I Bring the Fire Part IV: Fates: The Hunt for Loki Is On

by C. Gockel

  Bohdi’s about to cheer when Nidhogg opens his mouth again, and a little ball of flame starts to dance on his tongue.

  Taking off down the stairs again, Bohdi again shouts, “Thooorrrrrrr!” He feels heat on his back just as he reaches a bend in the undulating shape of the column. He turns the corner and a bolt of fire shoots past his left elbow. “Thooorrrrrrrrr!” he screams.

  There is no answering lightning, just the screech of an eagle above his head. Bohdi resumes his mad dash down the stairs. The steps are lit by the sparkling lights within the column, but still, it’s getting dark. He hasn’t gone five more paces when he slips, tumbles, and rolls right over the side of the stairs, barely catching the edge in time.

  An eagle screech rips through the night. Bohdi screams as a feather lands right next to his hand. Dangling from the stairs, he looks down. It’s hard to judge at night, but the next set of steps is at least eight feet below. He looks up, sees a shadow of the eagle descending, and feels the wind of its wings on his back. His body seizes up in indecision. He can let go or pull himself up. Closing his eyes, he presses his head to the column surface, arms beginning to tire from the hang. Does it matter which way he goes? It’s a friggin’ eagle, it’s flying and…

  A light flickers beyond Bohdi’s eyelids, a boom fills the night, followed by the scream of the giant bird.

  Bohdi opens his eyes and sees an enormous dark shadow falling in the periphery of his vision. And then he feels a hand hauling him up from the waistband of his pants. Before he’s even aware of what’s happening, he’s in Thor’s chariot, across from Amy. She’s cowering against the far wall, clasping his pink shirt. And then they’re streaking off into the darkness. Behind him, he hears the Norns shout, “Nidhogg!”

  Releasing Bohdi, Thor shouts, “Chariot, up and away!”

  Without Thor to hold him upright, Bohdi sinks to the floor across from Amy.

  Arms tucked around her knees she says, “Where is your vest?”

  Bohdi looks down at his naked chest. His mouth drops open, but instead of a pithy response, all that comes out is, “….errrrrrr.”

  Thor’s snort is audible even above the rush of the wind.

  Mr. Squeakers pokes his head out of the V in Amy’s tunic, and then disappears.

  “Oh,” Amy says, eyes wide. Her shoulders slump slightly.

  Bohdi bites his lip, preparing to say It’s not what you think, even if it almost was. But he’s interrupted by a roar from below, so mighty it shakes the chariot.

  Amy and Bohdi both look over the edge. Amy gasps.

  Spreading his enormous wings, Nidhogg is launching himself up from the base of the column.

  Bohdi exhales. They’re ascending rapidly, and they’re already miles from the base of the column. Below them, the Sea of Sorrows is sparkling beneath Nornheim’s moons. “We should be okay,” he says.

  At his words the chariot shakes.

  “Uh-oh,” says Thor.

  Amy’s and Bohdi’s eyes meet, and then they both look up at Thor. “Uh-oh?” says Bohdi.

  Thor looks down at them. “I think the Midgardian expression is, we’re running out of gas.”

  “Uh-oh,” says Amy.

  “What?” says Bohdi.

  Thor’s nostrils flare. “Did you think my magical chariot could just replenish its magic…magically?”

  Bohdi snips. “It doesn’t seem like a ridiculous assumption.”

  Looking down at Amy and Bohdi, Thor says, “I need to summon my father. We won’t make it to the Earth World Gate.”

  Amy inhales sharply. The chariot trembles beneath them.

  Meeting her eyes, Thor says, “But you have my word, I will return you to Earth, if that is where you wish to go.”

  Amy looks over the side of the chariot and her eyes widen. “I don’t think we have a choice.”

  Bohdi’s gaze follows hers. Nidhogg is below and to the east of them, but closing in fast. “Can we just not be dragon kibble?” he says.

  “Hmmm…” says Thor. He looks Bohdi up and down and narrows his eyes. “I have an idea…but it is so outrageous it cannot possibly work.”

  Before Bohdi can ask what that is about, Thor roars, “Get back.”

  Amy and Bohdi scoot toward the front wall of the chariot, just as Thor spins it around.

  Dropping his visor and raising his hammer high, Thor shouts, “Down chariot!” At the same time, sparks start leaping off the hammer, making the world around them as bright as day.

