Truth's Heart (The Valkyrie's Passion Book 3): A Valkyrie/Shifter Romance (4 page)

Freddy chuckled. “Thor holds a grudge like know one else.”

“Great,” I groaned. “Loki'll never leave us alone. He wants me to kill all the gods for him. He knows I'll be hunted and forced to defend myself.”

“Well, here is one Aesir that is your friend,” Freddy said. “If Odin forgave you for being tricked, then I hold no grudge. I will speak with my sister and see if I can calm her madness.”

“Loki still needs to be dealt with,” growled Magnus.

“Well, there are the four dwarves that made the Brisingamen. Dvalinn, Alfrik, Grer, and Berling. They dwell in Muspellheim, the land of fire, and work crafts of unsurpassed beauty. They might help you.”

“I'm not sleeping with them,” I shuddered. Were the dwarves like the ones in those Lord of the Ring movies? They had those long beards, and they were so short. Even if it I wasn't Magnus's girl, even if I was the type of girl that would let for strange guys have sex with me, I couldn't stomach sleeping with a dwarf.

“Well, my sister didn't have anything but her body to bargain with.” Freddy glanced at his wagon. “Let's see what we have in there. I always carry things around. In the pagan times, I drove my wagon about spreading my gifts and ensuring people had successful harvests.”

“The Eldhrimnir is in there,” Gerdie said. “Dwarf-made gold, resistant to heat.”

“Why are you helping me?” Raven asked as Freddy strolled to the wagon, his heels clicking on the sidewalk.

“Because we're your friends.” Gerdie sat on the bench beside me. Her hand touched mine. “And if you can't give your friend's gifts in the hour of their need, then what is the point of friendship, Raven?”

I blinked my eyes and looked up at her. “But...”

“You have to forgive yourself.” She put her arm around me. Magnus relaxed and let the giantess pull me close. She smelled flowery. “I know it is hard. I know what you did seems unforgivable, but it was a mistake. The stories are replete with heroes who were tricked and made terrible mistakes. But the true test of their characters were how they reacted when they learned the truth.

“You can wallow and hate yourself. It won't make you feel better. It won't bring Odin back. All it will do is poison you. You'll shrivel up and be old before you know it. You'll be like my sister-in-law.” Gerdie glanced at her husband as he rooted through the back of the wagon, shifting around objects. Occasionally, he lifted up one and shook his head. “Frigg poisoned herself with envy and jealousy. She's old and bitter now. Don't be like her. Live your life. You have something so precious and you will lose it.”

“What?” I asked.

“I know you are not that stupid.” She kissed my forehead. “You can be the strong daughter of Sigrid and Ragnar, or you can be weak and bitter. Lean on your wolf. He's strong. He'll help carry you until you recover. He'd do anything for you.”

“I would,” Magnus whispered.

“Do you know how rare that is? Don't squander it with bitterness and regret. Place the blame squarely where it belongs.”

“Loki.” The word hissed out of my throat. I pictured his far-too handsome face and his perfectly tailored suit. My hand clenched. It should have been his chest the Sun's Tear had pierced. It should have been him gasping and dying on the ground.

“That's right. Loki. He's the guilty party. You acted out of love and self-defense. That is why Odin forgave you. He understood that you were just as much a victim as he was. And he knew you would be strong. He knew you would be his Valkyrie and avenge him.”

I looked up at Gerdie. I took a deep breath. She was right. I couldn't wallow. There was too much happening. Odin had cared for me. He had loved me. He had forgiven me. Why couldn't I do that to myself?

It was hard. I wasn't sure the guilt would ever leave me, but I hated how I felt. I hated feeling ugly and despised. I didn't like the yawning gulf in my heart. Magnus still loved me. Freddy and Gerdie still cared for me.

The world had not ended yet.

“Thank you,” I whispered and hugged her tight.

I savored the woman's embrace. It was so motherly. I dimly remembered my own mother hugging me like this when I was hurting. I was a tomboy. I loved climbing trees and romping through the woods outside our remote cabin, but that meant I scraped my knees or bumped my head all the time.

And my mother was always waiting with her arms spread wide to soothe away my pain and encourage me to try again.

“Aha,” exclaimed Freddy. “I found it.”

Chapter Four

Raven

Freddy brandished something round and golden, the bright sunlight reflecting off the shiny surface. I winced, raising up my hand to protect against the glare. He held it aloft, proud that he had found it amid the collected belongings in the back of the boar-drawn wagon.

