Dead Wrath (A Valkyrie Novel - Book 4) Page 6

  "For god's sake, Aidan, it wasn't as if we were going to get married," I said, giving a short laugh. But my gut twisted as I heard my own words echo in my ears.

  "Don't kid yourself, Bryn," he said, his eyes steady yet gentle. "That was exactly where we were headed and I couldn't see myself doing that to you."

  My hands were shaking and I couldn't figure out if it was from anger or shock. "So you drove me away with your mean words and your cold behavior. You let me and everyone else think you were the worst kind of bastard there is," I said, my voice rising as I finished speaking. Could he have done all of that to himself deliberately?

  He lifted his chin. "Yes. I did. Besides, we hadn't taken the next step in our relationship and I thought it a good thing." Then he took a deep breath and asked, "Are you happy?"

  I was a little blindsided by his change of topic. When did this conversation begin to be about me? "What do you mean? Everyone knows happiness is the furthest from my mind right now."

  "I wasn't talking about Sigrun. I meant with Joshua. Are you happy with Joshua?" he asked, leaning forward in his chair.

  I looked away from his face and studied the whorls in the wood of the tabletop. Happy with Joshua? I hadn't really thought about it, but I knew what my answer was. "Yes, I am." And I truly was. Happier than I'd ever been with a guy.

  "Then I made the right decision, didn't I?" His gentle expression held a hint of sadness.

  I stared at him again, a little suspicious. Was he trying to trap me into saying I wasn't happy with Joshua, which would lead to me wanting us to get back together. Which I didn't want. Not one bit. I cared about Aidan, yes. But I was very sure my heart belonged with Joshua. I smiled softly and said, "Yes. Maybe you did make the right decision after all." Then I stopped and stiffened. "But not the right one in terms of not being with someone because you have Loki's genes in your makeup. Loki does not control you or your choices in life."

  Aidan was bobbing his head in agreement. "I know that. But the last thing I plan to do is give him the power to have something to hold over me the way he did with my father and Enya."

  And to that, I had to agree. His logic was sound. "Don't worry. This war will be over soon enough, and when Loki is gone, we will all be free."

  To that he sighed and said, "I hope so, Bryn. I really hope so."

  CHAPTER NINE

  Aidan followed me closely, laptop in hand, as we walked down the hallway that led deep into the mountainside. The farther along we went, the colder and darker it got, with torches now only spaced out every fifty feet. We had to squint in the gloom to find the next light, and I was beginning to get annoyed that we hadn't grabbed a spare torch on our way. At last we reached the end of the tunnel. Embedded in the wall was a thick wooden door that rose at least ten feet in the air. The door was guarded by two armored einherjar, one of whom, as soon as he saw me, turned to shove a gigantic key into an equally gigantic lock.

  Aidan and I shared an amused glance at the young warrior's eagerness. At last the door opened on squeaking hinges and we both entered to find the inside of the door equally well guarded and a set of stairs that went deeper into the bowels of the mountain. Here the walls were slick with moisture and even breathing was a little difficult with all the wetness in the air. The stairs plunged three flights down until we finally reached a second door, no different from the first, including the pair of guards. This time the einherjar were a little less eager and lot more surly.

  And this time, when we walked over the threshold, we entered the dungeons. There were guards on the inside of the door again, and I was impressed with how well fortified the prison was. The warrior on my left stepped forward and said, "Name of the prisoner you wish to see." He held a thick black book in his hand, a charcoal-nibbed pencil in the other, raised and ready to write.

  "Stephen Lee," I said, keeping my voice low but loud enough for the guard to hear me.

  "Purpose of visit?" he intoned again as he scratched Aidan's father's name on the paper.

  "Interrogation," I said, and the guard gave me a quick look that was suddenly filled with trepidation. He hesitated, his eyebrows shifting nervously. Then he turned his attention back to the page.

  "Name of visitor?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at me, now back in control of his faculties.

  "Valk--"

  "Not you, him." The guard poked a finger in Aidan's direction.

