by C. Gockel
Beside her the other man crumbles and lands with a thump. Bohdi stands above him, chest heaving, hair in front of his eyes. From down the hallway comes the sound of guards talking outside the stables, but she can’t make out the words.
Bohdi looks to the man Amy’s gagged, and his eyes widen. “That’s a good idea. Shut them up, yeah, we need something for this guy.” He starts rummaging through his pockets.
Amy looks at the man he’s downed. His face is a bloody mess, his nose seems to have disappeared. On instinct, she slips a hand beneath the armor around his neck and presses a hand to his pulse. There’s nothing. She swallows, and looks again at his face—she can see bits of brain and bone where his nose had been.
“He’s dead,” Amy says.
“No, he’s not,” Bohdi says. “No, see, he can’t be…because he’s hundreds of years older than me, and has a lot more combat experience, and he has a spear, and a sword, and I had a shovel.”
He holds up a colorful slip of fabric. Eyes very wide he says, “It’s the thong, but I’m not trying to intimidate you, it’s just somehow I still have it and it will make a good gag.” He nods frantically.
Amy’s mouth falls open. “Okay, Bohdi, okay, you gag him, I’ll get Sleipnir.”
Jumping to her feet, she rushes to the stable door, throws the bolt, and swings the door open. The only light is the glow of Gleipnir, the magical halter that keeps the stallion obedient. The glow makes the white horse appear ghost-like, but she can see he is awake and alert. His ears prick forward and he gives a friendly whicker. Amy can’t help stepping back in shock. Not only does he have eight legs—he’s also the biggest horse she’s ever seen.
Down the hall she hears a door swing open, and footsteps.
“Bohdi, get in here,” she says, stepping into Sleipnir’s stall.
In an instant, he’s by her side. “Amy, there are guards, lots of them, they’re coming—” Sleipnir steps forward, and butts his nose lightly against Bohdi’s stomach. Holding up his hands, Bohdi chants. “Horse, horse, horse…”
“I don’t think we can mount him,” Amy says, frantically scanning the room. “If we just grab his mane—”
With another whicker, the huge animal drops forward so its foremost legs are straight out, and its second forward pair is curled beneath it. Loki’s memories tumble through her mind. She remembers Sleipnir doing this for Loki when he was very small.
She grabs Bohdi’s arm, pulls him around, and scrambles onto the bowing animal. The sounds of footsteps and shouts are heartbeats away. Bohdi slides awkwardly on behind her. “How do you drive—”
Sleipnir climbs up onto all eight feet as gracefully as an eight-legged horse can. Bohdi’s hands cinch around her waist, and Amy nearly falls off from the unfamiliar motion and Bohdi’s extra weight. Clinging to Sleipnir’s mane so hard her nails bite into her palms, she gives a sharp tap with her heels. With Loki’s memories, she steers Sleipnir into the hallway and to the left using just her knees—and nearly collides with at least a dozen guards racing toward them.
Bohdi’s head drops to the space between her shoulder and her neck. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry—” His words are drowned by the shouting of the guards, and swords being drawn from scabbards.
Amy gives Sleipnir a sharp tap on his sides and holds her breath. The horse steps forward…and out of time. All sound stops…Einherjar and a few stable hands stand around her—some suspended mid-stride. Amy’s body lightens and her heart does, too. They’re free now.
Squeakers scurries into her pocket. Behind her, Bohdi raises his chin, but his hands are still wrapped viselike around her waist.
Sleipnir trots to the barn door, neatly sidestepping the statues of his former keepers. They step into the night and into a curtain of magically suspended raindrops.
Amy wipes droplets from her eyes. A natural storm? Or Thor?
She and Bohdi can’t stick around to find out. Bohdi insulted Odin, and she poisoned him. Together they’ve also managed to steal Sleipnir, one of his prized possessions. Biting her lip, she looks toward the center of Asgard. Even from here she can see the glow of thousands of magical torches that light the largest World Gates in the Nine Realms. There’s one to every realm there, even Earth. But it will take her to a place in Northern Europe. She looks into the darkness of the gardens. There is a lesser-known gate that leads to the middle of North America. Leaning in the direction of the shadows, she gives Sleipnir a gentle kick.
