Son of Thunder (Heavenly War Series)

by S. C. Mitchell

  In the morning he’d put her on a bus heading north for Minnesota. He’d send her away. Keep her safely away from damned prophecies, evil gods . . . and him. He lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes. He felt the storm gathering in the sky above, and a storm gathering in his heart as well.

  Chapter 38

  Wood splintered, and metal shrieked as the motel room door flew open. The sound reverberated throughout the room and Meghan woke instantly.

  “You stole my truck, bitch!” A rough, male voice shouted at her.

  As her vision cleared she saw Jord bolting from the other bed, toward the large figure standing in the doorway. His powerful charge took both men outside, into the falling rain.

  Meghan hastily dug her fists into her eyes to clear the sleep, then bolted for the doorway to see what was going on. In the early predawn light, rain was falling on the uneven parking lot of the motel, making puddles in the cracked blacktop.

  Four burly men surrounded Jord. She could see one of the men wielded a tire iron, and another palmed a wicked looking hunting knife. Though she’d only seen them for a few moments, Meghan recognized the men. They were the four thugs from the bar the previous day who’d beat Jord bloody.

  But this was not the Jord they’d faced the day before, bound and helpless. One of them, the man who’d kicked in the door, was already lying on the ground motionless.

  Jord faced the other three with fire in his eyes. “Let me guess, Mr. Lukas paid you more money, and you were stupid enough to take it.” He sent a flying kick toward the man to his right, dislodging the hunting knife from the man’s hand.

  The thug in front of him brought the tire iron down, toward Jord’s head. The god ducked under it, but it caught his shoulder on the way down.

  The man grinned. “Like I said yesterday, nothing personal.”

  Jord shook his head, then punched forward, decking the man. He went down hard, dropping the tire iron.

  “Oh, I take this very personal.” Jord kicked the tire iron away, but the man didn’t look to be getting up any time soon.

  One of the other men got around behind Jord and jumped him, his thick arms around Jord’s neck, trying to strangle him. Jord easily pulled the man off and flung him into the last thug. One of them groaned and rolled on his side, but didn’t get up. The other one never moved.

  “Stupid.” Jord glared at the four men at his feet. Then he looked up. Meghan saw his eyes widen.

  “Shit!”

  Meghan had never heard him swear before.

  Jord flew back into the room, throwing Megingjörð around his waist, and grabbing up the gloves, hammer and backpack. He threw a hundred dollar bill on the nightstand then grabbed Meghan’s hand.

  “We’ve got to get out of here, now. Give me the truck keys.”

  Meghan scooped the keys out of her pants pocket as Jord pulled her out the door. She knew better than to ask what was going on. Jord appeared genuinely frightened. She handed him the keys, and sprinted to the passenger side of the truck. Jord already had the truck started by the time she was able to shut her door.

  As they pulled out of the parking lot toward the road, Meghan glanced east, toward the rising sun. A thick cloud of dust filled the air above the road, and to either side. It appeared to be headed straight toward them.

  Jord turned west. He pushed the accelerator all the way to the floor, and the truck rattled as it picked up speed. In no time they were flying down the highway, yet when Meghan looked behind she saw the cloud getting closer and closer.

  Goose flesh raised on Meghan’s arms. “What is it?”

  “You don’t want to know.” There was a quaver in his voice that sent shivers up her spine.

  Jord was concentrating on the road ahead, his brows furled, so she didn’t ask him further questions. The rain made the pavement slick, but ahead Meghan could see the clouds starting to part.

  “Come on, Heimie.” Jord had to be looking for the rainbow, but Meghan didn’t see any sign of one.

  She glanced in the rear view mirror. The dust cloud was catching them. Was it just her imagination, or could she see a face in the cloud?

  The truck started to bump and jump, as if the whole road had turned to potholes. Looking forward, Meghan saw the road ahead was covered in the carcasses of dead animals. Talk about road kill! It reminded Meghan of the dead blackbirds in the tavern parking lot the day before.

