Perfekt Control (The Ære Saga Book 2) (20 page)

Double great. The dragon king lived in
Helheim. And he commanded the dragons to bring live dwarves to…
somewhere, in order to do… something.

Henrik leaned forward. “Do you have any idea
what Nidhogg wants with the dwarves?”

“No.” Berry’s mouth turned down. “But if I
had to guess, based on what you say about Muspelheim, I believe
they have established a portal between Einak Mountain and the
volcano in the fiery realm. And if Nidhogg plays a role, it is not
out of the question to believe the portal goes beyond Muspelheim,
straight to—”

“To Helheim,” I groaned. “Ugh. They’ve got an
army of captive dwarves guarding the Goddess of Love in
Helheim.”

“Not necessarily,” Henrik mused. “Think about
it. We wonder how the inter-species mutation is happening, right?
Dwarves and dragons share a realm; they breathe the same elements
and consume the same minerals. They have a far more similar genetic
makeup to dragons than fire giants do. No offense,” he
hastened.

“None taken,” Berry assured him.

“So?” I asked.

“So, what if the dwarves aren’t guarding
Freya? What if, instead, whoever’s orchestrating everything is
using the dwarves as lab rats? Testing the transmutation on the
more compatible species before integrating the more… lethal
species?” Henrik rubbed the back of his neck.

“You think Nidhogg’s testing the mutation out
on the dwarves first? Maybe. But if it’s already been successful
with the fire giants, why hasn’t he returned the dwarves to their
realm?” I set down my mug.

“Maybe he can’t.” Henrik sighed. “Maybe the
foreign genes killed them.”

Berry stiffened in his chair. “A dragon would
never kill a dwarf. Such an act would be dishonorable.”

“Yeah, well, the dragons aren’t injecting the
genes themselves; they’ve got questionable fine motor skills,
remember? Whoever’s controlling them is doing that part,” Henrik
offered.

“Hold on,” I interrupted. “You said something
earlier about dwarves harvesting treasures and minerals from the
mines, right?”

“Correct.” Berry waited while I worked it
out.

“Well, could there have been any minerals
down there with transmutable properties? Something that might be
able to effectuate the transfer of abilities from one species to
another?” I asked.

Henrik sat up straighter.

I kept going. “Think about it, Berry. If you
guys had some kind of an element that acted as a conductor, whether
magically or naturally, couldn’t the bad guys use that to create
these super soldiers?”

“Like the ultimate power conductor. And if we
find that and destroy it, it’s game over for the new breed of
Muspelheim monsters.” Henrik leaned back and shot me a grin. “Nice
logic.”

“Don’t give me the blue ribbon just yet,” I
cautioned. “The theory only works if a mineral like that
exists.”

We both turned to Berry and waited.

He sat very still. After a long moment he let
out a slow breath and unclenched his fists. “We found a red crystal
in one of the mines a while back. We had never seen one, so we took
it to the lab to run some tests. It turned out the crystal was an
anomaly. It refracted light, contained healing properties, and
could act as an energy source like most of our crystals. But this
one offered an additional capability.”

“It could transfer abilities between beings?”
I guessed.

Berry nodded. “We have some magic here. Not
as much as you do in Asgard, but enough to generate light down in
the mines and craft the treasures your people seem so fond of.”

“You make pretty fabulous treasures,” I
praised.

“We do. We called on one of our light fairies
and one of the muses who inspire our craftsmen, and they both
agreed to test the red crystal.” Berry leaned forward.

“Let me guess. You’re now the proud owner of
a glowing muse?” Henrik surmised.

“Exactly.”

“Do you think the perps might have the
crystal?” I asked. “Could they be using it to create these super
soldiers?”

“It is the most plausible explanation.” Berry
rubbed his hands along the arms of the leather armchair. “I cannot
think of another mineral capable of generating this result. And you
say your science has not been able to foster it.”

“Fan-bloody-tastic.” Henrik dropped his head
in his hands.

“No, this is good.” I grinned. “We know what
we’re dealing with. Berry, if we destroy the crystal, its powers
will be released, right? Meaning the super soldiers would lose
their transmuted abilities, and go back to being, well, just plain
fire giants?”

“In theory, yes. When a subterranean-based
Nidavellir crystal is shattered, its power returns to the earth and
it becomes just another rock.”

