Dead Embers (23 page)

Turning the cloak invisible side out, I folded it carefully
and placed it in the rich purpled silk that lined the inside of the box. I shut
the lid, and though there was no lock, I was pretty sure nobody would dare
touch Brunhilde's possessions but me.

Satisfied the cloak was safe from prying eyes, I set out for
the food hall. Hunger clenched my stomach in a twisted fist, urging me on.

Just the odd flickering torch lit the empty hallways. I'd
just rushed past a passage that headed off to my left when an odd sound drew my
attention back to it. I hesitated, hunger twisting my gut and urging me onward,
but with all the abductions and escapes we'd experienced, it made sense to
check. I turned back and stepped softly, heel to toe, heel to toe, until I reached
the wall.

Peeking around the corner, I got the shock of my life. The
source of the strange sound gave a low soft laugh and tightened her arms, which
were slung around Joshua's neck. He leaned against the stone wall, completely
at her mercy. And he seemed to be enjoying the attention. Enjoying it too much,
as far as I could see. My stomach twisted again, but this time it felt like a
punch in the gut. I blinked and released my grip on my sword hilt, unsure why I
felt so off balance.

It really was cool to see Joshua head over heels with
someone, cooler still that his new flame was Mika, who had been firmly at my
side all these weeks.

But as cool as it all was, no way did I want to stick around
and watch them make out. A final glance confirmed they were way too busy to
notice me. I turned back and went off in search of food.

***

I didn't get far. It seemed I'd been spotted after all.
Footsteps thudded rapidly behind me, and I popped a glance over my shoulder to
see a red-faced Mika racing after me. The hazy form of Joshua lingered in the
distance. Clearly, he wasn't eager to find out if I was okay. Knowing Joshua,
he'd be far too embarrassed to face me.

"Bryn, I do apologize. We did not mean for you to see
that."

"That's cool with me, Mika. I know what kissing is all
about." I smirked, but my stomach spasmed again, closer to my heart. I
thought of Aidan, unconscious and waiting within his poisoned slumber.

Mika flushed. "So what did Thor say?" she asked.
"You were out on the balcony together for a very long time." She
sidled up to me and linked her arm with mine, her tone playful.

Her eyes widened as I gave her a brief rundown, skimming
over the existence of the dwarf queen's goblet. Thoughts of my instructions to
kill the dwarf queen simmered on the tip of my tongue, but I clamped my jaw
shut, recalling Thor's warning. He'd been so clear about not trusting anyone,
and here I was already blabbing my mouth off to a girl whom I still hardly
knew. Stupid.

Or was I being silly? This was Fen's daughter. Of course I
could trust her. What reason did I have not to? She'd been constantly at my
side, saving my ass and protecting me.

Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed, as if she suspected I held
something back. After a brief silence, she said, "Very well, then. Do not
leave without me."

I looked sharply at Mika. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I am coming with you. Do you really think I
will let you go off on such a dangerous mission without protection? Without
backup?" She scowled at me, as if I were a little child and needed to be told
off for my naiveté.

Despite her friendly smile, a river of trepidation slid up
my spine, sending little warnings shooting off to my brain. Thor had told me
not to trust anyone. That really did mean anyone—which meant
anyone
included Mika. But my friend was offering to come with me, to help me, to be
there to protect me. How could I be so ungrateful as to say no?

And how blessed was I? I actually had people in my life that
would go to such lengths to help, to put their lives on the line just for me.
Gone were the times when I was so lonely, so adrift, without an anchor to hold
to me in place. Here in Asgard I had found happiness and security at last.

Joshua still lurked in the passage, his face distorted by
shadows. I sent him a tiny, annoyed wave. He should have been the one ready to
sacrifice himself for me, to come along and protect me. If Joshua had offered,
I wouldn't have wasted a second hesitating. I would've jumped at the
opportunity. I almost clicked my tongue, annoyed with myself for being annoyed
with Joshua. So many things had happened in the last few weeks for both of
us—not all of them good.

Was Joshua still a little mad at me? Surely he'd gotten over
my stupid loss of control during our stupid sword-practice session. We hadn't
talked about it since it had happened. I'd just wanted to forget about that
strange surge of power that had flooded my muscles, that strange wave of
violent power that had taken me over in mind and in body. I'd almost killed
him.

