Helheim (The Nine Worlds Trilogy Book 2)

by Debbie Champion

  "But Ellewen was in a trance, she collapsed and her eyes were rolling around," said Alex.

  "Verdandi here decides what will come into being. You didn't write that did you?" asked Urd. “I don’t remember you saying anything.”

  "No, not me, though it's pretty good, we could have woven lots of twists into that one," said Verdandi, laughing.

  "Er, I think we may have a problem," said Skuld sheepishly. "I was bored earlier and I admit I did type that into Verdandi's computer...what?" she cried looking at the shocked expressions on Verdandi and Urd's faces "You should always lock your screen Verdandi, I've told you loads of times. I guess you clicked on submit by mistake and it went through the system."

  "Skuld, that's not funny. I've told you before not to mess with my computer," said Verdandi, annoyed.

  "Sorry, I thought it would make you laugh. You were just saying this morning it was going too smoothly for Alex and we should test him a bit more."

  "Seriously? I've been through hell and I mean that literally. Can't you just give me a break and mess with someone's else's life?" asked Alex irritated.

  His eyes started to flash dangerously and the three women jumped to their feet and away from him.

  "Ok, ok, look we'll fix it. Skuld is the decider of what shall be so she can just delete what was in Verdandi's computer," reassured Urd.

  "Yes, not a problem, hang on a moment, I'll take a look," said Skuld, moving to the computer on the left hand side.

  "Can I just get something straight here?" asked Matt. "You three ladies get to decide everyone's destiny, like what is going to happen in their lives by typing it into a computer?"

  "Yes, that's right. We upgraded about five years ago. Before that we had to use the spinning wheel over there. We spun the threads of life on the spinning wheel and then fed them into the well outside which feeds the Yggdrasil tree. It's much more efficient now though we've gone digital," said Urd putting her glasses on her forehead.

  "But how do you decide what happens?" asked Becca.

  "Oh it's easy," said Verdandi. "Picture your life as a straight line. Any good events that make you happy in your life would make the line spike upwards. Any bad events which make you sad would make the line spike downwards. Without us directing the line up or down it would be a pretty boring life, one straight line of nothingness. Our job is to spice up the lines and make interesting patterns. The best ones are when we weave lives i.e. lines together. We can create all sorts of patterns then. Yours are all well and truly mixed up right now, it looks stunning."

  "Blast it," cut in Skuld from behind her computer. "I can't find the entry. It must be here somewhere. Oh for goodness sake my screen has frozen again."

  "Yes, well, we do have a few issues every now and then," sighed Urd.

  "Speak for yourself. My computer works fine," said Verdandi. "A good workman never blames his tools Skuld."

  "They do when they're faulty," huffed Skuld, tapping furiously at the keyboard with her long nails.

  "Oh Skuld just call the IT department, they'll sort it out," said Verdandi, going over to Skuld to look at her screen.

  Skuld picked up a mobile phone from her desk and dialled a number.

  "You have an IT department?" asked Matt, amused.

  "Of course. The dwarves are brilliant with computers," said Urd.

  "Can't you just write another prophecy cancelling out this one?" asked Becca. "Send Alex's line off in a different direction....a nicer one, where he gets to live a long time."

  "Hmm, we could try but it could get complicated if we can't remove the first one. It's likely to pop back up when we least expect it," said Urd, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

  "Agghhhh," shouted Skuld. "They're impossible."

  She slammed down the phone and hit her keyboard.

  "What's the matter?" asked Urd, patiently. "What did they say?"

  "Turn it off, wait ten seconds and turn it back on again. They always say that. Why can't they just fix the damn problem."

  "Er, because turning it off again normally works," said Matt cheekily.

  "I'm looking at your timeline next boy," Skuld growled at him.

  The blood drained from Matt's face and he held his hands up defensively. "Hey, I'm sorry, here let me take a look, I'm pretty good with computers."

  Matt went over and stood over Skuld's shoulder. He hit the Control, Alt and Delete keys together and scanned the Task Manager. You've got a lot open that's why you're freezing."

