by J. J. Keller
“Do you smell something?” A new voice echoed through the dense pine trees.
“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Frasier replied.
Aidan parted the branches. Great, the guard wasn’t someone he knew. The new guy transformed into quite a large wolf with dark and light brown fur, and a white spot on his forehead. Frasier shifted into human form. Tall and lanky with a shock of white hair and dark brown eyes, he resembled their father more than Aidan.
The fresh guard moved closer to his location. He sniffed the air. “Did you see anyone? Anything?”
“Nothing so far, Dan. I’ll walk along the bridge and take the rear entrance into the castle. I’ll give a shout.” Frasier ran along the bridge, heading away from Aidan.
Dan, in wolf form, paced, keeping his ears up and nose in the air.
Aidan had forgotten the supreme splendor of the bridge. Brick towers reached into the air, and atop each sat gargoyles the size of his van. Twisted iron cables traversed over trusses. The jagged edges spanning outward as if trying to catch the bright sunrays—magically created suspenders connected to the bridge decking. In an ever-changing world, this structure struck the sky amidst the wild elements, cruel, evil elements, and would remain intact for as long as a guardian wolf lived.
Another set of brick towers marked the entrance to Hades. Hell. The majority of humans try to avoid the underworld and foul creatures attempted to escape. He chuckled. Most people thought the bridge to Hell was a euphemism, when in reality the passageway existed. Beyond the towers, a cave entrance led to the bowels of flaming perdition. Rapids, timeless and strong, roared beneath the bridge, making the braces squeal on occasion. Facing the past, this tunnel, he reaffirmed his goal to free Skogul and his sister.
To find them he had to cross this mystic channel, risk encountering demons, and enter his ancestral home. Each breath he drew reminded him, he was considered a traitor. Pack members would take him out. Aware he could lose his life, he vowed not to upset the balance or murder one of his own. Except Sable, who didn’t belong in his clan. Certain his mother dug her out of a coyote hole, Sable’s core was as dark as hers. Sable had to go.
First, he had to get past Dan.
****
Skogul glanced around the corridor, then stuck her nose upward trying to determine where the breath of fresh air came from. The black unitard, provided by Hayden, inched into her butt. Skogul tugged the slick material. After today, she’d never, ever, wear a latex garment that covered her from head to toe.
“Sorry, it’s all I could find given your, ah, stature.” Hayden tucked the magical cutting wire back into the pack and replaced the bag over her shoulders.
“Not a big deal, at least the shoes fit.” Skogul wiggled her toes inside the bulky clogs. Clumsy and awkward, how was she going to be successful in battle if the need arose? “Which way do we go?”
“You need to keep your voice down. Wolves have exceptional hearing.” Hayden strode along the left hallway.
“Got it.” She glanced at the cross path. “Are you sure the south one is correct?”
“Yes. Come.”
“Aidan’s worried about you, Hayden. I suspect he has a reason to be concerned.”
Hayden turned toward her. Glassy eyed, she blinked. “My mother.” She cleared her throat. “Until recently, she locked me in a cell similar to yours.”
“She sounds lovely.” They turned a corner. “Full of maternal care and pride.” No light sconces lined the walls. The floor dimly glowed beneath their feet, barely lighting the way. “It’s hot in here.”
Hayden brushed a finger against her arm. “Wait, I need to get you a light. Up ahead it’ll be dark, very dark.”
A sudden blast of cold air whistled through the hall. Forced chilled air like at Aidan’s house. Hayden removed the bag and extracted a band with a sparkling round orb attached.
“Here.” She pushed a button and with shaking hands handed over an odd round thing. “Put this on your head, so you can keep your hands free. We’re almost there.”
Skogul took the band, pulled the slick material to test the elasticity and clicked the light off and on. Despite the device being the circumference of a javelin, the orb illuminated with brilliant rays. “You don’t need one?”
“No. My kind, we have exceptional night vision.” Hayden heaved the rucksack strap to her shoulder.
