Wyrmrider Justice: An Underwater Magic Urban Fantasy (The Fomorian Wyrmriders Book 3)

by Theophilus Monroe

  He had a long, gray beard. His eyes were ablaze with something like fire. He looked at me curiously, his head tilted to his left.

  In a booming voice, he spoke—again, in a language I didn't understand.

  I bit my lip. "English, por favor?"

  The man, who I presumed must've been a king, narrowed his blazing eyes. "Who are you, and why do you seek the Totem of Hafgufa?"

  "I am La Sirene, Queen of Fomoria," I said, discerning that for once, using my formal title and semi-divine name might serve me better than my human one.

  "Of Fomoria, you say?" the king asked.

  "I am the wife of Met Agwe, Loa of the Sea."

  The king stood from his throne and, leaning his sword against, it walked toward me. He was tall, probably closer to seven than six feet. He placed his hand on my cheek and peered into my eyes.

  "So it is true," the king said. "Which of Fomoria's outposts do you rule?"

  "In the Caribbean," I said.

  "And what of King Conand?"

  "Dead," I said. "I am his successor."

  "I see," the king said, looking at the Valkyre, who was still holding me by the shackles he'd affixed to my wrists. "Let her go."

  I heard a snap, and my wrists were free. I shook them a little. "Thank you."

  "As you might already know, I am Odin. If you are married to Njord, I presume you have a good reason to seek to Totem of Hafgufa."

  "Njord?" I asked. "I said my husband is Met Agwe."

  "Your husband has been revered by many people. The seas cover the world. The deities of the sea are known by many names. You, too, I assume, will be known by other names and, indeed, for things you may not have even yet done in the past, there are likely names you're already known by to others that you are yet to realize. To you and the people who revere you, your husband is Agwe. To our people, he has always been known as Njord."

  "I didn't know that about him," I said.

  "I suppose there are many things he does not yet know of you, La Sirene."

  "Yeah, but nothing like that." I rolled my eyes. "At least I was never a goddess to some other people. When you're getting to know someone isn't that something you share? You cover the exes, the family details, what you do for a living, any hobbies, and whether you used to get worshiped by whole societies and cultures. You know, the standard stuff."

  "Perhaps he shall tell you of his adventures in good time. Be that as it may, why do you seek the totem?"

  "Fomoria faces a threat that we cannot defeat on our own," I said.

  "What sort of threat?" Odin asked.

  "The world-ending kind of threat," I said. "A powerful caplata, a witch, she's harnessed a fleet of ships, ghost ships, and she's only growing her armada by the day. She intends to assault Fomoria and, after that, probably the rest of the world."

  "Can you be certain that this is her intention?"

  I nodded. "She's been behind two other threats, unleashing the voidbringer on our world and infecting the sea with zombie sharks."

  "Zombie sharks?" the king asked, raising his eyebrow.

  "Dead sharks, reanimated, under her command. A contagious bite. They bite anything, the infection spreads."

  "I see."

  "I've stopped her twice. But this time, what she's doing, I'm powerless to thwart. She harnesses untold quantities of magic. She shares my ability to siphon and amplify any magic she takes."

  "And you believe that if the Kraken is revived, it will be drawn to her power?"

  I nodded. "Right. At least, that's the plan. If the Kraken takes her power, so much as I understand, she won't be able to siphon it back."

  "The Kraken allies with no one," Odin said. "If it is released, it will seek only what it desires."

  "I understand that, but I'm hoping that the Kraken will find the caplata's power irresistible."

  "You hope," Odin said, huffing. "Many who've awakened the Kraken before have had such hopes. I am not aware of a single time when the beast behaved according to what was hoped."

  "Be that as it may, we're short on options. Every other plan we've come up with is doomed to fail. This one, at least, has a chance to succeed."

  "And should your plan fail, are you willing to sacrifice yourself as your husband did before?"

  I furrowed my brow. "Agwe sacrificed himself to the Kraken?"

  "He has not told you of this?"

  I shook my head. "I knew he was petrified at the whole idea of awakening the Kraken. But he didn't speak of it."

