Worship of the Gods

There will come a time in your life
when you lose something that matters to you.
You'll fight for it and you won't win.
But what really matters isn't the war you're waging,
it's that you don't lose
the person you are in the midst of the battle.

– J. Sterling, The Perfect Game

Chapter Twenty-Six: Betrayal

Ellie licked her parched lips and rubbed her eyes. The hangover was setting in, and the call for cold drink drew her out of her bedsheets. She rubbed her eyes and leaned on the chest of drawers. As soon as her eyes met her reflection, she heard voices outside of her door.

"She showed signs for weeks," a deep voice says to his companion.

"Followed her out one night. She was heading towards the palace." Ellie thinks his name is Ragnar, but can't quite recall.

There is another woman with them; a good fighter and intimidating opponent. "Seeing her with the princes. I knew it straight away." Was it Soveigg?

Ellie leaned against the wall beside the frame, listening intently. Someone rattled her handle, setting her teeth on edge. She grabbed a flimsy training dagger from atop her drawers and held it to her chest, waiting for whoever was out there.

They open the door. "She's here, right?"

"Saw leaving the Alfheim Pillar about an hour ago…"

Ellie's eyes land on the shadowed figure. She inched backwards, staring at them in the confided darkness of her corner. They are bulky, stinking of ale and something sickly sweet. Ellie knows they want her dead before they can say another word. She thrusts her dagger into their throat.

It snaps inside of their neck, barely capable of reaching a vein or artery. Suddenly hands wrapped around her throat. Agony rippled up her face as she lost her ability to breathe. She ripped at their face, clawing into their cheeks until flesh curled beneath her nails.

He screamed, dropping her neck, but grabbing her by the arm and wrenching her out the door.

"Inoborna meyla," he spits. A cold stone drops into the pit of Ellie's stomach when she realises it's Ajun. His companion turns her over, using her hair to push her entire body up to him.

Breathing rapidly, she was barely able to speak. "Why are you doing this?"

"You traitorous bitch," he replies, voice fuelled with passionate hatred. He clutches his neck with a grimace and pull the small blade out, tossing it aside. "I didn't want to believe it. That it was you. All those times… defeating me… battling me."

"Jealous?" she provoked and lifted her knee to kick him viciously. He stumbled back, startling the others. Ellie threw her head back, colliding her skull with Soveigg's obnoxiously large teeth. She clenched her fist, soaking up their anger and hatred. She felt sick with energy.

Whipping a hand up, she commanded the energy inside of her to wrap around a torch hanging on the wall. The fire rose as a shivering, spitting ball. Her attackers swore loudly, their voices cracking like broken violin strings. The animal within wanted to explode.

She cast the fire at them. It burst on impact. Even Ellie felt its heat. She stumbled back, staring as they fought off the flames and smacked their linen garments.

"I don't want to do this," she started, feeling pitiful and monstrous. "Please." There was a distant noise behind her. For a moment, she cast a hopeful glance down the corridor. Ragnar and Soveigg cursed. A fierce force smashed into the side of her face, rupturing her jaw and eyeball. Agony burst. White flashes exploded in her vision. She gasped, slumping against the wall.

"Fucking Christ," she groaned.

"See?" someone begged gleefully. "A Midgardian witch! She betrays us. Even away from the battlefield."

"I'm not a witch," she spat. "You traitorous fucker."

Ragnar slammed his fist into her stomach, forcing her to double over. "Fuck!" he spat. Ellie clutched her body and promptly vomited on their shoes. She slid to her knees, unable to focus on anything other than pain. Ajun hissed. "Let's be done with it."

Ragnar pulled Ellie to her feet where she wavered for a moment. Three against one. She had taken on two opponents in training before, but never three. Her gaze met Ragnar's furious face. It was blotched with angry red burns where the skin was raw and still peeling. "We'll show her body to Tyr," he said. "He'll understand why we've had no choice." He threw her to the ground with enough jarring force that Ellie smacked her head off the stone. She cried out, feeling woozy.

