13
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“The map has to be right,” Ingrid argued. “They wouldn’t give Phoebe a fake.”
“If this is a trap, they would,” Rae countered. “And I don’t see a road anywhere around here made up of beech trees. Beech trees are not even native to Asgard.” Rae and Ingrid had taken opposing sides after I’d told them the story of my disappearance and what Mersmelda had said I needed to do.
Ingrid believed Mersmelda was telling the truth. Rae leaned toward it most likely being a trap.
Although, both agreed to accompany me on the mission.
For that, I was grateful.
We were deep on the outskirts of Asgard in a dense forest, a place I never would’ve been able to find on my own. We were accompanied by five other Valkyries and my grandmother. I’d insisted Sam stay home, but she hadn’t been happy about it.
The only troubling piece so far was that Mugin hadn’t appeared.
I patted my belt, making sure the crown was still attached. It was in a satchel secured to my waist.
“Mersmelda wasn’t lying to us,” Ingrid said. “She’s been in contact with my sister for years. I trust her.”
Rae made an exaggerated movement of looking around. “I don’t see any beech trees, much less a lane filled with them. All I see is thick fog, perfect for an ambush.”
My grandmother called from a position thirty feet away. “I think it might be down this way. I see some trees that I don’t recognize.”
“Beech trees are only found in Jotunheim,” Rae grumbled as we made our way over. “Why are they even here?”
“His mother is a giantess,” I replied. “Maybe they make him feel at home.”
We arrived at my grandmother’s side. Sure enough, down the way a bit, there was a lane lined with trees that didn’t match anything else around. The canopy of the leaves made a natural tunnel. Even in the moonlight, it was beautiful. It was also a bit ominous, with fog floating around the base of the trunks, obscuring any physical evidence of a road.
“See, I told you,” Ingrid said, satisfaction ringing in her voice. “It’s just as the map describes. There should be a small cottage at the end of this lane, and that’s where Phoebe will find the demigod Vali.”
“Fan out and stay vigilant,” Rae instructed the Valkyries. “Be on the lookout for any threat.”
We walked down the lane, our weapons out.
As I passed the first beech tree, I made out a dark shape near the top among the branches, and almost immediately, images began to float through my mind.
A young boy, tall for his age, was being bullied by the other kids. They called him names, taunting him to react.
“You’re big and stupid,” a boy called. They’d been in the classroom, but had just come outside. Vali didn’t feel like fighting back, even though he could. He was much larger than all his classmates, thanks to his mother. They didn’t know his father was Odin, or that he possessed magic.
If they did, they wouldn’t taunt him so.
But it didn’t matter.
He soon found his favorite tree and positioned himself against the smooth bark. Trees calmed him. He let his mind wander to his favorite thoughts, thoughts of the Dark Place. He yearned to visit. In his mind, he pictured fire and brimstone, but instead of eliciting fear, it brought him peace and happiness. His mind drifted to his brother Baldur, the god of light. He was older than Vali, but he had always been good to him. Baldur’s kind words had gotten him through the worst of the torment. He would do anything for his brother.
“Why don’t you just go back to where you came from? We don’t want you here!” another child called.
It was too late for their torments to infiltrate his soul. Vali had already settled into his magical world. The one where she would come. And once she was with him, everything would be okay.
As quickly as that memory faded, another took its place.
Vali was older, in his teens. He had tried to live at High House with the other gods and goddesses, but it wasn’t working. He was too different. He sat alone in a corner alcove, his thoughts racing to what he’d overheard today.
“Loki’s daughter is a beast,” a goddess had said as she’d laughed cruelly.
“She’s a hag,” another had agreed. “No one would want to visit that place. It’s a true death, even for a god!”
There had been a trial that day. Vali’s mind was whirling. The gods and goddesses had described a place of horror, filled with death and despair. But rather than being horrified, he’d been entranced. Their descriptions matched his dreams. But he was too fearful to tell anyone. He would be an outcast if he spoke favorably about this place, even more so than before. Who was this Hel they spoke of? Where was Helheim? Could he travel to that realm safely? He rested his head in his hands, despair coursing through him. Why did he have such thoughts? They would certainly be the death of him!
