“It doesn’t,” Kage agreed, an equally devious grin on his face. “It looks dangerous.”
“And what better thing is there then a dangerous sea?” Kadlin asked as she gripped her dagger and grinned at the rough ocean.
“I do like a dangerous sea,” Svala agreed as her eyes narrowed on the horizon and she met Kadlin’s grin.
“Wouldn’t be the first storm I sailed into,” Sean said, eying the sky, the Maine seaman in him not daunted in the least.
“Good.” Erica nodded. “Thank you.” Her eyes went to Kodran. “We’re with Naðr on his ship. I think Eluf should stay as close to Maeva as possible.” Then she looked at the others. “You should each be on different ships. Separate. And spread out.”
“I would like to fight alongside my father,” came a soft but firm voice. “I wish to be there to confront Hallstein once more.”
Naðr nodded and wrapped an arm around Meyla. She might be down an arm and scarred because of the enemy, but there was nothing but fire and defiance in her eyes.
“I would like that, Daughter.” Naðr nodded. “Has Valan made contact with my granddaughter, Aðísla yet?”
Meyla shook her head. “No, but he senses something is happening...that she might be out there somewhere.”
“Of course she is,” Naðr assured. “She is as much a warrior as her mother.”
Though she had been missing for years, Matthew had seen Aðísla’s spirit before he returned to life so everyone was optimistic that she would be back with them soon.
“I would like to join you as well, Uncle Naðr,” Runa volunteered before Amber shook her head and said, “Absolutely not. You’ll stay with your aunt and me.”
“But I am a great fighter,” his teenage sister exclaimed as her eyes pleaded with Kodran. “Tell her I am, Brother. Tell her you want me by your side.”
“No,” Erica cut in and shook her head, troubled as she looked at Kadlin. “You don’t want to fuck around when it comes to Hallstein and his crew. They like young women. They perceive them as weak and vulnerable. I’ve seen them do unimaginable things.” She shook her head. “You should stay in the village with your little sister, Kadlin and protect her with your life.”
“But...” Runa started to say before Kodran, Tait, and Kol growled, “You will listen to Erica.”
Rather than respond, Runa scowled and made her way back toward the gates.
She might be mad now, but she would be thankful later.
Everyone said their goodbyes then headed down separate docks. Heidrek joined Raknar on his Drakkar ship. Lauren joined Kol on a smaller vessel. Svala, Tait, and Sean would spread themselves out as well. Sean might not have any powers, but he had a sort of grit and perseverance they needed right now.
“And what about me?” Adlin reminded. “Surely I can be of use.”
“Why don’t you stick with me?” Erica said. “You always seem to know more than we do and it might come in handy.”
Adlin nodded, pleased with her decision.
“Let’s just hope he stays manifested long enough to be helpful,” Erica said into Kodran’s mind.
“That’s the least of my concerns,” he replied as he took her hand. “What do you need me to do? Is there anything specific?”
Erica nodded as the three Vanaheim seers came through the front gates and eyed the sky. “Yeah, I need you to help me deal with them.”
“And what should they be doing?”
Erica met his eyes and shook her head. “I have no idea.”
Yet it seemed they did because they approached with calm expressions, their eyes now on her hand. Better yet, her ring.
“We will be most useful fighting alongside seers,” the woman seer said, her skin glowing and her eyes a little dewy. “Whether they be full blooded or not.”
If he wasn’t mistaken, the haughty, uptight female had been loosened up considerably thanks to her male counterparts.
Erica must have thought the same thing because her eyes narrowed on the female seer then widened slightly before she muttered under her breath, “Way to go Vanaheim seers.”
“I will travel with you,” the female seer said to Erica, trying for a crisp tone but coming off a little throaty as though she had been overusing her vocal chords...or maybe her throat in general. “And my kin will be split between your most powerful full-blooded seers and whatever halfling in need.” She tried to look stern but still came up lacking. “Because there are plenty of halflings to choose from, yes?”
