Power Play: Act 1 Svartalfheim (Ragnarok on Ice) (17 page)

“I bet mom would be the only person nuts enough to say yes to you huh?”

We both laughed at that fact.  Mom was the only person crazy enough to put up with dad.  I remember her friends always saying that dad was a bit eccentric and they didn’t know how mom dealt with it.

“Well enough of this Jack, we have work to do.  Come on, it is time I show you where your old man keeps his vacation home.”

We’d been walking for quite some time after leaving the Darklighter stronghold.  The cave went down quite a ways and the lanterns weren’t as closely spaced as they’d been closer to the surface.  I was keeping close to dad as he led us down towards his home or as I called it, his prison.  I was about to annoy him with the ‘are we there yet?’ line of questions when he stopped.

“Around this corner is where they kept me.  It might be hard for you to see, but this is part of who I am.”

I nodded and we rounded the corner together.  We had reached the end of the cave and the area was lit up by a number of lanterns hanging up.  It took a moment but then the scene started to dawn on me.  There were giant chunks of rock taken out of every wall.  Dried blood stained a good amount of the floor, but I saw no bodies or bones. 

In the center of the room was a massive stalagmite that had an iron anchor drilled into the side.  Connected to the anchor was a broken chain that still shined brightly, as if nothing could tarnish it.  Only at the end, where it had been broken, was there any signs of discoloration.  The ends were charred black, probably from where the dagger sliced through.

“Dad, whose blood is that all over the place?”

“Jack, it’s mine.  The chain was wrapped around my neck so that if I struggled, it would cut against me.  Sometimes when I struggled too hard, it opened wounds on me.”

The scene was too much for me to take.  No one deserved this kind of inhumane suffering.  Dad probably would have been better off if they just had killed him.  “Who did this to you?”

“Two Aesir named Tyr and Hod on Odin’s orders.  I was no match for the two of them at once; however I did bite off Tyr’s hand as he was tying the chain around me.”

I could mentally picture what’d happened.  I felt the heat of the anger starting to burn over me.  At that moment, dad removed Icing from his jacket and handed it to me.  I could feel it calling to me so I grabbed it.

“Jack listen to me, it’s just the two of us here, okay?  We can only learn control if we bring these feelings to the surface.  You know what’s happening this time, so fight to control it.”

The feeling of immense pressure was returning along with my sight getting a red haze to it.  The people who did this to dad needed to be taught a lesson, an eye for an eye.  If dad was too weak to do it himself – no, that’s not me.  Dad’s the strongest person I know.  I needed to let go of these feelings, the hate and rage.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, “This is not me!”

I punched the wall closest to me with my left hand.  The force generated was great and the cave wall cracked and steam hissed off of it.  I looked over at the chain lying on the ground.  The feelings of hate and rage just boiled under the surface but I still had some semblance of control.  With Icing in my right hand, I slashed down on the chain, breaking another small piece off.

“Jack, I think it’s time to give me the dagger.  You’ve done well to fight back, but we need to take it slow.”

He was right, I could feel the temptation to let loose right there.  This chain represented everything that was wrong with Asgard.  Just looking at it made me sick, so I did what felt right.   I crushed it.

****

Master Fenrir looked like he had seen a ghost.  I was with father when he came into the library saying he needed to talk now.  We stopped what we were doing and listened to his story.  By the time he finished, both father and Fenrir both had the most worried looks on their face that I did not understand.

“All Jack did was destroy a chain.  Surely it was due to the energy flowing through him augmenting his own strength somehow.  I do not understand the worry?”

“If destroying Gleipnir was that easy, I would’ve done it long ago and had no need for that dagger.  The fact that the dagger worked was a miracle on its own.  I fear I’ve done something terrible.”

“Fenrir, please tell me you are not thinking what I am.”  Father’s face went from worried to downright afraid.

“I am Hargna.  When I went against prophecy and left for Midgard peacefully, The Norns must have devised a backup plan.  By giving him my blood, I may’ve created the very thing I never wanted to be, the harbinger of the Ragnarok.  We must never tell him.  Never.”

