Mimir's Well (The Oracles of Kurnugi Book 3) (17 page)

CHAPTER 34

            
 
T
he giant who led them out of the castle didn't give a name and never spoke a word. Henry found himself wondering if he'd be able to fight this giant if he had to. The thought held a peculiar joy, and his hand moved toward his hilt almost of his own accord. He forced himself to put that thought away. It refused to disappear entirely though, and he couldn't help but imagine the giant whimpering before him like Litr had at the end. It was a strangely satisfying thought.

              True to Thrym's word, the cold didn't touch Henry. Even sheathed, he never felt anything more than a mild chill. Andromeda was having an easier time of it as well. It still hurt to move, but that was only as a result of falling off of Bifrost and not of this land slowly killing them.

              "Have you given any thought to what you'll do once we reach Asgard," Andromeda asked.

              For some reason, the question annoyed him, and he sneered. "Find Idun and stop her."

              "Just like that?"

              "Just like that."

              "Have you considered that Asgard is a world, every bit as large as Midgard? You can't just assume you'll find the way."

              "I've found the way so far," Henry said.

              "And look where it's brought us."

              "It hasn't always been so bad."

              Andromeda stopped in her tracks and gaped at him. She had to run to catch up. "Henry, we were just thrown off a bridge between worlds and landed in one the worst realms in all of existence."

              The giant grunted. Andromeda glanced at him but otherwise ignored him. Henry's hand twitched toward his hilt, but he stopped himself. The giant just plodded on, and Henry gave Andromeda a sidelong glance. She smirked, and though the giant gave no other obvious response, Henry could've sworn he picked up the pace a little. Before long, they came over the crest of a hill. A wide river ran from horizon to horizon. A thick bank of fog obscured the opposite shore. The water churned so much; the entire surface was white with foam. Jagged rocks poked out of the water at irregular intervals, any one of them could probably split a man in two if carried by such a strong current. It was as if the river had a set of mismatched teeth just waiting to chomp down on human flesh.

              "Asgard lies on the other side of the Ifngr," the giant said. Then, it turned to go.

              "Wait, how are we supposed to get across that?" Henry asked.

              "That's not my problem," it said as it disappeared down the hill.

              Henry's hand closed around his hilt before he realized he'd done it. He took a step forward before Andromeda put a hand on his arm. He almost pulled away and ran after the giant, envisioning thrusting his sword through its back. He shook his head free of the idea and nodded.

              "Well, he sure was helpful," Henry glanced at the departing giant before looking at Andromeda. "Any ideas?"

              "Let's go down," she said. "Maybe we can ford it."

              The hill was steep enough that they took ten minutes to reach the bottom. Henry could see a lot of other ways the giant could've brought them that would've been easier, and he began to suspect they'd been brought this way because of resentment over Andromeda's comment about how bad this realm was.

              As it turned out, the river was even stronger than it had looked from atop the hill. Henry put his foot in to the ankle. He very nearly lost his balance to the strength of the current.

              "So that won't work," he said.

              "How deep do you think it is?"

              Henry drew his sword and knelt down. He stretched out his arm and sank the blade into the water, but the blade didn't reach the bottom of the river. He looked at Andromeda and shrugged. He started to pull out the sword, but stopped. A small island of ice had formed where the blade met the water. He pulled the sword out another inch, but ice remained where it was, growing ever larger. It reached about two feet in diameter before the growth stopped. About an inch of the edge closest to him had anchored itself on the shore. He drew the sword out.

              "Well, that's interesting," he said.

              He stood up and pressed against the ice with his foot. The edge broke away, swept up by the water. It smashed against a rock a little ways away. Henry put the sword over the water and looked at Andromeda.

              "You can't be serious."

              For a moment, the comment annoyed him, but he forced it to the back of his mind. "I don't see you offering any better ideas."

              Andromeda scanned the shore of the river, but there was snow as far as they could see. There was nothing to build a raft or boat from, no bridge in sight. Finally, she met his eyes, let out a long breath, and nodded. Wishing he were as confident as he was pretending to be, Henry drove his sword down where water met shore. Again, ice formed. Once it had stopped growing, he moved his sword through it. The ice gave no more resistance than water, and his blade passed through it without damaging it. Once he had a line six feet wide, he moved the blade into the river and put one foot on the slowly growing ice bridge. He pressed down several times, but it seemed solid. Holding his breath, he put his full weight on it. He half expected it to crack, but it held. He took a step forward and Andromeda followed him.