  Jord grunted, concentrating on avoiding the animal corpses on the road. “Loki pulls the life force he needs to fuel his magic with little care for the consequences. He must have been here when he cast his spell.”

  The truck veered to miss the carcass of a dead cow.

  “How could he know we’d come this way?”

  The storm continued to gain on them. Wind buffeted the truck, at times raising one side up to the point they were driving on only two wheels.

  “He’s herding us here with the sandstorm.”

  Meghan thought about that. Except for empty farm fields and dead animals, there wasn’t much here.

  “Do you think Loki is still around here?”

  “He may be, but I doubt it. From what I remember my father telling me, Loki rarely does his own dirty work. He just sets things up and moves on to his next piece of mischief.”

  The truck was swerving now as Jord attempted to miss the larger carcasses.

  “He did this to slow us down.”

  Loki used the life-force of all these dead animals just to create that thing behind them? Jord was right, she didn’t want to know what it was.

  The devastation lay all around them. In a field on their right, over a hundred dead cattle littered the countryside. Deer, coyote, raccoons, along with hundreds of rodents and birds filled the roadway ahead for as far as she could see.

  The truck began to slow, and Meghan could feel a pulling from behind. The cloud was right behind them.

  Jord was yelling over the howling of the wind. “Meghan, use the necklace. Go invisible. When the truck stops get out and run. Get as far away from me and it as you can.”

  Meghan could hear the fear and concern in Jord’s voice. The dust storm behind them had to be more than it appeared. Jord suddenly hit the brakes and turned the steering wheel sharply to the left. The old truck skidded sideways, Jord’s door turned directly into the sandstorm.

  Meghan was just activating the necklace as Jord opened his door and stepped out into the dust.

  “Run.” Jord raised Mjolnir and lightning erupted around the hammer.

  Meghan yanked on the door handle and flew out of the truck. Jord’s fear seemed so real it lent strength to her legs as she sprinted away, but deep in her heart she was troubled. How could she leave him behind?

  She spun around and saw Jord standing in front of the old truck. The dust storm stopped right in front of him, but it seemed to be intensifying, as if the individual particles of sand and dust were pulling together. The wind suddenly stopped and the eerie silence was deafening.

  Out of the cloud of dust, a creature began to form. Four massive legs supported the great bulk of its body. A long, sinuous neck took shape with a reptilian, diamond-shaped head. A long snaky tail and two huge bat-like wings completed the picture.

  A dragon, black as night, towered over Jord. Rising up on its hind legs, it raked its long front talons toward him. Jord threw Mjolnir and rolled to the side, avoiding the sharp blades. The dragon’s claw swept across the space Jord had just vacated and into the open truck door, pulling the rusty metal door from the vehicle.

  A gout of flame shot from the creature’s huge maw, scorching the earth in front of the dragon. Jord dodged and rolled once again to avoid the licking flames, but Meghan noticed his hair smoldering as he bounced back to his feet.

  What could she do? She brought out Prudr, but wondered wh
at good the club would be against such a fearsome foe. Did she dare even get close enough to the creature to hit it?

  The clouds overhead thickened and the land around grew darker. Lightning flew from Mjolnir and Jord, his sword now in his left hand, sliced at the front leg of the beast.

  The dragon reared back in pain, sending another blast of fire toward the god. Suddenly, up above in the darkness, Meghan saw a dark shape take form. A horse, so black it seemed more shadow than substance. On its back two figures.

  One of the figures, wielding a great sword, dropped off the horse, falling sword-first onto the head of the dragon. The sword pierced the dragon’s skull, and the great creature reared back, falling on the ground and rolling to disengage the man. Trees and power poles shattered as the dragon rolled on the ground. Despite the thrashing the man was able to pull out the sword and jump off the creature, running to join Jord.

  Jord greeted the man with a smile. “Tyr.”

  The man was tall, blond, and as broad shouldered as Jord. “We felt your storm. I thought it was your father.”

