Power Play: Act 1 Svartalfheim (Ragnarok on Ice) (16 page)

I was back in Rumil’s room again.  Dad, Rumil, and Izek were there with me while Hargna and Algrim were currently meeting with Azmodeous.  Azmodeous had escorted us back to the stronghold and from there everything kind of happened without much attention from me.  When dad and Izek made it to Rumil’s room, she gave them the run down on what happened.

Meanwhile, I was still going over the fact I’d killed someone.  Taking a life should never feel as easy as it did.  I knew I had done it to protect Rumil, but at the time I felt as if I enjoyed it and that was the part that bothered me.  Not even in self defense should anyone take joy in that.

“This confirms my suspicions.  This account along with the report from the rune testing earlier proves that when you gave your blood to save your son you passed on your own power to him.  Unlike you who can change back and forth at leisure, the power of the Great Wolf that resides within your son apparently only manifests during times of great trauma or shifts in mood.”

It was dad’s turn to speak.  “Jack, I am so sorry.  I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

“You saved my life dad.  If it wasn’t for you to begin with, I’d be dead.”

I knew he needed to hear that and I meant it.  I might be some sort of mutant hybrid werewolf, but thankfully I was alive.  Izek seemed to be a smart elf, he’d figure this out.

“Can you make me a rune to suppress this or something?  I don’t think I could even control that feeling.”  I shivered; the feeling that had washed over me was like nothing I’d ever felt before.  The feeling it gave me was a frightening one.

“I will try.  I cannot guarantee any success from this.  In the mean time I would consult Hargna and Azmodeous on the topic.  Maybe they know something I do not and can advise accordingly.  I will head back to my research laboratory and see what I can find out for you.”  Izek left and with him it felt like my only chance to be normal again.

Dad grabbed Rumil’s hand in his.  “I know this is hard, but I’m here for both of you.  Rumil, there’s one part of the story I want you to go over again for me, especially the last part when he reverted back to his normal self.”

I could tell Rumil was uncomfortable talking about this, especially with me actually paying attention.  I wanted to hear this though.  I was hoping maybe it could help us figure out what was going on.

“It’s okay Rumil.  Tell us what happened and maybe dad can shed some light on the situation.  It’s his power that I was using.”

“After saving my life, he kissed me on the cheek and went back over to Mallerk.  He was moving so fast that it was hard to see, almost like a flash of white.  He turned Mallerk over and stabbed him in the hands with the dagger Icing, to keep him in place.  It was then that the white energy around him started to fade, like he used it all up.”

The ‘ah-ha’ moment crossed dad’s face.  “The dagger is the conduit for the power.”

“Master Fenrir, what do you mean?”

“The dagger is, or was, part of my body and the power from my blood reacted to it.  That’s why you seemed to lose the energy, once the dagger was out of your hand the power stopped reacting to it.”

Rumil actually seemed to perk up at this.  “If that is the case, if Jack does not use the dagger, then he will not have to worry about falling under the power.”

“No.”  The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to learn to use this.  To use a rune or give up my dagger seemed like quitting.  “This is my family’s power and I can control this.  At least this gives me a last hope in case I am attacked again, a chance to protect myself.  Dad, teach me to control this and be able to use your power.”

I could tell dad wasn’t comfortable with this idea, but when he didn’t shoot it down right away Rumil piped in.  “This is craziness, you cannot let your son do this Master Fenrir.”

“Rumil I know you only say this because you care but it’s my decision and I want to have the power to protect those I care about.  Dad will you help me?”

He looked me in the eyes, gauging my seriousness.  “Yes, I’ll help you under one condition.  Until I say it is okay to use Icing in any other situations, you’ll carry another weapon for protection.”

****

Hargna was taking Algrim to the armory to give him his next order.  I elected to stay behind and go over the details of the attack with my advisor, but in actuality I enjoyed the time to myself. 

My advisor Goma knew not to ask any questions, that when I was ready I would tell him what he needed to know.  After a few more minutes of wonderful silence, I gave in.

