Night Terrors (Sarah Beauhall Book 4) (37 page)

“Let me tell you a story,” he said, holding up his hands to forestall my clumsy rebuttal. “But I need something to draw on.”

He left the room and returned with a drawing pad and a black ink pen. He flipped to a blank sheet, passing things I was sure Jai Li had drawn. Then he drew a rough tree with a long trunk, three massive roots and three tall branches.

“This is Yggdrasil, the world tree.”

“Qindra drew it for me once,” I said “Nine worlds, yadda, yadda.”

He shook his head. “Yadda indeed. Do you know the mythos? The denizens? Do you know the worlds, truly?”

I shook my head. “No, truthfully I was a little worried about Anezka at the time she was telling me. We were waiting for her cleaning crew to show up out at Chumstick. She was showing me to bide our time.”

“Just as I thought. May I tell my tale?”

I rolled my eyes. “Sure, I guess we’re not going anywhere. Jimmy is still pouting with Deidre.”

He sniggered and tapped on the page with his pen. “Pay attention then. This may help you someday.”

Fifty-three

“There is evidence of the world tree,” he began. “A giant tree that encompassed the entirety of the universe. Yggdrasil it was called in the old tongue. Off the branches and roots of this tree were the nine worlds.

In the heavens or the upper branches of the tree there were three worlds: Múspellsheimr, Álfheimr, and Ásgarðr.

Múspellsheimr is the world of Muspell or fire. This is where Bub is from originally. Before he became a servant of the amulet.”

I fingered the amulet through my shirt. It was a constant reminder of the kobold. I missed him, I needed to stop and touch base with him, recruit him to my little Sideways outing.

“Also fire giants. They’re definitely bad news.”

I thought back to the time I battled Bub. “Fire extinguishers, got it.”

“Álfheimr is the world of the Ljósálfr, Skella’s people,” he continued.

“Ásgarðr also known as Asgard is the world of the Æsir, Odin’s people.

“The three central worlds,” he pointed to the middle of the tree, “are Vanaheimr, Miðgarðr, and Jötunheimr.”

“Vanaheimr is the world of the Vanir, the old gods that came before Odin and his ilk.” He paused, considering. “There are those who believe the civilization collapsed before Asgard fell, but it is only speculation and rumor.”

“Like maybe the legends of Atlantis or something?”

He looked at me, appraisingly. “Perhaps,” he said. “Hadn’t combined those two legends together before, but I can see the connection.”

I smiled at that. I was getting better at pulling together puzzle pieces and solving mysteries.

“Miðgarðr or Midgard is Earth, the lands of the humans.”

“Got that, easy enough. Home, sweet, home.”

“Yes. The third is Jötunheimr, and is the land of the Jǫtunn or Giants.”

Legend said you could walk from giant land to Asgard, so they must be connected somehow. “Oh, yeah, I’m very aware of them.”

He smiled at me and pointed to the roots of the tree.

“These are the tree roots, the underworld. This is made up of Svartálfaheimr, Niflhel, and Niflheimr.”

He looked at me. “Svartálfaheimr is the land of the dark elves, or the Dvergar, Durin’s folk.”

“Rolph’s people?” I asked.

“Yes, precisely. They are considered dark elves because of their nocturnal nature.”

“Doesn’t mean they’re evil, though. Right?” I didn’t want Rolph to be evil. The guy was wonky at times, but he had a good heart. Now, some of his kin, like the dwarves who were messed up in the blood mead, and the necromancer’s, shit, they were rotten to the core.

“Niflheimr is the land of the ice giants. They, along with the fire giants from Múspellsheimr are who were supposed to bring down Odin and his crew and trigger Ragnarök, the end of the world.”

Ragnarök. Is that the only way to repair the wheel? Is that the final game? I know Nidhogg wanted the wheel repaired. So did Odin. But did I have to destroy the world to fix it? Seemed counterproductive, but we were talking mythical shit way above my pay grade.

“And Niflhel?” I asked, fearing his answer.

“Hel, the land of the dead.”

I shuddered. “Oh, yeah. I got that one down. No desire to ever go back.”

“Quite.” He drew a bridge between Midgard and Asgard, then drew an X over it. “This is the rainbow bridge that Heimdell shattered when the dragons took Odin’s halls. This kept the dire wolves from joining the battle. Frost giants and their younger goblin brethren made it to Asgard, but the ship the fire giants were to sail on was never built. Loki had been betrayed to Nidhogg, so Ragnarök never happened.”