  Jord motioned toward the ebony, flying horse. “You brought Nott?”

  The dark horse landed behind the two men. A woman, dark and beautiful, dismounted to join them.

  Tyr motioned her forward. “She’s on our side.”

  The dragon rolled on the ground, trying to right itself. The dark woman raised her arms and a sphere of darkness surrounded her. “You will have to keep it busy a while longer.” The woman’s voice issued from the blackness. “Undoing my grandfather’s magic will take some time.”

  The dragon regained its footing and was charging at them. Jord dodged to the left, throwing Mjolnir again. The hammer struck the dragon in the snout.

  At the same time Tyr, charged straight at the creature. The man moved fast, avoiding the slashing claws, and struck at the dragon’s underbelly with his sword. Dark blood began to seep out of the wound, but the monster never slowed.

  The creature turned quickly, sweeping its great tail around and catching Jord unprepared for the blow. Jord went flying, and landed hard quite a distance away. Then the creature’s massive head descended on Tyr. Its jaws open, it scooped the man into its immense maw.

  “No!” Jord threw Mjolnir once again and charged the beast. The hammer struck the dragon on the side of the head, just as Meghan saw a sword blade stick out of the creature’s long neck. The blade cut down, slicing almost a third of the way around the great dragon’s neck. Out of the wound tumbled Tyr.

  He was covered in blood and gore, but otherwise seemed okay. “I hate it when that happens.” Tyr wiped a glop of the creature’s slimy fluids from himself.

  The dragon was thrashing, rolling on the ground again. The two men were backing away from it. Meghan couldn’t believe it when the creature managed to regain its footing. She saw its wounds begin to close. What did it take to defeat this thing?

  The dark woman stood where she’d landed. The darkness she’d pulled around her was rapidly fading. Her horse had completely disappeared. She was chanting, her arms pulled in close to her sides. In one last exclamation, shouting words Meghan didn’t understand, she flung out her arms toward the dragon. As she did the creature once again became a cloud of dust and sand.

  “Let the elements return to their place.” The woman sighed. She suddenly looked weak, drained. Her dark complexion paled. As she started to collapse Meghan ran to her and caught her as she fell.

  “My thanks, Mortal.”

  Her words startled Meghan. “You can see me?” She was sure she’d activated the necklace.

  The woman nodded. “Darkness and illusion can hide nothing from me.” Then the woman’s eyes closed and she passed out in Meghan’s arms.

  Suddenly Tyr was there. “Nott?” The big man grabbed up the dark woman, knocking Meghan out of the way. Meghan went down hard, landing with an “Oof.”

  Tyr picked up the woman but was looking around. “There’s something here. An invisible presence.”

  Jord was suddenly beside him, shouting. “I thought I told you to run and keep running.”

  Meghan deactivated the necklace.

  “Where was I going to go?” She stood defiantly, gesturing to the barren lands around them. The sun was peeking out among the scattering clouds above. Jord just shook his head.

  Tyr interrupted them. “Look, I need to get Nott inside—someplace dark. Do you know if there’s a motel around here close?”

  Meghan thought about the condition they’d left their motel room in. The door shattered, four thugs unconscious in the parking lot.

  She shook her head. “I sure hope that town back there has another motel.”

  Chapter 39

  As it turned out there wasn’t another motel in the small town, but the motel manager was more than happy to rent them another room. The man must have pocketed the hundred Jord left on the nightstand, contacted the police about the unconscious men in his parking lot, and discovered there was a reward for the capture of those same men.

  When Jord and Meghan walked back into his motel with Tyr and Nott, the motel manager was all smiles. Jord could almost see the dollar signs in his eyes. “I’m going to have to charge you a bit more, but sure, I’ve got a room.”

  The motel manager charged them double what the previous night cost them. Tyr covered it without question, then went off carrying Nott toward the rented room.