Shaking his head as though he’s laughing, the horse trots toward the trees.
Chapter 26
Lewis and Bohdi sit across from Steve on a couch dragged into the magic-shielded conference room. Thirty minutes ago, Steve’s phone had started playing a Bollywood tune. He had stared at it a full three rings before answering. Bohdi’s voice was on the other end of the line, sounding shaky and tired. “Steve? It’s us… We’re in Iowa… It’s freakin’ cold and we’re dressed for summer.”
“I can send a team to pick you up, we have an office in Des Moines—”
“S’ okay, we stole a horse.”
There was a sound like horse noises on the other end of the line, and then Bohdi said, “Nice horse…nice horse… I gotta go.”
Beatrice had burst into his office a minute later shouting that Lewis was back. Thinking Bohdi was out of his mind more than usual, Steve had ordered Brett and Bryant to put a trace on Bohdi’s phone. Before he’d even finished sending the request, someone shouted, “There’s an eight-legged horse outside!”
Now Lewis and Bohdi are both wrapped in blankets. Mugs of fresh coffee sit on the short file cabinet doubling as a table in front of them. Apparently, a commute from Iowa to Chicago on an eight-legged horse that walks through time only takes about five minutes.
Beside Steve sit Hernandez, Brett, and Bryant. There’s a window behind the couch, covered up by shades and lined with Promethean wire—but the sound of rain from outside is still audible. Bohdi keeps looking over his shoulder and at the ceiling…as though he’s expecting someone. Which maybe he is.
Steve leans forward and says in as soothing a voice as he can manage, “Bohdi, yes, it’s Thor. He’s coming, but all our intel says he’s alone. Nothing bad is going to happen to you.”
And if it does…Lewis says Sleipnir is one of Odin’s greatest treasures. Steve thinks the horse will make a lot of glue, and fuck it, if Thor or Odin tries any shit with anymore of Steve’s people, that’s what the eight-legged pony will be. Damn scientific interest and intergalactic diplomacy.
Flicking his lighter, Bohdi faces forward but doesn’t meet Steve’s eyes.
“Now,” Steve says, “Bohdi you were telling us about going to the Norns to ask about your parents…”
“Ah, yeah, well…” Bohdi’s head bobs nervously. “They…they wanted me to…ah…with them…and I said no…”
“Wanted to what?” said Hernandez.
Bohdi swallows, his head droops to one side. He doesn’t look at anyone.
“Have sex,” Lewis says.
“And you said no?” says Bryant, sounding genuinely puzzled.
And true, for Bohdi, that’s kind of startling, even if the women in question had six arms. But the kid is so distraught…
“Why did you say no?” says Hernandez, his tone too tight.
Hernandez had wanted to interrogate Lewis and Bohdi separately. He doesn’t believe they were kidnapped by Thor. Neither does Steve, but he’s willing to let it slide. Lewis and Bohdi are the only two humans to go to Asgard and come back. Steve wants them to feel safe and secure, and to be on his team.
Bohdi takes a deep gulp of air.
“Because they wanted to eat him!” Lewis says.
Bohdi starts and looks at her, eyes wide.
“That’s why you couldn’t, isn’t it?” says Lewis, putting a hand on his knee. “I figured it out…They’re spider women, and some spiders eat their mates afterward…and well, I remembered Addie saying how we should fatten up…I thought she was just bei
ng mean but…”
Bohdi swallows again and smiles slightly. In gratitude…relief…or…Steve lets that explanation just hang in the air for a bit.
Not meeting anyone’s eyes, Bohdi whispers, “The first words out of Addie’s mouth when I walked in the door were about how delicious I looked…”
“So there’s something that can turn you off?” says Hernandez.
“Shut up,” Lewis snaps.
Shooting Hernandez a death glare of his own, Steve says, “Moving on.” He’s starting to see why Bohdi might be in a bit more shock than Lewis.
“I jumped out the window,” says Bohdi, finally meeting Steve’s eyes, “and landed on Nidhogg’s head and bit his tentacle and ran like hell—”
“Screaming for Thor at the top of his lungs,” says Lewis. “We could hear him even from camp.”
Nodding, Bohdi says, “And then there was a blast of fire from the dragon—”
“It just missed him,” says Lewis.
