by Sumida, Amy
It sailed through the dark sky like a phoenix, landing in the middle of the dragon ship. The wood caught easily and soon the entire ship was on fire, lighting the sky with tongues of orange and yellow. So beautiful and such a perfect way to say goodbye to Odin but my soul was unsettled and when the flames reached the dragon's head my own dragon roared inside me in denial. Even she knew that this wasn't right.
Then, from out of the fire, came a flash of gold, rocketing through the air to land at my feet. I stared down in confusion at the glowing spear embedded in the wood of the pier, its shaft still vibrating with the power that had sent it to me. Gungnir? Why was it here? What the hell was this about?
“You must take it, Carus,” Azrael was behind me, his hand on my shoulder. “The spear has chosen. It doesn't want to follow Odin's body into the void. It wants to stand beside you, the woman he loved.”
I wrapped my hand around the silky wood and when I did, the runes carved into it flashed bright white once before fading out. I could feel the magic within the wood, a shimmering energy barely held in check. It was Odin, his magic, and I knew then why it had come back to me. Even in death, Odin refused to leave me unprotected. Gungnir had returned to watch over me since Odin no longer could. I grasped it more firmly and pulled it free from the pier. As I lifted it upright a resolve formed inside me. I would find Odin's soul, if it could be found at all. I would go after him as he had done for me, and I would bring him back.
“I'll see you back at the beginning, my love,” I whispered as the boat started to crumble, fiery pieces of it falling into the water to steam.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Someone stepped into my path on the way back to Valhalla for the funeral feast. I frowned a little, leaning on Gungnir like a staff, and looked up.
“Mom?” My face fell, tears instantly running down my cheeks as she came forward and hugged me.
“Vervain, I'm so sorry,” she held me while I cried. Funny how seeing my mom broke the dam of numbness for me. I guess we all want our Mommy when things go bad.
“He's dead,” I whispered as if she didn't know. “Mom, Odin's dead.”
“I know,” she slid to the side so she could wrap an arm around my waist and help me down the path. “He was a good man, I liked him.”
“He saved my life.”
“Then I love him,” she smiled sadly, “and I'm very grateful to him.”
“Yeah well he kinda owed you one anyway,” I huffed, thinking of how he'd made her go through a teen pregnancy to have me.
“Huh?”
“Never mind,” I stopped suddenly, Trevor thumping into my back. “How did you get here?”
“Kirill brought me,” she glanced at him and smiled. “Popped up on my front porch in California and told me what had happened. Then he brought me here. Why didn't you tell me tracing was possible? You could have saved me a long plane ride when Grandpa died.”
“Damn, I didn't even think about it,” I gaped at her.
“Well, next time I have to travel, I'm calling you,” she looked up at Valhalla as we entered, her eyes growing large. “This place is immense.”
“I know, it's a little overwhelming,” I frowned as I heard an obscene wailing and looked over to see the Valkyries crying all over each other.
“Looks like a lot of people loved him,” Mom observed drily.
“Those are the Valkyries,” I shrugged, “it's kind of their job to love him.”
“I'll take care of it,” Thor brushed by us and went to coral the women. He shooed them further into the side of the hall, to a seating area a good hundred feet away, so their crying wouldn't be so very abrasive.
“Come on, Minn Elska,” Trevor took my arm and gestured to the high table. “And Minn Elska's Mother,” he gave my mom a little smile.
We went up the dais and sat at the high table, facing the rest of the gathering. Along with my lovers and my mother were my sons, Vidar and Vali, and Thor. Fenrir was sitting with the Froekn at a table to our right and the Intare were across from them on our left. I blinked in surprise when I realized just how many people were there. I mean, I knew Odin was popular but after he switched sides for me in the God War, I figured his popularity had waned. I'd been wrong.
There were so many people that tables had to be set up behind the usual ones which were lined down the length of the hall. I saw several faces I knew, including all of the God Squad, but there were also a whole lot of them that I didn't recognize. If I hadn't been so grief stricken, I might have felt concerned that there were so many strange gods in the room with me. As it was, I was only curious.
