by Ayer, T. G.
I nodded, and we hurried over to the table. "I'll pierce the magic, and if it works, you grab Gjallerhorn and let's get the hell out of here."
"And if it does not work?"
"Then we'll just have to come up with plan B."
She nodded and I pointed the spear at the bubble of magic. It was all or nothing so I mentally crossed my fingers and stabbed at the protective field. The point of the weapon poked into the magic like a blunt pin into a balloon, pressing into it, doing nothing. I bore down on it and flinched, expecting it to burst with a resounding pop.
Gungnir pierced the magic and a sliver of murky shadow appeared in the wavy, watery power. The magic shivered, then exploded, drops of power scattering in a wide circle, raining onto the floor and shattering into minute particles.
We stepped backward, hoping to avoid being splattered by the magic. Just in case. I didn't want to imagine how Loki's creepy dark power could backfire on us.
Look at what it did to Odin.
I shuddered and glanced at Sigrun. She nodded and flew closer to the table, hovering at one end of the horn. Using my free hand, I helped her lift it, and as she'd said, Gjallerhorn was unusually light. Sigrun hoisted it up in one arm and held the other out to me. I gave the cavern one last glance and grabbed hold of Sigrun a moment before she took off for the platform at the entrance to the cavern. We needed to get the hell out of Muspellheim now that we had Heimdall's horn.
We reached the platform just as the thunder of boot steps came rushing at us. In the split second of time we had before being caught, Sigrun and I shared a worried glance, then as one, we both looked down. As much as I wanted to get out of the cavern, we were now forced to retreat into it to save our butts.
Sigrun flew down just below the edge of the cliff and hovered out of sight as close to the rock wall as her wings would allow. My heart thundered as the group of giants headed for the stairs. As soon as they began to descend, Sigrun made a mad dash out of the cavern and I crossed my fingers that none of the Surts would look back up at the landing at the wrong moment. We paused just outside the doorway, puffing in and out. I wanted to laugh at the tension in my arms and legs. Instead, I scanned the tunnel for our team.
A portion of the opposite rock wall shimmered like light falling on a piece of cellophane to reveal Joshua and Aimee.
I sighed, relieved. And realized I hadn't given them a moment's thought while in the cavern. A little guilt niggled, making me wonder if I was becoming unfeeling and cold. But I was focused on a mission. Surely that wasn't a bad thing.
"What the hell happened to you?" Joshua scowled as he stepped to me and laid a finger on my hairline. "You're bleeding."
I shrugged, secretly glad he was worried about me. "I had a little accident, but I'm fine. We need to get out of here. Where's Hugin?" A flutter of dark feathers drew the bird to my shoulder. "Let's get out of here, Blackbird."
Hugin tipped his head to one side, his eyes seemingly scanning my blood-drenched hair as if saying I should have been more careful. Then he launched up and flew off. Without a word, we hurried after him, keeping close together in case we needed to hide. Aimee lit our way with the torch. Thank heaven I’d thought to bring it. I glanced at Sigrun, who still held Gjallerhorn close. How we would hide the great horn was beyond me.
Let's just get out of here. No sense in borrowing trouble.
We ran headlong after the raven and I prayed he knew where he was going. Suddenly, he stopped in mid-flight, then circled back toward us, flying straight at me. Then he startled me by taking a sharp right into a small tunnel leading off our path. I followed, swallowing a bubble of fear. Boots sounded in the distance, pounding the ground, coming at us fast.
We huddled in the tunnel, which turned out to be a dead end. How were we supposed to hide?
Think fast, Bryn.
But all we had was the cloak, which was actually a very large piece of fabric. An idea brewed and I nodded to myself.
I moved away from the group and dusted the cloak out, holding one end to the wall nearest me. Joshua must have been watching me because he grabbed the other end a second later, sending me a nod of approval as he pulled his edge of the fabric toward the opposite wall. The cloak would act like a curtain. We’d have to stow the torch behind us and hopefully, the cloak would hide us in this dangerous tunnel until the search party stopped looking.