As above, so below, yet Skogul remained without real powers. Human. The annoying band clung to her head and pulled her short strands of hair. Although she hadn’t been pleased with the cropped style, it had helped. Other women in town had similar haircuts. Instead of waist length, in the future, she’d keep her hair close to her head allowing her freedom of movement.
“My brother. He’s well?” Hayden’s wispy voice echoed softly between the walls.
Skogul directed the light from side to side, trying to get a feeling of the range. “Yes, Hayden. He’s helping animals and people. The quaint community and the people who live there, they love him. You’ll like living there.”
She smiled, but tears hovered at the corners of her eyes. “Are you going to be his life mate?”
An answer proved impossible to articulate. The story of her past, the mission, and Aidan might take days to fully explain. Best to say nothing and keep her fears and hopes to herself. A Valkyrie rarely chose a life mate. To her knowledge, only Kiara had crossed that bridge, but she believed in love everlasting. She had to go through a trial created by Odin before he’d accept their union. How would he react to a wolf and Valkyrie merger?
Her heart stopped for a second. Love. Within minutes of meeting, Hayden discovered an emotion Skogul couldn’t believe. She loved Aidan.
“Stop. Turn off the light.” Hayden shoved her against the wall.
Unaccustomed to being ordered around, Skogul extended her arms to push back. Her stomach clinched, ready to battle. Jets of excitement rippled through her, tightening her muscles. She’d been preparing, honing her skills for this moment. Instead, she hesitated, letting the girl-child take control. “What do you hear?”
“Mother. I smell her. Why would she be in this part of the castle?”
“Why wouldn’t she?” Skogul flipped the switch. Darkness engulfed them. Instinct took over. She placed her hand on the rough surface of the earth wall, ready to shove off and attack. Göndul, I need my powers.
“My mother never enters this hallway. Not once in my sixteen years have I seen or heard of her ever being on this side of the castle.” She pointed to a black curved door, carved into wall made of stone. “On the other side is the exit to the bridge.”
“Guardian Bridge. A pack of supernatural wolves guard the bridge, not allowing demons to exit or curious humans to enter.” The information came to her, as if implanted in her mind. Reading minds had been one of her powers. Finally, her plea had been heard. About time.
Hayden turned so quickly she lost her balance and bumped into her. “How do you know? Aidan would never tell.”
“Knowledge is power,” Skogul said. The heat in the hallways intensified. An image of Valhalla’s great fireplace flamed, roaring to life, swept through her mind. As the homesickness washed over her, sweat dripped down the sides of her hairline. Using her forearm, she wiped her brow. “I know things. Part of my being. Like the meaning of your name. Why is my gut telling me something dreadful is just beyond that door?”
“Demons.” Hayden’s body tightened as if ready to fight, but her face reflected raw, gross fear.
Skogul bent her wrists, tightened her fingers, but didn’t feel the strength. Low breaths seeped from her mouth. Odin, could a human conquer anything she would encounter on the dark side?
Aidan’s tiny bit of a sister threw her shoulders back, pulled her lips together in a tight line. “No time like the present.”
Frak. Hayden had never been through the door. “You’ve never guarded the bridge?”
“No.” Determination punctuated her word. She would not back down.
“Have y
ou been trained?”
“Not really.” Hayden gave the door a few button punches, and after a couple of clicks, bolts clanked and rattled. Ash and smoke-scented air blasted into the hallway.
Chapter Fifteen
Aidan ran up the embankment and planted his feet, firmly on the ground. He glanced around. A flash of demons surrounded Frasier. He defended well, counterattacked without hesitation, but outnumbered, he wouldn’t last long. The simple iron door, usually blocked, was wide open, allowing hordes of escapees. Who or what would have opened the portal to hell and let all the damned free?
Aidan rushed to the crowded entrance and transformed into human shape. He took a deep breath, sucking in sulfur-scented air. Grabbing the edge of the lead door, he slammed the portal closed, cutting off the demon passage. He picked up a broken lock. Forceful evil beings crashed into the door. Furious, unearthly, screams only heard by guardians, by him, ripped through the air. He leaned against the hot, solid door, bouncing as the evil forces thumped, seeking freedom. Only a Bridge Guardian could destroy a magically created lock.
