Chapter 10
Lurking in the Shadows
Freya mindlessly turned a flower in her hand. The meadow of Asgard calmed her spirit. The fertility goddess sat in her favorite spot under a tree full of cherry blossoms.
She wondered if anyone else had sensed it. The huge surge of dark energy from Midgard resonated in her mind. The energy was gone now, but its very existence unnerved her. Only an extremely powerful human would have been able to conjure so much energy. Silmeria had not returned with Lezard's head, so she could safely assume the user had not been the sorcerer.
Could the undead be amassing an army? That didn't make any sense. The undead and the gods had tolerated each other since Rufus' ascension of the throne. The death of Brahms had upset many in the world of the undead, but when they had heard of how the new king of the gods had helped save their world alongside their Lord, they had agreed to maintain peace with Asgard. Surely they had no reason to be scouting Midgard for soldiers.
What else could have caused that dark energy? The question taunted her inquisitive mind, laughing at her for not having an answer.
Freya sighed and leaned back to look up into the tree. The sunlight burst through the lush branches, creating a scene of peace above her. The goddess smirked at the irony.
The quiet room at the inn burst into life as the young woman and her Valkyrie companion returned from shopping. They had purchased a few emergency supplies, enough food for rations for a month, and a couple of spare articles of clothing. Alicia dumped the contents on her bed while Silmeria began neatly packing the supplies into their bags.
"It's been so long since I prepared for a journey of any sort," Alicia commented.
"Indeed." Silmeria folded a small blanket before stuffing it into her bag. "It's kind of fun, actually. I just wish our journey had a happier purpose. I suppose our last one began out of necessity for staying alive as well."
Alicia made a noise in agreement. She wished the Valkyrie would tell her more about what it was they were running from, but she knew it was pointless to argue. Silmeria insisted that Alicia rest up before she had to worry about the problem. The former princess handed Silmeria a bag of bread to place among their other provisions.
"Hey Silmeria…" began Alicia. "How is everyone in Asgard?" She idly picked up the falchion she had purchased and inspected the blade for a third time since leaving the armory.
"Well, Freya is pretty much the same. She can be a bit hot tempered at times, but all in all I think she has accepted the changed quite well. Hrist and Lenneth are well…"
Alicia allowed the sword to dip and rest on the bed as her eyes widened. "All three of you are incarnated? I thought it was forbidden for you to exist at the same time."
"Under Odin's rule, it was forbidden for two of us to exist upon Midgard at the same time. Even now, I am the only Valkyrie on Midgard. But if it were necessary to send Hrist or Lenneth to Midgard, I believe Rufus would allow it. He has changed many things. He did not see any need for two of us to sleep while there was so much work to be done in repairing the realms. Almost everything in Midgard and Asgard is back to normal, but there are still plenty of jobs for us to do. My job is to watch over Midgard as well as gather Einherjar. Hrist commands the Einherjar army and trains the new souls that are gathered. Lenneth tends to the other realms and helps with various duties. Upon her rebirth, she was assigned to re-stabilize the Seraphic Gate. It had sustained major damage when part of Asgard crumbled into Midgard before we defeated Lezard."
"So basically, you go where you are needed."
"Yes, to summarize it, Rufus sends us where we are needed."
"How – is he doing well?" Her cheeks turned pink as she asked the question.
"Well, for the most part, yes. He would never admit it, but he was incredibly overwhelmed at first. Freya fought him viscously, and even though she accepted him as the new King of the Gods, she treated him horribly. Shortly after I awakened, they had a huge argument in the Hall of Valhalla. No one really knows what happened during the argument, but ever since it occurred, it was almost like they found common ground. They had some respect for each other."
Alicia nervously busied her hands with bundling some vegetables. "Why did he only come to see me the one time when I was little? I would have thought he would want me to remember…"
"Rufus made us all swear not to intervene in your life."
Alicia whirled on Silmeria at this. "Why? He wanted me to forget everything? To forget all of my friends and abandon them?"
"Alicia… we all agreed it was for the best. You died so that this world could continue to exist. Rufus insisted you should be allowed to live the peaceful life you worked so hard for." Silmeria cast a solemn look down at her bag. "He worked hard to make this world a peaceful place. You were the reason for that. He wanted to make sure you grew up happy, away from the gore of battle, away from the pain that your previous life had brought you."
"I still had pain though!" cried Alicia. "My mother died after I was born! My father hated me for it and deserted me in the end. I was still alone! I have still been denied that peace!" The girl let out a loud wail and crumpled to the ground. "He left me alone too. He didn't want anyone to make me remember." The sobs made her body tremble.
Silmeria bent down and placed a hand on Alicia's shoulder. "No. It wasn't like that Alicia. You have no idea how badly he misses you. He does not talk about it to anyone, not even me. But I've heard him in his room...when he thinks no one is listening. I saw the pain on his face when he ordered us not to interfere in your life." Alicia's sobs quieted as Silmeria embraced her in a gentle hug. "He still wears the Ring of Mylinn, you know. I've seen him kiss the ring on occasion."
"Really?" sniffled Alicia. The Valkyrie nodded. "I want to go see him…"
"We need to get you safe first. Then I promise, we will try to find a way."
The darkness in the Turgen Mine stretched on for miles. The magician found it to be a welcoming place for him to rest. Bright light hurt his eyes, and he enjoyed the mystery that darkness brought.
Setting Coriander on fire had merely been a message to the gods. It was convenient that the pathetic wizard had regained his memories. Surely the gods would suspect him and destroy him. Lezard may be given the credit for his work, but in time the gods would come to realize that they had been mistaken about the cause of the fire.
The magician removed the black hood of his cape. His silver hair reflected the dim light given off by the small torches on the walls. The man sat on the floor, placing a small glass bowl filled with clear liquid in front of him. He murmured a few words, and an image appeared on the clear liquid.
Damn he thought to himself. That pathetic wizard managed to free the memories of that princess. It would not be such a problem to extinguish her meaningless life, but her regained memories had also brought Silmeria to her side. He was not yet strong enough to face a Valkyrie.
No matter thought the magician. The gods will know that I am here and that I live again. They will pay for their sins.
A/N: I am terribly sorry for keeping you all waiting for nearly a year. I will try to be more diligent about getting the chapters of this story published. Thank you for your continued support!