“Who are they?” I whispered to Trevor and looked back out to the assemblage.
“They're gods who respected Odin,” Trevor brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “They've all come to show him their respect.”
“Who's that?” I nodded my head to a beautiful blonde woman seated a few tables down from us on the right. She was staring at me with a mixture of curiosity and contempt. I knew that look, I'd seen it on women before, and I suddenly guessed who she was. “Frigg.”
“Yeah,” Trevor gave her a nod and she nodded back before turning away. “She's probably not your biggest fan.”
“No, she wouldn't be,” I sighed, hoping that I hadn't made yet another enemy who was going to try to kill me. “She thinks I stole her husband and now she probably thinks I killed him. Then there's her son, I'm sure she blames me for Balder's death as well.”
“Don't worry about Frigg right now,” Trevor patted my hand.
“To Odin!” A man stood a little ways down the hall and lifted his mug. “The most devious strategist I knew!”
“To Odin!” Everyone cheered and drank.
It went on that way for awhile, people standing and acknowledging some reason they admired Odin. I sat back, wondering if Odin could hear it all. Did he know how much they'd respected him? It was a shame we all missed our own funerals, these are the things people want to hear when they're alive. Why can't we say them before death?
“To Odin!” Horus stood up and raised his glass. “When Atlantis fell, he found room in his boat for me and my parents,” Horus waved a hand back at stunning Egyptian couple. “He saved our lives and it doesn't surprise me that he gave his life to save Vervain. As much as we called him Oathbreaker, Odin was full of honor and he shall be missed.”
“To Odin!” Everyone cheered.
I stared at Horus, shocked and grateful for his beautiful speech. He raised his glass to me and nodded, a tear falling down his cheek. I mouthed a thank you to him, for both the speech and that tear, which said more to me than his words had.
Fallon stood with Samantha, “Odin saved the life of my Tima,” he said as he lifted his mug. “He did it out of love for her but in doing so he also saved all of the Intare for without her we would go wild, lose ourselves and these lives we've finally been able to create,” he hugged Samantha close and she sent me a sympathetic look. “Intare, present!” My lions all stood, lifted their mugs, and roared. The hall echoed with it and it resounded in my soul, the call of my lions. “Hail Odin!”
“Hail Odin!” They all cheered and drank before returning to their seats.
Trevor stood and I looked up at him in surprise. “Odin and I didn't always get along,” that got him a few chuckles from the room. “It's hard to accept a man who married your soul mate first. But I did accept him and I found him to be a man of great loyalty and intelligence. In the end, he did what I couldn't do, he saved the woman we love, and by doing that, he saved me as well. Most of you know that I'm bound to Vervain, when she dies, I will happily follow her into death. So when I say that Odin saved my life too, I mean it quite literally. Thank you, Odin. Thank you for Vervain and for myself. To Odin!”
“To Odin!” Another round of cheering and more drinking.
Trevor settled back beside me and I took his hand, giving him a quick peck on the cheek for good measure. Then I my attention was caught as Vidar stood, everyone getting quiet t
o hear what the Silent One had to say.
“My father was a great leader,” he started, “a savior to many,” he waved his hand out to indicate people who'd made the previous speeches, “and a villain to many more.” A ripple of amusement at that. “He ruled Asgard and gave an afterlife to those who gave of their magic to us,” he indicated the silent Viking warriors who stood around the edges of the tables with grim respect. “Some of you admired him for his might in battle, some of you for his wit and cunning, but I... my brothers and I,” he put a hand on Vali's shoulder and nodded to Thor, who was seated next to Vali, “knew another side of him. He taught us that there are times to fight for what you believe in and times to sacrifice for what you love. That neither fighting nor loving made you a man but rather knowing when to fight and how to love. My father loved as fiercely as he fought, knowing exactly when to draw sword and when to bend his head to the blade. To my father, to Odin!”
“To Odin!” I closed my eyes against my tears as the room thundered with the call again.
