Norse Code

  Norse Code

  S.E. Babin

  Contents

  Foreword

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Also by S.E. Babin

  Foreword

  I took a lot of liberties with Norse mythology, but I wanted to make it my own. Thus the creation of Gravelbeard, the grumpy dwarf, and the new settlement in Virginia. I hope you enjoy!

  1

  I wonder if I could break it, I thought as I eyed my soon to be ex-husband’s spear lying at the foot of our bed. Gungnir. My husband loved it more than he loved me, but I wasn’t sure he loved it as much as he loved other women. As evidenced by the current giggling I heard coming from the bathroom.

  I sighed in annoyance. It happened every time I came home early from a trip. I’d walk through the doors of the palace, pretend I didn’t see the sympathetic glances aimed at me from the staff, and go straight to our bedroom only to find some servant there playing hide the salami with my husband.

  But this time I was finished. I wanted to hear no more of his terrible lies, the smirk he hid behind his ridiculous beard, and his lame attempts to pretend they were doing nothing more than cleaning the bathtub.

  I’d been with the man for thousands of years. Like he had ever cleaned a bathtub.

  The spear didn’t look like much but I knew it was a powerful artifact capable of wielding great damage because it never missed its target. Created by the dwarves and inscribed with runes of incredible power, it was one of Odin’s most prized possessions.

  A smile began at the corner of my mouth and slowly spread into a genuine grin. I picked up the spear, whispered a chant to decrease the size of it, tucked it into my pocket and headed over to my closet to grab my sack.

  It was time to blow this joint.

  Odin and yet another blonde tramp eventually came out of the bathroom, only to stop short as they saw me sitting on the bed wearing my battle leathers and a grin.

  “Freya,” Odin acknowledged as he cleared his throat nervously. “It’s um…”

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s exactly what it looks like.”

  The blonde attempted to quietly exit the room. I held her there with a twinge of my magic, one of her feet up in the air poised to walk. Her expression froze in a rictus of fear.

  “I won’t kill you,” I told her. “Not today. I’m too tired today. Tired of everything.”

  To my soon to be ex-husband, I said, “But if I ever see either one of you again I’ll go down fighting.”

  “Freya!” my husband boomed. “You are being ridiculous. This is not what it looks like.”

  His barrel chest was bare and he wore a pair of leather breeches fastened crookedly. His dark brown hair stood up in wild angles around his head as if someone...namely the frozen blonde, had run her fingers through it in the throes of passion.

  “You had to finish that sentence, didn’t you?” I sighed.

  I slid from the bed, grabbed my pack, patted the pocket with the spear in it and tossed my long red hair back from my face. “It’s over, Odin.”

  His gaze narrowed even as the deep green of his eyes flickered with shock. I’d never threatened to leave him before simply because I wasn’t a woman who threatened or blustered. I had always been a woman of action, and today I acted.

  “You cannot mean it,” he said, his voice low and rumbly.

  “Oh, but I do,” I said in all seriousness. “I am your wife. But I am not your tool. I am a goddess, Odin. A powerful one.” I took a few steps over to him and bared my teeth in a menacing smile. “And I will no longer be disrespected in my own house.”

  His eyes flared with both fear and lust and he stepped toward me I knew to grab me in an embrace and apologize. I held up a hand. “No more.”

  I headed to the door and with a snap of my fingers released the woman from her captivity. “Get out of here,” I said, my voice low and tired.

  The woman immediately complied, naked fear all over her.

  I followed behind her and paused at the door. “Do not follow. I’ve taken everything I wanted from here.”

  “You are the Queen of Asgard, Freya,” my husband said, his voice dripping with disdain. “You cannot merely leave.”

  A sad smile touched my lips. “I am free, Odin. For the first time in millennia. I can do whatever I damn well please.” I slung my pack over my shoulder and let the door fall shut behind me.

  “FREYA!”

  I chuckled and kept walking, every so often touching my fingers to the wall. Everywhere I touched, a flash of red magic beamed and ebbed, soaking into the walls. It would be my last hurrah here. And I’d make it a good one.

  Twenty minutes later I’d gathered a sizeable crowd of people in the village below the palace. I stood on top of a mossy colored rock, cupped my hands around my lips and yelled down to the crowd. The wind blew gently, ruffling the locks of my hair, sending gooseflesh across my skin.

  “Today I renounce my duties as Queen of Asgard,” I called. “I go forth to create a community for those who are tired of the politics, the brutality, the day to day drudgery of immortality. For those who wish to follow me, come forward and touch my hand and I shall contact you when I’m ready. I cannot promise it will be easy. A new start never is. But I can promise I will be a kind and just ruler and our freedoms will be vast.”

  The pause below me was absolutely deafening. Never in the history of Asgard had anyone renounced their rule. But I was tired. I wanted the chance to be underneath from Odin’s thumb and become my own person. For so long I’d been quashed by Odin’s fire. His presence and persona smothered everyone around him. I’d loved him so completely and for so long that I’d been willing to overlook that aspect of him. Until about a thousand years ago when the first woman showed up in our bedroom.

