Queen of Swords: The Banished Gods: Book One (The Banished Gods Series 1)

by L. A. McGinnis

  Why though? She was a nobody.

  “We’ve been fighting them for centuries, Morgane.” The way he rolled her name off his tongue made it sound practically exotic. “But of late, there has been an uptick in activities.”

  “More monsters?”

  “More monsters. Tyr’s attributing it to more tourists, but now I’m not so sure. Plus, I’ve never seen them hunt one specific human before, not like they did with you. It’s as if something’s changed.”

  “Changed how, exactly?”

  Loki scrubbed his face. “I’m assuming you’re ready to hear what I have to say since you’re still here this morning.” He placed a hand gently under her chin, tilted her head up. “And because of the circles under your eyes, you spent most of the night awake. Wondering?”

  “Mir filled me in on some of it. I think I’ve figured out a few other things. But yes, it would be nice if I heard the rest from you.” Morgane clasped her hands together. Mostly so they would stop shaking. “And do me a favor, don’t gloss anything over. Since I’m stuck in the middle of this, I think I’d best know the truth.”

  When the silence stretched between them, she prodded, “You don’t have to tell me your deepest, darkest secrets, Loki, but you have to give me something. Anything you can tell me might help. Especially with Odin and this deal of ours.” Still, Loki hesitated as if waiting would delay the inevitable. “Only the truth,” she explained, “will help me decide what my next move should be. So no skimming over any ugly details, and no trying to protect me from—”

  “Our next move,” he corrected gently. “The bargain is already made. If there was anything I could have protected you from, it would have been that.” Loki flexed the fingers on his hand that, hours ago, had been crushed completely, as if to confirm they still worked. “I didn’t expect a sacrifice from you,” he said finally. “I didn’t want it.”

  “Well,” Morgane started, testing out the weight of the words, “I couldn’t let you go. Not like that. Not when Mir said there was still a chance. I’ve buried three people in my life already, and I wasn’t about to bury a fourth. Not to mention, I always pay my debts. Always have, always will.” She felt a shaky weakness, probably from not sleeping. Definitely from almost dying. And perhaps something else, she supposed, as her insides wobbled. “But deep down, I think I realized what I was getting into. I simply didn’t care.” And that was the truth.

  She hadn’t. Not in that moment. Nothing had mattered. Nothing except knowing there was a chance Loki would be delivered from whatever hell he had been sent to. That she might stop his suffering. He slid over next to her. Gathered her in, frowned as he felt her shivering, and pulled the covers up around them both.

  “Even so, you shouldn’t have done it, Morgane. You have no idea what Odin is capable of.”

  She wished this infernal trembling would stop. “Then tell me. Tell me what to expect next.”

  “I wish…” He choked on the words. “I wish I could undo your promise. But I can’t.”

  “Just say it. I already know it’s bad. I saw you when you came back, remember? If that’s what he’s willing to do to a friend, I have no illusions what he’ll do to me.” She met his eyes and found the trembling had mostly stopped. “Now. Tell me everything.”

  “Since Odin’s immortal, he has all the time in the world. Plus, he’s bored. So he’s prone to intricate, drawn out tortures. And since he knows you and I share a connection, he’ll most likely exploit that first. If that fails, he’ll draw you out some other way. You don’t have any family, no loved ones, right?”

  “Not a soul.”

  Something like pity flared in his eyes before it faded. “Well, at least that will make it more difficult for him.”

  “Good,” she ground out. “Difficult is good. I’d like to make this as fucking hard as possible for him.”

  “Good,” he agreed, and something inside her loosened. An ally. She had an ally in this now, two against one. Two against two, she amended, remembering the woman.

  “Tell me about Hel.”

  “Did you figure that out on your own?”

  “Sort of, by process of elimination.” Or maybe that cold, dead look in her eyes when she stared at me like I was her next meal. “And don’t tell me it’s complicated because I already know it is. Everything’s complicated. But you’ve got to trust me. Since I made a deal with the devil, I’d better understand who the devil is.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” Loki conceded, but his voice remained tight.