Bal's voice rang out, his fury palpable as again his booming voice rumbled through the tunnels, raining dust and debris down on us. "They have the horn. Check every tunnel. I want them found." As they rushed past our tunnel, he yelled, "Check in there. I said search every tunnel, you dolts."
I held my breath as a Surt stopped at the tunnel’s entrance. He spent a few moments scanning the space. "Clear." Then he rushed off to join the rest of the giants.
As the din of the guards receded, I glanced back at my team without moving the cloak. "What do we do now? We can't risk heading out there now." Sigrun's grey eyes roiled with worry.
I shook my head. "And we can't risk staying put and getting caught either. Hugin, how far are we from Steinn’s entrance?"
"We are not using Steinn's entrance."
"But I thought he was our only way out of Muspellheim." I frowned, confused. The last time Aidan and I were here, our only way out had been the Nidhogg’s entrance to the Bifrost.
"Muspellheim is divided into two levels. The upper level belongs to Steinn and the Nidhogg. We are currently in the tunnels of the Surt’s level of this realm." That was interesting, and probably information we could have used on entering Muspell, but this was Hugin and to be expected. I decided not to fuss —we were nearly out of here anyway. "We are not far." The bird’s confidence made me feel a tiny bit better.
"Could you fly ahead and check the tunnels out? Perhaps you could find another place for us to hide just in case."
Hugin flew off without a word. Every moment he was gone felt like an hour. Nobody spoke, making the silence thicker and more suffocating. I felt so impotent. So useless waiting around for a bird to save me. But we did have Hugin and his skills at our disposal, why shouldn’t we use them? We had the horn. We were almost free.
Hugin returned in a rush of feathers, followed closely by the thunder of more boot steps. He made it into the tunnel just before a band of giants marched up the tunnel toward the cavern.
"Once the guards have passed, we are safe but only for a few minutes. You must hurry."
"Let's go." I didn’t waste time, just grabbed the cloak and followed Hugin, running at breakneck speed after the dark bundle of flapping feathers.
We ran. Tunnel after tunnel sped by, lungs burning with the effort of the sprint. At last, Hugin flew into a little alcove, more like a small dent in the wall most likely caused by a rock fall. We huddled together, Sigrun hugging Gjallerhorn close, the wolves flanking us, almost standing guard.
We were packed together tightly like sardines in a matchbox. I threw the cloak over us as Hugin flew off again. The wolves disappeared into nothing as I covered us with the Tarnkappe. Beneath the cloak our breathing was all I could hear as we waited in silence, listening hard to the tunnels.
Hugin flew back moments later. "The Bifrost is close. You can run straight for it now. Don’t waste time. Just go through as each of you gets there."
I crushed the cloak to me, giving Sigrun and the horn a quick glance before speeding off after Hugin. Then I hung back, deciding to allow the team to race ahead of me. I kept an eye on the tunnel behind me, praying we'd leave without getting caught, but happy to be the one to protect the group just in case. The team headed around a corner and I followed. Just ahead, Hugin stopped and perched on a ledge.
"Go." I waved Aimee and Sigrun off. They hesitated only a moment, but when I glared at them, Sigrun nodded and stepped onto the Bifrost. A second later, she was gone. Joshua and I reached the spot together, the wolves waiting for us expectantly. Then Aimee disappeared just after passing the torch to Joshua.
I turned to Odi
n’s faithful companions. "Go, you two. What are you waiting for?"
"They are waiting for you, Bryn. They will not leave without you," Hugin informed me.
"Fine. Let’s go before they give up their lives to protect me." I huffed and stepped toward the Bifrost with Joshua and the wolves.
Somehow it seemed we might make it in and out of Muspell without losing more than a few drops of blood from my head.
***
Chapter 33
I took once last look behind me and the ground began to shake and dust rained from the stone roof.
"Hurry. Someone's coming." I urged Joshua and the wolves, hoping we could get away without meeting whoever was coming thundering down the tunnel.
My heart thwacked against my ribs as I slipped my hand into my satchel. The first thing I felt was the ball-and-chain. Appropriate to say the least. A figure appeared in the shadowy distance of the far end of the tunnel.
Bal.