  I’d forgiven him.

  Multiple times.

  But eventually even the strongest break, and I had reached that point.

  I stood, silent, on top of the stone and waited.

  A slow murmur began until it finally reached fever pitch. “What about Odin?” someone was brave enough to shout.

  “I’m sure he has enough women to keep him warm at night,” I said.

  Awkward chuckles broke out. Odin’s prowess had not gone unnoticed in the village.

  Another voice broke through. Sly, amused, and a little surprised, Loki: trickster, mischief maker, constant thorn in my side, and sworn brother though not by blood to my stepson, Thor, stepped up beside me. “Well, Freya, I have to admit I can’t quite believe you’ve gone crazy. You were always the steady one.”

  I gave him the side eye, but I couldn’t help the smile that peeked out.

  “The lore says redheads are always crazy.”

  “Ah yes,” Loki said. “I read that somewhere.” He reached over and curled his fingers into mine and gave them a quick squeeze. “Odin on the prowl again?” There was no love lost between the trickster and my husband. Loki was a constant staple in our home, though he was full grown when he came into our lives. I knew it was hard for him to stand by and watch Odin treat Thor and me poorly, but he was careful not to make the quarrel any bigger than it had to be. Odin was all-seeing and all powerful. Well...when it came to his rule. Not when it came to his marriage to me. Arrogance and ego had destroyed far more many marriages than mine.

  “Aye,” I said and nothing else.

  Loki sigh
ed and nodded. His ebony hair fluttered in the breeze. He studied the crowd, the hard angular planes of his face grim, but his green eyes danced. “And you’re planning to steal his loyal subjects?”

  I snorted at that because loyalty was a flexible word in Asgard and we both knew it.

  “I’m also about to blow up the palace,” I said, my voice as cool as a cucumber.

  Loki’s choked laughter ended in a coughing fit. “Is there anyone we like in there?”

  I shrugged. “Make sure Thor is out of the general vicinity in the next twenty minutes, but don’t tell him.” I sighed. “We both know he can’t keep a secret. I’ve already told everyone I cared about. They’ll be out soon.”

  Loki shook his head slowly. “My my, dearest Freya. Your Valkyrie is showing.”

  I tilted my head back and allowed my large brown wings to spread from my back. “My Valkyrie will never be hidden again.”

  The first to pledge their loyalty stepped up to the stone and bowed. A pretty dark-haired girl with dirty bare feet ducked her head and extended her hand. I touched it with my fingers and felt her essence soak into my skin. “Rise, Astrid. Remember your oath to me.”

  The young woman nodded, rose, and lifted bright blue eyes to me. She looked...honest. I should know. I spent most of my good years with a dishonest man. I could usually tell someone was a liar from a hundred miles away. I tilted my head and waved her away.

  Loki stood beside me, a mysterious smile playing on his face as he watched the huge crowd of Asgard’s subjects come to me and pledge their loyalty. He said nothing until the last one had bowed their head and pledged fealty.

  “Odin will be furious.” A wide grin spread upon his handsome face, highlighting spectacular cheekbones and bright white teeth. “This is the most fun I’ve had in ages but, for once, I had nothing to do with it.”

  I touched the young man’s head and bent to whisper in his ear. With a brush of my hand, the man’s essence soaked into my being. And with that, I would be able to find and call upon him anywhere. As he walked away and disappeared back into the crowd, I projected my voice to reach all of the villagers who’d pledged their loyalty to me. Though I felt sorry for the rest, there was nothing more I could do for them.

  “Leave this place for today. Soon. Within the hour. Take your most precious things with you. You may come back tomorrow, but expect that things will not be the same. I would advise against it for Odin’s temper will be...strained.” A soft snort came from Loki at that one. “I will call upon you in seven day’s time and open a portal for each of you to walk through. Only the most loyal shall pass.”

  Fear and interest warred on the people’s faces. With a nod at them all, I took Loki’s hand and disappeared.

  Things were about to get...explosive.

  2

  We felt the explosion even on Midgard, what the humans called their earth. Later, scientists would claim it was an earthquake, somewhere deep below the surface, someplace possibly not discovered yet. In truth, it was a magical bomb, far above Midgard. I’d left everything but the palace untouched. Odin would undoubtedly be fine, but he might not walk away with all of his beard hair. He would also be furious and no one wanted to see a furious Odin. For now I knew I was safe enough. I’d placed Loki and myself under a temporary spell to keep us from being tracked while we exited. Eventually, though, word of this place would reach Asgard and I would soon have to come to terms with my actions and the wrath of the philandering Odin.

  Loki stood beside me, his leanly muscled arms crossed against his chest. A dubious expression turned his lips down as he surveyed the place I’d been slowly creating over the last thousand years. “How have you hidden this for so long?” he asked.

  I shrugged. I’d placed my trust in Loki many times over the years and, while he had never let me down, he certainly had made things...interesting for me occasionally. I wasn’t going to tell him the place was guarded and protected by the Valkyrie’s most elite. “Friends in high places, I suppose.”