  "I'm freezing because it's bleedin cold in here," she grumbled, moving out of his way.

  "Can I close everything down? Did you save everything you need too?" asked Matt.

  "I guess so. It doesn't matter, I can just make up new threads," she said.

  Matt scanned the screen and could see lines and lines of text. He read a few out. "Johnny Depp will win an Oscar next year.....the next President of the United States of America will be... Hey you haven't finished that one."

  "Oh, we've been having a bit of fun with that. I'll see what mood I'm in later after I've had a few Vodkas," said Skuld, giggling.

  "Seriously, that's like a really important decision and you'll make it when your drunk?" asked Matt, horrified.

  "Excuse me, but some of our best destinies have been decided over a few glasses of wine," said Skuld indignantly.

  "Guess you were stone cold sober when you wrote mine," moaned Alex.

  "Ooh, touchy. Look when we can sort this mess out I'll weave a nice little thread for you. Marriage to this lovely girl here, how many children would you like?" she asked, grinning.

  Alex took a step back horrified. "Hey steady on. I was just thinking not dying by a cursed sword, and rescuing my mum. That will do for the moment."

  "Fine, you youngsters can never think beyond next week," she said, tutting.

  "Ok, I've cleared everything down," said Matt. "You should be able to search now."

  Skuld sat back in her chair and started to tap the keyboard.

  "Ah, there it is," she said, peering at the screen. "I can't delete it, it's already been accepted. I can add another line though."

  "What are you writing?" asked Alex, as he watched her hands fly across the keyboard.

  "There," she said triumphantly, hitting the Enter key with a thud.

  She sat back on her chair and looked very pleased with herself. "It now reads, 'when the curse of the Tyrfing sword ends, Ragnarok begins, but the curse on the wielder of the sword will end when the Norns so decide'."

  "What? How does that help?" asked Alex confused. "I still need to destroy the sword before it harms anyone else and when I do then Ragnarok will begin. It will be the end of the Nine Worlds. You also didn't exactly say I'm free of the curse."

  "You'll be free of the curse when we decide. Could be today, tomorrow, who knows. We'll have a few drinkies tonight and see how we feel," smirked Skuld. "Regarding the sword, the curse will end if you kill one more person or if you destroy it. The sword has already claimed two; your friend Peter and the dragaur. Just make sure you don't kill anyone else and the curse will remain and Ragnarok won't begin."

  "But what about me?" asked Alex. "Can't you just give me a break and say now that I'm free of the curse? I can then hide this thing where no one will ever find it and we're done."

  "No, the thread is going through the system and will take a while to process. As I said, we'll get to it later," said Skuld firmly.

  "There we go, all sorted," said Urd, clapping her hands together happily. "Another cup of tea anyone?"

  "Are you ladies friggin serious?" shouted Alex. "I'm dying here and you may or may not get to decide what happens to my life over a few drinks tonight? This is pure crap. You sit there messing around with people's lives. People you don't know. What if you type something in wrong? You just say 'oops a daisy, never mind' and then carry on and some poor sucker gets struck down by lightning or something. It's not right."

  Static electricity pulsed out of his eyes and rained down onto the floor.
The lights flickered on and off and the screens on the computers went blank. The Norns gathered together by the end desk and looked at him stonily. Sasha and Becca pulled him back and jumped when they got an electric shock.

  "Alex, shut up," hissed Sasha, rubbing her hand. "You'll make it worse. Come on we need to get out of here fast."

  Urd pointed a long finger at Alex. "How dare you speak to us like that," she growled in a low voice.

  She sounded very different to before and they all stepped back a pace at the look of pure anger on her face.

  "You fool, we control all of your lives. What we say happens. It's wyrd. We are the creators of destiny, we shape the future and our word is law," she shouted.

  Suddenly the overhead lights flickered off and the room was plunged into darkness. Alex could see yellow runes start to glow and pulsate from the wooden paneling, which was all around them. The runes grew brighter and cast an eerie glow on the Norns. They started to walk towards Alex menacingly, muttering under their breath.

