by C. Gockel
Licking his lips, Nidhogg looks back at Amy and Bohdi. “Now how to get you across the sea,” he puffs. “Perhaps you could ride in my mouth…”
“Erm,” says Amy.
“No,” says Bohdi.
“No chit-chit-a-chit-chitting way!” says Ratatoskr.
x x x x
Sitting in the ocean shallows, just to the right of the waterfall, Nidhogg tilts his head down at Amy and Bohdi. “Are you comfortable?”
Bohdi isn’t sure what to say. He and Amy are lying in an actual hammock of spider web. Nidhogg snipped it off the web waterfall with his claws. The hammock is suspended between those same claws at the end of Nidhogg’s enormous and powerful-looking forearms. As typically happens with hammocks, Amy and Bohdi have slid to the center. They’re almost, but not quite, lying on top of each other.
Bohdi generally likes cute girls on top of him—but usually he’s won them over with his wit and charm. Being thrown together kind of takes the fun out of it….Also, Amy keeps looking at him strangely. Maybe she really isn’t comfortable so close to him? But she has to know the whole thing with the thong was an accident. He didn’t mean it like that and…
“It’s fine,” Amy says.
Bohdi feels himself relax. Laying the arm with the pink bundle on his stomach, he takes a wheezy breath.
Amy looks down at him, concern etched clearly in the lines between her brows. Mr. Squeakers cheeps from her shoulder.
“You look a chit-a-chat lot more comfortable than me,” says Ratatoskr from atop the dragon’s head. “Sure I can’t join you?”
Mr. Squeakers’ fur puffs up so he looks about twice his normal size. He hisses up at the squirrel.
Raising a tiny fist, Ratatoskr says, “Hey? Rodent power, right brother?”
Mr. Squeakers’ hiss increases in volume.
With a few chitters, Ratatoskr disappears behind Nidhogg’s tentacles.
Clearing his throat, Nidhogg lifts his enormous bat-like wings, completely blocking out the sky. “Shall we be off? The longer I sit here, the more likely it is I will attract the attention of a giant eel.”
Bohdi’s eyes go wide. Nidhogg is, if anything, bigger, than he’d anticipated. Brontosaurus sized…if brontosauruses were real. But Nidhogg’s head is bigger than a dinosaur’s, and of course, there are the wings…
“Ready to go!” says Amy.
Her side is pressed tightly to Bohdi’s, and he can’t bring himself to look at her.
“Excellent,” Nidhogg says, lifting his giant head. His wings beat the water making waves crash on either side of them. There is a sensation of weightlessness, and then Bohdi feels wind whip around them, and gravity pressing him into the hammock. Seconds later, the ocean waves are crashing beneath them, and the hammock is rocking in time with Nidhogg’s wings.
“How are you feeling?” Amy says, taking his hand.
Bohdi shivers at the unexpected touch. “Fine,” he lies.
“Hmmmm…” says Amy.
He wants to squeeze her hand, he wants to look at her, but keeps his eyes on Nidhogg. Her affection is too easy…and somehow that isn’t right. Neither of them says anything for moments that stretch too long. Bohdi carefully studies Nidhogg’s wings to avoid looking at Amy. Her head lolls into the space between his head and shoulder. It’s kind of a weird time for her to suddenly like him.
Carefully looking elsewhere, Bohdi clears his throat. “So, you know, I don’t really think Nidhogg’s wings are physically large enough to support his weight. That he can fly has to be defying some of the laws of physics.”
Amy huffs a soft laugh. “Hmmm…you think there might possibly be some magic involved?”
Bohdi opens his mouth to reply, and then he realizes she’s teasing him.
And suddenly the moment is perfect. He turns his head, a grin on his face, a flirtatious quip at the tip of his tongue…and finds Amy’s eyes closed. Her hand slips from his, her body shivers, and her breathing deepens as she falls into sleep.
Bohdi stares at the so-called God of Mischief’s former girlfriend. The moment is still perfect. His heart feels bigger, and the sensation of want that had eluded him when he first woke from his fever is back. Even if it won’t be sated, even if he still feels off, wanting feels good.
He almost kisses Amy’s forehead. But he doesn’t. He shuts his eyes and immediately feels himself falling again, this time into sleep.
