by Sumida, Amy
“Off now, doggie,” Nidhogg hissed and Garm's ears perked forward.
The hell hound howled and ran in the opposite direction. I took a relieved breath but it was too soon because Garm was just giving himself space to run. He made a wide turn and came racing back toward us, leaping over the flames at the last second.
“Son of a bitch,” I swore and eased toward Azrael and Trevor.
“Yesssss,” Nidhogg made a raspy, rumbling sound that I'm pretty sure was a laugh. “Definitely bitch.”
The dragon's wings flared open with a great whooshing flap of air as he reared up onto his hind legs imposingly. Garm skidded to a stop before him, snarling and snapping its huge jaws at the dragon as it leaped in an effort to reach him. I was a little impressed by the courage of the beast, Nidhogg was ten times his size.
Hmph, I guess even hell hounds can have small dog syndrome.
The dragon snapped its wide jaws in warning, coming close to Garm's hide and the hound growled, lashing out with a massive paw. His claws skidded over the dragon scales, causing no damage at all except for making a horrible screeching sound, and finally driving home to the dog that he'd met his match. Nidhogg lowered his face to the level of Garm's and gave the beast a lifting nudge that sent him flying back over the slowly diminishing fire wall.
Garm rolled, shook himself out and gave us one last hard stare before leaving for good. Nidhogg turned around, his tail swishing out and circling the large stone well at his back. He settled back down to the ground, shimmying his body till he found a comfortable spot, and laid his head down on his forearms.
“Thank you, Nidhogg,” I went to stand before him.
“My pleasssure, ssssmall sssssissster,” he grinned sleepily and started to drift off.
“Nidhogg,” Azrael came up on my left to address the dragon.
“You again,” Nidhogg opened one eye to look Azrael over. “Weren't you just here? You left little sssissster in my well.”
“Yes,” Azrael smiled, “that was me. Thank you for allowing me passage then and thank you for aiding us now.”
“I obey Death, asss you know,” Nidhogg huffed a gust of warm air over us, blowing away the gathering mist.
“So that's why you call her sister,” Az smiled and looked up as a massive, glowing drop of liquid fell from the sky and made a splash inside the well. “She was one of yours.”
“Oh,” I smiled in relief as it all fell together.
That's why the emerald had shown me dragon eyes, to let me know that I could trust Nidhogg when I needed his help. It all made sense, the dragon felt protective of one of his old wards. I looked at the massive wall of the well where I'd spent hundreds of years and felt a little of its peace reach out and touch me. I guess it remembered me too.
“Yessss,” Nidhogg smiled at me and I smiled back. “Sssshe'sss one of mine. Now hurry, little onessss. My Lady Death isssss coming and I mussst bow to her will above yoursss.”
“Thank you again,” I impulsively kissed his shiny cheek and a happy rumble followed us as we made our way back to our original path.
“Even in Niflheim,” Trevor shook his head, “a strange land all on its own, you find a way to make things even stranger.”
“Yes,” laughed Azrael, “you do seem to attract the unusual.” He turned away, with an enigmatic smile, and began to lead us out of Hell.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“I must bid you farewell for now,”Azrael kissed my hand and then went to shake both Trevor and Kirill's. “I've neglected my duties for about as long as I can.”
“Oh, I didn't even think about that,” I frowned. “Does that mean people's souls were trapped in their bodies while we were off saving Trevor?”
“Not trapped, no,” Azrael assured me. “If I'm not there to claim them, they hang around the body. It's how you get some hauntings actually. There's times when I'm just incapable of collecting souls immediately and times when I need to recover and actually live a little,” he grinned and shrugged. “So the souls will wait for me, at least the Christian and Islamic ones will. It doesn't hurt them, I'm really just a guide. I carry them to either Heaven or Hell.”
Or to Hvergelmir, if you were the wife of a god.
“My grandfather just passed away and he was Christian,” I mused. “ Would you have been his guide?”
