Wolfsbane

by M. H. Bonham

  The pickup hit a patch of deeper snow and fishtailed a few times before Elryn got control of it and stopped. She set the truck in park and we stared into a forest covered in snow. It could’ve been winter with this much snow. It looked over a foot and there were some pretty impressive snow berms against the trees, no doubt created by the wind.

  The cloudy sky still spit snowflakes on us. By the looks of the clouds, we’d probably end up with another foot or two by tomorrow. I wasn’t enamored with being stuck out in the middle of nowhere, but I reminded myself I could create a Gateway and get us out.

  “Nice Gateway.” Tuzren slapped me on the back. Luna gave me a face wash with her tongue, and Elryn grinned and nodded.

  “Good job,” she said. “You’re growing in power.”

  I chewed my lower lip. Despite my boast, I really did make a decent Gateway. Maybe Nana was right. Maybe I overthought things too much. “Thanks,” I said. “Let’s find Fenrir.”

  ~ * ~

  I need to do a quick location spell on Fenrir. I used pack mindspeak to talk to Luna.

  Won’t they know something is up? Luna asked, glancing at Elryn and Tuzren.

  If they ask, I won’t lie to them, I said. I trust both of them with my life and to keep secrets. If necessary, I’ll have them swear an oath.

  Luna nodded. What do you need?

  Just a few hairs from you.

  Now, most Normals have heard that wizards and other Supernaturals are sensitive about having things like hair, nail clippings, saliva, and blood being used against them. The reason is there are plenty of spells out there that focus on using the person’s DNA; some are beneficial, but many are harmful. One spell that can go either way is using the DNA to track the person’s location.

  In most cases, you use the DNA of the person you’re seeking. But if you have a close relative handy, you can use their DNA instead. Luna’s DNA was almost as good as getting Fenrir’s DNA not only because she was half Fenrir, but her mother would probably be near the Wolf of Ragnarok as well.

  Luna had explained to me that her mother, Selene, seldom changed into her human form any more, which is probably why Fenrir went to her. Selene was a powerful Alpha, in her own right, and didn’t trust humans and humanoid creatures. For us to see her would be difficult. But Luna was her daughter, so Selene would at least help her.

  I gently took a few loose hairs from Luna’s beautiful silver coat and focused on them. At one time not so long ago, I would’ve had to draw a circle and used runes and focus objects to cast. But my time in Svartalfheim had changed that. I was still getting used to using that aspect of my powers, but casting a locating spell without a circle seemed like pixie play compared to creating a Gateway.

  Focusing on the hairs and calling up a mental image of Fenrir, my mind went deep into the meditative state and suddenly I was looking at the Wolf of Ragnarok. He lay in a cave, somewhere deep in a Wilderness. The wounds from Kukulkan festered across his dark fur. A long gash ran along his right side from his shoulder down to his flank and oozed black pus and blood. Beside him, a beautiful silver wolf who looked like an older version of Luna nudged what appeared to be a bowl with water and a bezoar in it towards him. Fenrir groaned, but the female wolf nipped at his nose. His tongue lolled out of his mouth and touched the water. With a slow lap, he moistened his mouth.

  I held onto that vision and pulled out my smartphone. It showed no network here, which didn’t surprise me. Luckily, I had downloaded the area’s map for offline use. I focused my mind on the map and willed the magic for coordinates. To my astonishment, the app started calculating the route to my destination.

  I looked up at everyone. Tuzren stared in fascination over my spell, and Elryn looked astonished. “How did you do that?” Elryn asked.

  “Only if you both take an oath you will not share what I tell you with anyone.” I looked from Elryn to Tuzren.

  “I swear on my power I will not tell anyone what you share with me in the next five minutes.” Tuzren flew to my shoulder. It was like him to make a decision like that.

  Elryn nodded. “I swear on my power I will not tell anyone what you tell me on how you know where Fenrir is.”

  I nodded, feeling the bind of their magic. I cast a quick silencing spell around us. “Luna is Fenrir’s daughter.”

