Fallen Mortal

by J. A. Culican

  “Wait here.”

  “How will—”

  “She knows you’re here,” Tyra ground out. She thrust her chin to one of the barrels. “Sit. Wait.”

  I looked around. The sound of rushing water permeated the air. “What is this place?”

  “A cove of Alfheim.” Tyra reached into her yellow robe. “Here. Eat this.” Her hand opened and there were three leaves on her palm.

  I shifted back.

  “Leaves of Yggdrasil. They will ensure your invisibility during your stay at Alfheim.”

  Carefully keeping eye contact, I took the leaves. Being a reaper, I could travel between the nine worlds undetected, but I was being tracked now. The leaves of Yggdrasil didn’t come cheap. They were harvested once every ten centuries and only by an elf of great magic. She was giving me three. My eyes narrowed.

  “Place one under your tongue and the others into each of your cheeks. Tove will collect them at the close of your trade.” Tyra shrugged. “Unless it is your wish to be found, then by all means, return them to me. One less reaper in our worlds is cause to celebrate.”

  I turned to assess my surroundings. The walls glistened with moisture and there was the smell of green meadows and lavender. Even as I looked, the light dimmed. I spun around to say something, but I was alone. My hand closed about the leaves. Dealings with elves was complex. While they weren’t violent creatures, they were private and elusive. I’d chosen market day for the reason to be cloaked. I had no idea the elves would use strong magic to extend a portal into their world, but still I hesitated to use the leaves. I brought my hand to my mouth.

  “I wouldn’t if I were you.”

  My wings opened and my eyes glowed red. I fisted the leaves and looked to where the voice had come. There, sitting on a barrel, was Geirolf. His white wings were in a relaxed pose, but in his lap was a sword.

  He smirked. “They’ve coated them in a veritas potion.” He opened his hand and revealed three leaves of his own. “Can’t say I condemn them. Everyone has to watch their backs these days.” He eyed the leaves. “Still, what a waste of Yggdrasil.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I can ask you the same question. Not very wise to tempt Freya.” He pointed to my ankle. “I’m sure all of Folkvangr is on high alert.”

  I tucked my wings to my side. “I didn’t know I’d end up in Alfheim.” I got a good look at the sword. It was one belonging to Skadi, a giant goddess. It was mostly made of ice and mountain rock; it could penetrate the shell of any immortal. It was said to be a wedding gift from the elves when Skadi had married Njord. A short-lived marriage even by the low standards of Norse gods. The sword hadn’t been seen for centuries.

  “The only world forbidden to me is Midgard.” I kicked some dirt as I moved forward. “Or perhaps I should say the only thing forbidden to me is stalking Maxwell.”

  “You had it coming.”

  I frowned. “Jerk.”

  Geirolf laughed, the sound echoing in the space. “And I had that coming.” He motioned to the barrel next him. “Have a seat. You know how elves and time are. We could be here a while.”

  “Does everyone know of my little,” I sat on the barrel, thrusting my leg out from under my robes, “problem?”

  He eyed the detector. “It was discussed among the council.”

  I cursed. I’d missed a few important meetings obviously.

  “Don’t beat yourself up about it. Happens to the best of us who care about the worlds.” He shrugged. “Who knows? Perhaps I’m next.”

  “You’re here to barter that sword?” I asked.

  He nodded.

  “Must be serious.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “It has to do with Maxwell, doesn’t it?”

  A rumbling came from the ground and the wall split open, revealing a bright light. I shielded my eyes with my hand from the spray of water and the intensity of the light. A figure appeared in the crack.

  “Immortals,” Tove said, her voice like the water around us. As my eyes became accustomed to the light, I saw it was the blind elf. But she was no longer wearing the dark glasses. “Please, come forward. I will hear your request.”

  I glanced at Geirolf who wore the same expression. Neither of us were willing to share our time with her. The elf’s eyes glowed an eerie green. I had the feeling she could see better than we could.

  “My request is private,” I said. I slid from my seat. “Perhaps next market day when you haven’t another request.”

