Highway to Hel Read online

  "Shut up, Morrigan," I said.

  She elbowed me. "I told you so," she said and chuckled.

  "I have one more thing to ask."

  One dark eyebrow rose. "My, my. Is this how it starts?"

  I snorted. "I owe you a shopping trip and a home-cooked dinner. We can add to that if you want to or you can hear me out."

  She tilted her head like a curious bird. "Speak then."

  "Loki lost Hallie."

  Her brow crinkled. "Um. What?"

  "Hallie. Our dog."

  "Oh! Cute name. For Valhalla?"

  Was I that transparent? "Yes."

  "Good. She's a little warrior." Her eyes flashed silver and a fierce grin widened her mouth. "She's doing well. I expect her to be home in a few days at most. There's something a little strange about your dog, you know? But I can't read a lick of magic off her."

  "What do you mean home tomorrow? Where is she?"

  "I have no idea how, but Hallie is using Yggdrasil to travel."

  At my look, she burst out laughing. "Maybe Loki taught her."

  "You don't teach a dog to use the tree of life to travel. Especially in a few hours." A shocked laugh bubbled from within me. "What the hell?" I muttered.

  "Regardless of all that, she seems fine and is headed back here to meet you."

  I pinched the space between my eyebrows. "This has been the weirdest, worst day."

  Morrigan opened the door to my bar. "Come on. Let's get you a beer."

  The place was full of people. Children cried and the adults spoke in hushed voices. Eyra manned the bar still wearing her full armor. She held up a stout and barked a name. No one rioted. No one yelled. No one said anything terrible.

  I took a deep breath and got on top of one of the stools. Morrigan stood at my feet and I noticed the second people recognized her. An awed hush fell over the place and I stifled a smile. I might not command the respect I used to, but I long ago stifled my magic and pulled away from the public eye. Morrigan was infamous in a lot of ways, most of them not good, but as the goddess stood stalwart by my side, I began to wonder ... what was on the other side of those tales? What had driven a woman like Morrigan to such reprehensible actions? And, if she could be driven to those extremes, could I if I were put in a similar situation? I hated that I already knew the answer.

  I made a beer gesture to Eyra and she poured me a peanut butter stout. I reached down, took a sip, and stood back up.

  "I know you must have many questions," I said to the crowd. "But first let me tell you what happened."

  "Hel happened," someone growled. "I knew you shouldn't have let her in here!"

  "The wards were designed to keep people out who meant us harm. I do not know why they failed, but it's one of the first things I plan to find out." I met the gazes of dozens of people. "She ambushed Loki on the way to the Healing Mountain and holds him captive in the underworld."

  Gasps rang out through the room. "The Morrigan and I ..."

  I saw Morrigan stiffen beside me. I reached down and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "The Morrigan and I," I continued, "are working together to bring him home."

  Silence fell in the room until a small voice came from the back. "If we want to leave, can we?"

  I stifled a sad sigh. "I'll never hold anyone here," I assured them all. "If you want to go home, you can. I promised to keep you safe and today ... today I failed in that effort. Hel never should have been able to wreak the havoc she has, and I sincerely apologize for my failure to prevent it. I can assure you, I will examine all of this every minute for the foreseeable future so I can make sure it never happens again."

  I looked at Eyra and the Valkyrie nodded, steadily pulling beers. "If you wish to travel home, I will send a Valkyrie with you to ensure your safe passage. Just meet me here at the bar afterward, and I'll arrange it."

  I stepped down from the stool and drank my beer down in less than a few seconds. Eyre reached out for the glass and refilled it for me.

  "Morrigan?"

  She blinked in surprise. "Oh um. Any recommendations?"

  I grinned. "I brew all of it myself," I said proudly, but when I looked at her, I didn't really see a beer person. I took her hand and pulled her to the back. "Come on. I think I have something you might like more." I whispered the words to unlock the cellar and drew her down the stairs.

  "You didn't pretend to be my friend only so you could murder me in the dark, did you?" she asked as we were plunged into almost total darkness.

