5
__________________________
____________
My grandmother’s front door had a window at the top, but there was no one in front of it.
The knocking increased.
Leela had her bow drawn. I had my short sword out.
“Sam, go back into the kitchen,” Ingrid ordered. “If things go south, head out the back door and find your way to the High House to Tyr. He will find Rae.”
Sam didn’t argue.
I began to gather my inner energy, wishing for the umpteenth time that I had my own weapon. Energy burst forth along the blade of the borrowed sword as I gripped the handle tightly with two hands.
My grandmother clasped the handle. “I’ll open it. You back me up. Feel free to break the windows in the living room to get to the porch if you need to.” My grandmother issued the order like I imagined she had as a battle captain.
She whipped open the door, and we all lunged.
Leela’s bowstring was cocked back to her ear. Ingrid had Betsy poised at her shoulder, ready to launch it like an arrow, and my short sword was drenched in blue light. One command from me, and my energy would spring forth, blasting whoever stood in our way.
“What do you want?” my grandmother asked, the tip of her sword within an inch of a strange creature’s neck. It looked like a cross between one of the dwarves I’d seen fighting with the dark elves in Svartalfheim and an ettin.
Kind of human, but not.
The creature held its hands up, which vaguely resembled human hands—they had five digits, except they were much stubbier. “I come in peace,” it squeaked. Its voice was vaguely masculine, as was its short beard. “I have brought you a message from Mersmelda.” It held out a note in a shaky fist.
Grete lowered her sword as we crowded into the doorway. Ingrid stuck her head out. “What happened to our guards? Why are they out cold?” she demanded.
The creature shrugged. “Why, I put them to sleep, of course. I couldn’t very well have them attacking me, now could I?”
“Only those who wield very powerful magic could achieve such a task,” Leela said, bending so they were at eye level. “What are you? I’ve never seen your likeness before.”
“I am Andivari,” the creature responded with pride. “I am half dwarf, half goblin. My goblin magic allows me to cast spells.”
“Andivari, huh?” Ingrid said. “I’ve heard your story before. You once held vast wealth and riches, only to have Loki steal your fortunes away. Is that true?”
A grimace passed over the creature’s face before it responded, “Yes, you are correct. The trickster god stole our fortune. Both goblins and dwarves value their riches above all else, so being an Andivari, I was doubly bound by greed. A goblin who is stripped of gold slowly goes insane. I owe my life to Mersmelda, which is why I am here.”
“Let him inside,” Leela said, stepping back.
My grandmother ushered the half dwarf, half goblin inside and shut the door.
“You have a message from Mersmelda?” Leela asked.
The thing lifted its nose, which was large and bulbous, and took a long sniff. “Do I smell tea and biscuits?”
“This is not the time to be asking for treats,” Ingrid grumbled, Betsy still in her fist. “If you have a message for us, we require it now.”
“You’ve been away from Asgard for too many years,” my grandmother chastised her daughter. “Put your spear away and go retrieve the biscuits from the kitchen.” She addressed the Andivari. “Please excuse us, it’s been a unique day. Won’t you come in?” She gestured toward the living room.
The creature had an interesting gait as it wobbled along—it appeared that its legs were uneven in size. Once it reached a seat, it was forced to jump up, the regular chair height being too tall for it to sit normally. Its legs hung down, not touching the ground, one decidedly longer. It wasn’t wearing any shoes, but lucky for us, its toes resembled its hands and weren’t too cringe-worthy. “You may call me Andi,” it informed us with a grin, displaying a full set of thick white teeth. At least they weren’t yellow.
Ingrid returned with a plate full of assorted cookies, Sam trailing behind her. I watched Sam as she took in the new thing sitting on the chair. I had to hand it to her, Sam took everything in stride. If someone didn’t know her well, they would miss the telltale way her lips pursed or her nose twitched. She wasn’t scared of this thing.
She was trying to figure out what it was.
Once Andi had taken its fair share of the treats, it leveled a gaze on my mother. “Mersmelda has gone into hiding. Asgard has become unsafe for her.”
My mother sat opposite the creature. “Why has it become unsafe? For an oracle, she would be able to see danger before it happens, thus being able to avoid it.”
Andi cackled a laugh, which came out like a helium-filled snort. “In most cases, that would be true, but not when your adversaries are the Norns, who have far-reaching sight.” The creature looked as though it was trying to arch an eyebrow, but since it didn’t have any, the gesture looked comical. “But have no fear, she has left instructions for you. But I am only allowed to give them to you and you alone.” Andi glanced around at the rest of us. “It’s not that you aren’t worthy, of course. But when Mersmelda gives orders, and I always follow them, for if I do not, my insanity begins to creep in.”
My mother looked worried. “I’m sure Mersmelda has good information,” I told her. “But even if she doesn’t, things are going to be okay.”
“I hope you’re right,” Leela said. “I was counting on Mersmelda’s sage advice. Without it, we go into the trials blind.”
Andi took a loud bite of a biscuit, followed by a decidedly undainty slurp of tea before it jumped off the chair. “You must follow me.” It directed its comment to my mother. “We will go in here.” Andi headed toward the kitchen.
“Keep your weapon out,” Ingrid muttered. “That thing is shifty as hell, if you ask me.”
My grandmother stood. “Get the information, and then send it on its way.”
Leela followed Andi, her bow out.
