Chaos God 6, page 11
part #6 of Chaos God Series
I looked down at the mutilated remains of the frost giant and the scuff marks in the snow where his companion had stood, and then I heaved a huge sigh as I began to relax my body back to my natural form. I lowered to the cold ground, and the sighs of relief and breathy shouts of exhilaration from my companions surrounded me as my feathered wings faded back into my shoulders.
“Levi,” Elora’s voice shouted, and a second later, she slammed into my chest.
“Are you hurt?” I asked.
“No,” Elora breathed. “That was incredible.”
I gave my silver-haired warrior a tight hug before I pulled away enough to address the other warriors.
“Well done, everyone!” I announced loudly for all to hear. “The frost giants have been destroyed, and you no longer have to live in fear of them.”
“Aaaahhh!” Ayen let out a fierce cry of victory.
The others let out milder shouts, and some heaved heavy sobs of relief. Emneth was quiet, but there was a relieved look on her dark face as she patted Lyrie on the shoulder. Mostly, the dark elves looked exhausted from the stress they’d been living under for so long, and I knew they were all ready to be rid of this place.
Nae stood toward the back of the ground, and even from this distance, I could tell she was sore but mostly uninjured. That wouldn’t stop me from insisting Freesia take a good look at her, though.
“Let’s go collect the rest of your things,” I declared. “And get you to your new home.”
The dark elves’ faces relaxed into disbelieving smiles, and their eyes lit up with hope. They gathered up several dark wood arrows that hadn’t hit their marks, and they started to march doggedly south.
I wanted to follow them, but something pulled me back toward the chasm.
“Go on,” I told Elora. “I want one more look. I’ll be right behind you.”
“Don’t do anything foolish,” Elora murmured with a smile, and then she jogged over to pull Nae’s arm over her shoulder.
I heaved a sigh and walked over to the edge of the chasm, and I peered over the edge.
Grob’s spine was broken at an uncomfortable angle in two places, and I knew he would have died from that wound even if I hadn’t destroyed both of his lungs. His bulbous head lay too close to his bruised shoulders to look natural, and I knew the fall had crushed several of his vertebrae.
I grimaced as the gentle wind shifted, and the smell of Ugir’s rotting corpse wafted into my nose.
“Ugh,” I groaned at the carnage, and I started to turn away.
But then the hissing returned.
A low, steady hissing sound that I would have known anywhere, in any lifetime, emanated up from the depths of the chasm to the west. It was almost exactly as I remembered it from the first time I’d heard it here in this chasm. The biggest difference was that now it sounded much louder, stronger, and horrifyingly close.
My body was paralyzed by the hissing sound like it had cast some kind of hypnotic spell over me, and I was compelled to listen to the sounds. The hissing began to have the cadence and rhythm of spoken language, but none of it sounded like words.
“Whaa…?” I groaned as I breathed out.
“Jeg kan lukte deg…” the voice hissed.
I had no idea if my brain was beginning to translate the words like the script carved into Njord’s prison cell, or if the voice had begun to speak English, but suddenly the words made sense.
“I can smell you…” the voice hissed. “Forelder!”
“Fuuuuuck,” I gasped.
Chapter 8
The hypnotic compulsion to listen to the voice released me as the ground began to shake and tremble beneath my feet. The edge of the cliff started to crumble, and I jumped back as the previously firm stone I’d been standing on dropped into the chasm.
The feeling of being held against my will was gone, but now I had to fight the urge to go to the voice. The hissing continued, and only some of the words made any sense to me as I fought the magnetic pull.
“Odin forrådte meg,” the voice hissed.
My mouth fell open at the mention of the Allfather’s name, and I could tell by the hatred in the voice that whatever was down there had reason to despise Odin.
“Odin forrådte deg!” The voice was closer now, and the ground was vibrating like glass under the bass of metal music.
I forced my body to turn away from the chasm despite the burning desire in my gut to see the face behind the voice. Going into the chasm now, tired and without any knowledge or even a single warrior at my side, was as good as throwing myself onto my own blade.