  “Holy shit! Really?” Tuzren flew to Luna and gave her a hug. “Wow, that would make you ultra-powerful!”

  Elryn stood agape and looked at Luna. “How?”

  “Fenrir has been out of Asgard for some time.” I nodded. “He’s been missing long before we had the fight.”

  “Then, Odin lied to us.”

  “Does that surprise you, given the stories about him?” I looked at her. “I got that from a reputable source. If I had been cleverer, I would’ve figured it out myself. But time moves strangely when it comes to the worlds, which is why we have only seen occasional ice ages.”

  “I’ll be damn. Fenrir’s doing.” Elryn shook her head. “Let’s go find him and see if we can help him.” She looked at me with a bit of newfound respect. “I assume you’ll tell us your plan when we get him.”

  “Yeah.” We walked back to the truck and climbed in.

  ~ * ~

  Despite the lack of Internet, the app that ran offline worked well. I used my technomage skills to tweak it a bit as we drove up the dirt road towards Highway 200 that ran from Missoula to Simms, Montana. The app showed that Fenrir was somewhere in the Scapegoat Wilderness, which held a good portion of the Swan Mountains. I thought about using another Gateway, but I was concerned about possible Trackers.

  It had been risky pulling up a Gateway this close to Fenrir because I knew there’d be Trackers keeping watch, especially for my magical signature. Trackers could take the form of a spell, a tripwire, or even a creature. Some wizards and magical beings could be considered Trackers because they were naturally in-tune with recognizing magical signatures and pinpointing their location. I was okay when it came to recognizing signatures, but my range was pretty limited. I had to be in the proximity of the magic to even hazard a guess whose magic it was.

  Some of the best trackers were Elves, and I suspected that Elryn was a Tracker. She had somehow pinpointed me in Denver when I wasn’t behind shields. I was able to fool her with some spells, but eventually she caught up to me. Lucky for me, she was on my side.

  The road towards Highway 200 was like a winter wonderland filled with large conifers, pines, and spruces. All of them were flocked with snow, making me think of Christmas, even though it was April. I realized that up here, April snow wasn’t a big deal, but given this snow was happening across the world probably made people take notice. We passed a car or two along the road that I later found out was the Garnet Ghost Town Road. Eventually, we popped out on Highway 200.

  Highway 200 is two-lane, but don’t be fooled by that. The speed limit is set at 70 mph and it’s a major route for trucks. While there aren’t as many cars on it as the interstates, it is used enough to merit caution driving it. Not to mention the wildlife, including moose, elk, deer, and bighorn sheep. In other words, it can get pretty sporting.

  Not long after we turned onto Highway 200, my smartphone blipped, telling me that I had a signal, and the map went live. The map readjusted itself and we were riding along and feeling pretty chuffed. I was certain that we had evaded the worst of the creatures looking for Fenrir. Once we got to Seeley Lake, a quaint town between the Swan Mountains and the Mission Mountains, without so much as a Supe showing its face, I guessed we’d be able to use a Gateway to the where the map showed me.

  We parked the Dodge at a local bar and took a side street, where it would be less conspicuous when I opened another Gateway. I took my Vorpal blade out of Elryn’s truck, and Elryn had on her armor and short sword. Luckily, Montana had open carry laws; otherwise I’d have a lot of explaining to do.Not to my surprise, most of the people around looked human, although I caught a few Elves and even an Orc or two going from their cars to the local sho
ps. A few people glanced at Luna as we walked by, probably because being accompanied by a werewolf in these parts was unusual. There were still some old timers who remembered when wolves were hunted up here, so seeing a wolf probably surprised them.

  Once we walked down the road, we walked into a copse of evergreens. I concentrated and pulled up a Gateway. It felt easier, this time, and Elryn nodded, impressed.

  “You’re getting better at this.”

  “Practice makes perfect.” Tuzren landed on my shoulder. “Let’s go find a wolf.”