  "In what I presume is a previous host, inhabited by your husband, he gave himself to the Kraken to satiate its power."

  "Why would he do that?" I asked.

  "For more reason than one. What's important is that by offering himself, he saved many lives, many of the Nordic people. Those who once revered us as their gods. In honor of his sacrifice, we agreed to guard the Totem. We promised never to allow anyone to awaken the Kraken again."

  I bit my lip. "Agwe said you left. You abandoned your people."

  "They no longer honored us," Odin said. "Even after all we gave them. So, we retreated to Valhalla. But we have continued to guard the Totem of Rufgrufa no less."

  "I'm sure Agwe appreciates that given what he did to put the thing to rest," I said. "But we need the Totem now."

  "Many have come, petitioning us for the Totem. To date, all such requests have been denied. Only Agwe, himself, could possibly convince us to do otherwise."

  "But I'm his wife," I said. "I come in his stead."

  "I admit, you present us with a curious dilemma."

  I shrugged my shoulders. "I can make it easier for you. Just let me take the damn thing."

  Odin laughed. "I can see why Agwe likes you."

  "Most of the time," I said. "Sometimes I'm a pain in his ass."

  "I can certainly see that, as well! If we agree to this, La Sirene, we will consider our duty to guard the totem complete. The responsibility for it will fall on you."

  "Understandable," I said. "I'm sure these nice fellows here have better things to do than hang out in a watery hole all the time."

  "And I must ask you for one more favor."

  "What is that?" I asked.

  "You can see the dead, can you not?"

  "How'd you know that?" I asked. "You could see it in my eyes?"

  "You told me of ghost ships," Odin said. "I presumed it to be the case."

  I nodded. I wasn't exactly sure how the king would react if he knew I had the aspect of Baron Samedi within me. Maybe he already knew. But if he didn't, well, just because Odin was fond of Agwe, it didn't mean he thought well of other Loa. The Ghede, like Baron Samedi, aren't exactly known for their skill in winning friends and influencing others. "Why do you ask?"

  Odin put his hand on my shoulder. "Through the centuries, many mighty warriors who once served me and my kin have fallen on the sea. Many, over time, have found their way to Valhalla. But there is one whose spirit was once cursed in death by Njord, your husband. This servant of mine has known no rest, and I would like to see him returned to Valhalla. Since we've honored your husband's sacrifice for centuries, and this lost soul remains so on account of your husband's actions, I may be willing to grant you the Totem in the stead of your husband if you can correct this wrong that Njord, Agwe, has done."

  I cocked my head. "If he cursed this man, I'm sure Agwe had a reason."

  Odin chuckled. "My Valkyrie reported to me, before you even entered the caste of the Kraken, that you came commanding a sea dragon."

  "A wyrm, yes," I said.

  "I would like for you to harness the spirit of Nagga, a sea dragon of like kind, and bring him to me."

  "My husband once cursed a wyrm?" I asked.

  "Nagga was a mighty serpent. Three times the size of the one you've tamed. The oldest of all his kind. He fed on krakens and leviathans. Your husband, in league with the Grey King, slew Nagga. Had he not done so, he would not have had to sacrifice himself to defeat the Kraken before. Your husband's sacrifice was no
t merely an act of heroism. He offered himself to atone for his error. His life, for the Nagga. But we honored Njord no less. It took many centuries before he could make good on his promise and atone for his deed. While we deem your husband guiltless and revere his sacrifice, the spirit of Nagga still haunts the sea. Many have tried, including my own son, Thor, to tame Nagga's spirit. All have failed."

  "It sounds to me like Nagga doesn't want to be taken anywhere."

  "Nagga, when he died, was consumed with rage. He refused to return to the void."

  "We could open the void for him again," I said.

  Odin shook his head. "We would like Nagga to join us in Valhalla. We gods of old may no longer dwell on the earth, La Sirene. Perhaps, one day, you will return to Guinee and decide to remain in our realm. But you are not the only one who seeks to prevent the end of the world."

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  "Your husband is not the only god of old who is revered by many names. The vodousiants who revere you, La Sirene, honor me likewise by the name of Bondye."