I laughed, that was ridiculous.  Jack would never do that.  “Master Fenrir, I think you do not know your son that well then.  He would never do such a thing.”

“Not intentionally no, but I saw the rage of the wolf under the surface.  If he went out of control, seriously out of control, I have no doubts if given the chance, he could kill Odin himself.”

None of us spoke for a moment.  I still could not believe it.  Even if there was only a slim chance of that happening, there was only one thing we could all do.  We had to get Jack back to Midgard.

“I am sorry if I am interrupting a meeting.”  The voice brought us all down from our own thoughts.  I turned and saw Azmodeous was standing by the door.  What was he doing here?

“Lord Azmodeous, no it was nothing.  Fenrir was just telling me a few things he observed while overseeing a training exercise.”

“Ahh excellent, any insight you can give us to better protect ourselves is most appreciated.  Hargna, I would like a word with you about your idea regarding a treaty with Valhalla.”

Father nodded and they started to walk out of the library when Fenrir did something most unexpected.

“Lord Azmodeous, can you lock up this dagger?”  He handed him Icing.  I wondered if Jack knew.  “It’s a rare treasure I discovered in my journeys and I think it’d be safest locked away in the royal vault.”

Azmodeous looked at the dagger and there was something off about the look in his eyes.  He quickly put the dagger into a hidden pocket on his robe.  “Of course Master Fenrir, your treasures are our treasures.  Nothing ill will come of it.”

****

I wasn’t happy.  I can’t believe they gave my dagger to Azmodeous to lock away in some dark elf hidden treasure vault.  Both dad and Rumil, over dinner, said it was for the best right now and that if I trusted them I should trust their judgment as well.  I trusted them alright, but it still didn’t mean I had to be happy about it.  They didn’t understand my feelings though.  Besides a head full of scraggily white hair that I was sporting, that was the only thing dad had ever given me and it was gone.

“I talked to Algrim, he said swing by his shop in the morning and he’ll let you pick something out.  He also said he has something he wanted you to see anyways.  The big oaf wouldn’t tell me what he was up to.”

I played it cool.  I knew exactly what he was up to so that made me feel a bit more cheerful.  “I guess I now have a reason to go check his shop out.”

“You have never been down there.  I would be most happy to take you down there.”  Crap, Rumil couldn’t come along and risk ruining the surprise later.

“Thanks Rumil, but if it’s okay with you, I’d like Tymon to go with me.  He knows my fighting style pretty good and can help me pick out a weapon.  Besides, you scare him.”

She huffed a bit but I knew she wasn’t mad.  “Humph, fine I have work here to do anyways.”  I also am pretty sure she muttered under her breath that she wasn’t scary.  Dad laughed and told us he was off to get a flask of wine and call it an evening.

“The staff does not think he sleeps in his room.  They all say that the room appears to have never been used.”

I knew where he was going though.  I kind of figured it out after the first few nights but never said anything for his own privacy.  “Rumil, I’m pretty sure he goes to his cave every night to be alone.  I think he misses my mom and his siblings.”

“He must be so lonely.  I wish there was something that we could do for him.”

I thought about it.  I don’t think there was anything we could do for dad other than be here for him.  Maybe one day we’d have the chance to reunite him with either his brother or sister.

“Jack, let us go for a walk.  You have been here for so long and you have seen so little of Svartalfheim.”  She held out her hand and I took it.  I figured tomorrow I would finally get to see it and maybe because I was going with Tymon she felt the need to show me tonight.

We went back to her room and I grabbed my jacket.  I asked her if she was going to switch from her dressy boots to more comfortable shoes and she looked at me like I was crazy.  I should’ve known by now, it doesn’t matter the race, women are always more graceful then men, even in high heels.

When we left the cave and started to descend into the valley, I was really glad I made that pit stop to grab my jacket.  Where the cave was a little cool in the morning and evening, the valley was downright cold.  We passed other elves on our way down and all of them stopped us to say good evening in Druhir. 

