Chapter 9
A meeting with the Jötunns
Or
What Happened in Copenhagen
Rewind about six hours. Temeraire is sitting across from Hervar, not sure what to do.
"Well don't look at me" he brother said, casually playing with one of his rubix cubes. "This is all on your head".
"I know, I know!" his older sister said, shaking her head in dismay. "That's the problem… I've royally screwed myself over here!" She paused, glancing disapprovingly as her brother continued to click his rubix cube. "Must you play with that thing? It's incredibly distracting".
"It helps me to concentrate" Hervar said, continuing to click the cube around.
"Well they irritate me" Temmy said. "I can never solve more than two sides of the puzzle without fucking the damn thing up". Hervar shrugged and put the cube down on his desk before turning back to her.
"Regardless, I'm not sure what I can do to help you. Mum's the Skipper and you know how hard it is to get her to change her mind once it's made up. As for Dad… he's always been on your side, even after Copenhagen but there's no way he can change Mum's mind and I doubt he'll have any kind of missions for you anytime soon. Besides, I think he's gone back to Earth for the moment, so who knows when he'll be back".
"And here I am, confined to Bastion until further notice… I don't mean to do the things I do. I can only guess that when I was conceived, perhaps a little of Jupiter snuck in too". She tapped her short fangs thoughtfully, emphasizing her point. "I mean, I got these from Damascus and Lamb's eyes, so why not Jupiter's berserker tendencies?"
"True… I suppose it's possible" Hervar admitted. Neither he nor Temeraire had ever seen the true power of the famed Papa Jupiter or his light orientated counterpart, Brother Pluto but they had heard the stories of their phenomenal power and unstable and manipulative personalities, about how Jupiter had punched out Gandamak, even after the dragon had defeated the rest of his attackers with little trouble. If Temeraire really did have that kind of power…
"I mean, it's not like I mean to do those things I do… I get like a red vale over my eyes and just go for it and then POOF! I'm back to normal and in a whole heap of trouble once more!" Hervar shrugged.
"Well I'm not sure what to say…"
"It's alright for you" Temmy said bitterly. "You're the hero of the hour! You saved every damn angel and demon, all while I was laid out flat after trying to attack Jeiko…"
"Well if I can offer an opinion" Peppermint said, emerging from her Master and floating down beside him to perch on the edge of his desk. "You are spending far too much time looking to the past. What you should really be doing is worrying about what you're going to do next. Most likely, you're going to be given another chance but by my reckoning, it'll probably be your last one".
"So what should I do?" the young Valkyrie asked, cocking her head to the angel.
"Well, perhaps you should consider the best way to prove that you can perform a mission WITHOUT getting anyone killed or injured. You did well on Avalon but the Games kinda cancelled it out so you'll have to be fairly sneaky as to what you try next…" The Arch paused, resting her hand on her knuckles, frowning. "It would be easier if Trenzilore weren't such an issue. As it is, Mistress Lind wouldn't let you near a mission and it's unlikely that Master Jago would be likely to let you off your leash with that murdering psycho on the loose. Now he was out of the picture…" The green eyed angel paused, as it was clear that Temmy had zoned out.
"Yeah" she muttered. "With him out of the picture…"
"Don't you bloody dare!" Hervar said, glaring at his sister as she snapped back to the present. "You are NOT going after that guy on your own!"
"But think about it!" Temeraire said. "If I can at least find Trenzilore and the Oracle-"
"But what if they find you?" Peppermint demanded, beginning to wish that she hadn't ever mentioned it. "Last time you two met, he tried to KILL you! Besides, there's no way that either of our parents would agree to this!"
"But what if they don't know?" Temeraire asked. "Think about it; if I can track down Trenzilore and then report his location to Dad and the Guardians then he'll know that I'm mission-ready! And this won't be like Mum's attack on Tobruk. All I'm gonna do is sneak into Jötunheim, find Trenzilore and get out! I can be there and back and he'll never know it!"
"What about the Oracle?" Hervar demanded. "If she's who they say she is, then you can't be sure of what kind of powers she has. Heck, what if she IS an Oracle? She might see you coming and then-"
"Hervar, Peppermint, my mind is made up" Temeraire said stubbornly. "I'm going to find Trenzilore and prove that I'm ready for missions. Yes, I know it isn't wise but then none of my decisions ever really make sense. All I can do is try". Hervar sighed, shaking his head.
"This is extremely unwise" he said and raised his head to look at her with a frown. "You do realise that to get there, you'll have to convince the Bifrost Gate to take you and because Jeiko's not there, Peorth will want to know exactly who and why someone passed through… and when she asks me, I won't be able to lie to her".
"Then don't" Temmy said simply. "All I need is a head-start. Nobody will know I'm gone until I'm there and by then it'll be too late. There's no way that anyone can catch me once I get moving… you know that". Hervar shook his head doubtfully.
"Well if you think you have to go, then I'm not going to stop you…"
"…but it should be noted that NEITHER of us think that this is a good idea!" Peppermint said, finishing her Master's sentence. Then the pair of them gasped as Temeraire hugged them both.
"Thanks guys!" she said, grinning at them both and then turned, hurrying from the control room.
"Did you really have to go putting ideas in her head?" Hervar asked, turning on Peppermint who shrugged.
"I was just speaking what you were thinking. At this point, finding Trenzilore is just about the only thing that could redeem Temmy and… well…."
"Alright, I get the point" Hervar said. "Let's just hope she doesn't get herself killed!"
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Temeraire moved cautiously through the forest that surrounded Heaven, not wanting to be caught. Under her current punishment, she wasn't even supposed to be outside, having been confined to Bastion until further notice. However, she had managed to slip out and while she had been followed by a platoon of Valkyries, they had failed to catch up to her. Now though, she had another task. She needed to get to get to Jötunheim and the best way to do that was to borrow the Bifrost Gate. That was why she was in the woods; she was heading to the home of Bifrost. It was as she approached a clearing in the forest that she saw her quarry. The Gate was located in the centre of the clearing, reclining on thin air, holding a large book in her cloak-arms but she paused and glanced around as she sensed the approaching Valkyrie.
"I can guess what you're planning and I have to say that it's a stupid plan" she said, licking the edge of her cloak and flicking a page of her book.
"How do you know?" Temmy asked, emerging from the woods. "I haven't done anything yet".
"But you're your mother's daughter" the Gate said, leaning back to look at her in an upside-down kind of way. "She was just like you are but not quite so stupid".
"That last bit was unnecessary" Temeraire said, scowling and the Gate shrugged as she rotated around to face her properly.