Fenrir got up and walked into the center of the room. He had a mug in his hand and a grim expression on his face. He raised his wooden mug and the Froekn howled, the mournful sound sending chills over my skin. Fenrir added his voice to the group and it carried up to me, expressing his love and support more thoroughly than words ever could.
“Many of you here have hunted me,” Fenrir announced and my eyes went wide as I searched the crowd. Fuck, what now? “Have hunted my children. You persecuted me for being different, monstrous, an abomination in the eyes of the High Twenty of Atlantis. Relax,” he grinned, showcasing very sharp teeth. “We are here tonight for Odin and you're safe... for now.” Nervous laughter trickled about the room.
“He was hunted?” My Mom whispered to me.
“Yes,” I said, keeping my eyes on him. “By his own people.”
“Poor thing,” she said and I almost laughed. She was probably the only person who had ever used those words in reference to Fenrir.
“I spent many years on the run; hiding, protecting my children,” Fenrir frowned and swallowed hard. I sat forward in my seat, sensing that he was about to reveal something momentous. “Everyone knows this but what no one knows is that not only did Odin refuse to hunt me or mine, he gave me my territory and helped me build my Hall.” Gasps circulated and my mouth fell open. “I would have found a place for us eventually, we Froekn persevere, but Odin helped us before we were strong. He helped the Froekn become who we are today and then he refused to take credit for it. Only myself and my oldest son knew the truth,” I glanced at Trevor and he gave me a sad smile. “Odin wanted no thanks for helping us, saying that he was only righting the wrong that had been done us. That the Atlanteans had behaved shamefully towards one of their own and he could stomach it no longer. The Allfather gave me and mine a home, a future, and hope that not all of you are complete bastards.”
There were quite a few guilty expressions when I looked around the room, one on a man with only one hand. I remembered then the Froekn saying of “Reach out a hand to harm a Froekn and you shall lose it.” It was created when Andrasta betrayed them to Tyr. Fenrir had taken Tyr's hand that day and I had a feeling that was the god himself, sitting just a few feet away from Fenrir, and looking almost as nervous as he did guilty.
“Magic sustains us,” Fenrir continued, “and we are all a slave to it in some way. The myth of Ragnarok says that Odin attacks me with Gungnir and that I kill him. As Odin died, Gungnir was compelled to fulfill that prophecy. It jerked from Odin's hands, going straight towards my heart, and with his last bit of strength Odin diverted the spear and sent it instead into my shoulder. He didn't just save Vervain that day, he once again saved me. To Odin!” He raised his mug and then drank deep before returning to his seat. The room was too shocked to mimic his toast.
I gaped at Fenrir's retreating figure. I had no idea how noble Odin had been or that with his death, he'd saved Fenrir as well. I looked over at Trevor and he took my hand, nodding his head. He'd known what Odin had done. He must have seen it, he was standing right beside me at the time. And yet they hadn't told me, instead they allowed me to have that last bit of him for myself.
I stood up and the room quieted. My stomach clenched and I took a deep breath. I didn't want to do this, stand there and face the fact that Odin was gone, admit it to a bunch of strangers, but I knew it was not only expected but deserved. He'd saved my life, the least I could do was speak for him.
“Odin was my husband,” I said quietly and then swallowed and strengthened my voice. “Maybe not in this life but in my heart we were still married. He loved me so much that he refused to let me go. He made a deal with Death,” I looked over and smiled at Azrael, where he was seated next to my Mom, and he smiled back. “To take me to Hvergelmir instead of Heaven. He bartered his eye for the knowledge to bring me back and then he put me inside my mother,” I held a hand out to my mom, “and let me go. He lost me and mourned me all over again but fate has a sense of humor it seems,” I looked over and gave Thor a sad smile, he shook his head ruefully.
There was a light smattering of laughter through the hall.