I actually recognized more than I figured I would and even those I hadn’t met yet had heard rumors and were pleased to make my acquaintance.  Each one of them made me place my palms on theirs as per custom and each time the blue glow of friendship appeared.  Seeing them so excited it made it that much harder to comprehend what they were all capable of.  These were a people whose skills were in subterfuge and assassination.

When we made it to the bottom of the path, I figured we would go into the central market area but Rumil veered us off to a more hidden path to the left.  It twisted and turned for a little before it opened up to a lake.  The moon was hitting the water perfectly and she lead me over to an area where there seemed to be a stone bench.  We sat down and for a few minutes just enjoyed the quiet and beauty of the area.

“No matter what happens Jack, I will be there for you.”

Oh no, was there something going on that I didn’t know about?  “I know you will.  Meeting you has been the best thing that could’ve happened to me.”

She gave me a bit of a sad smile.  “I am serious.  Just know that from this point forward it is my word to you that I will get you home to Midgard.”

“Rumil about that.  Maybe it would be better if I stayed here.  After everything that happened, how can I go back?  And if I did, I’d have to say goodbye to you.”

“No Jack, you cannot stay here.  This is not your home and as happy as we would be together here, I know one day you would want to go back.”

“Rumil, do you not want me around anymore?”

“I want the exact opposite.  That is why I am going to go to Midgard with you!”  Her face lit up like a Christmas tree.  “Izek has already perfected a rune that would give me more of a human complexion.”

I didn’t know what to say.  Obviously she had already put some thought into this if she had a rune to look less blue.  “Won’t you miss it here, not being around your dad and friends?  Besides, weren’t you close to taking over the head of clan duties too?”

“My father would grow bored if he did not have his duties to perform, so I am helping him out too.”  She laughed for a moment and then went one.  “In all seriousness though, I will miss it here but I would miss not having you around even more.  Please understand this is my decision and I am at peace with it.”

“Maybe we can come back and visit?  I mean who knows what my crazy dad will do.  He might stay here with your dad and they will run the place into the ground.”

“That is a scary thought indeed.  Yes maybe one day if The Norns are on our side, we will be able to visit whenever we want.”

From that point on we just sat on the bench, holding each other’s hand.  I know I was just lost in thought wondering how this whole story would play itself out.  From the look in Rumil’s eyes I’m pretty sure she was too.

“So Algrim, I guess, for what seems like the one hundredth time since I got here, I need your help.”

Tymon and I made it down to the shop pretty quickly.  He wanted to check out some short swords and maybe a new bow.  He kept pestering me the whole way down what sort of weapon I was going to pick out, but I had no idea.  I wanted my dagger back, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.  I guess Algrim could tell.

“Do not worry my friend.  You made a promise to control the energy inside of you, but we both knew it would take time.  One day when you are ready, the dagger will find its way back to you.  When that happens you will be ready.”

Stansky would like this guy.  They both had the same personality, a bit over the top most of the time, with a streak of Gandhi when needed.  I wondered at that moment if Stansky thought I was dead.  If I ever made it back, I owed that guy the truth, no matter how crazy he thought I was.

“For the immediate future though, I have a few items that I think would go well with your gauntlets.  Let us take a look shall we?”

So Algrim and I rustled through his inventory of all things sharp and pointy.  Nothing felt right and I eventually decided that until I was ready to take back Icing, I would just fight with my fists.

“I think that is a good idea Jack.  There is nothing like a good round of fisticuffs to get the blood pumping.  Besides, most of us in the realms are used to fighting someone with a weapon of sorts so using just your fists might be an advantage.”

“I’ll take any advantage I can get.  Now before Tymon gets back over here, do you have it ready?”

Algrim slid his hand into his pocket and pulled it out.  “Some of my finest work right here.  I daresay that I even improved your original idea.”

He certainly had.  Being pleased with it, I put it in my pocket for safe keeping.  “Thanks Algrim, when the time’s right, this will be the cherry on top.”