  I cocked my head. "You created the world?"

  Odin nodded my head. "From the remains of the giant, Ymir. Out of the void, we called one of the great serpents. Those you refer to as the wyrm."

  "And that was Nagga?" I asked.

  "He came forth at that time, but the one I speak of is his brother, Jörmungandr. He remains in the world, though, like Nagga, only as a spirit. His body spans the circumference of the world and, encircling Midgard, he bit his tail, and it is his energy, his spirit, that holds the earth together."

  "So this wyrm has been chomping on its own tail forever? And I thought eating grits two days in a row got old."

  "The earth is young," Odin said. "At least from our perspective. It has not been so long as you imagine. For a creature of the void, what is time?"

  "And what does Nagga have to do with this?" I asked.

  "The spirit of Nagga seeks to coax his brother's spirit to let go of its tail and return with him to the void. By so doing, Nagga hopes to unleash Ragnarok."

  "What's that?"

  "You might also know it as the apocalypse. The end of the world, La Sirene."

  "So you're saying if this sea serpent up and decides he's done eating his own ass, the world will go to hell?"

  "In not so many words, yes."

  "And what good will it do to bring Nagga to you?"

  "We hope to quell his rage, to give him peace, and prevent him from swaying Jörmungandr with his fury."

  "And this will stop Ragnarok?" I asked.

  Odin shrugged. "Stop it? Probably not. But it will delay it. One day, La Sirene, the world will end. I presume you and I agree, however, that we'd prefer to keep that day in the very distant future."

  I nodded. "Sounds like something I could get on board with."

  "I thought you might."

  "So, how do I do it?"

  "You've already shown that you can wield our power," Odin said. "Usually, when my Valkyries bring me an intruder such as yourself, they must slay him first. But you opened the gates to Valhalla of your own accord."

  "I did?" I asked, scratching my head.

  Odin smiled, places his hand on my chest, and channeled more golden magic into me. I inhaled, drawing it in. "Take this gift and use it, once you've found Nagga, and if he allows you to mount him, you can open the gates of Valhalla. My son, Thor, will meet you in Midgard to bring Naaga back to me. He will also deliver you the totem in exchange."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  BACK IN MERMAID form, I kicked my tail and wiggled my way out of the cave in the middle of the Kraken's shell.

  "Did you get it?" Cleo asked.

  "Not exactly," I said.

  "What happened?"

  "The Norse gods stand in protection of the totem," I said. "Hence, the Valkyrie. Anyway, they'll give me the totem if we do something for them."

  "What do we have to do?"

  "Nammu," I said. "Ever hear of a wyrm by the name of Nagga?"

  Nammu cocked her head. Of course, La Sirene. He was among the first of us, as was I. That is before he was taken from the void. Nagga was my husband once.

  "Your husband?" I asked.

  I only mated with Ruach after Nagga vanished... do you know something about where he is?

  "He is dead," I said. "A spirit, like Enki. And he wanders these waters. We must return him to the old gods. If we don't, well, it sounds like it might mean the end of the world."

  "I'm not sure what Nammu is saying to you," Cleo said. "But it sounds to me like we have to save the world on our way to saving the world?"

  I chuckled. "Yeah, that's exactly what we have to do."

  We have to find him!

  "Nammu, there's one more thing you should know."

  What is it, La Sirene?

  "Apparently, Nagga was killed by an old god who used to be called Njord. We know him better as Agwe."

  Your husband killed my husband?

  "It was a long time ago," I said. "We don't know the whole story. But it falls on me, on all of us, to help Nagga find rest. If he continues to rage, I was told, he'll convince his brother to release his tail."

  Jörmungandr?

  "Yes. He holds our world together. If Nagga succeeds, if he convinces his brother to join him in his fury, the earth will fall apart."

  I don't know... if I see Nagga again... so many old feelings.

  "I know this might be hard for you to do, Nammu. For what it's worth, I'm married to Agwe now. But I still love Elijah, even though I know we can never be together. My love for Elijah does not mean I cannot learn to love Agwe, too. The fates have directed us in ways we'd never have known. But the fates have also given us a chance to save the world, several times over now."

