by Ken Lange
Ethan walks through the far wall as if it were little more than tissue paper. Staggering to my feet, I shake my head in an effort to regain my senses. My depth perception is completely screwed.
He stops short and smirks as he gestures at my face. “That’s never happened before. Did it just pop out?” I open my mouth, and he holds out his hand to stop me. “I really don’t care.”
He swings the chain around in a large arc to catch me in the temple. In that moment, all I know is pain as white light fills the room. Numbly, I sense more than feel my face being driven through the stonework of the chimney. The dust created by the pulverized rocks gets caught in my throat, choking me. My world turns upside down as the power of the hit sends me crashing into the floor head first.
Blood, sweat, and dust coat my one good eye, making everything blurry. But I can still make out the smug look on Ethan’s face as he strolls over.
He kneels beside me. “No one’s ever survived one hit, let alone two.” Pulling the chain, he moves the hammer into view. “I’m going to enjoy finding out just how many licks it’ll take to get to your gooey center.”
Blood catches in my throat as I try to speak. “Did you really just quote the fucking Tootsie Pop song?”
He’s quiet for a second then a smile spreads across his lips. “I think I did.” Laughing, he gets to his feet. “I’m not going to miss you.”
Ethan jerks the chain and the hammer jumps off the floor before he slams it into my gut, doubling me over. It drives the air out of my lungs and my eye bulges as agony grips me. He stands over me, twirling the hammer faster and faster, then he strikes. The weapon hits the shields above my chest, causing lightning to arc across the room. As the hammer falls to the floor with a thud, my shields sputter then fail completely.
I don’t know how many of my bones are broken, but let’s go with several. My blood is soaking through my clothes to stain the floor below. Every muscle in my body is spasming. And then there’s the internal damage… Misery and suffering should be all that I know, but I’m so far gone that everything is just numb. As the seconds tick by, a deep cold seeps into my soul. Even now, the Idunn are shutting off nonessential systems, like my shields, to conserve power in an attempt to repair the damage fast enough to keep me alive.
I’m starting to wish I’d listened to Mir. Over the last several months, he’s developed a tank that he insists will repair my broken systems. Thing is, it’s a minimum stay of nine days. When last have you known me to have that much time to myself?
Right about now, though, I’m thinking I should’ve made the time, because nothing is responding to my commands. Which is extremely bad news as the only way to survive this is to get as far away from this goddamn hammer as possible. That isn’t an option, so it’s very likely I’m going to die in the next few seconds.
Electricity jumps randomly between my fingers and across my chest and body…but it isn’t mine. The power is completely foreign to me, and every jolt it sends through me is excruciating.
Even though there’s air in my lungs, my mind is so scrambled that I can’t scream. All I can manage is a gurgling, choking noise. Or maybe that’s more to do with the broken ribs shoved through my lungs. There’s another shockwave of power, and my body goes still. My head lolls to the side, and Ethan steps into view.
He blinks and shakes his head. “Not dead yet?” Grinning, he says, “That’s fine. Practice makes perfect.” Stepping back, he hefts the hammer off the ground and swings it in a big circle. “Goodbye, Viktor.”
This isn’t the first time I’ve been in this situation, but it’s probably going to be the last. Blood runs down my face as I blink. The weapon flies at me in slow motion, and a millisecond before it hits, a massive wolf speeds past to grab the middle of the chain in its mouth, pulling the hammer off target before snapping through the links with its powerful teeth.
In nearly the same instant, a very large bald man slams into Ethan, taking him off his feet before quickly disappearing from view. There’s the sound of flesh impacting flesh, and Ethan sails through the broken wall.
The big man stalks after Ethan but returns a few seconds later. My vision dims as the giant wolf straddles me.
Chapter 10
June 3rd
Ever wake up after a wonderful night’s rest, and everything is right with the world? Well, today isn’t that type of day. Hell, it isn’t even close, and the shit part is I’m not even fully awake yet. It takes all my focus to force myself wholly into the conscious world, and I instantly regret the decision.
