WOLVERINE'S WORLD - THE GODMOTHER

We were about to leave when Olivia approached us. She was back in armor - although now it was a ranger's leather hauberk and trews, not the expensive steel splint that her station normally required. And she didn't have her winged helm. Like my old staff, it had been lost against the Destroyer. Now she wore a common wood-runner's leather hood.

Of course, Olivia was carrying her hammer-headed polearm. It was so much a part of her that I had a hard time visualizing her without it. She also had a light pack on her shoulders.

Emma and Olivia exchanged a smile. The pall that had come over Emma ever since she'd read Ingrid's mind seemed to momentarily lift.

Then Emma looked at me. "You won't be upset if I greet an old friend properly?" she asked.

I smiled and shook my head.

Emma and Olivia exchanged a heartfelt kiss. Anna's eyebrows rose. Rahne seemed surprised.

The kiss broke and Emma stepped back. Courtesy demanded that Olivia exchange words with me.

"I never did get around to thanking you for saving my life," Olivia said to me.

I politely bowed my head. "No thanks are required, Olivia. Besides, you saved Rahne and I. So we simply exchanged favors."

A smile lit up Olivia's scarred snub of a face as she nodded towards Anna and Emma. "I'm sorry I missed the show when you three made your formal declarations. I was with the healer at the time and he wouldn't let me go - the bastard. I think I should warn you that Emma can be a handful. I hope you know what you're getting into."

Emma snorted, but I noticed she didn't put up an argument.

Anna just looked thoughtful as she nodded in agreement.

I shrugged helplessly. "Olivia, when it comes to something like this, who really knows what they're getting into?"

"I concede your point," Olivia replied gracefully.

"Where are you going, Olivia?" I asked. "You're equipped for travel."

Olivia's smile turned into a grin. "Actually, I'm going with you. I'll be Anna and Emma's bodyguard. I hope you don't mind, but you really don't have any choice."

Not only didn't I mind, that was actually a relief.

During our time at the fort, the war had seemed oddly distant. Yes, the fort was on a war footing. Yes, patrols left the fort. Yes, skirmishes occurred and both Midgardians and Svartalfheimers were dying. Yes, wounded Folk and Wilder warriors limped - or were carried - back to the fort in hope of being healed. Yes, the children of the Fort's samurai sang for the dead.

Yet the war somehow didn't seem immediate.

Almost as soon as we began moving north, that changed.

A small war-band of about eight Blood younglings, not willing to wait for orders or direction, loped past us at a slow run. They were heading north and clearly looking for a fight. The oldest was perhaps sixteen.

We encountered a Blood samurai who was staggering back to the fort. He was carrying a badly mauled female Folk archer. The Blood clutched her close as he sobbed over and over again, "Don't die. Don't die."

The archer was already dead.

At the last crossroads, just before the river-road turned into a trail, ten stakes had been pounded into the ground. Each of them was topped with the head of a dark-elf. Their faces were contorted from the last moments of their lives, and their jaws hung open in silent howls.

Two Point rangers, bows in hand, tailed us after we left the road. They eventually broke contact with us. I don't think they realized that Rahne and I had spotted them.

A sizable battle between a dark-elf reconnaissance force and a band of independent Blood militia had taken place only two miles north of the fort, along the bank of the Huds. It hadn't been an organized fight with lines and formations. Instead, it was a running cascade of a fight, consisting of multiple small clashes, ambushes, and pursuits. Dozens of bodies littered the forest floor - scattered for hundreds of yards along the river bank. More bodies were floating down-river. If I had be make a guess, more had died in the battle than had walked away from it.

"Behold my works," I told Rahne. She didn't have anything to say.

We were staying close to the river, never more than ten or twenty yards from the water. By mid-afternoon, I estimated we were another half-day of travel from Laufey's hideout.

"It sounds like he's not that far from that dark-elf camp - the one where Benjamin and Faye were held prisoner," Anna told me. She looked worried.

"You're right," I said.

