by Dave Freer
Jerry and Lamont looked at each other.
Jerry shook his head. So did Lamont. "The kids go home. But we can't."
Lamont nodded. "You can't take me, Lord, because I can't go. I owe my soul to the company store. Come, let's explain this, while we feed everyone."
"Oh, good," said Bitar. He prodded the trussed Sigurd with his tail. "Can we start with him?"
* * *
Liz looked at the trussed victim. "Sigurd," she said. Then she turned to the two dragons. "Boys, I have a girl that wants to meet you. Only she's a bit shy so you must promise that you'll be nice to her. Her name is Jörmungand, and she's sweet."
"We met her. She's gorgeous," said Bitar, eagerly.
"But we can't talk to her," said Smitar.
"Don't be so shy," said Liz, amused. "She's dying to make your acquaintance properly. Just relax."
"She just doesn't speak our language," explained Bitar.
"And what do we talk to her about?" asked Smitar "Is she interested in sports?"
"She's into literature," said Liz and had the rare joy of seeing two dragons say "Oh, help," simultaneously.
In the meanwhile Loki had wandered over to Sigurd. "And how is Fafnir's hoard?" he asked. "You know I won it originally from a river just near here. In those days it belonged to Andvari the dwarf." He looked at Sigurd's hand. "It seems that one part of it just came back to me."
* * *
The mead of inspiration, for all its unpleasant origins and its tendency to make one speak in verse, had one upside. It helped one link things together. Jerry turned to Sigyn as Loki bent over the unfortunate Sigurd. "Lady Sigyn, you said that you've known Loki forever."
"Close to," she said with a smile. "Of course we have only been married for a small part of that time."
"Did Loki's luck ever seem to change dramatically?"
Sigyn raised her eyebrows. "I suppose so. He was always lucky. But in the early days, if he threw a stone in a pool he'd hit a salmon. He was fun in those days. He laughs less now than he did."
"Lamont," said Jerry urgently. "Do you remember hearing in any of those sagas and skaldic verses you got Jörmungand to read for you, any mention of Andvari's ring?"
Lamont blinked. "Sure. Reginsmál. When Andvari has to hand over the ring because Loki insists, he cursed it."
"He said 'No one wins joy with my wealth'," said Thrúd.
Jerry cleared his throat. "Loki. Leave it." Loki was in the act of taking the ring from Sigurd's hand.
"But it is a fine piece of work," said Loki. "And it was mine once before, before we had to pay it over as part of the blood-price for Otr, that I killed in error."
"It is cursed. And in this Ur-universe the curse works—and it doesn't go away, just because the ring passed from your hands."
"But Odin bade me take it from Andvari... oh."
Loki stood as if frozen. Then he started to swear. He swore for a full three minutes.
At last he stopped, took a deep breath, leaned over and took the ring. "I might as well have it. Since I have the curse anyway."
"I think I might just have an answer," said Jerry.
"What? It won't help to destroy it, although doing that will stop the curse being passed on."
"You could give it back," said Jerry. "Give it to Andvari. Then he would either have to lift the curse, or be cursed himself. And while undoing the magic of another is difficult, undoing your own is easy."
Loki grinned wickedly. "Let's give him back his curse, then. Ran dear, can I borrow your net again?"
"Millions of people on Earth will thank you, Loki. You've just spared them from the dreaded Nibelungenlied."
* * *
Jerry felt that it was a good thing that he had the Mead of Inspiration that enabled him to speak so persuasively that no-one could resist. Getting Bes, Throttler and Cruz to go home was taking all the skill that he could muster.
The dragons were a lost cause. Bitar and Smitar were bitten and smitten with love. Or lust, at least, and now they were armed with a translation spell. They were badly enough bitten to be trying their claws at poetry. And, to prove that love is blind, or at least severely short-sighted, Jörmungand, who poured scorn on most of the finest skaldic verse, was encouraging them.
So Cruz and Tolly, Ty and Ella were headed home.
"I'll be back with reinforcements. We're searching for snatchees, actually. But we can't do that properly if there's a war that will destroy everything and everyone."