  "Oh. Er, einherjar Aidan."

  The guard scribbled, and when he was satisfied, he placed the book on a low table that sat against the wall beside the door. Then he said, "Follow me," and marched off down the passage, his boots thudding on the uneven stone floor.

  We followed.

  The cells led off the main corridor ahead of us, but as I got closer to the first cell on my right, it became clear that it wasn't a cell as much as it was a small anteroom to a guarded cell. This meant each prisoner would need to escape their own cell, get past their guard, and escape a second cell before passing out through two heavily guarded doors. Our guard led us deeper along the corridor, and we passed at least twenty cells on each side, all guarded by surly einherjar inside anterooms.

  Finally, he came to a halt and pointed at the cell on our right. "This is him." Then he stepped forward and unlocked the cell, allowing us through. Once we entered, he locked us inside. That gave me a start, but I tried not to let it bother me. I was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic knowing I was so deep within the mountain, untold tons of stone bearing down on us. I had to force myself to breathe evenly, to remain calm and in control.

  The guard in the anteroom rose from his low stool and began to unlock the door. He shoved it open, allowing us to enter, then shut and locked it behind us. I felt a moment of panic, and when I glanced at Aidan, I saw that he too had given the closed door a worried glance.

  "Don't be afraid. They won't lock you in here unless you deserve it." I turned to the speaker and was surprised to see a very clean, very well-groomed Dr. Stephen Lee. He sat at a small desk with a book in his lap, reading by the light of a fat candle. "Hello, Aidan. How are you doing? It took you long enough to come down and see me." Dr. Lee's words were designed to cause guilt, but from the expression on Aidan's face, he wasn't that easily manipulated anymore.

  "I wasn't allowed, although I wouldn't have come even if I had been. I really don't want anything from you, nor do I particularly care how you are doing." Aidan's response was cold, his voice harsh like blades on ice.

  "Then what is the reason for this visit?" asked his father, equally cold.

  "We have a proposition for you."

  "You mean the mutant has a proposition for me?" he asked, giving me a sly look. The hairs at the back of my neck rose and my fingers tightened into fists at my sides.

  The man before me was the very same man who had ordered my capture, who had hacked the wings off my back and drained the blood from my body. All in the name of science, not to overlook weapons creation.

  Aidan snorted and brought me back from my memories. "This mutant is now in charge of all of Odin's armies across the nine realms, so I'd watch what I say if I were you."

  "And how is it you came by this illustrious designation, dear girl?"

  Interesting. We seemed to have piqued the curiosity of the good doctor.

  I shrugged. "I did what any other warrior would do. I proved myself," I answered before Aidan could, keeping my emotions off my face. "Now if you don't mind, we have very little time at hand. We would like to ask you a few questions."

  "What kind of questions?" He studied me as he spoke, then took a breath and got to his feet. "And why would I feel the necessity to answer any of your questions?"

  "You get lonely down here, Father?" Aidan cut in. I had an idea where he was taking it, and when he glanced at me, I gave him an almost imperceptible nod. Then Aidan asked, "Has anyone been to see you yet? Besides me, of course."

  Dr. Lee met his son's gaze, and the flicker of pain that flashed across his face was clear enough that I k
new we had him right where we wanted him. "You know full well I've had no visitors since you imprisoned me here." His voice lowered to almost a growl, but he stayed put, even as my hand went to my sword. He looked at my fingers as they closed around the hilt of my blade and he smiled. "I was never known for my stupidity, Valkyrie."

  "Then you will use that intelligence to answer a few questions, because if we get the information we need, you may soon be in for a family reunion."

  "Provided they still want to have anything to do with you," said Aidan. The malicious tone in his voice made my heart ache.

  "Are you trying to trick me?" asked his father, his already pale skin losing all color.

  "No. No tricks, Dr. Lee," I spoke, my voice firm. "We will pass the message on that you are allowed visitors. Family only, of course. I will even go so far as to say I give you my word you will be allowed regular and ongoing visitation should your information assist us in any way." As I spoke, I walked closer to the doctor, only stopping when I was face to face with him. Then I said, "But believe me when I say if any of the information endangers even one of my warriors, you will answer to me." He must have seen something in my eyes because he quailed in the face of it, visibly shrinking away from me.

