Malkoran eyed the plate of croissants that sat in front of him at the kitchen table. He had not yet attempted to ingest anything, not even coffee – he was still a bit queasy, following his ordeal. He had never vomited once in his life, and he didn't want to find out what it felt like. The pastries smelled so good, though…
Heavy footsteps coming down the stairs.
Malkoran's shoulders tensed involuntarily, the sensation of queasiness intensified. He had done nothing wrong, he reminded himself. It was all…His fault. Fenrir's fault.
The look on Evangeline's face when the demon had kissed her… A look of utter betrayal, of horror. Did she really believe that Mal would do something like that? Despite everything they had talked about, and knowing how jealous Walden was? She should have known right away that he wasn't himself.
Walden's tall, muscular physique filled the doorframe. Mal tried to analyse his scent, his expression and body language, all at once, but before he could, Walden spoke. "Hey, mate. Evey told me what happened. Are you alright?"
Genuine concern. Not a trace of resentment. Had Evangeline told him everything?
"It wasn't you," Walden went on, as if he'd read Mal's mind. "I understand that, okay? I know I can be a bit of a twit sometimes, but I'm not stupid. Clearly neither you nor Evey were at fault."
"I'm…relieved to hear you say that."
"Can't even really blame the demon, according to Evey."
Mal blinked. "What do you mean?" Of course they could blame Fenrir. They should blame him. He was the worst.
"Well, he thought his wife was possessing Evey…" Walden shrugged. "It was an honest mistake. Anyway, we're good, you and I." He chuckled dryly. "Evey was afraid I'd try to punch a hole through you, but I'm beginning to think she'd secretly enjoy it if I did. She does thrive on chaos and drama."
Evangeline? No, surely not. Estelle did, though. She was leaning against the kitchen counter, sipping black coffee and, while her face betrayed none of her emotions, she reeked of disappointment. She had hoped to witness a fight this evening, or an argument, at the very least. She was bored, Malkoran could tell.
Which was a good thing; it meant that her brief channelling of Lilith's essence into the human world had no damaging after-effect on her. She was not a good person by any stretch of the definition of the word "good", but she had saved him. Her reasons for saving him were purely selfish, but the fact remained that, without her timely intervention, Mal might have had to share his body with Fenrir for gods knew how long.
Lighter footsteps coming down the stairs.
Walden moved aside to let Evangeline pass. She greeted everyone with a half-hearted good morning, then faced Estelle, hands on her hips. "We need the room."
Estelle's right eyebrow quirked up. "You still don't trust me," she said with faked innocence, "even after-"
"I will never trust you. Not even as far as I can throw you. Now leave." Estelle took another sip of coffee but displayed no intention of complying. "It's in your best interest, believe me," Evangeline went on. "We need to discuss the last ingredients. Including the one we owe you for your assistance."
"Oh, well, you should have led with that," Estelle said. She sashayed toward the door, perfectly aware that every eye was on her, though perhaps not for the same reason.
As soon as she was out of sight, Evangeline grabbed a croissant and took a hearty bite before sitting down at the table.
Walden gave her a puzzled look. "Did you make her leave just so you could eat?"
"O' coursh not," she (rep)lied with her mouth full of croissant. She swallowed at last. "We do need to talk in private. And by we, I mean-"
"She means the four of us," Hades finished for her.
He had taken Estelle's spot against the counter. As always, he appeared as a tall, good-looking human with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. With a casual gesture of his hand, he summoned a croissant and imitated Evangeline. He did swallow before speaking, though. "Mm, filled with almond paste. Delicious. Are they homemade?"
"Yes, Sloan baked them this afternoon," Malkoran answered.
Hades cocked his head sideways, a curious look on his face. "Sloan?"
"She's our maid," Walden explained. "Comes by twice a week."
"Oh. I assumed Estelle… Well, potioneers usually make great bakers, but she doesn't seem like the sort of woman who spends a lot of time in the kitchen."
"She is a terrific cook, though," Evangeline said, somewhat reluctantly. "She makes a mean…what was it called?"
"Quiche lorraine," Walden supplied.