When she moved her arm, something wrapped around her wrist, binding them together. Another whisper flurried between them all. Soveigg yanked her arm up, flashing the rosary in Ellie's face. "What is this Midgardian magic? Is this why you're able to train? Cheating?" Ellie tried to roll over to crawl away, but they pulled her back with a hateful grunt.

Ajun wrapped his fingers around the rosary. Ellie felt its loss before it was truly gone. He yanked it off, splattering beads across the corridor and into her face. "No!" she cried. Hot, wet tears slid down her face. A loud bang echoed through her ears, spiking her eardrums with a pinprick of pain. Her legs felt wet. Maybe it was sweat or her tears. She sobbed loudly and unconditionally, her emotional agony bursting out of her very soul. Shaking, she stared up at Ajun and spat at him. "You coward. You fucking coward!"

Attempting to burn them to ashes, she threw a hand towards them, but Ragnar grasped her wrist. He pressed too harshly, too quickly and the bone splintered. Ellie screamed, her eyes flashing with fury. For a split moment, Ajun swore they were gold. And then her mundane brown returned and she was sobbing, leaning towards Ragnar mercilessly.

Her bloodied, tear-stained face tilted up to focus on Ajun. "You…" she snarled, her voice breaking. "Traitor to the… Allfather." Her words gargled as Ajun wrapped his hands around her throat. Instead of her voice, he began to scream. His vocal chords ripped and tore as he screeched into Ellie's face. White pain flashed through her body as her eyes rolled back, unable to contend with the overpowering attack.

"Burn in Hel," Ajun felt her soft tissue flatten beneath the skin. Her thorax was ribbed like a snake and he pressed harder. Rage overwhelmed his hearing. He was unaware of the storm of warriors entering the sleeping quarters.

Ragnar dropped her broken wrist and got to his feet. He stood beside Soveigg with fearful, unjustified eyes as the corridor swarmed with soldiers. They were half-drunk, but that didn't hinder their attentiveness to a fight.

Tyr shoves his way to the front of the crowd. The barrels of water had burst, flooding the ground with hay and ash from the broken torches. It looked as if a windstorm had swept through it. Half the doors had been flung open or smashed shut.

"Yield, you fucker," he snarled, storming towards the scene. Ajun ignored him and he wrenched the warrior by the hair, thrusting him into the opposite wall. He looked like a scared boy, staring up as if he'd been caught doing wrong. Sweat poured off his face.

Tyr felt sick as he looked down at Ellie. She was slumped, hideously bruised and battered; but alive. For a moment, her eyes fluttered open. The captain unsteadily took to one knee, holding his hands at a short distance from her face. She breathed shallowly and fearfully.

"Get the guards," he demanded behind him, voice agonisingly packed with anger. "And the Eir."

Ajun, soaking wet from the exploded barrels, leaned towards him. "B-but she's human. She's the human!"

A murmur rippled behind Tyr. It stung his ears. With a disgusted glare, he addressed the entire corridor. "She's a soldier. She's one of you."

Ellie's eyes drifted up to the ceiling. She found beige clouds and wooden rafters which transformed into planes. The colours rippled into a sea of gentle coffee. It was a sweet way to fall asleep. She closed her eyes, imagining she was swimming in a warm mug of it.

Odin's single eye flickered across Ellie's slumbering form. His wife sat beside her, stroking her hair and whispering healing incantations. It was much to his dismay that she was so maternal towards the girl, but he made no attempt to stop her. The private healing chamber had been her request. Unlike the first time they met when Ellie was surrounded by other patients, she was alone and had her own personal healer.

Frigga ran a finger over Ellie's swollen eye. Her eyelashes poked out of the swelling like spiders' legs. Much of the healing had to be done naturally, but it was no longer purple or pulsating. Much like her nose was no longer broken. It had healed rather finely, Frigga thought. In fact, the healing process wasn't taking much time. It had only been two days since the attack.

There was no denying it was the recklessness of Ellie, her sons, and the trainers which exposed her true-self. Even Odin couldn't blame the girl's humanness. Truth is born in the dark. It was always going to lighten reality. If only it hadn't induced their own people to turn. "How did the meeting go, my love?" Frigga asked.