"Sorry, I meet lots of people but few of them ever stop to chat… I have few social skills". She shook her head apologetically. "Sorry, I don't mean to be rude". Temeraire shrugged, as the Gate cocked her head, wondering about something. "You do realise that if you use me to try and get anywhere, you'll only be able to get to Earth. I'm the Bifrost gate, not an all access passage".
"I know" Temeraire said with a shrug and then nodded at the book that the Gate was still holding. "What's that anyway? Looks old".
"It's a copy of the Encyclopaedia Britannica; a first edition. It took Jeiko forever to find me a copy but- GOD DAMN IT!" the Gate shouted, because while she was distracted, Temmy had swiped her thumb across her solitary booster, shooting forwards and placing her hand on the Gate's forehead. The Gate went fuzzy for a second as her internal programming was warped and reworked and then she snapped back to normal, rubbing her head at the splitting migraine that was developing there.
"Where the fuck did you learn to hack Gates?" Bifrost demanded. "That hurt like Hell! It was like someone was trying to take me apart with a chainsaw from the INSIDE!"
"Sorry" Temeraire said, wincing in sympathy. "Lamb taught me but only the basics and I thought it would be best to leave your safety on, just in case I touched something I shouldn't have". The Gate growled and shook her head.
"Well next time, ASK before hacking me would you? My head is killing me and I can't see straight!" Then she paused, running an internal diagnostic. "Jötunheim? Seriously? That's where you want to go? Are you mad?!"
"Probably" Temeraire said with a shrug. "But now, if you don't mind…" The Gate glared but nodded, fishing her key from her back and tossing it to her.
"Get on with it!" she said and Temeraire nodded, slotting the key into Bifrost's chest. The Gate gave a gasp of ecstasy and with a blinding flash, she morphed into her portal form; a glowing blue ring of runes that pulsed slowly as Temmy watched it. "Ok, I'm open now. Now GET ON WITH IT! MY ARSE IS FREEZING!" Temeraire nodded and quickly summoned her halberd, slinging the heavy weapon over her shoulder, preparing to step through the Gate. Just before she did however, she heard a shout.
"TEMMY! STOP!" Temeraire paused and turned back to see Kitara and Yukio hurrying towards her.
"WAIT TEMMY!" Yukio shouted as they pulled up just short of her and the younger goddess bent over double, panting. "You… can't… go!" she gasped between breaths.
"She has a point" Kitara said. "You're about to step into an entirely hostile world. Your dad might be the technical King but the Jötunns are still independent and extremely hostile".
"Not to mention the Forgotten Army!" Yukio said, having finally caught her breath. Temeraire shook her head in dismissal.
"Look you two, I'm going and there's nothing you can do to stop me" she said. "If you try, you both know that I can kick your arses three ways from Sunday so-"
"We're not trying to stop you" Kitara said, summoning up her cavalry hammer and hooking the rear spike over her shoulder, "we're coming with you". Temeraire looked astonished.
"What?"
"Well we can't exactly let you go alone" Yukio said, "and there's no way we're going to be able to change your mind, so we might as well come with you".
"Besides; if you got killed and your mum found out that we knew that you were going, then SHE would kill us!" Kitara said with a grin. Temeraire smiled and grinned at both her friends, before pulling them into a tight hug.
"Thanks guys!" she said.
"Uh, hello?" Bifrost said. "I don't know if you've notice but I'm still open here and it's FREEZING on the other side of me! Are you going or not?" Temmy paused and glanced at Kitara, who winked at her and then at Yukio who nodded and reached under her cloak, unslinging here enormous spanner, hefting it like a club.
"Alright… let's do it!" Temeraire said.
"Finally!"
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The trio stepped cautiously into the snows of the frozen world and shivered. As demi-gods, they didn't have a full goddesses complete immunity to the cold but they were a lot more cold resistant than any human. However, this was Jötunheim, the frozen wasteland world, where temperatures NEVER rose above freezing and even with their cold resilience, they had to admit it was fucking freezing.
"So, do you have a plan?" Kitara asked, shouting above the howling of the blizzard that whipped her ponytail about her face.
"We should start by trying to find someone who knows the terrain. They might know a good place to start".
"Any suggestions?" Yukio asked, shielding her face from the snow.
"Well my dad said something about a Ghosthawk going missing. Now if it's been shot down, which it probably has, then it seems likely that the Forgotten Army did it and it must be somewhere near to where they're hiding. If we can find it then there's a good chance we can find their hiding place".
"But how would we find something like that?" Yukio asked. "Your dad has all kinds of things searching for it. If they haven't found it then-"
"But the Jotunns will probably know where to find it" Kitara said and Temeraire nodded. Since their defeat in the Kronos War, the Jötunns had lost most of their human supplied weapons. As such, they were always on the lookout for things to scavenge. They knew the location of every wreck on this planet and as such, asking them was a sensible, if risky strategy.
"Exactly" Temeraire asked. "We find a Jötunn and ask him. He'll probably know where to start".
"But isn't that incredibly dangerous?" Yukio asked nervously.
"Yep" Temeraire said simply. "If you want to stay here or even go back that's fine but-"
"Not a chance!" Yukio said. "I'm sticking to you pair, come Hell or high water!" The other two grinned and nodded.
"Good" they said and then they turned back into the storm.
"So which way?" Kitara asked.
"Well, I think that the Jötunberg is that way" Temmy said, point off down a valley. "But there's no bridge in this part of the mountains. We'll have to take the pass-road, which is…" she turned and pointed higher up the mountains, where a barely discernible trail was visible, leading up towards the cloud-covered peaks.
"Alright then" Kitara said, shouldering her hammer. "Lead on Mc Duff!"
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Now back to the present.
"So this is where they landed?" Jago asked as the storm tried to whip his hat away.
"That's right" Jeiko said, him cloak billowing around him. "I managed to track them a little distance but the storm was too harsh and I lost the tail. Do you think you can find them?" Jago paused and nodded.
"Maybe not me but Damascus can find ANYONE. She is a Nightmare after all". Jeiko nodded and he bowed his head as a sudden gust of wind swept by, blinding him for a second. When he looked back, the devil was crouched on the ground, a short distance away, inspecting the snow.
"Got anything?" he asked as he approached and she nodded.
"Three sets of tracks" she said and then pointed up towards the peaks. "They went that way". Jeiko was impressed. Even with his bionic eye, he couldn't see any evidence of anyone passing through the area. The fact that Damascus could, even after six hours of blizzard was truly remarkable.