  I stepped through the Gateway and into a warzone.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “What the fuck? How did they find us?” I stared in horror at the idyllic stream, the majestic peaks along both sides of the little valley, and the feathered serpents in the air and on the ground, attacking the werewolves defending the cave not far from us. While Fenrir may have killed Kukulkan in the Enchanted Forest, the Mayan god must have had enough power to reform his body in RL. At the same time, thousands of Watchers had taken to the skies overhead and swooped down upon the Kukulkan and his serpents, wielding fiery swords and lances as they tried to keep the Mayan gods from taking Fenrir.

  A clarion rang out and suddenly freakin’ angels appeared overhead to combat the Watchers and the Mayan serpents. I stared open-mouthed as I saw Zaphkiel flying shotgun next to what had to be the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Michael was particularly impressive in his modern armor with weaponry as powerful as anything humans devised. He did, however, carry a blazing sword that shown with a blinding white light as he flew directly at the Mayan god and attacked. The Watchers fell back in dismay for a moment, but then I recognized Azazel as he rallied his warriors of fallen angels to attack.

  That’s when the Valkyries appeared, led by none other than Freyja, the goddess of war, and Eir, who was at her side. If Eir was amazingly beautiful, Freyja made her look homely. The goddess had long blonde hair she had plaited into a single braid. Her high cheekbones emphasized her icy-gray eyes, which blazed with a cold light. She wore golden armor that looked remarkably modern, despite the color, but it had enough stylistic touches to harken back to the armor of the Norsemen. She too carried a magic sword that glowed blue as she flew through the air, hacking at the Watchers and feathered serpents as they attacked the angels.

  “Come on! Let’s go!” Elryn shouted above the din. She grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the cave where I was sure Fenrir was hiding.

  “How?” I shouted back.

  “It doesn’t matter! We’ve got to find Fenrir!” Elryn pulled me toward the opening.

  We ran in, Luna right beside us, and Tuzren flying just above us. I casted a mage light to see as we went in deeper.

  That’s when the feathered serpent attacked.

  It struck faster than a rattlesnake strikes, lashing out at us before I could put up a shield. It struck Luna right in the face, injecting its venom into her. Luna yipped and cried out in surprise and pain as the feather serpent retracted and made another quick strike. Elryn brought up her shield and the snake’s fangs skittered across the surface.

  “Luna!” I grasped her as she began to collapse to the cave floor.

  I love you. Her mind whispered in mine before she fell unconscious.

  I screamed in rage. I set her down and leapt at the serpent, ignoring Elryn’s pleas to not do anything foolish. I slashed at the feathered serpent as it tried to strike me, but somehow, I was faster. The Vorpal blade cleaved the serpent’s head off in a splatter of blood and gore.

  “Ironspell, she needs help!” Elryn shouted.

  “Come on, Ironspell!” Tuzren added.

  “Bring her back to Nana now!” I replied. “I’ll follow you with Fenrir.”

  I ran forward with Tuzren following me. We almost tripped over the she-wolf in the cave. “Oh gods.” I knelt beside the she-wolf’s body. She was a huge silver wolf. The fang marks and venom told me all I needed to know. “Selene?”

  The wolf let out a soft whine. Where is my daughter?

  She got bit. I’m having a friend bring her to someone who can heal her.

  You…must…save…Fen… He tongue lolled, a mottled purple, and she took several shuddering breaths.

  At that moment, I heard the sounds of fighting in the mouth of the cave. “Shit!” I turned to Tuzren. “Can you get her back to the Tiny House if I pull up a Gateway?”

  “I don’t think I could carry her.”

  “Grow large.” I raised my hands in exasperation.

  Tuzren cocked his head. “Oh yeah.” With that, he grew in size to about a foot taller than I was. “I keep forgetting I can do that.” He had to hunch over to fit in the cave.

  “Nice.” I conjured the Gateway home and he picked up Selene.

  “I’ll be back to help.” Tuzren stepped through the Gateway, carrying the stricken wolf.