  "Are you ready, Father?" asked Aidan, seemingly unaffected by my threats to his own flesh and blood.

  Dr. Lee sat heavily in his chair. He looked twenty years older, all the fight and arrogance gone.

  Aidan walked closer to him while I stood and listened as he asked Loki's son question after question. What was Loki's method of infiltrating businesses? How did he manage to convince people in important positions to work for him? Were their families being threatened? Were there frost giants under cover in large organizations?

  Many of the questions surprised the doctor so much that by the time Aidan had asked his last question, I was convinced we were on the right track.

  As we turned to leave, I glanced back one last time but was unable to summon even one iota of sympathy for Dr. Stephen Lee. I quite liked what I saw as he hunched over in his chair, his spine curved, his skull shining though his thinning hair.

  A broken man.

  CHAPTER TEN

  When we emerged from the dungeons, I felt like I needed a bath. Not just because of the dankness of the cells, but from the proximity to a man I hated with an unadulterated passion. My mind returned to the look he'd given me when I'd threatened him, and I shook my head. His fear was unwarranted; not like I would have harmed in an any way. Surely I wasn't all that scary. I hadn't even used my wings to strike fear into his heart and that usually worked like a charm. Instead, he'd given Aidan page after page of information, and I was repeatedly thankful Aidan had taken Joshua's laptop to record everything.

  Aidan sighed beside me as we reached the war room. He handed the laptop over to me and said, "I'm going to speak to Enya and Mother. Maybe I should tell them they can go see him as soon as they like." He didn't sound too thrilled about it.

  "What's wrong? Not looking forward to breaking the news?" I asked.

  He shook his head. "To be honest, I'd hoped we wouldn't have to use them to get him to talk. I really didn't want them to have anything to do with him ever again."

  "He is their husband and father, you know. They have the right to see him if they want." I agreed with him, but I wasn't going to get involved.

  "Yeah, I know. I just don't feel comfortable with them seeing him." He rubbed his scalp, running his fingers through his hair and mussing it up. I could almost see him return all neat after his mother restored it to a decent condition.

  "Then make the stipulation that they aren't allowed to see him unless you go with," I suggested. "Then you won't need to worry."

  Aidan looked at me and laughed. "Now why didn't I think of that?"

  "Because you're not really as smart as you think you are?" I teased before turning to enter the war room. Joshua was standing stock still at the table, staring at something. "What's wrong?" I asked as I walked in.

  His eyes went straight to the laptop. "Oh, thank God. I was wondering where that thing had gotten to." He sighed with relief as I handed it over.

  "Aidan and I were just with his father," I said, watching Joshua's face for a reaction. Would he be wildly jealous that I'd spent time alone with an ex-boyfriend without telling him first? Instead, he stared harder and asked, "What did the creep have to say?"

  "It's all in there." I pointed at the laptop, and Joshua flipped it open and hurried to read it.

  "How did you manage to get all of this out of him?" he asked absentmindedly, as his eyes scanned pages and pages of information.

  "We offered a trade. He can see his family on a regular basis. But only if all this information actually pans out," I said smugly.

  "Brilliant idea." He agreed, then glanced back at the screen. "There's plenty here to help us get a head start. I'll go through the files and see what intel we have so far that matches up with any of these activities. And I'll make extra copies and get things in order to print as soon as we get to New York HQ."

  "Yeah. Could we figure out a way to get a printer working here? Would make things so much easier," I said. Hearing the longing in my voice, I had to laugh.

  Joshua snorted. "Now you are asking for way too much, woman."

  I giggled at that and settled down to sort out files in order. A few minutes later, both Joshua and I suddenly looked up at each other, eyebrows raised. Voices traveled down the hallway, the sounds of two people arguing loudly hard to miss. We both watched the doorway, curious to see if the squabblers would enter our room. And they did. In the form of Aidan and his sister Enya.