The memory eased as the small cottage came into view.
Before another could start, I peered over my shoulder. I couldn’t see Mugin from this vantage point, but I murmured, “Enough. I don’t need another. The picture is clear.”
“What’s that?” Ingrid asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “I’m just hoping the coast is clear.”
“It looks like it to me,” Ingrid said. “If this is a trap, then I’m a court jester. I’ve heard stories about this demigod. He’s a loner. Always keeps to himself. The only one who ever showed him any affection was the god of light.”
“That makes sense,” I said. I hadn’t shared specific details Mersmelda had given me—even though both Ingrid and Rae had prodded. “I wish my mother was here. I hope she’s okay.”
“She better be,” Ingrid growled. “Or they’re going to have a lot of pissed-off warriors knocking at their front door. I can’t imagine they would treat her badly, but who knows what Frigg has up her sleeve? That goddess has some serious issues.”
“You can say that again.” We neared the small cottage. A single light flickered in the front window. There had been no way to warn Vali of our impending arrival, since none of the Valkyries had ever made his acquaintance or known where he lived. Without the map from Mersmelda, we never would’ve found it. “Remember, I need to go in alone.”
“It would be better if we went in first and scoped out the place,” Rae said. “It still could be a trap.”
I shook my head. “I’ll take my chances. I don’t want to freak him out. I need his cooperation desperately, so I have to tread very carefully.”
As we crept closer, the front door burst open and a huge silhouette filled the space. “Who darkens my door?” a voice boomed into the night.
I couldn’t make out his features, since he was backlit by the candlelight, but one thing was for certain—he was formidable. I gestured for the Valkyries to stay back.
Once they complied, I stepped forward.
“My name is Phoebe Meadows,” I announced. “I come to speak with the demigod Vali. If you are he, I am your half sister, as my father is Odin. I bring urgent news of Helheim.” Why not put it out there from the get-go?
I thought I heard an intake of breath, but it could’ve been the whistling of the wind. “Show yourself,” he commanded.
I took another step forward.
Rae said, “Give us your word you will leave the Valkyrie unscathed, or we will not allow her to enter.”
I took a step closer before Vali responded, “I will not harm the Valkyrie.” His voice still carried, but the timbre had calmed.
“Then you won’t mind if we take up around your home,” Rae said. “We protect what’s ours.”
“Do as you wish, I care not.” Vali was unfazed at the appearance of so many Valkyries. “Come closer, Sister.”
He had to be at least seven feet tall.
The door to the cottage was oversized, and he filled it completely. “I come to give you a gift, nothing more,” I said cautiously. “I’m bringing my weapon with me.” Oh, how I wished I had Gundren!
“I care not if you carry a blade.” Vali took a step back from the doorway. “I do not harm my kin.”
I wanted to believe him, but I didn’t have much to go on. I’d seen only two memories, but it wasn’t hard to extrapolate that Vali’s life had been difficult, often involving bullying and hatred.
“Good to know.” I approached the door. He moved, allowing me in.
Once I entered, I was able to get a better look at my half brother. I had to bite my tongue so I didn’t gasp out loud.
Everything about him was overgrown, including his features. His eyes were abnormally large, as was his nose, which was big and bulbous. Even his hair was too thick, sticking up erratically around his head. He resembled a giant—those I’d glimpsed in Jotunheim. Those giants had been far taller and bigger, but my half brother carried the same traits.
He was hideous at best.
Pretty much the exact opposite of Baldur in every way.
He welcomed me. “Come in.”
I stepped into a room that was no bigger than thirty by thirty. It was a miracle that such a big man fit in such a tiny space. The furnishings were sparse and simple. A table sat by the window, along with two regular-sized chairs. The rest of the room was taken over by a huge armchair with an end table beside it. A fire crackled in the hearth, two candles flickered on the mantel. “Thank you for allowing me into your home,” I told him.
