Son of Thunder (Heavenly War Series)

by S. C. Mitchell

  The forth ruffian backed away. “What the hell?”

  She was facing him, but he just stood there looking confused. Then Meghan remembered she was still invisible.

  Forget him. Throw the hammer at Loki.

  Meghan reached for Mjolnir, which was still tucked securely in the belt at her side. The belt loosened on its own, and Meghan easily slid the weapon into her hand. Loki was still standing by the bar, but his lips were moving and he was concentrating. Could he be casting some sort of magic spell?

  Meghan flung the hammer at the evil god. As it left her hand she could tell it must have become visible, because Loki reacted to it instantly. Just before Mjolnir hit, the god turned into a flock of black birds. The hammer passed harmlessly through the flock, smacking into the wall behind, before it flew back into Meghan’s hand.

  The flock of birds reformed into Loki.

  “So, Thor, have you finally found your backbone? I don’t know how you were able to recover your hammer and follow me so quickly, but it won’t help you.”

  The god was smiling, but still he was backing up scanning the room. Meghan remained silent, letting Loki rant.

  “You are trapped here on Midgaard now. With the great Heimdall out of action, how will you return to Asgaard? Any portals are days away from here. By the time you return I will be sitting on Odin’s throne.”

  The forth ruffian, the only one still conscious, was backing toward the bar’s front doorway. His eyes were wild. Before he could reach the door though, Loki stopped him.

  The man tried to push away from Loki. “You didn’t pay me enough for this shit.”

  “Sorry, my friend.” Loki reached out to touch the man’s shoulder. “I need your life-force.”

  There was a flash, then the man fell to the floor. Meghan threw Mjolnir once again, but Loki was already on the move.

  “Until later, Thunder God.” Loki dashed toward the big picture window at the front of the bar. Glass shattered as he leapt through it. Instantly he turned into a great raven, and flew up and out of sight.

  Meghan breathed a sigh of relief, then took in the devastated room. The fight was short, but the bar was a shambles. The smashed television set still sparked. A legless tabletop leaned against the only surviving intact chair from its set of four. Behind the bar, liquor from shattered bottles leaked down the wall.

  Jord groaned and Meghan rushed to him. The knots in the ropes around him were tight, and she ended up pulling the jackknife from Jord’s jacket pocket to cut them. Funny it didn’t turn into a sword when she used it, not that she wanted it to.

  She sat down on the floor, and gently pulled his head into her lap. He was beaten badly. The bruises on his handsome face starting to purple. There was a cut above his eye. She brushed back his hair, and just sat there holding him. She would have gone for the apple in the pack, but his breathing seemed steady enough. He didn’t appear to be in any danger of expiring on her. And after what happened to Anna Brown, Meghan had to admit, even with gloves, those apples scared the heck out of her.

  She sat there like that for about fifteen minutes before Jord groaned again and his eyes fluttered open.

  “Who . . . ?” His brows creased. Meghan remembered she was still invisible, so she deactivated the necklace.

  “Meghan.” He sighed. He almost sounded exasperated.

  Jord was breaking up with her, trying to stop whatever had been growing between them. Megan understood and was coming to grips with it. She’d picked up that vibe right away. It just wasn’t to be, and they should just stop pretending. She’d never stop loving Jord Thorson, she knew that deep down, but she could make their parting easier.

  “We’re even now, Mister Thorson.” She tried to keep her tone businesslike. “You came for me in Utgard, and I just jumped through a black hole for you.”

  Meghan heard movement behind the bar. The ruffians were coming around. They needed to get out of here. But she wasn’t about to pick him up and carry him like a baby. He was a god, no matter how weak he was, and would want to leave under his own power. And she didn’t want him to feel indebted to her.

  Don’t you give me any problems. She thought hard toward the belt as she moved to take it off. The belt instantly disengaged. The hammer she’d shoved back into the belt dropped with a thunk to the floor.