  "Tell my mother I understand," Enki said. "But if this Nagga is truly her first husband, and he loves her still, she might be the only one who can dispel his anger."

  I nodded. "Enki wants you to know he understands that this might be painful. But if Nagga still has feelings for you, you might be the only one who can win him over."

  He's right. I know he's right. Just hearing his name again. I didn't even realize I still loved him. It sounds like he's hurting. He's in pain. I will do what I can.

  "Do you know where we can find Nagga?" Cleo asked.

  "I think so," I said. "Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

  "How about the good news?" Cleo asked.

  "I'm pretty sure I know where he is. I think I've seen him."

  "And the bad news?"

  "When I saw him, he was with Nephtalie's fleet.

  "Why didn't you mention this before? A wyrm in their fleet?"

  I shook my head. "I barely saw it. I was so far away, I thought my mind was playing tricks with me. It disappeared as quick as it appeared, and there were so many ships I figured I must've been mistaken. But now, I think I know what Nephtalie is up to."

  "She's not hoping to assault Fomoria at all, is she?"

  I shook my head. "I believe she's recruited Nagga, and she intends to use him and her fleet to assault the Midgard serpent."

  "Her goal has always been to end the world, to remake it as she saw fit."

  "If we do lure Nagga from her fleet, which won't be easy. We might stop her from going after the Midgard serpent. But you can be sure that she'll come after us first thing."

  "How are we going to lure him out of the fleet?" Cleo asked.

  "When I boarded the ghost ship the first time, it was like I entered their world. If Nammu and I enter the fleet, Nagga will see us both. I can only hope if he sees Nammu, if they see each other, he will follow us and leave Nephtalie behind."

  "But what if Nephtalie catches you?"

  "I'm sure she'd love to," I said. "Two siphons together, we could amplify each other's magic again."

  "Which would only make her stronger," Cleo said.

  I nodded. "Then we have to be sure we don't get caught."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
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br />   I DON'T THINK it was a mistake that we'd first encountered Nephtalie's fleet in the Bermuda Triangle. I suspected that Nagga had been there for some time, drawing on energy as spirits might to manifest. Thus, sinking ships, downing planes, whatever. It struck me if Nephtalie had gathered Nagga into her fleet, she'd probably grown her fleet from more than new boats she'd claimed, but she'd gathered the spirits of others who'd died there over the years. I suspected it already. Some of the ships there looked old, perhaps other pirate ships even, like the one she was aboard herself. Nephtalie was probably using Nagga to do it. An angry, vengeful spirit. Now, given an opportunity by Nephtalie to gather more power and convince his brother to let loose of his tail that the earth might fail.

  That also explained why after centuries of being a ghost, Nagga hadn't managed to end the world yet. He needed more power. Nephtalie could give it to him by rallying the ghost ship armada. And she needed him—to lead her to his brother, to help him destroy the world.

  I'd just assumed that Fomoria was her target. But Nephtalie had been thwarted by us twice before. If she could avoid us, this time, it made sense. End the world first, and destroying Fomoria and me would be par for the course.

  I'd still need the Kraken. Even if we took Nagga and ruined her master plan, she'd still have her ghost fleet. She still could wreak some havoc and, possibly, destroy the world even if we managed to take Nagga back to Valhalla. While Odin assumed we were each trying to stop Ragnarok, the end of the world, in different ways, facing different threats, in truth, we had the same enemy. But Odin wasn't wise to what was really going on. He might not have known that Nephtalie was connected to Nagga's intentions, but I put the pieces together.

  I didn't know much about the Norse gods. All I knew about Thor and them was from the Marvel movies. Probably not true to fact. Even so, as cool as it was to meet Odin, the prospect of actually meeting Thor after returning to Valhalla had me a little excited. Sure, the real Thor might not be as hot as Chris Hemsworth. But it would still be pretty awesome, no less. Call me a fangirl. I might be a married demigoddess, but that didn't mean I couldn't have a harmless crush on other gods.