“I was brought back to him by his own son,” I continued, “and boy was that Hell.. two Ls not one.” I searched the hall and was surprised to see that Hel was actually in attendance. I grimaced at her and she gave me a sort of disbelieving grin while everyone laughed. “Odin did that a lot: suffered for me. He gave up a lot to be with me until finally,” I took a shaky breath and collected myself. “Finally, he gave everything. Odin didn't just save my life, he gave me life, over and over. Gave me my sons,” I smiled at Vali and Vidar. “Twice. He gave me all the love he had and his fidelity beyond the grave. He gave me so much but when he died, he took so much more from me. To Odin!” I lifted my glass. “To the god I love.”
“To Odin!” They all cheered and I emptied my glass with them.
Chapter Fifty
A few days after Odin's funeral, Azrael came into the dining room of Pride Palace with Krystal, a human friend of mine. It was so strange to see her there that I just sat, staring at her with my coffee halfway to my mouth before she finally broke the tension.
“Is this place for real?”
I gave a sort of surprised huff of a laugh and put my coffee down. “As real as something made by magic can be, I guess.”
“What the hell?” She frowned and gave me an irate look. “You've been totally holding out on me, bitch. Why haven't you ever brought me here for our girl lunches?”
“I'm sorry?” I shook my head and looked over at the softly grinning Azrael. “Thank you, Az.”
“Hey,” he shrugged. “It's kind of my job to know what grief needs and she's it, trust me.”
“Yeah, I got it from here, handsome,” she gave him a wink but when he started to leave, she stopped him. “If you ever feel like repaying me though, I wouldn't mind an introduction to one of your single friends.”
“Krystal,” I laughed despite my sorrow.
“What?” She shrugged. “When am I ever going to have an angel indebted to me again?”
“Do you have a preference?” Azrael looked a little intrigued by the idea of matchmaking.
“Uh,” she shrugged, “I don't know, I guess you're all probably good looking. The only thing I really am a stickler about is-”
“Hair,” I interrupted. “Make sure he has short hair.”
“Oh, you know me so well,” she slid into a seat beside me and peered disdainfully at my coffee. “Speaking of which, do you have anything other than that?” She pointed at my beverage like it was personally offending her.
“Short hair?” Azrael was stuck on the stipulation. “Huh, I have to give that some thought.”
“Are you serious?” Krystal sat up straight and turned back toward him. “You're really going to hook me up with an angel?”
“Oh, you want an angel?” He looked even more surprised. “You said one of my single friends, not angels.”
�
��Oh, I didn't realize you had any other friends,” she looked back and forth between our raised brows, “and I'm going to shut up now.”
“Angels are notoriously hard to get along with,” he warned her. “Most of them are really arrogant and the ones that aren't are usually really busy. What kind of relationship are you looking for?”
“The kind that gets me mid-air sex,” she waggled her brows at him and Azrael flushed.
“You told her?”
“You told Kirill,” I gave him my that's what you get face.
“Yes, but you have sex with Kirill too,” he was getting redder. “It's not like he wasn't already familiar with your love making.”
“My love making?” I laughed. “Just go, Azrael. It's okay. Go find Krystal a nice angel with short hair.”
“And strong wings,” she called after him as he left. “And a firm ass.” His shoulders twitched with that one but he kept walking because he's a smart angel. “So what have you been up to? You know, besides enjoying this fucking paradise without me.”
“I love you,” I said and got up. “Come on, I'll see if I can find you a Pepsi. Some of the lions must surely drink it, even if I don't.”
“Lead on,” she got up and followed me into the kitchen. “And you can keep leading after you find me a drink cause I want to see the rest of this place.”
So I gave her the grand tour, Pepsi in hand- her's not mine, and finally ended up at the library. I told her how I'd been spending most of my time there and she nodded while she looked through the books. I was feeling a little exhausted by her exuberance, so I sat down in the sitting room while she roamed. Finally she came back with a book in hand. Enchantress, a romance novel by a Hawaii author, Amy Sumida.
She sat down next to me and to my utter surprise, she started to read out loud. I relaxed back into the cushions as she read, realizing it was just what I needed, someone there with me but without putting any pressure on me to be entertaining or asking me if I was okay every five minutes.