There should be a stack of iron rods, dipped in salt, piled on the embankment ten feet away. Iron infused with mystical properties and created by his ancestors with ancient procedures. The poles were used to repair the bridge if necessary. His gut clutched. A calculated twenty demons could escape by the time he rushed to the heap. He glanced at Frasier, continuing to fight the odd mix of demons—wraiths, hellhounds, partially visible demons and black mists. Blood dripped from his left flank and part of an ear had been charred.
“Aidan!” Hayden came from the emergency exit of the castle and ran toward him, a knapsack slapping against her back.
He wanted to pull her into his embrace, but he couldn’t move away from the door. Heat burned his hands. He nodded to his left. “Get a rod to bolt the entrance.”
She ran toward the pile, partially hidden behind fir trees. One end easily lifted, then the rod fell onto the heap. Sparks rose into the sky. Hayden shook her head, removed the pack from her back and hoisted the pole again.
“Let me.” Skogul ran to Hayden’s side, drew the rod up and twisted it around.
For a split second, his mind relaxed and so did his pressure on the door. At the lapse, the damned pushed harder. He shoved back. Wish granted, the people he loved were with him and safe, for now. A wraith, fluttering with long smoky trails of wickedness, flew toward them. How could a human defeat such evil? The rod! She’d been using a broom handle to destroy his scarecrow. She could eliminate the wraith. “Skogul, behind you.”
Skogul turned, an iron pole gripped in her hands.
A demanding gray wraith fluttered around him, dipping and rising, trying to move him from the portal. “You’ll not get your friends released.”
He glanced at Skogul. Cemented to the ground, she wavered for a second, then her thunderstruck expression changed to one of determination.
“Use the pole. Stab the wraith.”
She didn’t hesitate and slammed the end of the pole straight through the black malevolent mass. The demon dissipated with an echoing wail, returning to the bowels of hell. A second later the demon pestering him dissolved by one strike from her. Heart pounding pride rushed through him.
“Well done. Hurry, Hayden, bring a rod to me.”
As Hayden continued to drag a pole toward Aidan, Skogul took down another demon.
Skogul raced toward him and stuck the pole in the mechanism, securing the portal. He kissed her, hoping his love would get them through the trial of defending their lives. What a woman. He’d treasure her dedication to training, forever.
She stiffened.
“What is it?” he asked.
“My powers.” Skogul pumped her fist in the air and let out a warrior battle cry. “Please return my powers!”
She shook her head and grasped the rod from Hayden, turned and took down the nearest demon. “Let’s get rid of these pesky black things.”
Aidan hugged his sister. “Go to the bridge. Hunker down in the suspension nook.” He glanced at the backpack. “Do you have an eliminator?”
“Yes.” She grabbed his arm. “I want to stay with you.”
“We’ll go to my house after this is over. I’ll keep you safe.”
“Okay.” She gathered her bag and ran to the bridge.
His transformation into wolf had become swifter with frequency. Power also came to him with the increased shifting. He attacked a wraith going for Skogul’s back, then moved to help his brother who, injured and bleeding, faltered under a siege of demons.
“Go. Protect Hayden at the bridge.”
Relief mixed with apprehension crossed Frasier’s face. He’d continue to honor his duties, but his injuries were debilitating. With backs aligned, Frasier and Hayden fought black forceful mists and made their way to a secure area.
Aidan jumped into the throng of demons stuck at the entrance of the bridge. Hopefully, the mystical iron struts would prohibit wicked beings from crossing. Never had so many souls left the underworld en masse. As a unit, they could possibly slip past, overcome the elements, and wreak havoc on unsuspecting humankind.
Skogul impaled a demon, this one light gray with piercing yellow eyes. Aidan rushed toward her. A form, almost a fully developed male figure raised a pole. The magic of the iron melted in his hands, leaving a stiff black rod. He lowered the end, pointing toward Skogul, teasing Aidan with the threat. Being human, the puncture site at her left shoulder would lead directly into her heart.