Anna frowned, "How the hell are the dark-elves missing him.?"

"I think Laufey's circle of stones has something to do with that."

"Why is Laufey sticking around? Why isn't he leaving the valley as quickly as possible?"

I considered that for a few moments before speaking. "There's bloodshed here. And there will be more. Much more. A great deal of power is bound up in death."

Anna made a face. "It sounds more-and-more like Laufey is a mage."

I nodded. "I don't think he's formally trained. Rather, it's in his blood. Some of the Asgardian-descended can call upon their ancestors to learn magics. Or be granted strange boons of power."

Anna sighed. "And Laufey's ancestor is Loki, lord of lies, illusions - and magic. That's not good."

She was right.

We were moving slowly and carefully. With Rahne and I keeping an eye out for trouble, we avoided a dark-elf patrol. And then another one.

Emma contacted me.

*There's a lot of them,* she 'said'.

*Yes, have you noticed that the patrols are now configured differently than before?*

*There are more elves in each patrol,* Emma agreed. *And they have fewer scouts and more warriors - so they're easier to spot and avoid.*

*It's no longer safe for them to send out just their scouts,* I responded. *The Blood militia is a growing threat.*

Emma still couldn't contact Cyrus. And I still wanted details about Laufey that only someone with mystical senses could provide.

As evening approached, I came to a conclusion.

Taking a opportunity to drift off to the side of the others, I removed my necklace of claws and teeth. Then I used two particularly long and thin teeth to puncture the long vein in my forearm.

The teeth seemed to draw in my blood. I allowed that to happen until I became slightly dizzy. Then I removed the teeth from my arm and replaced the necklace around my neck.

After that, I drained my canteen - the water would help my body regenerate the lost blood.

I'd made the call, now all I could do was hope that she would answer.

By nightfall, we were about an hour from Laufey's location. That also meant were only about two hours from the dark-elf outpost.

We made a fireless camp. Before we settled in, I took Rahne aside and warned her that we might have a visitor that night. "Don't be alarmed," I told her. "I called someone. We need to talk. Just be quiet and let it happen."

Rahne nodded doubtfully - not sure what I was talking about. Then she stretched out on the ground and wrapped a blanket around herself.

I lay on my back, gazing up at the stars. Emma and Anna were on either side of me, sleeping quietly.

It was a cool night, but not really uncomfortable. I watched the stars and waited. After a while, I began to fear that my call had not been heeded.

Then a sudden wave of coldness blew through our small camp.

I carefully got to my feet, trying not to disturbed Anna and Emma. They continued to slumber. Off to the side, Olivia and Rahne were also asleep - although it was likely that Rahne was feigning.

"You rang?" A small figure, about Rahne's size, said from her seat on a nearby log. She wore a cloak of faded yellow, but a shadow seemed to obscure her face.

"Hello, godmother," I said.

"Long time, no see, little Jimmy."

I sat next to her. She took my hand in hers. It was cold, of course.

"You never write, you never call," she teased. "At least, not until you need my help."

"There is some truth in that," I admitted. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, I'm not mad," she reassured me. "It looks like you have a real mess here."

I nodded.

"So what's the plan? I mean beside engulfing the entire Huds valley in war?"

"There is a man named Laufey," I replied. "He's part-Asgardian, descended from Loki, and is manifesting magical powers. He has control of a powerful Asgardian construct called the Destroyer. It is the Destroyer that the dark-elves are seeking. I plan to kill Laufey and give the Destroyer back to Asgard. Then we'll kill as many dark-elves as possible. That, and the absence of their goal, will eventually make it worth their while to leave. Oh, and if I can isolate and kill Malekith with my own claws, that would be nice."

My godmother looked down and shook her head. There was a flash of white in the darkness as some stray starlight caught her sharp teeth. "You always did think big, Jimmy."

"I try."

"Where do I fit in? Do you want me and my children to fight by your side? I don't think the Blood, Wilder, and Folk would be too interested in that idea."