"So what's up that way?" Jeiko asked, looking out towards where she had been pointing.
"It's a back road to the Jötunberg" Jago said, squinting through the snow. "A long path but probably the safest". He paused and then turned to Jeiko. "You'd better go back. I know what they're doing and where they're going, so you can go back". Jeiko shook his head.
"You can't go alone. In weather like this-"
"I can travel faster alone" Jago said. "You go back and tell Lind to ready an assault force. If those three actually manage to find the Forgotten Army, then they're going to need all the help they can get". He paused and coughed, the cold playing havoc with his lungs but he waved Jeiko away as the Earth spirit moved to help him. "I'll be alright. You just make sure those reinforcements are ready". Reluctantly Jeiko nodded and he disappeared back through the Gate, leaving Jago alone with Damascus.
"Are you sure it was wise to send him away?" the devil asked as Jago unslung his enormous rucksack, the one that he took whenever he went on a long range mission. "With weather like this and your lungs-"
"Yes, it could very well kill me" Jago said and then clambered INTO the bag, it being much bigger on the inside, thanks to a borrowed space-doubler of Skuld's. "But this is our DAUGHTER Damascus. We can't let the her and her friends get killed though stupidity". With that, he remerged, dragging a kayak and a paddle behind him. "Now, any more questions?" The devil sighed and shook her head, disappearing back inside her Master, while clambered aboard the small boat.
"Overall, this is a bad idea" she said bitterly from inside him.
"I concur" Lamb agreed and Jago shrugged.
"Well we all have to go some time" he said. With that, used the paddle to push off down the slope, quickly building up speed as the boat skimmed along the surface of the snow. The girls had a six hour start on him but he would be traveling faster. Just as well really. He needed to make a stop before the Jötunberg and he almost wasn't in time…
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"So that's the Jötunberg?" Yukio asked as they looked down from the high mountain trail.
"I think so" Temeraire said.
"Really? What a dump!" Kitara said with a snort of disdain as they began the slow descent towards the fortress. Indeed, the ancient castle did look like it had seen better days. Once, the Jötunberg hand been the mightiest fortress in all of creation; a towering edifice of basalt and granite that had stretched from the flat plateau on which it was built, all the way up to well over thirty-thousand feet in height, at the top of its highest towers and sprawling across several dozen miles. Now however, the once mighty fortress had been almost levelled during the final battle between the combined allied forces of Heaven, Hell and Earth and the remnants of the Praetorian Guard and Surtr's hordes of Jötunns. The battle had been brutal but as powerful as their foes were, with the full military might of the United Nations behind them, the Praetorians and Jötunns had been outgunned by the allied forces. And once their foes had been defeated, they had set about levelling the castle, so now, most of the structure was little more than a ruin.
"Are you sure this is a good place to find Jötunns?" Yukio asked, looking down doubtfully at the ruin. "I mean, it seems deserted". The other two shared a look and then both shrugged.
"I guess… we can't know unless we go and take a look" Temmy said and slowly, she led their descent towards the castle. It took nearly an hour to reach the plateau that stretched up to the base of the ancient fortress and almost as long to cross it to the ancient walls. Along the way however, they saw signs of just how brutal the battle had been. Here and there, lay snow drifts but upon closer inspection, many were discovered to actually be the rusted skeletons of burnt out vehicles, both human and Jötunn, which had been abandoned following the end of the war, as the humans lacked the time to recover any of their vehicles, while the Jötunns lacked the knowledge and equipment. But it wasn't just vehicles out here as they tried to climb atop another snowdrift. Yukio, being the slowest and of the youngest build of the three, despite her actual age being slightly greater than her friend's, was struggling in the rough terrain and as such, was the last one up the drift on which the other two had stopped to check the terrain. It was as the young goddess was struggling up the pile that she heard a rattle as her foot kicked something hidden beneath the snow. She thought nothing of it until she heard a snap and realised what she had just stepped on. She screamed.
"YUKIO!" Temeraire shouted and was beside her friend in seconds, her halberd in hand but seeing no threat, she stowed her weapon and turned to see what had happened. "What is it?" she asked. Yukio didn't answer, simply pointed and both Temmy and Kitara saw what it was she had stood on; it was a bone. A rib to be exact. And now that they looked closely, they realised exactly what they were standing on. It was a vast pile of bones, picked clean and made brittle by the bitter cold. Worse, many of them showed signs of having been gnawed…
"Figures" Kitara said, spitting into the snow. "The Jötunns are notorious cannibals. This is probably where they dumped the bodies after they had finished with them… and from what we were told, there must a been a butt-load of bodies after the battle". Slowly, the three of them descended the bone mountain, being careful not to disturb any more of them, lest the pile collapse. From there, they head straight towards the citadel… only to find it empty.
"I don't get it" Temeraire said. "I know that they bombed the place but that was thirty years ago! I would have thought that there were at least SOME Jötunns here".
"Well this place seems pretty dead to me" Kitara said, shifting nervously as they headed deeper into the ruins of the castle. Everywhere they went, there was evidence of fighting; bullet scarred walls, shattered stone, in some sheltered places, the dark smears of blood which still stained the stone all these years later. But no people. Not so much as a blind, insane old hermit. They were on the verge of giving up, when quite by chance, they stumbled across something they hadn't expected to see find… the throne room. Unlike much of the fortress, it had survived relatively intact, despite the bombing which had followed the attack.
"So this is where Surtr used the rule this world?" Kitara asked, looking around fearfully. In fact, all three of them were nervous. The high vaulted chamber was intimidating, even in its state of disrepair, with broken columns and the shattered glass of display cases scattered across the ground.
"I think so" Temeraire said. "But it looks like this place has been abandoned too". She paused and sighed. "You know, I think this place might have been completely abandoned". She paused and looked painfully at the other two. "Sorry girls but it looks like this place is a dead end".
"So now what do we do?" Kitara asked.
"Well perhaps you two could tell me what THOSE are?" Yukio asked. The other two turned rapidly to see something… a pair of glowing red orbs, their origin hidden in the shadows of the shattered room. "I think we should leave" the wish-granter whispered and started backing towards the door as the vague scent of rotten meat started to fill the room but she suddenly bumped into a soft but extremely cold object. She looked up… into the bearded face of a Jötunn and she screamed, causing the other two to whip around. The giant didn't move, simply stood and glared at them, its red eyes glowing in the pale light of the room, his huge, scarred body stinking of sweat and rancid flesh. And beside him, others began to appear. They came in ones and twos, appearing silently from the shadows, almost like ghosts. Some were bearded, some were clean shaven. Some were only six or seven feet tall, while overs were closer to twenty. All were naked, aside from a filthy loin-cloth, each with a massive bone-bladed knife, some as long as a sword for any normal person stowed within. And each silent, but glaring.