  A laugh bubbled from me. "Not this time," I assured her. I brought her into the wine room and led her to a massive oak cask. I took a glass from the shelf and wiped it out with my shirt. "Sorry, only thing I have right now."

  She shrugged, curiosity gleaming in her gaze.

  I opened the tap and poured out a little of the purple red liquid. "I made this in secret and cloaked the cask in a secret passage I had in Odin's castle."

  One dark eyebrow rose archly. "Oooh. Subterfuge," she drawled. "I love it."

  "It's made with grapes grown only in Gefjon's lands."

  Morrigan froze. "Gefjon? How in the world..." she murmured.

  Gefjon was a notorious recluse and hated most of the gods. She'd retreated to a private island and grew infamous grapes which she hoarded for her personal stash of wine she made. She'd never given anyone any grapes until me. I was not comfortable divulging how I got the grapes, so I made a zipping motion with my hand against my mouth.

  She held up a hand. "Fine, but you lucky dog. How much do you have?"

  I tapped the cask. "This is it and I'll likely never see anymore." I wiggled my eyebrows at her. "Do you want to try it or not?"

  "If you don't let me, I might knock you out and steal it," she said, moving her fingers in a gimme gesture.

  I handed it to her. "It's brewed with dark chocolate made by Seidr witches, Gefjon's grapes, and a few other things I thought might work."

  I didn't tell her that this brew was my single greatest accomplishment, and I would never have the heart to sell it. I'd never even given Loki a taste of it. I handed her the glass.

  She took it reverently, both hands clasped around it to keep it from spilling. With a slow motion, she tilted it to her lips and took a sip.

  I waited, anticipation making my skin tingle.

  Morrigan shut her eyes and finally sighed. I shuffled back and forth, dying to know what she thought. Her eyes opened.

  "This is ... Freya -" She shook her head. "Odin has hidden your talents from Asgard for far too long. What else can you do because I can't imagine you doing anything other than brewing. This is the single best thing I've ever tasted in my entire life." She eyed the vat. "How long do you think it will last?"

  I shook my head. "Years, I think. Provided we aren't dipping into it every day. If we each had a glass once a year, it would last us several hundred years."

  Her eyes gleamed. "And if we had two?"

  I laughed. "Maybe we can have two. On special occasions.”

  "And maybe we can somehow persuade Gefjon to give you more grapes. Has she tried this?" Morrigan clutched her glass like she never wanted to let it go.

  I shook my head. "She no longer lets anyone on her island."

  Her gaze went contemplative. "I think she'd change her mind if she could taste this."

  I shrugged. "Something to think about when we're done with all this mess, I suppose."

  “What’s the first step?” Morrigan asked.

  I gave her the side-eye. I appreciated she was here and that she wasn't being scary, but I appreciated it even more she wasn't trying to boss me around or tell me what to do.

  Morrigan didn't act like an Asgardian. At least, she hadn't been since she started hanging around with me more often. I had to admit it was a refreshing change of pace. With her and Loki by my side, things felt almost ... normal. Or something. I really had no idea what constituted normal considering I'd been a queen for most of my life.

  She nodded at me as if she
understood where my thoughts had gone.

  "Well, I'm not sure if I should repair the damage here or go after Loki first." My heart told me to find Loki. My head told me to stay here. There were a lot of people depending on me. "What do you think?"

  Morrigan blinked in surprise. "You're asking for my ... opinion?"

  Sadness speared me in the chest. We had not been kind to this goddess. "Of course I am. I'm torn."

  She looked away from me, her lips pursed as she thought. "You care about the Trickster and you wish to see him safe, but you know the people here rely on you." She took another tiny sip of her wine. "There is no reason you can't do both, but I think it would be unfair for us to leave while the settlement is in such disarray. These people have nowhere to live right now, do they?"

  My bed and breakfast only had a few rooms. We'd lost numerous residences today.

  "They don't." I sighed. "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe that we'd be back in less than a day."

  Morrigan smiled sadly. "We might arrive in a day, but the underworld is vast and Hel is a master of her domain. If she's smart, which I know she is, she will expect someone to come looking for him. I think we need at least a few days if we want to evade her and get Loki out safely."

