Confessions of a Vampire's Girlfriend (42 page)

My Vikings grinned. “We were happy to help, goddess, although sad we could not disembowel Loki,” Eirik said. “Perhaps you are having trouble with another god?”

I shook my head. “No. Everything's fine now. Thank you. I'm going to miss you guys. I hope you enjoy Valhalla. Gunn?”

She stepped forward, waving her warrior sisters on as well. “Absolutely. Valkyries! We have warriors to escort!”

The Vikings smiled. In less time than it took to say
smorgasbord
, the beach was empty of everything but one white horse, Imogen, Ben, and me.

“I hope they got to take their stuff with them to Valhalla,” I said, stroking Tesla's neck. His eyes were half closed as he leaned into the petting. He looked fine, not like he'd been overworked or underfed. His coat was shiny and clean, and someone had worked a few braids into his tail and mane. “I can't believe it, but I'm going to miss them.”

“They have gone on to their reward,” Imogen said, consoling me. She patted me on the shoulder and even gave Tesla's ears a quick rub. “They will be happy. I shall miss Finnvid greatly, but I am pleased for them. And for you, too, Fran. That took much bravery, facing Loki as you did. I am very proud of you.”

“Thanks,” I said, giving her a quick hug. “I couldn't have done it if you hadn't brought the Valkyries.”

“Pfft,” she said, waving a hand. “You didn't need them. You would have simply made Loki send the Vikings on first. Ah well, it has been an interesting evening.” She sent Ben a little smile. “And I'm sure it will become even more interesting. I'll see you both later.”

“You're awfully quiet,” I told Ben, looking at him over Tesla's neck. He stood in the same spot, not moving, not saying anything, just watching me with dark, black eyes. “Is it because I didn't thank you yet for helping me? I was going to do that later, on our date.”

“No,” he said, and for a second, I felt a wave of concern and worry come from him.

“What's wrong?”

“What exactly were Loki's words to you the first time you summoned him? When you refused to give him the valknut?”

I glanced over to where the valknut lay innocently on the sand. It was cool to the touch. With nothing else to do with it but leave it—something I didn't want to do—I slipped it back over my head next to the Green Tara, and thought back a couple days. “He said that if I didn't return it, he would take that which I most valued. But that is you, and you're standing here, fine as can be. In fact, everything is fine. The Vikings have been sent on to Valhalla, Tesla is back, and there's still time for us to go on our date. I'd say things are looking up for a change.”

Ben gave me an odd look. “Fran—” he started to say, but was interrupted by a shout from Soren at the edge of the beach.

“Fran! Benedikt! You must come! Something terrible has happened.”

A chill rippled down my back and arms as I grabbed Tesla and urged the horse into a trot.

“What's wrong? Are there more Vikings? We can call the Valkyries back—”

“No, it is not them,” Soren said, turning as we reached him. “It's the troll.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. “The
what?
”

Soren grabbed my sleeve in order to drag me to the other side of the island. “A troll. It kind of looks like a wrinkled-up TV actress. He says he's looking for the goddess who sent the Vikings on to Valhalla because he wants to be released as well. You'd better come quickly before he gets annoyed. He's already talking about making you take him shopping first.”

I took a deep breath and shot a glance at Ben.

He looked at me without expression for a minute, then burst into laughter, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me up close. “Ah, Fran. I can see life with you is going to be anything but dull.”

I took a lot of poetic license with my interpretation of Viking ghosts, and Nordic gods, but I hope that devotees of Nordic history will forgive any trespasses. If you have a comment you'd like to make about that, or anything else in the book or series, feel free to e-mail me. Links to my e-mail and mailing address can be found on my Web site at
www.katiemacalister.com
.

And finally, I'd like to thank my friend Tobias Barlind for answering my endless questions about Sweden and Vikings, and providing translations. No matter what time of day I asked him for help, no matter how strange the request (and how many people have the opportunity to translate the phrase “legless weasel”—the name of the nearby town in
Circus of the Darned?
), Tobias always came through for me.
Tack så mycket
, Tobias.

Akashic Plain
aka Akasha. What is referred to by mortals as limbo, banishment to the Akasha is the ultimate punishment.

Asatru
A Nordic- and Germanic-based neopagan religion that honors the Norse gods.

 

Asgard
Home of the Aesir (the Norse gods and goddesses), and also the location where Valhalla is situated.

 

Ashtar (priestess of)
Practicing members of the Asatru religion, priestesses are responsible for communing with the gods and goddesses.

