“We do,” Kas agreed. “But it would be a waste of meat to leave them.”
“We can eat them?” Asta gasped with surprise.
“I’ve never tried it.” Kas shrugged. “But their meat is supposed to be a delicacy.”
“I haven’t tried it, either,” I admitted. “But I’m excited to get to cook it.”
“I’m sure it will be even better since you’re making it,” Kas said. “My father is an excellent cook, but you’re better. Don’t tell him I told you that, though.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I laughed.
Ramir was a good cook, so being compared to him was quite the compliment. The cabbage stew he’d made earlier had been some of the best I’d ever tasted, and I’d made sure to watch what he put into it to see if I could duplicate it at home.
That was one of the ways I’d learned to cook so well. I would hang out in the market and watch the vendors cook.
That was also how I got to know some of the vendors so well. Most of them were really nice guys, just trying to make a living. There were some who didn’t appreciate me watching them, but I was a banner warrior, so they couldn’t really tell me to piss off. Most of them had come from a background like my own. They had lineage, but maybe not respected lineage, or maybe they grew up without a lot of money. Either way, they understood I wasn’t trying to hurt their business, and those were the vendors I would go to whenever I did have spare money and wanted something to eat.
Cooking this bird would be a whole new challenge for me, though, considering I’d never prepared one before, or even watched one being made. It would be a game of trial and error, but I figured the safest thing to do would be to simply cook the meat until it was done and worry about the seasoning after that. I would cook a small amount of it for us to try, and if I felt it paired well with something, I would cook a larger batch for us and try seasoning it.
It was completely dark by the time we made it back to the house, and the first thing I did was start a fire so we could all see more easily.
After the fire was going, the girls and I started to pluck the feathers from the birds, but we made sure to put all the tail feathers into a specific pile for Ramir. We also differentiated between the rest of the feathers on the bird's body just in case Ramir could use any of them for other spells, and Kas labeled them and put them each inside their own leather satchels to take to her father in the morning.
After we finished plucking the birds, then it was time to cook them, so I carved a wing off the female bird and placed it in a pan over the flames with some salt, butter, honey, and a bit of rosemary. The meat sizzled, and the smell that came from it was absolutely divine. It made my mouth water just to have the scent in my nose. After the meat looked like it was cooked through, I took it out of the pan and had the girls give it a try. Then I took a bite of it myself, and my mouth watered even more as the flavor filled it. The bird was soft and tender in my mouth, and it virtually melted away as I chewed. The sweet flavor was something I’d never tasted before, and there was a sort of taste of the ocean as well.
“Oh, Odin,” Kas moaned. “It’s delicious.“
“Yes.” Asta nodded. “It is wonderful.“
I watched as the girls closed their eyes with pleasure while they chewed, and I couldn’t help the smile that came over my own face, either, the meat was just too delicious. After we ate the first little bit I’d cooked, I cut off a larger piece for us and got it cooking while I retrieved some vegetables from the garden. The meat was so delicious on its own it didn’t need much to pair with it, but I figured some vegetables would do us good.
After dinner that evening, we all slept under the stars, and once morning came, we headed over to Ramir’s shop to give him the feathers and some meat from one of the birds.
“These will do quite nicely,” Ramir said as he inspected the blue-green feathers we’d given him.
“I hope so,” I chuckled. “I took quite the beating for them.”
“I thought you said it didn’t hurt that bad.” Asta frowned at me.
“I believe Rath here was teasing,” Ramir laughed.
“Yes,” I told the elf girl with a smile. “I’m sorry to have worried you.”
“That’s okay.” Asta smiled back at me.
The elf girl wasn’t from our realm, and while she understood most of the intricacies of our daily life because they mirrored her own, there were certain things she didn’t seem to grasp as quickly. One of those was sarcasm and teasing, so I didn’t think it was quite as prevalent in Elven culture as it was in our own.
“So, do you think you can make the amulet with one of these?” Kas asked her father.
“I most certainly can.” Ramir nodded
“How long will it take?” I asked.
“It will only take a few moments once the spell has begun,” Ramir answered.
Blar bounced up and down happily, since he knew he would soon have an amulet to help him harness his abilities. If we had more time, then I was sure he would be able to harness them on his own, but as it was, we needed to get to Helheim quickly since we didn’t know how long I had to fulfill this prophecy. If this quest didn’t come to fruition, then it could bring about Ragnarok, but more than that, it needed to be fulfilled for the sake of the dragons.
I could tell Blar was excited about the possibility of being able to create portals for us, and as much as we needed it to get to Helheim at the moment, we could also use it for our daily travels. If we needed to get out of somewhere in a hurry, then it would be nice to have a portal always nearby.
My thoughts went back to the day Kas, Blar, and I had gone to the world of fire. We’d run into that strange serpent woman, Echidna, who was out to eat us. If we’d been able to make a portal of our own, we could have left right then, but we had to run back to the portal we’d come from in an attempt to flee from her.
I considered myself to be quite the warrior, but that creature was incredibly strong, and we were no match for her in her own territory.
“Let’s see here,” Ramir said as he looked over the materials he’d gathered the day before.