  “I’ll go,” Geirolf suggested.

  “No. You were here first,” I insisted. My anklet gave me all the time in the worlds. I could wait another week. Freya would know of the elves’ enchanted cove and think nothing of it. It was market day after all. Anything went.

  Tove struck the staff she held loudly on the ground and it shook. “You are here with the same request.”

  I eyed Geirolf who appeared just as shocked as I.

  “I saw the power of the Valkyrie when you stepped into Asgard.”

  So, I was right about her sight. The more she spoke, the clearer her voice became.

  “Orum?” I asked, speaking from the corner of my mouth. So, my brother had given us the same gift? Typical. I wasn’t even going to imagine how Orum had procured two teeth of the Valkryrie.

  “Bastard,” he whispered back.

  “Still bickering after all these years?” Tove said, amusement riding her words. “Will you also argue as to who will be first?”

  I motioned to Geirolf. If it hurt, better I find out now. He stood up, a frown on his beautiful face.

  “This way,” Tove said, turning into the light. She walked using the staff for support.

  I followed behind Geirolf, passing through the crack and into Alfheim. The brightness revealed the lush, rolling hills of green. Wildflowers began to sprout under Tove’s feet, making a pathway to an archof wisteria and ivy. A group of elf children played nearby, their laughter creating a feeling of innocence I’d not felt in a long time.

  I glanced at Geirolf and knew he felt it too. When we’d been young, our lives had been similar. We’d played and frolicked in the fields of Asgard. That time had been safe and merry, before reapers had existed. In that moment, I knew Tove had planned this. The children weren’t here by accident. They were here to remind us of what we once were—who we’d once been together.

  Tove groaned as she lowered herself upon a trunk stump under the arch. Her eyes closed briefly, and her face turned to the sky. A gust of wind flushed over us and I smelled flowers and sunshine. She opened her eyes. They were the eyes of a jungle cat, golden and clear. Her blindness must be attributed to other worlds, not here.

  “Why do you seek the invisibility of the Valkyrie?” she asked, turning her eyes upon Geirolf.

  He stepped forward and opened his hand, revealing the leaves. Showing this revealed that we could not be promised to spill our truths.

  She smiled. “We had to try.” She turned her gaze to me, and I followed Geirolf’s suit, showing her the leaves in my palm. “I should have known. The two of you always worked best together.”

  “Look,” I said stepping forward. “I can see what you’re doing here and on a certain level, I can appreciate it.” I glanced at Geirolf who was frowning again. “But memories are the past and what we are is reality.”

  “What have you brought me, Daughter of Bragni?” Tove asked, her eyes glowing yellow. The pupils constricted to slits, zoning in on my form.

  I reached into my pocket, trying to regain the confidence I was known for. I couldn’t forget that this was dangerous. Seeking the magic of the elves was never cut and dry. This was a deal. I shoved the ancient pages in her face. Tove wouldn’t ask where I’d gotten them; they belonged in Alfheim and I was returning them.

  Tove’s eyes roamed the writing, a smile forming on her face. “Very resourceful.” She looked at Geirolf. “A sword and wisdom. It’s a good trade.” The pages vanished from my hands, as did the sw
ord Geirolf held. “And an acceptable one.” Her head tilted. “Show me the teeth.”

  I flourished my hand and the tooth Orum had given me appeared. Geirolf reached into the folds of his robe and produced his, wrapped in an Yggdrasil leaf. The leaf fell to the ground and he clasped the tooth between his forefinger and thumb for her inspection.

  “These teeth are from the same Valkyrie,” she said, a thoughtful expression passing over her features. “Ylva the Powerful was known for her wolf-like ability in battle. A very good choice for protection.”

  A sizzle filled the air and pain shot to my jaw. I clenched my teeth and cradled the left side of my face where the pain was most intense. Geirolf’s hands made fist as he gritted his teeth, his chest thrusting upward as he fought the pain. The children stopped playing and turned to us, watching with interest.