 

Blot
An old Norse tradition of offering a sacrifice to the gods, blots in modern times are more a celebration of the gods with sacrifices mostly consisting of ale and mead rather than animals. Pronounced “bloat.”

 

Circus of the Darned
A traveling performance act consisting of Mikaela and Ramon Jupiter and Mikaela's cousin Tibolt.

Demon
Minion of a demon lord, demons can take whatever shape they desire, usually human. They cannot be killed, although their mortal forms can be destroyed, returning the demon to its demon lord.

Sir Edward
Deceased Englishman who serves as Tallulah's spirit contact, as well as being her boyfriend.

Freya
Norse goddess of love.

Miranda Ghetti
Mother of Francesca, and a renowned Wiccan who sells various items of magic at the GothFaire.

GothFaire
The fair that travels around Europe offering performers and vendors with a Gothic twist.

Gunn
Head Valkyrie.

Holle
Goddess who presides over the part of Asgard containing the souls of the dead.

Joining
The seven steps that a Dark One and his Beloved complete in order to redeem his soul. The steps are: 1. Dark One marks the heroine as his own; 2. Dark One protects heroine from afar; 3. Dark One conducts the first exchange of bodily fluids (usually a steamy kiss) ; 4. Dark One entrusts the heroine with his life by giving her the means to destroy him; 5. Second exchange of fluids (usually sexual in nature) ; 6. Dark One seeks heroine's assistance to overcome his darker self; 7. Exchange of lifeblood: the heroine redeems his dark soul by offering herself as a sacrifice.

Mikaela Jupiter
One of the three members of Circus of the Darned, she is married to fellow performer Ramon.

Ramon Jupiter
One of the three members of Circus of the Darned, he is married to Mikaela Jupiter.

Kurt and Karl
Brothers who perform a magic act at the GothFaire. Both are reputed to be involved romantically with Absinthe Sauber.

Lars Laufeyiarson
One of the names of the Norse god Loki.

Loki
Norse god of mischief, frequently referred to as “the Trickster.”

Mage
A person who can perform arcane-based magic.

Moravian
Females and redeemed males are referred to simply as Moravians. Female Moravians such as Imogen Sorik do not need to drink blood to survive, although they do so if they desire.

Moravian Dark One
Males who are either born cursed or created as one via a demon lord or other Dark One. They can be saved only by Joining with their Beloveds, and are referred to by the mortal world as vampires.

Psychometrist
Person who can make associations from the emotions and significant events related to an object simply by touching it.

Eirik Redblood
Leader of a band of ghostly Vikings raised by Fran.

Rune Stones
Small stones with runic symbols that are used for divination purposes.

Absinthe Sauber
Co-owner of the GothFaire with her twin, Peter, she is the business manager of the Faire, as well as a mind reader.

Peter Sauber
Co-owner of the GothFaire with his twin, Absinthe, he is also the headlining magician who periodically performs real magic.

Soren Sauber
Son of Peter Sauber, and Fran's friend. Soren is training to be a magician and spends his time at the Faire helping his father.

Imogen Sorik
Older sister of Benedikt Czerny, Imogen reads rune stones and palms at the GothFaire. She is a Moravian and more three hundred years old.

Tallulah
A medium of Gypsy ancestry, she communicates with the dead, including her boyfriend, Sir Edward.

Tesla
An elderly Lipizzan stallion who Fran rescues in Hungary.

Tibolt
A mage of the fifth class.

Wards
Magic in symbol form. Most, but not all, wards are protection-oriented, and all are customized by the individual drawing them. The most important element of a ward is the drawer's belief in his/her abilities.

Valhalla
Heaven to Viking warriors, Valhalla is located in Asgard, and consists of a hall where fallen warriors may drink and fight all day.

Valknut
A symbol containing three interlocked triangles, it represents the slain, the afterlife, and eternity.

Valkyries
Females charged with bringing fallen warriors to Valhalla.

Vikingahärta
A valknut created by Loki that bears his power. Its name means “Heart of the Viking.”

Wiccan
Modern-day witch who worships the God and Goddess and performs nature-based magic.

Wiccan circle
A gathering of Wiccans to perform magic and rituals.

Growing up in a family where a weekly visit to the library was a given,
Katie MacAlister
spent much of her childhood with her nose in a book. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and dogs, and can often be found lurking around online game sites, indulging in world building of another sort. To contact Katie, visit
www.katiemacalister.com
. Fans of the Otherworld are invited to stop by
www.dragonsepts.com
.