  As soon as the Gateway snapped shut, I heard wings flying towards me. I tossed a hasty shield across the tunnel, knowing it wouldn’t keep the hordes from Hell or the Heavenly Host from breaking through, but it would probably buy me a few precious minutes. I ran deeper into the cave and into one of the tunnels where there was a light.

  The cave necked down into a tunnel that I had to crouch in to get through. When the cavern finally widened, I stopped in horror.

  There in the light of a Valkyrie’s sword was Fenrir. He lay, still wounded from Kukulkan’s venom, his breath raspy. Around his feet and neck was the impossibly strong fetters named Gleipnir, which the gods had used to tie him up so many millennia ago.

  Standing over him was Sigrún. She had just put the last fetter on his leg.

  “What are you doing?” I said, staring at the Valkyrie.

  “Obeying Odin’s orders.” Sigrún smiled sadly. “I’m sorry, Ironspell, but Fenrir has to return to Asgard.”

  I stared at the Valkyrie. “You betrayed me?”

  “I betrayed no one. We are fulfilling the bargain we made with Odin.”

  “But I have a way to stop Ragnarok and keep Fenrir free.” I walked toward her. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

  She shook her head. “Listen, youngster, we have tried many times to stop Ragnarok. We can’t do it. It is better this way.”

  Fenrir groaned. Save Selene… I heard his voice clearly in my head.

  Already done. I glared at the Valkyrie. “Leave him alone.”

  “Or what? You’ll fight me?” Sigrún shook her head. “Go back home, little mortal. You can’t possibly defeat me.”

  Without a word, I charged, brandishing Drowslayer to strike her down.

  Both she and Fenrir vanished.

  At that moment, I felt my shield in the tunnel fall and heard the sound of Watchers as they flew into the cavern where I stood.

  Fuck this shit, I thought as I charged the fallen angels.

  Now I just had to get out alive and pay Odin a visit. I was so seriously going to open a can of whup-ass once I reached Valhalla…

  The End

  The Ironspell Chronicles continue in Oathbreaker, a new novel available in March 2020! Reserve Your Copy Today.

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  Prophecy of Swords

  Chapter One

  Allarun awoke with a start. The cold air from the keep's sole window prickled his sweat-drenched skin. He sat upright for a while, watching the moon's light play among the clouds. The nightmares had come a
gain. It could not be a coincidence.

  He drew himself out of bed and slid into the silken clothing. Cold finery, he reflected thoughtfully. How different it was now from those days on the battlefield. He had never been haunted by nightmares then – the world had been remarkably real. Life and death. Living and dead. Friendship and betrayal…

  He almost flinched, but caught himself. It was a long time ago, he told himself. Lachlan was gone – his ashes scattered and long buried beneath the Darkling Plain. The Eleion were but a scattered race among the Ansgar. There would be no more war.

  Then, why do you dream?

  Why indeed? Allarun strode to the window and gazed out into the night. He leaned against the stone; strong, slender fingers gripped the railing. He was tall, even by Eleion standards. Slender to the point of bony – the years had not been kind. At one time, he might have been considered handsome, but now he was wan and withdrawn. The dark mane, once full and flowing, was now lackluster and brittle. His face was angular and pale, but his eyes were still dark and held a hungry fire within. That fire now searched for something.

  In the distance, the storm clouds had gathered. Lightning flashed, lighting up the cloudbanks. The thunder rumbled muted, as though the silence weighed heavily upon it. But Allarun knew the wind. The storm would head this way. It always did.

  “This is the third time this week,” a soft, female voice said.

  Allarun turned. His gaze fell upon a small woman in crimson robes. Cascades of golden curls flowed from beneath the hood as she gazed into his eyes with her own steady green ones. “I did not summon you,” he remarked, not bothering to hide the irritation that crept into his voice.

  “No, you did not,” she said as she closed the door and strode into the room. A delicately painted fingernail traced the crystal ball that sat on the stand near the bed. “My Lord, I am indeed surprised. I would have thought the Sight would not have left you.”