by T. G. Ayer
I shook my head and moved aside as the door opened. I was done with him.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Just as I was about to step over the threshold, the doctor stood up and reached a hand out, staying my departure. "Wait. I do wish to attend the funeral. When is it?"
His face was still an unmoving mask, but I nodded. "We don't have anything set yet, but it will most likely be in the next day or two." I paused then asked, "Do you know why this is happening?" I waved at the cracks in the floor and the walls, noting that even down here, nothing had escaped Jormungandr's wrath.
Dr Lee shrugged, his eyes saying he wasn't about to discuss anything further with me.
I faced him and folded my arms. "It's Jormungandr."
He nodded, trying hard to hide his smile. "So Loki succeeded."
"What do you know?" I asked, taking a step toward him.
But he just shook his head. "There is nothing to be done. He has set the ball in motion. Nothing can stop him now."
I shook my head, still unable to see what made this man tick. "So this makes you happy? The destruction of the world makes you smile?"
He pursed his lips, as if taking the time to consider my question seriously. Then he nodded slowly. "Yes. What makes my father happy makes me happy."
"And what about your own children?"
"They will be taken care of."
"How are you so sure?"
He lifted his chin. "Because my father said he would protect my family."
I snorted, unable to believe what I was hearing. "So you really think he's been keeping his word?"
"My father always keeps his word."
I laughed and the sound echoed harshly around us. "So when he drove a knife into Aidan's gut, with his own hand, and left him her to die of a deadly poison, was that his way of keeping his word?" I asked, my throat hurting as I recalled my horror when Freya confirmed Aidan had been poisoned.
Dr Lee turned away from me, a frown creasing his smooth forehead. Then he shook his head and laughed. "He wouldn't have done that. You are lying."
"I have no reason to lie to you. What would I gain by showing you Loki's true face? I have no wish to break another son's heart." My voice was cold as I stared him down.
For a few seconds he remained silent, just watching my face. "No. It's not true."
"I was standing right there when he stabbed Aidan. I was also standing right there when Freya confirmed that the blade had been laced with viper's venom." So far I'd spoke so calmly, so quietly that it hardly reflected my fury. But when I turned to him, something in my eyes startle him. "So you have any idea what I went through to find a cure for him? And what happened when he finally got well, finally got back to work?"
I waited but he didn't answer and I just shook my head in disgust. "What happened was your son was shot point blank by one of Loki's men, on Loki's orders. He didn't say 'Please don't shoot Aidan.' If he had then your son would still be alive today."
Dr Lee sank into the chair closest to him, his face now strained as he rested his head in his hands. I watched him, unsure if he'd understood what I'd said.
"Whatever you may think of him, he is not to be trusted. If his own children can see right through him why can't you open your own eyes?"
"His children?" he asked, confusion coloring his expression.
I nodded. "Yes, Fenrir, Hel, Eisa, Enya. They all saw him for what his is, all made the choice to stay out of his control."
"Enya?" he asked softly.
"Yes. She's had the opportunity to speak with her sister Eisa and her mother, neither of whom were reticent about their feelings for him."
The doctor inhaled and the sound scraped against my eardrum. "If you don't want to help me, then at least do something to make Enya's future a safer one."
He was so silent that I figured he wouldn't break, and turned to leave.
"Wait," he said for the second time in our conversation. But now his voice broke. "All I know from when I was with him is that he planned to make Jormungandr create chaos in the worlds. And while the countries were in chaos he planned to make important men obedient to him, using whatever means that worked."
I nodded. But I didn't ask him anything further, just waited for him to continue.
"He had lists of important men who he was going to target, to turn their loyalties to serve him. He wanted to take over the world, to show Odin that he could be a true leader."
"By creating chaos and terror?" I just couldn't help myself.
Dr Lee nodded. "He believed that from chaos will rise a new order. A world with Loki as god, and as a rival to Odin."
I snorted. "He's going to die in Ragnarok anyway. All this is just a waste of time."
Then the doctor was shaking his head. "He has plans to ensure his continuity even if he is killed."
The silence that followed built while I grew colder and colder. "He used Enya as a trial run."
Dr Lee nodded, his face white as it finally sank in that he'd been used all along. "He has his DNA stored away. Even has people looking after the project. They will move only if he is killed."
"So somewhere out there, a baby will be born that will grow up to be another Loki." I wasn't sure I believed it even when it made perfect sense.
"Not another Loki. It will be him."
I paced for a few seconds. "What is he planning on doing at the museums?" I asked wondering if the doctor would continue to be forthcoming.
He shrugged. "Not sure. He was going on about some weapon that he wanted. But he never said anything much to me about it. It wasn't my area of expertise." He fell silent for a long moment before looking up at me. "That's all I know." He stared at me then, making it easy for me to see the confusion in his eyes.
Somehow it didn't feel so satisfying now that the man had realized his own father had betrayed him in much the same way that he'd betrayed his own son.
I faced him, hands on my hips, unsure what I should be saying. A 'thank you' didn't seem to be appropriate. I cleared my throat. "They should hold the service in the next few days. Someone will get you something to wear for the ceremony."