"I think we're in trouble" Kitara whispered but Temeraire didn't answer, simply lowered her halberd.
"So do you have a plan?" Yukio asked, desperately clutching at her spanner, hoping she wouldn't have to use it.
"I don't know; I'm thinking" Temmy said, hoping to buy some time. But then a voice cut through the dark, snarling like a wolf, rumbling like an waterfall.
"You are brave to come to this place at this hour… has the name of the Jötunns really carry so little weight that three young goddesses think that they can trespass into my realm without my leave?" the three whirled around, turning to see another giant emerge from the darkness… a different one. He was about ten feet tall, his dark blue skin hidden beneath a rough tunic of deer hide and wearing a battered brass crown and with a once beautiful sword, now tarnished beyond all recognition on his hip.
"We have come to see the Master of this realm" Temeraire said, trying to put as much authority as possible into her voice. "If you could direct us to-"
"Why have you come?" the giant demanded, glaring at them and folding his arms across his chest. "You have no business here".
"We were hoping to find the Lord of this place so that we could ask him for his help. We seek-"
"Who are you?" the giant demanded, glaring at them as he approached. "I know that you can't be full goddesses; you smell wrong. No… you're all demi-gods and young ones at that. So who are you? Who are your parents? Well? Speak up!" The three of them shared a glanced and Temeraire gave a nod.
"I'm Kitara, daughter of Lady Peorth and Lord Sukaru".
"So you're Sukaru's girl? Now that doesn't surprise me. He never did have any taste in women". The giant then turned on Yukio who cringed back. "What about you?" Yukio muttered something but the giant didn't catch it, so he growled. "SPEAK GIRL! OR MUST I CUT OUT YOUR TONGUE?" Yukio quailed in fear, but Temeraire moved to protect her friend, putting herself between the giant and her friend.
"Her name is Yukio. She's Keiichi and-"
"Belldandy's girl? Well I never!" The giant chuckled in mirth, apparently finding this amusing. "And what of you girl?" he said, rounding on Temeraire. "Who are you?"
"Temeraire Lind-daughter" she said, glaring up at the giant, who's eyes went wide. Not with shock though. More… understanding? Recognition? Something else? Who knew?
"So you're Temeraire? I've heard of you" he growled. He moved towards her and lifted her chin with a foul smelling finger to inspect her face. "So this is what happens when the Almighty One and the Paladin spawn a child? A half-breed girl, who gets her parent's friends killed in battle?" This last bit was said with a sneer and he flicked aside Temeraire's chin, turning to speak to the rest of the giants. "You all know this girl… the one who managed to kill one of Heaven's best through stupidity and pride!" The other giants chuckled as he turned back to her, his red eyes burning bright. "How is your father anyway? It has been more than thirty years since I last saw the Paladin. I hear that he isn't doing so well…" Temeraire looked confused, not understanding what he meant but then Kitara moved to intercept the giant, grasping her cavalry hammer in both hands.
"Alright, so you know our names. Now perhaps you can help us". The giant glared at her, his eyes burning with cold fury.
"Do not disrespect me girl. You think yourself a Valkyrie but you are barely more than a child… and out here, in my world, you are a LONG way from home". Kitara matched the giant's glare, sizing each other up but then the giant chuckled, baring his tomb-stone like teeth. "Where are my manners?" he said and with a flourish, he swept off his battered crown and gave a low, mocking bow. "Allow me to introduce myself; I am Lord Surtr, High King of Jötunheim". He stood once more and turned away, moving towards a raised dais in the centre of the room; the place where a throne had once stood. Now however, it was simply a raised space of stepped rock and he took a seat upon the top stair, leaning forward, resting his chin on his fist. "Now tell me, why would three such… valuable young goddesses come to my kingdom? Have you come to mock me perhaps? To laugh at the defanged beast? Or are you here for some other purpose?"
"We have come seeking information" Temeraire said, taking the lead. "We are searching for something that is lost and we hoped that you might be able to help us".
"What are you searching for?" the giant inquired, his eyes narrowing.
"It is simple; we are seeking Trenzilore".
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The room filled with growled rumbles as the giants snarled and gnashed their teeth, while Surtr's eyes narrowed.
"Be careful of what you speak girl. You do not know what you would unleash… but I do. Go now, while I still allow it!" With that, the giant stood and turned away, preparing to leave.
"Wait!" Temeraire called out. "You can't leave yet! You-"
"We have no contact with either Trenzilore or his treacherous ilk" Surtr spat. "We severed all connections with them after they abandoned us to fight your father's alliance on our own".
"But you must know where they are!" Temeraire demanded. "There is no race in the universe who know this world better than the Jötunns! You-"
"Oh, we know approximately where Trenzilore and his forces are hiding… but we also know that if anyone of ANY race approaches that place, they will be killed".
"So is that what happened to that Ghosthawk?" For the first time, the giant looked confused.
"Ghosthawk? What Ghosthawk?"
"The one that was sent to find Trenzilore. It went missing about a week ago. I you know where it is then-"
"We know nothing of a Ghosthawk going missing" Surtr growled. "Any such aircraft would have been found by now, no matter its location and stripped of useful parts. If such an aircraft had been found then word would surely have reach my ears of the discovery".
"Then perhaps-"
"NO!" the giant bellowed, turning on them, his eyes burning blood red. "YOU HAVE WASTED ENOUGH OF MY TIME! NOW LEAVE! OR PREPARE TO FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!"
"Consequences? What can you do?" Temeraire sneered. "You said so yourself; you're power has been broken Surtr! I do fear you! As such, we will not leave until we have what we came for!" Surtr glared malevolently and then slowly, he glanced first to his giants and then at the three goddesses.
"You think my power is broken?" he demanded, unsheathing his sword and bounding down the stairs, as every other Jötunn in the room, unslung their own weapons. It was the that the trio realised their mistake; many of the Jötunns carried guns. Old and rusted they may have been but these giants had AK-74s, the Ak-47's more accurate and even more reliable brother. How they had managed to keep these weapons was a mystery, as all human weapons had been confiscated from the Jotunns at the end of the war. However, that mattered little at the moment, for the goddesses now found themselves seriously outgunned, as there was no way they would be able to stop ALL of those bullets and continue to fight. And then, as if to make matters worse, Surtr played his trump card. With a roar, he threw down his sword, embedding the blade in the thick rock of the floor and then his roar became a gurgling shriek, as slowly… he GREW. Temeraire, Kitara and Yukio were suddenly faced with a horrifying beast, as Surtr loomed large above them, fifty feet high, his head brushing against the ceiling as he snarled down at them.