When Erica rubbed a hand over her face in exasperation and was about to reply with something that wouldn’t be pleasant, Kodran cut her off. “Though they aren’t seers, one of you should remain with them.” He pointed at Matthew and his family. “Because they can do what we can’t.”
“And what is that?” the female asked, her tone still somewhat condescending.
“They can access Helheim,” Kodran informed. “And when they do, they will be protected by its ruler, Goddess Hel.”
All three seers appeared surprised and impressed.
“Another one of you should go assist our head seer.” Kodran described her lodge. “Not only does she have a demi-god with her, but she is connected to many other seers.”
The female glanced between the males and nodded. When they hesitated, she frowned and made a gesture. “Go now. You know where you are needed.”
“They don’t want to leave her,” Kodran said into Erica’s mind.
“I see that.” A small smile came to her mouth. “I think they’re smitten.”
“Come on. It’s between them.” He took Erica’s hand and pulled her after him. “Tell her to follow when she’s ready.”
There was no mistaking the smile in her internal voice. “There’s something sort of sweet about a ménage a trois finding love at the brink of war.” She winked. “Double the impact if you know what I mean.”
Kodran almost chuckled. Almost. Mainly because he loved the fact Erica could find humor in the midst of all this. Before they boarded, he cupped her cheeks and made sure she saw in his eyes how proud he was of her. How much he believed in her. “You have done very well, Erica. Now we’re going to do this together. We’re going to win this war. Do you understand?”
“I do,” she whispered, grateful for the strength he was lending. “It’s been a long time coming.”
“Has it ever,” Kage said and held down his hand. “Come on, Sis. Let’s deal with this shithead once and for all.”
Kodran’s eyes met Kage’s as he helped Erica up. There was no more discontent in her brother’s eyes. No, they were both ready to wage war against a man who had hurt her for far too long.
“So when will we learn of this plan of yours?” Naðr asked as men made fast work of loading weapons onboard.
“Soon,” Erica murmured as the female seer made her way down into the ship. “It’ll have a lot to do with timing and how well I can pull off communication with Hallstein on Maeva’s behalf.”
“Och, ‘tis good to be sailing the seas with you again, old friend,” Adlin exclaimed as he appeared and smiled at Naðr. “It has been many moons since we last fought alongside one another.”
Naðr eyed him with amusement. “Yes, but you were of a much larger stature then, were you not?”
“Aye,” Adlin conceded. “And soon enough, I will be again. Twenty winters or so from now in my next life.”
Naðr nodded, impressed and clearly a little thrown off. “I wish you only the best, my friend.”
Adlin nodded, pleased it seemed by his upcoming life.
Kodran unsheathed the Gungnir blade and looked at Erica. “We will need this, yes?”
Erica nodded. “I think we’ll need everything from that to the ring...” Her eyes went to the Vanaheim seer. “To her.”
“When will you try to make contact with Hallstein?” Kodran asked, more concerned than he was letting on.
“As soon as we’re out on the water,” she replied as the ship was unmoored. Her eyes went to the sky. �
��Why is it again, that bad weather is good right now?”
“We tend to do our best battling on rough seas,” Naðr said with a gleam of anticipation in his eyes. “My brothers and I once won another war on a day like today.”
A day, Kodran didn’t bother to mention, where they had battled not dragons but humans.
“Because moisture has the ability to muffle dragon magic, the weather will also help keep our telepathic communications from Hallstein and his dragon,” Kodran supplied.
“Which means it’ll likely give him the same benefit.” Erica continued eying the sky as rowers began to navigate the ship away from the dock. “But that, I suppose, is where the other Maeva will come in handy.”
Kodran braced his feet, wrapped an arm around her lower back and pulled her against his side when the sail was unfurled, and the ship leapt forward through the choppy water. Lightning zig-zagged across the soupy sky and thunder rumbled. “It’s good Heidrek brought his blade. I think Thor will be lending his support very soon.”