  She slipped the belt around him and felt the power run through him. Jord sat up and Meghan stood. She dropped the gloves in his lap, and the backpack on the floor beside him, then went around the bar to where she’d heard movement.

  The man was just starting to rise, but his eyes widened as she strode toward him. She still had Prudr, fully extended, in her hand. She brought the club up and with a single whap, clubbed the man back into unconsciousness. She may have even killed him. It made her think about just how much she’d changed over the past few days.

  She rummaged through the man’s pockets and found a set of keys, the word ‘FORD’ displayed prominently on them. Yeah, murder, grand theft auto, she was definitely on a roll. The man beneath her groaned. Okay, just assault and grand theft. She could probably live with that.

  As she rose from behind the bar Jord was standing, his back to her, stooping over to pick up Mjolnir. For just a moment she let her mind wonder. She’d seen him naked, and yeah, the man had an incredible backside, though it was probably black and blue like the rest of him right now. She shook her head. This was not the time to be thinking about that.

  Jord stood up and glanced over to her. He still looked incredibly drained. She tinkled the keys at him.

  “We should get out of here. Loki may come back.”

  She would have offered her shoulder for him to lean on, but knew he wouldn’t take it. She’d let him have his pride.

  The beat up, Ford F-150 pickup truck in the parking lot had to be at least twenty years old, and had more rust than paint showing. There was an eerie quiet outside of the bar. The corpses of about sixty or so blackbirds lay dead, scattered about the parking lot, lawn, and road.

  “Loki’s magic.” Jord hobbled toward the truck. ”Norn magic.”

  It took some doing, but Meghan got the old vehicle to turn over. As the old truck rolled out on to the highway it coughed and sputtered.

  “I thought Norn magic was good magic,” Meghan said, as she drove. “Your mother used Norn magic to create the portal when your brothers took Heimdall back. She told me so.”

  Jord nodded. “Norn magic isn’t good or evil. It just . . . is. It’s nature magic, pulling its power from the elements of nature around it.”

  Meghan thought she understood. “So Loki is killing things to pull power from nature for his spells?”

  “Gods can pull power from within themselves, or work with the natural elements so the magic does not damage the world around them. But Loki doesn’t care. He simply pulls the power from the easiest and closest source, probably pulling much more power than he actually needs. Life-force would be the easiest source of power.”

  A thought suddenly occurred to Meghan. “Loki turned into a raven just now. There was a raven in the trees over the camp when we were planning the attack on Fenrir’s supply train.”

  “That has to be how they knew we were coming.” Jord frowned. “It would have been the perfect way to spy on us.”

  Meghan’s cheeks warmed with embarrassment. “I saw the raven other times also. I should have said something.”

  Jord shook his head. “How were you to know?”

  The road was paved, but old and cracked with numerous potholes. They were way out in the country, somewhere. The tavern stood alone out here, surrounded by fields and light woods. As she drove they passed some farmhouses and barns, but not much else.

  Meghan was lost. “Any idea where we are?”

  Jord glanced out the window. “No snow, and it’s much too warm
to be Minnesota. From the way those guys talked back there I think we’re in America. We must be down south somewhere.”

  Jord was still about done in, Meghan could tell, but he didn’t complain.

  “We need to find a hotel and get you some rest.”

  Jord laid his head back on the seat, and closed his eyes. “I’ll be fine—”

  Meghan cut him off. “No you won’t! You need to get rested up and then find a way back to Asgaard. I know they need you, but not in the shape you’re in right now.”

  She saw him smile, shake his head and sigh. “You’re right, of course.”

  Meghan sighed. “Get some rest. I’ll find us a hotel.”

  Ten minutes later she came to a crossroads. An old, weather-beaten sign indicated Greenville was to the right, so she turned right. Jord was gently snoring by that time. She sure hoped Greenville had a place they could stay at and get some rest. Meghan had been up all night herself, and was starting to run out of steam.

