With the ring now in his hand, still warm from her body, Vali took several deliberate steps back, nodded to Seela, and left them behind. He found his place on the front line and waited for the Vanir to spill out of the mist.
Three black boars with their riders emerged first, the rest concealed so Vali was ignorant of their number. Clad in a deep blue that reminded him of the deepest part of the ocean, the leader of the Vanir, Njord, pulled his beast to where Vali stood in front of his men while he dismounted without a word, removing his helmet in a languid movement.
The god smiled through a long white beard that covered his chest. “Well, if it isn’tVali the Heartless. It’s been so long, dear friend.”
“So long I must have forgotten we were friends.”
Njord laughed. The bristling sound echoed even through the blanket of mist. “It has taken you so long to complete such a simple task, Vali. Surely you didn’t mean to keep your people waiting in their oppression—”
“It is not your concern what I’ve been doing or what I’ve done,” he spat. Njord took a step forward, disregarding the longsword poised at his side.
“Considering you have what belongs to the Vanir, I’d say it is very much my concern. Word is you’re going home, and that would mean you have the Tether.”
His eyes narrowed on the god. “And do you mean to stop me from completing my task?”
Metal clipped from inside the fog, and the dread in Vali’s stomach faded into an aching fear. The god only shrugged. “I don’t care what your task is. I don’t care if you need it to save your people. I will not give away Vanirian power so you can use it to barter your freedom.”
“And if I do not give it to you?”
Njord’s brows rose on his structured face. His blue eyes sparkled with interest. “Then I will take it back by force.”
Vali looked back at his men, feigning deliberation. With a theatrical sigh he reached into his cloak and pulled out Ailsa’s ring. He stored a bit of his magic inside the vessel, hoping it was enough to fool the god of wind and sea.
“What is this?”
“It is the Tether. I found it in the far reaches of Midgard.” A half-truth.
“Midgard? What was it doing there?”
This time Vali scoffed. “Hel if I know. Do you think I’d go to Midgard if I didn’t have to?”
Njord mumbled something in agreeance as he fumbled with the ring. He traced the runes with a long finger, trying to decipher the meaning. “What are these runes? I’ve never seen anything like them.”
“They were written from the forbidden language of creation, the knowledge from Gullveig’s power. That is the only explanation I’ve been able to rationalize. I believe these markings keep it contained as it waits for its master to take it back.”
The god smiled and spun the tip of a sharp edge on his thumb. “Nice work, Vali. It seems you’re not as useless as your father claims you to be.”
Vali tried not to wince, but he was not expecting the blow to his pride—nor was he expecting the blow to his heart.
Njord had tossed the ring and in the same motion manifested a blade in the same hand. He thrust the sword through Vali’s chest, just to the left of his sternum. Vali had no time to react, only endure the terrible squeeze of his muscles as they tensed around the metal in his chest. His throat filled with blood and spilled from his lips in a strangled gurgle.
“I bet you don’t even feel this, do you?” Njord whispered in his ear as he twisted the blade. “You are an abomination and a liar, not worthy of the blood in your veins.”
A tiny gasp broke through the sound of his choking. Through the dark haze filtering his vision he saw the god turn his gaze to the sound, a slow grin creeped across his lips. Vali fell to his knees as Njord pulled the sword from his chest, a shiny new object stealing his attention.
Ailsa stood partially concealed by the furthermost soldier, watching the scene unfold with a front row view. If he had time to be angry, he would have burned her to ash with his rage, but anger was not the feeling that consumed his suffering thoughts.
A panic unlike any he had ever felt before struck his core, delivering him new strength. He scrambled for the longsword he dropped and jumped to his feet, slashing the god’s back before he could get anywhere close to her.
Njord screeched in a painful surprise, arching his back as the blade lacerated the soft, unarmored skin over his shoulder blades. He turned back to Vali with a fresh anger fueling his fight, giving Ailsa the time she needed to flee.
“Go!” he shouted at her when she stood there, paralyzed by either fear or concern. Her eyes glistened like starlight as they connected with his, stealing one last look at his tortured soul before turning on her back heel.
He didn’t look away until she faded into the mist.
Go!
Vali sprinkled the ground with blood as he spat the command. Ailsa did not want to run, she wanted to fight. She wanted to stop the bloodshed and the slaughter, the wasted death following the Tether like a crimson shadow. But most of all, she wanted to reach inside herself and pull out a cord of the power stretching beneath her flesh and let it sing for them.