“Okay. So to neutralize the giant threat, and
put us back on an even playing field with at least one of the
groups standing between us and Freya, we have to find the crystal
and shatter it. We know the dragons are working under Nidhogg’s
control, and they’re transferring their speed and flaming breath to
the fire giants, possibly through an airborne substance via the
Muspelheim volcano. That means Nidhogg’s probably got the
crystal—or whoever he’s working for does. The real question is,
who’s controlling Nidhogg?” I thought out loud. “I can’t see a
dragon king wanting to genetically engineer super soldiers. Or
kidnap our love goddess and send the realms into darkness. Besides
total domination, what’s in it for him?”

Henrik sucked in a breath. “Total domination.
That’s it.”

“What’s it?” I blinked.

“Brynn, think about it. Total domination.
Tyr’s best friend is abducted, and the realms are on the verge of
crashing into darkness. Who do
you
think stands to gain the
most from this?”

I blinked again.

“Okay.” Henrik tried another tactic. “Who’s
been trying to bring Tyr to the dark side for, oh, forever? Who
just sicced Tyr’s childhood pet on everyone he knows and
loves?”

I mulled it over. “Hymir?”

“Exactly.”

I shook my head. “Hymir’s not smart enough to
get all these pieces moving together.”

“Maybe he is not working alone.” Berry tapped
his fingers together. “Has the balance of power recently shifted in
your realm? Do you have a new ally or a captive you did not have
before?”

Henrik’s head snapped up and he met my stare
with wide eyes. “Fenrir,” we whispered in unison.

Berry tilted his head. “You captured the
wolf?”

“We did,” I confirmed. “And we killed Garm in
the process.”

Berry leaned back in his chair. “Well then.
You just made a legion of enemies. Garm was Nidhogg’s daughter.
Nidhogg gave her to Hel when she took command of the realm.”

“Holy Mother Frigga.” My hand flew to my
forehead. “You killed a dragon princess, Henrik? That cannot be
good for us.”

“In my defense, she tried to kill me first.
But if I killed Hel’s guard dragon, and Freya and Tyr captured
Hel’s brother…” Henrik swore. “We’ve got the perfect storm of
ticked off demons.”

“Yeah, well, bad things come in threes,
right? We’ve got Nidhogg and Hel mad at us. Who’s the third? Is it
Loki?” I wondered. He might have been on his uppers this month, but
he was never a force to underestimate.

“Gods, who
isn’t
mad at us these
days?” Henrik rolled his eyes. “We’ve got two targets for now. Odds
are good they’ve got enough to do with Freya’s disappearance—we can
catch our next link in Helheim.”

“Stay away from Helheim,” Berry warned.
“There are rumors of dark factions moving together in its
heart.”

“Yeah, well, when
aren’t
dark factions
hanging out in Helheim?” Henrik shrugged. “Besides, if Freya’s
there, it doesn’t matter. We have to go.”

“Yeah, it looks like we’re going to Hel.” I
sighed. “All we need is a hand basket.”

“What’s a hand basket going to do?” Henrik
looked confused.

“Going to Hel? In a hand basket? It’s one of
Mia’s funny sayings.” I stared at Henrik’s blank face. “I don’t
understand it either, but she says it a lot. Come on. We’d better
move.”

Henrik stood and shook Berry’s hand. “Thank
you. We truly appreciate your help.”

Berry gave a tight smile. “Be careful. And
bring Freya home safely.”

“You have our word,” Henrik vowed.

I shook Berry’s hand and carried our mugs to
the sink. Without needing to speak, Henrik and I raced for the
clearing. Heimdall must have been watching—he lowered the Bifrost
before we even called for it.

“To the safe house,” Henrik ordered. “Let’s
finish this.”

“Let’s finish this,” I repeated. I squeezed
my eyes shut as we once again flew through the realms.

MY NAUSEA EBBED AS I
climbed the
stairs from the beach to the safe house. Henrik walked behind me,
his hands on my waist to steady residual wobbles.

“I hate the Bifrost,” I muttered as we walked
across the grass. Henrik fell into step beside me but kept his hand
on my lower back. I
so very much
wished I could wrangle my
little black box into submission.

Perfekt
control was something of an
enigma these days.

