Loki (7 page)

The other instinctively pulled on Loki’s still trapped arm, but that was his last mistake. Loki brought the sword back and ran him through. Even with a sword sticking out his other side he clutched Loki tighter, and the momentum of the blow carried them both to the ground. Loki wrenched his arm free, but the sword was stuck in the body of the warrior.

The other Einherjar advanced on him, but they did so haltingly, as if their bodies were worn out. He scrambled to his feet and pulled out a knife. As they drew closer, he slashed one across the throat and stabbed another in the chest. Both fell, but the rest were upon him, unrelenting. He was pulled to the ground and pummeled, finally disappearing under a mass of twisted and scarred bodies.

The Valkyries and the Einherjar

Odin looked into the mists of time and saw that the giants would come at Ragnarok. He despaired of the end, but would not sit idly by and wait for doom. He counted all the hosts of the Aesir, and while they were many, he was not satisfied they would be enough to stave off the giants. He called his ghostly Valkyries, and the beautiful warrior-maidens flocked around him in response, mounted on their steeds and eager to do the High One's bidding. Among their legions he called forth his favorites: Mist and Might, Screaming and Shrieking, Raging, Axe Time, Warrior, and also Spear Bearer, Host Fetter, and Kin of the Gods. He charged them with the task of increasing the armies of Asgard.

“
You will fly down to the land of mortal men whenever there is battle or bloodshed,” he told them. From among those that have fallen, you shall choose the bravest and strongest. You will bring these warriors to Valhalla, my Hall of the Slain. Once there, you will serve them wine and mead.

“
They will fight on the fields of Asgard each day, and feast in the halls of Valhalla each night. Those that die will be reborn to fight again the next day. These men will be known as the Einherjar, and they will fight and die and be reborn each day until the time of Ragnarok.

“
When the giants march on Asgard, the Einherjar will stand with the Aesir and their allies. These brave warriors will serve the gods in death as they did in life.”

The Valkyries flew out from Odin's hall on spectral steeds and sought out those who would become Einherjar. They were known as the Choosers of the Slain, and all mortal men desired to see them, for what greater honor could there be than to be brought to Valhalla to serve the High One?

Chapter Four

The thud of fist on oak reverberated throughout the hall, startling Sigyn with its insistence and urgency. She dispatched servants to answer it, and then decided to see for herself as well.

As the doors opened wide, two figures were silhouetted by the sunlight streaming into the dark hall. They were tall and thin, but the light reflecting off the metal armor and weapons dispelled any impression of weakness. She recognized them as two of the Valkyries, Axe Time and Spear Bearer, although she did not know them other than by name.

Her attention was quickly drawn to the burden that one of them carried. What initially looked like a large sack in the darkness of the corridor took shape more clearly as the doors were shut and her eyes readjusted to the dimness of the hall.

A body was thrown over the shoulder of one of the warrior maidens. A sliver of alarm became full horror as she realized who they carried. She rushed forward.

“
Does he live?” she asked, panic causing her breath to come in ragged gasps. Without waiting for an answer, she ushered them to a bedchamber. “Here! Put him here!”

Axe Time laid Loki's still body onto the bed somewhat roughly. “He lives,” she said. “But he has been beaten severely.”

Sigyn issued orders to the nearby servants, and they rushed off into the bowels of the hall to fetch what she needed. She bent over Loki's unconscious form. Using the sleeve of her gown she carefully wiped blood from his face. “How did this happen?” she asked, emotion threatening to overwhelm her voice.

Both Valkyries looked down on the pair impassively, no emotion registering on their faces. “We found him thus,” Axe Time said. “He was near the wall, lying on the ground. His attackers were gone when we arrived.”

Spear Bearer added, “There were many of them. The signs of the fight were clear.”

Sigyn looked up at them, a range of emotions across her face. “What do you mean? What signs?”

“
The signs of the fight,” Spear Bearer replied, as if it were common sense. “They first struck him from behind. He fell, and they dragged him to where they would not be seen assaulting him. They surrounded him and then fell upon him, all attacking as one.”

“
How could this happen in Asgard? Are there enemies among us that we are unaware of?”

Axe Time shook her head. “No, mistress.”

“
Then who has done this?”

“
They did not mean to kill him,” Spear Bearer said.

Sigyn paused in her ministrations. Loki did not stir. “What do you mean? Look at him! How could this not be an attempt to kill him?” She felt anger rising up, but she forced it down. She did not want to take out her grief on the ones who had picked her husband up out of the dust.

“
They used no weapons. He was beat with bare fists. And he spilled blood on them. He may have killed some, but they took their wounded or dead with them.” Spear Bearer produced Loki’s sword and knife, still covered in the blood of his attackers, and set them down for Sigyn to examine.

Servants rushed into the room and began cleaning Loki's wounds, applying healing ointments and bandages. As they wiped the blood away, they dipped their cloths into bowls of warm water which quickly turned pink.

Sigyn stood up but stayed near, one hand on Loki. She picked up his knife and examined it. “Whose blood is this?”

“
Einherjar,” Spear Bearer said.

“
What? That cannot be.”

The two Valkyries simply stared at her.

“
How do you know?”

Axe Time said, “We have pulled them from their battlefield deaths for countless ages. We know these warriors like we know no other. We are tied to them.”

Spear Bearer added, “There are no others who could have done this. You know as well as we that it could not be Aesir. None of the gods would attack another on Asgard's holy ground. And there are no other in Asgard who could do this to a god except Aesir, Einherjar, and Valkyrie.”

“
How do you know it wasn't one of your own then?”

If the two Valkyries were offended, they showed no sign of it.

“
We live to serve the High One,” they said simply, as if that quelled all question.