“I'm sure I was,” he put a hand to my shoulder. “I'm so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” how many times had I come close to meeting him? If I had got to my grandmother's house sooner, would I have seen him then? “The J-man said he's groovin in his heaven now, so I'm good with that.”
“Jesus,” Az laughed, “that guy is something else, huh? He thinks he's a freakin' Beetle or something.”
“Yeah,” I giggled, “those glasses are a dead giveaway.”
“That and his whole peace thing,” he shook his head. “He hasn't said the word goodbye to me in ages. It's always, peace, my brother. I just want to tell him, okay already, we get it, you're enlightened.”
“I like it,” I thought back to how Jesus had saved me, and not in the have you been saved, kind of way.
“Yeah, guess it could be worse,” he shrugged. “Can you imagine if he had got into Punk?”
“That's why I'm here,” I winked at him. “In case gods go bad.”
“I'm looking forward to being bad then,” he cleared his throat when the silence from my men got thicker. “I better go before I really embarrass myself. Goodnight, everyone.”
“Peace,” I said as he traced out and his laughter echoed back to me, clinging to my home even after his body was gone.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“I'm so tired,” Trevor started to head back to our bedroom but I stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“Hold on, Honey-Eyes,” I bit my lip. “Let's have a seat. Kirill and I have to talk to you first.”
“Oh, what the fuck is it now?” He groaned and I laughed as we made our way to the low sofas in my Moroccan themed living room.
“Tima, zis can vait,” Kirill followed us.
“No, I meant what I said and I want to get it all out now,” I looked steadily at Kirill until he sat down.
“What is this about?” Trevor's hackles were rising for real.
“Nothing horrible,” I waved him back. “It's just that it was only Kirill and I for awhile there and I realized how much Kirill gets pushed aside. I don't think it's right to treat him like that but more importantly, I love him and want to be with him. We need to come up with a way that I can spend some alone time with both of you.”
“Huh,” Trevor fell back against his sofa. “I hadn't thought of that. Okay, what do you suggest?”
“Okay?” I looked over to Kirill, who had a matching expression of shock.
“Yeah, okay,” Trevor shrugged. “I love Kirill too, you know that. I don't want him to feel less important than he is. If you need some alone time with him, I understand. Maybe I can spend a night or two at Moonshine during the week, or go visit Dad and get my Froekn on.”
“Holy Werewolf Prince!” I swore. “You're fucking amazing. Have I told you that lately? I love you.”
“I love you too,” he leaned forward and kissed me quick, “And yes, I am amazing but no you haven't told me. So get to the telling, back there,” he pointed to the bedroom.
“Seriously,” I shook my head at this new, improved Trevor, “what gives?”
“Da,” Kirill looked over Trevor cautiously. “Vat gives?”
“I had a lot of time to think,” Trevor's face got more serious and I almost wished I hadn't said anything, “and all I could think about was you, both of you. Our lives, this strange situation we're in and how we're all in it together. This isn't just about me and you anymore and I think I've finally realized what it all means. With Kirill it was easy, the magic helped me see that he wasn't a threat, just another man who wanted to help me protect you, but with Odin it was more difficult. I had to face some issues that the magic had previou
sly eased me through. By the time I caught you with Anubis, I was totally unprepared for the life you had made me a part of. I freaked out.”
“Da,” Kirill agreed. “You were much a freak.”
“Alright, buddy,” Trevor laughed, “don't push your luck. In Niflheim, I was able to work things out. Without you there, I could see it more clearly, understand the benefits as well as the negatives. In the end, I decided that I loved you for a reason. You're an amazing woman; passionate, enchanting, strong, loyal, and very smart. I have to believe in you and in my love for you. This wasn't something you went out and chose. Like the Binding, this is something that chose you. You were so great about accepting the magic I made you a part of but I didn't accept the magic you made me a part of and I've finally realized how unfair that was. If I love you, I should support you, help you through this latest challenge. That's what being a mate is all about.”