  Jord never woke when she pulled in and stopped in front of the office of the rundown motel at the edge of town. He kept snoring while she rummaged through his pockets for his wallet. She’d left her purse at the museum. How many days ago had that been? Thank goodness Jord had some cash in his wallet.

  “Your boyfriend looks a bit worse for the wear.” The hotel manager pointed to Jord through the front window of the motel office. The place was old and in need of some repair and paint, but at least it was clean.

  “Got into a bar fight.” Meghan laughed. “Needs some place to sleep it off.”

  “At this time of day?” The sun was high in the sky. Meghan had lost all track of time, but it must have been before noon.

  She smiled at the man. “He’s an idiot, but I love ‘im.”

  She paid the man with a one-hundred dollar bill, and got over forty dollars back in change. Yeah, this was going to be a high-class establishment.

  She pulled the truck around to the front door of room three and got out to check on the room. It was exactly the fleabag she’d expected. At least the bed linens seemed fairly clean. She went back out to the truck to find Jord still asleep.

  “Okay, Meggy, one more time.” She grabbed at the belt. It came off quickly and wrapped itself around her waist. She easily hoisted Jord out of the car and placed him gently on the bed then went back out for the hammer. There was no way she was leaving Mjolnir out in the truck.

  Meghan sat on the other bed, just staring at him. A god. That still hadn’t really sunk in. He seemed so fragile right then, so mortal.

  But he wasn’t. She’d seen the power in him. He was more than just his father’s son, more than just a symbol. Once fully rested, Jord Thorson would wield the power that would save Asgaard, and probably Earth too. Her heart quailed thinking of what the world would be like with Loki on the throne of Asgaard.

  She went to him, brushing the hair from his face. His wounds were already on the mend, the purpling that showed on his exposed skin was fading. For just a few hours more she’d be with him, then she’d let him go. She’d buy a bus ticket back north and go home to her mundane life, and let Jord go off to save the world.

  She kissed him on the cheek. She’d miss him so much. Then she started to unbutton his shirt. She might as well make him as comfortable as possible, and if she just happened to catch a glimpse of that hot body of his in the process, who was to know?

  Chapter 37

  Jord woke. The warmth, the softness of the bed beneath him threatened to pull him back into slumber, but he forced his eyes open. He’d been fairly comfortable when he’d woken in the enemy camp the last time he’d awakened, and there was no reason to think he was safe now.

  The glow from a streetlight outside filtered through the drawn curtains of the room’s one window, casting dim luminance. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he spotted the figure on the bed across from him. Meghan, fully clothed, sleeping on top of the still made bed. She must have fallen asleep watching over him.

  The previous day flashed before him. He’d been so drained from calling the storm, he’d seen it through the fog of exhaustion. He could almost believe it a dream, but he remembered clearly Meghan looking down at him, his head in her lap on the barroom floor. Her cool hands on his face, brushing back his hair.

  He remembered something about an old, red pickup truck. Sitting in the passenger seat. Meghan driving. He’d just needed to rest his head for a moment. He couldn’t remember anything after that.

  He realized then he was naked, under the covers. The thought of her taking his clothes off, her hands on his body, made him harden. How had Meghan managed to wrestle his sleeping form in here? Then he saw Megingjörð laying on the night stand beside him, the gloves beside it. Of course.

  “Traitor,” he thought at the belt.

  It’s not like you were any help.

  He leaned over and saw Mjolnir laying on the floor beside his bed, then laid back and watched Meghan. He saw her breathing, her chest rising and falling, and heard the little whistle she had when she slept. What a wonder she was.

  Somehow she’d managed to steal the artifacts from Fenrir’s camp, fight off four brutes, and scare off Loki all by herself.

  She is pretty amazing. You should tell her sometime.

