I bobbed my head in agreement as I walked off with the others.
"Bryn." I stopped at the doorway as Fen called out.
I sensed he wanted a private word and turned to the team. "I'll meet you guys at the transfer room in two hours." They nodded and left, each face somber, aware of the dangers we were inviting by invading Loki's territory. After they departed, I faced Fen, a little startled to see he'd come up close behind me.
He placed his hands on my shoulders. "Be very careful, Brynhildr. Keep your eyes and ears open and trust no one. Loki is the king of tricksters. He will try to make you see things that aren’t there. Watch your back." Fen's expression was grave.
"I'll be careful. But what's wrong? You weren't this worried when we went to the Tree or even when we went for Gjallerhorn."
"We have the one thing that Loki would have been sure was the key. Gjallerhorn. You have thwarted his plan. And if you free Heimdall, Loki will be furious. And so much more unpredictable that ever before."
"I can imagine. He's crazy to begin with," I said, my voice dry and edged with residual fury at the god.
"Whatever you do, do not underestimate Loki."
I nodded, knowing full well what Fen meant. The more we succeed, the more we stepped on Loki's toes.
And we all knew what happened when you angered the Trickster god.
Chapter 35
I’d entered my room, adrenalin finally seeping out of my blood, and I intended to just relax a bit. The quiet was a welcome change from running around, fighting for my life. Geri and Freki looked up at me from beside the fire. I’d almost forgotten about the wolves. I grinned as I watched them sprawled and sleeping in the warmth of the flames.
A tray of food on a small table by the fire made me smile. Turi never failed to take care of me. I took the tray to the bed and sat cross-legged on the warm furs, thinking about the last week’s events. Things were taking a turn for the better. The horn was back in Asgard and I crossed my fingers, hoping we’d have Heimdall and Odin back soon.
Another face wavered in front of me. A little boy with unruly curly hair and dark chocolate skin. Brody was still missing and I hated that Stephen Lee had used Brody’s image to finally abduct me. I’d fallen for their trick because I’d wanted to save Brody. I didn’t plan to lose hope of finding him. It was just that we had no idea how to even start looking for him. A twinge of guilt rippled through me. Loki had offered Brody’s return and I’d refused. But a more sensible voice in my head reminded me that the trickster god couldn’t be trusted.
I sighed, lost within my thoughts.
Then, a knock on the door had me rising to answer it.
Joshua stood there, the corner of his lip turned up. I’d always thought the little smile was sexy. Why had I never allowed myself to think of him as anything other than just a friend?
"I thought I’d come keep you company. No point in going all the way to Valhalla just for a couple hours." He winked and headed for the fireside, warming his hands, although the winter chill had lightened a lot in the last few weeks. It was always cold in Asgard, North Pole cold.
I returned to the furs and Joshua left the fire to come sit beside me, picking at the grapes and cheese from the platter.
"Thanks for coming," I said, but the words felt awkward when all I could think about was our last kiss and how much I wanted him to repeat the whole activity.
He must have sensed my thoughts because he took my hand from where it rested on my thigh and entwined his fingers with mine. "Are you okay?"
I nodded.
"About us, I mean."
"I think so. I’m not entirely sure what’s happening, or what it will become, but I am okay with it." Even as I spoke the words, I felt how right they were.
Our eyes stayed locked on each other as a mysterious, heated silence flared between us. We both moved to get closer, breath coming quicker, hearts beating faster. Joshua's cheek grazed mine, the light stubble softly tickling my skin sending ripples of shivers up and down my spine. His lips claimed mine and I kissed him back just as passionately, just as uncontrollably as he kissed me.
He deepened the kiss and my mind whirled. I was dizzy with my eyes closed; my limbs melting. Joshua's fingers threaded through the hair at the back on my neck, bringing us even closer. I shuddered. Could we possibly get any closer? I tugged at his shirt then let my hands travel around his waist to run up the taut muscles of his back.
Kissing Joshua was driving me insane. Insane for more of Joshua.
He grasped my knee and slipped his hand beneath the hem of my white dress.
The crackle of flames mixed with the sounds of our desperate breathing.
Joshua's hand moved an inch higher up my thigh. A growl cut through the air, so vicious and threatening we both sat up in shock, all thoughts of kisses and other desired activities gone from our minds.
