“Perhaps, but at least we would have known for sure. And now he’s come back.” Jenko said as he turned and his face held a fierce scowl of absolute anger. His frown deepened at the thoughtful downward glance that marred Tellan’s expression and he asked abruptly, “What is it?”
Tellan’s mouth worked briefly as he fired his glance towards Reya once more, but before she could digest the elusive meaning behind the men’s conversation, Tellan held his jaw firmly and blurted, “Later. Can you hide her?”
Jenko’s face split into a scathing smile as he flung his arms out and cast his eyes around the stable. “Done.” He said simply.
The muscle in Tellan’s jaw spiked dangerously at Jenko’s dry wit, but he bit down his irritation and insisted slowly, “She needs to disappear. What I’m asking is: can you get her out unseen?”
The grin that slashed Jenko’s face turned upwards in amusement and he uttered a sound of enlightenment. “Ah…I see now. You need my particular brand of talents.” He replied. He then glanced at Reya and shrugged, “But people are a lot more different than my usual fare, you understand?”
“I’m sure you can cope.” Tellan responded with a tone that dripped unconcerned sarcasm. The corner of Jenko’s mouth twitched in a wry smile; it was nice to see that his lieutenant’s Light had gathered a little tarnish during his stay in Midgard.
Reya blinked in confusion when the intention behind Tellan’s words became all too apparent to her bruised mind and with a stab of fear in her heart, she pulled away from his arms. “U–unseen?” She quavered uncertainly and her eyes searched his face before she asked dully, “You mean to send me away?”
Tellan swallowed against the thrill of agony her expression brought him and he replied, “Yes.”
Reya tore herself away from Tellan’s arms and shook her head furiously. “No!” She cried in loud refusal, “No, I won’t be alone again. I won’t, Uncle Tellan!”
“Uncle Tellan?” Jenko drawled with a huge leer at Tellan. He then chuckled as he hiked an arm and lazily braced his weight against a support beam, “That’s cute.”
“Jenko.” Tellan warned in the soft manner that spoke volumes of his irritation at the ill–timed interruption.
But Jenko simply snorted and shot back, “Relax, Uncle.” He then pushed himself from the beam and settled his confident gaze upon Reya, “You won’t be on your own, Reya. I’ll be with you.”
Reya’s eyes narrowed guardedly, “Excuse me if I don’t take consolation from that, Jenko.”
Jenko barked a laugh at the acid that dripped from the use of his name, and his eyes crinkled in mirth in spite of the pain his commander’s death still inflicted upon him, “She really is Baldur’s daughter!”
Reya riled at the mocking jibe and her violet eyes flared in indignation as she rapped, “It’s rude to talk about someone when they are right in front of you! Where are your manners?”
Jenko shrugged with an easy smile and retorted, “Never had much use for them; not in my line of work.”
“Yes, I’ve seen how polite you are with your lodgers.”
A quiet cough from Tellan brought Reya’s attention then. “Jenko is also a smuggler.” He supplied with the barest flush of embarrassment upon his cheeks.
For his part, Jenko simply smirked at Reya with a grin that was full of pride and cheerful disregard, and a heavy silence fell between the three as Reya gaped disbelievingly at both men.
“A-a smuggler?! Uncle Tellan, really!” She scolded.
“That’s why I asked you to find him, Reya.” Tellan said gently, “If ever you become separated from me, Jenko will always ensure that you get away safely and out of sight.”
“But…but still!”
Tellan inhaled sharply and as he grasped Reya’s shoulders he said urgently, “Reya, I know you are upset, but you have to be kept safe.”
Jenko stepped across to the stable window suddenly and as he peered through the slats in the weather–worn shutters, he tilted his head back with a low murmur, “As much as I’m thrilled to be the topic of conversation, this is neither the time nor the place. We have a visitor.”
“What is it?” Tellan asked as he stalked over and leaned in close beside Jenko, a dangerously aggressive protection in his face radiating so palpably that Reya’s breath hitched in her throat.
Jenko tipped one of the slats and narrowed his eyes at the single figure that stood barely thirty feet away, eerily still as their eyes and ears drank in every fibre of their surroundings. In spite of how far away the person stood, the Dark that smouldered within the interloper like oily fire emblazoned across Jenko’s instincts like an acid burn and his nose twitched in anger.