  “I’ll start with those you’ve already met. Odin is our king, for lack of a better word. Mir is the brains of the operation. I’m Odin’s right hand man, so to speak. I have two living children, Hel, who you have come to know, and Fenrir, who you have yet to meet. We were born immortal gods. And for the last two thousand years, we have been exiled to this planet you call Earth.”

  Complicated was beginning to sound more straightforward than whatever Loki was about to delve into.

  “Here in the Chicago operation, there are a total of eight of us: Odin, me, Mir, Tyr, Thor, Vali, Freyr, and Fenrir. Tyr, the God of War, sees to our security and our ongoing war against Hel and her Grim. Our daily lives revolve around killing demons, mostly. We all rotate hunting areas, have a city-wide surveillance system set up, courtesy of Mir, and use everything at our disposal to keep those little bastards in check.

  “There’s a whole other operation operating out of New York, a mix of halflings, Fae, immortals, and half-breeds. A similar group operating out of Los Angeles. A few scattered groups of immortals spread throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Chicago is our most recent seat of operations. We started in Scandinavia and moved westward over the years, ending up here. For the moment.

  “Over three thousand years ago, when we woke in this realm, we all looked like this.” Loki indicated himself, all corded muscle and tanned skin. “Young. To mortal eyes, late-twenties or so. Reborn, according to Mir.” His voice turned hard. “Cursed, according to Odin.”

  “Of course, he would think that.” Morgane’s voice was laced with disdain.

  Nodding, Loki continued, “We woke on this planet alive and young and still immortal. And trapped. Hel in the Underworld, her demons at her disposal, while the rest of us were on Earth with the mortals. Slowly, over millennia, our war transformed into what it is now. She sends her minions forth to collect human souls every night, and we fight them.”

  “How… I don’t understand. How did you get from your world to ours? You said you were exiled?”

  “It was because of me. I…I did something that caused all of…” He turned his head and stared hard at the wall. “You have to understand, Morgane, from the moment I came into being, my future was foretold. I think because of that everything I did all my life was, in some way, a rebellion against this predestined fate. Not that it mattered, in the end.”

  “What did you do, Loki?”

  “Hel, my daughter, convinced me there was only one way to prevent the end of Asgard.

  “I had to kill a creature known as the world serpent. Another child of mine, by the way. So I did. But the whole thing turned into a debacle.”

  “Long story short, by attempting to undo the future, I ended up fulfilling every prophecy ever written about me. Asgard fell, our world was burned to ash. We gods killed each other, our people perished. Just as the Fates predicted, I brought about the end of our world. But we didn’t truly die. We woke up here. Trapped as prisoners, cursed to fight. Every night, Hel unleashes her demons on your world. Every night, we fight to protect it.

  Because this world is all we have left.”

  Morgane stayed her reaching hand. She wanted to touch him. Her fingers yearned to stroke those words, all of his regret away. But instead she asked, “So you, all of the immortal gods, and Hel are stuck here?”

  “We are. We can walk between some of the worlds, using portals controlled by Odin. Some of us are confined to other realms. Hel has reign over both the Under
world and this realm. Her demons roam freely between the two but only at night, held in check by us and others tasked with protecting your kind.”

  “And this cycle goes on and on forever? No end in sight?”

  “Lately, there has been a shift. Like I told you, something’s changed.”

  “How bad do you think it is?”

  “If you saw Hel standing at Odin’s side, it’s bad. If the two of them have forged some sort of alliance, it’s worse than anyone thought. She has waited a long time to gain her freedom. We may continue to fight, but we’re losing. Every night we get weaker and she gets stronger.”

  “She’s your daughter. Surely you can do something. Fix this.”

  “Don’t you think I’ve tried? She hates me worse than any other. Part of the reason she used me to wreck Asgard was revenge. Since I’m the one who bound her to the Underworld soon after she was born, she hates my guts.” Father-daughter relationships were complicated, but all of this because his little girl is pissed off? Seriously?