“Here’s hoping.” She winked at him. “Though I suspect he already did.” Her eyes fell to the ring. “Because something tells me his magic had a little something to do with getting this ring where it needed to go.” She gave him a knowing look. “Seeing how his blade was part of the ceremony.”
“True.” Kodran eyed her hand. “I’ll be curious to see what that ring can really do.”
“Me too, it should be...” she started to say, but her words faded as she seemed to sense something.
“He’s coming,” she whispered as her eyes glazed over. “I can hear him.”
Kodran entered Kage and Naðr’s mind. “It’s happening. She’s making contact with Hallstein.”
He tried to remain calm, but it was alarming to know she was reaching out to the enemy. That she was connecting to someone who had caused her so much harm. It said a lot for her courage. He lowered her to a bench and kept a supportive arm around her. Unfortunately, her mind was a million miles away and inaccessible.
Kage sat on her other side, just as troubled as he kept a close eye on her. “I ended up supporting this idea, but now that it’s happening, I wonder if I was wrong.”
Kodran couldn’t agree more. “You’ve shared a lot with us about Hallstein. Is there anything else you can think of? Any weaknesses you might have overlooked?”
“I think you’re holding his weakness,” Kage said. “He was pretty damn possessive of Erica...I mean Maeva. If anyone’s gonna trick him, it’s her.”
Kodran hoped so. Because since the beginning, it always seemed like the enemy was one step ahead of them. His eyes swept over their surroundings. All the ships were on the water and in position. Everyone was ready. Good thing because a second later, Erica’s eyes cleared, she shot to her feet and all hell broke loose.
Chapter Nineteen
THERE WAS NOTHING as daunting as feeling Hallstein in her mind again, but Erica was fairly confident that what she set out to do worked. Using the other Maeva’s tone and her way with words, the conversation had been brief, but effective. That in mind, once she and the enemy were done speaking, she pulled out of his mind and finally shared her plans telepathically with everyone else.
Under the impression she was waiting there for him, Hallstein was going to meet her at Mt. Galdhøpiggen’s peak. Once he arrived, they would destroy the Sigdir dragons who had accompanied her. One of which was their longtime nemesis.
Kodran.
Better yet, Eluf.
Meanwhile, Grant had found a way to trick Hallstein on his end because the enemy was heading for New Hampshire. Before he arrived, the wizard would connect with Kjar’s daughters and Vigdis and transport the enemy and his dragons to the mountain peak. From there, with help from Kjar, Aella and one of the Vanaheim seers on the other side of the shields, they would quickly shift Hallstein and his crew here to the Fortress.
They would bring Hallstein to the mountaintop for two reasons. First, it made the most sense. That would be where Erica and Kodran would go, Eluf and Maeva’s place in another life. The second reason was to disorient the enemy with so many shifts.
Once Hallstein arrived here at the Fortress, the vulnerable ships would lure him as would Maeva herself. While that was happening, Sam with the power of Cybil behind her would shift Viv’s people back in time, and they would attack. As Hallstein fought them off, the Sigdirs and their mates would shift and join the battle. She told them to expect more of Hallstein’s dragons to come from another direction. Those that were still here in Scandinavia. The question remained, however, how many were there?
After that, it would be up to pure chance. How well Matthew and Shannon could access Helheim. Whether or not Hel would come to their aide. Then, of course, Lauren and Matthew’s manipulation of slowing down time.
So though Hallstein and his crew were powerful, Erica had a lot in her corner as well.
Naðr nodded at her as he received her message then roared at his crew to be ready. It was almost time.
Soon after, as the sky opened up and rain poured down, everything started to happen.
Initially, it went just as planned.
Hallstein was transported to the mountain then he and his people were redirected here. Kodran and Kage muttered under their breath as his dragons filled the sky.
“Too many damn males,” Kage growled. “And they don’t fight fair.”
“Neither do we,” Kodran assured. “Not when it comes to protecting our own.”
Fiery arrows were released from both the ships and docks as Hallstein’s crew roared and headed their way. Seconds later, the horizon began to fill with more dragons as Sam and Cybil transported Viv’s people and over a hundred ancient Sigdir dragons.