I shook my head, replacing those morbid thoughts with my
current problem: the object of Joshua's affections, and an offer I found
difficult to refuse, despite Thor's words of warning which still curled in my
ears.

"What is there to think about, Bryn?" she asked,
eyes narrowed again, forehead scrunched in a disapproving, almost disappointed
frown.

A twinge of guilt rippled through me. I was being an
ungrateful witch. A smile crept across my face. "I'm sorry. Of course you
can come with."

And if Thor disapproved, too bad.

***

With the thought of decapitation foremost in my mind, I
figured food would be the last thing I wanted. I was wrong. Asgard's food was
nothing to sniff at, and all I craved was delicious roast beef and fresh bread.

After a hearty meal, I headed back to my room to regroup.
With armor and weapons readily available, the only thing I seriously lacked was
courage. Throwing a last glance around, I tugged the strap on my satchel and
threw Thor's gift of invisibility over my arm. Time to get on with it. The evil
witch waits for no Valkyrie.

Mika and I met at the Bifrost entrance, where the warmth of
the great fire flitted through the stray strands of our hair. Bellies full,
strength and arms replenished, we stood at the entrance to the Bridge of the
Gods, ready to walk straight into what legend claimed was pretty much another
Hel.

Swartelfheim. The realm of the dwarf race.

I smoothed down the lapels of my coat and tightened my belt.
Although it wasn't at all necessary, I wore Midgardian clothing over my Glasir
Kevlar: dark jeans and a short leather jacket. They gave me a certain comfort I
refused to pick apart. I belonged to Asgard, but also to Midgard. Waste of time
trying to tear myself apart trying to be something I'm not. I guess I was both.

I carried the Cloak of Darkness over my arm, carefully
concealing it, as Thor had done before he'd revealed to me, sitting there on
his arm in plain sight. The cloak's outer layer of invisibility folded around
itself, rendering it totally unseen. Unseen, yes, but if someone accidentally
brushed against it, the cloak's rich silkiness would give it away. I didn't
want to take any chances.

I hugged the cloak close, watching Mika as she packed her
bag full of weapons. When she looked away, I quickly rolled the cloak up and
stuffed it into my satchel, then slung that over my shoulder. For some strange
reason, I didn't want to reveal all my cards before we left. Probably Thor's
warning knocking on my frickin' conscience. I was still worried. I'd agreed to
take her along even though Thor had said this was my mission—mine alone. But I
guess I could do with the company.

Mika slipped her satchel onto her shoulder, metal clinking
softly inside the leather bag. "Ready?"

I gave her a sharp, businesslike nod and drew closer to the
doorway. The entrance to the Bifrost swirled in the middle of the room, molten
ether turning and twisting and waiting for us to enter.

We stepped in together. I stiffened, holding my body hard
against the twisting pull of the bridge as it drew us across realms and across
time to our destination. A strange magic lived inside the Bridge of the Gods.
Its ability to identify your destination without being told fascinated me no
end. Beyond any technology modern Midgard possessed. Wow.

We reappeared at the foot of a dead tree that towered over
us; leafless branches reached overhead like ghostly arms threatening to steal
us into the night.

Disconcerting.

A murky, insipid twilight shrouded our arrival; the strange
moon, a thin, hazy sliver, hung low in a burnished sky, furtively peering down
on us.

I stared into the gloom, pulling my jacket close against
rude fingers of cold. Vague, shadowy shapes promised a dense forest of
wooden-fingered trees ahead, spreading out far into the distance. I swallowed
hard, unable to make out an easy path through the menacing black forest.
Flicking Mika a beckoning glance, I slipped between thick tree trunks and
wended my way through the growing darkness.

I spent the next few minutes dodging broken branches that I
could have sworn reached out to tug at my hair, or weaved and swayed just to
hinder my progress. At last, I ducked around the final tree and let go of a
breath I hadn't realized I'd held all the while.

Surveying the area, I was supremely relieved to find a wide
clearing at the foot of a monstrous granite mountainside made of night and
shadows. Even the sparse moonlight failed to reflect on its rocky face.

