“It’s no good,” he finally answered. “My little nudges are coming up against something solid…probably steel plating. I could push harder, but it’s more likely I’d bring the ceiling down. I’m…I’m sorry, Jay. There’s nothing I can do without killing all of us in the process.”
“Dammit,” Jason muttered.
Jason looked at Pridament for support. They both knew Gwynn and what a different Sophia meant to him. They’d also both watched him dive into a pit without a second thought to protect this Sophia. Maybe she didn’t have a family who would mourn her, but her passing wouldn’t go unnoticed.
“Let her try,” Pridament said.
Jason felt betrayed. Seriously? his expression said.
“She’s right—either this works or they’re as good as dead anyway. A quick death, because they start turning into a Curse, might be more merciful than leaving them,” Pridament said, his face grim.
How can you be so cold? Especially holding Gwynn in your arms and knowing what this could do to him.
Jason found himself thankful Gwynn was still unconscious.
“Fine, we let her try.”
Jason turned to Brandt.
“If this lovely young lady starts to turn into a Curse, do you think you could put her down?”
Brandt sighed heavily and shrugged.
“Can’t say I want to, but if I had to, yeah, sure, I’ll put her down quick and painless.”
“Good,” Jason said. “Cause I have to be honest…I couldn’t. Maria’s on the other side. Head over there and wait for Sophia to come through. If she gets to that side fine, I want you to go through first back to the hallway and wait again for her. If everything goes ok, the rest of us will make the trip.”
Orders given, Brandt entered the bridge and disappeared from sight.
Sophia waited a moment, then took a deep breath, straightened her back, and marched into the bridge.
The first time she’d crossed from one world to another, she’d been unconscious. She’d tried to sound brave and confident her father had brought her via a bridge like this one, but she had no idea. He’d explained to her afterward he brought her to Asgard to keep her safe. Knowing what she did now, she supposed they had done it after losing the Sophia from Gwynn’s world. After all, if herself and the other her were the only remaining oracles, it made sense they’d want to safeguard one if the other died. Still, she found very quickly it was her talents they wanted to protect, not her. There was little effort to make her comfortable. On the contrary, they’d dosed her with different drugs to try and induce more visions. At one point, she thought she might go mad. And then Pridament rescued her. And because of that, she’d met Gwynn.
They hadn’t known each other long. And it was possible he just saw her as a replacement for the girl he’d lost. But she couldn’t deny a comfort between them—a sense of belonging. Being with Gwynn required no effort. Even in the direst of moments, she felt safe when he was close. If this failed, she hoped he would forgive her. But she was tired of being a bird in a cage. Even if this was the last time, she wanted to spread her wings and decide her own fate.
Her skin tingled like being exposed to a cold mist. It clung to her body, forcing her to suppress a shudder. She closed her eyes for only a moment, while her feet took another step forward.
The sensation of cold melted away beneath a cheerful warmth. She opened her eyes to see a radiant sun above her. Lush green grass carpeted a landscape of gently rolling hills. In the distance, a forest loomed, that seemed to go on forever beyond.
Brandt stood about ten feet in front of her. Next to him stood the girl, Marie, who’d plunged into the bridge first. They both were giving her a cautious eye.
“How do you feel?” Brandt asked.
She closed her eyes once more, turning her face up toward the sun. She’d spent months trapped in the halls of Valhalla, and the rest of the time since in the underground hovels of Fenrir. Her mouth filled with the freshness of spring awakening.
“I feel…wonderful,” she replied.
Brandt leaned closer to Marie.
“Do you remember how long it took the guy in Kansas?”
“Longer than this,” she answered.
Brandt took several long, slow, strides toward her. He circled her, letting his eyes crawl along her form. It wasn’t lecherous, but it still made her feel uncomfortable.
Brandt strode to Marie and shrugged.
“Well, I don’t see anything to worry about. I’ll go through first and meet you on the other side, just to make sure.”
“Fine,” Sophia said.