“Who betrayed Loki?” I asked.

“Ratatoskr—bore-tooth, or the gnawer. He’s a big damned squirrel who carried messages between Nidhogg and the unnamed eagle that lived at the very top of the tree.”

“Why unnamed?” I asked, forgetting all about my knitting.

“This is where the etymologies mix,” he said, putting down the pad and standing. He paced the length of the room.

“In Genesis, the text states that thou shalt have no gods before me.”

I nodded, well aware of the scripture.

“My order believes that the eagle represents God, the one true god. And that the others are lesser beings.”

“So, you’re saying that Christianity and all this Norse mythos stuff works together?”

“I don’t see why not,” he said. He scratched his chin. “You come from a pretty strict Christian upbringing. The scripture is full of ambiguities and plot holes big enough to drive a donkey through. Who’s to say the myths and the gods don’t live together perfectly well?”

“Well, da for one.” No way the old man was going to buy Odin, dragons, and the like. Of course, I’d seen, battled, and lived through all of those. What I didn’t have was hard evidence for was da’s vision of the God Almighty.

“So, maybe God as my father believes him to be, doesn’t really exist.”

Gunther shook his head and clucked his tongue. “Oh, ye of little faith. Open your mind Sarah. There is ample evidence for both.”

I moved my knitting over into my basket and stood, stretching.

“So, I’m this squirrel or something, narking out Loki and generally helping to break the wheel, betray Odin and give the throne to Nidhogg?”

“Not quite that,” he said. “But there is evidence your true calling is to fix the wheel. Didn’t Nidhogg say the same to you?”

I hadn’t gone into detail on my last meeting with Nidhogg, just given them the highlights. Perhaps I was just a lackey to go between head and tail. I scrubbed my hands over my face and yawned.

“Okay, so say I’m this white blood cell squirrel thingy. Now what?”

Gunther sat down, his shoulders dropping. “Good question. We’ve never gotten past that point. Just deciding this was a huge leap of faith.”

I laughed. “Berserker, Fist, Lover, Mother, Squirrel, and White Blood Cell. I am one complex individual.”

We both laughed. “I’m going to roust Jimmy,” I said, patting Gunther on the arm as I went passed him. “Squirrel.…” I couldn’t stop chuckling.

“I’ll stay here,” he said, sitting back down. “I’ll just watch her sleep a bit longer.”

I kissed him on the top of his head and went down the hall toward the kitchen and the back deck. Time to kick Jimmy into high gear. I wanted to bring Katie home.

Just in case, maybe I’d say a quick prayer. Couldn’t hurt, right?

Fifty-four

I guess Deidre had worked Jimmy over pretty well. When I went out onto the back deck, he was walking across the grounds, heading out to the war memorial. Deidre patted me on the arm as I went past her and I gave her a quick hug.

Jimmy must’ve heard the door because he’d paused out by the old ruined barn.

“Hey, Jim,” I said, jogging up to stand next to him.

He was staring into the ruins, the fallen timbers, the ash that refused to go away, even after more than a year of being open to the weather.

“This is where it happened,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

“What? Where Deidre fell?”

He turned to look at me, his eyes haunted. “This is where we lost our innocence. This is where we stopped being children and started being jaded and wounded grown-ups who struggle against the sharp edges, opening old wounds, lost in our past.”

“That’s pretty heavy stuff, Jim.” I said. “Ever thought about tearing it down? Letting the new memorial the dwarves built pass for our historical memory?”

“Bub lives here,” he said, pointing through the interlocked beams to a small corner in the back where a convergence of roof pieces had created a small cave of ash and burnt wood.

“We can find him a new place,” I said, staring into the barn. “Where is he this afternoon?”

“No idea,” he said, shrugging. “Can’t you call him with that amulet of yours?”

I grabbed the stone beneath my shirt. “Yeah, I suppose. Let me give it a try.”

The stone pulsed a quiet red as I slipped it out from my shirt and held it in my hands. “Bub?” I asked the air. “Bub, where are you my friend?”

There was a popping sound behind me, and the quick stench of sulfur. Jim and I both turned. Bub sat on the picnic table against the new barn across the yard. He squatted down with his knees up around his ears. A great yawn cracked his face, forcing his jaws open as wide as I’ve ever seen them. Half his head practically unhinging and tilting backward. I was willing to bet we could drop an anvil in his gullet and he’d just burp and smile.