Evangeline nodded with much energy. "Uh-huh. But Sloan has a sweet tooth and she loves to share her creations with us. You guys will never understand how happy I am that I can't gain any weight. It's, like, the best superpower in the universe. I'd rather keep that and not be able to do magic at all, to be perfectly honest."
The three men stared at her as she stuffed her face with another croissant, then gave a small bite of another to Nana, who had come to rest at her feet. "If anyone wants one of these, you'd better be quick about it," she added, "because they won't last long with me in the vicinity."
One of the remaining croissants disappeared as Hades snapped his fingers. "I'll save that one for later. Now, on to serious business," he said briskly. "Are you ready for what I dearly hope is the last part of your journey?" They all nodded. "Wasn't someone else supposed to join you?"
"Erik, yes," Mal said. "We'll have to pick him up on the way to Valhalla. He's in Göteborg. In…" Finland? No, a different Scandinavian country. Norway?
"Sweden, mate. Gothenburg's in Sweden," Walden said.
There was no trace of mockery in his tone, but Mal was still embarrassed. He was the oldest human in the room, by a fairly large margin; he ought to be a well of knowledge. Sometimes he felt like he had forgotten more things than he currently knew. Historians would be disappointed to meet him.
Hades groaned. "Once again, I must remind you that I am not a cabbie. Also, Gothenburg? Not exactly on the way to Valhalla. Definitely a detour."
"Oh, come on, admit it, you're loving this," Evangeline said in between two croissants. "Makes you feel useful."
"I am always useful. I rule the Underworld!" the god said with some indignation.
Evangeline shrugged. "Not much traffic nowadays though, uh?"
"You ingrates don't realise how lucky you are to have me as your god," Hades muttered.
"Of course we do!" Bits of pastry flew out of Evangeline's mouth. "You're my favourite god by far," she assured him. "Osiris is too aloof, Anubis is a wanker…" She trailed off, paling. "Um… Any chance they didn't hear me say that?"
"They certainly didn't," Hades said. "Only I-" He shook his head. "Never mind. Let's just say that you can freely name gods, unlike greater demons. Say what you will about them, it will have no consequences whatsoever."
"How come?" Evangeline asked.
"Because they don't care," he replied curtly. "Now, are you ready to leave, or not?"
It fell to Walden to announce to Estelle that they were taking a little jaunt, just the three of them, to find the last ingredients they needed to complete the elixir. She feigned not to care, and didn't bother to offer to come along. She didn't even remind him about the Valkyrie feather.
"Plenty of grunt work to do here," she said without looking up from her mortar. She was grinding the shell of the occamy egg – one of their most expensive acquisitions – judging by the silver colour of the powder. In accordance with Nicolas Flamel's very specific notes, she was using a marble pestle. "I won't even notice you're gone, I'm sure."
"Keep up the good work," Walden told her, before joining Evey and Mal in the kitchen.
They were sitting side by side at the table. A few days ago, this would have enraged Walden. Too close, he would have thought to himself. What were they doing under the table? his paranoid brain would have wondered. After talking to Mal last night, however, and then to Evey, at length, this evening… The look on her face when she'd recounted the kissing part… She wasn't attracted to Mal. She never had been.
Walden had suddenly realised how ridiculous he had been. They were friends, nothing more. Evey had a knack for befriending men rather than women, true. Tony, Ted, even Scabior… All of them good-looking fellows. Walden was insecure, and Evey was friendly. That was all. He had to be more trusting, had to understand that Evey loved him for who he was and didn't spend her time comparing him to the other men in her life, as Walden unconsciously did, constantly.
She loved him. She had chosen him. She had married him. Period.
"Alright, let's go, then," Evey said, rubbing her hands in anticipation. "I can't wait!"
"I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I'm afraid it won't be as easy as our previous expeditions," Hades remarked.
"Why not?" Mal enquired. It was plain on his face: he didn't want a remake of last night's events. Walden doubted that there would be demons in Valhalla, but he agreed with the sentiment.
Hades sighed. "Odin is… How can I put this delicately? He's a vainglorious, territorial, pig-headed bastard. I warned him of our coming, but he didn't reply. I'm not sure what to expect, but it won't be a warm welcome, that's for sure." The humans in the room all looked at the god in grim silence. "Bah! Don't worry. You'll find a way to sneak in, if you must. Ready for transport?" The question was mainly directed at Malkoran and Walden, who had trouble with Hades's jolting method of teleportation. They both nodded, though Walden was already feeling queasy at the prospect.