With that I walked out of the cell and enjoyed the sound as the thick door swung shut, as the metal key scraped in the lock, shutting him in his well-deserved prison.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I shuddered, always feeling gross when I visited the man. But it had been a worthwhile exercise. We now had a bunch of information, maybe nothing specific, but something we could work with.
I'd often wondered why we kept him here in Asgard. Maybe it would have been better if we sent him to Swartelfheim to work in the dwarf forges. He'd deserve that more than the life of leisure he had right now.
Now, I escaped the bowels of the palace and headed to Aidan's mom's apartments. I smiled to myself as I flew, wondering when she'd ceased to be Mrs Lee and become Aidan's mom. And for some reason I'd never found out her name.
When she and her daughter Enya had arrived in Asgard, with the young girl so ill, Odin had given them a set of rooms that were usually set aside for visiting dignitaries or low-level royalty.
The apartment wasn't luxurious but it was well furnished, unlike my sparse chambers. But I was barely in my room other than to sleep, whereas Aidan's family remained there for most of the day.
Thankfully, the rooms were located in the part of the palace that hadn't been destroyed. I arrived at the door, my heart thumping as I knocked and waited.
When Aidan's mom opened the door I wasn't sure what to say to her. She looked up at me and gave me a welcoming smile. Her face was pale as porcelain, with dark circles under her eyes. Her frailness was easy to tell from the way her clothes hung on her spare frame. She'd taken his death hard, as I'd imagine she would.
"Hello, Bryn." She waved me inside with a gentle smile and I moved slowly to the little seating area just inside the door. "Please have a seat and let me get Enya for you." Then she was gone and I had to admit I was grateful for the reprieve.
; Until Enya arrived.
The girl had been thin, and dangerously frail in the first place, but now she looked broken. And since Aidan had been her hero I was not surprised.
I rose and she came to me, flinging herself into my arms. My presence seemed to summon her grief to the surface and I fought tears as I held her. I let her cry, rubbing her back slowly and watching her mother behind her, trying to hold onto her own tears.
Enya had insisted on becoming part of our team, insisted on using her heat-generating power to help on our missions in Midgard. She'd proved useful on our last mission and I hadn't had any reason to regret taking her.
Except for the fact that she'd been on the same mission as Aidan when he'd been killed.
At last, her sobs ceased and she pulled away, wiping her eyes and cheeks with her hands. She sat on the sofa and I sank beside her, taking a quick note of her health. She was rail thin again, blue veins scarily dark beneath her thin skin. Her white-blond hair was mussed and I guessed she must have been lying down.
Then she gasped, startling me out of my thoughts. "What the hell happened to your hands?"
"Enya," her mother admonished, but the girl didn't pay any attention. Instead, she stared at me, waiting for an answer, as if I owed her one.
And I probably did.
She cared about me and that's what happens when people care. You end up owing them explanations for behaving recklessly.
I shrugged. "It happened when I was bringing the warriors up from the rift beneath Valhalla. I didn't realize how bad it was at the time."
Enya narrowed her eyes as she stared at me and when she spoke I knew I hadn't succeeded in my attempt. "Really?" she asked, disbelief all over her face.
But when I nodded, she didn't push. At least she knew when to stop beating a lying horse. Her mom stood behind her, with a tray in her hands; tea and cookies by the looks of it. She set the tray on a small table in front of me and for the first time in a while I was ravenous.
When my stomach grumbled, she smiled and Enya even managed a tearful giggle. "I see you aren't taking care of yourself, young lady." Aidan's mom scowled then began to pour my tea and hand it to me. I'd been here enough times that she knew I liked my tea strong with a dash of milk and two sugars. She continued speaking, the smile on her lips melancholy. "Aidan would always complain that you were so busy taking care of everyone else that you always forgot yourself."
Grinning a little, I swallowed my tears. "He may have been right."
Mrs Lee snorted and then Enya leaned forward. "We heard about Joshua. Is he okay?"
I nodded, feeling my stomach tighten. "As far as I know. They said he'll be fine and I have to believe that, I guess."
Her mother nodded. "Honey, all you can do is believe. Don't lose faith in yourself or in the people around you."
I gave her a watery smile. "Now, tell me what you need. Is there anything I can do for you?"
She shook her head and crouched down beside me. "If you want to do something for me then don't let this break you, Bryn. You are so strong, so caring. Keep being the girl you are. Because you have so much on your plate, so much pain to deal with that it's really easy to lose your way." And when I nodded she patted my hand as if that sealed the deal and then she slid onto the sofa beside me.
My cheeks were hot when I cleared my throat and poured a cup of tea for myself. "How are the funeral arrangements coming?" I asked before taking a sip.
She gave me a weak smile. "We had most of it arranged and then the quake happened. It was meant to be down by the lake, the way most warriors are sent off."
I frowned as I reached for a cookie. "So you didn't want to bury him at home on the family plot?" I was confused as to why she would change her traditions so much. She was still a human woman with Midgardian values. I hadn't even thought that she would adopt the Norse traditions.
Now she shook her head. "No, my dear. As much as I have my own faith, Aidan loved Asgard and he loved being a warrior. His traditions were different from mine and I believe he'd want a funeral here and he'd want a burial as a warrior. He already died in Midgard, so he'd left that part of his life behind."