"I need information of a mystical sort. The local mage is locked up in concerns about the war and I can't get hold of him. I was hoping you could help."

She stirred slightly, obviously interested. "What do you need to know?"

I described Laufey's circle to her. She frowned in concentration as she seemed to devour my words.

"Asgardian magic isn't exactly my speciality," she warned me.

"I know," I admitted, "but if you can come up with anything that would help, I'd appreciate your advice."

"Off hand, I'd say he's using the circle to communicate with great powers. Almost certainly Loki, but maybe one or more of the elder gods as well. That's a bad combination. As a bonus, Laufey's focusing power through the circle to provide useful effects - like the way the dark-elves can't seem to find his camp. But in order to get all of that to work, he had to do something big. A sacrifice of something dear to him. A sacrifice that degraded his soul and insulted the natural order of the universe."

"Would raping his sister be enough?" I asked grimly.

My godmother made a disgusted face. "Yeah. That would do it."

Then she seemed to consider the matter further. "Don't let him get anywhere near the circle when you fight him. And if you can, destroy the circle as quickly as possible. I assume you plan to kill him before he can activate his walking tank?"

I nodded.

"What's the plan if that doesn't work?"

"Do what we can to keep the Destroyer busy, while keeping in mind that Laufey as our main target."

"What if the Destroyer doesn't shut down after you kill Laufey?"

I hesitated before answering. "I have options. One is to use Laufey's circle to call upon Asgard in the Old One's name. Surely they want to regain control of their pet killing machine."

My godmother stared at me. "Do you know how dangerous that would be? To your mind and soul as well as your body?"

I shrugged. "Hopefully, it won't be required."

My godmother just shook her head. "If you have other options, I'd suggest you use them instead."

Then her eyes wandered to my sleeping companions.

"Who are they?" she asked curiously.

"The elf is Anna, she's my wife. The fire priestess is Emma, she's my concubine. The storm priestess is Olivia, she's a brave companion. The youngster is Rahne, she's my heart."

My godmother's grip on my hand increased slightly. Her eyes glittered as she examined me.

"So you're not hiding from life anymore? When did that happen, Jimmy?"

Now it was my turn to hesitate. "Recently. I didn't plan on it."

"You stink of the great spirits, Jimmy. I can make out Logan, Jean, and Ororo. What have they told you?"

I sighed. "The contact with the Old One and the Phoenix was strictly carnal in nature."

My godmother snorted. "Like a pair of horny teenagers..." she muttered mostly to herself.

That was perhaps accurate, but certainly somewhat disrespectful. I ignored my godmother's words and continued on.

"The Lady of Storms actually spoke to me. She said I was missing signs. Signs that would seem to indicate that I should reconsider my life. That I should seek out others and perhaps reconsider my role as a seeker."

My godmother chuckled. "Once upon a time, you were a kick-ass lord, Jimmy. Maybe it's time to go that route again. Or maybe you could just establish a small holding and settle in with your new ladies. Then the three of you could make lots and lots of babies for me to godmother. I'd appreciate that. It's been a while."

"I have duties, godmother. Responsibilities."

Then my godmother actually grinned. Her elongated canines were suddenly brightly obvious. "And you think the world will stop spinning if you aren't there to fulfill them? That's dead wrong, Jimmy. The world finds heroes. They always pop up when needed. There was a time when I thought the world would end if your grandfather wasn't around to do what needed to be done. But after he... after he died, others took his place."

The catch in her voice as she mentioned my grandfather was quite real. And the glimmer of blood tears in her eyes couldn't be hidden even by the shadows that were her shield. She and my grandfather had been great friends and companions.

I suppose it was undignified to hug her, but I couldn't help myself. Yes, she was my godmother, but there was a time - so long ago - when Jubilation had been more like a big sister to me.

"Go save the world, little Jimmy-boy," she told me, her face buried in my shoulder. "And if you live, remember what Ororo told you."

And then I was alone, holding nothing but cold air in my arms.