He roared his anger and I yelled at Joshua to leave. A glance back and I watched Joshua and the wolves to go, taking the light with them. Bal ran faster and I stepped into his path.
He held his sword straight in front of him, his flaming eyes appearing almost crazed as he sped toward me. "You dare to enter my realm and steal from me?" His voice raged, echoing around me, threatening to bring walls of stone down on our heads. A flame appeared on the tip of his sword, flickering like a newly lit candle. And then the entire blade was aflame. He was too close for me to jump onto the bridge. The entrance would remain open long enough for Bal to follow me right into Asgard.
I couldn’t let that happen.
I stood fast. At least Gjallerhorn was safe from Bal and Loki. And everyone else had gone through except for Hugin and myself.
I drew the ball-and-chain. Holding on to the chain, I began to spin it slowly, a little envious of Bal's ability to draw a flame to his weapon. A trill of fear ran through me. I would prefer to avoid hand-to-hand combat with a fire giant in this confined space.
I blinked as an idea flitting into my head. Grinning, I spun the ball-and-chain faster and faster until it gave off a dull whirr. When Bal was way too close for comfort, maybe ten feet away, I let the ball-and-chain loose, watched it spin away, and fly at the giant. I'd thrown it low and was satisfied when the ball hit Bal in the ankle. The chain spun around to tie both his feet together. That would stop him long enough for me to escape and for the Bifrost to close safely behind me.
He roared his anger as he fell, his eyes filled with fury and flame. He was down. Out was a question I was about to answer. Bal flung his sword at me just as he hit the ground. The angle was strange, the blade quivering as it came at me. I spun fast and dove for the Bifrost. I'd been too sure of myself. Good thing his aim was off. I felt the tip of blade slice my upper arm and fly past to crash into the wall to my left.
A searing pain spliced my arm, but I was safely on the bridge and out of Bal’s reach.
As the Bifrost closed behind me the last thing I heard was the furious roar of the Surt.
***
I stumbled off the Bifrost into the transfer room, and my heart thumped against my sternum so hard it felt like the bone was about to shatter. I sighed, relieved and a little unsettled. Bal had gotten too close too fast and he’d managed to injure me pretty well even with his faulty aim. Blood had seeped from the slit in my arm and soaked into my shirt and coat.
The team was waiting, worried expressions twisting their features as I appeared in a rush, out of breath and bloodied.
"What happened? What took you so long?" Joshua came to me, lifting my hand off the wound. His face clouded with worry. "How the hell did this happen? We were only gone a few seconds."
"Bal." The word came out a little rushed as I swam in a melee of emotions. Adrenalin, relief, and a touch of spinning attraction for this incredibly caring man. "He came at me just after you left."
Joshua growled. "Damn it. I shouldn’t have left you."
I smiled at the thought he simply wanted to keep me safe. "It's fine. I stopped him." I quickly ran through my run-in with Bal but none of them seemed too thrilled even though I'd managed to escape with my life. "What's wrong? I'm alive aren't I?"
"We shouldn’t have left you." Aimee shook her head. "We should have waited."
"No. You had the horn and had to get it out of there. Why should we have risked all our lives and the horn when I was clearly able to get out of there myself?"
"Not without damaging yourself. That wound is not a small matter." Sigrun scowled.
"I'll get it seen to. As soon as we get the horn to Frigga for safekeeping." They looked like they were about to argue. "I'm not going to delay getting the horn to safety just because of a stupid sword wound. Now let’s go."
They didn't say anything, but I could see they were all fighting the urge to refuse. I left them to ponder their indecision, took the horn from a startled Sigrun, and marched out of the transfer room. I headed for Odin's hall, pleasantly surprised to see Fen speaking to Frigga. The lines and the shadow of sadness on the goddess’s face only served to remind me how much I myself missed the All-Father too.
Ulfr and goddess paused in mid-conversation as I hurried to them. Footsteps came up behind me, making me smile. My team had decided to come with me. Frigga's eyes widened at the sight of my burden. She left the dais, hair flying as she sped to me, her face awash with happiness.
"Brynhildr, you did it. You brought Gjallerhorn home." Frigga's gaze embraced the horn while her fingers trailed its cool surface. I handed it over and grinned.