Freddy hopped down, his sundress billowing up his thick legs. He landed with a splash in a puddle and grimaced, muddy water staining the hem of his dress. The water trickled down his calves leaving behind dirty streaks.

“What is this kettle?” asked Magnus as Freddy returned.

“Eldhrimnir, a marvelous cook pot used to cook Saehrimnir for the gods' dinner,” smiled Gerdie. “And it's such wonderful craftsmanship. More than worth its weight thanks to the quality of the gold it was forged from. Not just simple gold, you see. There are dwarven magics worked into its construction. This should be more than adequate for the dwarves to fashion you a device to neutralize the Brisingamen.”

“As long as their price is reasonable,” I muttered. I couldn't believe Frigg slept with four dwarves just to have a necklace. I knew girls like that at my college. I never understood how they could sleep with a couple of guys in the same night.

Not me. I was a one woman kind of guy. Besides, what four men could compete with my Magnus? They would all come up lacking.

Freddy reached us, setting the Eldhrimnir down at our feet. It looked like a cast iron cookpot only made of gold instead of black metal. A handle made of gold wire would hold it aloft over a fire. Its round sides were covered in runes and decorative designs showing a boar being butchered and prepared for a stew.

“Isn't that a beauty,” nodded Gerdie. “I'm sad to part with it.”

I reached out and grabbed the wire handle. I lifted the cookpot. It was light. “I thought gold was heavier than iron.”

“I told you, this is gold impregnated with spells,” laughed Gerdie. “Do you think gold can withstand a simple cook fire. It would melt. No, this gold is as light as aluminum and as strong as titanium. Wonderful work. Makes such delicious stews.” She glanced at her husband. “Remember that stew recipe the nomad in Mongolia taught us.”

Freddy nodded his head. “Best rabbit stew I've ever had. Do you still have the recipe?”

Gerdie frowned. “I'm not sure. It's probably in the wagon.”

I glanced at Magnus, not really sure what to say. “This is...an expensive gift. I'm not sure I can take it.”

“Americans are so horrible about accepting gifts,” Freddy sighed. “You can accept it because we're freely offering it to you out of friendship. There are no obligations attached.”

“No favors you want from us in the future?” asked Magnus.

“I'm sure we'll want favors, and I'm sure you would help us out because we're friends,” Gerdie said. “Not because we gave you a pot.” She pulled me to her, my face pressed against her prodigious bosom as the giantess hugged me. “You are such a sweet thing, Raven. I want you to be happy. I want that villainous trickster to get his comeuppance. I would have Freddy do it, but he doesn't have his sword any longer.”

“Fine sword,” Freddy nodded. “Best blade ever forged. Wonder what happened to it?”

Tears burned in my eyes. “Thank you, Gerdie.” My arms slipped around her waist, my right hand still clutching the kettle. “You and Freddy have been too good to me.”

“Nonsense,” Freddy dismissed. “We're fertility gods. It's our purpose to spread good tidings and provide gifts to help people prosper. It makes us happy. That's why we love our coffee house.”

I broke the hug with Gerdie, then I gave Freddy an equally fierce hug and a kiss on his whiskered cheek—he really needed to shave more often. It spoiled his feminine charms. I broke the hug, tears burning in my eyes.

“How do we get to these dwarves?” Magnus asked.

“Right, right,” laughed Freddy. “They lie in Muspellheim, another world. It is a land of fire and giants. Surt lives there.”

“Surt?”

“He's this bully,” Gerdie said. “Never liked Freddy. He's always making fun of my husband's dresses. You watch out for him. He's no friend to trespassers in Muspellheim. He's the chief fire giant. But I know you'll be fine. You have this strapping man to protect you.”

“Raven's more than capable of protecting herself,” Magnus admitted.

A warm flush shot through me.

“Still, every woman enjoys a strong man there to watch her back. I know you'll two will be fine. To get to Muspellheim, you need to reach the Steward Mineral Springs. It lies north of Mount Shasta in its foothills. A Yggdrasil root dives into the spring. You can't miss it. Once you've crossed over, head east from the root until you find the dwarves' cave.”

I smiled at her. “Thank you, Gerdie.”

“Fare you well,” Freddy said, reaching out to shake Magnus's hand. “And keep moving. The other gods are hunting you. Tyr and Thor have both vowed to bring justice to my sister. You need to unmask Loki's villainy before they find you.”