  That's what I was afraid of. "So you're coming with me?"

  A ferocious grin lit her ethereal face. "Try to stop me from coming."

  I chuckled in anticipation. "We're going to mess her up."

  Morrigan held her glass up. "Yes. Yes we are."

  Ten

  Morrigan, Gravelbeard, and I stood outside of the bar looking at the destruction of the town. Everywhere I looked I could see where the hellfire touched. Every time my gaze touched on something burned beyond all recognition, rage filled my veins. I was filled with so much anger, I shook. My teeth chattered and goosebumps broke out over my skin.

  Gravelbeard stood stoic beside me. "It didn't touch the farm," he said gruffly. I couldn't tell whether he was happy or angry about it.

  "All of these people lost something, and my property remained untouched." He turned his gaze to me. "I wonder why that is."

  I didn't meet his eyes. I'd warded his property as soon as I awarded it to him for his loyalty to me. He would never have to deal with trespassers, poor crop yields, bug infestations ... nothing. It was my silent gift to him. I lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "I couldn't say."

  I felt Morrigan's gaze on me, but I didn't look at her either. If I told him, he would get angry about it. At the time, I had no idea honor was such a huge thing for dwarves, though I should have suspected when he dropped everything to come with me.

  I'd never tell him. He was just going to have to suspect me forever because I'd never divulge it. Looking over the ruins of what I'd worked so hard to build, I had to curse myself for my lack of foresight on my own property.

  I was anti-typical in the fact I rarely thought about my own well-being before I thought of others. It was both a curse and a blessing.

  We walked down the scorched road, the sun rising at our backs. The affected townspeople were still in the bar, scattered everywhere - on the floors, packed in the bedrooms. We were able to give them food, drinks, and blankets, all the things they needed for the night prior. Today, we planned on restoring their homes. I wouldn't be able to give them back their possessions - not as they once were, but I could at least give them a place to stay.

  My heart was heavy as I passed by one of the ruined houses. A teddy bear lay on the porch, its fur twisted and burned. It had belonged to someone. A child. Inhaling a shaky breath, I blinked away the grief and continued on. My feet were heavy as they walked upon the ground I used to be so hopeful about.

  A cool hand clasped my shoulder.

  Morrigan.

  She squeezed, and I turned to look at her. Morrigan's face was set like marble, grief shining in her eyes. Today, I felt more of a kinship with her than I ever had. This wasn't her settlement. She didn't build it or have any part in its creation, but twice now she had stepped in to help me save it.

  I stopped abruptly. Gravelbeard stumbled and looked back at me.

  "Morrigan?" I questioned.

  She blinked her reddened eyes. "Hmm?"

  "You love this place, don't you?"

  Gravelbeard's expression grew contemplative as he looked at the dark goddess. Morrigan's eyes widened in surprise. Her mouth turned down.

  She did not like talking about her feelings. "What does it matter?"

  I pressed my lips together as I thought furiously. "The Valkyries helped me set up the warding. Hel was allowed to get through. I'm not sure why or how it happened. Maybe this was Trin's last gift to me. A way to let me know she could get to me any time."

  "I'm not sure where you're going with this, Freya." Her hand dropped from my shoulder and she hugged herself. The morning air was tinged bitterly with cold.

  Gravelbeard grunted and shrugged off the fur he wore around his shoulders. He walked awkwardly to her and held it up. She smiled gratefully and placed it around her shoulders. "Thank you, dwarf."

  He nodded but said nothing.

  "I think we should rebuild the wards," I said slowly. "Without the Valkyries."

  Her head jerked to fully face me. "We?" she asked warily.

  "We," I confirmed. "You and me. We can rebuild this place. And you can live here. For as long as you want. If you want," I added. "We'd love to have you. And just think. A settlement re-built and guarded by goddesses of war and death ... someone would have to be either profoundly brave or epically stupid to try something like this again."