  I tasted the salty rust of blood. “Is it done?” I asked. I felt a dribble of blood seep out of my mouth and noticed that Geirolf was bleeding also.

  Tove snapped her fingers and a child ran to us. The girl uncapped a glass vial and held it to my chin to collect the blood. She then turned to Geirolf with another vial and did the same. The blood of reapers held healing powers. Our deal had dual gifts we hadn’t bargained for, but it was done.

  “You have sixty sunsets of invisibility. In that time, no one will detect your goings between the nine worlds. Neither Heimdall nor the gods will see your dealings. At the close, the teeth you have procured will be returned to the grave of Ylva.” She looked upward. “May she rest in peace.”

  With those words, we were pushed back, spinning out of Alfheim until the portal was closed and we were, once again, in the water-soaked room. I looked around, seeking the way we’d come. Geirolf leaned against a barrel, lightly touching his cheek. His hand swiped through the blood that remained there. I took the hem of my robe and dabbed it along the wall, collecting moisture.

  “I have an afterthought,” I said. I wiped the blood from my chin and cheek with the hem of my robe. “What will the gods think when we are undetected during a reap?”

  Geirolf grimaced. “You knew there would be stipulations to the deal.”

  “You’ve considered it then?”

  “Of course.” He licked his fingers and scrubbed the blood from his mouth. “Odin doesn’t track a reap when it’s assigned.” He looked at me, his mouth twisting. “You, on the other hand, are being tracked. How will you explain it?”

  “Damn,” I breathed. “Why am I always the one being caught?”

  “You’ll just have to be careful,” Geirolf said lowly. “You have sixty sunsets. Surely Freya doesn’t mean to track you for long. Loyalty is easily proven if you try.” He wiped his hand on the inside of his robe, the blood disappearing into the folds. “Be eager to reap and it will be that much quicker.”

  “Where did you get the sword?”

  “Where did you get the pages?”

  A puff of air passed through my lips. “If you expect me to believe Jord could have given you the sword, then you must think I’m stupid.” I took a step toward the exit. “And here I thought we were rekindling our love for one another.”

  “Rekindling?” he asked, grabbing my arm. His touch burned, but I allowed it. “My love requires no rekindling. I am the same man I’ve always been. It’s you that has changed.”

  “You shouldn’t say things you don’t mean.” Even as I spoke the words, I knew I believed him. Geirolf had never stopped loving me.

  “Anything we say now will be hidden,” he replied, his grip tightening. “We have the shield of the Valkyrie and are free to say and do as we please without being revealed.” He pulled me close, his wings brushing across mine. “I love you, Orianna. That will never change. As long as the suns rise and set in Asgard, I will belong to you.” I looked away, but he leaned closer still, his face an inch from mine. His voice became a whisper. “I do this for you. Orum gave me the tooth so I could protect you.”

  I’d not considered all the perks of having a Valkyrie’s tooth in my possession. There was much written on the topic, but I’d failed to do my research. I needed to get to the library before the close of market. And I needed to clear my head and get away from Geirolf. He scrambled my thoughts, Quickly, I disengaged from his hold and walked away. Geirolf didn’t follow, but he didn’t have to. I felt his admission wrap around me and form a cocoon around my soul.

  He was right. Our love didn’t need to be reignited. It had never burned out.

  Chapter 14

  I had a reap and it was in the bag. A heroin addict about to meet a long coming demise. Even better. A final reap would make me strong. Surprisingly, the soul was near Maxwell’s university. I sat on a trash can waiting for the victim and I wasn’t alone. A Divine Reaper, Valencia, was on the case, but she was merely here on technicalities. I’d done the research and the Valkyrie tooth, while in my possession, would do my bidding—only allowing my tracks to be followed by whom I desired. No tracking device of any god could stand against its power.

  This reap was over before it even began. The victim had run out of time and she’d made a dark decision. I could smell desperation in the air.

  “Does it hurt?” Valencia asked.

  I scoffed, not one to make small talk with the enemy. I was not about to discuss my loyalty trial with her. After all, she was here only to babysit me. “Does this?” I threw a jolt of power her way and hit the crevice of her wings. Feathers flew.