Sitting back, Steve listens as they describe their trip to Asgard. Thunder rumbles outside as they bashfully describe the Einherjar’s suggestion they get married. Steve has to hide a smile behind his hand as they say how crazy that was. They’ve been interrupting each other’s sentences from the get go and making sure the other got credit for all his…or her…heroics—just like a happy couple that’s been together for years.
Lewis says, “And then Bohdi stood up so fast at the table, he knocked over the cups and everything and distracted Odin and I…” Her voice trails off.
Bohdi looks at her, looks back at Steve, and says, “Performed a Vulcan neck pinch.”
Steve’s brow furrows. “Really? I’ve been doing martial arts for years and I can’t do that. You have to know anatomy really well.”
“Amy is a doctor, Steve,” says Bohdi.
“Of veterinary medicine,” says Hernandez.
“I took comparative anatomy,” says Lewis, a furrow appearing in her brow.
“It takes a lot of strength, too,” says Steve.
For a few seconds, neither says anything, and then Lewis says, “Adrenaline.”
Something is off, but Steve decides he’ll confront them about it later—separately. “So…then…”
Bohdi’s mouth falls open. Lewis’s lips make a small “o.”
Clearing his throat Bohdi says, “So you know…we think Freyja, Goddess of Love, Beauty, and War, might have her sights on you.”
Steve snorts, and rubs the bridge of his nose. “I should be so lucky.” He waves his hand. “Back to how you got out of Odin’s dining room.”
Lewis’s and Bohdi’s eyes slide to each other. Appearing to hesitate, she says, “Well, there was another tunnel that…”
At that moment, there is a familiar rumbling voice from the hallway. Lewis and Bohdi both snap their heads to the door. Steve’s phone rings. He hits accept and lifts it to his ear. “Director Rogers, Thor Odinson wishes to come in…and deliver an apology on behalf of the All Mother. He says it can’t wait, and he must speak to Dr. Lewis and Bohdi immediately.”
“Send him in,” Steve says, eyeing the kids.
Not two seconds later, the door bangs open and Thor strides in. Eyes going immediately to Lewis and Bohdi, he bows at the waist. “My friends, the All Mother, Queen Frigga has told me about my father’s shameless behavior toward Dr. Lewis’s person.”
“He tried to touch her cheek,” says Hernandez, sounding a little confused.
Thor blinks. “Perhaps my understanding of modern Midgardian manners is deficient?” Shaking himself he says, “But she bids you know, she will make sure that Odin does not retaliate against you. She’s grateful she was able to intercede in time.”
Bohdi’s shoulders soften. Lewis gasps, sags, and closes her eyes.
“You found a tunnel?” says Bryant.
“Queen Frigga showed us where it was and gave us directions to the stables,” says Bohdi too quickly.
“Yes,” says Lewis, very fast.
Steve raises an eyebrow but lets the obvious lie slide.
As they describe their altercation in the stables, Bohdi’s shoulders slump. “I might have killed the guard,” he whispers. “But I didn’t mean to. He was a nice guy.”
Steve feels a hollowness in his gut for the kid but isn’t sure what to say, surrounded by too many people.
Later, as everyone starts to leave—Lewis being led out by her grandmother—Thor says, “I would have a word with Mr. Patel, alone, in this magically shielded room.”
Steve is about to say no way in hell. But he looks to Bohdi first. Bohdi’s looking up at Thor, something undecipherable in his eyes. Sounding uncharacteristically old, Bohdi murmurs, “Sure.”
Steve hesitates, fist tightening at his side. But then he leaves the room, shutting the door behind him. He’ll catch up on the conversation later—the room has a few hidden bugs.
He turns and walks a few steps, and then stops by the little service hallway shaking his head. When they’d first brought Bohdi in, he’d wandered down the hall, looking a little dazed. When Steve had said, “We need to debrief you,” Bohdi had looked confused. “Me?” he’d asked. Steve rubs his jaw. The kid must have been in shock. Steve walks toward the grimy window at the hallway’s end, his mind running through all the intel Bohdi and Amy gathered. The elves are trading weapons with the Fire Giants, and they are seeking Loki too…but no one’s found Loki. Steve rubs his temples. Maybe he’d kind of hoped Lewis would find the guy and bring him back—Loki was a useful ally. And Steve would rather Odin not have allies. His nostrils flare and jaw hardens. Actually, Steve would rather Odin not have anything he wants.
