At long last, they were done hugging each other, though not before I realized that Freya had only brought me to Asgard so fast because she wanted to see Tyra herself. I tried to analyze how I felt about that. It didn't take me long to figure that it hardly mattered why Freya did what she did. I gave a mental shrug. As long as she took me back to Aidan soon, I could be happy for her.
Maybe.
Not that I would ever forgive her for playing with Aidan's life and forcing me to traipse across America and charge into Muspell just because of her stupid vanity. And now, here she was giggling away as if she'd done nothing wrong.
Okay, people. It's great you got to see each other. Yeah. But I want to get back to Aidan, you know.
They broke apart and Tyra turned her eyes on me. Good thing I hadn't begun to tap my feet with impatience.
"Brynhildr, I am sorry. Freya and I have not seen each other in centuries." She threw another warm glance at Freya, whose face could definitely do with that particular brand of happy smiling more often. She looked so lovely that even I began to smile. "I must thank you, Brynhildr. You have done Steinn and Siri and myself a great service. Please remember you can always call on us if you are ever in need of help." She placed her hands on my shoulders, staring into my eyes with a gentle warmth in her gaze, like a honeyed embrace. The golden sheen in her eyes told me she meant every word.
It was difficult not to want to run away, faced with the kind of gratitude and happiness that Tyra displayed. I guess I just wasn't used to people appreciating me that much. I blushed. "Thank you, Lady Tyra. I'm glad I could help. Perhaps someday, when she's well, I could meet your beautiful granddaughter?"
"It is done. But remember, we will always be there for you if you need help. You still have the eye?"
I nodded, the warmth still permeating the skin on my cheeks. "Yes, it is safe."
"Very well, then. The eye will always be a way for you to communicate with me. Just hold it in your hands and I will know you need me." Tyra pulled me into a warm embrace. At first I remained stiff, unsure of what to do, surprised by this new Tyra. Her burden had lifted to reveal a motherly warmth beneath the cool temper and the fiery anger of the dragon matriarch. Then I hugged her back with equal warmth, holding the goblet carefully.
When she released me, I placed the goblet in Tyra's hand, grinning.
"The goblet belongs to you, Brynhildr. When the elixir is finished, I will send it back to Asgard."
I shook my head. "Keep it. It will give me a reason to come and visit you."
She smiled and nodded as if that was the best idea ever. Our sudden friendliness felt slightly surreal, since the woman had, not so long ago, threatened to kill me.
Tyra and Freya said their goodbyes, and I tried not to listen as they promised to see each other more often and not let two centuries pass without having some girl time.
Then, back at my side, and with a quick nod to Odin and Frigga, Freya whisked me back to Hel.
***
As soon as we arrived in Freya's Hall, Lurch glided in through the already open doors. Again with the mind reading? He beckoned, dark hair falling and framing his ancient, crinkled face. Freya had already turned her back and walked off, dismissing me without a backward glance. So easy to believe that I'd only imagined the joy I'd seen in her eyes just minutes ago.
I went quietly with Lurch, no longer worried about Freya or the goblet and its precious contents. Now, I just needed to worry about Aidan.
Lurch led me into the passage and made to walk past Aidan's room. I glared at his departing back as he didn't bother to check what was keeping me.
I cleared my throat and said, "I'll just check on Aidan. . . ."
Lurch kept walking away, and I didn't bother to stop him. I knocked and opened the door just enough to poke my head inside. The smile on my face fell when I saw Aidan's sleeping form. He looked so still lying there. But the rise and fall of his chest comforted me. Yes, he was just asleep.
Fast asleep from the looks of it.
My heart clenched as I shut the door. Although really disappointed, my emotions still soared. Aidan was going to be fine.
I took a shuddering breath and tamped down tears, which rose in an unexpected wave of pure emotion. Blinking back the moisture in my eyes, I hurried after Lurch down a corridor lined with flickering torches. We approached a carved door, unusual in that its pale wood gleamed with an almost marble texture. Lurch opened the door and stood aside, waiting for me to enter, his eyes focused on his feet. My curiosity at his over-subservient manner lasted only until I was hit by a sudden vision of him waiting for me to enter the room and then rushing to lock me in, trapping me in Hel forever.
I choked back a panicked laugh. Bryn, you are a bloody idiot. Scare yourself to death with your crazy imagination.