“Goma, that incompetent Mallerk almost destroyed cycles of work.  I am under the impression that given a few more minutes of life he would have told the human everything.  The only good thing that came from this day is that King Oor’s murderer has been killed.”

“Do they suspect anything Lord Azmodeous?”

“No, they were too concerned with the welfare of the human.  It would appear our spies were correct.  The human was infused with Fenrir’s blood.  He is to be watched.”

“I will inform the necessary parties with this information.  Is there anything else we need to prepare for?”

“Hargna wants us to meet with the Aesir and resolve this petty conflict.  I think to gain his trust and support; I will amuse him and comply eventually.  After you complete your tasks here, go back to the estate and start to prepare for the trip to the halls of Valhalla.  If anything it will be most fun to see Odin’s expression when I show up.”

“Yes my lord.  It will be done and ready for you.”

“Good, it is time to begin our final act in this play.”

****

They all knew exactly when to leave.  Once again, I was left by myself to deal with an angry elf lady.  Dad claimed he needed to go find Algrim to get me a new weapon that wouldn’t cause random bouts of uncontrolled rage, so he got out while he could.  I, on the other hand, was left with the fallout.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous this is Jack?  Or do you not care if you end up not being to handle this and you are chained up in a cave for the rest of your natural life?”

“I think you’re overreacting here.”

“The Aesir did it to your father and if they find out about you they will do it to you as well!”

I guess I hadn’t thought of that.  I remembered Thor and the fact we were friends.  Would he understand what happened to me was not my fault or would he just have to do as he was told, no matter if it was to me.  Odin was his dad though, so the realization he would side with him if push came to shove washed over me.  No, now was not the time for doubt, I knew what I was doing.

“Dad won’t let that happen.  I promise though we will be careful and not push it too far.”  I could tell that barely satisfied her, so I went with my number one defense – the topic change.  “So what’s this ceremony I heard Algrim talking about?”

That did the trick.  Rumil went into great detail about the dark elf bonding ceremony.  Up until recently, I just kind of ignored everything that went along with it because I figured when I went home to Midgard that would be the end of it.  However, the deeper we got the more and more I realized that even if I went home, that would not be the end of it.

So this time I listened intently.  First two elves (or in our case ‘people’) when they reached the age of maturity started the process by doing the weird palm thing.  If it glows blue between them, they’ll be friends.  If it glows red (which is rare between elves but happened on occasion) it means you are destined to be enemies.  However, when you come in contact with the person you are meant to spend your life with, matching rune marks will show up on both sets of palms.

“What if you don’t like who you’re matched with?”  Seriously, I’m sure there’d be plenty of elf ladies mad they were stuck for eternity with me.

“Jack, how would it be possible to be matched with someone you did not like?”

“Rumil, why do you like me?  Wouldn’t you rather spend your life with another dark elf?  Who knows if we can even have a family?”

She took my hand and brought it close to her heart.  “I like you because of who you are.  Even before I found out Master Fenrir was your father, talking with you reminded me of the conversations him and I used to have.  I was fascinated with his stories and his life as a girl.  The Norns, who govern fate, remembered those memories and brought me to his son.”

I didn’t argue anymore and let her continue her explanation of dark elf rituals.  Once the palms were marked, the two elves or ‘people’ would go to their families and announce the news.  The families would get together then and plan a huge celebration marked off by a shaman from one of the families tying their souls together to ensure their love would survive even after death.

“Is that why your dad has taken no other elves?”

“That is correct.  His love belongs to mother forever.  No one else could take her place.”

“So once the ceremony is complete, it’s complete for life?”

She smiled and nodded.  “Now it is your turn.  Tell me about human bonding rituals.”

After the detail and depth of the elves customs, human weddings seem silly but I told her about it anyways.  I didn’t use my marriage as an example, do to it being a justice of the peace affair, so I told her about what most women dream of.  Not surprising, she loved the idea of getting a ring with a big gem in it.

