once again i own nothing except Lily, and her kick ass temper!

Chapter 7: Nidhogg

Machiavelli was sitting in the back of his car alongside Dr. John Dee and Lily. Facing them were the three Disir. Dagon sat in the driver's seat, eyes invisible behind his wraparound glasses. The car smelled faintly of his sour fishy odor.

A cell phone buzzed, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Machiavelli flipped it open without looking at the screen. He closed it again almost immediately. "All clear. My men have pulled back and there is a security cordon in place around all the connecting streets. No one will accidentally wander into the area."

"Whatever happens, do not enter the house," the Disir with violet eyes said. "Once we free Nidhogg, we shall have very little control until it feeds."

John Dee leaned forward, and for a moment, it looked as if he was about to tap the young woman on the knee. The look on her face prevented him. "Flamel and the children must not be allowed to escape."

"That sounds like a threat, Doctor," the warrior sitting on the left said. "Or an order."

"And we do not like threats," her sister sitting to the right added. "And we don't take orders." Lily Snickered.

Dee blinked slowly. "It is neither a threat nor an order. Simply a … request," he said eventually.

"We are here only for Scathach," the warrior with violet eyes said. "The rest of them are not our concern."

Dagon climbed out of the car and opened the door. Without a backward glance, the

Valkyries stepped out into the first glimmers of predawn light, spread out and moved slowly down the back street. They looked like three young women coming home from an all-night party.

Dee shifted position, taking the seat facing Machiavelli. "If they succeed, I will ensure that our masters know that the Disir were your idea," he said pleasantly.

"I'm sure you will." Machiavelli didn't look at the English Magician and continued to follow the progress of the three girls as they walked down the street. "And if they fail, you can tell our masters that the Disir were my idea, and you can absolve yourself of any blame," he added. "Shifting the blame: I believe I originally came up with that concept about twenty years before you were born."

"I thought you said they were bringing Nidhogg?" Dee asked, ignoring him.

Niccolò Machiavelli tapped the window with his manicured fingernails. "They did."

As the Disir moved down the narrow, cobbled, high-walled alley, they changed.

The transformation occurred as they passed through a patch of shadow. They entered as young women, dressed in soft leather jackets, jeans and boots … and a moment later they were Valkyries: warrior maidens. Long coats of ice white chain mail fell to their knees, knee-high metal boots with spiked toes covered their feet, and they wore heavy leather-and-metal gauntlets on their hands. Rounded helmets protected their heads and masked their eyes and noses but left their mouths free. White leather belts around their waists held their sword and knife sheaths. The Valkyries each carried a wide-bladed sword in one hand, but each also had a second weapon strapped to her back: a spear, a double-headed axe and a war hammer.

They stopped before a rotting green gate set into the wall. One of the Valkyries turned to look back at the car and pointed a gloved hand at the gate.

Machiavelli hit a button and the window rolled down. He raised his thumb and nodded. Despite its decrepit appearance, it was the back gate to Saint-Germain's house.

Each of the Disir reached into a leather pouch that hung from her belt. Taking out a handful of flat stonelike objects, they tossed them at the base of the door.

"They're Casting the Runes," Machiavelli explained. "They're calling Nidhogg … the creature you released, a creature the Elders themselves locked away."

"I didn't know it was trapped by the World Tree," Dee muttered.

"I'm surprised. I thought you knew everything." Machiavelli shifted in the seat to look at Dee. In the gloomy half-light, he could see that the Magician was looking pale and there was the faintest sheen of sweat on his forehead. Centuries of controlling his emotions ensured that Machiavelli didn't smile. "Why did you destroy the Yggdrasill?" he asked.

"It was the source of Hekate's power," Dee said quietly, eyes fixed on the Valkyries, watching them intently. They had stepped back from the stones they'd dropped on the ground and were talking quietly amongst themselves, pointing out individual tiles.

"It was as old as this planet. And yet you destroyed it without a second thought. Why did you do that?" Machiavelli wondered aloud.

"I did what was necessary." Dee's words were ice. "I will always do whatever is necessary to bring the Elders back to this world."

"But you didn't consider the consequences," Niccolò Machiavelli said softly. "Every action has a consequence. The Yggdrasill you destroyed in Hekate's kingdom stretched into several other Shadowrealms. The topmost branches reached the Shadowrealm of Asgard, and the roots stretched deep into Niflheim, the World of Darkness." He saw Dee stiffen. "Not only did you release Nidhogg, but you also destroyed at least three Shadowrealms—maybe more—when you destroyed the World Tree."

"I didn't know …"

"You made a lot of enemies," Machiavelli continued smoothly, ignoring him, "dangerous enemies. I have heard that the Elder Hel escaped the destruction of her kingdom. I understand she is hunting you."

"She does not frighten me," Dee snapped, but there was a quaver in his voice.

"Oh, she should," Machiavelli murmured. "She terrifies me."

"My master will protect me," Dee said confidently.

"He must be a powerful Elder indeed to protect you from Hel; no one has stood against her and survived."

