XXIII
A low hum rose above the wandering warriors of Asgard as they journeyed deeper into Elven lands. Wonder Woman slowly found a friendly place amongst the Valkyries. Fellow warrior women, the Valkyries, didn't judge her. They understood the role of an angel of death, to be feared. Welcoming her into their fold, the Valkyries kept the hash words of the other Asgardians at bay. For they too were omens of death.
Though Wonder Woman was welcomed amongst the Valkyries, she kept Superman within her sights. Something she knew Superman was doing as well. She felt his gaze upon her with each additional Elf that joined our entourage. It was comforting, even if she didn't want it to feel that way. He was a comfort, a comfort she needed to keep at a distance. The Asgardians already felt she was a bad omen, being near him would only hasten their fears.
The Asgardians around them were already on edge. They kept their hands resting on the hilt of their blades the deeper into their land they traveled. Armed with bows and swords, the Elves whispered amongst themselves. A fact that greatly bothered Magni.
They spoke in the old tongue, something the young king didn't fully understand. Bits and pieces of their conversations would hit his ears. Thankfully, Frigga and Tyr remained close to the young king. The Elven whispers gradually got to him. The elder gods had to remind him to remain calm.
"One wrong move could cost us everything, child," Frigga reminded him.
The gentle words of his mother kept the young king's rage at bay. At least for the time being. Superman had an up-close view of the young king using restraint. Though he walked with the royals in the front, he kept looking back to Wonder Woman. The old god Tyr told him to give Wonder Wonder her space.
"She's safe with the Valkyries," the old war god told him.
But there was something in the air. The further they were led into the forest, the more the Asgardians grumbled. They spoke in audible tones, yet it was something Superman couldn't fully understand. The growing number of Elves made them uneasy. After Frigga's outburst, the Asgardians began to whisper about Wonder Woman and the growing numbers of Elves.
"She was a bad omen, the Elves were a sign…"
With the Valkyries, Wonder Woman was far enough away to not hear the majority of their words. But Superman heard every word. He felt sick to his stomach. She was there to help them, but their superstitions were clouding their judgment. Or so he thought.
As they reached the city gates, a loud horn blew. Suddenly the Elves let out an ear-splitting cry. Superman and Wonder Woman's hands swiftly covered their ears. The sharp hiss of their cries sounded like a hundred nails on a chalkboard.
"What the hell are they hissing at…" Wonder Woman shouted.
As one of the Valkyries was about to reply to Wonder Woman, the Elves surrounding them pulled out their weapons. Wonder Woman scanned the area as she too reached for her blade. There were hundreds of bows and swords were aimed at the outer rim of the Asgardian forces. The Valkyries let out a war cry, but the Elves were unmoved. Suddenly from the front of the party, Magni's voice bellowed in the old tongue. A hint of thunder lingered in the air as he spoke. Sadly, his words fell on deaf ears. The Elves slowly linked arms around the Asgardians. With the weapons at the ready, the Elves slowly encroached on them like a coiling snake. In-kind, the Asgardians pulled out their weapons.
Once more a horn blew, followed by a loud cracking sound. The towering gate in front of them began to open. From the newly open cracked gate, a group of heavily armored Elven guards marched through. Led by an elder Elf, the armored group walked towards the Asgardians. The elder Elf stood out from the rest of the elves he led, his battle-worn armor had a silver plume. The elder elf lifted his hand into the air, silencing the wailing elves about him. He spoke in a tongue neither hero could understand. His words caused the Elves to lower their weapons.
"Magni," the elder Elf called out.
The young king stopped pacing as the elder elf approached him. Superman placed himself between Magi and the Elven soldier. While Wonder Woman kept the placed herself between the Valkyries and the Elves.
"What is the meaning of this?" Magni replied as he stared down at the elder Elf. "Is this how the Elves threat their new All-Father?"
The elder Elf slowly approached a wall of Asgardians that surrounded Magni.
"Our king is dead," the elder Elf replied.
Frigga gasped, "That can not be true…"
The elder elf lowered his head as he removed his helmet.