              Water spilling onto the surface of the ice made it slippery, and they proceeded with agonizing slowness. The shore behind them disappeared into the fog before the one in front of them was visible. Andromeda yelped, and he turned just in time to see the frozen amulet Thrym had given her melt, wetting her clothes.

              "I guess we're out of Jotunheim. Are you cold?"

              "A little." There was the slightest hint of steam in her breath. "I won't freeze to death, though."

              He took off his cloak and handed it to her. The sword probably wouldn't protect him against heat, but served well enough against the cold. After pressing on for another fifteen minutes, he thought he saw a shadow on the horizon. It took another few minutes for him to be sure.

              "Finally," he said, pointing the shore.

              As if it had been waiting for that moment, the ice behind him cracked. The bridge shuttered. Henry forced the sword forward, trying to reach the shore, but it was too far, and the sword could only freeze water so fast. A section of the bridge ten feet across came loose, and they shot down the river. The current sent them into a spin, and Henry didn't notice the large rock until they'd slammed into it. Most of the ice shattered, and they plunged into the river.

              Swimming was impossible. The current was too strong and it twisted him too fast for him to gather his bearings. He couldn't tell which way was up and started choking on the water. He held his sword with a death grip, willing it to freeze more water to give him something to hold on to, but he was moving too fast. A shadow appeared, though he wasn't sure if it was above or below. Needle-like claws gripped his arm and pulled him. He tried to struggle against it, fearing it would drag him under, but it held fast. Just when he thought he would pass out, his face plopped into the muddy ground of the shore, and the claws released him. Coughing, he managed to sit up and wipe the water from his eyes. He had to blink several times to clear his vision. Andromeda was lying next to him. A black bird half as tall as Henry himself perched near Andromeda's arm. Henry closed his eyes and searched his memory for the name.

              "Huginn?"

              The bird's caw sounded somehow angry, and Henry found himself backing away until he bumped into something. He turned around and saw a second bird, just as big as the other. It cocked its head.

              "Are you sure these are the right humans, Huginn?" the first one asked. "This one doesn't even know the difference between you and me."

              "They're only humans, Muninn," Huginn said. "You can't expect too much of them. You have to admit that was a clever way to cross the river."

              "I don't see how drowning is clever," Muninn said.

              "That part wasn't deliberate," Henry said.

              "Yes well, it never is. Still the idea was clever. It almost worked. Where did you get an ice blade anyway?"

              "Where do you think he got it from, Huginn?" Muninn asked. "They did just come over from Jotunheim. I swear you're as bad as humans sometimes."

              Muninn squawked, but Huginn chirped in a way that sounded almost like a laugh. Henry got up and walked to Andromeda. She was unconscious again. Grimly, he wondered how many times he had saved her life. He shook her gently, and she opened her eyes and smiled.

              "I guess we made it."

              Henry smirked and offered her a hand up. "It was close there for a second. Are you alright?"

              "I think so."

              "Good," he said as they turned away from the river and looked into the home of the gods.

CHAPTER 35

            
 
A
sgard was beautiful: a verdant garden that looked like it had never known a rough hand or harsh weather. Flowers of every size shape and color were arranged in neat rows according to their type, and they filled the air with mix of smells that made him feel-light headed. Butterflies as big as hawks floated from flower to flower. Nearby stood a tree with golden leaves that glimmered in the sun. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves giving the impression of music. Behind the tree stood a massive castle of yellow stone. One great tower rose on the side nearest the river, and a wall that had to be a hundred feet tall surrounded the castle. A gate of black iron stood open and a stone path wound from it, leading deeper into Asgard. Henry took one step toward the castle, but one of the birds landed in front of him.

              "I would not go in there if I were you, Mortal," Huginn said. "Once one crosses the threshold of Valhalla, he may not leave save at Odin's call."

              Henry's jaw dropped. "That's Valhalla?"

              The raven nodded, which was a peculiar gesture for a bird. "Where fallen heroes do battle against each other until the day Odin summons them to war. It's empty now, in any case."

              "They're still at the battle against the kings," Henry said.

              Once again the bird nodded. "No one expected them to last this long. Your allies are to be commended. I take it you want to go see the gods."

              "If that's where Idun is," Henry said.

              They passed a few other castles, which the ravens identified as halls belonging to various gods, but Asgard itself seemed empty save for the occasional bird and butterfly. The wind carried a gentle heat. As they walked through the garden, it was difficult to believe so much hatred and suffering had come from such a serene place.