“So if you gave me one of these rings, I would be your fiancé?  Is that the proper way it works?”

“You got it.  Then when we were married by our religious leader, the pastor in my case, you’d be called my wife.”

“Fiancé and wife, I do like that sound of those terms.  Speaking of which, I think you should make this official and go get me a ring.”

Wonderful, me and my big mouth.

As the days started to pass, I wondered what our next move would be in operation ‘Get Jack Back’ but no one would really tell me anything.  Dad said to trust himself and Hargna in figuring something out.  In the mean time I needed to get better at defending myself and gaining control of the energy that was inside me.

The first time we tried our little practice session, not a whole lot happened.  Each time I took Icing in my hand nothing happened, which was a massive disappointment.  Dad figured it was because I wasn’t mad or under extreme duress but, no matter what we did we couldn’t replicate the effect.  He told me to take a few days at this point just to get comfortable with just the basics of defending myself and that he would come up with a plan.

So most days, like today, I found myself at the training grounds working out with a younger elf who I had befriended, Tymon.  He was a little shorter than I was and because he was still an adolescent, I could keep up with him in our sparring sessions.  I still wasn’t allowed to use my dagger, so it was all just hand-to hand.

“Master Jack, you telegraph your punches too much!”

Annoyed, I threw a completely slow moving haymaker at him, but it was a trap.  Biting on the bait, Tymon countered by ducking and rolling towards me.  Unfortunately for his head, I remembered this trick and put my knee right into his jaw as he was coming out.

“And you rely on the same move day after day.  So we both have our issues don’t we?”  I started to laugh and after a moment of rubbing his jaw Tymon joined in as well.

“That was a perfect counter Master Jack!”  His jaw barely opened as he talked.  “I might not be able to eat for the rest of the day so for that, I wish your stomach ill feelings.”

“This thing is made of iron kid.  I’ll think of you as I’m having my third helping.”  Internally, I laughed at calling him kid.  Chances are he’s older than I am.  I do enjoy good irony when it comes around.  I also enjoyed the banter the two of us were comfortable with.  Tymon was much more nonchalant than the rest of the dark elves I’ve met.

“Well Master Jack while you go and fatten up for a beating later, I must return to the stronghold for my teachings.”

I’d taught him the knuckle-bump the very first time we met and now it was like our secret handshake.  We bumped our knuckles and he went off for dark elf one-o-one.  Times like this when I was alone, I’d start doing my exercises.  My routine was pretty simple, a few laps around the grounds, followed by some sprints, and then some cardio.  I figured the sparring session also helped keep me in pretty decent shape.

“You are running in circles again!”

I looked over and saw Algrim standing by the entrance to the training grounds.  He never understood the running and made it well known every time he saw me.  I finished my lap and went over to see him.  Maybe he had that new weapon dad said I had needed.

“What are you doing here?  Finally breaking down and joining me on a jog?”

“Bah, I have better things to do than run around in a circle like some lost dog.  What I am here for is to show you something.  I think you will like it.”

Beside him was a wooden box and he pushed it towards me with his foot.

“Well go on an open it, I want to make sure you like them and they fit.”

Now I was curious.  What did the blacksmith exactly make me here?  Without further prodding, I got on a knee and opened up the box.

“Algrim, what are these?”  I pulled them out as I asked.  They looked like some sort of armor for my arms.

“Those would be gauntlets and these two of some of my finest work.  Put them on already and let us see just how good of a blacksmith I am.”

I did as I was told and slid them on.  They were a gunmetal gray color and came up about halfway up my forearms.  The backs were identical and covered in sharp looking spines.  The difference in each was in the hands.  The right hand was made of like a metallic mesh material that was very flexible.  The left hand was made of the same metal and each finger came to a sharp point to look like a claw.

“Algrim, these things are totally badass!  My only question is why the right one doesn’t have the same claw looking design to it?”