Just as Marie said, the hall sat in the middle of the field, floor, walls, ceiling. Brandt walked to the opposite side Sophia had exited from and disappeared from sight. Sophia felt a pang in her chest. She didn’t want to leave. Was there any reason worth returning to Asgard? If Gwynn would just wake up, maybe she could convince him to stay too. She didn’t know much about farming or living a simple life, but the wondrous air and healing sunshine had her willing to try.
“You saw what you need to do, right?” Marie said, her lack of patience obvious.
Sophia nodded and went around to the other side and entered. Again, the cold brushed over her skin. She came out in the hall of Valhalla, on the opposite side of the bridge. Brandt waited for her.
“Did Marie keep you a little longer just to make sure?” he asked.
“No,” Sophia shook her head sheepishly, “it just was too nice to leave right away.”
“She seems to have made it through fine,” Brandt yelled to the others over her shoulder.
“Ok,” Jason responded. “We’ll send a Fenrir man over next.”
One of the men approached and disappeared into the gate.
A minute passed.
Then another.
Still, the man did not appear.
“Shit,” Brandt cursed, and dashed into the bridge.
“Jason,” Sophia yelled, “he didn’t come through. Brandt’s gone back in to see what’s happening.”
His reply was stern and left no room for argument.
“Do not move from that spot.”
Katsuro ran into the bridge while Jason told everyone on their side to back away.
Another few tense moments passed. Sophia had almost convinced herself to disobey Jason’s order and go back through the bridge when a distorted arm shot out of the bridge, clutching the front of her shirt.
“Jason!”
The arm dragged her toward the bridge. She dug in her heels and pounded at the hand.
I should’ve taken a weapon.
“Caelum, get in there,” Jason yelled.
A moment later, another massive hand emerged from the bridge—more human-like but encased in a metallic, spiked, gauntlet with fiery magma showing in the joints.
Snap!
The distorted arm cracked and shifted to an odd angle. Sophia gave another tug and tumbled to the ground, crab scuttling backward from the bridge.
She stayed there, her chest heaving with each breath—though even those gasps didn’t seem to fill her lungs.
A few minutes later, Brandt exited in front of her.
Blood spattered his hands, shirt, and face.
“He…didn’t make it, did he?”
The question sounded so stupid—the answer obvious—once the words left her lips, but she couldn’t contain them. Putting the words out to the world, having them firmly answered, made it real. As much as she didn’t want it to be real, she needed to know—to feel the solidity of the thing.
Brandt wouldn’t meet her eyes. He just shook his head and searched for a clean patch of clothing to wipe off his hands.
III
Katsuro exited the bridge.
“Are you all right? Where are the others?” Jason asked.
Katsuro’s eyes made it clear he was anything but all right.
“Brandt is on the other side with Sophia,” he nodded over his shoulder. “Caelum is with Marie. She needed some tendi
ng to, but he assures me she’ll be fine. My man…”
Katsuro’s head hung low. Especially when his eyes for a moment met those of the remaining non-Anunnaki member of their team.
“I don’t understand,” Jackson said. “Sophia made it through fine.”
Katsuro gave a dry chuckle.
“Fine? Marie made it sound like the girl was positively daydreaming, she enjoyed herself so much.”
“So what went wrong?” Jason asked.
Pridament frowned at the bridge.
“What indeed…” his face fell, color draining from his cheeks. “My god, of course. Oh, how could I have been so stupid?”
“Would you like to share with the rest of the class?” Katsuro asked.
Pridament closed his eyes a moment, slowing his breath, collecting his thoughts and thinking through his words.
“Sophia isn’t technically just a human. She’s an oracle. And not just any oracle, but a descendant of Delphi. They weren’t Anunnaki per se, but the Veil did touch them. She has a glyph on the back of her neck at her hairline. Maybe it was enough difference to protect her.”
“So there’s no way for me to cross without becoming some kind of…monster?” the Fenrir soldier asked.