Odin took a step forwards, inhaling the distinct smell of antiseptic and cleanliness. "They have seen justice. And will continue to see it in the four walls of their cells."

With an understanding nod, Frigga tightened her grip on Ellie's soft hand. The other was bandaged in a firm cast. "I heard the ringleader wished to be on the kings-guard."

"He did beg for it. Pledged his life to serving the realm."

"He may pledge in his cell, then."

Odin placed a loving hand on his wife's shoulder. With burdened hearts, they shared a knowing look. "Our own people," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "They were meant to teach her unity."

"Jealousy breeds hatred."

"Gods," Frigga cast a glance over Ellie, her eyebrows knitted together. "Look at her."

"She's stronger." Frigga looked up at Odin. "She's a warrior. She'll be ready soon."

Frigga sniffled, rubbing a thumb over the girl's palm. "Yes. I sense it now." Ellie's eyes shivered and her lips parted. As much as Frigga wanted to look into those beautifully mundane eyes, she knew it was time to attend other matters. "So much more than we thought."

"Than I thought," Odin admitted. His wife rose to her feet, taking his hand. "Come. I sense she will have company soon."

They left the room quickly, listening to the girl's heartbeat and steady breaths. They retained a normal pace until out of earshot.

Ellie emerged from the darkness like a tadpole from the bottom of a pond. She emerged into a world basked in white light and a warm breeze. Inhaling, she opened her eyes and stared up at the canopy of an alien world. It was time for morning mass, she thought. Where did I put my pinafore last night?

Wait. She blinked quickly and her right eye twanged with pain. Ellie raised a hand to touch it and found her wrist was restricted by a bandage. It ached on the end of her arm, making her wince. A cannula tugged at the vein in the back of her other hand.

The memories flooded back in soft waves. Ajun's dark figure leering through her door, Ragnar's heavy fist and Soveigg's heavy breathing. And the power Ellie found in their anger. She imploded the water tanks, the torches and oak doors in the corridor. She sighed, slumping into her pillows.

I am definitely being expelled now.

Or maybe not. What Ajun and his companions had done was traitorous. With a groan, Ellie squeezed her eyes together. It was painful as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Her head emitted a dull ache which ran down her back.

"Ellie?" a voice called. She recognised the panicky undertones anywhere. Lounn burst out of the corridor. "I didn't betray you. Ellie, I swear," he stormed towards her. she stared at him between the bloody, blurred eyelids threatening to take her vision all together. "Gods, look at you. I swear, I told them nothing."

"Lounn, I know," she croaked.

"How?" he asked. "Is there anything I can do? Odin, your eye."

"Might as well be Odin now I have one intact eye," she painfully joked. "Wonder what is under his patch I wonder…"

"Shut it. Gods, you're a blithering fool." Lounn continued to flourish. "Do you want some water?" She nodded and struggled to reach for the goblet beside her. He picked it up and held it to her lips. As she extinguished her thirst, a sharp pain came from her throat.

She placed a hand to her neck. "He tried to kill me." Lounn's eyes drifted to her throat. They widened and darted across the angry bruises wrapping around her skin like a snake. Ellie worriedly swallowed again. "Must be why my voice is so shit."

"It's… it's not. Just strained."

Her eyes swam with tears. "Who saw? Who knows?"

"Everyone."

"Fuck." She let her head fall back in defeat, wishing the ground would split and swallow her whole. "Have they planted traps in my bed? Group skewering session for me?"

Lounn actually smiled. "No," he shook his head. "In fact, they're rooting for you. It's one thing being without honour, but being a traitor… something different."

"Even Gustav? He was on a manhunt for me."

"All talk. They set fire to Ajun's garments last night. Vidar sang a healing prayer for you."

Ellie's heart thudded loudly. It hurt in her chest, but relief was a much better emotion. "Really?"