“You are a bit slow are you not?  The right hand is designed like that so when you get that blasted dagger of yours under control, you can use it in combination.  The left hand is your off hand but even now it is a weapon.”

Of course, they hope I can get control of what’s going on in me with the dagger.  These gauntlets were made to be used with it once that time came.  Algrim was an elf who knew what he was doing.

“I don’t know how to thank you for these.”

“Save your thanks, you are one of us now.  My job is to keep you alive or else Rumil would kill me.  The only thing I want from you is to learn to master the energy inside you.”

“You got it old man.  Now before you go, can I make a special request?  I have something I would like you to make for me.”

I told Algrim what I had in mind and he said he’d do it.  I told them there was no particular rush and that whenever it was finished to let me know.  After he left I wanted to go show Rumil what I got, but I figured she was probably still with Hargna coordinating a dark elf raid of some Asgardian site. 

The conflict was reaching code red status from what I could tell.  Hargna had asked Azmodeous to consider sending a group of dark elves to meet with Odin in Valhalla, to see if they could try to resolve the hostilities.  Azmodeous, from what I understood, wasn’t against it, but asked for some time to consider the request. 

In the mean time, Rumil and Hargna were given orders to continue to disrupt all the Aesir war efforts and that is what they did.  Rumil had a personal grudge to bear with Sif for what she said was ‘unnecessary deaths of dark elves.’  I’d met Sif and I can say it doesn’t surprise me that she did.  That one was as cold as they come.  I’m pretty sure she scared Thor in some way.

I made it back to Rumil’s room and washed myself up from training and changed into my jeans and Bears t-shirt.  One of the elves that was in charge of clothing was able to clean and repair them mostly, so it was nice to be able to still wear them from time to time. 

My jeans had a couple of holes in them now, but all the cool people had holey jeans.  My sneakers were beyond repair, but that was okay.  The boots I’d been given were more than comfortable enough, plus they were awesome looking.

I strolled into the dining hall and saw a familiar face.  Ustin from the Dark Moons was there and waved me over.  The one good thing about Rumil being busy during the day is that I had to leave my comfort zone and get to know more of the elves here.  Ustin was Tymon’s older brother and was happy that I was training with him.

“Tymon tells me you struck him pretty good in the jaw today.  I warned him if he kept using that rolling technique you would catch on.  The arrogance of youth has been meted out by justice once again.”

“Well, I can only take so many punches to the stomach before I figure it out.  Don’t tell him, but I think his jaw hurt my knee more than the other way around.”

We both laughed as one of the serving girls came over with a plate full of food and an entire flask of wine.  I still wasn’t totally comfortable with getting served and being treated as a higher class than these elves so I had started to help them where I could.  This morning after breakfast I washed a bunch of dishes for the kitchen staff.  I’m pretty sure that is why I got so much wine.

“Jeez, if I’d known sooner that doing some dishes would’ve gotten me more wine I would’ve started that trend when I first came back.”  Dad happily joined us at our table.

“Master Fenrir, what do we owe the pleasure?”

“I keep telling you elves to knock that ‘master’ nonsense off.  I’m just here to make sure my son doesn’t get too drunk.  Give me some of that.”  Oh dad, it doesn’t matter to me your some super Asgardian wolf, you will always be the goofy man who raised me right. 

After he took a long drink of the wine I had earned through hard work and generosity, dad got down to the reason he was here.  “I have a plan to see if we can bring out the energy inside you.  We can’t do it here but I know of a place where I think it’ll work.”

“That’s great!  So where are we going and since you’re my dad, do I still need you to fill out the field trip paperwork?”

“Not for this excursion knucklehead.  We’re going to take a trip to where a lot of events began.  We’re going to where I was held for all those years.”

Wait a second; he was going to take me to the rock where he was chained for who knows how many years?  I figured that would be the last place he would want to go willingly.

“Don’t worry about me Jack, I can see it in your eyes.  Sometimes it is uncanny how much of your mother I can see in you.”