“Look at him.” He sneered in disdain, “Standing there bold as brass…bastard. In my back garden too, no less!”
“Belial?!” Reya breathed with undiluted fear and her hands flew towards her mouth.
“No.” Tellan supplied hastily as he turned and gathered Reya protectively in his arms, “No, it’s alright, Reya. It’s just a human.”
“‘Just a human’…” Reya whispered incredulously and she shook her head in confused agony at her uncle, “You sound as though everything is so normal!”
All Tellan could do was sorrowfully release his niece from his hold, for he realised with a bruising in his heart that she felt he had betrayed her trust. He could understand why she felt as such: her entire world had been turned upside down in what felt like the blink of an eye and he, the man who was supposed to have protected her, had failed to keep her safe. With Baldur dead and Tellan speaking of ‘humans’…Tellan knew then that Reya must have felt so utterly alone…
“You sure he’s not a demon? He feels like one.” Jenko asked.
“Positive.” Tellan replied with a grave nod, “He’s human. But…he has the influence of Belial’s Dark upon him.”
Jenko’s eyebrows raised in silent surprise. A deep glower then returned to his face when the real threat of such an occurrence surfaced within his mind and he seethed, “It’s been a while since anything with a Dark like that has had the balls to walk straight up to my door like this. You’d think they’d know better.”
“It’s concerning.” Tellan replied in agreement as he stood beside Jenko once more, “But Fieldhaven was rife with these soldiers when Belial came for–” He stopped abruptly and his eyes fluttered almost imperceptibly as he corrected himself, “For Baldur.”
Jenko tilted his head slightly in an unspoken affirmation that let Tellan know he understood Reya’s involvement was to be kept quiet from her for now and in return, Tellan closed his eyes slowly in an expression of gratitude that his message had been received.
“You know…” Jenko began thoughtfully, his eyes still focused upon the solitary figure outside his stable, “Belial turning up out of the blue on his own would be one thing, but it he’s been infusing humans with his Dark then there must be a reason for it. What does he need all this muscle for, I wonder?”
“First thing’s first:” Tellan answered firmly, “we take Reya someplace safe.”
Jenko nodded once in agreement and when he finally straightened up, he rounded his shoulders with a theatrical sigh. “Alright then, I suppose if we must.” He quipped dryly.
“Must what?” Reya asked in confusion. But when she was given no reply but silence, she ground her teeth firmly and fresh tears welled in her eyes at the sheer frustration that bubbled within her, “Please, Tellan, tell me what’s going on!”
Tellan turned and stared at Reya with such pain in his eyes that she sobbed with trepidation at what could have possibly made him feel such agony. But in the same moment he opened his mouth in answer, an unexpectedly tremendous impact pounded suddenly upon the stable doors, crashing dust and wood splinters violently into the air. Reya leapt back into Tellan’s protective embrace with a scream of alarm at how the booming force shook the very walls and her uncle’s eyes flashed dangerously.
“What the hell was–” Jenko hissed as he reeled with a def
ensive glare at the stable doors.
Again another colossal impact smashed against the doors until the wood buckled under the immense pressure forced upon it with a splintering crack, and Tellan gripped Reya’s arm protectively. She was hauled behind her uncle’s body amid the shards of wood that ricocheted from the tortured doors and from between the ruptured seams of the doors panels, the gnarled head of a battering ram reared like a charging bull.
“Shit!” Jenko oathed when the battering ram was pulled back again for another destructive strike and with a rapid spin towards Tellan and Reya, he barked, “Inside, now!”
Reya gasped at the new impact that brought murderous battle cries and screaming oaths and with a last look through the splintered cracks in the ruined doors, she gasped in fright. Soldiers swarmed the yard now, roaring challenges that scalded fire across the mist of the morning and there were so many of them that Reya’s heart leapt into her throat. She was buffeted roughly from the stables through to the kitchen and as soon as Tellan hauled her into the safety of the inn’s main hall, Jenko slammed the kitchen door shut. Reya gasped numbly as he slid home heavy bolts with booms of metallic solidity and when he pushed over an oak bar that juddered heavily into an iron hook welded onto the wall, Tellan sketched his eyes over the reinforced door frame.
