Dead Wrath (29 page)

Joshua grabbed me around the waist and helped me to the cot, setting me down gently. He helped me lie back and tucked a pillow under my head.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, his forehead distorted by a worried frown. He looked tired and strained.

"It won't hurt me. But it can help him." I didn't say anything else. Joshua then ran his finger down my cheek. He leaned over and kissed me on the lips, uncaring who was witness.

"I'll be right here if you need me."

I nodded, then cleared my throat. "Tell me what happened after we left," I inquired, hoping his words would take my mind off the poking and prodding.

He laughed softly and shook his head, staring at my face. "We got the virus and all the computers as well as the ammunition that was being adapted for the poison. Derek used his computer magic to find us the nearest Bifrost entrance, which happened to be in a disused flourmill outside of St. Petersburg. We used Yuri's van to get there and came straight here."

I looked past him. "Where's Aimee and Siri?" I asked. My throat was so dry I ended up coughing.

"They were getting Derek's stuff stashed in the war room. They should be here soon." Edrik came to stand beside him, and I gave him a poor excuse for a smile.

"Valkyrie," he said, his face serious. "Enough of all this lying around and doing nothing. We have work to do."

I chuckled, then coughed. "Yes, sir. Just give me a minute and I'll be back on my feet in no time."

"I hope so. Or you will have me to answer to," he responded sternly. I could see how affected he was by everything that was happening around me. His gaze flitted from the needle in my vein to the tubing that led across the bed to Aidan's arm, then back to my face again. He was pale with worry.

"I'll be fine, Edrik. It's just a little blood," I said softly.

His gaze flitted to Aidan's wound, then back to my face. Then he gave my free hand a squeeze before shifting out of my line of sight.

As much as I wanted to see them, I fell asleep before Aimee and Siri arrived.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

When I woke up, I could feel it. The deep sense of loss and grief. It sat in my bones, weighed down my heart, and ripped me to shreds.

Aidan was gone.

I stared up at the ceiling, barely registering that I still slept in the bed beside him, that my hand was now free of tubing and tightly bandaged. When I could finally bring myself to turn my head to the right, I could see the empty cot, stripped of its sheet.

Shifting onto my elbow, I boosted myself up to a sitting position and scanned the room. Eir was mixing something in a pestle and mortar and looked up at me, her attention probably drawn by my movement.

"You are awake," she said, smiling gently at me. She looked relieved to see me up.

I smiled at her, then looked away, my eyes flitting to the empty bed.

"I am so truly sorry, Brynhildr. We did everything we could to save him. Your blood worked for a while, but it was not enough." She sighed as she sank onto the cot and sat beside my knees. She took my hands in hers and held them for a while. "You must not blame yourself, Bryn. I can see it in your eyes that you are already closing yourself off. There is no time to retreat into grief."

I lifted my chin and met her gaze. "What's the point? Nothing has gone our way at all."

"That's not entirely correct." Derek's voice broke into our conversation. He wasn't his usual cheery self, but he did looker eager to share the information he'd brought. "I was hoping you'd be awake so I could tell you."

"Tell me what?" I asked, my voice scratchy and my throat dry as sandpaper.

"Oh. Er... It's a few things. First we were able to create a device that can kill the Jotunn. It's a weapon based on a fire-sprayer using the idea of Siri's fire to overcome the Jotunn. We have already sent out the orders for mass producing it."

I wanted to laugh and be happy, but I couldn't even work the muscles of my mouth into half a curve.

Derek gave me a watchful glance, then said, "Second, we have created an antidote to the black poison."

That got my attention. My gaze snapped to Eir, whose sad face roused a wave of concern in me. "If we had an antidote, why didn't you use it on Aidan?"

Eir put her hand on my arm. "Because he was already gone when they reached the breakthrough." She patted my hand and didn't say anything else.

Derek took that as his cue and said, "And of course, last but not least, you requested an investigation into the Bifrost and how Loki was using it to track you. Well, I couldn't figure out how they were tracking you. There were no residual signatures on the bridge to identify a particular user. But what I was able to do was use the blood sample you gave me to calibrate the program to detect when someone with that DNA profile enters the bridge."

"So we have a way to track him on the Bifrost?" I asked, not daring to get excited until Derek confirmed it.

He nodded vigorously. "The program will notify us as soon as he gets on the bridge and tell us where he enters and where he leaves. Unfortunately, I'm still at a loss as to how he redirected the bridge to make you end up somewhere else."

Eir's movements stilled and she came to a stop at my side. "Did you say Loki redirected your travel on the Bifrost?"

"Yes. He's done it a few times now. I get on the bridge, thinking I'm going to a particular place, but when I land, I'm somewhere else and then I run into Loki."

"Do you have an idea of how he's doing it?"

She hesitated, then looked at me and said, "I think I might know who is helping him."

I leaned forward, not wanting to be rude to the goddess, but also wanting her to talk. "Who would help him?"

"I don't know that she would help him willingly, but I know of only one person who has ever been able to redirect the bridge, and she used an ancient, almost dead magic."

"Who is she?" I asked. "We could go to her and ask her to help us."

"Her name is Vanya. She is an elf ancient. But I'm not sure where to find her. Frigga went to look for her, hoping she would be able to help with a spell that would break the magic holding Odin. But she was nowhere to be found."

Now I recalled the mention of the elf's name. "Is there any way we can track her perhaps?"