On the table were jars filled with strange looking things, some sludge like materials, some eyeball looking things, and various other substances I didn’t wish to know about.
There were also some crystals on the table, and one large rock. I wondered how the ugly stone would assist with the spell, but I’d quickly learned not to question Ramir.
“Can I help, Father?” Kas asked.
“You can pick the largest feather you all gathered,” Ramir told her with a smile.
“I can do that,” Kas said happily, and the young sorceress went about finding the right feather for the spell.
It was nice of Ramir to give Blar the best one we had found, though I never for a second considered he wouldn’t. Ramir wanted what was best for his daughter, but more than that he wanted what was best for the world. He was a kind soul, I could tell by the way the dragons clung to him. They all loved him, which made me trust him all the more.
Once Kas had gathered the feather, Ramir gave the nasty liquid in the cauldron one last stir before he dropped the feather on top.
“How does this work?” Asta asked.
“We have created a potion intended to harness abilities,” Ramir explained. “After it has finished brewing, then we will pour it over this rock here to turn it into an amulet that may be worn by Blar.“
“So, he must have the amulet on him in order to make the portal bigger?” Asta inquired.
“I’m afraid that is how it works,” Ramir said with a nod. “I will be sure to put it on a nice enchanted chain for him so he cannot lose it, but yes, he must be wearing it in order to use it.”
“Does that mean anybody who wore it could harness their own abilities?” Asta pushed.
“I suppose so.” Ramir pursed his lips. “But this one was specially made with Blar in mind, so it will work best for him. It is always better to use magical objects created specifically for you
.”
I hadn’t thought about that, but then again there were a lot of magical things I’d never considered before. The whole magical universe was so new to me I didn’t think about using magic to solve my problems just yet.
I thought about how nice it must be to grow up with that kind of knowledge. Granted, magic had its limitations, but I figured it was probably nice to have it as an option.
Ramir stirred the cauldron, and it bubbled a few times.
“Mhm, mhm,” the old man muttered. “Just about ready.”
A few seconds later, Ramir picked up the cauldron and poured the liquid over the large rock he’d set out on the table. The thick liquid oozed over the rock and off it, and just when I thought about what a terrible mess he’d made, the liquid started to evaporate. It sparkled and turned into a dust that floated upward and fizzled into nothing just before it hit the ceiling.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” Ramir chuckled when he saw me staring upward.
“I’m still getting used to all this magic, I guess,” I said.
I looked back at the table, and I noticed the rock was no longer a rock at all. In its place was a small glossy black stone with a strange symbol on it.
“That was incredible,” Asta breathed as she peered at the stone.
“Remember, this was specifically made with Blar in mind,” Ramir said as he picked up the stone and moved his fingers around it, and out of nothing appeared a chain now attached to the stone. “He won’t be able to lose it now.”
“That chain looks much too long for him.” Asta frowned.
“Silly elven child,” Ramir chuckled, and he leaned down to Blar with the necklace held out.
Blar stood on his hind legs and eagerly waited for Ramir to put the stone on him. The old man used his bony fingers to clasp the metal, and as soon as he did, the necklace shrank to just the size of Blar’s neck.
The little blue dragon tried to look down at the stone, but he couldn’t see it so he ran over to the window behind the shop counter and peered at himself in the glass. He twisted and turned and admired his new amulet, and once he had finished, he ran back over to Ramir, flew up onto his shoulder, and licked the old man’s face.
“You’re most welcome,” Ramir chuckled and petted down Blar’s back.
“Shall we give it a try?” Kas asked.
“I think that’s a good idea,” I agreed, and I turned to Blar. “What do you think, little buddy? Ready to give it a go?”
“How about Jotunheim?” Kas asked. “Can you make a portal that goes there?”
Blar closed his eyes and focused, and a moment later a portal appeared. It was small at first, but then it grew to the size of the portals we were used to.
“You did it!” Asta squealed and bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.
“Thank you, Father,” Kas said, and she kissed the old man on the cheek.
“You’re most welcome, dear,” Ramir said before he turned to face me. “Now, I suppose you all will be leaving soon.”
“I suppose we will.” I nodded.
It was time to go to Helheim and begin this quest.
Chapter 6
The girls and I headed back to the house to get things ready for our trip to Helheim. We made sure our armor and weapons were in good shape, then we did some training, and as we practiced, I watched the little dragons.
Uffe worked on bringing up large pieces of earth and hitting them with his tail while Blar and Inger flew around and playfully sparred with each other.
I frowned when I thought about them in Helheim. It was such a dangerous place, even for myself, and I was a full-grown Demi-god and one of Odin’s chosen. The dragons were still just babies, and I worried about having to bring them along with us.
Blar wouldn’t allow me to leave him behind, the only way I could do that would be if I commanded him to stay. I wouldn’t do that, though. We needed him to make the portal, and he’d proven himself to be an invaluable member of the team. On the other hand, the twins were still so small, and I didn’t want to put them into danger unnecessarily.
