Love's Choice

by Renee Jordan

  He was bigger than me. Faster than me. I didn't care. I would kill him for hurting my Valkyrie.

  A paw swiped at me. I ducked and swung the ax for his hamstring. I would disable him before sinking my teeth into his throat. I would drink Fenrir's hot blood while he whimpered in pain. My jaws would crush his throat until he suffocated.

  I dived beneath the wolf. My ax swung at his broad belly. The beast leaped up, his back crashing through the drop ceiling. Plaster tiles rained down and shattered on floor. The wolf landed and lunged at me.

  I leaped. The top of Fenrir's muzzle struck my stomach. With a flick of his head, he tossed me. I growled as I tumbled through the air and crashed into crumpling metal. Hot coffee spilled across my hide. I didn't feel the pain of the burning liquid over my rage.

  My feet pushed against the crumpled espresso machine, hurtling me back at the beast. My ax slashed. Blood spurted. An angry rent marred Fenrir's side. The beast snarled in pain as his head twisted. Jaws snagged my leg.

  Pain filled my leg. I ignored it and swung my ax again. The blade bit through the thick hide and lodged in the ribs. The jaw tightened on my leg. The beast's head swung to the right and threw me. I flew through shattered windows and struck a streetlamp. The breath exploded from my lungs. Metal twisted before I fell onto the sidewalk.

  “Kill,” I howled.

  I struggled to stand. My leg didn't work right. My back throbbed. Fenrir lunged after me, the ax glinting, still buried in the beast's side. I gained my feet. I couldn't be weak and feel the pain. The anger swallowed up everything but my bloodlust.

  Snarling, I leaped at the hurtling wolf. We crashed in the air. Our teeth snapped and our claws tore.

  ~ ~ ~

  Raven

  My mother died fighting Fenrir. Why did I think I would fare any better? I barely knew what I was doing. I didn't know how to fight. Pain burned on my side. Wet, sticky blood flowed out of rents in my armor. My body shivered.

  Snarls and roars echoed. Metal crunched.

  Magnus fought the wolf. Like me, he would fail and lie dying on the street. I never should have gotten him involved. He valued his freedom. He had rebelled from modern civilization, giving it a big middle finger and going his own way. And then I came along and chained him to this new destiny. He didn't have a choice.

  Magnus didn't choose this. I did. I decided for Magnus the moment I sent that text agreeing to the date. I was told to be careful with the choice.

  A black-furred body hurtled over me. Magnus had become the werewolf again. Glass shattered and he snarled in pain. He crashed into a streetlamp. Blood matted his fur. Fenrir charged after him, Heimdall's battle ax embedded in his side.

  “You did better than I did,” I whispered.

  A raven stared down at me from electric wires. It cocked its head . It gave a caw and then spiraled down to me. It landed on my chest. The raven's beak was a sharp, waxy black and its eyes were liquid glass. It peered into my eyes.

  “Fight,” the raven cawed.

  Now I was going crazy.

  “I'm hurt,” I told the raven.

  Its head moved in quick, staccato fashion, looking right and left before peering back at me. “So. Fight, Valkyrie.”

  “I'm hurt,” I said with more heat. “And it's hopeless. Fenrir's winning. He killed me like he killed my parents. They couldn't beat him.”

  “See my memories.”

  The raven's eyes filled mine. I shuddered and...

  ...I sat upon a tree's limb looking down at a yard. Fenrir battled my parents. My mother moved with such grace in her shining armor and wielding her flaming sword. Father had become a werewolf gripping his battle ax. The fight seemed to last much longer than I remembered in my dreams.

  “Keep her from Raven,” my mother shouted. “Odin's on his way.”

  My father snarled in answer and leaped at the wolf. He turned Fenrir away as the beast tried to head towards the porch where the child me sat rooted in fear, gripping a doll. My parents fought, recklessly throwing themselves before Fenrir's attack to keep the beast from rushing at me.

  And it had cost them. It left them open. Vulnerable.

  Tears trickled down my cheeks as the memories vanished from my mind. The raven's eyes peered into mine. Sobs wracked my wounded body. “Is...that what really...happened?”