My chest tightened at the memory of Aidan's death, of finding him beside a frigid stream with a vicious bullet wound in his forehead courtesy of his father's men. Now I just nodded, the cookie forgotten, thinking this woman was stronger than I ever thought she was. She would have had to be, considering who her husband was.
I sighed, then put my empty cup and uneaten cookie back onto the table. "I should be going. I have to check on Joshua and then prepare to leave."
"Oh?" asked Enya. "Where are you off to?"
"Mission in Midgard. The usual stuff. Search for Loki. Catch Loki. End this craziness." The words leapt from my mouth, but I'd instinctively held back the truth of what we were going to do back in the US. She didn't need to know the truth.
I got to my feet, running my hands on my dress. When I looked down I saw that the white hem was ruined, soaked in mud from when I'd carried Joshua through the fields, soaked in blood from the many warriors I'd retrieved from the chasm.
I shook off my morbid thoughts and was about to speak when Enya cut me off.
"I want to come." The words echoed around the small room and I swallowed, unsure what to say.
"Enya, you know I'd love to have you but it's probably best you remain here. Your mother needs you." I didn't know what else to say. Not to mention that I knew Enya well enough to know that once she set her sights on something, she didn't let go until she had it.
Her spine stiffened. "I'm coming whether you like it or not. I'd rather be out there being useful than be moping around here all day. I think Aidan would have wanted me to be happy."
Both her mom and I started to laugh and I said, "We all know Aidan didn't want you involved in anything dangerous so you can forget that defense."
Enya scowled and folded her arms tightly, glaring at me as if just her expression would change my mind.
I almost expected her to stamp her foot when her mother said, "Enya, you are my only remaining child. Please don't put yourself in harm's way because you are hurting and need a way to stop feeling the pain."
Enya's gaze snapped to her mother's face, her eyes now glistening with unshed tears.
"I need you to be with me. We both miss him so much. And we both know he won't want you to court danger." Her mother said softly.
Enya sniffed, then rushed into her mother's arms. "I'm sorry Mom. I'll do whatever you want me to do."
Mother and daughter embraced tightly, then Enya broke free so she could turn her sharp eyes to my face. She pointed a thin finger at me. "Just because I'm not coming doesn't mean you get to keep things from me."
"Er. . . Sure," I responded, tamping down my laughter.
"I mean it, Bryn. You tell me everything that happens. At least being informed will make me feel like I'm still part of it."
I nodded and reached over to hug her. "You can still be a part of everything if you want. I think Myst could do with an assistant."
Enya gasped, her eyebrows raised in surprise. Seemed she'd expected a fight. "You're not teasing me, are you?" she asked, suspicion clear in her eyes, both of which now gleamed with flecks of silver.
"Not joking," I lifted my hand and drew a cross on my heart.
Enya sighed and smiled. "Thank you, Bryn."
I gave her a wink and then said, "Right, I'd better get going." Both women walked me to the door and Aidan's mom touched my arm before I left. "Take good care of yourself. We've lost too many loved ones already."
I nodded, swallowing down tears which suddenly wanted to escape. As I left I had to force myself not to run.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
I entered my quarters and sank onto the bed. I understood exactly why Aidan's mom wanted to keep herself busy. How long could you go, holed up in an apartment, mourning someone's death, when there were hundreds, if not thousands, of living people that needed help?
I sighed a
nd slipped off my breastplate before ringing the bell to call Turi to bring my armor. I couldn't see it on the side table where she usually left it so I presumed she'd taken it to be twice polished. Or was it thrice?
While I waited for her, I shrugged off my filthy dress and pulled on an over-sized jumper. Being in Asgard had never meant we were required to wear warrior clothing all the time, so they provided a garment-ordering service for those who didn't go to Midgard, or those who didn't have time to shop.
I'd adored this cream chunky, roll-neck over-sized jumper and often found myself reaching for it and a pair of trusty tights.
Now it lent warmth and comfort as I huddled by the fire and fiddled with sticks and matches until I got a good flame going. The fire was roaring when the door slammed open and Aimee ran inside.
I stood up so fast that we almost knocked heads when she reached me. "What happened," I asked fearing the worse.
But as cold fear grasped my heart and began to twist, Aimee said, "It's Joshua. He's awake and he's fine, but he asked to see you. I thought you'd want to know ASAP." I was already heading out the door when I heard Aimee's voice. "Er, Bryn?"
"Mmhh?" I stopped and asked, glancing over my shoulder at her amused smirk. When she pointed at my bare legs and said, "You may find pants and shoes useful."
I snorted. "Wise-ass," I snapped as I rushed inside, rummaged in my clothing trunk and found tights and a pair of old sneakers. Slipping them on, I headed out the door and said, "Not a word. I'm warning you." She laughed and followed as we ran along the corridors. Before we reached the crumbling entrance of the palace I lost my patience.
Reaching over, I grabbed Aimee around her waist and thrust into the air. Ignoring her surprised shriek, I flew the rest of the way, out the palace corridors and into the evening air, straight toward the fields.