"My lady, I'm happy to say we succeeded. And now that the horn is safe we are ready to go bring home Heimdall."
Frigga nodded. "You know where he is?"
"As far as we know, he is in Jotunnheim. The Norns told us he was being held in the Tower of Mord. So we have to find him when we get there." I frowned. "Has there been any progress in finding the All-Father?"
Frigga's eyes clouded as she shook her head. "Sometimes I can feel him with me. I do think he is sometimes here with me. "
I nodded. "I think he is. He tried to explain where he was, but one thing was clear. He can visit us but not in corporeal form."
"So you believe he knows what is happening? You think he knows we have Gjallerhorn?"
"Yes, I do." I smiled at the little ray of hope that brightened the goddess’s face. "We will be leaving as soon as possible."
"You have your team?" Frigga asked.
I nodded. Then Fen spoke, his face ridged and shadowed. "I will go with them."
"But, Fenrir, I need you here." Frigga frowned, worry clear in her strained face. "We have gods coming in on a daily basis and we still need to manage the scouts that are going out looking for the ones who haven’t arrived. And what about your Midgard scouts? Who will oversee them?"
Fen bowed. "My lady, as you need me, I will remain in Asgard." Although he’d relented, he didn’t look entirely thrilled about it. I was both relieved and disappointed. It would have been good to have Fen at our back. But it was clear Frigga couldn't manage without him.
My attention wavered as pain simmered hotter in my arm.
"Bryn, you are injured," Fen said, his gaze fixed at the cuff of my jacket where my hand peeked out. He raised an eyebrow and his eyes dropped to the top of my wrist where blood stained my skin bright red.
"Yes. It's just a cut." I waved my hand at him as he opened his mouth to do what my team had already done — bully me into getting the wound seen to. "Don't worry. I just stopped here to drop off the horn. I'm off to see Eir. Maybe she can do something about all the broken parts of me."
"I expect a full report later." Fen smirked and turned his attention to Sigrun as she moved toward him with a smile, her wings fluttering in what I'd bet was excitement to see her lover. I hid a grin at the expression in Fen's eyes. Those two were so beautiful together.
I turned and headed for the exit and Aimee and Joshua accompanied me to the door.
"If you're going t
o be okay, we'll head off to Valhalla," Joshua said, his gaze running over my face as if he didn't want to stop looking at me. I longed for an embrace or even for him to touch my hand. Ached for it. But he didn't touch me. I nodded. We headed out the door, and set off in opposite directions.
***
Chapter 34
A few moments later, I reached Eir's room, knocking lightly before entering the open doorway. I hitched my satchel onto my shoulder, realizing I'd forgotten to leave it in the transfer room. It didn't matter. The weight didn't bother me anymore.
The room was bright and white, large windows letting in the sun's warming rays. Eir stood beside a bowl of water, rinsing her hands. She smiled as soon as she saw me, wiping her hands quickly on a soft towel.
"Bryn, how are you?" She held her arms out to me.
"I really need your assistance." I shrugged my jacket off, the rip in the soft black fabric mirrored by a similar slash in the sleeve of the armor beneath it. Clearly the specialized armor wasn't immune to the charms of a fire giant’s blade. I shuddered to think what would’ve happened if the ball-and-chain had missed.
Bryn shish kebob, that's what.
Eir took my jacket and tossed it onto a nearby seat. I cringed to think what the bloodied garment would do to the pristine white of the fabric. I dropped my satchel beside the seat and followed Eir. Next she helped me take the armor off. As thin as it was, it seemed near impossible to remove while wet and sticky with my life’s-blood clogging up the tiny links.
She guided me to a stool beside the bowl of water she'd been using. She grabbed one of the towels and wet it before wiping away much of the blood around the cut.
"It's deep." Eir's voice hummed softly in my ear. Her ministrations were calming and I was finally feeling the effects of the blood loss. Apparently Valkyries weren’t immune to fainting. "I will have to sew it."
I nodded. I'd expected it. Just looking at the length of the cut in my jacket and the amount of blood the wound had spilled, I'd been prepared for stitches.