Eir shook her head. "She can only be found if she wants to be. Vanya is such a powerful elf that there have been many times she's been abducted or coerced into helping someone."

Something else was niggling at my mind. Thoughts of an old woman haunted my memories. And then it gradually fell into place. I gasped and said, "Can you describe Vanya to me?"

"She is tall and looks very old, more because of her white hair. It hangs pin-straight down to her knees. Her skin is pale, milky white, and smooth. No wrinkles like the rest of us." The more she described Vanya, the more certain I was that I'd seen her before. "What is it, Bryn?" Eir asked, bending her head to study my expression.

"I have seen her."

"Where?" She remained so still, waiting to hear my response.

"In the house in Belogorka. Loki was talking to a tall, grey-haired woman about draining Thor's blood and that whatever she'd done had failed because fate had not changed. It sounded to me like she was trying to perform magic to change the events of the future."

"Yes, that would be why she needed blood. All magic has a price, and the most dangerous magic requires blood. And blood of a god is considered to be the most powerful of all."

I nodded, feeling a little stronger. I wasn't sure if it was because I was thinking of something other than Aidan's death or if the possibility of catching Loki was firing my blood, but I did feel something surge through my bloodstream. "So if even Thor's blood was unable to change Fate, then Loki will be a very unhappy god." Then I turned to Derek. "If you keep an eye on the Bifrost and find out where Loki is getting off and on, then we can track him and try and find Vanya. We need her to free Odin. We also need to know what Loki is up to. And who better to help us than the person he is holding prisoner? And, Derek, see if you can get me an anti-frost giant weapon. Even if it's just a prototype."

"I'll get right on it."

"The sooner the better," I said as I watched him leave.

Anticipation surged through my veins. We had a way to track his movements, a way to find Loki. And we were going to find him.

Better watch out, Loki. You've been naughty, and Bryn is coming to town.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

I stood in the war room, staring into the blazing fire. If anything, it was the waiting that would kill me.

Fen was still in Melbourne, and my team had been dispatched back to Midgard a few hours ago. I'd suggested I wait in New York to hear from Derek, but nobody had agreed. So I was stuck waiting in the war room as it slowly began to close in on me.

Aidan's funeral was postponed to allow the team to complete their mission and return home. His mother had insisted on it. I'd spent some time with her too, admiring her strength and tenacity. She blamed Loki for Aidan's death. Loki and her husband. I'd gone down to the prisons to deliver the message of his son's passing to Dr. Lee. Needless to say, he didn't take it well.

The word freak had been used a number of times.

It had no effect on me whatsoever.

I sighed deeply and shifted my position. "What is the big sigh for, Bryn?"

Thor walked into the room, looking strong and well-recovered.

"I see you're feeling better." I offered him a tiny smile.

He stopped beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I am truly sorry about Aidan. I wish we had not lost him." When he finished speaking, Thor nodded twice, then said, "I have come to tell you I am leaving. I should not be gone long. I need to do some reconnaissance across the realms. I will return in time for the funeral."

"Thank you." I was unsure what else to say. He was turning to leave when it suddenly came to me. "Thor? Tell me about Vanya. What did she do to you?"

"It was not unlike what Eir did to you. A few cuts here and there, lots of blood flowing."

"She needed it for a spell, right?"

"Yes, Loki is of the opinion that fate can be changed. He wishes to make it so he is the one to kill Odin, not Fenrir."

"Why should he care what Fenrir is feeling?"

"It is not Fenrir's feelings he cares about. Loki just wants to be the victor in the final battle. He wants to be the one that songs and poems are written about."

I snorted. "Not in this day and age. Has he heard of Hitler?" I asked, my tone dry.

"When it comes to Loki, logic does not apply."

I sighed. "So is she evil?"

"Who? Vanya?" he asked, and when I nodded, he shook his head. "Not at all. Loki is holding her daughter, the Elf Nita. He claims he will kill her if Vanya does not do his bidding, so the elf ancient has little choice but to obey."

"Good. I was hoping she wasn't going to be a bad guy."

"That she certainly is not." Thor chuckled, then threw me a wave before heading out the door.

Moments later, Derek ran into the war room. I was leaning over and poking the logs in the fire, but when he arrived, I dropped the poker to the ground and hurried to him. "We found him. He's used the location a number of times as an origin point. You need to go now if you want to catch him. No telling how long he will be there."

I was already at the door, tossing my cloak on the hook and changing into my long coat. My weapons and spear were also in position and ready for action. Derek trotted beside me as we hurried to the transfer room. Inside, I ignored the heat as Derek called up the Bifrost and then stepped away.

"We've had the place staked out for a while. Once you arrive, you will find yourself in the loft of a barn. Leave the loft and go up to the farmhouse. He is holding the elf in the storm cellar beneath the building."

"Where am I going?" I asked, just liking to be in the know about these things."

"Kansas," he said and winked at me.

I waved at him and stepped through the shimmering portal. When my foot touched solid ground, I looked down and saw a wood floor covered by piles of straw. I stepped away and allowed the portal to close.

Something settled around my chest, and I looked down to see a golden rope wound half a dozen times around me, holding my arms tightly to my body. And holding my wings tightly too.

When I looked up, I stared into Loki's eyes.

He grinned, his teeth glinting in the broken rays of sunlight that fed through cracks in the barn walls.

"What took you so long, sister?"

TO BE CONTINUED...

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