Dead Chaos (A Valkyrie Novel - Book 3)(19)

Or so I told myself.

"I understand, my lady," I said.

"I knew you would." She stopped pacing and faced us. "Joshua and Aimee, Warriors of Valhalla, you will accompany the Valkyrie Brynhildr in her journey to the Norns?"

"Yes, my lady," they answered in unison.

"And, Brynhildr, Sigrun will come with you, and I will send instructions for Fenrir to send two of his best Ulfr." Before I could protest, Frigga said, "Sigrun will tell you what you need for the trip, and be sure to stay warm."

But I decided to stand my ground. "My lady, I do not require the Ulfr. My team is sufficient and even Odin was confident we wouldn’t run into any Jotunn on our trip."

Frigga stared at me for a moment. "Very well, Brynhildr. As you wish." She inclined her head with a small smile that sent a spike of relief through my chest. At least I hadn’t offended her.

"Thank you, my lady," I said, then hesitated.

"What is it?"

"I . . . I almost feel like going is the wrong thing now that Odin is gone." I glanced at Joshua and Aimee and saw my own doubts reflected in their eyes. "Maybe we should wait. Maybe we should help search for Odin first before we go traipsing off on some journey."

"No." Frigga stepped off the dais and came to me, placing a hand on my arm. "You must follow your own path. There is nothing you can do for Odin that has not already been done. You should go. And something tells me that Odin would agree."

"If you think so . . . " My heart thudded. I was still incredibly unsure.

"I do. Now stop with the doubts and get yourself ready to make this journey." Frigga squeezed my arm, and when she let go, I turned to leave. Her voiced stopped me before I took more than two steps. "Oh, and do not forget to see Eir before you leave."

"Oh, yes. I won't forget."

"Be safe, Brynhildr," Frigga said, giving us a small saw wave before disappearing in a swirl of white, puffy clouds.

As we walked to the door, the flapping of wings drew our gazes upward. A large, black raven was flying straight at me. I almost flinched the way I'd done when Loki had flown at me.

The raven circled me and landed on my outstretched arm. Hugin tipped his head to the side and said, "Brynhildr, I shall accompany you. Perhaps you may need my help."

I wanted to laugh. And wasn’t entirely sure that Hugin would be of good use. On previous occasions, Hugin had withheld information that would’ve helped me. But, despite his reticence, I'd managed to grow fond of Odin's raven. At this point I couldn’t think of any reason to decline his offer. I guess I could use whatever services the enigmatic bird offered.

"Fine, Blackbird, you can come. But whatever you do, remember you are with us to help. No keeping important information to yourself this time, you hear?" I spoke the words but somehow knew it was a losing battle. The damned bird would do as he pleased no matter what I said.









Chapter 16




With bows, arrows, swords and provisions secured and readied, we turned in for a good rest. Aidan had surprised us by turning up at the transport room to store his weapons for our departure the next morning. At least that confirmed he was coming, although I was slowly becoming convinced we'd be better off leaving him behind. Who knew what kind of tension his presence would cause.

I sighed as I entered my room. A rustle of movement brought me to a sudden stop, but it was just Turi fiddling with the armor. Armor that now shone so brilliantly it reflected the torchlight from the walls and actually hurt my eyes.

"Wow, Turi. Talk about shine." I shaded my eyes and the Huldra giggled and turned back to her task, her tail swishing as she laid the armor and garments out as perfectly as she could. Turi was a stickler for perfection, and she was bossy too. I adored her.

"Thank you, Brynhildr. I wish you to look your best for your journey," she said as she snuck me a quick glance of concern. I frowned and she looked away quickly. Did Turi know where we were going? Had our mission become common knowledge so quickly? But, then again, did it really matter at all who knew?

I sighed again. "Turi, what’s the matter? Is something bothering you?"

Turi turned, her rounded cheeks pink as she stared at me. "I am only concerned about you, Brynhildr. I may only be your serving girl, but I am very fond of you and the last thing I would want would be for any harm to come to you. As it is . . . " Turi's voice faded away before she uttered any further words.

"You mean my wings, don't you?" I asked her softly.

"I'm sorry. I should not have brought it up." Turi's face grew redder and she stared at the floor.

"It's really okay to talk about it, you know. I won't be mad."