“We’ll think of something,” Katsuro said.
“What else is there, sir? The only one of you with the power to move rock says they fortified this place against it.”
“Listen, Thomas, we’ll come up with a solution. We just need to think it through.”
Thomas. Hearing the man’s name made Jason’s stomach sink—he hadn’t even bothered to learn the man’s name. Was that what he did now, become so emotionally detached he didn’t bother to learn people’s names unless it was necessary? This man was being handed a death sentence, and knowing his name, Thomas, made it more real.
“Brandt,” Jason called. “Over or under?”
Brandt just shook his head remorsefully.
“Shit. It’s like he knew. Like he built this place to protect against our abilities.”
Katsuro’s laugh was humorless.
“Of course he knew. He’s been alive for centuries and probably seen every ability an Anunnaki can have. This place was built to withstand them all. He’s always been a step ahead, always thinking through different angles. Even our bringing Gwynn here played into his plans.”
Yes, he knew all their powers—he’d overseen their upbringings. But did he really construct Asgard to defend against unknown Anunnaki, or did he always suspect his young wards would turn against him? What could he be planning that would make them hate him so much? Or rather, what had he planned—because based on how easily Brandt, Marie, and Jackson took to the idea of Woten being evil, something already happened.
“Jason!”
He’d been so lost in his thoughts, so focused on saving a human life, he’d forgotten exactly where they were. No, that wasn’t true, he could never forget where they were, but he’d forgotten the obstacle in their way may be the only thing keeping their aggressors away. And in their experimentation, they’d left two of their members—one of whom was the weakest fighter—alone in enemy territory.
Stone from the walls cracked and snapped like bone as Brandt used his powers to pull chunks free. He sent them hurtling forward, splintering into bullet sized shards of stone, shredding the first unfortunate souls who moved against him and Sophia.
“I think you’ve run out of time to try and help me,” Thomas said. “You’ll be sure to tell my family I was brave. That out of all the Fenrir men who came with you, I lasted the longest.”
“Thomas, stop talking that way. We’ll get you out of here,” Katsuro pleaded.
But Jason heard doubt in Katsuro’s voice. Thomas’ expression made it clear he had as well.
“I’m sorry, sir, but you don’t have a way, and you don’t have time. Tell my family my end was honorable.”
Before any of them could guess what he meant, Thomas pushed his gun barrel in his mouth and pulled the trigger.
“No!”
Katsuro fell to his knees, cursing whatever god he thought might truly exist in a universe with too many people claiming the title.
“I could use some help,” Brandt yelled.
He’d already stripped a good chunk of the hall down to the metal plating he’d mentioned. The barrage kept their enemies at bay, but Brandt was tiring.
“I’ll get Marie and Caelum over there to help him,” Jackson said, and disappeared into the bridge.
“Katsuro,” Pridament said, “there will be lots of time to mourn and question if there was anything more you could’ve done. But this man gave his life so the rest of us could escape. He recognized he was holding us back, and he took the choice out of our hands. He made the impossible choice none of us could. The greatest tribute we can pay him is to get out of here and live to finish this fight.”
Katsuro nodded.
“Forgive me, Thomas,” he whispered, before rising from his knees.
He turned and marched into the bridge, appearing seconds later on the other side. With a howl that shook even Pridament, he unleashed Sutr, his scimitar of flame, and charged into the fray.
Brandt changed tactics, causing the floor to ripple beneath the feet of the Einherjar soldiers, throwing them off balance, which made them easy targets for Caelum’s arrows and Katsuro’s blade.
A dark blur moved among the soldiers, who randomly spouted geysers of blood from their throats and fell dead.
With her weapons, loops with a sharpened edge that extended into protruding blades, Marie could speed ahead, arms in front, her hands encased in lethal steel.
Jason and Pridament joined Sophia behind the fray.
“Jackson, any idea how many of them there are?” Jason asked.
Jackson shook his head.
