Master of Miasma (The Valhalla Series) (27 page)

Alighting next to him he bites my wing, holding it fast,
Don't change back.

Watching him with utter confusion, I wish I could smile when he presses his head straight down to his chest, plucking out an ebony feather from over his heart, laying it gently on my feet, then snuggling in the nesting sit so he's positioned under my head looking up at me.

Emma, will you marry me in a gifting of heart feather?

My legs cave weakly on the stony ridge and I sit with him, struggling to pull a feather, screeching when I do.

Mine has blood covering the white quill tip when I put it down over the feather he offered me. Resting my head tiredly over them, wishing I understood more so I could do this sacrosanct moment justice.

A wide black wing folds over me, tucking me under his wing, a gentle timber cooing in my head,
I promise I'll always take care of you. I'll always hold you under my wing and close to my heart.

It's too much, too earnest and potent, the weight of strange gravity lifting. Seeing hands I wipe away my tears, picking him up as a raven, saying, “And I'll always have long hair for you to hide in, and a hood to keep you in the crook of my neck, close to my thoughts, and a nest for you in my heart.”

He shifts, widening my hold until my arms are instead around his middle, kissing me in a fresh flurry of petal soft snowflakes.

Lifted off my feet, his arms engulf me in support.

When he finally releases me he bends, arresting our feathers, rudely tugging one of the long strands of hair out of my head, then stepping close, sifting his hand inside the neckline of my shirt, pulling out my Asgard chain. Methodically he binds his feather to my necklace, tucking it back in where it presses the promise over my heart.

Then he hooks his own out to shine bright silver on his black shirt, using what's left of the strand to tie a white feather with a black tip to his. Only now do I realize it's representative of Skadi. White and black, embodied together in one unit. It looks like us. The children of the eternal night, the children of the eternal sun.

Smiling like a maniac, I love that he's a romantic sap.

Twisting so we're close, our bodies touching, he holds my hands, leaning in to kiss me, and I close my eyes, deliriously happy, when the wily man manages to hook my left hand so it can seal with his.

My eyes burst bright inside my eyelids and I automatically open them, seeing not sky and cloud behind his head, but an entire atmosphere covered in glowing people just floating out there like the striations on a bubble.

“
Welcome to Jötunheimr, Emma.”

Squealing, I'm bouncing with excitement when he snags me in his death grip, lifting me higher, our hands still sealed, and does a three-sixty holding me in his embrace.

A star flick-flacks around, aiming right for us across the cloud bed surrounding our precarious peak.

Mac doesn't even seem to have to think before he reacts, breaking our seal to punch his arm into the sky, catching the long trajectory.

Pulling his arm down he offers me a luminous sword of crystal brilliance.

“
Your sword, madam. Now you're officially one of Valhalla's warriors.”

I can't believe it. This is all like some fantastical dream.

Tentative, I fold my hand around his fist, watching the 'angels' wink out of existence one by one as if the valkyries and gods simply made an appearance to witness my induction into the halls of Asgard.

He lets me slide down him back to the ground. With terra firma solidly underfoot I dare to take a firmer hold, incredulous when he releases it and it's as weightless as a beam of light.

“You are a shadow. Only shadows get the sword. With this you will slay evil men for Odin.”

“
But it's too pretty to use for murder,” I object, still in awe of my sword. It prisms like the rainbow crystals.

“
It's not murder. Your sword is a slice of spirit's power. It rescues the good locked inside the bad. There's good in everyone, but those who hurt just can't find it. We rescue them, Em. We aren't hurting them, we're simply stopping them from hurting others. It's that simple.”

“
Where will I keep it? We're in the middle of nowhere.”

“
Funny you should mention that, I have a little lair just down here, see...” He leans in, scrunching his substantial body to curl his shoulder over mine so I can follow the line of his arm and see where he's pointing, “that cave over there? It's the perfect den to celebrate our featherfasting. The world can wait one more day. This day is ours.”

“
This night is ours,” I smile.

“
Skal,” he whispers, so close with his chin over my shoulder it's a raven's feather away from another dizzying kiss, sealing destinies as effectively as a handshake.

Exhilarated, I nod, stepping onto a precarious path, the first step as a harii shadow and warrior for light.

The truth is the power was inside me all along, it just took me to face the shadows and meet them as an equal before the light empowered me.

The day love set me free to fly.