"I think… we have a SNAFU" Kitara ventured, to which Yukio gave a confused look.
"SNAFU?" she asked and Temmy nodded.
"Technical Valkyrie term" she said. "Stands for Situation Normal, All Fucked Up".
"Oh…" the wish granter said but then the giant-king spoke once more, his voice sounding like the collision of continents.
"As you can see… our power is weakened but it is not extinguished. You should have heeded my warning before now but for you it is too late…" And then the monstrous creature grinned, baring his fangs. "looks like I can finally fulfil a promise that I made to your mother, during our battle in Heaven" he said, speaking directly to Temeraire.
"And what promise that?" she asked cautiously, readying her halberd for battle.
"I promised Lind… that I would EAT you!" Surtr said with a look of triumph. "TAKE THEM!" he roared and the giants bellowed forward, ready to tear the trio apart. But as luck would have it, fate intervened. Fate in the shape of a dragon.
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With a roar, the dragon came bursting through the wall, showering those within with stone fragments. The giants bellowed in fear and panic, many of them turning their guns of the monster and they opened fire, peppering the beast with bullets. But dragon scales are tough and as many as there were, the round simply dimpled off of its rock-hard hide. In response, the dragon let out a terrifying roar and belched forth a gout of liquid fire, instantly vaporising a score of the giants as a shape dropped form it back and took a stand beside it.
"Enough Gandamak" Jago said, slapping the dragon's hide with his hand and Gandamak settled back, rising up on his haunches to glare at his prey. Now it was Jago's turn to act. "Evening Surtr" he said, all casual like. "It's been a while".
"Paladin!" the giant hissed, glancing from Jago to the dragon and back. "You have no business here Jago! These three-"
"Are under my protection Surtr!" Jago said, unlimbering his elephant gun for emphasis. "I plan to take the out of here".
"These three refused to leave when I demanded it! They must be punished!"
"And they will be" Jago said, glancing at the three of them and then back to Surtr. "But for now, they are coming with me. I do not wish to start a fight here Surtr".
"You dare to say that? In here of all places! You are a fool if you think I will release my prey!" He glared down at Jago, putting as much threat as possible into his words. "I have an army at my back Paladin! Even you cannot defeat the entirety of the Jötunn race on your own!" Jago simply shrugged.
"I have a dragon!" he said and as if on cue, Gandamak roared, scorching the roof with his flame. It was then that Jago decided to take a different tact. "Please Surtr, they are but children; little girls playing at soldiers when they should really never have left home". Kitara and Temmy bristled at this but said nothing. They knew better than to interrupt. "Besides, you may still claim to be the ruler of this realm but I am the King. Or have you forgotten our last battle?" Surtr growled and gnashed his teeth but said nothing. Then, very slowly, he nodded his head.
"Very well King Jago, you may take them. BUT if they ever dare to enter my realm again, I will not be so merciful!" Jago nodded to him and slowly crossed to the three goddesses. He didn't speak. He just jerked his head and lead the way out.
"How angry do you think my dad is?" Temeraire asked in a whisper.
"Somewhere between very and extremely" Kitara ventured. "I think we're in for a one Hell of a chewing out when we get home…"
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WHAT ARE YOU THREE THINKING!?" Jago demanded as they took shelter in Gandamak's cave, waiting out the storm that raged outside. "ARE YOU TRYING TO START ANOTHER WAR AGAISNT THE JÖTUNNS!? ARE YOU PERPOSFULLY TRYING TO GET YOURSELVES KILLED?! WHAT IS WITH YOU THREE!?" The Paladin paused, taking a deep breath as the three goddesses quailed before his wrath. They had never seen Jago this angry before, almost to the point of exploding with rage. Not even Temeraire's attack on Jeiko had made him as angry as he was now. Growling, he rounded on Kitara and Yukio, both of whom shrank back in the face of his anger. "I'm especially disappointed in you two! Temeraire I could expect to do something this stupid but you two?" It was at that moment that Temeraire moved forward, putting herself between Jago and her friends.
"Look, this isn't their fault!"" she shouted, facing down the big man. "This is my fault and my fault alone! It was my plan to come here and talk to Surtr, to try and find Trenzilore! They were just here too-"
"Then you're more of a fool than I thought!" Jago snarled. "You think that Surtr is somebody to be trifled with? I broke his power thirty years ago but he is not someone you simply go to! If it hadn't been for myself and Gandamak, then you three would be dead by now!" There was a snort from the back of the cave as Gandamak shifted his position, turning to face them. He was a true monster; a hundred feet of muscle and sinew, with ten legs and four fifty foot wings, a tail that ended in a retractable blade and a face that was truly monstrous. His jaws were exposed bone, white and shining against his jet-black scales and a mighty tusk stuck out from each cheek, like a hideous blade of some kind, while his head was topped by a single, bronze eye, the size of a plate and ever evil. A true monster of nightmare. An image that was only slightly spoiled by the fact that he was tapping at the keyboard of an ancient laptop which he apparently kept hidden somewhere in the depths of his lair. Apparently, he was a Facebook fan.
"Your father has a point" the dragon rumbled, his voice as deep as the rumble of a freight train. "If not for us, you would most likely have been raped, murdered and eaten… and not necessarily in that order either".
"Thank you… Gandamak" Jago said and then turned back to Temeraire. "As for you; what the fuck are you trying to prove girl? Are you TRYING to get yourself killed? Or are you just too stubborn to know when to give up? You attack Jeiko, one of my oldest and closest friends! And then, you drag not only yourself but you cousin and another girl into the middle of the most hostile world in all of existence, searching for the most dangerous terrorist since Deaderuss himself! What exactly are you trying to do?"
"I thought" she said slowly and quietly, "that if I could find Trenzilore and then report his position back to you, then perhaps you would see that I AM capable of working on my own!"
"Well a fine job you did of that!" Jago said. "I have no illusions or doubts about your powers Temeraire; I am loath to admit it but you are at least as powerful as any First Class goddess I have ever met. However, you have the maturity of someone a third your age! You have no self-control! And sometimes, I think that you're just plain stupid!" He paused and took a deep breath, shaking his head. "Right, I'm sorry to do this but here it goes; when we get back to Heaven, I'm going to recommend to Valmeyar that you be permanently removed from the Valkyries. You clearly can't be trusted, not even with your own life, never mind the lives of others!" Temeraire's blood ran cold and she went pale all over.