It wasn't as bad as the first time, but Walden still wished they could use Apparition instead.
They were in a small cabin. A ship's cabin, judging by the room's gentle rocking. The walls were decorated haphazardly with shields and weapons, mainly axes and swords. "Ah, there you are," someone said in unaccented English.
Walden studied the man who was seated on a small leather chair. He was stocky, with short, auburn hair and a full beard. He wore a white t-shirt and blue jeans. In other words, he looked utterly unremarkable.
"Well, that's disappointing," Walden heard Evey murmur.
"I was beginning to think you'd left me behind, All-father," the man – Erik the Red – went on. He was addressing Mal, apparently, though Walden didn't understand why he was calling him that. All-father was another name for Odin. Did he believe that Mal was some sort of god, perhaps because he was the Alpha Wolf?
"I would refrain from using that name to refer to Malkoran, considering where we're going," Hades noted.
Erik blinked, as if he were only now noticing the other people in the room. "I'm sorry, Mr, um…"
Malkoran finally decided to introduce them. "Erik, this is Hades, Lord of the Underworld. I know he's not part of your Norse lore, but-"
"I'm familiar with Greek mythology, Alpha," Erik said. "Though it's poppycock, to be sure."
Hades sniggered. "I'm right here."
"And I have no proof that you are who you claim to be. Besides, I was told that we were going to Valhalla… Which confirms my belief in Norse theology."
"Well, they're both real," Evey put in. "Everything is real. We were in the Duat recently, and we also visited the Underworld… We've met several gods."
Malkoran cleared his throat. "This is Evangeline Kane," he said. Erik nodded. "And her husband, Walden Macnair."
"Yes, I've seen Miss Kane before," Erik said. Mrs Macnair, Walden corrected automatically in his mind, which earned him an amused glance from Hades. "And I've heard quite a lot about her, too."
Evey scowled. "Pretty sure I'd remember it if we'd met."
"We weren't formally introduced. That was just after you were rescued from Greyback's lair."
"Right." Evey flushed. "To tell you the truth, I barely noticed that there were people other than Tony in the welcoming committee, that day."
"Understandably so."
Hades sighed loudly. "Can you make small talk later? I do have better things to do, you know. Impersonating a Greek god is a lot of work," he said with a smirk.
Evey grinned. "Valhalla, we are coming."
Despite Hades's warning, her enthusiasm was contagious. Valhalla, the Hall of the Slain. What a glorious place to visit at the end of their long quest. This time, Walden was smiling as the Hades tornado whisked them away from the human world.
They did not, in fact, reach Valhalla on the first try. Nor on the second and, unfortunately, the third time wasn't the charm.
After the initial trip, Evey and her companions had found themselves in a brightly-coloured landscape filled with alien creatures and plants. Then they'd been greeted by the realm's master. Their interaction had been short but…puzzling, to say the least.
"I'm willing to admit that you, Hades, are real, but that…madman?" Erik said after the…god? had disappeared. "What did he say his name was?"
"Sheogorath," Evey supplied. To be fair, she'd never heard the name before, either. She looked to Hades for an explanation.
"He's…" The god hesitated. "Ugh, forget about it. Let's try this again."
"What happened, though?" Evey asked. "Did something go wrong?"
Hades grimaced. "He's blocking us. Odin, that is. He must have deviated our path and led us to Mania." They all stared at him, uncomprehending. "That's what this land is called."
Erik looked chagrined. "Doesn't He know that I travel with you? Why wouldn't He want me to visit the heavenly kingdom of my ancestors?"
"Odin, like most gods, believes that immortality is an attribute of the Divine alone. No human is worthy of such a gift. He was one of those who voted that-" He stopped talking abruptly. "Ahem. Odin is not your biggest fan, let's leave it at that. Shall we?"
They all nodded, albeit reluctantly. One moment later, they were in-
Maggots.