Jerry refrained from pointing out that, from what he could establish, Norse Ur-mythworld time ran at least five times as fast as it did back in the U.S. By the time the reinforcements arrived they'd be inside Asgard, if the plan he had kept close to his chest worked.
Lamont had had—and lost—a fight with Emmitt about going home. "Marie is not here to keep him on the rails," said the boy, stubbornly. "And we need Thor to win."
It was impossible to deny either of those points, or that Emmitt spending his time with Thor was anything but good for both of them. The boy was becoming very knowledgeable about tea, and how to split your enemy's skull with a two-handed axe.
* * *
The Krim-device detected the loss in life-energy, again. It had a better grasp on what was happening now. It had not known that it was possible to manipulate the vibrations and energy of Ur-universe like that. For now it would seal off the energy level. Later... the mathematics was complex, but it might have a way to use Ur-myth creatures as footsoldiers back in their world.
Chapter 39
Hugin cocked his head at the prisoner Sigurd. They had no reason to hold Sigurd now, but one might say that he was in protective custody. The dragons had all threatened to eat him on sight. Hugin poked his beak at him. "I thought Odin had sent you to fetch Brynhild?"
"I did," said Sigurd morosely. "I passed through the ring of fire on the mountaintop and woke the black-skinned Brynhild from her enchanted sleep."
"You did what?" said Lamont, scattering jelly beans.
* * *
"Bitar and Smitar will take you to this flame-walled place. They'll have to stay high up to keep off the fire, but I should be able to lower you safely," said Liz.
It was a measure of Lamont's state of mind that he did not even question the strength of Liz's homemade mountaineering equipment. Jerry thought the link and plate arrangement very frail.
"Getting you out without a winch is going to be a bit trickier, but if you get a bit of height..."
"I'll work it out," said Lamont. "Let's go."
So off they went, as the equipment for the attack on Asgard was loaded into Naglfar.
* * *
"Thor," said Marie.
"Thor?" said Brynhild.
"Thor?" said Sigrfida.
Marie wished like hell that they wouldn't repeat everything she said. But the blond bimbos from Asgard weren't exactly original thinkers.
"Yes. Thor. He's a better bet than some so-called hero. He needs people in that place of his. And he's a decent enough man. Or god, I suppose."
"Well, yes. Except when he's drinking," said Brynhild.
"He's given up," said Marie, crossing her fingers behind her back. "So that's where we need to go." It also happened to be where her man and children were, but she didn't see any reason to get into that with the Valkyries. "Now we just need some way to put out a piece of the fire."
"The fire is magical," said Sigrfrida. "It cannot be extinguished."
"But we could call our horses and go over the top," said Gudrun. "If you are sure Thor would have a place for us?"
"Honey, trust me on this. Thor will have a place for you because I will throw him out of there on his fat ass otherwise," said Marie. The Valkyries gawked at her.
"Call these horses of yours," she commanded. "Time's a-wasting and I haven't got much."
She adjusted her sword and then bent over and picked up a thorn. She wouldn't mind giving it back to the son-of-a-bitch. She had a good idea of a great place to push it up, too.
>
* * *
Hel's troops had been crossing the pontoon bridge for three days now, and more were still coming. But Loki was not going to wait. He knew that he could not.
He walked beside the great wolf, and behind him followed the legions of the dead, the files of frost giants, and the huge mountain giants.
Thor's new chariot rumbled beside them as they moved across the thin snow of the Vrigid plain. As the walls of Asgard came in sight, the chunky boy beside Thor picked up a huge horn, with a silver chased mouthpiece. That Emmitt could play the trumpet—without much expertise, true—was something of a bonus.
Emmitt put the horn to lips and blew.
Emmitt blew his heart and soul into that horn, fully expecting a noise like a sick fart.
What came out the other end was the roaring of many trumpets, so loud he nearly dropped it. There was no way he could finger any notes, but somehow he was playing the Battle Hymn of the Republic. And behind them the dead began to beat their shields like some vast heartbeat, loud and strong.