He dropped onto the carpet in front of me, gripping my hands and staring up at me with those beautiful, amber, wolf eyes.
“I've been a horrible mate lately and I'm so sorry, Minn Elska. I've left you to deal with this all on your own. I abandoned you and fled to Hel to escape my ties with you. What kind of a wolf does that?” He shook his head. “From now on, we're in this together. I won't give up my position as your alpha but I will try my best to control my jealousy and work through problems with you instead of running away from them.”
“Trevor,” I kissed him gently. “Thank you. You don't know how much it means to me to hear that from you. I have to tell you something about that day with Anubis though.”
“It's done,” Trevor shook his head. “You're forgiven.”
“I know, baby,” I smiled, “ but I want you to know about our suspicions, mine and Kirill's.”
“Suspicions?”
“Tima does not get so drunk as zat so quickly,” Kirill had wanted to confront Anubis we just hadn't had the time.
“I think Anubis may have slipped something into my drink.”
“What?”
“I can't prove anything,” I placed a placating hand on his shoulder. “I'm not even sure if I'm just grasping at straws here in an effort to divert the blame but I really don't think I would have reacted that way to Anubis without some outside influence. I have no desire to be with him again.”
“There are potions that can be made,” Trevor's eyes were narrowing.
“And Anubis vould know zem, da?”
“Most likely,” Trevor grimaced.
“I don't want you to be angry,” I touched my hand to Trevor's cheek. “I only told you so you would know what we suspected in case it ever comes out as the truth.”
“How can I not be angry?” Trevor growled. “If you're right, Anubis nearly succeeded in tearing us apart again and I blamed you for something that wasn't your fault.”
“Maybe,” I shrugged, “but I look at it more like he failed again and now I'll be more wary of him. Look, I'll confront Anubis about this all in good time but right now, I just want to be happy with my wolf, who it feels like has been away from me forever.”
“I'm good with that,” Trevor grinned and picked me up. “Then we can get to the part where you start showing me how amazing you think I am.” We were halfway down the hallway when he yelled back to Kirill. “Aren't you coming?”
The soft pad of eager feet echoed toward us.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Plague comes to Paradise!” The news reporter announced in horrified glee. “A total of four cases have been verified but local authorities are concerned that there may be several more victims who were unable to make it to a hospital for treatment.”
“Oh shit,” I breathed out as I sat down in front of the TV.
“The CDC has been working hard to find the source of these outbreaks and they believe them to be connected to infected rodents in the Chinatown area. They advise residents to be wary of contact with any rodent in or outside of Chinatown and to handle dead animals with the greatest care. If you find a dead rat, use gloves or a tool to collect the body and then turn it in to your local police department or hospital for proper disposal. You may also turn in the bodies to the Hawaiian Humane Society, where they can safely dispose of the remains.”
“Crap, crap, crap,” I jumped up and looked over at Kirill and Trevor. They were wearing matching expressions of dismay. “What do we do?”
“Should we call someone?” Trevor asked.
“Who vill ve call?” Kirill shook his head.
“Ghostbusters?” I couldn't help it, had to be said. “Yeah, okay, okay, we better call in the God Squad.
Chapter Thirty
Pride Palace was the perfect place for a god meeting. The dining room was huge, as were most of the public rooms, so we could seat everyone comfortably. We had lots of food to offer and I had to visit my lions anyway. It was a win-win situation.
Most of the palace was done in a very Ralph Lauren, British safari style, with lots of polished mahogany, accented with some bamboo pieces, and topped off with a lot of mosquito netting. There were no mosquitos in the God Realm, I had no idea why we needed so much netting but then I hadn't been the one who designed the place, that was Nyavirezi. May she suffer eternal damnation and never rest in peace.
Anyway, the dining table was a beautiful, shiny, mahogany, set with crystal candelabras and fine china. The room was painted a light khaki with bamboo side rails, and large bay windows that curved out toward the breathtaking view of an African-like landscape.