  “Hey! It was just a question.”

  “It was just a question,” I mimicked. I made a fist around the light power I’d summoned, and it disappeared. “Shut up or I’ll throw a muting charm on you.”

  Valencia rolled her eyes and used her wings as a shield. Like that could stop me, but approaching voices made me jump from the can instead. The victim was making a deal.

  “I promise I can get you the rest of it. I get paid tomorrow.”

  I froze. I knew that voice.

  “He’s going to give her extra anyway to keep her coming,” Valencia said, peeking from her wings. I could see the distaste she felt for this reap. Divine Reapers didn’t like when things got messy. They liked clean, valiant souls. But what she said didn’t matter. The girl wouldn’t need to keep coming. Death would find her in a matter of minutes.

  I put my finger to my lips. Final reaps made the atmosphere thin. Souls tended to sense when it was their time and could often hear things they normally couldn’t. My hand dropped when Sandy rounded the corner with a preppy college kid. I stepped back, my wings expanding, knocking over a garbage can.

  Sandy paused, her eyes wide with fear. She was fumbling in her purse, hands shaking. “I thought you said we’d be alone here.”

  The kid appeared unfazed. “Just give me what you have, and I’ll see what I can come up with.”

  Sandy produced a handful of bills. Even I had to roll my eyes. “You can take my watch, too.”

  It wasn’t her watch; it was Maxwell’s. I knew because Jord had given it to him as a gift when he won the contest. A pricey gift that I had thought unnecessary, but now it was serving a purpose.

  “Nice,” the kid said, snatching it. He placed it in the pocket of his blazer and came out with a vial. “Here you go. It’s all I have in your price range.”

  Sandy looked around before taking it. “This is the good stuff, right?”

  “Come on,” the kid said, smirking. “You get what you pay for, but yeah. It’s the good stuff. You might not come down until Saturday and I’ll be out of money.”

  She nodded, swallowing heavily, backing further into the alley.

  “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” Valencia chanted.

  “Who said that?” Sandy jumped.

  I pointed at Valencia and silenced her with a charm. A silver zipper appeared across her lips and I smiled.

  “Maybe you don’t need it after all,” the kid said stepping forward. I moved between them darkening his vision with my presence.

  “Count your money and go home,” I said l
owly.

  The kid exhaled and shrugged. He flipped through the money, counting fifty dollars. “See you later, Sandy, like tomorrow. I’ll meet you at the cafe. Just ask them to pay you in cash. I don’t have time to wait around for you to cash a check.”

  Sandy nodded, her eyes wide. She could sense us here with her in the small space, but we knew her demon would win against her better judgement. There was no call of the Valkyrie in the air, only darkness and despair.

  She crouched behind the dumpster and pulled a rubber band and syringe from her purse. This was it. I rounded the bin to watch, feeling the decision being weighed in her soul. Valencia stood next to me, her hands clasped in a prayer-like pose.

  I knelt next to Sandy. Her blond hair was greasy and pulled back from her face. Her eyes were shadowed with lack of sleep and hunger. I remembered the way Maxwell fondly gazed at her and saw none of this, blind to the fact that his sister had a problem he couldn’t solve with love.

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked. Valencia kicked a can and it rolled between us, making Sandy hop up and look around. Valencia shot me a questioning gaze, the zipper across her lips gleaming under the streetlights. “I have a right to know.”

  Sandy slumped against the dumpster and slid to the ground. “I don’t know,” she wailed, but even as she spoke, she was tying the tourniquet around her arm. “I’ve tried to stop, but I can’t. I just can’t.” Her hands were shaking, but she managed to fill the syringe.

  “You don’t have to do this,” I said, my voice a rush. The dumpster jolted. I looked at Valencia and cast an immobilizing spell over her. Stop it, I mouthed.

  “Who’s there?” Sandy asked, her eyes wide and teary.

  I grabbed her hand. “If this is what you want, I’ll help you.”