But there was no way to block the voice from my ears as I put one foot in front of the other, and now it started to make more sense.
“Odin’s betrayal ruined lives,” the voice insisted, and I could almost see the creature’s long forked tongue as it shaped the words. “The secrets of the father… born by the son…”
“Shit,” I gasped as I skidded on a patch of icy frost giant blood.
“Secrets and lies!” the voice seemed to yell after me like it knew I was leaving. “I smell you… You cannot run from his betrayal!”
The voice devolved back to the primitive hissing sounds of an animal, and I carved the voice’s words into my brain because I didn’t want to forget a single thing.
Finally, I had some clues to try and figure out what the fuck was down there. Odin had been involved, and it was some kind of family secret.
My feet started to run as I felt the magnetic pull release its hold on me, and I repeated the words over and over in my mind as I bolted south to the village.
None of the Aesir were still alive to ask about Odin’s betrayal, but there were still people who’d known the god personally. Finnern and Wyn were my best chances for information now. The former dwarf king had known the Aesir and spent a fair amount of time in Odin’s home and presence. Wyn hadn’t known the gods in such a social manner, but the elf had been around much longer than Finnern. Besides, Wyn liked to listen, and he collected knowledge and stories like they were treasures.
They weren’t the only people old enough to remember a time before Ragnarok, either. Freesia’s grandmother, Eirlina, was almost as old as Wyn. Perhaps she’d know something that would give me some insight into whatever this thing is.
Even Nae could be a potential wealth of knowledge, but I could have smacked myself right in the face as I realized my most powerful source of information was the seeress at my castle. Then I remembered the fact that Sylmarie’s sight was totally blocked from or by whatever was in the chasm. I would still speak with her, but I didn’t feel super hopeful that she would have the exact details I was looking for. She would at least be able to tell me if Wyn had left for Freesia’s village yet. Freesia had explained that he was going to see her grandmother in the next few days, but I’d spotted him in the dining hall the night before we’d returned to the dark elves’ village.
“Sylmarie,” I murmured the Völva’s name, and it felt like silk on my tongue.
“Yes, Levi?” the seeress responded right away.
“I have something I need to ask you and Wyn about. Maybe Finnern, too,” I explained. “Is Wyn still at the castle?”
“I saw him at breakfast this morning,” Sylmarie answered.
“Great,” I sighed. “Will you please ask him to wait for me before he leaves to see Eirlina? Tell him it’s important.”
“I will,” Sylmarie said, and I could almost feel the curiosity in her mind as she paused. “Though I am about to leave for a short journey. I am not sure when I will be back.”
“Oh, uh,” I hesitated. “Can it wait? This is important.”
“I can see that this is important,” Sylmarie murmured. “But I must attend to this business first before I can answer your questions.”
“Is it related to this chasm issue?” I asked. “Have you seen something new?”
“No,” Sylmarie sighed. “I have not seen anything new, in fact I still cannot see anything, but I recalled a very old spell that may be able to help me break through the block.”
“Oh, that could be good,” I said.
“Hmm,” Sylmarie murmured in response. “Perhaps. It will require me to return to my cave in the Unknown Swamps, but I shall return soon.”
“Alright.” I frowned.
I didn’t like Sylmarie traveling by herself, but I knew she’d been doing it for decades, maybe centuries. I also knew I’d never be able to make her do anything she didn’t want to do, so I swallowed my objections.
“It will not take long,” Sylmarie said in a consoling voice. “Once I am within the magic of the cave, I will know quickly if this ritual will work.”
“Okay,” I sighed, and I figured I would talk to Wyn first so he could be on his way to Freesia’s village.
“Levi…” Sylmarie said in a thoughtful voice.
“Yes?” I asked.
“There is something different about your mind,” Sylmarie mused.
“What?” My eyes went wide with sudden worry, and I wondered if I was going insane. Hearing voices wasn’t exactly a normal thing back on Earth, after all. “How? What do you mean?”