Chapter 18
When Bohdi’s eyes open, he’s still lying in the spider web hammock, but instead of it being slung to the forelimbs of the dragon, it is now suspended between what looks a lot like palm trees—only with branches. Pink sunlight is filtering through fronds above him. Mr. Squeakers is making snoring sounds as he swings at the end of a bungee line of spider silk. The breeze smells like water and fishy things. He hears the sounds of waves close by and cries that might be from birds above his head.
He inhales…and feels a twinge of pain as air enters his lungs. His stomach is clenched in hunger, and his left arm is tingling uncomfortably.
He glances down. Amy’s head is pillowed on his shoulder. One of her legs is tangled with his.
Even with tangled hair and no makeup, she looks really cute, and where her body presses against his, he’s warm. She’s soft, and it’s…nice. He’s not sure he wants to wake her, even if his arm hurts.
Every muscle in his body tenses. Maybe he should wake her. He has no idea where they are, and every near-idyllic moment on Nornheim seems to turn bad fast. He turns his head, and sees a beach with sparkling pinkish sand, tiny birds darting through the waves. Looking the other way, he sees a shorter stretch of sand punctuated by ankle-high, succulent plants with purple flowers. A path winds through the succulents to a palm forest with thin underbrush.
No dragons, kappa, adze, alligators, or spiders… Something is obviously amiss.
Amy stirs against his shoulder and then sits up with a gasp, the hammock swaying with her motion. Not moving, she stares at him wide-eyed.
There is something to say in this situation, something funny and flirty—or maybe something suave and suggestive—but all words leave him. Amy straddling his thigh brings the strangest sense of déjà vu.
“Hi,” she says quietly.
Bohdi licks his lips, about to reply, when there is a whoosh of air, the sound of footsteps in sand, and a cheery feminine voice says, “Oh, you are awake!”
Bodhi looks up. Standing among the purple flowers is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. She has caramel skin, huge brown eyes, a tiny perky nose, and lips like a bow that stretch into a radiant smile at his gaze. Her glistening black hair is pulled back from her face. Her clothing resembles traditional Indian attire. Her smooth, curved, belly peeks from between a low-slung orange silk skirt, and a short, sleeveless, yellow silk top. The very sheer orange sari she wears draped over her shoulder does nothing to hide…anything. Bohdi lifts his eyes so as not to stare at her belly button—and finds himself staring at the neckline of the top instead. It reveals a lot more than is traditional—partly because the top is small, partly because there is a lot to reveal. His mouth waters; he feels his eyes growing larger against his will. Steve says Bohdi’s “type” is breathing. It is true that Bohdi sees beauty in a wide range of ages, shapes, and sizes. That said, he does like voluptuous and this woman…
Flushing, he drops his eyes again, this time to her feet. Tiny toes bedecked with gold rings poke from beneath the skirt, and staring at them feels just as wrong, right, and good as staring at her breasts and hips.
The woman laughs, light and musical, and claps her hands together below her chin—snapping Bohdi’s attention back to her face. And then another set of hands comes from behind her back and rises to her ears. Bohdi’s jaw drops…just as a third set of hands clasps in front of her breasts.
Bohdi’s eyes widen. Six arms. Huh. Actually…his mind starts wandering down a path where he imagines what all six of those arms could do at once. He licks his lips and swallows.
Bouncing on her heels, the woman says, “It’s so wonderful to meet you both.”
Both?
Bohdi’s eyes slide to Amy. She's sitting at the edge of the hammock, legs slung over the side. He hadn’t noticed that she had moved. But her eyes are still on him. Is he imagining her shoulders slumping just slightly? It’s hard to tell in that damnable shapeless tee shirt.
“Errr…” says Bohdi.
Biting her lip, Amy turns quickly away.
Taking hold of her skirt with a delicate brown hand, the woman gives a deep curtsy…revealing more of her ample assets. Bohdi’s skin goes hot.
“My name is Chloe.” Standing, she gestures with two arms toward the trees. “My sisters and I have prepared something for you to eat. Won’t you follow me?”
Amy slips off the hammock a little hesitantly.