“Hell, just look at ‘em,” Kage murmured with pride.
Erica’s heart might be in her throat, but she had never seen anything so impressive as Vivienne’s dragons. There was nothing but fury in their eyes and fire on their breath as they engaged Hallstein and his minions above the docks.
Roars rent the sky as thunder ripped across the heavens. The ocean grew rougher and the waves taller. Yet these Vikings knew how to handle their ships. If anything they thrived on turbulent seas.
Erica met Kodran’s eyes and nodded. “Things are going as planned.”
In retrospect, she probably should have kept her mouth shut rather than tempt fate. Because it seemed though Hallstein suffered an adverse effect when he touched Vivienne’s dragon in the future, the same didn’t appear to apply to her people.
“Fuck.” Kage shook his head as he came to the same conclusion. “We were really banking on that. He was supposed to grow weaker.”
“Just a bump in the road, Bro.” Erica tried to keep his spirits up. “We’ve got a lot of other things going for us.”
Warriors kept shooting fiery arrows, but they were only a minor annoyance to Hallstein’s dragons. When the mid-air battling shifted back toward the air space above the Fortress, Heidrek spoke into her mind. “We need to shift. I cannot protect my people from here.”
Erica nodded and was about to reply when a massive roar filled the horizon from the other direction.
“Loki’s cock.” Naðr’s eyes narrowed on what was heading their way. “That’s more than we anticipated.”
Kodran shook his head as another wave of Hallstein’s dragons filled the western sky.
“The piece of shit has too many damn males,” Kage said as his eyes shot to Erica. “I’d say it’s time we shift, wouldn’t you?”
“Yup.” She sent the message to everyone else and warned Shannon, Matthew, and Lauren to be prepared. They were going to need to slow down time soon and track Hallstein into Helheim because if they didn’t this could go wrong really fast.
Moments later, her sisters and their mates along with everybody else shifted and launched into the air. Her eyes widened on Kage and Naðr as their massive bodies hovered above the ship and their wings caused almost more turbulence than the elements themselves. The ship
listed and the billowing sail took the boat one way then the other before the dragons pulled away.
“Are you ready?” Kodran asked but stopped when he must have seen the look in her eyes.
A look that told him she had thought of everything except one final thing.
“I have no idea how to shift,” she whispered.
“Just let go,” he replied. “Let your anger fuel you, envision your dragon in your mind’s eye then leap.”
“Envision my dragon?” She shook her head. “All I can see when I do that is Maeva cowering in front of Bard. Of her dragon being brutalized.”
Kodran braced his feet against the sway of the ship, clasped her shoulders and met her eyes. “Then use that. Use what he did to you not just in that life but the one before that and in this one, Erica. Remember the monster he is. Remember how much pain he’s caused the people you love.”
When she hesitated, unsure, he squeezed her shoulders firmly. “If all that isn’t enough, remember the mass genocide he caused your lineage in another life. The never-ending harm he caused so many so that he could, in effect, rule the world and eventually end up enslaving humanity.”
The enemy had done so much that broke her heart and enraged her, but in the end, as she stared into Kodran’s eyes, it was what Hallstein had done to her mate that began making her see red. The pain in Eluf’s eyes when she was ripped away from Vanaheim. Then the pain in his eyes not for himself but for her as his body grew old in another life.
As they were taken from one another yet again.
Kodran must have seen what was happening because he scooped her up, tossed her over the side of the ship and roared, “Shift now and fly!”
Erica didn’t think twice but followed his orders, amazed when colors swirled around her, and everything suddenly changed. Her arms, body, the whole nine yards. Everything became far sharper. She could see every drop of rain, the wind itself, and the ocean spray as if it were a living, breathing entity. Electricity from the storm charged the air like a thousand tiny spiders crawling all over her.
“Fly, Erica,” Kodran roared into her mind.
Pride of a Viking Page 23