They were literally in maggots – in a sea of maggots. The things were crawling everywhere. Evey didn't have a problem with maggots in general, but this was…disgusting. "Is this Pandemonium?" she asked in a tight voice. The stench was overwhelming. "Because that's pretty much how I pictured parts of it. Also: can we leave, please? Before we choke on the bloody-"
Hades grimaced and tried again.
Speaking of blood…they were now standing in it. In a lot of it. "I'm not easily queasy," Evey said, "but…yuck. What's next? Please don't let it be spiders," she murmured fervently.
"Hades, what are you playing at?" Malkoran growled. "What is this place?"
"Diyu," the god said through gritted teeth. "Odin sent us here after my second attempt at reaching Valhalla, and now Yanluo is refusing to let us out… I'll have to work this out with him in person. I'll be right back. Try not to drown." He vanished.
"This journey is not quite what I expected," Erik remarked.
"It's not what any of us expected," Evey muttered. She'd been so excited at the prospect of visiting glorious Valhalla, and now she was macerating in blood. Suddenly, her two brain cells connected, and she looked at Walden.
He was standing perfectly still, eyes closed. The blood was up to his waist, which meant that it reached Evey's chest. "Um, Wal? You okay there?"
He had been so calm after hearing the news this evening. So surprisingly calm, and even a bit concerned about Mal's health. Granted, he had no real reason to be mad at either Mal or Evey, but…well, that had never stopped him before. Something must have clicked inside him. The penny had finally dropped.
Or perhaps a zen demon had possessed him after the failed banishment ritual and he was not Walden at all.
His lips were pursed, his nose was twitching. "Mm-mm."
"It's fine if you want to drink some, you know. We won't judge you."
He shook his head minutely. "It's tempting, but I have a feeling that it'll make me sick."
"Good call," Mal said. "We're in hell. Well, one hell amongst many. I doubt that the blood is supposed to quench a vampire's thirst. It's meant to be a form of torture. In Diyu, each hell presents its own specialised form of torture."
"Yeah, this one's particularly efficient," Walden murmured.
Thankfully, Hades returned a few minutes later. His face reflected his irritation. "After some arduous negotiations, Yanluo will allow us to leave…provided that one of you immortals remains here for a hundred years to be tortured. I managed to secure your pick of hell, if that's any consolation. I've heard good things about the Hell of the Mountain of Fire… It's warm and cosy. I'll try to find you some marshmallows…"
Evey stared at him open-mouthed.
"A hundred years?" Mal repeated, incredulous. "Are you insane? How could you agree to-"
"He's joking," Walden said with calm certainty. His eyes were still closed.
Hades grinned. "Of course I'm joking!" He slapped Mal on the back. "Relax, old man."
Evey could have punched him. Her heart had nearly stopped beating for a second or two. "What the fuck, Hades? I thought Dolos was the prankster god in Greek mythology. You're supposed to be cranky and sarcastic, not an utter jerk."
"I thought it was pretty funny," Walden said with a shrug. "Sounds like something Tony would have done."
"True," Evey murmured. And if Tony had done it, she might have laughed. He always managed to make her laugh, no matter how dire the circumstances.
Gods, she missed him. She missed him so much that it was almost physically painful, like the grief she'd felt when her family had been taken from her, or when Walden and Tony had disappeared for five months in Middle-earth. And when she'd been abducted by Greyback. She hated feeling like this, not knowing if her friend was even alive, if he would ever return. It was almost enough to make her regret the whole damn thing.
They were close, though. So very close. "Can you get us into Valhalla, or not?" she demanded of Hades.
"I think so," he grunted. "Let me try something else. This was a last resort solution, but given the circumstances…"
This new place looked a bit like the Underworld, in the Disney movie Hercules. It was very dark and gloomy indeed. Evey was fairly certain that, once again, this was not Valhalla. For one thing, the woman who was waiting for them was not a Valkyrie – she didn't have wings.
Also, half of her face was a fucking nightmare to look at.
"Hell," Erik whispered. He was three shades paler than he was a minute ago, while they were marinating in blood. "You've brought us to Hell."
Evey shook her head. "There's no such place as-"
"Hel with one l, V," Walden said. "The Norse realm of the dead."
"The dead who didn't die in battle," Mal clarified.
