In the Company of Vampires(28)

“I’ve had those sessions in the privy,” Isleif said, obviously settling back to indulge in a few scatological anecdotes.

Before he could do so, I raised a hand. “Stop. The moving of bowels is also on the list of things we don’t talk about.”

He stared at me for a moment in utter bewilderment, and was clearly going to ask why, when Finnvid said, “My fourth wife forbid me to talk about shite. Perhaps the virgin goddess is like her.”

I closed my eyes. To my left, I heard the noise of chairs scraping and people leaving hurriedly. I prayed the café owner was not watching.

“I knew a woman like that, as well,” Eirik said, sitting next to me. “She liked me to write her name in the snow, though.”

“What weapons did you buy?” I said, giving great deliberation to the words.

Eirik shot a glare at Finnvid.

“Why do you look such at me?” Finnvid answered the look, pulling his bags a little closer. “It could have been Isleif who told her about the Walther P38s.”

“Walthers?” I searched my memory. I wasn’t too hip on weapons, but those sounded familiar. “Aren’t those guns? You bought guns?”

“We needed them. We saw Nori.”

“You saw Nori. We did not,” Isleif said, pouring about half the ale down his throat. He belched so loud I swear my hair fluttered.

The people behind him left. Quickly.

“You think I would mistake Nori? I am not so foolish.” Eirik turned from the Vikings to reassure me. “It was Nori.”

“Who’s Nori? And why do you need a gun just because he’s here? I thought we agreed knives would be perfectly fine.”

“You agreed,” Eirik said. “You forbade us to pillage swords or axes, so we got crossbows instead.”

“You got crossbows and Walther P38s?” I took a deep breath in order to better lecture them, but before I could, Isleif interrupted.

“The Walthers are crossbows,” he said kindly, as if explaining something to an idiot.

“They are?”

“Aye.” All three Vikings nodded, and smacked their lips loudly as they downed their beer. “The man at the ninja shop told us they were very effective in stopping attackers. We will find a bowyer later to get the bolts for them.”

“You need not worry, virgin goddess,” Eirik added, patting my hand. “We will protect you from Loki’s son.”

“Nori?” I asked, relief swamping me when I realized they didn’t understand about the ammunition needed by modern guns.

“Aye. He is tricky like his father. I saw him leaving the train station a few hours ago. If Nori is here, he is up to no good.”

I frowned at the table as I mulled over a new thought. Could it be Loki’s son who swept my mother off her feet to some love nest, goddess only knew where? Or was it a coincidence that Nori was in town? I explained to the Vikings what Absinthe had seen in her vision.

“I don’t know what to think. It’s all so confusing.” I rubbed my forehead. “Maybe we should talk to Nori, just to be on the safe side.”

“We will search for him tonight,” Eirik said, putting on his white-framed sunglasses even though it was dark enough that streetlamps were starting to flicker on. “You will go back to the Faire?”

“Yes, I have to go back to the Faire.” I would not think about Ben. I would not allow the misery that was now my life to spread to others. “If you get tired and want somewhere to sleep, you can use the chairs and my bed in my mom’s trailer. I’ll sleep in her bed.”

They agreed to this plan, and since my appetite had gone at the memories I would not allow, I stood up to leave.

“You forgot to give her the offering,” Isleif said, pointing to a bag at Finnvid’s feet.

“Aye, give the virgin goddess the offering we have brought for her,” Eirik said.

Finnvid dug through the bags until he held in his hands a shiny gold metal helm, crowned on either side with curved plastic horns. I stared at it for a moment before turning my gaze on the three delighted faces that beamed at me. “You got me a horned helmet?”

“Is it not splendid? ” Finnvid asked, admiring it. “The man at the shop said that it is a Viking helm, although we have never seen one like it before, so it must be a ninja Viking helm. We thought you would like it, since you are our virgin goddess.”

With reverence, he placed the helm on my head. I bit my lower lip, not wanting to hurt their feelings when they were so very pleased with their present. I started to take it off, saying, “I will treasure it always.”

“You are removing it?” Isleif asked, his expression a little hurt.