“What in the hell is with the numbers?” Woden gave Siegfried a malicious wink. “I sent out six-hundred-sixy-six. Whatever. You’d best make her happy, faun.”
“Siegfried, considering her delicate condition and the frustrations of wedding planning,” Hecate said, gesturing at Freya’s flat stomach, “why don’t you take her out on your boat for a fortnight? The two of you can take your time sailing to Asgard. We’ll take care of the details of the wedding. Hedwig and I will take charge of the attire.”
“That actually sounds great,” Freya said. “Let me go ask Hedwig to borrow some sea beasts then. With my, er, delicate condition, I really wouldn’t mind the privacy.”
Ostia. Siegfried wanted to go to Ostia, to bid farewell to his old life. The rest of his work would be done from a distance. He no longer needed a ship or a crew. His former crew could join the ranks of berserkers if they chose. Sea beasts and a mermaid wife would be all he needed at sea. His powers were more than adequate for intervening on land. If what Enbarr said about this Shadow Stalker was true, then there was a bigger task ahead, and his attention should be on the Otherworld.
“Woden, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Siegfried said, sliding onto a triclinium couch, “why didn’t you involve yourself in the Great War?”
Woden resumed his seat and folded his hands, becoming serious. “Freya, you should hear this, too. I had friends on both sides. You’ve heard of Balor. He was the best.” Woden looked away and sighed before looking at the couple again. “Many of the people wanted a high king. Others, many Beasts, especially, didn’t.
“Balor even tried to convince me to try to become Ard Righ if that’s what the people wanted, then throw the crown away, along with the title after we won. That’s what it was, just a title. I had Asgard. I had the Aesir to look after. Was it worth their lives for a title? A title? Men don’t need titles. And what power does Lugh really have now? He just gets to wear a pretty gold thing on his head.” Woden’s snort revealed what he thought of that.
“The last thing Lugh wants is another war like that one, as you’ve seen. Lugh is like a child who needs to be humored. The Otherworld does as it will, with or without Lugh Lamfada. That’s the truth. He wants to sit on the Sun Throne and call himself Ard Righ, that’s not something worth the blood of my people. I never demand my people go to war. You don’t make a man fight for a cause he doesn’t believe in. Ever.”
Woden rose from the triclinium couch,
Gungnir
aimed at an unseen enemy. “People aren’t machines or tools to be used. You have a drink or a friendly game with them if you like them. You leave them alone if you don’t.
“You know why we fight the Jotuns?” He waved his spear and Siegfried pulled Freya away, before her face was cut. “That’s a cause we all support. As a ruler, the Great War wasn’t worth it for Asgard. If I gave Balor my support—just mine, not my kingdom’s, Asgard would be safe. Otherwise, it would have been attacked. I did give Balor my support in secret. He’s the Power Thief. I gave him my freezing powers, my blizzard powers, everything I had that was mine to give.” His frosty eye stared down at Siegfried and Freya. Yet they could not muster a word of disagreement.
“I went to Mimir to get some powers back when I took Balder. If I had my old powers, I would have come into the bloody mortal world and helped you, Freya. I would have killed Loki yesterday. If I get myself killed, I’ll be useless. There would be no Asgard without an heir, just a more insane power struggle. Or Loki would take it if you and Balder didn’t want it.”
Siegfried found himself oddly in agreement with Woden. The man he loathed was…a man of his own heart? A fighter for freedom in his own way? And here was Asgard, a bastion of freedom, where Woden could change the few rules as he pleased. No. Siegfried could not say a word. Nor could Freya.
“Why didn’t I do more about Loki?” Woden held his head high. “Should I take my men to Utgard in Jotunheim—Loki, lives amongst the Jotuns for a reason—and declare a war? But now I will. Freya’s actions have garnered enough support. Preparations are already underway.” He clenched his fist. “I’ve kept Loki close because I don’t trust him. Sometimes drink loosens his tongue, but he’s been quieter lately. He’s not part of the Aesir’s battle with Jotunheim. Obviously, because he lives there, but he is technically one of the Aesir.
“I’ve been waiting for him to make a move, to have proof of what he’s been doing, direct proof. I have it, only the moves he’s made against Freya are too bold for him. Loki works in secret. He meddles with people’s lives and doesn’t leave a trace.”