“Your mind…” Sylmarie murmured. “It feels… broader… and brighter.”
“Is that a bad thing?” I asked with a little grimace.
“No.” I could sense Sylmarie’s interest in my mind’s eye. “It is a good thing. I cannot quite explain it, but… I am pleased to feel your mind opening.”
I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a bit of magic lingering in my mind from the altar ceremony I’d helped Emneth and the others with last night, but if Sylmarie was pleased, I saw no reason to worry about it.
“Fret not, Levi,” Sylmarie murmured. “And I will make this request to Wyn for you.”
“Thanks,” I sighed.
Before I could say anything else to the gorgeous seeress, her mind’s presence disappeared from my thoughts, and I knew I was alone again.
I wondered if I’d been able to understand the voice this time because there was still lingering altar magic in my mind and body. Or maybe I was finally going insane. Maybe the pressure, weight, and trauma of everything I’d gone through since coming here was finally breaking me.
That didn’t feel right, though, and I shook the idea away. If I was being totally honest with myself, I felt like I’d been thriving on all this chaos. If anything, I felt stronger every day because of it. And after everything I’d seen and learned on Asgard, it made a lot more sense that some of the dark elves’ magic was still lingering in me, and that didn’t seem like a bad thing to me.
My mind was still spinning when I ran around the frost giant corpse that still lay at the northern edge of the dark elves’ village, and I could just hear the last few voices on the other side. I hurried around and spotted Nae, Elora, and Lyrie waiting for me just inside the treeline that led away from the village.
“Levi,” Lyrie sighed, and the relief in her black eyes sent a spark of warmth through my chest.
“What took you so long?” Elora asked as she gave me a quick hug.
“The uh…” I looked at Nae and Lyrie. “The hissing sound was back, and closer.”
“Perhaps we should make haste, then?” Nae suggested.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “How are you? Are you hurt?”
“I am sore and bruised,” Nae replied, and she gave me a brave smirk. “But I will certainly live. I have survived much fiercer wounds than this.”
“I’m sure you have.” I smirked at the older elf. “Are we the only ones left in the village?”
“Yes,” Elora confirmed. “I insisted everyone leave, and that I would wait for you.”
“And I refused to leave a Valkyrie behind,” Nae said stubbornly.
“That doesn’t surprise me,” I chuckled, and I glanced at Lyrie from the corner of my eye.
She didn’t say anything in her defense, and her chin stuck out in an adorably stubborn way.
“Come on,” I sighed with a grin. “Let’s catch up with the others.”
“What about the hissing?” Lyrie finally asked.
“I need more information.” I shook my head. “I’m not stupid enough to blindly go after whatever’s down there. Besides, I’m worn out from the frost giant battle.”
“Worn out is a poor way to begin a battle,” Nae pointed out. “If you can avoid it.”
“Which we can,” I agreed.
I started to lead the three women from the village, and we marched in quiet companionship for several minutes until we caught up with the rest of the warriors. Ayen was lingering at the back of the group with Freesia beside him, and when he looked over his shoulder and spotted me, he sighed with relief.
“I am glad to see you did not make a foolish choice,” Ayen called back.
“No, I’ll let you take care of the foolish choices,” I said in a playfully mocking voice.
“Ho!” Ayen laughed and turned back around.
Freesia grinned brightly and darted back to wrap her arms around my waist.
“Levi,” my red-haired healer breathed.
“Hey,” I murmured back. “I’m good, I’m fine.”
“Good,” Freesia hummed. “I was worried.”
“I know.” I kissed the top of her bright red curls, and then I looked at Nae. “Nae took a hard fall. Will you check on her, please?”
“I will not hold up the group,” Nae insisted, and she stubbornly continued to march.
“I can examine you while we walk,” Freesia suggested. “And the fact that you are walking is a good sign.”