  “Yes,” cawed the raven. “I am Muninn. Memory. What I see is what happened.”

  Fenrir was after me. Loki mentioned a prophecy. He said I was special. Was he right? Had Fenrir been sent after me by the thief who killed Heimdall? I glanced at Magnus as he lay on the ground struggling to rise, his body broken by Fenrir.

  “Not too late to fight,” crowed Muninn. “Not to late to save him.”

  “It's my fault he's here,” I sobbed.

  The crow shook its head. “He made his choice. He chose you. That night. In the fog. He chose to risk his life to save yours in the biker bar. He chose to risk it again yesterday when the troll chased you. And today, when Fenrir struck you, he made his choice a final time.

  “It is your turn to choose, Valkyrie.”

  Muninn's wings flapped and the raven took flight.

  I had a choice. I could give up. I could lie here and be useless while Magnus died to protect me again. Or I could stand up and fight. I could be a Valkyrie. So what if my side hurt. Magnus was battered and broken and still he fought to protect me.

  Why couldn't I do the same for him?

  Gritting my teeth against the pain flaring in my side, I pushed myself up. I sucked in rapid breaths. Fire burned along the deep scratches in my side. Fenrir's claws had rent my armor and crimson stained the silver metal. I grabbed the fender of a lime-green Volkswagen and hauled myself to my feet. The terrified woman inside stared at me as my face twisted in pain.

  Fenrir turned in the street, his body rolling an SUV onto its side with a heavy crash. Magnus limped behind the beast, reaching for the ax buried in Fenrir's side. But he was too slow. Fenrir's jaws opened to crush him.

  “Fenrir!” I bellowed as I climbed up onto the hood of the car. The pain almost faded as I focused on the beast. I ignored it as I summoned my flaming sword. “I'm the one you want. Sigrid's daughter. You tried to kill me when I was five, and you failed.”

  He let out a low snarl. My breath quickened. I couldn't be afraid. Magnus moved around the beast. He leaped and seized the ax buried in the wolf's hide. Blood spurted as Magnus ripped the ax from Fenrir's side. The wolf howled as he lunged at me.

  I wanted to run. The gray beast hurtled at me. He was so huge. He would crush me. This was so stupid. His eyes gleamed with malevolence. Spittle dripped from yellow, saber-sharp teeth. Fetid breath washed over me.

  I thrust my burning blade forward.

  My sword pierced his gullet.

  The beast slammed into me.

  Metal crumpled as I was thrown back. My breastplate crushed into my chest. I crashed into the ground. Fenrir landed on top of me, snarling in pain. My sword was lodged deep into his mouth, the blade glowing hot. Anger filled me. I poured it into my sword.

  “You killed my parents!” I howled as my sword burned brighter and brighter.

  Flames shot from Fenrir's mouth with every howl. Burning blood trickled down his jowls and singed his fur. His thick paw crushed my chest. I groaned as his weight pressed on me. We would die together.

  Magnus landed on Fenrir's back. The rainbow ax swung. A brilliant aurora danced through the air. The ax buried deep into the beast's neck. Fenrir howled and stumbled. The pressure released from my chest. The wolf let out a snarl before collapsing in a heap.

  Magnus landed beside me. He became human again. His eyes were closed. His breathing was shallow. His leg was mangled, cuts rent his body, and blood matted his fur. Tears filled my eyes. My crumpled armor vanished. I ignored the blood pouring down my side as I hugged Magnus and cried.

  “Don't leave me, Magnus,” I whispered.

  “Not...going...anywhere...” he answered through the pain. His ri
ght arm went around my side. “Have you. Not...leaving...”

  I smiled as I cried. Behind me, Fenrir burned.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Raven

  The paramedics loaded Magnus into the back of the ambulance. It would be my turn soon. My side was bandaged. Fenrir left three long claw marks down my side. Above, Muninn perched on the electric wires looking down at the bustle of cops and paramedics. Beyond the perimeter, every news agency in the world hovered.

  A shadow fell on me as I sat on the gurney. I looked back at Owen. He seemed remarkably healthy. “Fenrir bit you.” I didn't mean to make it an accusation, but that's how it came out. “Yet you're fine.”