I ran my hand down Ara’s pure-white neck and the horse snuffed and gave me a small toss of her head, as if she wanted to know what had kept me. I smiled and patted her shoulder before securing a bedroll and a pack filled with provisions to her back.
Sigrun, Aimee and Joshua did the same with their horses, working swiftly. I guess they wanted to get the horses prepped and get this mission moving as much as I did.
"Sigrun?" She lifted her head and met my gaze under her Sleipnir’s neck. "How will the Sleipnir get to Jotunnheim? Can they use the bridge?"
Sigrun’s face scrunched as she considered my question. "I suppose they could use the bridge but if you recall, the Bifrost opens up in some very odd places. Like the top of the rocky outcropping in Jotunnheim. Too dangerous for the horses to maneuver. And besides, the transfer room is not conducive to eight-legged traffic." She grinned, then said. "I supposed nobody ever though of ensuring the bridge can carry the Sleipnir because our horses will always answer our call."
I frowned for a moment, then bobbed my head as I recalled Fen’s comment about telepathic bonding between Sleipnir and rider. Sigrun continued. "Each Sleipnir is connected with its rider. You may call your mount whenever you need it and it will come. The connection between you and your Sleipnir transcends the realms. It is almost as if that connection opens its own personal bridge between horse and rider. So when the Warrior calls the Sleipnir comes immediately."
"You mean the horse has the power to appear and disappear wherever it wants?"
"Not wherever it wants. Wherever you want. The Sleipnir is connected to you so they will appear beside you when they are called. They can also be summoned by any of the gods or even other Valkyries or Warriors the horse is familiar with. The important thing is they needs to be called. And you can also send it back."
"Using my mind again?" I asked. "So you tell the Sleipnir to go and it just goes?" Sigrun nodded as I digested the information. Looks like the eight-legged beasts could turn out to be quite useful.
Icy wind slapped our faces as we stepped off the Bifrost. The unfamiliar terrain confirmed we’d arrived in a different area from our previous visit to Jotunnheim. I gasped as my boots crunched into freshly fallen snow.
We huddled together, bracing against the wind, wrapped warmly within super-thick, hooded fur coats. I had my sword, Gungnir, the magical water from the Norns, and Lady Tyra's dragon eye. The amber ball sat safely in the pocket of my jacket. I figured I'd need all the help I could get, so I brought it along. Though I had insisted Hugin and the wolves stay behind. I could do without having to worry about the wolves if we encountered the Jotunn. Who knew what would happen?
Sigrun walked a few paces to a large open area and stood still, staring off into space. Within seconds, the air shimmered and a Sleipnir slowly solidified before her. The horse stamped the snow off her hooves as if offended she’d landed on cold, icy ground.
Sigrun caught the reins and led her horse away, nodding to me as she went.
I cleared my throat and rolled my shoulders. I closed my eyes and thought of Ara, saying the words "come to me" in my mind and feeling slightly stupid while I was at it. I opened my eyes and my heart sank. It didn’t work. I was about to turn to Sigrun when a disturbance in the air caught my attention.
The air began to shimmer as if a ball of oddly shaped water hovered in front of me. The translucent shimmer slowly solidified growing from a weak and watery image of Ara to the solid, living creature.
I laughed as Ara stamped the ground much like Sigrun’s mount, then threw her head up, whinnying in indignation. I grabbed her reins and pulled her aside, feeling a little proud of myself. I’d done it all by myself without needing a single bit of instruction. Although, I had been certain I’d fail on my first try.
Just goes to show you can never be entirely sure what you are capable of.
We waited for Aimee and Joshua to call their horses and we mounted as soon as they were ready. We got our bearings and began to make the trek to the castle, the warm metal of Odin’s spear in my hand giving me a silent assurance. There was no clear path, and with the ground covered with a coat of snow, we couldn’t be sure where rocks or other debris lay hidden, waiting to hobble our horses. We moved at a sedate pace, watching the ground, allowing the horses to pick their way along the path.
We passed towering spikes of ice and marched across an iced-over lake while winter-blackened tree watched us pass, their bare branches waving sadly in the gusting wind. The snow fell heavier and we struggled to breathe, desperately hiding our mouths and much of our faces within our scarves. The freezing wind scraped the moisture from our eyes and throats, and I soon felt like I was suffocating on the rushing air.