"Bu-but you can't!" she said, gasping. "I-I've worked my whole life to become a Valkyrie! You can't just-"
"I can and I am" Jago said. "I'm sorry but I just don't have enough faith in you anymore Temeraire. I can't risk another Copenhagen". Temeraire looked as if she was about to burst into tears as her two friends rushed forward to support her.
"But you can't!" Kitara said, glaring up at him. "I won't let you!"
"We came of our own free will!" Yukio snapped. "If-"
"ENOUGH!" Jago boomed, his eyes flashing red for a second as Jupiter threatened to break through. "You two think I am that much of a fool? I doubted that Temeraire would CHOOSE for you to come along. However, beyond getting you back to Heaven alive and in one piece, you two aren't my concern. If your parents wish to punish you, then I leave that up to them". With that, he turned away and glanced out of the mouth of the cave, to the storm that swirled around the mountain. "I can't call a Gate in this weather; it'll be impossible for her to get a lock on us. As such, I'll wait until morning before we head back". He paused and glanced back at them. "I'm going to go and catch us something to eat. You three are to stay here until I get back. You'll be safe; no-body dares to come near the lair of Gandamak. I'll see you later". With that, he set off, disappearing into the swirling whiteness that was the snows of Jötunheim. It was only when he was out of sight that Temeraire sank down, weeping at what had been said. The other two stooped and helped her up, depositing her against the wall of the cave but they knew that they wouldn't be able to talk to her for a while. For thirty years, Temeraire had fought to become a full Valkyrie. Now, it seemed likely that that would never come to pass. She had failed…
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"So what's she going to do now?" Yukio asked as she and Kitara sat opposite one-another, a fire in between the pair of them, glancing across at Temeraire. The poor girl had cried herself to sleep and was sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, still against the wall of the cave. Gandamak had also fallen asleep and the whole place reverberated with the deep rumblings of his breath. Kitara meanwhile, simply shook her head, tossing a twig into the fire.
"I honestly don't know" she said softly. "Temeraire has always been trying to become a Valkyrie. Now that's gone… well, who knows?" She shook her head, sighing at her sleeping friend. "It's not like she can easily swap careers; a Valkyrie's job is for life. Once you start, it's almost impossible to leave". It was a long pause and then she shook her head again. "I can understand why Jago did what he did but… WHY? It doesn't seem fair! I mean, it's not like his past his history is too hard to find out. Ex-drug dealer, acquitted of murder, street-fighter, the lot! And it's not like Lind was much better! After what happened with Tobruk-" She stopped suddenly, aware of the sleeping dragon off to the side. "I mean, that is as bad as this! So why is Jago being so hard on her? I suppose there's the whole Copenhagen thing" but that was years ago!" Her voice faded into silence and silence remained, aside from the crackling of the flames and the steady rumble of the dragon's breath. That was of course, until Yukio spoke up.
"Um… if you don't mind me asking… what actually HAPPENED in Copenhagen? I mean, I keep hearing about it and most of the older goddesses know about it but whenever I try and access the file on Yggdrasil, I get locked out. So-"
"I'm not sure that it's my story" Kitara said, glancing at a sleeping Temeraire but Yukio looked at her imploringly.
"Please Kitara. I mean, it's not exactly like anyone is ever going to know". And so, with a final sigh, Kitara nodded and so the tale was told. The story of the kaiju attack on Copenhagen and the start of Temeraire's fall from grace.
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Chrono hovered at five-hundred feet above the bay, her eyes fixed on the horizon, searching for any sign of their quarry. She turned however and smiled as her young Apprentice came to hover beside her.
"Hey Temmy" she said. "Are you ready?" Temeraire nodded, gripping her halberd in both hands, grinning eagerly.
"I'm ready" she said and Chrono nodded.
"Good. How about the rest of them? Are the Guardians in position?"
"Yes ma'am! The gunboats are in position and the Danes have dispatched their fighters. We'll have air-support within the hour! There's no way those kaiju are breaking through our lines!" Chrono nodded and then turned her attention back to the sea, looking out across the water. It was three years before the present day and there had been a recent spate of attacks by kaiju, gigantic monsters that came from the sea and invaded the land, all across the world. Not only were the attacks increasing in frequency but the monsters were growing rapidly in both size and power, becoming a major threat to the populations of Earth. As such, Lind had authorised Jago to take a handful of the Valkyries to bolster the overstretched Guardians and human militaries. And it was on one of these missions that both Chrono and Temeraire now found themselves. Chrono was older now and had filled out somewhat, becoming one of the most powerful Valkyries in Heaven. True, she was no match for her own Mistress, for that was Lind but she was well respected and had earned herself the overall command of Heaven's Auxiliaries, as well as the privilege of training the Almighty's own daughter. However, she had been out of action for the last few months; she had become pregnant with Bob's child and had been forced to take some time off as Maternity leave. Now however, she was back in action and eager to get to grips with her foes. Temeraire on the other hand, was nervous . This was her first combat mission and her job was to cover Chrono's back, in the event of something going wrong. As such, she licked her lips nervously as she saw the first of the mighty wakes that marked the approach of the first kaiju.
"Ready?" Chrono asked, a spark of excitement in her eyes and Temeraire nodded. "GOOD!" her Mistress beamed and summoned up her poleaxe, grasping the heavy weapon in one hand. "Well, you know the plan! I'll deal with these ass-bags while you hold the miracle mile! So long as we keep those things away from the city, we'll be ok!" With that, she gave Temeraire a wink and zoomed off, leaving her young Apprentice hovering. Little did she know, that today would be her last.
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There were two kaiju currently approaching the city, two of the largest that had ever been seen. Each kaiju was different from the last, with each resembling a different creature and as such, they were divided into several rough categories, depending on size, power and danger level. The smallest, known as the Category Ones, were approximately two-thousand tons in weight and tended to be fairly easy to kill. In fact, you could keep one at bay with a handful of jets and assault ships if you needed to. At the other end of the scale, there were the Category Fives; huge monsters of more than ten-thousand tons and many hundreds of feet long. Nothing short of a direct hit from an orbital strike or the direct intervention of the Paladin himself had ever been able to turn back a Category Five once it got on the move. These ones weren't quite that size; they were large Category Fours, approximately eight to nine-thousand tons apiece and while they were dangerous, as a full Valkyrie Captain, not to mention with her powers tripled via her pregnancy, Chrono should have been more than a match for them. Famous last words.