My heart is beating out a rhythm of agony and despair, and every nerve in my body is on fire. Cool air wafts over my face, making me shiver sickly. My back is stiff and screaming for relief. In fact, my entire body is objecting to being back in the realm of the living. Forcefully.
As I get closer to awareness, there’s the horrific buzzing of something electrical, angry, and completely unnatural. That’s when it hits me: I’m no longer in Pitot House. No, this is something far worse. The humming is a florescent bulb, and the torture device below me is a bed…which means I’m in the infirmary.
It takes all my willpower, but I’m finally able to open one eye, before shutting it again as the glare of the light overhead nearly blinds me. A second later, I open it again, and Kira leans into view.
Her voice trembles and her eyes are red. “Good, you’re awake.”
I shove my discomfort to the side and take a good, hard look at my daughter. Physically, she’s mostly the same, but there’s something slightly askew. It’s almost as if storm clouds are violently clashing inside her. Clamping my eyes closed again and again, I try to clear my vision.
She shakes her head. “Keep your eye open. I need to take a look at it.”
I guess I’m too slow, because she leans over and forces it open then shines a penlight in front of me, effectively blinding me.
I try to jerk my head to the side. Not that it does me much good. “Hey, can you back off with that thing? Losing one eye today is enough.”
Irritation swims across her features. “You think?”
As she moves her hand away, I can’t help but notice several little scars on the tip of her index finger. She’s never scarred before, and now she has several.
Gesturing at her, I ask, “What’s that?”
She frowns. “What’s what?”
I touch the tip of my index finger. “That.”
She flinches and tucks the offending hand behind her. “Got them yesterday when I was cleaning you up and pulling the shards of crap out of your socket. Not sure what happened, but one of the pieces cut me…and now, like you, I’ve got a couple of souvenirs for my trouble.”
I’m not even sure how that’s possible. The Idunn should’ve repaired the injury perfectly. I’ll have to check with Mir to see what the hell is going on. “Sorry—”
She cuts me off. “What happened to you?”
I shrug. “Not sure, to be totally honest. Everything went south yesterday—”
Kira smacks her hand against my chest. Hard. “You’ve been out for nearly two days.”
Rubbing the spot, I say, “Oh, okay. Well, things went to hell when I visited Sylvia. Unfortunately, Ethan—or should I say Bakulu—beat me there and killed her shortly before I arrived on the scene.”
Rick steps forward. “Wait, Ethan was there and he’s who?”
Kira narrows her eyes. “Let him finish, and then we can fill in the blanks.”
He holds up his hands to calm her. “Yeah, sorry.”
She nods. “What happened next?”
I shake my head. “After that, he used a strange-looking hammer attached to a chain to beat the hell out of me. The first hit shattered my eye, the next put me on the floor, where I stayed, after that he nearly pummeled me to death. If he’d hit me one more time, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
She chews on her lower lip. “Why did he stop?”
The memory of the oversized wolf and giant of a man com
e to the forefront of my mind. “Someone made him. Don’t ask me who, because I haven’t a clue.” That’s not entirely true. I have a pretty good idea who it is. “All I can tell you is the man was tall, dark, and bald. He came out of nowhere and saved my ass.”
Kira nods. “I see…and you’re sure you don’t know who he is?”
Something about this feels like a trap. Tapping the side of my face with the ruined eye, I say, “Had some difficulty seeing the guy clearly. Why do you ask?”
Anger flickers in her eyes. “No reason. You should get some rest. You look like you need it.”
While I can’t disagree with that assessment, there are things that need my attention. “Sorry, but I’ve got business to tend to.”
She stabs me with a delicate nail. “I told you to get some rest.”
