Immortal Need (27 page)

“Time to move. Freya has found the boys. Guess she didn’t leave for the house just yet.” Valerie grabbed Ayah’s hand and began sprinting. They slid around corner after corner as the temple around them shook, gunshots echoed through the halls, and yells seeped through the stone.

Ayah’s heart was in her throat. Was Sevani okay? Had he been hurt? Was Alexander protecting him? Was Lei fighting? Questions swirled through her head as she ran after Valerie, determined not to slow the woman down. She spread her stride out to eat up more of the distance. Valerie tossed an appreciative smile over her shoulder and moved faster. The two skirted around a corner, and Valerie stopped suddenly. Ayah couldn’t stop as quickly and almost slammed into her back. Valerie whirled around, still gripping her arm, and lifted Ayah into the air. Ayah gasped, her feet dangling until Valerie put her down.

“Sorry. Only way I could think to stop you from hurting yourself.”

“I keep forgetting that not only are the guys immortal, but have stupid strength. You just look so…ordinary.”

“It helps,” Valerie said on a laugh.

“I think I found the souls. I can feel them on the other side of this wall.”

“I don’t see a door. It’s been a while since we took a turn, and the hallway is pretty far up. Secret door maybe?” Ayah asked.

“Maybe, don’t have time to figure it out. Step back and a little to the side,” Valerie said, lifting a balled fist.

She struck the wall faster than Ayah could follow the directions, and gray rock exploded in the hallway. Ayah dropped to the floor, covering her face and head as best she could with her hands. She heard another pound and figured Valerie had taken another hit at the wall—then another and then another.

“We’re in.” Valerie coughed, and Ayah stood slowly, shaking off rocks and dirt. “Sorry about that.”

“No problem.” Ayah coughed. “I would have loved having an arm like that on the softball team. I never would have gotten cut.”

“Nah. You use an arm like this for the boxing ring,” Valerie countered. “Would have been nice to fight Tyson or something.”

“It’s never too late. Women do box,” Ayah said as she stepped gingerly through the large hole Valerie had made.

“It’s too late for me,” Valerie answered and stepped deeper into the room.

This room was different than the rest of the temple Ayah had seen, and stopped her from asking what Valerie had been talking about. The room was gold from ceiling to floor. White- and yellow-gold panels covered the walls. Sconces of gentle light hit discreetly among the folds in the walls. And the room was empty of everything but two long tables. One, on the right, was full of intricately designed urns, like from a cremation ceremony. Their lids were held on by two hooks that had golden chains that wrapped around the urns and then were meddled into the bottoms. On the left table were three urns, one of them with the lid blown off.

“How much you want to bet that’s the boys’ urns?” Valerie asked, pointing to the left table.

“The one with the lid blown off give you a clue?” Ayah asked.

“That and there are only three of them,” Valerie replied with a laugh.

“What do we do now?” Ayah asked.

“First things first. Ayah, I need you to do something for me, okay?”

“Yeah, sure, what is it?”

“Give me a second.”

Valerie stepped up to the urn that was open and closed her eyes. She sat there for a minute and then lifted her hand. Ayah didn’t think she was seeing what she was seeing when Valerie hit herself in the chest. But when her hand disappeared and Valerie sank to her knees, dread spread through her. She ran to Valerie’s side and knelt with her on the floor.

“What the hell are you doing?” she asked as Valerie pulled out a glowing white orb and stuffed it into an empty urn. She locked the lid down tight before she spoke.

“Listen. I don’t have much time.”

“But, Valerie—”

“Look. I know what the pact needs to be broken. Give this urn to Lei and tell him to come find me. He won’t be my slave any longer. He’ll know where to look. But tell him to hurry. Freya still holds my apple for a few more days, and I can’t make the seeds they need to stay immortal. He has about fifty years, but he better get his ass in gear and come get me. I know Sevani wants to give you one of the seeds.”

“Me? Would that make me immortal?”

“Yes. He’s a good man. He’s been through a lot. But I’ve never, not even for Nila, seen that look in his eyes for a woman. Be good to him, or I’ll haunt you from Hel.”

“Why are you going to hell?”

“Not hell, but Hel. The guys will know what I mean. I have enough strength to get you back to them. Just tell Lei what I told you, and that Freya made the pact when she wanted me to live. The only way to break it is for me to die. He’ll be free, and so will the others. We’ll take their souls back to them.” Valerie stood slowly and grabbed the other urns.