Before Algrim could ask what I was talking about, Tymon came back over and had about ten different daggers and three bows with him.  He immediately began questioning Algrim about the differences of each. 

What seemed like forever and a day later, we were leaving the blacksmith’s workshop.  Tymon bought two of the daggers and a bow, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time.

When we got back to the Darklighter stronghold, Tymon went off to show off his new wares to his friends and I searched out his brother.  I finally found Ustin in some sort of meditative pose not too far from the training grounds.  He didn’t seem to be in any hurry and I had all the time in the world, so I took a seat next to him.  I’m pretty sure I fell asleep for a bit however.

“Master Jack, are you there?”

I jerked my head up.  “Huh, what’s going on?”

“I have been saying your name and prodding you in the shoulder for quite some time.  I thought maybe you were in some human trance.  It turns out you were just sleeping.”

“That’s one thing humans are good at, sleeping.  We also excel in eating.  At least I do.  Anyways that’s not why I’m here.  I need a favor and I figured you were the best person to ask.”

I told Ustin about my dagger being locked away in a vault for safe keeping and that now the only way I could protect myself was with my gauntlets.  I asked him if he could personally train me.  Even though Tymon and I worked well together in terms of skill, I needed to be pushed to my limit.  After a moment of thinking, Ustin agreed.

“I will train you as best I can in what ways you can use.  Come, let us see what I have to work with.”

Training with Ustin was much different than the sparring sessions with Tymon.  Tymon fought with a youthful intensity, but was always just a tad out of control.  Ustin, on the other hand, sparred with a very calm and calculating style.  I could tell he was basically sleepwalking, as his normal speed would’ve beaten me in mere moments. 

That was the frustrating part; I still couldn’t even land a single punch.  Ustin didn’t even try to attempt a punch; all he did was play defense, letting me continue to try to hit him with whatever I could.  Finally, when I started to slow down, he called a halt.

“Master Jack,” he kind of grimaced, “we have a lot of work to do.”

After breaking down an extensive training program, I was dismissed and feeling a bit unsure of myself.  I’d thought I’d improved quite a bit since I first got here, but apparently I was still behind the learning curve.  I made it to the dining hall and was all set to eat by myself and wallow when the only person who could cheer me up took a seat next to me.

“Oh I have quite a bit of exciting news to share with you!”  Rumil’s enthusiasm for everything always broke a down mood.  “A message from Helheim just came in and Hel wants to meet with all of us.  She wants to lend her support in the ongoing issues with Asgard.”

I still wasn’t up to snuff on all things Asgardian, but I’m pretty sure she just said hell and support.  That didn’t seem like reason to celebrate to me.  “Why in the world should I be excited about that?  Hell sounds horrible.”

“Jack, Hel is your father’s sister.  Do you not remember anything?”

No, no I don’t remember much.  I’m pretty sure I’ve been here too long now as everyone expects me to know what’s going on.  “So that would make her my aunt?”

“That is correct and she wants to meet with our fathers.  I think it would be wise if we were there with them as well.”

“When and where is this all taking place?”  I really wanted time to keep training with Ustin.

“It is not currently that simple for Hel to leave Helheim, so she requested to meet us here on tenth daylight from now.”

Well, that gave me some time to keep working on my combat skills.  I didn’t know Hel and, even though she was my aunt, I’d prefer to be able to at least give myself a chance to escape if this was some sort of trap or anything.  “Oh that’s good.  By the way, I was able to convince Ustin to work with me.  In his own way, he said he’d whip me into shape.”

She sighed and mumbled something to the effect of boys and their obsessions but I let it slide.   I knew she felt like I didn’t have to do all of this, that she was there to protect me. 

Feeling there was enough of talk of crazy aunts and fighting, I decided it was time to move forward with the craziest plan I had ever come up with.  “So Rumil, I got a question for you.”

“Yes Jack?  I hope it is not something that is going to take awhile.  I am about to go meet father to go over a few…”

Without thinking I dug into my pocket and pulled out the ring Algrim had made for me.  “So Rumil, you want to be my fiancé?”