  “So she’s locked in some sort of epic battle with you guys, and we humans get caught in the middle? That sucks. Besides, her demons took my mom and sister away.” Morgane watched the sun breach a cloud and scatter light through the streets. “What can we do, if she and Odin are cooking something up between them?”

  “We’re doing everything we can just to fight the demons back to the Underworld every night. We can’t do any more than we already are.”

  “Does Odin fight?” He shook his head.

  “Why the hell not?”

  “He’s an oracle, not a warrior. He doesn’t go out on the streets and battle.”

  “You mean he won’t demean himself by getting dirty? He’d rather sit on his throne of gold and play king?”

  “Let me remind you, he’s hardly playing.”

  “Maybe he’s been on Hel’s side all along, ever thought of that? Maybe he’s been manipulating you guys the whole time.” The sound of heavy, booted footsteps passed the door as Loki drew Morgane in against his chest, but the steps passed by, the thumping faded. Morgane realized she saw genuine fear, fading from Loki’s eyes.

  “The way Odin sees it, Hel and I worked together to destroy Asgard. Exactly as the Fates said I would.” Running his hand down her back, Loki allowed himself a small, bitter smile.

  Loki’s touch steadied her, if that’s what the feeling could be called, as the revelations, each one more incredible than the next, hit her. “So, you see, Odin hates both of us equally. Which is why he sent me to the darklands, and why you are leaving. Right now.” Except he didn’t make a move to let her go. Instead, he murmured into her hair, “I swear, I’ll sort this out. I’ll offer him something to buy you time. Time to get out of the city. Get away.”

  “Do you think running away will fix this? And where, exactly, would that leave you?” A burn of temper ran along her spine. “Besides, do I really strike you as someone who would leave you holding the bag while I take off?” She resisted the urge to punch him in the arm. “Do me a big favor and don’t insult me like that again.

  “I’m sure they played me last night. Odin set me up, knowing damn well I’d do anything to bring you back. And Hel was right there to take advantage of the situation. Except, what could they possibly want from me? I’m just a human, as all of you enjoy pointing out.” Then she remembered the ravenous look in Hel’s eyes. “Maybe, more importantly, what does Hel want from me?”

  “Nothing good.” He leaned into her, tucking her closer, nestling her head into the hollow of his neck. “Did you ever consider she might really want your soul, Morgane? And you went ahead and promised her whatever she wanted.”

  “Through trickery. I was set up. You were dying. Odin brought you back half dead, knowing I would agree to anything to get you back. But again, I’m nothing special or anything.”

  “So says you. She sent that many Grim after you, twice now. She wanted to kill you, but she failed. Now Odin’s taken an interest in you as well. There has to be a reason. Neither would bother if there wasn’t something in it for them.”

  “Well, I can’t think of a single reason they’d find me the least bit interesting.” She tried to ignore his face, rough with whiskers, the gentle pressure of his arm around her waist. They watched the sun cutting the room in half, dust motes rising and falling within the bands of light. “This is totally unfair. She took away my family because she could. She maneuvered me into a bargain because she could. I hate your daughter.”

  “Most days I feel the same, trust me.” His lips were in her hair, warm against her scalp, his fingers tracing the line of her arm when he suddenly stilled. “There’s always a way out, Morgane. The way our magic works, there’s always a loophole. You just have to find it.”

  She huffed out a laugh. “You sound pretty sure of yourself.”

  “Trust me, somehow, someway, we’ll find a technicality to get you out of this. And since there are strict rules to the way magic works, everyone has to abide by them. Even us. And more importantly, even Hel.” He jumped out of bed, pacing back and forth in front of the window. “She’s tried to kill you twice now, right?”

  “Three times,” Morgane reminded him, “if you count the first time, two years ago. But please, continue, this is fascinating stuff.”