"I'm not worried about making you mad. I just don't want to make you sad," Turi said.

"I'm not sad," I assured her, and I was sure that I’d dealt with my loss. "Well, maybe not as sad as I was. I’m fine with it now." I smiled at her.

I didn't say much else. Just changed out of my clothing. As I readied myself for bed, I watched Turi place my helmet beside the rest of my armor. The helmet of a Valkyrie was a beautiful thing. Although I wasn’t so sure I'd be needing it. This journey had little to do with my Valkyrie identity and more to do with me as a person and what my path in life had to do with Odin's.

Soon, Turi was done and after tending the fire, gave me her customary wave as she left, shutting the door softly behind her. I studied the wooden panels and the high-beamed ceiling. My quarters in Asgard could not be considered grand in any way, but it was cozy, warm and comfortable.

I fell asleep with the crackling fire warming my face, fox-tailed Huldras and magic spells flitting thought my sleepy thoughts.



I gasped, my ears filled with a cacophony of sound. Men screamed in fury and agony, the sounds chilling me to the bone. I stood facing a battlefield filled with Warriors, a battlefield filled with clashing swords and blood and blood-curdling screams.

A moan squeezed past my lips, but nobody would have heard me. In the distance, Odin brought his sword down on the shoulder of a fire giant who fell heavily to his knees and disappeared among the feet of those still fighting. The All-Father immediately spun about, deflecting an attack from another fire giant.

My heart clenched.

Why were the fire giants fighting Odin? To my left, Fen fought off a frost giant, slicing his blade across the Jotunns throat, only to turn and come face-to-face with Loki. I wanted to scream at Fen to run. To tell him Loki was an impossible opponent.

The need to go to him was uncontrollable and my legs moved forward of their own accord. But my feet stuck in the muddy, wet ground and I looked down in disgust, expecting to see the black wetness coating my feet. Instead, my shoes were red. My legs were red, my armor coated in the blood of the Warriors before me.

My heard thudded so hard it hurt. I walked in a river of blood so deep it seemed the very earth was wounded and bleeding. I sobbed, trying to take another step, trying to get to Fen and Odin. I wanted to warn them. But it was too late.

And the next morning, I woke to the sound of Loki's treacherous, cackling laughter echoing in my ears.









Chapter 17




Icy wind blasted us as the Bifrost deposited us in Jotunnheim. We'd laughed at the fur coats we'd been given to wear, but now, I was thankful Sigrun had insisted. And despite the warm furs, icy fingers of cold still managed to steal through the warm coverings. Hugin immediately launched himself off my shoulder and rose higher than the driving wind to circle above us. Sure, he’s going to be a lot of use so far away. I huffed in disgust.

"Come, we should get out of the wind," said Sigrun as she led us away. We'd landed right on the top of a cliff, facing the brunt of a howling wind head-on. We followed in silence, each probably trying to convince ourselves we'd made the right decision to come.

Sigrun led us down the rocky mountainside, pointing out handholds as she went. It didn't prevent us from slipping and sliding our way down when we got the chance. When we finally reached solid ground, we stood huffing and struggling for breath and picking tiny pieces of shattered stone from our palms. Aidan didn't look too pleased, but the rest of the team seemed to be dealing with the harsh terrain well enough.

Above, the dark sky told us in no uncertain terms that we were unwelcome. Heavy, black clouds gathered and forks of lightning appeared as they roiled and bumped against each other. I frowned at the angry sky. Something felt strange and I couldn’t put a finger on it.

Lightning struck high above, followed closely by the gurgle of thunder. The sky was high. Too high. Higher than our sky back in Midgard and definitely higher than the Asgard sky. It only added to the feeling of being alone and being small and insignificant.

Sigrun came to stand beside me, shifting the weight of her satchel on her shoulder. "Ready?" she asked, her gray eyes concerned.

"As I'll ever be," I answered. "Don't worry. We'll be fine."

"It is not me I am worried about, Bryn," Sigrun said as we led the group but walked a little ahead of the team for privacy.

"I know. I'm guessing you don't approve of my trip."

"Whether I do or do not makes no real difference. This is your decision alone to make."

"Not really, since you're coming with me." I raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps you are right in a way. But my choice was in accompanying you. Not in the making of your decision."