"My master is all-powerful," Dee snapped. Lily rolled her eyes

"I look forward to learning the identity of this mysterious Elder." Machiavelli said

"When all this is over, maybe I'll introduce you," Dee said. He nodded down the alleyway. "And that could be very soon."

The runestones hissed and sizzled on the ground.

They were irregular pieces of flat black stone, each etched with a series of angular lines, squares and slashes. Now the lines were glowing red, crimson smoke coiling into the still predawn air.

Lily gulped "Niccolò? I've got a bad feeling about this" she murmured.

One of the Disir used the tip of her sword to move three of the runestones together. A second nudged a stone out of the way with the steel toe of her boot and then dragged another into place. The third found a single runestone at the edge of the pile and eased it into position at the end of the string of letters with her sword.

"Nidhogg," the Disir whispered, calling the nightmare whose name they had spelled out in the ancient stones.

"Nidhogg," Machiavelli said very quietly. He looked over Dee's shoulder to where Dagon sat staring straight ahead, apparently disinterested in what was happening to his left. "I know what the legends say about it, but Dagon, what exactly is it?"

"My people called it the Devourer of Corpses," the driver said, voice sticky and bubbling. "It was already here before my race claimed the seas, and we were amongst the first to arrive on this planet."

Lily looked at Niccolò horrified "you allowed the Disir to come here with Nidhogg, and you didn't know what Nidhogg was?" she yelped

Dee quickly swiveled in the seat to look at the driver. "What are you?"

Dagon ignored the question and Lily's interuption. "Nidhogg was so dangerous that a council of the Elder Race created a terrible Shadowrealm, Niflheim, the World of Darkness, to contain it, and then they used the unbreakable roots of the Yggdrasill to wrap around the creature, chaining it for eternity."

Machiavelli kept his eyes fixed on the red-black smoke coiling from the runestones. He thought he saw the outline of a shape beginning to form. "Why didn't the Elders kill it?"

"Nidhogg was a weapon," Dagon said.

"What did the Elders need a weapon for?" Machiavelli wondered aloud. "Their powers were almost limitless. They had no enemies."

Although he sat with his hands resting lightly on the steering wheel, Dagon's shoulders shifted and his head turned almost completely around so that he was facing Dee and Machiavelli. "The Elders were not the first upon this earth," he said simply. "There were … others. " He pronounced the word slowly and carefully. "The Elders used Nidhogg and some of the other primordial creatures as weapons in the Great War to completely destroy them."

A stunned Machiavelli looked at Dee, who looked equally shocked by the revelation.

Dagon's mouth opened in what might have been a smile, revealing his tooth-filled maw. "You should probably know that the last time a group of Disir used Nidhogg, they lost control of the creature. It ate all of them. In the three days it took to recapture it and chain it in Yggdrasill's roots, it completely destroyed the Anasazi people in what is now New Mexico. It is said that Nidhogg feasted off ten thousand humani and still hungered for more."

"Can these Disir control it?" Dee demanded.

Dagon shrugged. "Thirteen of the finest Disir warriors couldn't control it in New Mexico …"

Lily's eyes widened and then narrowed on Machiavelli.

"Maybe we should—" Dee began.

Machiavelli suddenly stiffened. "Too late," he whispered. "It's here."

Niccolò Machiavelli had always been a careful man.

He had survived and even thrived in the dangerous and deadly Medici court in Florence in the fifteenth century, a time when intrigue was a way of life and violent death and assassination was commonplace. His most famous book, The Prince, was one of the first to suggest that the use of subterfuge, lies and deceit was perfectly acceptable for a ruler.

Machiavelli was a survivor because he was subtle, cautious, clever and, above all else: cunning.

So what had possessed him to call upon the Disir? The Valkyries had no word for subtle in their language and didn't know the meaning of the word caution. Their idea of clever and cunning was to bring Nidhogg—an uncontrollable primeval monster—into the heart of a modern city.

And he had allowed them.

Now the street echoed with the sounds of breaking glass, snapping wood and tumbling stone. Every car and house alarm in the district was blaring, and there were lights on in all the other houses lining the alleyway, though no one had ventured out yet.

"What is going on in there?" Machiavelli wondered aloud.

"Nidhogg is feasting off Scathach?" Dee suggested absently. His cell had started to buzz, distracting him.

"No, it's not!" Machiavelli suddenly shouted. He pushed open the car door, leapt out, grabbed Dee by the collar and dragged him out into the night. "Dagon! Lily! Out!"

Lily scrambled out of the car with Machiavelli and Dee.

Dee attempted to find his feet, but Machiavelli continued to drag him backward, away from the car. "Are you out of your mind?" the doctor shrieked.

There was a sudden explosion of glass as Dagon threw himself through the windshield. He slithered off the hood and landed alongside Machiavelli, Lily and Dee, but the Magician didn't even glance in his direction. He saw what had startled the Italian.

Nidhogg raced down the narrow alley toward them, standing tall on two powerful hind legs. A limp red-haired figure hung from its front claws.