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Chrono stopped just above the surface of the ocean, hovering above the water, searching for her prey. And there it was. Like a wall of water, rising to the surface, there came the monstrous head of the lead kaiju, codenamed Reaper. It was immense. The creature was the weight Ticonderoga class cruiser and more than four-thousand feet long, with a head shaped like a downward pointing scythe and an immense set of dagger-sharp fangs. It rose to the surface, its eight huge, clawed hands stretching above the surface and blotting out the sun, as it let out a deep, shrieking roar of challenge.
"OI! FUGLY! DOWN HERE!" Chrono shouted, waving her arms to attract the creature's attention and Reaper looked down, snarling at the tiny thing that threatened it. "YEAH YOU! I'M TALKING TO YOU! YOU WANT THIS CITY, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME!" Reaper snorted, shaking its head and reached down to swat the tiny pest. Chrono moved faster however and shot forward, hacking at the beast's arm with her poleaxe, spattering herself with deep blue blood. The monster bellowed in pain and swiped with amazing speed, swatting Chrono aside with a growl. Chrono however was back up again in a second, grinning like a fool. "HEY! IT'S NOT NICE TO HIT A LADY!" she shouted and she launched another attack, leaping up the monster's front, slicing at it with her halberd as she went. All around her, the sea turned blue as the monster's blood flowed down, mixing with the ocean below, staining the surface. It was going to be a slow demise, a death by a thousand cuts but Chrono was ready for that, fighting hard to drive the beast back. A slice of her axe here, a blast of fire there and soon the creature would fall. It was then however, that she sensed the second one; the kaiju known as Slamhound. This one was smaller, being only about eight-thousand tons and shaped like a huge crocodile, that walked on a sort of tripod arrangement beneath its body, while two large arms stretched from its back. Sensing the danger, Chrono called out her angel, Heart of Stirling Silver and set her to work.
"Mistress?"
"Silver, take out Slamhound! Don't let it near the city!" Heart of Stirling Silver nodded and she shot away, tackling the monster from behind, putting her entire Valkyrie's strength into the attack, driving the beast down. With that, she went to work, both with her fists and with magic, hacking, slashing and tearing at the mighty beast. Between them, the pair were holding their own. In fact, it almost seemed too easy. It was then however, that they sensed the third kaiju. The one they had been waiting for. Berserker.
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Temeraire watched in fascination as Chrono and her angel went to work on the two kaiju, hacking the one know as Reaper apart, while Heart of Stirling Silver held back the Slamhound, driving it back through sheer force of will. However, there was something… wrong. She could sense something. True, these two kaiju were about as powerful as they came but, there was SOMETHING else out there, out in the bay. And then she saw it; the third wake. Another kaiju. It was moving quickly around her mentor's flank, looking to encircle her. There was only one thing she could do.
"Gunboats, this is Temeraire" she called out over her loadstone radio, one of the few devices that could connect to anything, in any world. "Chrono's about to be outflanked! I'm moving on an intercept course!"
"Belay that!" the Captain of one of the boats replied. "You're supposed to hold the-"
"Look, I can't just sit here and let her get killed! Stay here and cover me!" With that, she took off, streaking towards the third monstrosity. And in the process, she condemned her Mistress to death.
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Berserker resembled no known creature. Somewhere between a huge, scaly minotaur and a three-tailed walrus, it weighed in excess of fifteen-thousand tons, putting it squarely in the Category Five class. This was the beast that Chrono had been waiting for; the true challenge. Now all she had to do was disengage and –
"AYO VALKYIRE!" Temeraire screamed, roaring past her to collide solidly with the third kaiju, knocking the beast backward.
"TEMERAIRE!" Chrono shouted but her Apprentice couldn't hear her, being too busy laying into the Berserker to listen. While she was distracted however, the beast known as Reaper reached down and swatted her, sending Chrono spinning down into the ocean. From there, the beast began to stomp her, trampling her beneath its behemoth feet in its efforts to extinguish her. Trapped as she was, beneath the feet of this great monster, she could only do one thing; she sent a message to her angel.
"SILVER! HELP TEMERAIRE!"
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Berserker roared in fury as it swatted ineffectively at Temeraire. She was simply too fast. With a yell, she slammed her halberd into one of the beast's fingers and used it as a swing, sliding between the index finger and the thumb, to land on the back of Berserker's hand. There, she dug her weapon down, jamming it into the artery that ran up the inside of the thumb, staining herself blue as the foul ichor pulsed forth. The monster trumpeted in pain and made to swat her with its other hand but she jammed the rear-spike of her weapon deep into its hide, while keeping the top-spike pointing skywards, impaling its hand as it came down. The creature bellowed once more and lifted its hand, her halberd still trapped within its flesh and lifting her with it. Temeraire clung on grimly as it started to frantically wave its huge fist, trying to dislodge her. Then however, it leaned forward, intending to yank her weapon free with its teeth. She released her grip on her halberd and dropped, landing on the monster's chin, gripping onto the greasy hair with both hands and feet, as Berserker bit down on her halberd, pulling it from its hand and then crushing it between his teeth. Temeraire shook her head and started to scramble upward, hand over hand, grasping her khukuri between her teeth as she went until finally, she came to the monster's vast left eye.
"'Ello chum!" she said and with a shout, she jammed the blade deep into the soft tissue, ripping it apart. The Berserker roared once more, trying to dislodge her but she clung on, repeatedly stabbing, blinding the monster as she tore through the delicate membrane. It was then however, that she felt the thump from bellow and the creature started to collapse backwards.
"GET OUT OF HERE YOU FOOL!" Heart of Stirling Silver shouted as she pulled Temeraire free from the Berserker's face. "WE'RE ABOUT TO-" The angel never finished the sentence. As she pulled Temeraire clear of the toppling colossus, one of the monster's hands came up and succeeded in grasping her by the wing, dragging her down with it. The last that Temeraire ever saw of her Mistress's angel was the flash of her silver hair as she disappeared beneath the waves.
"SILVER!" she called out but there was no reply and Temeraire suddenly realised that she was now facing two mighty kaiju on her own; Reaper and Slamhound were regrouping to face her. Both looked battered and bloodied but far from dead. If anything, the pair looked angry. And so, they charged.
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Temeraire fought desperately, trying to hold back the two demons. It was a useless fight however. You can't fight something a million times your size and hope to win. Oh, she did her damage, hacking and tearing through muscle, sinew and bone but against creatures of this size, she was powerless. You cannot fight the mountain… especially not one that can fight back. For all her Valkyrie strength, she was wearing down, unable to keep up with the constant pounding… she was failing.