"On the journey back from the Western Forest, you saved his life." Ellie couldn't remember at all, but it was enough of an excuse for her as Lounn continued. "They'll remember it until the end of their days." She took another sip of water, waiting for him to carry the rest of the conversation. Truth be told, she felt terrible and wanted to go back to sleep. But her friend was loyal and at her bedside after everything that had happened. She couldn't waste a moment resting.

For a good hour, Lounn and Ellie spoke about the barracks response to her bloodline. It was remarkable news, making her wounds feel better and her feelings spring up like fresh flowers. She listened intently to her friend laugh over Helga's singing abilities when she joined in with Vidar. It had been Tyr who'd dragged Ajun, Ragnar and Soveigg to the Allfather.

Ellie had a distant memory of Tyr shouting, but it was so far removed in her mind that she wasn't sure it was real at all.

"Have I had any other visitors?" she asked, picking her bandage.

"Not that I've seen. There's a rumour the Queen Mother and Allfather have been at your side frequently, but they slip past me."

"That's not so hard," she teased as a healer entered the chamber. Lounn cast a glance at her and turned back to Ellie with a pitiful smile.

"This is where I leave you," he said. "Try not to miss me too much."

"It'll be so hard. Who else will listen to you talk about yourself now?"

"I'll find anything with a pair of ears."

"There's some hogs in the stables waiting to be used in Helga's stew?"

"That's a cruel thing to call the others," he left the room, leaving Ellie with an amused smile on her face. When he was out of view, the smile dropped, and she held a hand to her throat.

"Fuck," she croaked.

The healer waddled towards her bedside with a floating tray lined with different coloured bottles. They looked like they'd been pulled out of an alchemist's dungeon. She glanced up at the healer and was grateful she had a kind, aged face. The stereotype of a mad scientist had not reached Asgard yet. Not that the clinking of potions made her feel any safer. The healer poured two elixers together and spun them rapidly in a red glass.

Ellie winced as she sipped it. Medicines never tasted sweet, they were bitter and foul on the tongue. The taste made you believe you were drinking acid, not a cure. Still, she finished the glass and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.

"Should've just jumped out the window," she muttered. "There's some advantages to being a coward, I suppose."

"Did you not try to run, Eur-child?" the healer slipped. Ellie's eyes darted up to the healer's face. She was already watching her expectedly which forced her to blink quickly and look away.

With a tight voice, Ellie struggled. "I can't remember. I had my eyes closed for most of it… my teacher told me to close my eyes to things I don't want to see. Didn't do much good on my end."

"Perhaps he was lying. Did you believe it?"

"He… was teaching me about bloodshed. I had to."

"Teaching? Teachers tell lies," the healer continued to wrap Ellie's arm. A soothing sensation rippled over her.

"So, you think he was sympathising me so I'd feel better in the moment?" Ellie asked, peering up at her. The healer's eyes never left hers and in them swam something Ellie couldn't decifer. "He lied to me."

"Perhaps," she said.

"Why would he lie about something so frivolous?"

"A teacher never reveals his secrets if the outcome is what he desires."

"They call my teacher Silver-Tongue. He's meant to be cunning and agile. I find him rather petty." She watched the healer's face struggle to retain its composure. "What would you do if you were faced with pain?"

"I don't look away. I stare it in the face," she said, letting Ellie's arm drop onto the soft sheets. The healer leaned towards her. From the appearance of her skin, she was older than Odin. There was no elasticity in her skin, so it drooped into her neck and sagged on her collarbone. It looked like her own flesh had begun to peel off her bones.

Ellie stayed painfully still as the healer pressed two fingers to her throat. She ran them along the bruises at a pace so gentle, that it would make a butterfly's wing feel like an earthquake. Ellie swallowed. Her throat moved beneath the healer's fingers. "What good does that do?" she asked, her voice stronger.

The healer tilted her head and stood up straight. "Truthfully, I let it consume me. It's what keeps me going." The words quickly out of her mouth as if she was admitting something nestled in the dark corner of her soul. Ellie wanted to ask the healer more, but she bowed her head and commanded the tray of ointments out of the room with her.

Ellie gingerly touched her neck. The pain was gone and the bruises were a soft blue.

References

Inoborna meyla – unborn little girl