His heart beat faster than the pounding of the souls seeking release. She would die. He whistled, a high pitch noise similar to a banshee’s scream. The ghoul stopped and turned, others as well. Skogul continued to flay the wraith attacking her. Aidan stared into the demon’s yellow eyes, betraying his weakness. His love for Skogul. The demon tightened his grip and drew back his arm.
Aidan shouted her name. The underlying urgency drew her around, slicing through the cold mist as she pivoted. He jumped in front of her, as the yellow-eyed demon’s rod propelled forward.
Fire ripped from his chest through his back. He twisted and clawed the air, hoping to snag any part of the demon threatening his love.
****
Skogul inhaled. Her veins froze and her heart ceased to beat. “Aidan!”
A spirit, nearly fully formed, stuck a rod into Aidan’s chest. He landed face down. The demon extracted the rod, pulled back far enough to fling Aidan through the air like a rag doll thrown toward a toy box.
Releasing a war cry, she ignored the blood rushing down her arm and spun around. She lifted the iron pole as if it were a piece of straw and struck. Whack!
She took a step back as a crackle of energy raced in blue lights up her arms, lifting the small hairs at the side of her face. A nimbus of light shimmered with sparks around her. The sample in Aidan’s lab fridge was not lotion but her blood. He’d examined her blood. Why?
No time for internal exploration, she speared a floating black cold bit of air. Another undefined mass of ebony flew past, slicing the top of her shoulder. A deep throbbing pain burned through her neck as she pivoted and struck a withering corpus through the center. Opaque ashes fell to the ground. Taking a sharp, deep breath, she spun with her iron positioned to strike. Completely surrounded, she endured a moment of panic. Would arrogance become her downfall?
She glanced to the bridge. Hayden held a red light in her hand and shoved it toward an extra-large wraith. Frasier knelt on the ground, crushing a dark bulk under his enormous paws. They wouldn’t be able to get close to Aidan, several feet away.
Before she met Aidan, she relished the challenge of selecting brave warriors, and anticipating a battle with an enemy. An incoming soldier rarely attacked a Valkyrie. However, the possibility always existed. Odin had many enemies, and they cared not what rank a Valkyrie had in his scheme. Acting as a human these past months gave her a strong dose of reality. She suddenly viewed life and death from a different perspective. She wouldn’t, couldn’t
allow, Aidan’s life force to end.
She turned, hoping to see his beautiful face, wanting him to be standing. He wasn’t visible. Her heart beat erratically as she peered into the darkness. His shiny reddish fur wasn’t to be found. She ducked, dragging the pole through a ghost. A dark image, the man who had stabbed Aidan grinned. He released his weapon, focused on the bridge, intending to cross. That wasn’t going to happen. The demon would go back to the underworld.
Skogul ran forward, pivoted and bringing her leg up, jabbed the ghoul. She used the momentum, swung around and drove the pole into the beast’s chest. Pole raised, she spun around, trying to see down the embankment and glimpsed Aidan’s arm unmoving. The pine tree burn mark on the inside of his wrist, from the Bunsen burner incident, was outlined in the dim moonlight. His chest moved up and down, slow and ragged, but it moved.
Adian lived.
A new wave of demons fluttered around her. Throbbing pain ripped through her shoulder. Survival. She’d fight and defend him. “Stay alive, Aidan.”
Even with her powers, the strong evil forces were daunting. Heart racing, she considered the situation. She would conquer them, because she intended to save Aidan and then become the new commander of the Valkyries or die trying. Odin willing.
“Skogul.”
Weakened to the point of hearing Harrison, she cleared her thoughts and shoved the pole into an approaching demon. Was this the end?
“Skogul, answer me,” Harrison shouted.
She tucked and rolled, waving her pole in a blind attempt to eliminate attackers. Luckily, she came out the other side of a demon circle. Harrison held a gun in one hand and a Whiplash knife in the other. His favorite tools in combat would be useless fighting the demons repositioning to attack.
“Harrison, those won’t work to kill these things. You need an iron pole, created by the wolves. They’re stacked on the side of the door.” She pointed to the entrance, then swung her pole and jabbed a demon. Dust sprinkled to the ground.