“I can’t give you an exact number, but there doesn’t seem to be too many. And the few remaining are feeling pretty bad about their chances. They obviously didn’t expect to come up against an entire group of Anunnaki. From what I sense, the main force is still elsewhere, probably engaging those troops you mentioned who were outside.”
“How’s Gwynn?” Sophia asked.
“Still unconscious. But he doesn’t feel too warm, and his breathing has been steady. I think Caelum’s intervention helped,” Pridament answered.
Ahead, Katsuro and Marie had stopped to regard their work. Jason counted sixteen bodies.
“They’ve broken off and are retreating,” Jackson said. “I think this is the best time to push ahead.”
“Ok, let’s go. Everyone, regroup and head for the hangers,” Jason ordered.
Katsuro’s brow wrinkled.
“Are you the one giving orders now?”
“No, I mean, well, I guess I was. Sorry, old habits. Besides, most of these guys were my team.”
Katsuro took a brief glance at the people surrounding him. The weight of losing all the men who called him a leader forced his shoulders down and knocked the air out of him in a sigh.
“I guess from where I’m standing, maybe you should be giving the orders. It seems you’ve done a better job of keeping your people alive.”
Jason felt the need to argue. After all, he’d done virtually nothing to save his people. From what he could tell, they’d saved themselves. And even then, Wade and Natalie were missing. He believed from their expressions and behavior they’d been through hell, and he hadn’t been there to help.
But Katsuro’s eyes were filled with defeat. Odd, to see the man he’d idolized for so long being broken. He couldn’t recall ever seeing weakness in his Katsuro. How could two men share the same face—the same soul—and be so different? And was he defeated because his men were dead, or because he saw Jason being a better leader? Maybe this was just the final straw. It sounds like Fenrir had seen no shortage of casualties. These last three, deaths Katsuro had been close enough to look in the eye, perhaps they’d been the final weight to break his resolve.
But did any of that ma
tter? Regardless of the reasons, his ability to lead was compromised. Jason would take the role. He’d carried it before, and if it meant they survived, he’d carry it again.
“Which way is the hanger?” he asked Katsuro.
Katsuro motioned over his shoulder.
“We go down this hall to a tee intersection. Go left, then the next right, straight along that hall, and up a series of stairs until you reach the hanger. It’s a back entrance only accessible from these lower levels. It shouldn’t be too heavily guarded.”
“Right,” Jason nodded. With our luck, not too heavily guarded will mean a hundred or more. “Brandt, you, Jackson, and I have point. Marie, you follow us. Pridament, you still ok with Gwynn?”
“Yes.”
“Ok, so you’ll carry Gwynn and Sophia will be your shadow. Katsuro, Caelum, you two are the rear guard. We keep the formation loose, so we don’t present a bigger target, and we keep the pace easy, so we don’t run headfirst into a mess. Everyone understand?”
They fell into line in their assigned positions and started moving. When they reached the intersection, they stopped, allowing Jackson to get a reading on the area.
“I’m not sensing anything directed toward us. A lot of anxieties, and some violent thoughts toward the group outside. I think we’re good to keep moving.”
Jason eased his head around the corner.
“Hey Brandt, is there enough rock between the wall and metal plating that you could seal this up?”
Jason pointed down the right branch of the hall. He had no idea where it led, but he preferred to make it as difficult as possible for anyone to sneak up on them.
“Should be doable,” Brandt said.
He faced the right branch of the hall and let the energies of the Veil flow into him.
As a Script, Jason felt the tear, could almost sense the strands of energy flowing from Brandt’s extremities out toward the rock. He manipulated the strands like a puppeteer working strings.
Rock peeled from the roof and floor in equal measure until they met in the center. Then, Brandt added a second layer by bending the rock from each side of the hall against each other.
“There’s plenty that could break through it, but at least we’ll hear them coming,” Brandt said.
Resonance 4th Edits - Bleeding Worlds Bk 3 Page 3