  “I'm a god,” he answered, sitting down beside me. “But that did hurt.”

  His eye glanced at the pile of ash that had been Fenrir. “Few creatures can hurt me. Fenrir was one of them.”

  I nodded my head. “So, I guess I work for you.”

  “Yes,” he answered. “So you figured out who I am.”

  “The eye patch. You are Odin.” I shuddered admitting that fact out loud.

  “That is one of my names. Though, I have enjoyed being simply Owen and getting to know you the last year.”

  Loki's words echoed through my mind. “I don't understand what happened. Everything was normal, and then that troll attacked yesterday, and somehow Magnus and I ended up in Utgard and he died and I brought him back to life and then...”

  I let my words trail off as I tried to suck in a deep breath. I hadn't meant for them to spill out in a flood like that. “What is going on?”

  “Events are moving fast,” Odin answered. Tears glinted in his eye. “My son Baldur...he died. You saw him Friday night, glowing in the fog, stumbling as he died.”

  “He was a god. How could he die?”

  “The same way Heimdall did,” Odin answered. “Someone killed him.”

  “How did you know Heimdall died? Were you watching us over there?” I glanced up at Muninn. A second raven joined Muninn on the power line.

  “I heard Heimdall's horn sounding across the world. He let us know Bifrost had been breached.”

  My body trembled. I wanted to ask if Loki was right. Had Odin sent Magnus and me to Utgard?

  “You are as strong as your mother, if not stronger,” Odin smiled. “There is so much of Sigrid in you. And Ragnar.”

  My cheeks burned.

  “For five centuries, your parents served me and defended Midgard. They had earned their peace. Their retirement.” His face grew somber. “I wasn't in time to save them. I tracked Fenrir after he broke his chains. But...I was too late.”

  Tears filled my eyes. Muninn's vision replayed in my mind.

  “You survived Utgard. You learned how to use your powers and you defeated one of the most dangerous monsters ever to walk the worlds.” Odin looked at me, his eye sharp. “It was cruel of me to send you to Utgard. But it was the only way to force you to learn. With Baldur's death, events are moving too swiftly.”

  My blood chilled. I had thought Owen was my friend and he sent me to that terrible place. Magnus burned with anger at whoever threw us in there. My jaw clenched. I glared at the one-eyed god. “How dare you! Did you send the troll after us?”

  “Magnus had to die to become your guardian.”

  I recoiled from Odin. I leaped to my feet. “You son of a bitch. You didn't warn me. You didn't prepare me. You just threw a monster at me and then tossed me into a frozen hell.”

  Odin stood. His back was straighter than I had ever seen it. My friend Owen was completely gone. They had the same face, but I was seeing the true man for the first time. He was hard. He was strong. He had seen death.

  Loki was right. Fenrir had come for me as a child. I was special and Odin needed me for something. Would he hide the prophecy from me as well?

  “You are mine, Valkyrie,” he growled. “Your ancestor swore herself and all of her blood to my service. I will do with you as I please. You are my sword. I needed you honed for the coming battle. The enemies of Midgard are vast and terrible. They want your world to suffer. They hate humans. They hate their existence. They want to place mankind under the cruel yoke of eternal winter. You were in Utgard. It is their version of your world. It is what they want to turn this in to.” He raised his hands and pointed around us. “I had to throw you to the wolves and force you to fight off the predators. And how fantastic you fought. You and Magnus both. What a choice you made, Valkyrie. In another age, songs would have been composed about your love.”

  A smile crossed Odin's lips. “You are a warrior. Your instincts are fantastic, Raven. You and Magnus shall fight and bleed to protect your world.”

  “We're your slaves?” I demanded.

  “Yes.” He leaned over me. “You are not my only weapons, Valkyrie. I dislike to needlessly throw away my blades, but if you think pouting will stir my heart then you will find to your misfortune that I do what I have to.”

  His hand clapped my shoulder. His grip was strong. “Do you understand me, Valkyrie? This is how it is.” His expression softened. “I am sorry for how cruel I had to be. You are like a granddaughter to me. I have cared for all my Valkyries and their Einherjers. I have watched you all grow up and wept as you bled. But it is for the greater good.”