Walden nodded, then indicated the woman who stood before them, tall and regal. "And this is…also Hel."
"Yes, yes, alright, I'm familiar," Evey said. "This is the opposite of the place where we wanted to go, in short." She glared at Hades.
"Are they always so rude, my dear colleague?" the woman – Hel – asked in a glacial voice. Her one good eye was fixated on Hades, but the empty one, which was crawling with maggots – ugh, more of those – seemed to follow Evey as she moved closer to Walden. "Oh, the things you put up with. A dead world, that was the smart decision, in my opinion."
Evey wasn't sure what she meant by that. The Underworld was also sort of a dead world, wasn't it? Also, she was pretty certain that Hades had not been given a choice.
Hades bowed slightly. "You were always the smart one, Hel. Did you get my message?"
"Of course, of course," she said, waving indifferently. "An opportunity to irk Odin, you claim." Her good eye shone with interest. "Tell me more."
"Lure him here," Hades said. "Offer a bargain for Baldr's soul."
Hel's face – well, the beautiful part of it – froze in a grimace. "I shall never surrender him! Baldr is mine!"
"Nor should you!" Hades hastened to say. "I just need a little time to get these four idiots into Valhalla. Ask him again to check if every living person, creature and thing will weep for Baldr's loss, or something like that. It should distract him long enough for my ungrateful humans to reach the Hall and get what they need."
Hel gazed coldly at the other god, immobile, her thin arms crossed over her chest. Suddenly, she broke into a grin. Well, half a grin, really. There were no teeth on the ravaged side of her face. "That was hilarious, wasn't it? Father loved the idea. To give them such hope, then to gnash it with a single word. Right in Odin's face, too. Oh, what glorious fun. I do miss him."
Hades smiled thinly. "Yes, he is…dearly missed in the higher spheres. Dolos was never the same after your father was exiled."
"I will find something equally ridiculous to demand of Odin," she assured them. "As I do every hundred years or so." Her disturbing grin widened. "He always falls for it, the fool."
"I'm not surprised," Hades said. "The higher they stand in the hierarchy, the more foolish they are, it seems."
Hel turned toward the humans. "Be swift. Be discreet. Hades cannot accompany you. You're on your own." Her good eye narrowed. "Why are you all bloody and stinky? That won't do." She didn't wait for a reply and snapped her fingers. The blood from Diyu vanished from their clothes and Evey's hair.
"Thank you, my Lady," Erik said, bowing deeply.
"Oh, you're quite welcome, dear. I'll see you soon! Your room is ready."
Erik was almost as pale as Walden by the time they were transported away from Hel. He didn't even seem to notice the grand landscape of their destination – green, lush forests; a flowery valley; rushing waterfalls and, right in front of them: the majestic Hall of the Slain, all white and gold. "She didn't mean that, did she? Why would I…? Hel is not where I belong. I won't…"
Evey patted his shoulder. "There, there. I'm sure she was only teasing. Mischief runs in the family, doesn't it? Meanwhile, behold!" She turned him around so he was facing the massive, gilded doors of the Hall. "The place where you do belong."
Erik was struck by awe, as was expected. Hel's taunting words were but a distant memory already. "Valhalla," he whispered.
"Yep." Evey clapped her hands. "Alright, let's spread out. Wal, you have the tin jug, go get us some mead. Mal and I will look for a Valkyrie willing to part with a feather. Erik, feel free to have a look around and reunite with old friends, possibly family members, but remember to enquire about Yggdrasil sap. Not sure where the Tree is-"
The doors opened while she was talking, just wide enough to reveal one person. An ageless, unsmiling woman eyed them all sternly, then spoke a language Evey didn't understand. She pointed to Erik and spoke again.
"You must await here," Erik said. "I alone am permitted to enter."
Great. Let the guy who had no idea what they were looking for go inside. "We need-"
"She knows what we need," Malkoran said. "Her name is Eir, and she will procure what we came for."
Evey frowned at him. "Really? Just like that?"
Before he could reply, Eir grabbed hold of Erik's t-shirt and pulled him inside the Hall, tore the jug out of Walden's hand, then promptly closed the doors in their faces. Evey had not even caught a glimpse of the inside. It was noisy, though. Lots of people in there, and all of them very drunk.