Woden slammed a fist into his palm. “If people are to give their lives for something, they deserve incontrovertible proof. I can’t demand they take up arms for Freya. This would pave the way for others to take advantage. Loyalty is earned through fairness, not demanded.”
He looked right at Freya. “I love you, daughter. But I cannot hold you in higher esteem than any other man holds his daughter.”
“I understand, Father,” Freya said after a long pause.
“I let my people decide. I have followers. I have the Aesir. Loki does not. He doesn’t have many friends. I’m sure you can see why. Or so I thought. I think I might be wrong. That move he made against you, Freya, that makes me think he somehow acquired more friends than I’d thought, more friends than just mortals. I want to find out who they are before I do anything. I take out Loki, and that leaves us with nameless enemies. Those are the worst kind.
“I speak of me, myself. Not Asgard.”
“You can’t force them,” Freya said, squeezing Siegfried’s forearm.
Woden’s spear clashed against the mosaic tile under their feet. “I thought Loki would talk in Utgard. It’s never easy to visit there, not with having to bust Jotun skulls just to get to his hall. I thought he’d let something slip on his own territory, but there was nothing, which makes me uneasy. I don’t have very good powers now, except changing temperatures and transforming into a snow leopard—not useful. I do still have my reputation and Asgard’s might. That is the real reason Lugh did not act against you, daughter. He will do a lot to placate his people, but a war with Asgard would be worse than a Beast.”
“I understand,” Freya said. “But I thought, all this time, you just didn’t care.”
“Come here.” Woden rose and gave Freya a tight embrace. “You go ahead with your
faun.
Put these worries out of your head. I’ll make this formal wedding nice for you. Flowers and music and mead and your blueberry ale. You’ll stay at Sessrumnir when you return. I’ll make sure it’s ready. We can fight Jotuns and rein unholy destruction upon more of Jotunheim’s landmarks.”
“Thanks, Father,” Freya said, returning the hug. She rested her head against the burly man’s shoulder.
“I will protect you, but Asgard’s reputation is the best way of doing that. It is a reputation I’ve worked hard for. But you have fought hard for Asgard on your own, something that cannot be ignored.”
“Enbarr warned you about that,” Hecate muttered over the rim of her wine goblet.
Siegfried breathed a sigh of relief. At least Woden wasn’t quite as useless as he thought. He hoped the man was serious.
Chapter Fourteen
Freya sat across from Siegfried in a tavern in Ostia. He had been able to part the veil between the Otherworld’s waters and the Mediterranean because he’d been there before. The tavern smelled of sweat, livestock, drink, and meat. The Skull and Coin was the name of the dimly lit establishment. Siegfried was oddly silent, almost ignoring his venison.
“What is it?” Freya dipped a finger in her dark ale and lapped a drop from her finger.
“Remembering,” he said. “Lots of memories here. Not Julia. What it is…it’s almost guilt.” He tilted his head and scrutinized the meat on the chipped green clay platter. “This place used to be paradise, filled with old friends. They’re all gone now. Dead or fled.” He touched his neck. “I would’ve joined them, eventually, if you didn’t love me. Now, I get to live in a hall with streams of booze in bloody Asgard.
Fucking Asgard
. I could’ve dangled from the hempen halter without ever knowing there was a Remi princess dreaming of me. I’m damned lucky. I want you to know that.”
Freya sniffled and dabbed at her eye. The warm look in his stormy eyes tugged at her heart. “Thank you, Master. I hope you’ll always feel that way.” Usually in public she used his first name, but because of the Marks, she was regarded as a slave here. “But Mother and Enbarr wouldn’t have let anything happen to you.”
“I keep waiting for something to happen, to end this. I feel uneasy. I can’t shake it,” he continued, as if she hadn’t spoken. He dropped his eating dagger.
Freya stilled, too. There was a buzz of electricity, as if before a storm, only it wasn’t a Freya-created one. It hummed through her body, calling to her. She wanted to shift to swan form, fly amongst the lightning and rain. But her trident was aboard the
River Queen.
“There is a storm coming.” She reached across the scratched wooden table to squeeze his hand. “A real one.”
“I know. I can feel it from the ground,” he said, managing to sound skeptical. “The animals are seeking shelter in the trees. We’ll go back to the ship. It was foolish to come here. There’s nothing for me here anymore. Anything I do have is with you.”
“Wait. There has to be a reason you came,” Freya said. “Was there someone you wanted to look for?”