  A soft breath escaped Morrigan and she turned away from me. I'd made a mistake. I cursed myself inwardly. This was dumb. I shouldn't have offered. She had her home and maybe she was just here out of curiosity ... "You don't have to," I blurted. "I know you have your own home but I just thought maybe you'd want to be here. But maybe that was a mistake. I doubt anyone would love this place as much as I -"

  "I'd love to," she said quietly. Morrigan turned back to me. "If you really mean it." Her eyes shimmered with emotion. "And as long as I can have a television."

  Gravelbeard grunted and slowly walked away from us, allowing us a moment of privacy.

  My mouth dropped open. "Of ..." I took a deep, shuddering breath. "Of course, Morrigan. We can sit down and discuss everything. And we'd have to include Loki."

  She nodded. "Of course. The Trickster is good for this place." A fierce grin lit her generous mouth. "With all three of us, we could withstand Ragnarok."

  A shiver rolled down my spine. I held out my hand to her. We clasped forearms.

  "Morrigan, I pledge to you a portion of this space for you to live and thrive in. Together we will create something new. Something in all of our images." I motioned for Gravelbeard to walk over. He sent me a dark look but came over to stand beside me. I put my hand on his shoulder. "All of our images," I emphasized. Magic flowed through me and into Morrigan and Gravelbeard.

  Satisfied, Morrigan nodded and let go of my arm. "For now, should we try to start rebuilding shelters?"

  I thought about it. "How about we create temporary shelters and enlist people to interview the residents about what they want in a new house?"

  Gravelbeard nodded thoughtfully. "Within reason."

  "Of course," I said. "Do you think Eyra would want to help?"

  "I do," he said. "But she is still bound to the Valkyries, Freya. If you think they are the ones who betrayed you, how do you want to handle it?" His mouth was pressed into a grim line. I trusted Eyra and I knew Gravelbeard loved her.

  "She cannot forsake the Valkyries," I said. "If she does, her wings will be clipped." I thought about how we could solve the problem.

  "How about seeking an ambassadorship with them?" Morrigan asked, her gaze on the horizon of the settlement.

  I blinked at her in surprise. "That's a great idea. We could draw up a contract and outline her duties to us." I looked over at Gravelbeard. "What do you think?"

>   "I think she'd go for it, but I don't want to speak with her." He opened his mouth to say something else but shut it.

  "Gravelbeard?" I inquired.

  "I think you should not have Eyra involved with the wards. Only key her presence in." He cleared his throat. "I also think you should have a failsafe on everyone living here."

  My brow wrinkled in confusion. "Failsafe?"

  Morrigan's lips tilted upward. "That's genius, dwarf!" She turned to me. "He speaks of keying the wards to each specific person and creating a caveat in the magic to expel someone if their intentions turn dishonorable."

  That was genius. "Absolutely. Gravelbeard, that's a terrific idea." I shook my head in surprise. I didn't know why I kept doubting his intellect, especially when it had to do with security. "Can we do something like that, Morrigan?"

  "We can. It will be a little trickier, but we can do it. We just need to make sure we know every single person living here."

  "Great." I peered at Gravelbeard. "How would you like to run security?"

  He straightened to his full diminutive height. "For the entire town?"

  I nodded. "If you think you can handle it in addition to the restaurant."

  He snorted in derision. "Woman, you have no idea the things I can handle."

  I grinned at him. "So ... yes?"

  "Absolutely," he said. "I'd love to."

  This felt good and right. I should have had one to begin with. I'd trusted too many people too soon.

  "The failsafe would need to be installed with everyone," he emphasized. "Including you, Morrigan, and Loki."

  I eyed Morrigan to see if his statement had offended her. From the look of fierce delight on her face, I'd say it was the opposite.

  "Great idea, dwarf. As long as you're included in that."

  Gravelbeard huffed with derision. “I know it’s a good idea. Allow the magic to work it out. And put a penalty on it, too. Something sufficient enough to deter anyone considering acting against the best interests of this place. But don't allow the magic to trigger until the person is in the process of committing the act."

  I nodded thoughtfully. "That's a good idea. We all have dark thoughts. We want to draw out the people who act upon them."