Thor raised his hammer and thunder spoke. It rolled across the plain, and echoed off the white walls. Loki and the great wolf stalked ever closer to Frey and Freyja, assembled with the Vanir on the plain.
Now the wolves howled and the great dog Garm gave tongue.
Ever closer.
No order to charge was given.
In the distance they could see the lines of fire, of Surt's minions pouring out of Myrkvid.
"If they're not all watching now... they never will be."
A flight of Valkyries turned above the battle-field.
"Let there be fire and smoke," said Loki.
And there was.
* * *
"Look," Jerry had said, pointing at the map that Liz had created with Thor, Thrúd, Sigyn, and Loki. "This." He pointed to the river that ran through Asgard.
"It disappears around here. The bit where the fenlands are."
"Ah. The Gjalar. Yes, it disappears into the ground there."
"It comes out here," said Jörmungand pointing with her tongue. "To the north of the Vrigid plain. It is how I got into Asgard to drink with Thor. But it is no use to anyone but me. It is at least a league long and there is no air in most of it." She brightened. "I could go in and cause a distraction, if you like. The boys say I'm very distracting."
"Vain, more-like," said Fenrir.
Jerry tugged his goatee. Sigyn told brother and sister to hush. "The distraction," said Jerry, "will be on the Vrigid plain. Loki, I know you would like to conduct your battle with Odin in person, but the truth is, the Vanir will need you. They will need Frey's sword, and they will need Hel's host, to defeat Surt and the sons of Muspell. Otherwise fire will consume Asgard, Midgard and even Jötunheim. I am right, aren't I? You are the trickster, but also Logi, the fire-god, both the friend and foe of mankind. You can warm, or destroy. Your nature is mercurial, just like fire itself. Fire always has a place in every pantheon, just as the trickster does. I just hadn't thought it through."
Loki nodded. "And Sigyn is the hearth-goddess. She who shapes fire into something to warm and nurture."
"I should have guessed that earlier," said Jerry. "Frey is a fertility god. The maker of green things, which is why he and he alone is effective against Surt, because Surt is fire uncontained."
Loki nodded. "Surt is fire the destroyer. That is his power. Frey can stand against him, but not without huge hurt. The others are powerless."
"But you can deal with Surt. Njörd said as much."
Loki nodded.
"And just who can deal with Odin?"
Loki shrugged. "Me. Or Fenrir." He looked at the great wolf and said, apologetically, "Fenrir fully grown, that is."
"And Jörmungand? If I recall correctly she was supposed to be Thor's adversary, not his drinking buddy. Norse myth was always very balanced. This against that."
"Possibly Jörmungand. Thor would prevail against Odin," said Loki.
"If Odin didn't out-think me," said Thor.
"To keep it simple, I want a feint—a noisy feint—on the battlefield. And then I want you, Loki, to attack and deal with Surt. Do you think the Vanir will honor their bargain?"
Loki nodded. "The Vanir and Surt and the sons of Muspell are old enemies. When Odin allied with them, he lost much of the support and loyalty of the Vanir. Odin has let his vanity about his power as chief of the Æsir go to his head." He smiled wryly. "It always did. So: we deal with Surt. And Odin attacks us in the rear."
Jerry shook his head. "He'll have his own problems. What if the wall is breached?"
Loki raised his eyebrow. "If that were possible, the giants would have attacked and destroyed Asgard these ages past."
"But if it were possible?"
"He'd have to hold the breach, of course. Odin is as cunning as a snake. He'd assume we'd made the breach to charge through."
"That's what I thought," said Jerry. "I talked to Lamont about this, and it is basically his idea. I'm going to let him explain."
Lamont stood up. "Water weighs. It's heavy stuff. The fen-land down there," he pointed, "is the lowest land in Asgard. It's a pretty narrow valley, and the river is a mighty big one since it drains all of Asgard.. We estimate one hundred thousand gallons a second. If we were able to stop it flowing through its underground channel, even for an hour or two, it will build up against that wall."
Loki laughed. "The wall is magically proof against the frost and mountain giants—as well as just being high and large. But it is not proof against water. I like it. The softest will bring down the hardest." He looked at Thor. "And maybe we can even organize a bit of extra rain."