"Fuck… me!" she panted as she managed to arrest her descent just above the surface of the waves as her two foes loomed large above her. She was battered and bruised, barely able to hover as the pair closed in. But still determined. With a grunt, she lifted her heavy khukuri high, preparing for another round with her colossal foes… only for the surface behind one the Reaper to suddenly explode. It was Chrono who emerged, but not the Chrono that Temeraire knew. This was Chrono unlimited and unfettered, her true form unleashed. She resembled a creature both beautiful and horrifying; a multi-headed, multi-bodied, tentacled dragon of monstrous size, equalling all but the largest of kaiju, gleaming white in the light of day. But this was only a part of her true form, the part that was visible to three-dimensional eyes. Parts of her wafted into and out of focus as she shifted herself through the dimensions, some parts disappearing altogether, only to reappear somewhere else, perhaps somewhere else on her body or maybe somewhere not even connected to herself. She was a spectacular sight, a white angel of destruction; the unleashed form of a full First Class Valkyrie. And in a voice that came from everywhere at once, in every volume and pitch, from a sound as soft as the gentlest breeze, to the rumble of a dying star, she spoke out to her young Apprentice. Two words were all she said:
"GET CLEAR!" Then with a terrific roar, like the sound of the world ending, Chrono charged in, spreading a pair of wings like shattered rainbows and she fell upon her foes, ripping them apart with tooth and claw. Exhausted and battered Temeraire may have been but she made good her escape, slipping between the three battling forms as one of Chrono's tails shot forth, impaling one of the kaiju, while her jaws snapped shut across the torso of another, ripping it asunder in a gory shower of blue. The monsters fought back however and soon, the sea was stained white with the goddesses blood, mixing with the blue stain of the dying monsters. But this was a goddess beyond care; her angel had been destroyed. How she was still standing after something like that was a complete mystery but now, fuelled by a primordial rage that would have terrified even the most sadistic of demons, she ripped her foes asunder, tearing to ribbons. And all Temeraire could do was watch. She had overestimated her strength, trying to challenge the Berserker and this had led to the death of her Mistress's angel, even as Heart of Stirling Silver had tried to save her. It was as the second kaiju fell however, that the final threat arose. Berserker had risen back to the surface. Blinded and enraged, the beast roared its challenge at Chrono who hissed her reply, clacking her mighty jaws together, menacing the bigger beast. But this would be a useless fight. The beast was larger, stronger and faster than she was, while she had been badly injured, both in her human and her true form. Slowly, Chrono turned to face her beaten Apprentice and gave her a long, sad wink. And with that, she turned back to the Berserker. She bellowed, fanning her great wings. And then, using her mind, she contacted the Captain of the lead gunboat.
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"And so then what happened?" Yukio asked. Kitara shook her head, staring into the fire.
"The gunboats were equipped with an experimental kind of long-range cruise missile; something that Skuld had been working on, specifically designed to take down over-sized kaiju. I don't understand the specifics but basically, they ejected their heads in flight, exposing a massive depleted uranium needle that would inject liquid explosives into the body of the kaiju and then detonate it from the inside, blowing them up from the inside". She sighed and spat into the fire, glancing across at Temeraire. "That was Chrono's plan all along; to draw the kaiju into a group and then use the gunboats to pound them while she made her get-away. She knew well enough where all three kaiju were because of her angel; all Valkyrie angels are trained to act as a short range sensor for their goddess, allowing them to spot unseen threats. Temeraire however…"
"She doesn't have an angel and so she didn't know?" Kitara nodded.
"Exactly. She thought she was help when she engaged the Berserker but in actual fact, she was preventing Chrono from escaping. And when Heart of Stirling Silver was lost, well, Chrono pretty much lost it. She survived but the emotional overload was so great that she lost her mind and went on a rampage. By the time that she realised what had happened, she was too far gone to save; if a goddesses true form is damaged, it doesn't heal, which is one of the main reasons that they tend to use the human form whenever possible. Unless they are killed out-right or at least, critically wounded, they can regenerate. The true form doesn't".
"So when she ordered the missile strike…"
"Suicide. Better to die fast, with your jaws locked around your foe, than to slowly bleed to death". They both turned to see that Temeraire was awake and had been listening to the story.
"Temeraire, I-I'm sorry!" Kitara said but Temeraire waved her down.
"It's alright. She deserves to know what happened". She sighed softly and then nodded to Yukio. "Now you understand why I am so despised. I caused one of the most powerful Valkyries in all of Heaven to die… no, I FORCED her to commit suicide!" She shook her head bitterly, tears in her eyes. "All because of my stupidity! I thought I could take on a Category Five kaiju on my own and look what happened! And since then, I've just gotten worse! I attacked Kitara's father, I lead you here, I almost get us EATEN!" She ground her teeth and thumped her fist against the floor of the cave. "WHY DO I KEEP FUCKING UP!?" The other two glanced at one another, not sure how to reply. It was then that they heard a rumble and turned to see the dragon stirring, eyeing them cautiously.
"Sounds to me… like you've been having some trouble with self-control" he hissed and Temeraire couldn't help but snort with mirth.
"No, you don't say!" she said, causing Gandamak to growl.
"Don't you take that tone with me girl!" he snarled. "You are in my home and will show me my due respect. Especially if you want me to help you". All three of them looked stunned. Gandamak? Help them? It seemed impossible!
"How?" Yukio asked and then flinched as the great, copper coloured eye loomed before her.
"Listen youngling; I have lived in this world for the last thirty years. There is not a single thing that goes on here that I don't know about. Now, I don't know whether it will be any good to you but I happen to know where you can find this missing helicopter of you father's".
"What?" Temeraire said. "How do you know this? And why didn't you tell him?" Gandamak shrugged, quite a sight when you realise that he had ten shoulders.
"He didn't ask".
Authors Note: Hey hey hey! How's it going people? It's been one hell of a week, what with my tour job and people constantly changing my timetable! But I still found time to knock this one out and boy do I feel good about it! So, let's see what you guys think! Also, on a minor note, the next chapter may be a little late as I have been asked whether I can provide a refresher chapter at the start of this fic, for those people who haven't read the first one can more easily follow the story. It shouldn't take me too long though, so don't worry!
Also, as I have been using my normal motto a lot recently, so I thought I would try something new for a while: Arte et Marte. Let's see how many of you can work out what this means (and where it comes from!)