Sigyn looked back down at her husband. Under the servants' care he began to look better. She could see his bruises slowly fading, his immortal's healing ability already knitting his body together. It would not be long till he was fully recovered.

“
Why would the Einherjar attack my husband? They have never done such a thing before.”

Spear Bearer looked down at Loki. There was neither love nor hate in her eyes. “It is strange, but we cannot say why they would do such a thing. You should seek answers from the High One.” Axe Time nodded in agreement.

“
It does not make sense,” Sigyn said. “My lord serves the High One as well. What reason would Odin's warriors have for attacking him?” She did not say it aloud, but she also wondered why they would leave him alive. There was a warning here, but from who?

“
Seek the High One, mistress,” Axe Time said, and neither Valkyrie offered more.

Sigyn thanked them for bringing Loki, and then had servants lead them out. She bade another to bar the main doors and let no one enter, then sat down next to Loki, grasping his hand lightly. His wounds, though serious, would heal. She was thankful that it was not easy to kill a god, although mindful that it was also not impossible.

She knew this was due to the bargain struck with the mason. Loki was never popular in Asgard, but the swift and unexpected near-completion of the wall had turned all of the Aesir sour towards him, even more so than usual. It hurt her that they did not value him as they should, but she knew that she was powerless to do anything to change their opinions of him. His ways were different, and he would probably never be fully accepted by the Aesir.

But she could not summon venom against them. She was Aesir, as well, and though she supported him and felt hurt at the rejections and ridicule he faced, she could not turn her back on her own kind. Feeling pulled in two different directions, she laid her head down on his arm.

She felt a stirring several hours later, and realized that she had fallen asleep. She sat upright and saw her husband staring back at her with open, dazed eyes.

“
I was attacked,” he said, almost as a question.

“
Yes, my lord. You were attacked by—“

“
Einherjar,” he said, finishing the thought. “How did I get here?”

“
You were brought by two Valkyries. They found you lying near the wall.”

He nodded slowly, as if he could remember being carried by them. “How long have I been in bed?” He sat up, pushing her hand away gently and setting his feet on the floor.

“
You should not be up yet. You were beaten severely and must rest and heal.”

“
There is little time for that,” he snapped. “How long was I out?” His eyes bored into her, insistent and impatient.

“
Hours only, I think. I fell asleep watching over you, but I do not think a day has passed.”

He nodded and got to his feet. “Good. There is much to do, and time quickly grows short.”

“
Let me get the servants to do your bidding. You can direct them as you like while you heal. There is no need for you to even leave your bed.”

His eyes flashed angrily, but he was able to mostly hold his tongue in check. “If I do not discover the secret of the mason, and soon, these injuries will be nothing compared to what I will receive at the hands of the Allfather.”

Her face expressed alarm. “The High One would never harm you.”

“
Don't be a fool,” he hissed. “If this bargain causes Freyja to be lost, the Allfather and the rest of the Aesir will blame it on me for urging the deal. Death will be the least of what they do to me.”

“
No, they would not do such things. They only threaten. Odin would not allow harm to fall on you, even if Freyja is lost.”

He shook his head at her. “You know little of Odin.” There was a dark edge to his words that made her pause.

“
What do you mean?”

He hesitated, his eyes cast down as if searching his memories. “I am ever blamed for backhanded dealings, but the High One's schemes make mine seem pale. If you only knew the things he has done.”

Sigyn clutched her hands, shaking her head slowly. “I don't believe you. The Allfather is good and kind.”

Loki stared hard at his wife, his lips drawn into a thin line. “Would you know his black deeds?”

She paled, but did not respond.

“
Long ago on a journey in Midgard,” he said, “we approached nine thralls working in a field. He revealed enough of himself for them to know that he was no mere traveler. He pulled a whetstone from his pouch and held it for them to see. 'This stone,' he said, 'will make your blades as sharp as those of the gods.' They did not believe him, so he sharpened one of their scythes and returned it. When the thrall swept his blade at the grass, it cut through the tall reeds with no effort. Their eyes went wide, and Allfather sharpened all their blades. The thralls were able to cut the entire field down in moments only, where it would have taken them hours.”

“
So he helped them. You see that he is kind and giving.”

Loki eyed her before continuing. “Once the field was cut, Allfather told them he would give the stone to one of them. All the thralls were eager to have the whetstone, and they argued with each other over who should have it. I looked over at Odin, and there was a terrible gleam in his eye. He threw the stone in their midst. In the end, nine thralls lay slaughtered at his feet, each desiring the stone for himself. The High One smiled and pocketed the stone, and then we went on our way.”

There was horror on her face, but Sigyn still could not believe that the Allfather would do such a thing. “There was a misunderstanding. The High One could not have intended it to happen.”

He did not respond.

“
It was their own greed that killed them. It is not Allfather's fault that they were controlled by their emotions.”

“
You fool yourself. He enjoyed seeing them destroy themselves. I will not be spared a consequence from the Terrible One.”

“
My lord, I am sure that—“

“
Enough,” he said. He put a hand to his head and paced the floor. “I need to discover what sorcery is behind this mason. I am a fool for urging this bargain, even while I could see that he hid something from us. But why can't I detect it?”

She folded her arms in front of her and looked down. No matter what her husband thought, she could not believe that Odin had done such a thing. Nor could she believe that Loki was in danger even if Freyja was lost. None would be happy with him, and they would certainly shun him even more so than they did now, but the Allfather would not turn on his own kind. There must have been some reason for the death of those thralls, something only Odin knew, and Loki misunderstood a look or gesture. She knew her husband well enough to know that he often saw things more starkly than they truly were.