  "What's going on, you two?" I asked, unsure whether to be worried or amused, or if I should even get involved. But the situation looked in need of urgent defusing. Enya's face was red, looking worse considering her pallid coloring. Aidan's face was dark with anger, a vein throbbing at his temple.

  "Could you please tell her she's being ridiculous?" Aidan pointed a thumb at his sister.

  "Well, if you could tell me what she's being ridiculous about, I could then make a decision." I smiled and tried to prevent myself from laughing. It was seriously funny watching the two siblings have a spat, and it reminded me we were all still so young. I myself would be turning eighteen in a few months, and I was sure Enya was a good few years younger. Now she looked like a furious tiger.

  She took a deep breath, gave her brother a dangerous glare, and said, "I want to join you. Be part of the missions. I know I can be an asset to the war." She spoke it all in one breath, then ended, suddenly uncomfortable.

  I looked at Aidan and he seemed to calm down when he saw that I too thought her plan was ridiculous. I took a small breath and said, "Enya, this is a war we are fighting. It's dangerous. You aren't trained to fight." I shook my head as I met her frustrated gaze, feeling a little sorry for her.

  "You have no idea what I can do," she said angrily, then threw another furious glare at her brother, as if my response were his fault.

  "Then tell us and we can make a final decision, because right now," I said gently, "I don't think I can allow you to come to the front lines. You're so fragile. I really don't want to be held responsible if you get hurt, or worse." I didn't use the word die, but she didn't care what I was saying or what I meant.

  She nodded firmly. "Fine. I've been practicing. Just watch. And keep away." She gave her brother one last glare, as if to say, Eat that, or whatever equivalent phrase was popular these days.

  I watched and couldn't prevent my eyebrows from rising. Aidan watched her too, the amused expression on his face quite funny. Joshua looked on, simply curious.

  Enya stood very still, then put her palms together and closed her eyes.

  And we were all hit by a sudden blast of heat.

  I blinked, staring hard at her, and I was amazed to see her entire body had turned white as ash. That was it. She was Einmyria, goddess of ashes, and now she showed us how hot ash could be. I glanced at Aidan an
d saw the stunned look on his face. All his arguments were laid to ash in that moment and even he knew it. She was powerful, had accessed her power so quickly, and seemed hardly affected by it.

  She took a breath and then the heat was gone. "See?" She looked around at all the watching faces.

  "And pray tell, how is super heat supposed to help us in our mission?" asked Aidan. Naturally, he had to speak before he thought.

  "Er, well, we could use her to melt anything from locks to power cables to bombs?" offered Joshua, and from his cringing expression, I could see he knew his opinion would not be welcome. At least on Aidan's part.

  As expected, Aidan shot him a dangerous look, and Joshua quickly returned his attention to his laptop. I put on a pleasant expression, then faced Aidan. "Joshua is right. I'm sure we can find a way to put Enya's talents to use while ensuring she remains safe at all times."

  "Well, if you can do that, then by all means put my sister in the firing line," said Aidan, his voice just a fraction lower than a shout. But I didn't mind. I knew how much this would affect him. Much the same as my heart ached for Brody with everything he'd been through. Only Aidan definitely had it worse.

  I met Enya's gaze. "Will you relent and agree with your brother?" She gritted her teeth, then looked straight at him. The silence seemed to stretch endlessly.

  Then she said, "No. I'm sorry, Aidan, but I have to do my share. It's the end and it's here. Now. It's not going anywhere until we fight. And what if there's nothing left afterward? I refuse to die knowing I did nothing to help our cause. And if you love me, you won't ask me to." Her voice softened toward the end, betraying her feelings of helplessness. She'd used the love card and now she had nothing more.

  She'd done well, though. Well argued, and I admired her spirit. Now I watched Aidan as he struggled with her words, looking at the floor while he got his thoughts together. When he looked up, I knew she'd won. "Fine. If it's really what you want and if Bryn can ensure you are safe at all times, then fine."