In that moment Reya realised that they had been cornered, for battle cries and roaring taunts echoed throughout the main hall and she knew instinctually that already the soldiers had surrounded the inn. Reya helplessly collapsed against the side of the bar in a heap of terrified tears; he had come for her…the man that had killed her father.
“How long will this hold against that battering ram?” Tellan asked Jenko quietly for fear that his concern would reach Reya’s ears, for he was all too aware that she was already terrified beyond her control.
“It’s reinforced but not indestructible.” Jenko replied with a grimace, “Whatever we do now, we’d better be quick about it.”
“How’s your sword arm?” Tellan asked with a glare at the booming impacts that still resounded through the inn.
“Still attached.” Jenko replied levelly as he returned his lieutenant’s gaze steadfastly, already knowing what his intention was before he spoke the order.
Tellan nodded once at him and commanded firmly, “Secure the perimeter. Not one of them can get through before we get Reya to safety.”
Sounds passed through Reya’s ears in a blur of noise as Jenko and Tellan rushed to push furniture against windows and doors, both men shouting oaths and commands as they fortified their defences. Reya wept as the men’s footsteps tapped a pattern around her and together they pushed over a heavy cupboard that was filled with expensively exotic crockery. There was a tremendous crash as it tipped like a felled titan and Tellan winced at the value of such destruction, as well as the cacophony it caused. Jenko seemed unperturbed however as they shoved the cupboard against the fireplace, to block off all possible entrances; and when the front door pounded from heavy impact with a roar of aggression from beyond, Tellan stared at the bulging frame with a soldier’s calm.
“Reya, behind the bar is a trapdoor to the cellar.” Jenko growled as he stalked purposefully towards the war scene over the fireplace and as he tore the painting from the wall, he nodded firmly at the twin sabres and broad, armoured belt that were concealed behind. He reached for them with a grim smile and continued, “The second last barrel in the back is not quite as full as you would expect it to be. Once you’re inside, secure the bolt and go through the tunnels.”
Reya’s eyes fluttered downwards at the gravity of Jenko’s instructions. “Keep turning left, do you understand?” He asked firmly as he buckled on the belt, “Never take the right tunnels. Do you understand?”
“Y–yes.” She replied, watching in stunned silence as he prepared for the battle she knew was about to happen.
“Good. You’ll come out into a safe house; wait there, alright?” Jenko said as he checked the line of throwing knives that nestled neatly in the sheaths that framed his waist. But when he received no response, he lifted his head and hitched his eyebrows at her, “Well? On you go!”
Reya hesitated and shot a worried glance towards her uncle as she stuttered, “B–but–”
“It’s ok, Reya.” Tellan called as he unslung his bastard sword with a solid glare of resolution at the front door, “We’ll follow as soon as we can. But right now we need to make sure they won’t come after you.”
Jenko turned his head back towards the approaching roars that heralded the start of battle and as he unsheathed his wicked sabres, he spun them once to test their grip, “Go on, lass! We can’t fight and babysit you at the same time!”
When the sound of splintering wood resounded through the main hall yet again, Reya gasped in terror and hesitated no further for the sanctuary Jenko had told her of. As soon as she flung the cellar door up, she all but fell down the stairs in her haste to reach safety, and from above she heard footsteps as Tellan and Jenko prepared for battle.
She stood before the barrel he had told her of and bit her lip thoughtfully as she reached out for the tap that jutted from its enormous front. When she turned the tap, the front of the barrel cracked slightly and as it swung open ponderously, a stash of something illegal that Reya refused to recognise was revealed. Behind the piles of whatever merchandise it was that Jenko…did business with…there was a roughly hewn hole that stretched ominously into complete blackness. She stooped with her hand upon the stony frame and as she stared into the oppressive darkness within, she closed her eyes from the cool breeze that rushed softly against her face. She sighed with gratitude at the small oil lamp that was tucked away from sight behind the frame of the barrel ‘door’ and picked it up to start her journey. Take the left tunnels…She thought with a heavy heart.
Above, Tellan and Jenko faced one another with faces set in grim determination, but neither could deny that the familiar thrill of battle sang highly in their hearts, a thrill that was tainted by the absence of Baldur. Tellan swallowed heavily and as he nodded gravely at his comrade, he vowed to their commander that they would fight to the very last, soldiers of Asgard true.