Putting his hands in his pockets, he gazes out the dirty window remembering Ratatoskr’s words after Loki destroyed Cera, “The team with Loki always wins.” He shakes his head. Doesn’t matter. Not a lot he can do.
He hears a bang from the conference room. Crap. Bohdi probably told Thor where the bugs are. Turning around, Steve’s about to go back to the conference room when he notices that the utility closet door is slightly ajar. As he prepares to close it, he hears murmured voices from within. Blinking, Steve steps into the closet. It’s empty. But Bohdi’s voice comes from a vent on the wall. “Why did you lie, Thor?”
Steve closes the door gently behind him and steps over to the vent.
x x x x
Bohdi jumps a little as Thor crushes the last of the bugs with Mjolnir. Turning to Bohdi he says, “Even without magic it still works as a hammer.”
Bohdi’s hands fist into the blanket draped over his shoulders. Pulling it tighter around him, he asks again, “Why did you lie, Thor?” Beneath the blanket he fumbles for his lighter. “And why didn’t I feel it?”
Sighing, Thor sinks into the chair vacated by Steve. “Ah, you know what you are.”
Bohdi bows his head. Thor’s casual acknowledgment shouldn’t make him feel like he’s starved for oxygen. He stares at the dingy carpet beneath his feet. Being on Earth, in the drab conference room, back in normalcy…Bohdi had almost hoped believing he was the incarnation-of-chaos-thing was a product of stress, extreme circumstances, and his own slightly wonky brain.
“I did not lie,” Thor says. “I told the truth. That the new Loki was destined for Hel and would be there shortly.”
Bohdi’s brows draw together. Lifting his head sharply, he says, “Is that some sort of fucking riddle?”
Thor snorts. “Yes, I suppose.” His eyes drop. “Hel is in the realm of Niflheim, where Loki’s daughter was banished long ago and then died. The story made its way into your myths…though it was twisted and convoluted…and then made its way back to Asgard.” Looking up at Bohdi he says, “In Asgard, being destined for Hel means to be destined for death.” He sighs. “…and you will be dead too soon.”
Rolling his eyes, Bohdi tightens his fingers around his lighter. “Thanks for reminding me I’m going to die in fire and pain.”
A sad puppy-dog look settles on Thor’s face. “I only meant that you
are mortal, and I am sad of it.”
Bohdi meets the big man’s gaze. He feels no need to sniffle, but maybe it is the magic sealing room?
Shaking his head, Thor says, “Why did you choose such a weak form?”
“I didn’t choose it,” Bohdi snips, shifting in his seat, and drawing the blanket tighter again.
Thor sits back and narrows his eyes. “You have so little magic you don’t even have an aura—” The big man’s jaw drops. “And maybe that’s why…without an aura you can’t be identified.” Thor shakes his head. “It’s a very clever disguise. And you have human magic.”
Bohdi leans back against the cushions of the couch. What had the Norns said? Even they hadn’t been sure it was him…
He thinks of the Valkyries who saved him from the Norns, and scuffs his feet in the carpet. “Was there something in particular you wanted to say?” he says.
The chair Thor sits in creaks. Bohdi lifts his eyes to see Thor has straightened. The big man gives him a sad smile. “Queen Frigga begs that when you return you have mercy.”
“Return?” says Bohdi, with a sharp exhale. “Believe me…I don’t want to return.”
Thor sighs. “But you will, or human kind will. Odin is afraid of humanity’s magic and determined to put Earth under his thumb. Sooner or later, humanity at large will retaliate…and it’s your nature to be in the thick of such chaos.”
Bohdi, draws back. “Why would Odin be afraid of Earth?”
Brows rising, Thor stares at him a moment. Bohdi squirms under his gaze.
Putting his huge hands on his thighs, Thor draws back a little. “Truly, you don’t know?”
Bohdi stares at him blankly.
Thor huffs. “Besides the fact that there are more than seven billion of you—nearly seven times as many as the other realms combined—your kind has walked upon your moon. You split atoms and rob them of their energy. You send signals through the air at the speed of light. You cruise the skies at the speed of sound.”