  The chariot plunges. Nidhogg roars, and with an easy flick of his wings, adjusts his flight to intercept them. Bohdi looks up at the sparking hammer. It may be a beacon for Odin, but it is also a beacon for everything else.

  “Chariot, halt now!” Thor says. They are so close to the sea, Bohdi can hear the crash of waves beneath them.

  “Don’t look over the edge,” Thor shouts, voice nearly drowned out by the sound of waves, thunder, and the fizzing of electricity.

  …Which of course makes Bohdi peek. In the hammer’s light he sees what looks like a river of inky black surrounded by deep blue.

  “What?” he hears Amy whisper. He looks to the side and sees her eyes glued on the water. It makes him feel good to know he isn’t the only one who can’t obey basic instructions. Her gaze meets his. “An undersea chasm?” she whispers.

  As soon as she says it, the inky black river shrinks and vanishes. Bohdi shrugs, and then the sound of flapping wings above makes him lift his eyes. Nidhogg is dropping toward them, opening his maw, a bright ball of fire dancing on his tongue.

  Holding the still-sparking hammer aloft, Thor drapes himself over Amy and Bohdi, crushing their bodies together. Bohdi hears Amy hiss in pain, but Thor ignores it and shouts, “Chariot, face incoming fire!”

  Bohdi hears Nidhogg roar, but the sound is lost in the rush of air. The bluish light of Thor’s hammer is replaced by the orange of dragon flame. The smell of burning hair rises in the air and Bohdi’s skin heats to the point where it is painful. Just when he thinks he will be cooked, the heat begins to abate and Thor shouts, “Chariot, level, forward, full-speed twenty paces.” The chariot darts forward and stops abruptly, air whipping around them as they just miss being buffeted by Nidhogg’s wings.

  The dragon’s body skims the sea, and it lifts its head and screams, “You’re mine!”

  “Chariot, forward!” Thor shouts, lifting his hammer. Lightning makes the scene as bright as day.

  The chariot trembles forward, slowly this time. Nidhogg flaps his wings so fast that waves fan out from his body.

  “Thor, turn off your hammer!” Amy screams.

  Her warning is just in time. An enormous wave crashes into the chariot and Thor, Bohdi, and Amy are thrown together against the far wall. For a moment, they lie there motionless in darkness—Bohdi swears he can feel his ribs groaning with the space Viking’s weight, and then Thor bolts upright, leaving Bohdi and Amy wet and gasping for air.

  The chariot is moving, but too slowly. Bohdi can see Nidhogg, silhouetted by Nornheim’s moons, stirring up waves on either side of him as he rushes across the sea. The dragon opens its maw and a flame starts to leap again. This time, the flame will come into the open back side of the chariot. Amy presses herself against Bohdi—or maybe he presses against her. Either way, somehow his arm is around her, his head ducked against hers.

  Above them, Thor starts whipping his hammer in an arc. And then the big man shouts, “Hammer!” And once more, the world is lit bright as day by the hammer’s blue light.

  …Which means Bohdi can better see the saliva glistening on the dragon’s teeth, the gleam of his enormous eyes, and the shimmer of spittle falling from its jaws.

  Bohdi snaps, “You wanted us to better see ourselves as we get eaten?” But then Amy gasps, and he sees the inky black below the surface is getting larger. In fact it’s huge. The size of a four-lane highway and rising up below Nidhogg.

  “What?” Amy whispers.

  “Chariot! Up!” roars Thor.

 
The chariot lifts. Nidhogg roars, the flame on his tongue barreling beneath the chariot. The dragon flicks his wings, his great body rises, and the hammer flickers out and all goes dark.

  Bohdi hears a sound like a thousand tiny teeth smacking together, and then the mighty blast of a wave. Another sound pierces the night, a snarl, and then a scream. It takes Bohdi a moment to realize the scream is Nidhogg’s.

  The chariot trembles. Bohdi hears the distant sound of waves below, and Thor says, “Chariot, level.”

  The scream below continues, and so does the sound of the clacking tiny teeth.

  Shaking his great head, Thor says, “Sea eels.” His gaze shifts to Bohdi, and he says, “That should not have worked.”

  Amy shifts against Bohdi, and they both creep forward on their knees to look down over the edge. There isn’t much to see. A deep stain spills out over the water. Bohdi thinks he sees a wing floating in the waves, but then something darts up, a black tunnel ringed by sharp white knives, and the wing disappears.

