to my family.”
“Trudnir,” she corrected me. “My name is Trudnir. Your family is okay with you working for Baldurson instead of resting and reliving happy memories in your hall? Most souls just want to rest and replay the past. No souls ever want to leave.” Her eyes roamed my face, my clothes. “How did you die? Were you ill? Was it an accident? How long have you been roaming these halls?”
Sheesh. I preferred the quiet, morose Trudnir. “How did I die? Sword fight in Minecraft,” I said with a deadpan expression. I loved the game. Where else could I build a perfect world? “So, no illness or accidents and, uh, that happened about a week ago.”
“Minecraft? Don’t you mean mine shaft?”
“No, Minecraft. A very dangerous game we play on Earth. A guy with a big sword and a bad attitude attacked me while I was on my way to meet a friend. Herobrine was his name.”
She frowned. “I keep forgetting people on Earth still mine coal and jewels. If only you respected magic, your lives would be simpler. Is this Herobrine person dead, too?”
Demons (Eirik Book 1) Page 12