  Loki’s eyes swung from her to his view of the city below. “The bigger question is, what does Odin have to gain? Why is he involved with Hel at all?”

  Morgane weighed her options. “So maybe it’s time I go and find out? At least I have no one left alive for them to use against me.” She kept her eyes carefully away from Loki’s.

  “And they might think they hold all the power,” she reminded him. “But power doesn’t always mean being bigger.

  Sometimes power only means you have to be smarter.”

  15

  She found Odin behind his throne, his silvery hair pulled back, bound by bands of silver, so long it fell halfway down his back. He was spectacularly handsome, like some kind of exquisite ice king, deathly pale and cold. Drawing closer, Morgane willed herself to keep her breath steady. The morning’s anger had faded away, replaced by vigilance. Well, vigilance tempered by a trace of fear. She prayed he wouldn’t sense either as she dove right in. “I want to know what I agreed to.”

  What I was tricked into.

  “And why should I tell you anything?” Turning around, he stopped whispering to one of the ravens on the back of the throne, the bigger, fluffier of the two. Cocking its black, shiny head, it looked like the damn bird understood every word.

  “Because I have a right to know what you’re going to do with me,” she blurted before she could stop herself. “Because you and Hel decided to pull me into this mess, and I’d like to know why.” For a second, something dark slithered up her spine as he turned his full attention on her, finally deciding she was worth the attention.

  With a flick of his finger, both birds flew off, spiraling for the shadowy, arched ceiling. She watched them disappear before tearing her gaze back to the silver-haired monster in front of her.

  “What use would I possibly have for you?”

  “I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to figure out. So lay it out for me. And bottom-line it, I’d like to go home today, since I’m sure you want me gone.” As much as Morgane didn’t want to hear whatever he was about to say, she really, really didn’t want this drawn out.

  She clenched her hands behind her back, hating that they still trembled. She knew Odin was capable of anything. Things she probably couldn’t imagine. And she could imagine quite a lot these days.

  Once she found out what he wanted, maybe she would figure out a way to work this situation to her advantage. Careful, she cautioned herself, feeling a flush of temper climbing into her cheeks, slow and careful, and you might get through this in one piece.

  “You don’t want to know what’s in store for you, girl,” Odin said flatly.

  “Oh, but I do,” Morgane countered, her voice just as level. “M
ore so, I have a right to know.” Rules of magic, she thought, hopefully, please, please let this be one of the rules of magic.

  When he rose, the sight of Odin towering over her from three steps above set her bones trembling, but even as he came toward her, she stood her ground. She had stood against monsters. Watched them kill everyone she loved. She doubted very much this man, immortal though he might be, could take any more away from her.

  “Oh, you would be surprised how much you can still lose, human.” Odin brushed her arm as he circled by, and she turned, not trusting him at her back. “You made a terrible mistake last night, Miss Burke. You made your proposal to Hel, and not to me. You offered her anything she wanted. And the only thing the Goddess of the Dead has any interest in is your eternal soul.” Morgane’s heart almost stopped beating.

  “So clever, yet you never saw that coming, did you? But never fear, I’m going to get you out of your current predicament. I need you to do something for me, resourceful little human that you are. Call it a favor if you will. Or don’t, it matters not. But since you’re heading down to the Underworld, I’m going to use your situation to my advantage.”

  As he circled her, she met his eyes, greeting the darkness within them with a questioning look. “Hel means to trap you down there as her prisoner. Seems set on it, for some unknown reason. I would assume you would welcome a chance to avoid that fate. I’m willing to offer you something no one else could.”

  “And what is that?” Morgane couldn’t keep her voice from quivering.

  “A way back.” Odin smiled. If you could call it that. Teeth-baring was more like it. “Providing, of course, you give me something in return. Find someone for me and bring them back.”

  “You can do that? Bring people back from the Underworld?” How would she ever find the one Odin wanted? God, there had to be millions and millions of them down there. Everyone who’d ever died was there.

  Suddenly, Morgane stilled.