“Luckily, Thor isn't the brightest young man. He's a warrior, and he has a temper. And he can drink any one under the table.” Gerdie licked her lips. “But Tyr is far more competent. He's intelligence, thoughtful, but also honorable. He keeps his word. And he vowed to bring justice, not your deaths.”

“We shroud get going,” Magnus said.

I nodded. “Thank you again. Maybe when this is over, you'll need a barista.”

“Maybe,” Freddy said. “But I imagine you'll find it difficult to settle down in one spot.”

I followed Magnus to his bike, the leather seat damp from the rain. I stowed the Eldhrimnir in the saddlebag and climbed on the bike behind him. I pressed against his back as he started the engine. It rumbled beneath us.

My hair flew behind us Magnus roared down the mountain road. Pine trees flew past as we descended, the pressure building in my ears. I glanced at Mount Shasta's white peak looming over us. We were east of the peak.

“Do you have any idea how to get to the springs?” I shouted in his ear.

“Nope,” he answered. “But I'll find it. She said north. I bet there'll be signs. They always are to those sort of places.”

~   ~   ~

Magnus

I was not a fan of Freddy and Gerdie's plan. Traveling to Muspellheim, meeting with dwarves, and building an artifact seemed such a detour. But I had no idea how to stop Loki. If they were correct, we really had little choice.

If they were correct.

Was I being paranoid? Raven trusted Freddy and Gerdie. They seemed nice and reasonable. But they were Aesir. Were they really helping us? What if they were leading us into a trap. Muspellheim was a land of fire, a place of extremes. Few stories ever took place there. No heroes ever trod Muspellheim.

And dealing with dwarves always carried hidden dangers. They were crafty, bitter creatures. Secretive, cunning, and as dangerous as Loki. If a dwarf felt wronged, they would seek vengeance, often with disastrous results for their enemies.

And we were heading to deal with them.

Raven hugged me tight as we rode north. The grief that had gripped her lessened. I had failed to get through to her, to make her understand that she wasn't responsible for Odin's death. The onus fell squarely on Loki for the tricks he perpetrated.

Gerdie said all the same words to Raven that I did, and yet the giantess had gotten through to her. Maybe Raven assumed I was placating her, trying to assuage her guilt not because I believed she was innocent, but because I was her lover and wanted her to be happy. Or maybe it was the more motherly vibe Gerdie gave off.

Either way I was happy. It didn't bother me that Raven had listened to Gerdie over me. She was hurting, in pain, and seeing the ache ease even a little heartened me. No man enjoyed witnessing his woman suffering. We all wanted to fix the problem.

How the problem was fixed was immaterial.

As we headed north, signs appeared pointing us towards Steward Mineral Spring Retreat, promising hot springs, bathhouses, dining, and lodging. The sun sank to the west, vanishing behind the pine covered hills and the ridge of the Cascade Mountains.

“I don't understand how you found this place without GPS,” Raven marveled as I pulled into the parking lot before the log cabin style lodge that sprawled before us. “I have trouble finding places in Seattle without GPS.”

“The same way people found places twenty years ago,” I answered, “I paid attention and used my brain.”

“That's so hard,” giggled Raven. “You need to join modern times. Cell phones can do all that hard thinking for you.”

“And then what happens to your brain?” I glanced at her. “A tool not honed by the whetstone will be dull and useless when work is needed.”

“Are you quoting something?” Her eyes narrowed.

“I'm paraphrasing more than a hundred wise sayings. Your mind needs to be exercised just like your body.”

“I think my mind is plenty sharp,” Raven said, her eyebrow arching. “Unless you're saying my cell phone has turned me into an idiot.”

I opened my mouth then closed it. She had trapped me. What were my escape options? Concede that my point was wrong or call the intelligent woman before me an idiot? I needed a bold gambit, an attack to thrust through her defenses. “Your intelligence has kept your mind sharp despite the dulling your phone tries to inflict upon you.”

“Are you flattering me to avoid admitting you're wrong?”

I grinned at her. “Is it flattery to proclaim the night's sky beautiful? Is it flattery to describe the scent of a flower as heavenly?”

“Yes,” she grinned and leaned closer. “But it's wonderful flattery. Fine, I shall be the exception to your wrong assertion.”

Her lips met mine in a hot kiss. I twisted around more on my bike, pushing the limits of my body limberness to enjoy her warmth. Her arms were tight about me. It was wonderful to make her happy again, to see her smile, to witness life again in the beauty of the night.