  His lips twitched in amusement. We stood in a massive valley, surrounded by mountains and forest. I’d chosen to tuck this settlement right next to Abingdon, Virginia, a smaller community nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We would exist in a magical space, a plane unreachable by the inhabitants of Midgard. If a human got too close, they would be turned away with a confusion spell. If they happened to be in a car, their GPS would scramble immediately and the road would gently curve around us until they wound up back on track. Right afterward, they would forget anything had happened to them. So far, the magic surrounding this place was strong and steady and built to withstand magical attacks. But one thing I could not do was lock out Asgardians. My blood was tied to theirs and if someone searched for me long and hard enough, they would eventually track me to the general vicinity I was in. It was a definite downside to being Queen, but once I fully severed the bond between Odin and me, I would be able to lock out any unwanted visitors. My lips curved in amusement as I thought about requiring a passport to visit my new town.

  “What should we call it?” I asked Loki.

  “How about Valholland?”

  A snort came from me. It wasn’t surprising he suspected the Valkyries were somehow involved here. And, we both knew he had a particular soft spot for Holland. He’d had some grand adventures there and been with some beautiful women. “I kind of like it. Let’s keep it on the list.”

  One dark eyebrow rose. “There’s a list?”

  “There’s always a list,” I reminded him. I walked down the stairs and into my new town.

  Valholland, as Loki called it, was quite green. Odin was not a lover of plants and tended to plow over them like an angry Norse lawnmower. To him there would always be another that sprouted up to take its place. To me, plant life was sacred and due to have its own life cycle without our interference. Some of the most powerful magic came from our plants and flowers, and they brought us life giving sustenance.

  “This is quite beautiful,” Loki murmured as he walked beside me. He reached out to touch a deep purple bloom cascading from its pot.

  I’d forgotten how much the man beside me appreciated beauty. “Thank you. It’s called Wandering Jew.”

  His eyes flashed interest and I grinned. Loki could also never resist a story.

  “Tell me,” he insisted.

  “There are many versions of the story. The most simple is the plant’s ability to adapt and regenerate, no matter where it’s cut or dropped, much like the ability of the Jewish people.”

  His mouth went into a downturn.

  I smiled to myself. “But the more interesting version refers to the crucifixion of Jesus.”

  I saw the interest in his eyes again. He was a history buff. No matter how outlandish or outrageous the legend, he wanted to hear it. In that regard, he was a collector of interesting things.

  “When Jesus was being carried to the cross to die, a man, rumored to be a Jew, in the crowd jeered him. Jesus cursed the man to walk the world alone until the second coming.”

  “I bet his feet were very tired,” Loki remarked. I could see him committing the story to memory.

  “Most likely the story has been changed and modified to suit the human rulers as the world evolved.”

  “So you think the name comes from its regeneration abilities?”

  I shrugged. “I’m not quite sure what I believe, but I know that history is written by the victors. For me, this is just a pretty purple plant with tiny pretty flowers.”

  “Some things are more than they seem, Freya.”

  “I’m well aware.” I gestured with a hand to my new settlement. “I’ve spent the last thousand years building this while Odin squirreled away his time chasing skirts.”

  “No skirt is more fair than yours,” he remarked, almost absentmindedly.

  I chuckled quietly. Loki’s flirting was both unsurprising and steady as the rising and setting sun. The moment he laid eyes upon me I saw the interest and wariness in his eyes. He’d n
ever been inappropriate, though I could tell he wanted more. For me, it was an odd and uncomfortable situation. Loki was a Frost Giant, slippery like a soapy toddler in a bathtub. He wore many faces, many guises, and his humor was as mercurial as the ever-shifting stars. His bond with my stepson was strong and true and it felt almost disloyal to dishonor that with anything romantic. Not that I had ever stepped out on my husband. Not once was I unfaithful to that lying bag of Viking bones. But raising Thor as my own and watching he and Loki bond gave me mixed feelings about Loki. And though I knew he was no blood relation of mine, he still felt like...family.

  I knew Loki knew how I felt, but compliments fell from his lips like syrup from a maple tree, steady and constant. But, unlike the tree, Loki’s tap never ran dry.

  Speaking of taps…

  “Come, Loki.” I took him by the arm and led him down the main path of the town. Houses and small stores stood short and tall on both sides of us. Unopened candle shops, clothing boutiques, restaurants, toy stores, you name it, I had built it. I just hoped there would be enough people interested in opening up new business here. Loki’s eyes lit up in wonder as he looked around. “How?” he questioned and shook his head. “Why?”

  “Why is a better question. This was always my plan. Odin is steady as Yggdrasil. Constant, never-changing, never-shifting.” Bitterness, though I tried to control it, colored my words. “He will never change.”

  Loki’s expression darkened.

  “Should I live my life, the rest of my immortality, being uncherished, being a second, third, or fourth choice? An afterthought? A queen in name only?” I turned him down a side street and led him up burnished oak steps and into a large stone building with a sign above it that read, Freya’s Place.