I give her my most reassuring smile. “And I heard you. But there are bad guys out there doing bad things. Plus, I’d like to find Leonard, or Ethan, or both for a little payback.” That doesn’t seem to be the right answer as her cheeks darken. “How about this? I’ll stay in my office for the day while I look into a few things. I mean, what sort of trouble can I get into there?”
Her tone hardens. “Maybe someone will just walk in and blow themselves up…because that’s never happened before.”
I wince. “Once! That happened once.”
She lets out a small growl. “That’s all it takes. Especially in the condition you’re in right now.”
Rick places his hand on her shoulder. “I’ll watch over him.”
She knocks his hand away and slaps him. “Like you did at Pitot House?”
Pushing through the pain, I sit up. “Hey, that wasn’t his fault. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”
She whirls on me with her hand raised to strike. “Don’t you dare defend him.”
I force myself out of bed and stand in front of her. “Kira, it’s been a while since I’ve had to say this, but you’re out of line. Now, this isn’t a discussion. I’m going to my apartment for a change of clothes and some food, and from there, I’ll decide what’s best. You, on the other hand, need to take the day, go home, talk with Nora, and relax.”
Shaking with anger, she glares at me for several seconds before rolling her eyes and storming off.
I glance over at Rick. “She okay?”
He shakes his head. “Not really. She’s been wound a bit tight since you came in.”
Now that Kira’s out of sight, I sit on the edge of the bed. “How long did it take for your guys to bring me in?”
His gaze hits the floor. “It wasn’t us.”
I blink. “Then who?”
He rolls his shoulders. “We’re not sure. The Ulfr Hunn were en route when the call came in that you were in the lobby, unconscious and badly wounded.”
Well, that’s interesting. “Huh.”
He pulls out his phone, brings up a video, and hands it to me as he pushes play. “Here, see for yourself. Some guy just waltzes in and hands you off like it’s nothing.”
The camera’s aimed at the lobby door in back. There’s a flash of darkness just through the window then everything goes black for a beat. When it clears, the man who saved my life is standing there, holding me in his arms. He steps forward, pulls open the door, and proceeds into the lobby.
Someone spliced together several different video feeds to create a contiguous bit of film that follows the man’s almost casual progress through the doors and over to the receptionist desk where Justine is sitting. I finally get a good look at his face. It’s the same man I’d found in the Collective—the embodiment of the Loki—and he was standing in my building, saving my life. Again.
He lays me on the counter. “You’re Justine, right?”
She looks up and nods. “I am… What the hell?”
Loki’s expression remains impassive. “Viktor was attacked at Pitot House. I’m sure his people are on their way there, but he needs immediate medical attention, so I brought him here.”
She gets to her feet. “Ah…thank you.” Justine looks down at me and then back at Loki, who’s already out the door. There’s another flash and he’s gone.
I hand the mobile back to Rick. “Okay…well…shit.”
He narrows his eyes. “Did you recognize the man?”
Lying isn’t really my style, but having to explain myself afterward is going to be a pain in the ass. “Before we get into that, I’d like to be in my apartment with a nice, stiff drink, if it’s all the same to you.”
He snorts and gestures at the exit. “Fine. Lead the way.”
The stairs are less than fun, but it’s still better than taking the elevator. A small eternity later, I let us in and walk over to the bar.
“Want a drink?”
He runs his hand over the top of his head. “It’s that bad?”
I pour two glasses. “It’s a matter of perspective, I suppose.”
He leans against the counter and picks up his glass. “Hell, this is way worse than I thought. You only say shit like that when you know damn good and well that whatever you’re about to say is going to be taken poorly.”
Taking a sip of the whiskey, I sit in the nearest recliner. “Not exactly true.” He cuts his eyes at me. “Okay, fine, it might be slightly true. Thing is, normally, I happen to know things others may not and that gives me a different view on the situation.”
He rolls his hand for me to continue. “And this is one of those occasions, isn’t it?”
If he only knew. “More or less.”