“Valerie,” Ayah started, tears in her eyes.

“I know. You’re the first female friend I’ve ever had. I was looking forward to telling you all of Sevani’s secrets. But this isn’t the end, I promise. Lei won’t stop until he gets me back.”

“But the two of you—”

“Doesn’t matter. All that matters is he’ll be free, I’ll come back, and we’ll all be alive. It’s done. We have to hurry.”

Ayah couldn’t say any more, as Valerie stumbled out of the hole and headed toward the sound of battle. If Valerie wanted to make this sacrifice for Lei, out of love, and to make sure the others got their souls, Ayah couldn’t stop her. She just wished she’d had more time with the goddess who was willing to give up everything to save the man she loved. Ayah understood. She would do anything for Sevani, and, when they got out of this, she was going to tell him.

* * * *

Freya was pulling out all the stops. Her Vardr surrounded her, and she sent them in waves after the men. Sevani hoped that their attack helped what the women were doing. He tried his best not to focus on Ayah not being at his side and not knowing if she was safe or not. He had to rely on the knowledge that Valerie wouldn’t let harm come to her or would die trying. He stabbed at a cat with one dagger as he slashed the throat of another. Each cut drew blood. Each stab was into a beating heart. Alexander and Lei whirled around him, Lei shooting with deadly accuracy and Alexander slicing with Sevani’s swords. They hadn’t thought two using guns would be safe. When Alexander could, he strangled the life out a Vardr with his garrote.

“Move to the left!” Lei yelled, and Sevani did so in an instant. A Vardr, leaping with his jaws open wide, took Sevani’s place, and Lei fired. The Vardr’s head exploded even as Lei reloaded his rifle and took aim again.

“Get it off my back,” Alexander roared, strangling a Vardr. Sevani ran past his back, cutting the Vardr on Alexander’s back with pushing force. The Vardr fell away with a scream. Lei finished him off. They moved as one, ripping through bodies, gaining footing on the blood-slick flow, as Freya screamed her frustration.

“You insignificant fools! I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you all!” the goddess roared, her face turning red. She lifted her hands high above her head, and the temple rumbled.

“She’s going to try to bring it down on our heads,” Lei said then.

“Where’s Valerie and Ayah?” Alexander asked.

“Here,” Ayah said, and Sevani whirled around. He slashed his way to her, but she ran away from him, making a beeline for Lei.

“Lei,” she called, and Lei backed toward her voice. When he met her, she took the rifle hooked to his back and placed an urn at his feet. When she leaned forward and whispered in his ear, Lei’s face went white.

“No!” the man roared, bending to pick up the urn in his free hand and running to Valerie’s side. Ayah shot at the Vardr as she ran to Sevani.

“What is going on?” Sevani asked, blocking her as much as he could. She peeked around his back and shot.

“Valerie took out her soul and put it in the urn. She said for Lei to come find her in Hel, and to hurry. She understood the only way for her to break the pact with Freya was to die,” Ayah sputtered quickly.

“No,” Sevani groaned, not able to stop fighting and go to Valerie. “Valerie?” he yelled, but he got no answer. “Alexander, get to Lei.”

Alexander moved, and Sevani covered as best he could. Ayah took aim and shot at the Vardr around them, her hold sure on the weapon. She may not have been born a warrior, but she had a warrior’s spirit. She fought right at his side, struggling to earn the right to live, to be free of this madness.

“She’s fading,” Alexander yelled over the roaring cats and the creaking of stone. “She’s done,” he cried, tears clouding his voice.

“Your souls are in the urns. Use them,” Ayah yelled back.

“I’m going to kill you. I’m going to rip you limb from fucking limb. I swear to gods you will rue the day you hurt her,” Lei growled, his voice carrying.

The world seemed to freeze for Sevani. He reached for the power that had been brewing inside of him, the same power he’d used before to kill the Vardr. Now that he knew Ayah was safe, he would stop at nothing to keep it that way.

“Shit,” Alexander said.

The hall rumbled. Sevani could hear thunder from outside, and a loud
crack
sounded to Sevani’s left. When he looked, Lei was there, his eyes alight with fire, his bullets pumping from his weapon in rapid succession, surrounded in what looked like bolts of lightning. A roar to his left brought his gaze to Alexander, who held Sevani’s sword, glowing with light.