“Friends,” he said. “Old friends.” He looked at their joined hands and closed his free hand over their entwined fingers. “But as I said, dead or fled.” He dropped a pile of gold onto the table and rose, taking her hand. “Come on. Let’s go. Let’s go home
.
To the
River Queen.”
There was a loud clacking. Freya recognized the sound easily. Hedwig entered the tavern in one of her tight-fitting togas. This time, it was bright yellow. The black wig had returned. She grabbed both of their arms, casting furtive glances at any male in the room.
“Come, now,” Hedwig said in a low voice. “There’s a battle going on where you anchored your boat. Some guys tried to take the boat, but Sun Shimmer and the others are putting a stop to that. But they’ve got
elves
on the other boats and more Romans. I drowned a few before coming here. Oh, and Woden came. Thought you should know.”
Siegfried pulled Freya, who wished she had her trident, out of the tavern and into the night. Hedwig struggled behind them in her heels.
“Uh, you may want to wait for me,” Hedwig said, pulling off her shoes. “Probably best if we go out there with two finfolk.”
“Siegfried,” Freya said, eyeing the bustling folk of Ostia, many of whom were drunk. “There are too many people around for me to shift.”
“Like I said, we got Woden and Sun Shimmer leading, so not too much to worry about,” Hedwig said as they ran. “A few seconds isn’t going to make a huge difference.”
“What is Woden doing here?” Freya asked.
“He said he’s going to prove himself and get the boat back. He said if you could do it, he’s not going to be outdone. You remember when you got the boat back from the…whatever they’re called? Versing-Get-Tricks’ people?” The Averni. “Woden’s spear is kind of making up for the fact that his powers are terrible.”
“Is he alone?” Siegfried said, eyes narrowing.
“Oh, no. You’re Freya’s husband—”
“He was serious about that?” Freya asked.
“Yes. He does shit like that all the time. So, anyway, this is considered a direct attack on the Aesir and Asgard. He’s got some of his Aesir warriors. Now that Loki’s come out into the open, Woden’s in full-on war mode. And not just against some stupid giants.”
As they neared the harbor, they could hear distant shouts and a booming voice bellowing things like, “The Aesir will bathe in your blood, cowardly dogs,” “For Asgard’s honor,” “Woden loves his Freya,” “Wholesale slaughter for the baby,” and strangest of all, “What the hell is the difference between an orchid and a calla lily? They’re both flowers, woman.” Freya guessed wedding planning was taxing the man.
When they were away from the village and hidden in the shadows, Freya flew, holding onto Siegfried. The scene below was illuminated by the bright lightning. Woden and the Aesir, all wearing the green and silver of Asgard, were scattered amongst several ships. It was hard to count how many among the roiling sea.
Woden was on deck of one of the Roman boats, a trireme. He was surrounded by elves and Romans, armed with human weapons. Somehow, he’d become separated from the other Aesir.
Can’t let him be killed. Not my father. He’s not really useless. He’s got principles, too.
Freya focused her powers, felt for the blood flowing through their enemies’ veins. She didn’t
need
blueberry ale now to master her powers, but she wanted it.
Get through this. Explode the enemies. Save your people. Have booze and booty with Siegfried.
Lightning wouldn’t work. The boat would burn and sink, probably taking people with it.
She wanted to close her eyes when the first elf’s blood erupted from his pores, soon sending his guts and flesh spattering those near him. She couldn’t. She needed to aim her attacks.
Must keep looking so I don’t pop the wrong person.
“Gods, Siegfried. I just figured it out,” Freya said. It was as if lightning struck her head. Well, to be fair, actual lightning almost did hit her actual head, because she’d lost her concentration.
“What?” He raised both brows at her.
“Why people wear uniforms into battle. I always wondered about it.” Chatting seemed to ease her nerves about her gory power. Besides, she had to share this revelation. “I always thought people who wore uniforms were stupid, because then the enemy would know exactly who to kill. Like the Romans. How could anyone miss those red horse tails? Right? Might as well just wear a really big target. But now I figured it’s so your friends don’t accidentally kill you. The green and gold is like a big ‘Freya, don’t make me go boom’ sign.”
He gave her ass a pinch under her armored skirt. “That would be the idea, love.” He was chuckling. How she loved that sound. “Put me in a spot so I can cover your father. I’d prefer you stay with me.”