After the Fire (After the Fire: Book the First) (24 page)

“No,”
said Eleni, closing her eyes again. She had grown dizzy. “I
can't.”

“No,”
Loki repeated. He looked grieved when Eleni opened her eyes. In
seconds he had changed form again, back to his own face, his own
lithe body, his silver hair smoothing over his shoulders. He shook
his head. “Go to him, then,” he said, slowly taking his
arm from around her waist. She staggered as the support was gone. “Go
to your little god. I won't force you to come with me. You will soon
tire of him.” Eleni made her way to the lump on the ground,
weaving and occasionally falling. “This is what you call
mercy,” Loki called after her. “You'll be begging for it
later, when the world is a flood. You'll be screaming for my mercy. I
did not kill you or the order god. You should be grateful.”

Eleni
fell on top of Fin's body. He was burned on one side, his right arm
seared, the skin black and oozing liquid. His neck was in bad shape
too. Eleni couldn't even raise herself up in order to help him. But
as she lay upon him, she felt movement. He was breathing. She allowed
herself to breathe then, too. She hadn't realized she had been
holding her breath. Fin was alive; she hadn't killed him. Not quite,
anyway.

She
turned her head to look at Loki who, to her confusion, was looking
into the forest expectantly. He smiled. He looked over at Eleni, a
look of satisfaction on his face. “They're coming,” he
said. “Can you hear them? Stomping their way through the
forest.”

“How
did you know?” Eleni whispered.

“That
you would be here?” said Loki. “The answer is simple:
never trust the god of nightmares. He is probably halfway to the
underworld by now, the coward. But not to worry. I killed him. I
didn't come for you, though, Eleni. Not really. You would just be an
unexpected prize in addition to what I'm really here for.”

“What?”
Eleni managed to lift her head up.

“You
were the bait, my sweet girl,” said Loki, looking into the
forest again. “You were never my target. I admit to a bit of
sentimentality.” He looked at her. “You're very beautiful
and very...shattered. I feel a certain kindredness towards you. But
you are not the one I seek.”

“Who?”
said Eleni.

“She's
coming now,” said Loki, giddiness in his voice. “I've
searched the world for her. She disguises herself very well. But like
everyone who lays eyes on you, she has a weakness. Poor little fire
goddess. So sweet and broken and full of power. You're like honey,
Eleni, you really are. I can see it now, though. Perhaps someday
you'll be my weakness too.” He frowned. “Perhaps I should
destroy you before you can creep your way into my head.” He
took a step toward her. “Cut off the limb before it rots.”
He stopped. “But, no. I can see now you've already wriggled
into my head. It's a tight fit, is it not? So many voices in there.
Such glorious chaos.”

There
was a deep growl and the wolf, Eleni's wolf, stepped out of the
forest, nearly as tall as Loki's chest. The gold eyes glowed
brightly. The wolf's face was a snarl and it stalked toward Loki
menacingly. But instead of backing away from the fearsome animal,
Loki laughed delightedly.

“Daja,
you are disappointingly predictable. Aren't there too many wolves
running about? Don't you think it's time for the little goddess to
find out who her loyal animal friend really is? A liar.”

The
wolf looked round at Eleni, then back at Loki. In one smooth move,
there suddenly wasn't a wolf standing there any longer, but a tall,
naked woman with straight black hair that cascaded down her back,
lower than her waist. Eleni stared for a long time. The woman looked
round and her eyes were golden and shining like beams of light. Her
body glowed softly, the same color as her eyes. Eleni had suspected
that the she-wolf was not a normal wolf, but was still shocked.

“I'm
sorry, Eleni,” the woman said, her voice deep, like a growl.
“It was the only way to watch over you.”

“Who
are you?” Eleni croaked.

“Just
know that I came to love you,” said the woman. She turned back
to Loki. “You cannot possibly think that a little chaos gnat
could kill me. Even if you do take my essence, swallowing my soul
would burn you up from the inside in the beat of a heart. Don't be
foolish, little god.”