"Back!" Machiavelli shouted, flinging himself to the ground, dragging Dee with him.

Nidhogg trampled over the long black German car. One hind paw landed directly in the center of the roof, crushing it to the pavement. Windows popped, spraying glass like shrapnel as the car buckled in the middle, the front and rear wheels lifting off the ground.

The creature disappeared into the night.

A heartbeat later, a white-clad Disir practically flew over the remains of the car, clearing it in a single leap, following the creature.

"Dagon?" Machiavelli whispered, rolling over. "Dagon, where are you?"

"I'm here." The driver came smoothly to his feet, brushing shards of sparkling glass from his black suit. He pulled off his cracked sunglasses and dropped them on the ground. Rainbow colors ran across round unblinking eyes. "It was holding Scathach," he said, loosening his black tie and popping open the top button of his white shirt.

"Lily?" Dee then called, "Lily are you alright?"

Lily snarled "bring the Disir, let them bring Nidhogg, don't bother to find out what Nidhogg really is and don't bother asking if the Disir can control the damn beast! Next time you pull a stunt like this Machiavelli, I swear to god I will slap you!"

Dee smirked "I'll take that as a yes your fine"

Lily stood up and wiped her pants and glared at Machiavelli.

"Is the Shadow dead?" Machiavelli asked gulping at Lily's glare.

"I'll not believe Scathach is dead until I see it for myself." Dagon stated.

"Agreed. Over the years there have been too many reports of her death. And then she turns up! We need a body."

Dee climbed out of a mud-filled puddle; he suspected Machiavelli might have deliberately pushed him into it. He shook water from his shoe. "If Nidhogg has her, then the Shadow is dead. We've succeeded."

Dagon's fish eye swiveled down to look into the Magician's face. "You blinkered, arrogant fool! Something in the house frightened away Nidhogg—that's why it's running, and it can't be the Shadow because it's got her. And remember, this is a creature beyond fear. Three Disir went into that building—and only one came out! Something terrible happened in there."

"Dagon is right: this is a disaster. We need to completely rethink our strategy." Machiavelli turned to his driver. "I promised you that if the Disir failed, then Scathach was yours."

Dagon nodded. "And you have always kept your word."

"You have been with me now for close to four hundred years. You have always been loyal, and I owe you both my life and liberty. I free you from my service," Machiavelli said formally. "Find the Shadow's body … and if she is still alive, then do whatever you must do. Go now—and be safe, old friend."

Dagon turned away. Then he stopped suddenly and looked back at Machiavelli. "What did you call me?"

Machiavelli smiled. "Old friend. Be careful," he said gently. "The Shadow is beyond dangerous, and she's killed too many of my friends."

Lily smiled at Dagon and pressed her fingers to her lips and then to Dagon's cheek "be well" she murmured.

Dagon nodded. He pulled off his shoes and socks to reveal three-toed webbed feet. "Nidhogg will head for the comfort of the river." Abruptly, Dagon's tooth-filled mouth opened in what might have been a smile. "And the water is my home." Then he ran into the night, bare feet slapping the sidewalk.

Machiavelli glanced back toward the house. Dagon was right; something had terrified Nidhogg. What had happened in there? And where were the other two Disir?

Footsteps clattered on pavement and suddenly Josh Newman raced out of the alleyway, the stone sword in his hand streaming wisps of gold fire. Glancing neither left nor right, he ran around the destroyed car and followed the telltale trail of car alarms set off by the monster's passing.

Machiavelli looked at Dee. "I take it that was the American boy?"

Dee nodded.

"Did you see what he was holding? It looked like a sword," he said slowly. "A stone sword? Surely not Excalibur?"

"Not Excalibur," Dee said shortly.

"It was definitely a gray stone blade."

"It wasn't Excalibur."

"How do you know?" Machiavelli demanded.

Lily rolled her eyes "my god do the two of you ever stop fucking fighting?"

Dee reached under his coat and pulled out a short stone sword, a match of the weapon Josh was carrying. The blade was trembling, vibrating almost imperceptibly. "Because I have Excalibur," Dee said. "The boy was holding its twin, Clarent. We always suspected Flamel had it."

Machiavelli closed his eyes and raised his face to the sky. "Clarent. No wonder Nidhogg fled from the house." He shook his head. Could this night get any worse?

Dee's cell buzzed again and both men jumped. The Magician almost snapped the phone in two opening it. "What?" he snarled. He listened for a moment, then closed the phone very gently, and when he spoke again, his voice was barely above a whisper. "Perenelle has escaped. She's free on Alcatraz."

Shaking his head, Machiavelli turned and walked down the alleyway, heading back toward the Champs-Elysées. His question was answered. The night had just gotten worse—much worse. Nicholas Flamel frightened Machiavelli, but Perenelle terrified him.

Lily cursed loudly and said to both men "if either of you suggests something completely idiotic in the next 24 hours, I will slap you upside the head and make you re-think it!" she ran her hand through her hair and cursed again.

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