“Dad, did mom know about you and all of this?  Did she know what you are?”

I just blurted it out and I could tell dad was caught off guard.  Ustin, who had been eating and listening to us going back and forth took the cue and left after saying a couple of quick good afternoons.  I’d meant to ask him one day when the time was right and something just compelled me.  I looked over to see if he was mad, but thankfully he just looked a bit rattled, not angry.

“Yes, your mother knew what I was.  She’d accepted the fact that one day she would not be here and I’d still be living on. “

“How did she find out?  I’m pretty sure that isn’t something you tell over coffee and eggs one morning.”

****

I can’t believe I bought that ring.  I was pretty sure Julie would hate me forever when I told her the truth, but that salesman was so good.  Just a shade under two thousand dollars later and I had an engagement ring in my hand, even sized just about right. 

I told her to meet me in the park around nine so we could go for a walk before a late dinner as I had a meeting to attend to.  The skating rink I’d purchased a few years back pretty much ran itself, but I needed time to collect my thoughts.  Julie had the right to know the monster I truly was.

I got to the park a few minutes early and there was no one here.  Of course, it is the middle of winter and most people are home by the fire.  As fate would have it, Julie loved the cold weather as much as I did.  We were kindred spirits.  If we were both elves, we would’ve had glowing marks on our palms and their silly shamans would’ve bound our spirits together forever.  I just hoped what I was about to do didn’t ruin her life or anything.

I started a few months earlier prepping for this day by introducing her to the Norse mythology written here in Midgard.  It got most of the major point’s right even if it made those insufferable Aesir out to be gods.  I bet Odin planted that seed in everyone’s mind.  Julie, being an incredibly well read girl, took to the subject immediately and soon became something of an expert on it.  I guess we will see if it paid off.

“Fred, I am surprised, you are actually early for once.”

I turned around and she was here, smiling.  She looked like one of those angels I heard about in the church I attend with her.  It’s the small moments like this that I’m beginning to believe there is something higher out there guiding us.

“Julie, you’re as beautiful as ever.  I can’t believe you’d fall for some lone wolf like me.”

“Oh stop it, you big wonderful man you.  Now are you going to keep acting weird or are you going to ask me to go for a walk with you?”

Taking her hand, we started to walk down the path that leads into the heart of the park.  It was a beautiful night out with the moon shining as brightly as ever.  We told each other about our days, I guess her partner at the law firm sent a motion to the wrong judge and that paperwork that came with it was a complete disaster.  When she finished the story, I decided it was time to man up.

“So thanks to Yvette, I had about two hours worth of work that I didn’t need to do.”

“Julie, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Huh?  Is everything okay?”

“Promise no matter what you won’t hate me okay?”

“I don’t see how I could hate you, but I’ll bite.  I promise.”

“Thank you.  You know those old myths I got you into reading?  About Odin, Thor, and so on?”

“Yeah, they are good stories.  What about them?”

“They aren’t stories.”

Before she could respond, for the first time in a long time, the tattoo on my shoulder came to life and I shifted from my human form back into my original form.  At first, I don’t think it even registered with her what had happened but then her eyes got incredibly big and her mouth formed the perfect O shape.

“Julie, my name isn’t Fredrick Skelton.  My real name is Fenrir.”

****

“Stop it, you told her right before you planned to propose to her?  Are you insane?”

His sanity aside, I had to give dad credit for having a serious amount of guts.  Most guys I knew could barely propose to a girl without having a breakdown.  Dad, on the other hand, first told her he was a giant wolf and then I assume still proposed as I knew they were married.

“Well, your mother certainly questioned her sanity for a few minutes.  If I remember correctly there was a lot of disbelief, pointing, and even a little bit of crying.  Eventually, I switched back and showed her the ring I’d bought.  At this point she started crying again, from joy I think, and told me I was a giant idiot for not telling her sooner and that yes she’d marry me because I was a good man.”