"I suppose so," said Thor. "Though it feels wrong to bring down Asgard's wall. Anyway, how would you block the river?"
"With a cork," said Lamont.
"By magic," said Jerry, more co-operatively. "We tried it out on a stream. But we'll have to get there first, and we'll have to hope it works as fast and well as we think it will."
"And how will you get there?" asked Loki skeptically. "Even with Freyja's falcon-cloak, out-flying the arrows of Ull's archers is not likely. You could go by night, but my informants tell me that great fires burn on the walls."
"Thanks to our traitors, they will be looking for an attack from above—but not from below."
Loki shook his head. "Tunneling is not an option, and there are no cave-paths that go under the walls."
"The river does. And Jörmungand swims it."
"There is a difference between her swimming it and you swimming it," said Thor. "Just a little, of course," he said, looking warily at Liz. It was funny how she had that effect on people.
"We've built a craft, what we would call a submarine, which, with a little magic, will carry us and our paraphernalia underwater. We can take several people, and Jörmungand can tow it. And we've used the principals of Ran's net to make a magical net that can hold anything. Even Loki."
Loki looked startled and then laughed again. "I was too smart for my own good."
"More than once," said Sigyn.
* * *
That had been a week ago. And then, on the morning they were due to leave, had come the news of Sigurd having woken Marie the day before. Jerry had unhesitatingly modified his plans, but he felt the absence of Lamont in the enclosed space of the "submarine" very keenly.
Still, it was his project. He would have to go through with it, even on his own.
* * *
The dragons flew in tandem high over the ring of flames. The enclosed area was about two acres in extent. The dragons might be able to set down, but the convection from the fire-wall made it difficult. Even fifty meters up, the dragons were struggling not to rise. Liz checked the homemade harness and the link and plate belay device she'd organized for belaying Lamont down. Really, the sensible thing would have been for her to rapell in, but it was his wife.
He wasn't showing any of the normal signs of nerves a person ought to before this sort of thing. Just barely conceale
d impatience. The rope was the best she'd been able to find, hawser-laid and made of sort of some fiber—probably flax, and not too even in diameter. Not exactly a perlon braided rope, but they'd practiced on the cliff-top and it didn't jam up in the belay plate, even if it did twist terribly.
"Okay," said Liz. "Take a hold on the rope and go. When you're down, untie the link. We can't keep position. We'll have to drop a rope in for you two. You've got the spare harness?"
Lamont nodded and, giving her a thumbs up, walked off the side of the dragon.
* * *
The hall inside the wall of flames was large, Lamont realized, as Liz lowered him jerkily towards it. He managed to avoid getting impaled on the sharp end of the gable. And then he was down, fingers clumsy with haste, trying to untie, yelling for Marie.
He was met with silence.
He pushed hastily in through the half open doors. It was just one big room with nothing but row upon row of empty biers.
He went back outside and set about the tricky task of getting up onto the roof, waving to Liz and the dragons. On the third try he managed to grab the rope without falling off the roof. Liz took up the slack and the dragon-lift hauled him off his feet.
Then, with horror, Lamont realized the hole in their plan. A dragon wasn't a helicopter or a fixed platform. It was a biological balloon full of biogas and hydrogen, and his extra weight brought Bitar lower. As the dragon turned to regain height, Lamont swung perilously close to the twelve foot high flames, like a pendulum. Just as he though he was going to be crisped, he jerked higher, and passed just above the flames. He dropped again, suddenly enough to make him scream. But his fall was arrested a few feet above the ground, and then he was lowered down. He hit the ground running. The dragons circled in and landed a safe distance from the flame-wall. Lamont was limping over when Liz bailed and ran to see if he was all right.
"She's not there!" he panted.
* * *
Liz was actually relieved. She'd been half convinced that Lamont's Marie must be dead in that building when he came out alone. "Are you all right?"
"Other than nearly being cremated, fine. My hair was pretty frizzy anyway," said Lamont with a touch of his familiar dry humor. But his pressing concern did not leave him for long. "But where is Marie? There must have been hundreds of them in there. Now they've all gone."