I considered leaving them behind, but I knew they wouldn’t like that, either. Besides, I couldn’t leave them by themselves. I’d have to get Ramir or Preyna to watch them, and I didn’t want to inconvenience them.
In the end, the little dragons were part of the team as well, even if they were still small, and they would want to help however they could.
Ramir had warned us about Garm, so I knew we would have to fight the massive dog, but I was curious as to why the council hadn’t warned me first. Perhaps they’d assumed I already knew, but that wasn’t the case, and if what Ramir said was true, then we would have no choice but to fight the large canine no matter where Blar transported us to in Helheim.
The dragons would be put into danger, which was upsetting, but if they stayed behind the girls and I, they should be alright.
“Rath?” Kas asked as she walked over to me. “Are you alright? You seem distracted?”
“I’m a little bit distracted,” I admitted.
“What’s wrong?” the strawberry-blonde asked, and I could feel her concern for me.
“I’m just worried about the twins,” I said. “They haven’t been in a whole lot of fights yet, and they’re still so small.”
“I know you care for them,” she told me with a sympathetic smile. “But they will have all of us there to protect them. Don’t worry about them too much.”
“You’re right,” I said, and I grabbed her hand and brought it to my mouth.
Kas blushed at my display of affection, which only made me want to kiss her even more, so I pulled on her hand until she came stumbling toward me.
The sorceress fell into my arms with a gasp, and I took her mouth with my own. She was stiff at first, but then she sighed and leaned into my kiss.
It was strange to think Kas had been in my life just as long as Blar had. It was still such a short time, but I couldn’t imagine my life without her. I’d been hesitant to soul bond with her at first, since I feared she would regret her decision, but neither of us did. Because of our bond, I could feel her emotions, and I knew she truly loved and cared for me, and for Asta and the dragons, too. We’d become a small, strange family, and I couldn't have been happier about it.
After we got some practice in, I decided it was time to go. It was only midday so there was still time before dark and there was no sense in waiting around. It was better to get going now. Helheim waited for no man, and I doubted prophecies did, either.
“We should be leaving soon,” I told Kas after I pulled away from our kiss.
“Yes,” she breathed. “I suppose we should.”
I led everyone inside so we could all put on our armor, and I finished first, so I stepped outside to wait for the girls. I wore my long black tunic the girls had picked out for me, as well as my steel chest plate and forearm guards. My hair was braided down the middle, and I’d freshly shaven the sides so it was nice and clean.
The little dragons continued to play in the yard, and a few minutes later the girls stepped out of the house.
Asta wore the yellow tunic she’d picked out before, and it matched her eyes perfectly. Her dark, nearly black armor shimmered in the sunlight, and her long white hair was pulled into two braids that hung down her back and were tied off with small pieces of leather at the ends. The sword specially made for her was attached to the belt on her hip, and her elven ears were on full display. They looked absolutely beautiful, and I couldn’t resist staring at her pale skin until she smiled at me and her cheeks turned red.
Kas wore the armor she’d picked out at the market, and once again I was blown away by how magnificent and regal it looked. The armor was black, but in the sunlight it almost had a violet tinge that matched her eyes. She had forearm guards, shin guards, and a chest plate to protect her. Her mane of curls was down, too, and her strawberry-blonde locks billowed around her face effortlessly. She wore a simple white tunic underneath it all, and her new
greatsword was fastened at her hip, ready for battle.
The girls had also grabbed Blar’s armor for him, and the little blue dragon ran eagerly across the yard to get fastened into it. The small chest plate wasn’t much, but it was well made, and it fit him perfectly.
Besides, anything more than that, and he might have difficulty moving. His speed was a great asset to him, and the team and I didn’t want to hinder that in any way.
Inger and Uffe didn’t have armor of their own, but I expected them to stay close to us, so it didn’t matter too much at that point. I’d make sure to get them some armor soon, though.
After everyone was dressed and ready, I turned to address the group.
“Where we’re going is dangerous, as you all know,” I said. “I want you all to stay close to me, okay?”
Everyone nodded, so I continued.
“Kas, how long will the spell to protect us last?” I asked.
“Six hours,” the sorceress replied.
“Yes,” Asta agreed. “And once we get back to Asgard we’ll need to remain here for at least six hours to regain our full happiness.”
“Alright.” I nodded. Six hours wasn’t a long time considering we needed to locate a dungeon, but it was all we had, so we would have to make do with it.
Blar was capable of getting us to Helheim now, but Ramir had already warned us we wouldn’t be able to get to the castle with the dungeon immediately. We’d have to travel there from the gates, and I wasn’t sure how long it would take.
I’d never been to Helheim, but everything I’d read about it told me it was an incredibly vast place, and it could potentially take us days to get to the castle. If that was the case, then I hoped we would only have to defeat Garm once so we wouldn’t have to restart our journey each time. That would make the whole thing incredibly difficult, especially since we could only be there for six hours at a time.
“Go ahead,” I told the girls.
Kas nodded and pulled out the paper Preyna had given her, as well as the two large dragon scales she used to harness her powers.
Asta stepped up next to the sorceress, and Kas set the paper down between them before the two of them clasped their hands together and closed their eyes.
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