“God but not god. Their souls,” Sevani whispered. “Ayah, find a wall and stay there. Don’t move.” Ayah left his back, and Sevani streaked in. They attacked with new vigor, the loss of one of their own propelling them onward. It was the first time, in all of his years, that he ever saw Freya afraid. She lowered her hands and grasped her necklace, her mouth pinched, her eyes wide.

“You are mine,” she screeched, but they ignored her. They were free, all of them.

The Vardr became nothing more than obstacles, fodder for their rage. Lei tore through them like a man possessed, pain of the loss of Valerie etched on his features. Blood splattered their faces and clothing, but they didn’t stop. Every move, every step brought them closer to Freya. When she was left at the center, her Vardr gone, and nowhere to run, she fell to her knees.

“You’ll never kill me. I am a goddess!” she roared. “You are nothing. I’ll come back. I’ll come back and ruin you all. Hel.”

Sevani wasn’t listening. He pulled his blade back as Alexander did the same. Lei placed the muzzle of his gun to her head and pulled the trigger, and they struck, but the flash of light froze them.

“She flashed,” Sevani whispered incredulously. “She got away.”

“Gone to Hel. What we are scares her now. She won’t make a move until she knows she can beat us,” Alexander said, dropping his sword.

“But at what cost?” Lei asked, his head hanging. “At what cost?”

They turned together to see Ayah holding Valerie’s limp body in her arms, on the floor, crying. She rocked back and forth.

“Valerie,” Lei moaned, tears pouring down his face. He ran to her, and Ayah let him pull her out of his arms. “Valerie. My Valerie. My goddess. I was happy as your servant. I was happy. Please don’t leave me,” he begged, crying, dropping to his knees.

Sevani pulled Ayah into his arms, burying his tear-drenched face in her hair. He had never wished this for them. They had won, but the victory was bittersweet. They were free, Freya gone, but one less in their group. Valerie, who had brought them all together, had sacrificed, in the end, to save Lei.

“She’s not gone. She knows that you can come get her. She said she’ll be in Hel, not hell, whatever that means, and you better hurry up,” Ayah said to Lei.

Lei’s head shot up at her words.

“She’ll be in Hel? The realm of the half-living goddess?” Lei asked.

“I don’t know,” Ayah said, shrugging. “She said you would know what she meant. Please tell me you do. You have to get her back. She said something about the seeds you guys needed to live. That she wouldn’t have her apple for a few days still, and so she couldn’t make some for you all, or for me, before she left. You’ve got fifty years before you need another one, but you better not make her wait that long.”

“There’s no way for the living to enter Hel, though. She’s beyond my reach,” Lei said, pulling Valerie’s body tighter in his arms.

“We’ll figure it out. We broke free from Freya. We can do this, too,” Alexander said, placing a placating hand on Lei’s shoulder.

“Let’s go home,” Ayah said.

“We don’t have a home now,” Lei whispered. “We can’t stay in Folkvangr.”

“Who said anything about staying here when you’ve got a home already set up with me?” Ayah asked.

The three men looked at her.

“You saved my life. I don’t understand everything that’s going on, but I know Valerie doesn’t deserve to be dead. If I can help you guys get her back, then I want to. Besides, I hear Freya is not as strong in the human world. Best place to be.”

“Are you sure?” Sevani asked.

“If you think you’re getting away from me that easy, then you have another think coming. Valerie,” Ayah said, tears falling fresh from her eyes, “took care of you. I’ll do it until she gets home. Bring her back, Lei.”

“I will. I promise,” Lei whispered.

“For now, let’s go home,” Ayah repeated.

“First, we need to stop by the house here. We’ll need all of our gear, as much as we can carry,” Alexander added.

They did, as quickly as possible. Ayah stayed with Valerie’s body as they piled their things around her in the middle of the floor. The grandeur of the home didn’t seem to matter to any of them as they packed their belongings. Lei took great care to take almost everything that belonged to Valerie. Ayah, bless her, didn’t say a thing as items piled up around her.

“We’ll make room, or I’ll build. I have enough money to do it with,” was the only thing she said.

“We won’t forget this, Ayah,” Alexander said.

“You will have the Watchers for whatever you need, for the rest of your life,” Lei added.

“And my heart in the bargain,” Sevani said.