Jenko grinned wryly at Tellan. “Isn’t this nice, Sir?” He asked with casual flippancy, “Just like old times, but with mortality thrown in to make things a little bit more interesting.”
Tellan’s eyes became heavy as he looked upon his comrade, “All that matters is Reya’s safety.”
“If you say so.” Jenko replied with a brief tilt of his head, “Personally I find the longevity of Belial a bit jarring, but I suppose that’s something we’ll have to ponder another day.”
“He came for her, Jenko.” Tellan replied softly.
Jenko paused with a flicker of hesitancy, but his manner was noncommittal when he replied, “Is that right?” He then turned his eyes towards the door and his gaze burned ferocious retribution as he growled, “Well then, let’s go tell him he can’t have her.”
Tellan smiled with grateful pride as Jenko strode up to the front door and sent a mighty front kick against it that burst the hinges from the doorframe as heavily as cannon fire. The already weakened door punched devastatingly into the wall of soldiers that had massed behind it, and as they fell beneath the force of the blow that continued outwards, Tellan and Jenko raised their weapons.
“Welcome to the Fighting Angel, motherfuckers!!” Jenko roared and violently stabbed his first enemy through the heart with a smile that flashed as deadly as his wicked sabres.
Tellan flew past with a sweep of his bastard sword that felled a soldier even as he was mid roar and within the blink of an eye, Jenko’s blades claimed the foe beside him. Together the Asgardians ploughed into the cluster of soldiers with a force as unstoppable as a flooding dam, fearless in spite of how outnumbered they were. Amid the clustered bodies, light flashed in a deadly arc of steel and Jenko punched through the throng of foes that threatened to overwhelm him. A smile of elation was on his face as he cut and thrust
his way through the enemy, turning and spinning with every manoeuvre in a tornado of deadly force. Tellan scorched a line beside his brother and as soon as Jenko ducked, the mighty bastard sword cleaved an arc into the soldiers that had surged forward to meet their attack. Jenko wove sinuously between the deadly strikes of the powerful bastard sword and between them, heads and limbs were claimed with such speed that blood and flesh were flung into the air.
When a soldier loomed in Tellan’s path with his mouth opened in a loud, ear rattling roar of challenge, Tellan thrust his hand forward and grasped his jaw with a snarl of his own. He flung his enemy into the path of another soldier that threatened to flank him and as the pair stumbled awkwardly from the commotion, he speared his bastard sword through them both. The blade tore through flesh and bone and as he spun to face another enemy, Jenko sped forward and leapt like a tiger on the hunt. The sabres punctured the chest of the enemy he had pounced upon and as he dragged his weapons upward, yet another soldier was felled. Tellan roared when Jenko disappeared from view beneath flailing armoured limbs that pulled him down, but a scream of defiance heralded the fearsome prowess of Baldur’s third in command and the blade of a sabre fountained dark blood through the sky.
But even though enemies dropped one by one, still more flooded into the battle and soon Tellan and Jenko both found themselves nearly overwhelmed. Blood dripped from a cut upon Tellan’s cheek and as he avoided the wild swing of a soldier’s axe, another sliced his arm with a snarl of triumph. He grunted momentarily before he dispatched his tormentor, but as he turned he realised too late that Jenko had been pinned and the tip of a short sword slithered along the flesh of his brother’s forearm that had been raised as a guard. Tellan strode forward and when he brought down his bastard sword in an overhead swing with a mighty roar of retribution, Jenko’s attacker collapsed headless.
Jenko nodded in brief gratitude of the lifesaving gesture and responded in kind with a sharp thrust through the neck of another soldier that had come behind Tellan. The Asgardians spun and dove seamlessly in a ball of lethal ferocity, but in spite of their prowess it was undeniable that more enemies pressed against them and eventually, Tellan and Jenko were forced apart. With unspoken agreement the pair began a defensive retreat for the safety of the inn, parrying and deflecting as they were pushed back under the sheer force of numbers. They forged inexorably through the roiling enemy that swallowed around them, every blade and axe eager to rend their flesh in the name of their dark master.
The Fallen Page 11