Freesia softly started to ask Nae about what had happened, how she felt, and if anything hurt. She seemed reassured by the scarred Valkyrie’s answers, and soon declared that the winged warrior would be well after some rest and time.
After that, there wasn’t a lot of conversation as we hiked south away from the village and then turned to make our way around the base of Three Peaks, but the dark elves began to murmur and chatter with excitement as the Black Plains came into view.
They were understandably amazed by the wide expanse of uneven black soil, and they started to shed outer layers of leather and furs quickly as the temperature around us rose steadily. The Black Plains were unlike anything they’d seen before, so I didn’t push them to move faster than the pace they’d slowed to.
Pilla was especially curious about the rocky black soil as she knelt down to inspect a scraggly piece of brush that had sprouted in a crack.
“Is it good for crops?” Pilla asked, and her hand hovered just above the spiky-looking leaves.
“Actually, yes,” I answered. “We have two botanists, Nestryn and Grenna, at Castle Levi, and they both agreed that this soil is fantastic for growing. I brought them some samples, and they say it has all the nutrients growing things could need. They said the only reason the Black Plains aren’t flourishing with growing things is that there aren’t any seeds out here.”
“Incredible,” Pilla breathed as she pressed her palm flat to the bumpy soil at the base of the scrub.
Pilla closed her red eyes for a moment and began to hum softly like she was singing a lullaby for her daughter. A few seconds later, the scrub sprouted a dozen new leaves and grew several inches in height.
“This soil is full of potential,” Pilla said as she grinned up at me.
“Wow,” I said. “That was incredible. Can you do that with all kinds of plants?”
“I can,” Pilla said, and she blushed under the dark tone of her brown skin. “I have missed the flow of growing magic through my body. The ice and snow killed our crops, and once the roots were dead… well, there was nothing I could do.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, and I laid a hand on her shoulder. “But you’ll have plenty of things to help grow soon enough.”
“And it is all because of you, King Levi,” Pilla said, and her eyes filled with tears.
“I didn’t do any of it alone,” I assured her. “Come on, we’re not far from the camp now.”
Pilla smiled brightly and returned to walking along with the group, and not long after, the temporary camp of the dark elves was before us. It reminded me heavily of the encampment where Ayen, Elora, and Wyn had been living when I first discovered them, but the air was filled with hope instead of despair. The quickly-built shelters took up the southern edge of the space, the northern area had been leveled, and the foundations of sturdy stone houses could be seen all around.
Pilla immediately located Kine and their daughter in the camp as the dark elves were reunited. The hope in the air quickly turned to celebration and joy, and I knew the elves would ride this high for a while.
Several of my workers and warriors volunteered to remain in the camp with the dark elves, and I had no problem with that.
“Remember,” I announced to my newest people. “You are always welcome at Castle Levi, for whatever reason. If you need tools, food, materials, or even if you just want to visit, please, don’t hesitate.”
“You have done wonders for us, King Levi,” Emneth replied. “And we are at your service if ever you need us.”
“I do intend to come have you check out the castle soon,” I said to Emneth in a quieter voice. “I’m still curious if we could build some altars there.”
“I look forward to the challenge,” Emneth said with a smile.
Lyrie lingered by my side as I bade farewell to Nae, Pilla, Ivaran, and the others, and I could tell she was trying to come up with a reason to come with us. Eventually, she sighed and stepped forward to say goodbye to me.
“I must remain here to assist my people in rebuilding,” Lyrie said.
“Don’t worry, Lyrie,” I assured her with a charming wink. “I’ll see you again soon.”
“I suppose that is likely.” Lyrie smirked. “Now that you have had a taste of dark elf magic, you surely will be unable to stay away.”
I smiled, and before I could stop myself, I pulled her into a hug. The dark elf’s lithe body felt incredible in my arms, and her white hair smelled like the forest. She was still and stiff for a second, and then Lyrie sighed contentedly as she slowly hugged me back. I wished I could have held her in my arms until I’d had my fill, but the hissing voice’s words echoed in my mind again.