Bohdi sits up…too fast apparently. His vision goes black, the world spins, and he feels his pulse pounding in his ears. When light and gravity return, Chloe’s head is cocked to the side. Four hands are on her hips. Her other two arms are crossed over her chest, and she is tapping her chin with an elegant finger.
“Are you all right?” Amy says.
Bohdi sits up straighter, remembering she is there. Throwing his legs over the side, he says, “Never better,” even though every time he inhales, he can feel the path of air burning its way into his lungs.
Crawling out of the hammock, Bohdi steps out from beneath the palm fronds with Amy. They both stop, look up, and gasp. About a quarter of a mile away, the biggest silvery column they’ve yet to see rises from the trees. There is an enormous cavern in its base. Bohdi can see daylight through it. There are also small steps that lead up to what looks like a dwelling carved into the column itself.
“Our home,” says Chloe. “But for now, this way.” With that, she turns and vanishes into the trees.
Amy and Bohdi follow her. They’ve barely stepped away from the beach when Chloe stops in a small clearing. Behind her a gentle waterfall gurgles into a crystal pool. Holding up all her arms she says, “And now you will eat.”
Before Bohdi can even process her words, there is another gust of wind from behind him, and then there are two other women standing in the clearing. Both of them have six arms like Chloe, and both are wearing clothing that could be described as vaguely East Indian. But one woman is African in appearance, her skin darker than Bohdi’s ever seen on anyone, her eyes Asian, her hair orange-red and tied in braids that fall halfway down her back. Where Chloe’s frame is soft, hers is taller, lean and athletic, but still gorgeous. It would be impossible to turn his eyes away from her if her companion wasn’t equally beautiful, and just as different. The last woman is pale and Caucasian in appearance. She has youthful, finely chiseled features, and bright blue eyes, but her hair is silvery white. Her frame is as thin as any runway model.
“My sisters,” says Chloe.
The tall, African-looking woman bows her head. “I am Lache.” Her voice is deep and rich, and a small smile pulls at her lips. Gesturing with three arms, she says, “And this is Addie.”
Addie dips her chin slightly, but otherwise her face has no expression.
Beside Bohdi, Amy says, “Errr…nice to meet you.”
Addie’s lip curls in Amy’s direction, and her expression turns so openly hostile both Amy and Bohdi take a step back.
“I cannot say the same,” Addie hisses, her eyes locked with Amy’s.
“Addie,” Lache snaps. “She is our guest, as is Bohdi. Behave.”
Addie scowls and crosses all six of her arms over her front.
Bohdi looks between the three women, and takes a wild stab in the dark. “Wait…are you the Norns?”
Addie’s eyes narrow, Lache smiles, and Chloe laughs. “Of course!”
Bohdi suddenly feels as though a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. “Well, I have a question for you—”
Lache steps forward, her hips swaying mesmerizingly. “And we will give you an answer…if you fulfill the task we have chosen for you.” Chloe giggles. Addie smiles, and all the hairs on the back of Bohdi’s neck stand on end.
Lifting her hands, Lache says, “But for now, eat.” At those words, she steps aside. There is a gust of wind and where she stood a table and chairs appears. The table is laden with a riot of shapes and colors that can only be fruit. There is also something that might have been a bird, but is now cooked to a golden brown. There is a plate with small slightly charred fishes, and a basket with loaves of breads of every sort.
“Oh,” says Amy, taking a step forward.
Bohdi’s mouth waters.
“One more thing,” says Addie. The thin woman waves her hand and a centerpiece appears on the table: an elevated platter with a dead snake coiled into a pillar. Stuffed in the snake’s fanged maw is an apple.
“Since you enjoy destroying my creatures!” Addie hisses at Amy.
Amy takes a step back, right into Bohdi. He puts a hand on her shoulder. Addie’s eyes follow the motion and her nostrils flare.
“Addie!” Chloe says. “That isn’t nice!” With a wave of her hand, the snake centerpiece disappears. Rolling her eyes, Addie disappears, too.
“I’m sorry,” Chloe says, stepping toward Amy, eyes soft, and leaning forward just slightly, giving Bohdi a rather nice view. His fingers tighten on Amy’s shoulder, and he squeezes his eyes shut. It’s not like he’s getting anywhere with six-armed, gorgeous goddesses, and something about all this just feels wrong. Lifting his head, he opens his eyes and focuses on a seagull-like creature skimming above the trees.