"My lady," he continued with his head lowered. "Someone has killed our king…"
The color left Tyr's face as howl echoed outwards from the palace. The elves all looked back. Magni cussed as a clap of thunder followed. Frustration built on the young king's face as he realized what had happened. Loki's last laugh, his hound… his son.
"Damn you Loki…" Magni muttered under his breath.
"My king please…" his mother began as she placed her hand on her son's shoulder.
What was that?" the elder Elf asked as he turned back to Asgardian king.
"...The end…"
Meanwhile Wonder Woman…
The Asgardians were on edge. They muttered amongst themselves about the growing numbers of Elves. A fact I found myself agreeing with them on. Their numbers had tripled since they began escorting us and we weren't even halfway to the palace. If their numbers kept up at this rate, we would be overwhelmed in a matter of minutes.
"Keep your eyes opened," one of the Valkyries said.
She made her voice loud enough for the Elves beside us to hear her. They laughed and continued to walk beside us.
"Elves aren't to be trusted…" she continued.
I leaned over to her and whispered in her ear, "Then why are we going to them for aid?"
"Because Odin made a lot of enemies during his reign," the Valkyrie answered. "These poor creatures are one of the few that will still speak with us…"
The Valkyrie lowered her head.
"Without them, we won't be able to get the other realms to join our fight,"
I knew all too well of what she spoke. The Amazons had made enemies with many people we needed help from later. The ability to humble one's self and ask for aid was a noble trait. No gods I knew would have been willing to do the same, save Ares. He was hardened by war yet there was a small part of him that was a tender-hearted man. A part of me knew his affection for me stemmed from that hidden place in his heart. If he was here in my place he would have been better equipped to handle this situation.
Tensions grew the closer we got to the palace. By the time we reached the city gates, we were surrounded by armed Elves. As we stopped in front of the gates, my eyes looked for Superman. He spent our journey with the Elves beside Magni. Floating upwards above the crowd, I saw Magni standing before a well-armored Elf with a long plume atop his helm. Below I heard an Elf cuss at a Valkyrie. Looking down I watched an Elf spit in the direction of a Valkyrie. She reached for her blade. Swiftly, I rushed down and got in between them.
"Don't!" I shouted as I blocked the Valkyries blade.
The Elf hissed, but overhead a wolf's howl suddenly rattled through the host surrounding me. I looked over to a Valkyries in front of me. She held her blade even tighter as the howl continued to rush over us.
"What is that?" I asked.
"...That damnable wolf…" the Valkyrie hissed.
I looked at the Valkyries confused.
"Who?"
"Fenris!" another shouted as she pointed to a shadowy figure high in the air.
I looked up and saw a beast-like figure clinging to the side of one of the gate-towers.
"Get me a spear!" I shouted as I took to the skies.
Floating into the air a Valkyrie tossed me her spear. I caught it and leaned back, arching my back so that my aim would be true. I called upon Gaea to give me strength as the spear left my hand. It hurdled towards the creature with the speed of Hermes, piercing its side.
Meanwhile Superman
Tyr kept his head forwards as he walked with his hand on the top of his ax.
"How many do you think are surrounding us Kal-El?" he asked in a low voice.
I'd noticed the number of Elves joining in our escort increasing with every step we took towards the palace. The hatred between these two groups was palpable. I heard it with each additional footstep that joined our party. I counted nearly a hundred and fifty Elves surrounding us.
"Enough to cause us a slight problem, if things get out of hand," I replied.
The old god cursed under his breath.
"Tyr…" Frigga muttered as she looked back towards us.
"Nothing, my queen," Tyr replied with a fake smile on his face.
We walked a bit further until we reached the outer gates of the Elven capital. Towering white walls were forged alongside pale trees. As we came to a stop, Tyr nodded for me to move closer.
"I need you to look for anything that might be off," he said. "They're probably leading us into a trap."
I nodded, "Sure thing…"
My voice trailed off as I heard a faint sound of wailing coming from up ahead.
"Something has happened in the palace," I muttered.