  “Oh shut up.” Had his father really put up with this thing for over three thousand years? Jord would love to tell Meghan what he really thought about her. How he thought about her all the time. But that certainly wouldn’t help drive her away. Make her not love him. And that was the only way to keep her safe.

  “Have you got any better ideas?” he asked the belt.

  No. He could almost hear the belt sigh. I don’t want to lose her either.

  Jord could feel the sadness in Megingjörð’s voice.

  “Well it’s your prophecy.”

  Hey! I’m just the messenger. In fact, not even the messenger. It came through both Meghan and me.

  Where did prophecies come from? Jord had always suspected a higher power, something above even the gods themselves. Something completely unknown, yet felt, its nature a complete mystery to the entire universe. How could he be sure this prophecy wasn’t false?

  It’s not likely. Most of it has already come true.

  Jord thought about it.

  ‘The son of thunder and this daughter of Midgaard will venture in the lands of Svartalheim and Jotunheim, to the very bowels of Utgard keep.’

  Well that had certainly happened.

  ‘The power of the three artifacts will be reunited, and the old ways will pass.’

  Did that mean his father passing them on to him? Surely his father would want them back. Jord had never considered keeping them. Or were there more ‘old ways’ that were passing? With Ragnarok no longer a threat, so many things were changing.

  ‘The secret past is the key to the future.’

  And what could that mean? What secret from the past? Well, if it was a secret Jord probably wouldn’t know it.

  ‘A life must be freely given, if the golden city is to be saved.’

  That was the part that scared him the most. Why did that life have to be Meghan’s? The prophecy didn’t specifically state it was her. But his dream still haunted him.

  “It is her fate to choose death, for love of you.”

  It was more than just a dream, Jord knew it, and the Norns had all but confirmed it. He had to make Meghan not love him. Somehow he had to bury his feelings for her, not let them show, drive her away. It was the only way to save her. Then, maybe, he could give his own life for Asgaard. He could gladly do that. It would be an empty life anyway, without Meghan in it.

  Fate had thrown them together once again, even in the heart of the enemy camp. How was he to distance himself from her, if she was always around? When he could see the brightness in her
beautiful green eyes? Feel the spirit of her soul around him? When his heart wanted her so badly it crushed him each time he hurt her?

  Fighting dark elves, slaying giants, and facing down the evil powers of the nine worlds? That was the easy part. Driving away the most precious thing in his life? That was hard.

  Jord rose, leaving the warmth of the bed for the cold, stark reality he faced. He needed to get back to Asgaard. He pulled his jeans on and took a quick look outside. With the exception of the old, red pickup, the motel parking lot was deserted. He only saw two cars on the road beyond. Where the hell were they?

  Portals that would take them to Asgaard were few and far between, and if they were down south, where the Nordic influence was much smaller than the colder northern parts, it could be days before he found a way back. Heimdall was not responding to his link. The god must be asleep, and Heimdall never slept, so his injuries must have been severe.

  Jord finished dressing then slipped outside. Overhead stars glittered in the dark sky. A sliver of a moon rested just above the horizon. That wouldn’t do at all. Jord concentrated. He didn’t need to tap the power of Mjolnir to bring in a light shower. He’d always been able to call the clouds. It was in his genes, a birthright from his father.

  A lake, not two miles away, would provide the moisture. Dropping the water level a quarter inch would have no effect on the local wildlife. Jord pulled the moisture, a few drops at a time. Wispy clouds began to build, and blow across the sky in the light evening breeze. In two hours light mist would be in the air, and by morning rain would be falling. Just enough to begin clearing as the sun rose. With luck there’d be a rainbow. With even more luck, he’d be home by lunchtime. But that depended on whether or not Heimdall was in any condition to get his message.

  Jord went back into the motel. Meghan was still asleep. She’d turned on her side, her hand cradled her cheek. She looked so small and defenseless. But he knew better. The woman was powerful, with a spirit that never gave up. She deserved a full life, with a man who could protect her, and kids who’d love her because she was wonderful.