“She’s not happy with you right now,” Chloe says. “But of course, it’s understandable, isn’t it?”
Bohdi’s eyes snap down to the Norn.
Drawing closer to Bohdi, Amy says, “No, not, really…”
Bending further at the waist, revealing even more, Chloe reaches forward with two hands to touch Amy’s cheeks, her other hands come forward to stroke her sides. “But I like you.”
Bohdi’s brain disengages from the conversation almost completely at that point. But he’s vaguely aware of Chloe saying, “Have you ever thought of being a boy?”
Bohdi tilts his head. Chloe appears to have a birthmark just above her left…
“Errrrr…” says Amy.
“Enough, Chloe!” says Lache.
Bohdi’s gaze slips to the tall woman. She meets his eyes and smiles, showing all her teeth. “Eat now. You’ll need your strength.”
Bohdi swallows. His hand tightens involuntarily on Amy’s shoulder. Reaching up, she takes her fingers in his.
Chloe giggles. “So cute!” And then she and Lache disappear in a gust of wind.
One of the gull-like creatures cries above their heads. Amy says. “Well, I guess we should eat…”
There is a swirl of wind, and Addie’s voice comes from behind them. “Yes, fatten up!”
Bohdi and Amy turn just in time to see Addie’s smirking form disappear.
“That was…” Bohdi starts to murmur.
“Oh!” says Chloe.
Bohdi and Amy turn again to see Chloe standing by the table, a large basket in her hands. “Soap and towels,” she says with a smile, setting the basket down.
Lache appears beside her sister, another basket in her arms. Looking Bohdi up and down, the dark woman says, “You really need to bathe.” Setting her own basket down she says, “And I’ve brought clean clothes.” She gives Bohdi a broad, gleaming white smile. “Don’t worry, there are no kappa, alligators, or snakes in the water.”
“Bon appetite!” says Chloe.
“āp kā khānā svādiṣṭa ho,” says Lache, in the Hindu equivalent.
Chloe looks at her sister and giggles. “Getting in the mood?”
“Shhhhhh…” Lache says with a smirk in her sister’s direction. And then both women disappear.
“Well…” says Amy, her hand still in his.
“That was different,” says Bohdi. Getting in the mood? He knows what he’d like t
o think that means.
They look at each other, and then on some unspoken agreement, they cautiously approach the table and sit down. With trembling hands they reach toward the food, Bohdi for something that looks comfortingly like Ruth’s Sunday biscuits, and Amy for an orange, triangular-ish, shaped fruit.
As they start eating, all hesitation vanishes. Amy seems to know every fruit on the table. Bohdi doesn’t ask how. He doesn’t want to start her on the subject of her ex.
It’s not until Bohdi’s hands stop shaking that he realizes that his pink shirt is still tied around his wrist. As soon as he notices it, he has to see if his phone is working and has to see the picture of his parents. Still chewing a Svartheimer root pear, Bohdi lifts the bundle, unwraps it on the table, and gingerly touches the components. Everything feels dry. Hands shaking again, he hastily puts his phone back together, Amy watching quietly from the side.
Pressing the power button, he closes his eyes, mentally preparing himself for it not to work.
“It’s on!” Amy says.
Sighing in relief, Bohdi enters his passcode and navigates to his photos. The touch screen must be damaged, because it seems too responsive. Biting his lip, he still is able to pull the picture up.
He stares at the smiling man, woman, and baby that maybe is him, and an odd sort of emptiness overcomes him. He’s on an alien world with six-armed women, eating fruit from yet another realm, and it’s the picture in front of him that feels unreal. He stares at it for a few more minutes and then passes the phone to Amy.
“That’s why I came to Nornheim,” he says.
“Is that your girlfriend?” Amy says, staring down at the phone.
Bohdi’s brain sputters. “What—”
Amy holds up his phone revealing a picture of Bohdi on leave during MOS. He’s with Nat at a bar. They’re kissing. It’s on the lips, but their bodies are far apart.
He shakes his head and smiles. “Oh, no. That’s my friend Nat from MOS. She’s a lesbian.” She was Bohdi’s best friend in MOS.