He waited, silent, as I studied the beautiful wood-paneled room, the high timber roof struts, everything so similar to my own room in Asgard, except that the rich mahogany walls rippled with carvings of waterfalls and sprites.
As I walked further into the torch-lit room, the stone floor emitted a deep, bone-searing cold, and yet the room felt comfortably warm. On the left side, set into the floor, a pool of clear water bubbled. Black rock glistened in the light of the torches as water brushed against stone in little wavelets created by the constantly moving bubbles. Steam rose from the surface, and I sighed.
"There are towels beside the pool and a change of clothing on the bed, my lady," Lurch said from the doorway. He bowed—and swiftly rose a good few notches in my estimation. My lady, indeed.
"Thank you." I smiled at him, but he just stared back at me, his wrinkled face expressionless. What was he waiting for? Before I could ask, a pair of dark-haired dwarfs marched into the room bearing trays of food. Enticed by the delicious aromas, my stomach rumbled softly, but neither of the stiff-faced food-bearers seemed to have heard. They didn't look at me; just plunked the trays down on a mahogany table.
Looked pretty much like nobody smiled in this realm. Other than Freya and Astrid, of course, and, well, their particular brand of happy smiling people left a lot to be desired.
The dwarfs left without even acknowledging me, but I couldn't have cared less. All I wanted was for them to be gone so I could dive into the hot pool. Lurch bowed again and shut the door. It didn't take long before my coat and armor lay in an untidy pile on the floor. I dove into the water, submerging myself all the way to my neck.
The heat and the bubbles massaged my sore muscles, and I groaned with pleasure. Laying my head against the stone ledge, cushioning it with a small soft towel, I breathed out the day. I thought of Aidan, sleeping off the effects of the poison, of Mika and her betrayal of her father and of our wasted friendship, of Siri who'd soon return from her coma and be able to hug and cuddle the two people who most cared for her. I thought about Astrid and her attempts to avenge some ancient disagreement, and about Freya's unexpected generosity. And I thought about Joshua, who would have to heal his broken heart.
I remembered, too, that I had a job waiting for me. Two jobs, actually. Warriors kept dying from that awful black goop, a poison that was thinning Odin's army, steadily making his forces too weak to guarantee a victory at Ragnarok. With Aidan now on his way to recovery, we could get back to Midgard and help in every way possible. And we could find Brody.
How long had I lain in the water? I couldn't say. I only dragged myself out of the delicious heat when I almost fell asleep in the pool. Better to get out before I drowned myself in one of Hel's hot pools.
Later I fell into the bed, sated by the delicious food, thirst quenched by a goblet of Mead and way too relaxed by the heat of the pool. And my last thoughts lay on the one person I'd risked everything for.
As I fell into a deep sleep, a sound echoed in my mind and in my heart.
A sound so intrinsically part of Aidan.
A motorcycle echoed in my dreams.
***
The next morning I rose, rested and calm. I dressed in a hurry and trotted to Aidan's room. A painful little flutter in my tummy revealed the doubts I'd had last night. Could I really trust Freya? What if she had taken Aidan away from me again? Or what if Astrid had hurt him somehow?
Blood thundered in my ears as I grabbed the handle. I would've just walked in, but I stopped myself. This was Aidan's room, and he wasn't an invalid any longer. I didn't think he'd welcome anyone just barging into his room. So I knocked. And waited.
The hollow pounding of my knuckles on wood echoed inside the room and up and down the passageway, and when he didn't answer, I began to worry. Was he okay? Would I find him lying dead from the elixir gone wrong?
Shut up, Bryn, it's been only a few seconds. Relax.
Too many moments later, the door finally opened and Aidan stood on the other side of the threshold, the shadow of his beard darkening his chin, his pale shirt all rumpled. He looked well. Fine. Healthy. My heart thudded faster, and my eyes filled with tears just like that.
He reached for me, closing me in his warm arms, and I shed my tears against his chest. I tried hard to stop crying, but the harder I tried the longer I cried. Everything just came crashing down on me. The memories and the pain replayed in my mind, starting with the look on Aidan's face when I told him how he'd been killed, execution style, bullet in the middle of his forehead. Killed by his own father's thugs.
I remembered the way he blanched when I told him the truth about Freya's demands and the awful curse she'd placed on his life if I didn't return with her necklace in time. The look on his face when I lay beside a stinking dumpster, shot in the abdomen by his father's goons, making a bloody mess on the filthy concrete.