  My anger burned inside me. “Fine. I have no choice.”

  Magnus will be so angry if he finds out. What if he tried to attack Odin? This old man was practically torn in half by the wolf and now seemed perfectly healthy. What could Magnus do against Odin?

  “But you have to tell me what is going on. You can't throw me into a situation without any preparation.”

  Odin nodded his head. “Fair enough.”

  “Is there anything you haven't told me?” I asked, my body trembling. Would Loki be right about everything? “Like why Fenrir attacked my parents.”

  “I don't know why he attacked your parents.” His words seemed so sincere. His face was once again the friendly Owen.

  But it was all lies. I knew about the prophecy. There was something special about me. Something Odin didn't want me to know.

  “Okay,” I answered, pretending to believe him. I sat back down on the gurney. “Thank you for your honesty.”

  Odin nodded his head.

  ~ ~ ~

  Magnus

  My eyes opened and my hands reached out across the bed for Raven.

  The ceiling was strange. The room smelled of antiseptic. Machines whirred and beeped. My body ached. My hand brushed a plastic railing. Where was I? I blinked my eyes, struggling to get them to focus. The needle in the back of my hand was connected to a tube that ran to a pouch hanging on a metal pole.

  I was in the hospital. I lived.

  Raven sat beside my hospital bed. “Hey,” she smiled as she took my hand. “Looks like you'll have more sexy scars to decorate your body.”

  I laughed as I squeezed her hand. “And how about you?”

  She lifted the hem of her shirt and exposed a bandage covering half her side. “I'll have three.”

  “I bet they'll be so sexy,” I answered as I sat up. That hurt.

  “Relax,” Raven smiled. “Odin says you'll heal fast. In a few days, you'll be out and able to take me on our first date.”

  “Oh? So charging through Utgard and being chased by monsters wasn't good enough to count for you?”

  “Nope.”

  I relaxed. “So what happened? Did Odin tell you how we ended up in Utgard?”

  “He thinks it was the thief.” Raven leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Now get your rest. I need you to have all your strength back.”

  Before I could object that I didn't need rest, she kissed my lips. When our kiss broke, my eyes closed. I smiled as I slipped back into sleep.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Raven

  Three days since Magnus and I chased a giant wolf through downtown Seattle and all anyone was talking about were the two freak tornadoes that whipped through the city. Not the giant frost troll or Fe
nrir. Tornadoes.

  I did not understand how Odin and the other gods covered up the attack. I know Magnus and I were caught on cell phones and security cameras, but all the footage I had seen was of convincingly real, dirt-gray funnels racing down the streets, battering cars and kicking up debris. Even the people that had to have witnessed the attack believed they saw a tornado.

  That made absolutely no sense to me.

  My side no longer hurt. The three deep gashes Fenrir had carved into my body had healed down to the faintest of white lines. Three little scars to remind me that, yes, there had been a giant wolf rampaging through Seattle and I killed it before it could cause any more harm. They were proof I had avenged my parents.

  So why didn't I feel glad about it?

  I left my apartment. Magnus was discharging himself from the hospital today. And I thought I had healed fast enough. Three days ago, Magnus's leg had been mangled, he had a dozen broken ribs, bruised organs, and a concussion. Today, he was up and about like the attack never happened.

  He was picking me up in a little while for our first date. A proper date. Hopefully, not one that would end with us fighting a troll.

  Canvas hung over the shattered windows of the Boar Coffee and Cafe. A sign out front read, “Closed for repairs.” I pushed past the canvas and slipped inside the cafe. For once, Freddy wasn't wearing a dress but a tight pair of jeans and a tank top, his masculine face covered in his usual makeup, a bandanna tied over his hair.

  To my surprise, he was surprisingly muscular as he hefted around debris. The dresses he wore always made him seem so soft and feminine. Gerdie, his tall wife, appeared out of the cafe's back room in similar garb.

  A smile appeared when Gerdie saw me. “Good afternoon, Raven.”

  “Hi, Gerdie,” I said, shifting my stance. There was an awkward air between us. She was one of the gods, like Owen.

  “Freddy, take a break, Raven's here.”