  Nott was not only the Goddess of the Night, she was also Loki’s granddaughter. The goddess had to be conflicted with her grandfather and uncle now free, and Jord didn’t fully trust her, but she had helped them by undoing Loki’s magic and dispelling the dragon. Jord was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

  Tyr settled Nott, then joined Jord and Meghan at the diner just down the street.

  “Nott’s magic is so much weaker during the day.” Tyr’s gaze was wistful as he gazed out the diner window at the motel. “The darkness of your storm helped but it still took a lot out of her to undo Loki’s spell, especially with the sun up behind those clouds. She’ll probably sleep the day away.”

  Jord could see the concern in Tyr’s eyes, and when Tyr had been supporting the weakened goddess, his hold seemed more than just supportive. It’d been almost possessive. Jord would never have put those two together. They seemed almost polar opposites.

  Jord decided it was their business in any case, and let it go. As the Tyr took a seat across from them in the booth, he introduced Meghan to him. “Meghan, this is Tyr, the one-handed God of Courage. Tyr, Doctor Meghan Larson.”

  Tyr held out his hand and Meghan took it.

  Jord smiled at Meghan’s reaction, as they could both see the god had two hands.

  “How is it a one-handed god has two hands?” Meghan wrinkled her brow, and Tyr laughed.

  Jord sat back and let Tyr tell the story. “Back when we first bound Fenrir, two thousand years ago, the only way to get the wolf to trust us was if one of us put his right hand in the beast’s jaws. I volunteered, knowing we had no intention of letting the evil wolf free.”

  “Snorri Sturluson, the guy who first wrote down most of our legends, just loved tragic endings, and never saw fit to write about my hand growing back, thanks to the healing power of Idun’s apples. So I became the one-handed god, and I never could live that down.”

  Jord clapped Tyr on the shoulder. “So it really was no big deal.” He knew what was coming.

  Tyr’s eyes went wide. “It hurt like hell and it took me almost two hundred years to get full use of my hand back. I had to learn to fight, eat, heck, do everything left-handed, but it was worth it in the end, at least until six months ago. If I ever find out who let Fenrir free . . .”

  Tyr left that hanging.

  Jord sighed. “It was Forseti.”

  Tyr raised an eyebrow. “Forseti? That
doesn’t make sense unless . . .”

  Jord could see Tyr making the connections.

  He waited a bit for Tyr to think it all through before continuing. “He’s the one who set Loki free too.”

  “That little . . . just wait until I get my hands on . . .”

  Tyr was sputtering. It was not something he did often.

  Meghan chimed in. “He’s dead.”

  Jord nodded at the shock he saw in Tyr’s eyes. “He did try to redeem himself at the end.”

  Jord told Tyr about his capture and how Meghan rescued him.

  “Not bad for a goddess,” Tyr remarked. “A rather incredible feat for a mortal. With her you probably didn’t really need our help with Loki’s dragon.”

  “Well . . .” Jord had to say it, he just couldn’t help himself, “I’m glad you dropped in to give us a hand.” He stressed the last four words and smiled.

  Tyr sneered. “Yeah, I’ve never heard that before.”

  But then the god laughed goodheartedly, adding, “You’re as bad as your father.”

  The three ordered breakfast. Jord could see Meghan smirking as the diner waitress all but threw herself at the two gods. When the waitress finally left to fill their order Jord turned his attention to Tyr.

  “So how did you connect with Nott?”

  Tyr took a sip of the coffee the waitress brought. “I’ve been out looking for your father. I thought maybe he might be hidden away in one of the other pantheons. Nott has access to the Aztec heaven. The war hit them pretty hard, and it would be a good place to stash something or someone the other side wanted to keep hidden.”

  For the past few centuries most of the other mythic gods and pantheons were pulled into a conflict started by the Egyptian god Set, and the Greek Titans. But the Norse managed to stay out of it. With Ragnarok hanging over their heads, the Norse gods were in no hurry to enter any conflict. Jord still did not agree with his grandfather, who kept them isolated from the other gods, just to keep the balance.