  Amy inhales sharply. Bohdi sits back against the front wall of the chariot, hands fisting at his thighs.

  Above him, Thor says, “They come! Chariot forward!” Smacking Bohdi on the shoulder, Thor says, “Stand up, my friends!”

  Bohdi climbs shakily to his feet, Amy beside him. Just about thirty-five feet in front of them, a circle of light is forming. In it he sees the form of a man standing with arms spread…and then more shapes appear beneath the man’s arms. Bohdi blinks; the shapes become winged-human shadows—and then the shadows dart out of the circle. Bohdi lets out a breath in wonder. Sixteen angels are hurtling through the night toward them—female angels with spears and armor.

  “Valkyries!” Amy whispers.

  One of the Valkyries shouts something and Thor answers, a smile on his lips. The angels circle the tottering chariot protectively, spears at the ready, shouting words in a strange language. It may be relief, but Bohdi would swear they are all gorgeous. Or maybe it is just that chicks with spears are extra hot.

  They are just a few feet from the circle of light when a gust of wind sweeps from behind them. Thor curses, the angels hiss, and suddenly Chloe, Lache, and Addie are suspended in midair, ends of their saris swirling like wings, blocking their path to the beckoning light.

  …And okay, if you can pop in and out of existence seemingly without effort, it makes sense that being able to fly like superman—or supergirl—probably shouldn’t come as a shock. But it is a shock. And Bohdi’s knees go weak at the same time his blood goes cold.

  Chloe’s scream rips through the night. “You killed our dragon!” Is it his imagination, or is she now sporting a pair of fangs?

  “You will pay for that!” Addie hisses. He thinks he sees fangs again.

  “Back off!” roars Thor, a lightning bolt tearing from his hammer. Lache catches the bolt as though it was a coil of rope and flings it down toward the water. Eyes flicking between Amy and Bohdi, she smiles. And yes, there are definitely fangs, and her smile is really scary.

  “Give us back the man-whore,” Lache says.

  Addie laughs and hisses, “Yes, he insulted us.”

  “Little slut,” Chloe sniffs. And Bohdi winces. Even Chloe is against him?

  Every one of the Valkyries’ eyes lands on Bohdi. Their gaze feels like a physical weight… He darts a glance at Amy and instantly regrets it. She looks shocked. And a little hurt. Which she shouldn’t be, since they weren’t a thing. He wishes she was angry, because that would just be annoying and he could be righteously angry back, and then he wouldn’t feel like a heel.

  Amy drops her gaze.

  “It wasn’t…” Bohdi starts to say, but just then Thor roars, “Never!” The Valkyries’ voices rise in a scream, and a dozen of them break off toward the three Norns.

  As the chariot dips below the raging women, Bohdi hears the shriek of steel, and crack of bone. “Rise, Chariot!” Thor commands, but the craft just shakes in the air. The remaining Valkyries grab hold of either side of the chariot and pull it upward.

  A moment later, Bohdi hears the Norns scream behind them. Light flashes before his eyes, heat flashes behind his back, and then the circle of light is right in front of him. The chariot begins to disappear and then there are all the swirling colors of the rainbow.

  …and then the rainbow is gone, and the screams, too.

  Nornheim’s night is replaced by blinding light. Lifting a hand to shield his eyes, Bohdi finds they’re in an enormous room, with soaring golden beams and walls of windows letting in bright sunlight.

  The chariot and its angelic bearers fall a few feet and skid to a halt in front of an enormous throne. On the throne sits a man decked out from head to toe in golden armor. He has a short snow-white beard. A raised visor reveals one eye that is eerily blue, and one eye covered by a gold eye patch. Gripping the armrests of the throne, as though if he were to let go he would fall, the man barks something to someone behind the chariot.

  Turning around, Bohdi sees four men in reddish brown robes. They hold staffs pointed at the circle of light. The circle is flickering madly on this side, with tiny bursts that look like lightning erupting from its core. The four men with staffs are shaking and sweat shines on their brows. Whatever is snaking out of the circle seems to be drawing them into it.

  A moment later, the circle goes dark, and Bohdi is staring through an empty archway. Beside him, Thor bows his head. “The Norns closed the gate.”

  A hush falls. Bohdi looks around. There are male warriors of every ethnicity lining every side of the hall. Their heads are bowed, too.