The voices spoke in a tongue that was even more foreign than the one of the Asgardians. I couldn't make heads or tails of it. All I knew was that something wasn't right inside the palace. Tyr looked at one of the older armed Elf that stood in front of Magni. The Elves surrounding him had their heads high and had their weapons at the ready.
A strange smell filled the air, a smell of fire and death. I looked up at the top of one of the gate towers. A dark shadow moved along the rim of it.
"Get in between Magni and that Elf!" Tyr ordered.
Swiftly, I rushed in between the old Elf and Magni. As I came to a stop a loud howl emanated from the same tower I noticed a dark shadow move. From behind me, I heard Wonder Woman shouting.
"Get me a spear!"
Magni reached for his weapon, but Tyr wrapped his powerful arms around the young king.
"What is the meaning of this!?" the young king asked. "Unhand me…"
"Do you wish the Elves to think you are about to attack?" Tyr asked in kind. "Let cooler heads handle this. Kal-El…"
I kept my eyes on the old Elf standing in front of me. He looked me up and down.
"You are no warrior boy," he growled through his teeth. "You have no place here."
I let his words roll off my back as I stood in front of Magni.
"I am here to help," I replied calmly. "And help I shall."
The old Elf laughed, "Your aid has unleashed that thing upon my kingdom. Did you plan this Magni?"
The old Elf leaned over to the side and looked directly into Magni's eyes.
"His father died so that you might have a chance," I said as I stood to my full height. "We had nothing to do with whatever killed your king. We came to ask for your aid so that we mind have a chance to survive what is to come."
From behind me, I heard Wonder Woman's battle cry. The old Elf looked up from Magni. His eyes shot to the skies as a lone spear hurdled through the air. Wonder Woman was above the crowd, her body still bent from her throw. The spear hurdled towards the tower with the shadowy figure. The creature let out a blood-curdling shriek as the spear pierced its flesh. The creature lost its grip and slid down the tower.
"Capture it!" the old elf shouted as he rushed back inside the city gates.
Magni and I followed suit. Overhead I heard Wonder Woman rushing to join us. On the other side of the gate, we saw a massive wolf dying on the ground. The Elves had the creature surrounded with their weapons at the ready.
"This isn't Fenris," the old Elf said coldly.
"He's got an army of wolves too," Magni cursed. "All-Fathers preserve us. Why didn't father tell me of this sooner…"
"Your father knew of such creatures?" the old elf asked.
Frigga stepped forward.
"My son only knew the end was near,"
"The end?" another Elf asked.
Magni slowly walked towards the old Elf.
"Ragnorok is upon us," he replied as he knelt beside the wounded creature.
The young king examined the creature with the hilt of his long sword.
"Lies," the Elves surrounding us hissed in unison.
"Ragnorok is a myth told by the All-Fathers to keep the rest of us in line," the old Elf added.
Wonder Woman landed beside me.
"It's real," she said.
The old Elf looked her up and down.
"At least this one is useful," he mocked.
"She tells no lie," I added. "We were there, we saw it. An army with no end."
The old Elf got to his feet and stepped towards us. He never took his eyes off of us as he walked closer towards us. As he stopped in front of us his eyes closed. Suddenly I felt as if someone was trying to get into my head. I stepped back from the Elf as images of the false Lois filled my mind followed by the armies of Helheim. The old Elf's eyes shot open.
"These mortal speak true…" he gasped.
"And this is only the beginning," Tyr added.
The old Elf shook his head as he tried to shake the images of horror he had just witnessed from his mind.
"I am not my grandfather," Magni said. "I can't undo what he did to you."
Magni extended his hand outwards to the old Elf.
"If we don't work together neither of us will survive,"
The old Elf looked at Magni's hand then back at the dying creature.
"I Byggvir stand with Magni son of Thor, son of Odin," the olf Elf said as he lifted his blade in the air.
With a mighty swing, he swung his blade down on the creature's neck. The creature's head split from its body in one swing. The crowd of Elves cheered.
"For Freyr!" they shouted.
Magni soon joined in as he took the bloodied hand of the old Elf.