  "Alex, come on, we need to go," pleaded Matt, pulling him to the door.

  "Look, I'm sorry. It's just a bit unreal that you get to decide everything. Please don't take it out on my friends. Just do whatever you need to do to me and we'll end it. I'm tired, I feel like crap and I really, really hate the fact that I don't get to choose anything about my life. It's all decided on a whim and whether you ladies are in a good mood or not. Like I said, I'm sorry," said Alex, hanging his head dejectedly.

  "Hmm, well at least he's sorry," said Verdandi, clicking her fingers.

  The lights came back on and they blinked from the brightness.

  "Nothing is set in stone Alex and there is a reason for every decision we make. Some people may not see it that way but everything is linked in some shape or form," said Verdandi. "We will release you from your curse when the time is right. Only we know when that will be, you need to trust that what will come into being will be the best decision for the majority rather than the individual. Do you understand me?"

  Alex nodded slowly. He had no idea what she was talking about but he knew he had done enough damage and the best thing was to get out of there as fast as possible.

  "Go now and rescue your mother. The effects of the sword won't harm you whilst the new destiny is working its way through the system."

  "Thank you," he said, miserably. "Again I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you."

  The Norns nodded and moved back to their desks. Urd waved them towards the door. "Don't come back here Alex. From now on, what will be will be and you must accept that."

  Alex nodded and followed the others out of the door.

  When the door had clicked shut the Norns looked at each other and laughed.

  "On my life, did you see the look on his face when you yelled at him? I thought he was going to pee his pants," giggled Verdandi.

  "Oh that cheeky begger," snorted Skuld looking at her computer screen.

  "What?" asked Urd.

  "That boy Matt figured out how to add a prophecy when he was fixing my computer. Listen to this. 'Matt Evans will have a perfect life. He will become a rock star in a band, will travel the world, win the lottery and marry a model'. Cheeky rascal. Good job he didn't submit it. Delete, delete, delete. There we go," she laughed.

  "Oh come on, he looked a nice boy, leave in the bit about travelling the world," said Urd, putting on her glasses and looking at her screen.

  "I think that was woven in already in another destiny. He's certainly been travelling around the Nine Worlds," said Skuld.

  "So shall we lift the curse on Alex now?" asked Verdandi.

  "No, let's wait a while. We don't want to make this too easy for him. That's no fun to watch," said Urd laughing. "Let's work on some drafts for what comes next."

  Chapter Fifteen

  Alex rubbed his hands over his face and let out a frustrated breath. "Well that went well...not."

  "Dude, you need to watch your temper," said Matt. "They're probably tapping away right now and changing all of our destinies."

  "Yeah, for the worst, I know," said Alex. "Guys, I'm sorry. It's so weird though, having someone decide your life, it's not right."

  "Yes Alex, all the more reason to suck up to them and not insult them. Nice going," said Sasha, sternly.

  "Now what?" asked Becca. "Alex, you look shattered, you really need to get some rest."

  "I'm fine. We had better get back. I need to go get my mum. I can't bear the thought of her in Hadron's greasy hands," he shuddered.

  "No, I agree with Becca, you need to rest. You'll be no good to your mum like this’ “ said Sasha. “I think there's a storm blowing in, those clouds look ominous. There's a tent in the chariot. Thor always has one in case he needs to stay out overnight.”

  "Your dad camps? Dude, that's just strange," said Matt, laughing.

  "You think that's strange when we have just met the three women who control the destinies of everyone in the Universe?" asked Alex.

  "Yeah, good point," agreed Matt, grinning.

  "You sure, you're not creating the storm Alex?" asked Becca, looking up at the darkening sky.

  "No, I'm wound up and tired but I don't think that's me," he said looking at the thick black clouds which were rolling in over the mountains.

  "Let's find a stream and we can set up the tent," said Sasha, leading the way towards the chariot.

  "It's a bit weird sleeping in broad daylight isn't it?" asked Matt. "Shouldn't it be dark, it must be really late?"

  "The sun never sets in Asgard, it's always daytime," explained Sasha. "Time doesn't really mean much to anyone up here."