His tone hardens. “This’d be a great time for you to enlighten us with your insight. Because right now, this dancing around the subject is making me nervous as hell.”
In truth, it’s not Rick I’m worried about. It’s Mir. “He’s Loki.”
Just as I suspected, Mir pops into view, and Rick nearly spills his drink as he stumbles back.
He frowns. “I’ll never get used to that.”
Mir folds his arms and stares at me. “You’re sure about that?”
Raising my glass in his direction, I offer him a weak smile. “Yeah.”
His irritation dissipates in an instant, replaced with confusion. “I don’t understand. Why would they save you…and how are you so sure it’s them?”
Rick leans his head to the side. “Ah, dude, in case you missed it, there was only one guy on the video. There’s no them.”
I glance over and give him a quick shake of my head. “Ah yeah, about that…”
Rick pulls air in through his teeth. “Did I miss something in the video?”
I wobble my hand back and forth. “Not exactly. The Loki are a hive mind, of sorts. One of them is all of them…I think. I’m not one hundred percent sure that’s right, but I think it’s fairly close.”
Mir scowls and nods. “An oversimplification, but accurate enough for our current discussion.”
Waving at the seat next to me, I say, “Might as well make yourself comfortable. You’re really not going to like what comes next.”
Rick tops off his drink before sitting on the sofa.
Mir, however, remains stubbornly on his feet. “I’m waiting for answers.”
Yip, this is going just about as well as I thought it would. Which is why I’ve kept my mouth shut all this time. “All right, here goes.”
Oh, this is going to suck.
I take a deep breath and slowly let it out. “At one point, long ago—” I glance over at Mir. “Or is that sometime in the distant future in an alternate timeline?”
Disgust writes itself across Mir’s face. “Either will work, I suppose.”
I nod. “Right then. Okay, so for simplicity’s sake, we’ll go with both.”
Rick lets out a groan. “This is the simple version? Christ, let me get another drink.”
I wave him toward the bar. “If you don’t mind, I’ll continue while you bring the bottle.”
He shrugs. “Yeah, whatever.”
I down half my drink and set it aside. “All right,
an old version of me, Kvasir, was a complete and utter psychopath who manipulated time in order to win a war against the Loki.”
Rick freezes on the spot. “So, the Loki are the bad guys in this story?”
I sigh. “Probably not. Do you remember Carcinus?”
Revulsion shines in his eyes. “The crazy scientist you turned into a puddle of goo?”
“Actually, that was the Loki’s doing, but that’s another conversation.” Wincing at the memory, I say, “During our altercation, I was transported to the Collective—which is a construct he made to imprison and torture the Loki.” I turn to Mir. “It’s more or less the Nexus that’d been bombed into oblivion.” Glancing back at Rick, I say, “I found this massive wolf—”
Mir cuts in. “You met Fenrir, and lived?”
“Obviously.” I held up my hand to stem his questions. “The wolf…Fenrir was in trouble. He was wounded and surrounded by wraiths.” Glancing up at them, I say, “I stepped in and gave him a hand. Once we were finished, he bolted.”
Mir frowns. “And you just let him go?”
I cock my head to the side. “Yes, I did.” He opens his mouth again, and I motion for him to zip it. “I kept moving through the wreckage. The sound of someone in trouble caught my attention, and I searched for them. In the basement of a bombed-out building, I found a guy trapped beneath a bunch of rubble. Eventually, I freed him. The moment I did, though, he bolted. By the time I worked out why, I was nearly at the center of this twilight zone version of Idavollr.”
Mir huffs out a breath. “You’re killing me with your shitty storytelling. What did you figure out?”
Someone’s in a bad mood, and for once, it isn’t me. “That the wraiths, which I guess means the loa, were torturing the Loki in an effort to warp and control them. On the steps of the capitol building, the two were doing battle and the Loki were losing. It would’ve been a simple thing to end them right then and there.”