“You tired, Bub?” I asked, crossing the yard.

He stretched his arms above his head and arched his back. His scales shone dully in the light of the late afternoon.

“I was taking a nap,” he said.

Jimmy shook his head, but a smile touched the corners of his mouth.

“Nap where?” I asked.

“With Frick and Frack,” he said, stretching upward, coming to his full four feet with his talons clicking above his head.

“I’m glad you could make it,” I said, sitting on the table beside him. “Saves me from having this conversation twice.”

Jimmy stood by the end of the table, one foot up on the bench nearest my boots. I leaned back on my elbows, and Bub dropped back down like a frog. He had the boniest damn knees.

“I want to do something with Katie,” I started, not looking at either of them.

“You want to take her sideways?” Bub asked, his voice tight.

“No chance in hell,” Jimmy said at the same time.

I held up one hand, leaning back on my right elbow. “Not exactly. I want to take her to Kent, drive around to a few spots, and the three of us, with Skella as a guide, to go into the Sideways and see if we can help guide her spirit back to her body.”

“Intriguing,” Bub said, swiveling his head to look at me. “What makes you think this will be any better than the excursions you’ve already made?”

“Good point,” Jimmy said.

I paused a moment, collecting my thoughts. This was the right thing, it had to be.

I laid out a more detailed history of my other trips sideways, added in the information from Unun and the things I’d gleaned on my own.

“And you want me to allow her near all that?” Jimmy asked, his voice so tight, I think he’d vibrate if I plucked him.

“She’s dying, Jim. I know what the signs are. I know Gletts was going through the same things, and you don’t have a magic house of healing to help her along like the elves did for Gletts.”

“Take her north, then,” Bub said. “Wouldn’t that improve her chances?”

“No way,” Jimmy said, slashing the air in front of him with an open hand. “I’m not letting her out of my sight.”

“Fair enough,” I said. “But damn it, Jim. I won’t let her die because you’re so fucking pigheaded, you can’t see beyond your own fear.”

He dropped his foot to the ground, squared up to face me, and ground his teeth. “She’s my blood,” he finally managed to say. “She thinks she loves you, but I’m beginning to wonder if she wouldn’t be better if she’d never met you.”

Bub stood on the table hissing, his eyes two narrow slits. I reached over and put my hand on his calf.

I’d expected this tact from him. He’d lost control of the one thing he had sworn to take care of, and he was lashing out. Still hurt like a bitch. But I couldn’t let him see it.

I took several breaths, letting the calm flow through me like an icy fog. When I knew I could talk without firing back at him, I sat up, shrugged my shoulders to loosen up the muscles from where I’d been leaning on one elbow, and slowly turned to look at him.

“I’m gonna pretend those words were never said.” I sat forward, closing my eyes, and rotating my head on my neck, letting the tension bleed away. “We can do nothing and before another month passes, she’ll be too far gone to matter.”

I looked at him, putting every bit of anger and fire I could muster in my stare. “Stop being a damned child and listen to me. I have a plan, and I need your help.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but I placed a hand on his arm. “Listen, please.”

The muscles of his arm were so tight, I couldn’t understand how he didn’t have a cramp.

“I need you to help me search. You know her better than I do. I need your help in looking for clues. She’s hiding somewhere, but it’s a crazy funhouse landscape and I can’t tell where she’s hiding. I followed her, the trail growing colder and colder, but I couldn’t catch her.”

Bub sat down beside me and put his head in my lap, whimpering slightly.

“She’s scared, and she’s running, Jim. And I think that evil spirit I told you about wants to kill her, or wants to kill me and is using her for bait.”

He didn’t shrug off my hand, but I saw his shoulders drop a bit. I placed my other hand on Bub’s head, stroking the scales on the side of his face.

“I need you to have my back in case things get bad. And I need you to help me find her, Jim.” I took a breath, keeping back the pain. “I can’t tell you how much I love her. There are no words.”

He blinked a few times, turned his head away from me, and rubbed his eyes while stepping away. “Yeah, all right. But we go in with a plan, and I want you to go over it all again. From the beginning. Nothing left unturned, no secrets. Anything may help.”

I felt a pang in my chest. But I know what had to be done.