I was staring out those large windows at a herd of elegant, long-legged antelope gathered near the lake, so I didn't hear my name at first.
“Vervain?” Trevor nudged me.
“Oh, sorry,” I looked back at all my gathered friends. “Things just seem a little hopeless with Xi Wangmu, I'm losing focus.”
“It's never hopeless,” Teharon smiled gently at me.
“There must be something we can do,” Persephone gnawed at her lip and then turned to her husband, Hades. “Can't you just burn all the rats, Sizzle-Butt?”
“No,” I waved my hands wildly. “Chinatown has a bad track record with fire. The last time the plague was here, the government thought they'd only burn a section of Chinatown down but the fire spread and everything went up in smoke. I can just see a bunch of burning rats running through the streets like little furry arsonists intent on repeating history. Not a good idea.”
“Plus, they'd never get the smell out.” Horus sniffed.
“There are some parts of Chinatown that might be improved by the smell of burning rodent,” Ull grimaced.
“Most of it's pretty clean now,” I shook my head at Thor's stepson. “It's just hard to keep it that way when there are so many bars and homeless in the area.”
“Whatever the state of the town may be,” Pan smoothed his T shirt so that the arrow pointing to his crotch was straight. Above it, were the words: A deed without a name. “We need to do something, and fast.”
“If only there were some kind of rat god who could pull a Pied Piper for us,” I harumphed.
“Hold the presses,” Brahma sat up straight in his chair. “There is a rat goddess.”
“You're kidding me,” I gaped at him.
“No, and I happen to know her,” he started grinning like he knew her really well. Or, as was most likely the case, he wanted to get to know her better. “She's a Hindu goddess and her name is Karni Mata. She doesn't involve herself in the war because she still has tons of followers.”
“The Rat Goddess has lots of followers?” I was starting to get a little squidged out. “Dare I ask how they worship her?”
“Oh the usual,” Brahma waved his hand. “We'll have to go to India to see her though. She hardly ever leaves the temple, she really likes it there.”
“Okay, I'm willing to do anything at this point,” I shrugged. “You all gonna come along?”
There was some coughing and shuffling while the rest of the God Squad looked away, anywhere but at my face. I narrow
ed my eyes on everyone as I started to have a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. How bad could this lady be, that no one wanted to go see her?
“Okay, what gives?” I finally got someone to meet my gaze. Surprise, surprise, it was Thor.
“It's the obvious reason,” Thor grimaced. “I've never met the woman and I don't think anyone else but Brahma has either.” The rest of them nodded and started meeting my eyes once again. “I'm sure she's delightful but come on, Vervain. She's the Rat Goddess, what do you think is going to be inside her temple?”
“Oh, right,” I sighed. “I hate rats. I mean, I'm an animal lover and I don't want to go out and kill them all or anything but I really don't like them. They give me the heebee jeebees. I think it's the eyes and those hairless tails. Tails shouldn't be hairless unless the whole animal is hairless.”
“Exactly why no one wants to go with you,” Trevor laughed. He was the only one, well him and Kirill, who hadn't freaked out. “They're just animals. Really tiny ones. Nothing to be afraid of. Sounds like snack time to me.”
“Don't even think about it, wolf,” Brahma warned in a serious voice. “Kill one of her rats and you'll face her wrath. She's very protective, especially of the white ones, says they're her tribe or something like that.”
“Her tribe?” I had this horrible image of someone trying to mate with a rat. Impossible. Right? Yeah, gross and impossible. Oh, I was starting to feel sick.
“I can't remember the whole story,” Brahma frowned, “but I think it was something to do with a dead child. She wanted to save him and Yama said he'd already been reincarnated, so she couldn't have him back.”
“Yama?” Mr. T asked.
“He's a death god,” Brahma waved it off as if the death god wasn't important. I hoped he stayed that way, I really didn't want to meet another god of the dead. “So she bartered with Yama that all her tribe would be reborn as rats until they could be reborn back into the tribe.”