“Eleni,”
said Loki, without taking his eyes from the woman. “This is
Daja. She is the incarnation of the sun god. Your she-wolf. ”

“She
saved my life,” whispered Eleni, remembering. She had been a
small child thrust into the wilderness when she had met the wolf. Or
Daja, as she was called.

“Does
it not make you angry, Eleni?” said Loki. “Your friend
betrayed you.”

“I
helped her,” said Daja. “I stayed by her side when she
had nothing else.”

“I'm
not angry,” Eleni said, her voice hardly above a breath. She
was losing her grasp. The darkness that had threatened the edges of
her consciousness were creeping in closer and closer. “Leave
her alone.” She held her hand out limply and a tiny tendril of
fire rose from it like a bright little worm. It was the last of her
energy. Her head lolled and sank on top of Fin. Just as her eyes were
closing, she saw Daja grow bright, as bright as the sun, turning the
dark riverbank to day in the middle of the night. And Loki was
laughing.

Chapter
Twenty

The light was dazzling. Even Loki, who had seen the souls of every
sort of god on the planet had to shield his eyes. But he laughed as
he did it.

“Laughing
is the last thing you will do, chaos god,” Daja's voice
whispered into his head. “There will be nothing left of you.”

The
snow was beginning to fall once more. Heavily, with flakes the size
of a fingernail wetting Loki's hair and melting down his neck. He was
aware of everything. He had absorbed Marowit such a short time ago.
It had given him strength, though it left a rancid taste in the back
of his throat that would not subside. He was aware of Eleni and her
pet, the order god, breathing shallowly on the edge of the clearing.
He could sense the movement of Hati, awakening from unconsciousness.
It would be a shock to find half his face missing. He could feel the
ground shaking with the local gods and Reapers storming his way, only
a short way off now.

And
this beautiful creature in front of him. She was gathering her
energy, only a fraction of what she was capable of during the day.
The sun goddess of this loathsome region was the real
reason
he had waited in a stinking cottage in the middle of nowhere for
days. Marowit said they all thought Loki was here for Eleni, the fire
goddess. Such a pretty little thing. Like a poisonous flower. He was
tempted to take her with him, whether she consented or not. But an
angry fire goddess was not something he had time to deal with right
now.

He
reached into his pouch and pulled out the heavy object he had
concealed even from his own grandsons. They wouldn't understand the
power of the thing, just as they didn't understand the power of the
bone horn. They simply wanted the power, the brute strength it gave
them. But there was a dark beauty to all they had done, to what he
was doing right now. Daja was expanding now, a ball of fire. So
bright that it would be heartbreaking to douse her. But it must be
done. He turned the blade back and forth, admiring the carvings
etched into the bone blade.

The
heat radiating from Daja seemed to falter. The light flickered. Loki
sensed her fear.

“Where
did you get that?” her voice uttered into his head. It was so
soft it was almost like a shiver.

“I
have made some powerful friends of late,” Loki said. “They
give me the most amazing gifts.”

“No,”
said Daja. Her light was becoming more of an effervescent glow. “Why
are you not burning?”

“A
benefit of holding your former self in my hand,” said Loki,
looking at the blade, the bone almost brown with age. He looked up at
Daja. “Or part of you, at any rate.”

“Bones
or no,” Daja said, “you cannot absorb my essence. You are
too small. It will burn through you like embers through a dry leaf.”
Her fear was growing. She took a step back. “And when I am
reborn, my only goal will be to pursue you. I will not kill you,
Loki. I will burn a different part of your body every day. You will
think Odin's creative torture was bliss compared to what I will do to
you in my next life.”

“Well,
I cannot have that,” said Loki. With his other hand he took out
the carved horn and tossed it into the air, catching it easily. “My
friends also made this for me. It came in very handy with the other
gods, but that's not what it was made for. Any god's essence will
only stay inside temporarily. Any god's essence but yours, my lovely,
lovely Daja. I have more hidden away. Each horn made from a different
bone.”

“Why
would you do this? I have never hurt you, Loki. I even asked Odin to
reconsider his decision to imprison you.”