  The man on the throne closes his single eye and wipes his brow, his movements slow and weary.

  “Odin,” Amy whispers, her voice quavering slightly.

  For some reason Bohdi shivers.

  The four Valkyries holding the chariot go forward—miraculously, though it is missing a wheel, the chariot doesn’t keel over. But it trembles slightly. Heads bowed, the women fall to one knee in front of Odin, bringing their right fists up to touch their chests. Up close, Bohdi can see their wings are actually attached to elaborate vests they wear. Stepping from the chariot, Thor goes forward and kneels, too.

  Bohdi’s eyes widen. Are he and Amy supposed to kneel, or stay in the chariot? Should they kneel in the chariot? The neurons in his brain fire unhelpfully. Does he want to kneel? Before he can ponder more, Odin says, “Rise.”

  Thor and the Valkyries stand.

  Beside him, Bohdi hears Amy release a breath.

  Odin speaks in English, his voice a low rumble. “Thor, the Norns and I had an agreement… They would give my messengers safe passage on their world. And yet they attacked…”

  Thor grunts and takes a half step forward. Before he speaks, one of the winged women opens her wings and points at Bohdi with her spear. “It wasn’t Thor they were chasing—it was that boy.”

  Every eye in the hall is suddenly on Bohdi. His mouth goes dry, and he swears he can hear his heart beating in his chest. He’s also suddenly aware he isn’t wearing anything above the waist.

  Striding toward Odin, the warrior woman shouts, “They called him a man-whore, a slut, and said he insulted them!”

  Two ravens drop from the eaves of the hall. One alights on the back of the throne, the other lands on Odin’s shoulder and whispers in his ear.

  Straightening in his seat, Odin sighs. “Bohdi Patel, the amnesiac… You haven’t been able to keep it in your pants lately, have you?”

  Bohdi’s mouth opens to protest. It wasn’t like that! But then one of the Valkyries hisses. “Did you think the Norns would be interested in a human boy?”

  “Fool,” someone mutters.

  The Valkyrie turns to Bohdi and snarls. “Because of you, twelve of my sisters, all valiant warriors, are dead.”

  Twelve dead…because he decided to keep it in his pants for once. Bohdi feels dizzy. Part of him wants to argue. But if he protests, he’ll either be branded a liar—or worse, they’ll believe him. And then they�
��ll wonder why the Norns would bother with a human boy. Not that it matters. Thor is about to rat him out. His throat constricts. He feels air entering his lungs but doesn’t feel like he’s breathing.

  Odin’s eye slides to Thor. “Why didn’t you give him to them?”

  Thor stands taller. Every muscle in Bohdi’s body tightens. Something warm and soft slides into Bohdi’s hand. He looks down to see Amy’s fingers in his. She squeezes, as though to say I know.

  He’s too afraid to look at her, instead his eyes slide to Thor. This is it. He’ll tell Odin.

  Thor’s voice rumbles loud and clear through the hall. “I gave these two my oath that I would return them safely to their world.”

  There is a low murmuring in the great hall. For a moment, Thor’s words don’t register. And then they sink in, as does the cleverness of Amy forcing the big lug to make that oath.

  Bohdi bows his head and squeezes Amy’s hand back, trying to say thank you.

  Odin raises a hand and the hall goes quiet. To Thor, he says, “And did you discover the location of …” he draws in a breath and licks his lip, “the personage we seek.”

  Thor bows his head and says, “I discovered better…”

  Amy’s hand abruptly tightens in Bohdi’s.

  On his throne, Odin says, “Go on.”

  Bohdi tries to breathe, and shivers. He swears he can feel an invisible noose tightening.

  Raising his eyes to Odin, Thor says, “He travels to Hel and will be there shortly.”

  He feels Amy’s grip slacken slightly.

  Bohdi blinks. That wasn’t a lie. But…leaning toward Amy, he whispers, “Hel is a place?”

  “On Niflheim,” Amy whispers. “It’s where Loki’s daughter was banished.” She swallows. “Humans called it Hel and after a while Asgard did, too.”

  On his throne, Odin raises a hand to his beard. Amy goes silent. And then the one-eyed man nods. “A he…a he… Well done, Thor, for getting that extra information… It’s more than I expected.” Nodding, he says, “You will prepare a war band and go to Hel at once.”

  “What?” Amy whispers.

  “Father,” says Thor, gesturing to Amy and Bohdi. “My oath.”