"Eir is a Valkyrie, and the lover of Freydís, Erik's daughter," Mal explained. "They were with Odin when he received Hades's missive, apparently. They were waiting for us, but we're not allowed inside because we're not…einherjar material."
Evey scoffed. "Are you kidding me? If I don't die fighting, I'm never dying at all."
"That may very well be the case," Mal agreed.
"Oh, bollocks," she muttered. The more she thought about the possibility, the more she realised that she really, really didn't want to be immortal. It wasn't exactly a live fast, die fast frame of mind, but…close enough. Her only consolation was that most of her friends were also immortal. At least she wouldn't be alone, and wouldn't have to attend too many funerals.
Except Walden's, eventually.
"We should have brought a camera," her husband said wistfully. "Damn, come to think of it, we'll have nothing to show for our travels, when Tony comes back."
A rather trivial thing to think about, but true nonetheless. Evey also wished that Tony had packed a camera to visit Pandemonium, since she would likely never get an opportunity to sightsee the place.
But hey, at least there would be plenty of fascinating stories to tell, on both sides.
Walden was looking at a series of statues to the side. "Do you think we can explore while he's-"
The doors opened briefly, just long enough for Erik to squeeze through, bearing a wicker basket. Evey tried to peek behind him, but was once again disappointed. The doors slammed shut behind the Viking. "That was fast," she noted. "Did you even get to speak to your daughter?"
Erik gave her a quizzical look. "I was in there for several hours," he said. "I talked with nearly everybody, entered a drinking contest with Harald Wartooth, and even rode Sleipnir around the Hall."
"You were barely gone for a minute!" Evey protested. It didn't matter, though. "The ingredients. Did you-"
He showed her the basket. Inside was the tin jug, brimming with mead, as well as a black-and-white feather, almost like that of a magpie. It was smaller than Evey thought it would be. "What about the sap?" she asked worriedly.
Before Erik could reply, they were transported out of Asgard. They were back in Hel with one l, Evey noted. The mistress of the Norse Realm of the Not-Killed-In-Battle Dead was laughing with Hades. They were seated at a table whose legs were plainly human bones. How quaint.
"And then…" Hel said, wheezing with mirth, "then he said, 'Next time I come down here, it'll be to split that stupid head of yours in half!'" She actually wiped a tear out of her good eye. "Oh, you should have seen the look on his face. But enough about me. Tell me, how is Persi? Still sickeningly cheerful and invading gods' personal spaces, I presume?"
"Chipper as ever."
Hel chortled. "I don't know how you can stand her. No offence," she added hastily, after Hades's eyes turned to blue fire. Evey wished his hair would come alive with flames when he was angry but, come to think of it, it was best not to anger him at all. "She's quite lovely, of course. That's precisely my issue with her. Then again, you only have to put up with her half the human year…"
Judging by the look on their god's face, it was about time to break off this conversation. For that matter, Evey didn't appreciate Hel talking smack about Persephone behind her back. She cleared her throat loudly to draw their attention. "Um, hey, we're back."
Hel waved a hand dismissively, without a glance in their direction. "Yes, we know, girl. We brought you back as soon as Odin departed. Now go sit in a corner and let the Divines talk, mm?"
Hades stood up. "Actually, I should take them home. It's getting late." He sounded polite, but there was an undercurrent of hostility in his tone.
Evey couldn't tell how late it was; there was no sunlight. It felt like, five minutes ago, the four of them were still in Diyu, swimming in blood and maggots.
"Time passes differently in each realm," Hades explained. "Your Viking may have spent an entire day in Valhalla, and Hel and I may have been here all night, but it will still be dark when I return you to Scotland. Estelle will likely be surprised to see you back so soon – especially if she has an inkling of where you intended to go."
"I suspect she has more than an inkling," Mal remarked. "She was certainly dubious at first, but she's seen what we've brought back from our travels."
Speaking of things they were supposed to bring back… "The sap of Yggdrasil!" Evey turned to Erik. "You didn't get a chance to tell me where to find it."
It was Hel who replied. "The sap is in every tree, for they all stem from the roots of the Tree of Life. You can harvest it from any oak or pine in your backyard, little human."