              "It reminds me of Zuab's garden," Andromeda said.

              "It makes sense," Henry said. "The ones who came to help Zuab probably came from here. If we looked around, I'd guess we'd find the way to Argath, probably under Idun's apple tree."

              "What makes you say that?"

              Henry shrugged. "It's obvious. The Moirai told me Hera's apples of immortality had been corrupted, and that they could as easily kill as grant life. Zuab had a tree of apples that were practically death given form, and your past memories said the Brothers Grimm had given Idun a ring that corrupted her apples. My guess is they were all the same tree."

              "You see, Muninn," Huginn squawked. "He does have a thought in his head."

              "Maybe, but it's just the one."

              Henry turned to Andromeda. "I think what the crows are trying to say is that I'm right."

              "Ravens!" they squawked in unison.

              Henry shrugged. "What's the difference?"

              Andromeda quirked an eyebrow. "Are you feeling alright?"

              "Yes why?"

              "You've been...unkind recently."

              Henry huffed. "I'm just tired. Can you blame me?" He looked up at the birds without waiting for her to respond. "I am right though, aren't I?"

              Muninn bobbed his head. "The apple is a thing of power in many stories. You need it, or something like it, to cross into as many worlds as Idun intends to conquer."

              "Maybe we should just chop it down," Andromeda suggested.

              "I'm not sure that would do it. Maybe Idun could just grow another one. If she couldn't though, it would lead to the death of all the gods here, and I'm not sure that's something we want to do."

              "After all the death they've caused, how can you be so squeamish about bringing about theirs?"

              "Because I'm not sure the stories will survive the gods' death," Henry said. "The Oracle of the Present said there are few things that are not in my power to destroy. If I understand Kurnugi correctly, even if something is killed here, it still exists in other stories, but I got the feeling the Oracle was talking about something more permanent than that. If I destroy the gods, it's entirely possible they won't exist in any story."

              "They wouldn't be missed," Andromeda said.

              "Are you sure? Would this world even exist without Odin? Would King Budli or the rest of people of Gothia?"

              Andromeda grumbled but didn't say anything more. They continued following the birds. A gentle quiet had fallen over Asgard. Even the birdsong sounded muted. The smell of flowers faded, and the vibrant colors seemed to dull. They passed near a vast hall that, according to the ravens, was Odin's home. Though they said it was made of silver, the metal was dull as if it had sat out in the elements untended for a long time; given how mild the elements were in Asgard, Henry thought that unlikely.              As soon as they passed the hall, the wind stopped. A thin cloud floated in front of the sun, and all the butterflies and other insects landed on flowers and didn't rise again. It was as if all of Asgard was holding its breath, waiting for something. Henry had the uncomfortable sensation that it was waiting for him.

              He saw the rainbow first, its top appearing just over the horizon. Henry found his pace quickening. They crested a gentle hill. Beyond, perhaps a hundred yards away, the ground ended in a cliff. Past that, an army spread out across a valley that terminated at a mountain range. Lightning flashed in the distance followed by a surge of orange light, and he froze in his tracks. He looked at the birds.

              "Thor and Hephaestus? Are they still fighting?"

              "Did you think a battle between gods was a simple matter?" Huginn asked. "Such things can last for weeks or months. Even years. I suspect they'll be fighting long after all the mortals beneath them have grown old and died. Legends are born of such things."

              "We're almost there, aren't we?" he asked.

              "Very close, young human. The end of Bifrost lies at the edge of that cliff, and the gods await nearby."

              Henry nodded. With every step a dozen fears ran through his mind. For all his bravado, he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do, especially not if he had to deal with all the gods to get to Idun. One had been more than he could handle, and he wasn't even sure how many gods there were. He didn't think he could count on Odin's help either, regardless of what he'd said.

              When they approached Bifrost, his blood went cold, and he drew his sword. Heimdall stood on the rainbow bridge only a few feet from Asgard. His armor shone with ever changing light, and he carried his sword in his right hand. When he saw Henry, he inclined his head and motioned at a path that went down the cliff.

              "Your adversary waits just over there."

              "You're not going to try to stop me?" Henry asked.

              Heimdall grinned. "I am charged to guard this bridge. I would be a poor guardian if I left my charge to go indulge myself in a battle, wouldn't you say?"

              Henry nodded slowly. He looked to Andromeda. She had gone a little pale but smiled when she met his gaze.

              "I guess it's time," she said.