“There they are!” Mia’s voice rang across the
lawn. Through the open door I saw her leap from the couch and race
toward the porch. She met us at the door. “Henrik,” she hissed.
“Drop your hand. Stop touching Brynn.”

“I’ve been saying that all day,” I
grumbled.

“I can hear you, mortal.” A cool voice came
from inside. “You seriously think I couldn’t see them walking here?
Your eyesight might be pitifully poor, but Asgardian eyes see
everything.”

“Not everything,” Forse muttered from the
couch. “Or you’d know you didn’t have a chance in—”

“Step aside, human. I need to talk with your
friend
.” The voice dripped aural ice. My insides clenched as
I un-shouldered my backpack and clutched it in my hands.
What
did I do to tick off Freya’s number two
?

Mia bit her bottom lip and did as instructed.
She reached out to squeeze my arm as I stepped inside the house,
Henrik at my side. His hand still rested on my lower back. Only
now, the butterflies were gone.

“Brynhild.” I lowered my head as protocol
dictated after meeting her stare. “What brings you to Midgard?”

“You do, you insipid little child.” Brynhild
crossed her arms.

My backpack fell to the ground with a
clunk
.

“Hey.” Henrik’s voice was low and menacing.
He stepped in front of me, shoulders pulled back and hands balled
in fists. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

“Forgetting your place,
soldier
?
Because with Freya gone, I command the valkyries, which ranks me
well above you.” Brynhild moved forward so she and Henrik stood eye
to eye. Seriously, she matched his six-feet four-inches. In combat
boots. Some goddesses got all the height.

“That’s enough.” Tyr’s angry command boomed
from the balcony over the living room. He thundered down the stairs
and stood in front of the fireplace. His jaw was clenched, and the
vein in his neck bulged as he glared at Brynhild. Mia, Elsa, Forse,
Henrik and I watched him carefully. “I will
not
have you
come into my house and talk to my team like that. Remember,
Brynhild, this safe house is under
my
command. And I will
eject any threat immediately. Including you.”

“Well, Brynn is under
my
command. As
Freya’s second, oversight of the valkyries falls to me in her
absence. And when one of our officers engages in an infraction this
egregious, it’s up to
me
to relieve her of her duties.”
Brynhild stared Tyr down.

“Relieve her of her duties?” Elsa gasped.
“Brynn didn’t do anything wrong! She and Henrik have been working
day and night to find Freya.”

“That’s not all they’ve been doing day and
night.” Brynhild put her hands on her hips and turned to me. “Do
you want to tell them about Alfheim, Brynn? Or should I?”

My throat closed up. She knew. Oh gods, how
did she know? My one stupid mistake was going to cost me
everything.

“Nothing happened, Brynhild. If anyone told
you otherwise, it was a lie.” Henrik’s voice was steady, and I
reached up to touch his arm in thanks. Whatever muscle my
fingertips brushed was tense.

“Oh, really?” Brynhild smirked. “Because my
source told me that you two were making out by the waterfall.”

Humiliation washed over me in waves. Now all
our friends knew about my mortification. Well, Elsa already knew,
but she knew everything. The rest of them…

“You finally kissed?” Mia whispered out of
the side of her mouth.

I shook my head. Technically,
we
hadn’t done anything. I’d kissed. Henrik had rebuffed.

Then I’d asked the universe to swallow me
whole.

“Your source was dead wrong.” Henrik held up
his hand. “On my honor as a warrior, I did not kiss Brynn.”

Brynhild arched one pointed eyebrow and
stepped closer to Henrik. “You’re telling me my source is a
liar?”

“I’m telling you your source misunderstood.”
Henrik stood his ground. “Valkyrie code states until a goddess
reaches the rank of captain, she is not to engage in a physical
relationship. Correct?”

“Correct.” Brynhild crossed her arms. “And
kissing constitutes a physical relationship. Brynn Aksel, you are
hereby stripped of your duties as the war god’s second bodyguard,
and commanded to return to Asgard immediately for
reassignment.”

I clutched at my stomach as a fresh wave of
nausea overtook me. This one had nothing to do with the Bifrost.
“No.” I gasped.

“No,” Henrik growled. “Brynn didn’t break her
vow. The contract specifically defines a physical relationship as
one involving the mutual engagement of both parties,
ja
?”