He shut the door with an audible click, then lumbered to the armchair and took a seat. As he sat, the floor beneath him creaked and groaned. He gestured a beefy arm toward the table where the two smaller chairs had likely gone unused for centuries and ordered, “Please, sit.”
I pulled one out and sat. “This is a charming place,” I said as a conversation opener.
My brother grunted. “It’s adequate.”
“Have you been here a long time?”
“Over three hundred years.” He crossed his arms, the span of his chest intimidating, his face indicating that he wasn’t a fan of idle chitchat.
“Okay, how about if I get right to the point? I’ve brought you something—”
“Something from Helheim?” He sat up, dropping his arms, his face suddenly eager, the floorboards groaning once again.
“Yes.” I reached for the bag attached to my waist and untied it. “I was told by a powerful seer to give you this. She said it will deliver you to Helheim.” I slowly withdrew the ornate crown, doing my best not to look at it. Was there ever a good time to become entranced?
I extended my arm, placing the jeweled masterpiece in Vali’s outstretched hand.
As he examined it, I tried to look anywhere but at him.
“It’s exquisite,” Vali whispered, which equaled normal conversation level for anyone under seven feet tall. His exceptionally bushy eyebrows furrowed. “Are you sure it’s for me? I had a crown of its likeness once, given to me by my father, but I lost it. I was just a young boy.”
“I’m sure. Maybe it’s the one you lost?” Mersmelda hadn’t told me anything of the sort. “I need to tell you something important. When I’m sent to Helheim tomorrow—”
“You’re going to Helheim?” His bellow startled me, and I grasped the edge of the table to keep myself rooted in place.
I was thankful I hadn’t drawn my broadsword on instinct. “Yes. I’m standing trial tomorrow and will most likely be exiled to Helheim. I’m surprised you haven’t heard the gossip in Asgard.”
“I do not pay attention to such things,” he scoffed. His teeth were as big as cubes of sugar. “That is not my world. I do not belong there, nor will I ever.”
“Then you haven’t heard that our brother Baldur is dead?” I revealed this news as gently as I could.
Vali leaped to his feet, shuddering the floorboards and making his few possessions scattered around the room jump. I was surprised the ground hadn’t given way beneath him long ago. “He can’t be dead.” He sounded like a wounded animal. “I heard long ago that his mother sent him to live among the dark elves for safekeeping.” His face was a mask of pain. “How could he be dead when he was in their care?”
Was I going to admit to this giant that it was my fault?
I pondered it for only a moment.
If Vali asked anyone in Asgard, they would tell him the truth. He might as well hear it from me. “Um.” I fidgeted with the drawstrings on the bag, which was settled in my lap. “I happened to have traveled to Svartalfheim recently, and I…um…sort of ran into Baldur there. He let me know how unhappy he was confined to his cell. So, I freed him.” The giant paced the room, rattling the windows. He turned at my words, his overblown gaze pinned on me. I gulped, but continued, “But I didn’t kill him. I would never do such a thing. I grew to love him in the short time we were together. As we were leaving the realm”—I paused—“the Norns descended—”
“The powerful oracles?” He stopped in front of the crackling fire.
“Yes,” I answered. When Vali remained quiet, I continued, “Before we could escape, Verdandi produced a dart. She threw it at Baldur, and her aim was true. She pierced his heart.” Hastily, I added, “We got him to Yggdrasil as fast as we could, but he didn’t make it. I’m so sorry. He was sent to Helheim, where Hel has made him her favorite—or so it is prophesied. I won’t know for sure until I arrive.”
The anguish in Vali’s eyes almost made me apologize again. “My brother, the god of light, was the only person in all of Asgard who treated me with respect. I vowed at a young age to avenge his death once I learned of his fate. And I will do so now.” He stroked the crown absentmindedly, which appeared small in his huge hands.
I wasn’t sure how to phrase this, so I just went for it. “I’ve been told that in order to avenge Baldur’s death, you are to take his place in Helheim.”
I held my breath.
My life depended on his answer.