Mika poked a finger into my arm and pointed ahead. Straight
across the clearing, and carved into the base of the dark mountain, sat a
gigantic doorway, like the shadowed stone jaws of a sleeping granite beast.

I studied the monstrous entrance. A towering lintel curved
at the top of the arch, edged all the way around by a thick strip of carved
letters. Ancient Norse again. I squinted, trying to make sense of the words.

When Mika jabbed me in the ribs and pulled me down, I
scowled at her, only to quickly realize my error. In my fascination with the
dwarfish inscriptions, I'd stepped forward, away from the cover of the trees,
without realizing. "Careful!" Mika whispered, her words edged with a
guttural growl. Though still annoyed, I mouthed an apology.

Together we scrutinized the terrain and planned our
approach. A pair of huge, dark granite doors filled the entrance, very much shut
to the world. The doors towered, carved into the shape of two large, rough
trunks. It would've been easy to believe the ancient Swartelfheim builders had
taken two monstrous trees and turned them to stone before using them as doors.
Amazing sculpting skills. I was very impressed.

So impressed, I almost missed the guard.

Almost.

The crunch of stones beneath his thick boots drew my
attention to him. Short, squat and roped with muscles. For a brief hysterical
second I imagined this miniature, manlike creature pumping iron in a fancy New
York gym. Glistening with sweat on his hairy body, wearing too tight gym shorts
and grunting loud enough to draw annoyed stares. Too funny.

His entire demeanor screamed
don't mess with me
—bow
and arrow at his back, daggers dotting his belt, even the hilt of a short spear
sticking out of his little boot. He twisted in place, facing the opposite
doorpost, then made a short march across.

Even blanketed in darkness, pockmarked with shadows, his
face troubled me: heavily jowled, bushy haired, fat and sad. Yes, a sadness
definitely creased his lumpy face. Or perhaps I felt a little empathy toward
the poor prince whose mother had stolen away his kingdom and relegated him to
door warden. What a life. It must suck to have everything taken from you by
your own mother. Talk about total emasculation.

He focused on the forest of ghostly arms, studying the
shadows for possible intruders. I huddled closer to the ground, hoping the
encroaching gloom would hide me. For one horrible second he stared straight at
me, as if he'd seen me cowering behind the tree trunk, watching him. But then
he spun on his heel and made his little march across to the other end of the
doorway again. One more march in a lifetime of marches.

Mika pulled me down beside her. "Right, we have to get
him away from the door." Her whispered words were soft against my ears.

It was time to go undercover. Thor may have handed down his
don't-trust-anyone law, but I certainly didn't see him hanging around to give
me a hand. Besides, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. I whispered back
to Mika, "I have something that can get us there safely."

Mika raised one delicate eyebrow, an action that asked,
"Now what?" I dug into my satchel and withdrew what probably looked
like nothing to her.

She scowled. "What are you doing?"

Then she had to swallow a squeak as I threw the cloak around
me and did a quick disappearing act. I leaned against the solid, rough bark of
the tree trunk and stifled a giggle as her eyes goggled in amazement. She reached
out, running her fingers across the cloak, still unable to see what lay
beneath.

"I do not believe it," she whispered in soft
amazement, her eyes gleaming with wonder. "I never would have thought it
was real. Where did you get it?"

I pulled the cloak off me and shuffled to my knees, giving a
quick shrug. "It was given to me for the journey. And it looks like we're
going to need it."

I examined the clearing again, glad that the solid, packed
dirt wouldn't show footprints. It would be a total fail if we scurried across
the clearing leaving ghostly footprints as we went.

"Come on," I said. "We need to get in
quickly."

Mika rose and huddled beneath the cloak. Strangely, the
expanse of fabric suddenly seemed large enough for both of us.

We walked slowly, one tiny step at a time. The plan was to
approach the doorway and wait until the guards changed. Thor had said they
changed twice a day, after sunset and after sunrise. I assumed this soupy gloom
meant it was one or the other here in the dwarfs' realm. A glimpse of the
horizon in the distance behind us revealed the last of what looked like a
sunset streaking across the darkening skies.