“If you want me to cover you, I can go around back,” Ingrid said. “Betsy can sail through a window in seconds flat.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Leela replied over her shoulder. “Mersmelda is fond of strange creatures. If she aided Andi the way he says, he owes his loyalty to her. Mersmelda has been a friend to me all these years. I can’t imagine she would wish me harm after all this time.”
“Okay,” Ingrid said. “Just holler if you need us.”
As my mother left the room, Sam came up to me. “That was a strange little man. How many weird creatures do you think occupy these realms? Hundreds? Thousands?”
“I’m not sure.” I chuckled. “But I can promise you, I’m not interested in meeting them. Andi seems harmless enough, but most of the creatures we will encounter won’t be interested in sharing tea and biscuits with us. Unless we’re the biscuits.”
A loud commotion came from the kitchen.
We all rushed in, our weapons drawn.
Lying on the ground, with my mother’s arrow sticking out of its neck, a greasy pool of brown liquid seeping out, was Andi.
“Well, that was quick. What happened?” Ingrid asked as she knelt, placing her fingers in the crease of the creature’s neck, ignoring the slick, sludgy crap oozing out. “No pulse,” she declared as she wiped off the offensive fluid on her pants.
My mother didn’t look stricken. Instead, she looked angry. “That thing tried to bewitch me. It handed me that”—she gestured at what looked like a twig lying on the floor a few feet from the creature’s body—“and told me Mersmelda had sent it to communicate. The minute I touched it, I knew it wasn’t from her, but from a darker force, one that sought to overtake my mind. It seems Andi wasn’t sent by Mersmelda after all, but by someone who wishes us harm.”
“Lodging your arrow in its neck from that close was impressive,” Ingrid said. “This guy was able to spell the guards to sleep. I wonder why he didn’t try that now, and then just kill you?”
“Killing me wasn’t the intent,” Leela said. “That stick was meant to bewitch me into doing something awful.” She met my gaze. “Likely something that would harm my daughter. Everyone in Asgard knows she will stand trial within days, and after that, the sentence will be carried out immediately. If somebody wants her dead, they will have to strike now.”
Ingrid walked over to a white box sticking out of the wall. She tapped the base of it, and a voice clicked on. “May I help you?”
“Please connect me with the Valkyrie Stronghold,” Ingrid ordered. “This is a private call, no trace.”
“Yes, right away,” the voice replied.
Within moments, a woman answered, “Valkyrie Stronghold.”
Ingrid said, “Has Rae arrived yet? We have a change of plans…”
Before I could ask my mother what we were going to do with the body, the front door banged open and two disheveled Valkyries raced in. Once they saw the scene in front of them, they stopped in their tracks. “That little thing tricked us,” the Valkyrie named Flora fumed, gesturing at Andi on the floor.
The other Valkyrie tossed a panicked look at Leela. “We failed you. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, Cara,” Leela assured her. “This creature was crafty. We, too, believed he came with good intent up until a minute ago. Help us get him out into the backyard. We’ll store him in my mother’s weapons cache until we figure out our next move.”
The two Valkyries sprang into action, hoisting the small body and carrying it out the back door without comment. I glanced out the window and spotted a shedlike structure. That must be where my grandmother kept her weapons.
“I’ll accompany the Valkyries outside to deal with Andi,” Leela said. “But it seems our whereabouts are known widely, and Phoebe is in harm’s way, so we cannot stay here. We must make plans to head to the Stronghold.”
As Leela exited the back door, Ingrid finished up her phone call. “No, we don’t need an escort. But if we don’t show within half an hour, send the girls out. We’ll plan on making a straight shot from here, no stops in between. Half an hour is generous. It’ll probably take fifteen.”
Rae’s voice came out of the box. “I’ll send a squad to meet you halfway. Better safe than sorry. I knew it was risky to leave you alone, but I didn’t think an attack would be so blatant this quickly. The general feeling in Asgard is curiosity, not harm.”
Ingrid snorted. “Curiosity for the masses, harm for those who work for the Norns. We’ll be there shortly.” Ingrid gave the intercom a double tap and the line went dead. “It’s a good thing that I decided to have our bags delivered later. I just need to make one more call. Once we get to the Stronghold, we’ll lock it down tight. Nobody enters or leaves without our permission.”
I glanced at my grandmother. “You’re coming, too, aren’t you?”
She gave me a wry smile. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I just need to throw together some things.” She sheathed her sword and headed out of the kitchen.
Sam stood with her arms crossed. Her eyes were riveted outside the window, but there wasn’t distaste or loathing there. Instead, she looked amused. “Sam, are you okay?” I asked.
She shook her head, seeming to come out of her thoughts. “Of course. This kind of thing is becoming run-of-the-mill. If I can’t adapt, there’s no place for me here.”
I walked over and set an arm around her. “Of course there’s a place for you here. I know it’s hard to witness death. Life on Midgard was violent, we just didn’t see it day-to-day.”
“I’m really okay,” she said. “I’m tougher than I look. The only thing you have to promise me is that you’ll stay alive no matter what.” She placed both her hands on my shoulders. “Your life is worth ten of that creature’s to me, and you’re going to be facing far worse than this where you’re going. Just promise me you’ll stay alive.” Her expression took on a panicked look.
“That’s the plan,” I said.
“Not good enough. Give me your word,” she insisted. “I need to hear you say it.”
“I promise to stay alive, Sam,” I said. “I give you my word.”
If only all promises were magically bound.