“It
has nothing whatsoever to do with you,” said Loki. “I do
find it regrettable to destroy such a charming goddess. So sweet and
kind. And yet, you are the weakest of the sun gods. So I must take
you first.” He smiled sadly. “Tragic, I know. But in the
end it will all be worth it. There will be no more fighting. Peace at
last.”

“You
mean there will be no one to fight you.”

He
shrugged, with a small smile.

“You're
mad, Loki. You were always strange to me, but you're different now.
Please try to remember. This isn't right.”

“What
I remember is my wife dying trying to keep me from any more pain,”
Loki said through gritted teeth. He closed his eyes and let the anger
pass, then smiled again. “It's true I no longer loved her, but
it was not right for her to suffer. She did nothing to Odin. But I am
more generous than him. It will be quick. Your pain will not last for
long. You have my word.” He laughed softly. “You forest
gods really should carry weapons for when your power fails you.”

“It
has never failed me before,” Daja said, her voice a sigh in his
skull. She looked round at Eleni. She was stirring. “Don't hurt
the girl,” she said, her eyes pleading.

“I
am going to end the world,” said Loki. “What is a little
goddess to you? They will all die.”

“Then
leave her,” said Daja. “Let her die with the others.”

“Goodbye,
Daja,” said Loki. “I have enjoyed our little talk.”

Daja
didn't even have time to scream before the sword was inside her. Loki
cried out as Daja's blood covered his hand, smoke and steam rising
from the burns. He hurriedly rubbed it with snow from the ground. It
burned and throbbed, hurting like no wound he had ever sustained. The
blood of the sun. The thought made him smile, even as his breath was
sharp from the pain. He looked at the source of the blood. Daja was
twitching, the bone blade protruding from her gut like a flag. Her
movements were growing slower. Blood was sinking into the earth, the
acrid smell from the wet earth underneath her burning, despite the
moisture, when touched by the blood.

A
faint glow was beginning to protrude from Daja's mouth, still open in
horror. It was bright, so much brighter than the other gods' souls
had been. He knelt next to her. She was dead. The glow in her mouth
was growing brighter. He had to take it now. He sensed movement
nearby where Eleni had collapsed, but he made himself ignore it. He
opened the flask and said the words. The symbols on the bone glowed
and the essence bubbling out of Daja was pulled in a thin trickle
into the flask. He replaced the stopper in the flask. The voice would
tell him what to do next. He just had to wait. The voice would come.
It always did.

Loki
felt eyes on him. He looked over to see Eleni, barely conscious,
watching him. She appeared to be too weak to move. But her eyes, as
cold as the snow that was falling thicker and faster every passing
breath, were on him, watching him. He could stay in those eyes.

“I
had to,” he said. “Please don't hate me. I couldn't stand
it if you hated me.” Eleni blinked in confusion, as though she
didn't understand. “I'll come for you if you change your mind.
But I cannot force you to love me. You and I are...” he trailed
off, sadness making his guts cold. He forced it away and made himself
smile. He stood up. “Please don't watch. What's going to happen
next is ugly. But I have to, you see? He told me it had to be this
way.”

She
was still watching him, she didn't take her eyes from him. She would
change her mind, he was sure of it. She would understand. He had to
do this. There was no other way. He smiled. He felt them coming, all
the gods. They had shunned him before. Left him to rot. They would
pay now. He would never harm Eleni, but all of the others would die.
The voice had promised to end them all for good. He would have loved
to bottle them up, to absorb their power, but he couldn't uncork the
flask. Daja's soul was too important.

Loki
readied himself. They were talking quietly as they came. He felt the
heavy, clumsy steps of the Reivers,
the softer, more refined steps of the gods. He gathered the power in
his chest.

The
Reivers
came first, unassuming, some wielding their falxes. Loki felt the
power surge from his chest, felt his skin and bone open up to let out
the terrible power that opened up the earth and sucked every last
Reiver
down. Loki was sure they screamed, but he couldn't hear their voices
over his own. The pain was worse than anything that he had ever felt
before. The power was new, and he knew it would hurt, but this was
not pain. This was sickness, agony, every malady that had ever been,
every hurt that had ever been experienced. This was a torch to his
soul. The voice had not told him it would be this bad. Only that he
would need the power of the gods to survive it.