"I don't mean to be disrespectful, but-"
"When you begin a sentence thus, you are bound to be disrespectful," Hel said with disdain.
"She merely wants some reassurance," Hades said. "This is the last thing they need. Are you sure that the sap of any mundane tree will do the job?"
Hel shrugged. "If it doesn't, they are doomed to fail. None may harvest the sap at the source, not even the Divines."
"Because it's impossible, or because it's forbidden?" Evey enquired. Judging by Walden's worried glance, then Mal's, she was being too curious, and the goddess was going to be very annoyed if she pursued that line of questioning. "Either way," she went on quickly, "we'll make do with what we have at home. Um, thanks for your help."
Hel rolled her eyes. "At least you won't have to put up with them much longer," she told Hades just as Hel – the place – began dissolving around the humans. "Such a futile endeavour, considering…"
Evey, for one, was tired of the so-called Divines always hinting at the end of the world, or the end of humankind, at least. She had more important things to worry about. She became aware of her surroundings: her own kitchen. There was still one croissant left, she noticed right away.
You, Evey mentally addressed the pastry, are mine. Remembering Hel's possessiveness when Hades had mentioned Baldr's soul, she let out a little laugh.
Walden gazed at her as she grabbed the last croissant. "Everything okay, love?"
Not quite. But it will be. It's almost over. "Peachy," she replied with her mouth full.
"Ahem."
She turned to look at a confused Erik. Hades had brought him to Scotland, instead of returning him to Sweden. "Hades?" There was no reply. The Cabby God was gone. Too much social interaction for one day, Evey guessed. She invited Erik to sit down, feeling vaguely ashamed that she'd finished the last pastry without offering one to their guest. "No worries. We'll take you back to Gothenburg via the Apparition network." She glanced at the clock. "There should be enough time before bedtime," she told Walden. "Sweden is...what, an hour ahead of us?"
"You're back already?" Estelle said, scowling. She had just walked into the kitchen, wand in hand, likely alerted by the unexpected voices. Like most men who encountered her for the first time, Erik ogled her until he realised what he was doing and averted his gaze, his cheeks a faint red that clashed with his hair. "It's only been half an hour. Do you have my-" She caught herself at the last second. "Did you find everything we need?" she asked in a more composed voice.
Evey smirked. "Everything we need, aye." Estelle's brown eyes glittered with anger. "Oh, calm down. We have all the ingredients, okay? Well, except the sap, but that's only going to take a second." She looked at Walden again. "I'll harvest that while you return this lovely chap to Sweden, alright?"
That meant leaving Evey alone with Malkoran and Estelle, but Walden nodded without hesitation. He really had changed, seemingly overnight. Maybe he'd had a revelatory dream, or some sort of epiphany.
Either way, it was a relief.
Estelle didn't care much for their plans. "May I have my-"
"Nuh-huh," Evey said. "After we've ascertained that the elixir works, remember?" She was reluctant to give her the feather at all, but they did have a deal…
"But your friends might be stuck in Pandemonium for weeks, or even months!" Estelle complained. "They might never come back at all!"
Evey stood so abruptly that her chair overturned. She slapped her hands on the table and glared at the French woman. "Don't you dare say that," she hissed. "Don't you fucking dare, you noxious…witch." Tony had once remarked that it was odd, the way she sometimes refused to utter certain words, when she usually had no trouble swearing, and that in front of pretty much anyone.
For a moment, it looked like Estelle was going to voice a protest, but Malkoran leaned in and whispered something to her. Her lips tightened, but she turned on her heels and stomped toward the conservatory.
"Of course they'll fucking come back," Evey muttered as she restored her chair to its upright position. When she was once again seated, she glared at everyone in the room, daring them to contradict her.
"I'm sure they will, love," Walden said softly. He gestured for Erik to follow him. "Let's get you back home."
"I won't truly be home until the day I die," Erik murmured. "But Sweden will do, in the meantime. Alpha, I wish you luck in your strange endeavours."
"Thank you for your assistance, cub. I'll see you again soon, I think. I promised Hunac that things would change, and I intend to make good on that promise."
Better do it quickly, Evey thought grimly, before the world ends.