  "To be honest I'm so tired now I don't care where or when I sleep," said Alex yawning.

  They jumped onto the back of the chariot and Matt sat down, his legs dangling over the back. Alex flicked the reins and the goats set off at a trot. After a short while Becca pointed to the left.

  "Hey over there between the trees, it looks like a waterfall."

  Alex guided the goats over toward the trees by pulling the reins to the left and then pulled back gently to make them stop.

  "You're getting good at this," laughed Sasha jumping down.

  "Yeah, just call me the goat whisperer," said Alex looking around.

  They were standing in the middle of a clearing at the base of the mountain. A waterfall was running off the rocky sides and gushing into a stream, which wound its way between the thick fir trees.

  "Perfect," said Becca, kneeling down and running her fingers through the stream.

  "Becca, be careful," cried Alex running over and pulling her back. "You don't know what's in there. I nearly got eaten by a water sprite in Alfheim."

  Sasha laughed. "It's ok Becca, there are no water sprites or nymphs in Asgard, the water is perfectly safe. Are you guys any good at putting up a tent?"

  Sasha had pulled a large bag out from under the chariot and emptied the contents onto the mossy grass.

  "Yeah, I've got this," said Matt, bending down and unfolding the canvas tent. "What?" he asked Sasha who was looking very surprised. "I did a few years in the Scouts, this tent looks just like the ones we used. Alex, grab that end over there."

  "This really doesn't feel right guys. I wish we could just head back," said Alex, reaching down to help Matt.

  "We've been through this. You need to rest. You really look pale. Are you hungry?" asked Sasha.

  "I'm always hungry," he grinned. "I don't suppose my dad packed emergency rations in the chariot?"

  "No, he takes live food with him," said Sasha, pointing to the goats.

  "What?"

  "The goats. Whenever he travels and needs food, he kills the goats and brings them to life in the morning with Mjolnir."

  "That's sick," said Alex, grimacing. "The poor goats."

  "They know the score and are happy to feed their master. Though there was one time when Thor was out and he stayed over at a farmer's home. He killed the goats to feed the family but one of the children broke one
of the bones open and sucked the marrow out. When Thor went to resurrect the goats the next day, one of them was a bit lame. Did you notice that the one on the left limps a bit? That's Teeth Grinder. His brother is Teeth Barer."

  "Weird names," said Becca going over to stroke them. "Shall we undo their harnesses and let them wander about? Will they be ok in the storm?"

  The sky was now dark grey and the wind had picked up, making the leaves on the trees rustle loudly.

  "No, they'll be fine, I'll tether them up to this tree and they can eat the grass from there."

  Sasha led the goats over to a large tree to the right of their camp and tied the reins securely to a low hanging branch. When she came back the tent was taking shape nicely. Matt really did know what he was doing. Very soon the tent was up, just as the first raindrops started to fall. They all clambered inside before they got too wet and lay down on the ground sheet, shoulder to shoulder.

  "No sleeping bags then?" asked Alex, yawning again.

  "Sorry, no. It's not exactly luxury but at least it's shelter and the moss makes the ground a bit springy," said Sasha, listening to the rain pattering down on the canvas. "Let's try and get some sleep and hopefully this storm will blow itself out."

  Alex didn't need to be told twice, he was shattered. His limbs felt like lead and his head was dizzy. He turned onto his side and scooped Becca in close to his front.

  "For warmth," he murmured in her ear.

  She smiled and snuggled into his chest sighing. If only that Lexi could see them now, she thought to herself. It was obvious to Becca that there was an attraction there. I've got the upper hand though, she thought smugly, tucking Alex's hand closer to her side. There was no way she could sleep like this, she thought but she didn't dare move as she could tell he had already drifted off.

  *

  The storm raged through the Asgardian night but they all slept soundly, exhausted from the last few days. Eventually the rain pattered to a stop and just the drip, drip of the rain falling from the leaves overhead could be heard inside the tent. Alex woke first with a start. He sat up suddenly, completely confused about where he was. Becca stirred beside him and cracked open one eye.