The End

Glossary

Afi:
grandfather

Akevitt
: potato liqueur

Andhrímnir
: the chef to the gods

Arghin
– meaning 'noble light'

Åsgårdsreia
: The Wild Hunt (led by Odin). Directly translates as 'the ride back to Asgard'

bacraut
: asshole

bifrost
: the shimmering bridge to Asgard (heaven). It is a fleeting moment. Here one second, gone the next.

blåbärssoppa
: Blueberry soup (blár means black, but it is not a blackberry but a blueberry this refers to)

Bokkøl
: dark lager/beer

brandr
- sword blade

brennevin
: burning (scalding) wine (most alcohols)

Búri
: The father of all the Norse gods (all of them). He is the first (He is Odin's father).

d
léit khaa
: white man (Tlinglit)

Einherjar
: lone warriors, died in battle and come back to Valhalla by way of the Valkyries

ei
ðr
: oath

Eldhrímnir
: the cauldron used to cook food for the gods

elskling
: darling / little love

Fólkvangr
: family / kindred catcher. Pronounced Folk-funger. It is a meadow like the Elysian fields, a nirvana warriors go to after death

geirr
: spear

geitost
: caramelized cheese

gísil
: arrow shaft

glasir
: gleaming (grove), glowing foliage

Glæsisvellir
: (pronounced glassisfeller) Is the home of the orchard of
Læraðr apples. It is the kingdom of Gudmund (the friendly giant). Inside Glæsisvellir is the acre called
Údáinsakr/ Odainsaker, which means Deathless Acre.

Gýgjar
: a female Thur giantess. Known as a Thur
(Þ
ur), they are credited with raising and creating the mountains on earth. The mountains belong to them, and at one point they were known as man-eaters (the thurs both male and female). This is not literal, but rather known as 'destroyers of man'. They embody a certain bloodlust. The destructive forces of nature are accredited to the Thurs
/
Þur
s(Þ
ur and Thur means mountain raiser). The rune with the letter P on it represents this elite race.

Harii
: Warrior.  (pronounced hurri). Norse warriors who wear black and attack at night, using black camo on their hands and faces. So stealthy they are called a ghostly army.

heim
: home

heimr
: home

hel
: Norse goddess of the underworld

hjorttron
: first berry

hrafnasueltir
: coward

Iðunn
– Norse goddess who offers all 'eternal life'. (Pronounced Idunn)

Jævla
: damn

jøl
: (Pronounced yoll.) party / good time - (the root word for YULE.)

jøller
: (yoller) party animal

jötnar
: giants so beautiful they constantly emit an aura of light

Jötunheimr
: the land belonging to the Jötunn, right outside Asgard (all J's are pronounced as y. Yottunhighmer is how you'd pronounce this). Jötunheimr is the home to the frost giants, rock giants, and simply put, all Giants.

Jötunn
: giant (yo ton). The Jötunn are an ancient race, being the first beings created, they carry wisdom from bygone times. Giant was the name given to the race who 'live amongst rocks'. One could say who 'live in the rocks'.

Kake
: Tlinglit word meaning Daylight

karsk
: agility / strength.

Læraðr
: the golden apples (pronounced la-ra-or)

Lakkalikööri
– cloudberry liqueur

leikr
: spar

liebling
: darling

ljótr
: to give light

lombungr
: moron

Macala
: means full moon (in Hebrew it means 'like god')

mækir
: sword

Midgard
: translates as middle yard. (see Utgard for a full explanation). Tolkien played the Norse myths very well in his LOTR series, calling it 'middle earth'.

Mimer
: an old and wise jötnar, who owned and guarded the secret well of wisdom.

ormstunga
: forked tongued (serpent tongued)

óss /áss
: god

Þjazi
: Norse eagle god, his name is pronounced Thiazi. (Skadi's brother)

Ragnarök
: 
Fate of the ruling powers

Sæhrímnir
: mythical beast used to feed the gods (NOT a boar!)

Skaði
: Skadi (pronounced Skaahdee). Her name means shadow. She is a great
jötnar /
Giant goddess, wife to Odin, mother to most of the Norse gods, she is responsible for snow, (apparently loved to ski and invented it), winter, shadows, darkness, and eternal sun. She glows with an aura of bright light (like the aurora borealis).

Skal
: Cheers

Skald
: poet/bard

Sleipnir
: Odin's six legged steed

soppa
: soup

steinn
: stone

sveinn:
young warrior

T'ach'naa:
the very direction

Thundereggs:
small stones with crystal/quartz/marble insides (really beautiful, and some people collect them)

Thurs
: A group of elite soldiers / warriors, also known as the seven thunders

Tlingit
: A sect of Native Americans, residing mostly in the top of Canada and Alaska. Their numbers are diminishing. As a people they are under threat of extinction.

uskit'r
: shit

Utgard
: Outyards. The stronghold of the giants. A well known playground for Loki and Thor, this is where they held their competitions. This is the third 'world' rooted to the world tree (Yggdrasil). Asgard, Midgard, and Utgard are considered the concentric land of the giant Norse gods. Asgard is in the center, Midgard encircles it, and Midgard is encircled by Utgard. The layout is very similar to the legendary layout of Atlantis. It is circular, not ascending descending like a ladder. There is no upper and lower.

Valhalla
: hall of the slain. This is where Odin's chosen warriors go to after death, located in Asgard (heaven), taken there and guarded by the valkyries (female angels). Val means 'fall'. Halla, is hall. So it is the vast hall of the fallen (dead). The orchard of the shining apples
Læraðr
is outside the hall (Valhalla), and it is here that the warriors plot with Odin to bring about the end of turmoil and conflict with
Ragnarök
.
Here they live forever with eternal life.

Valkyries
: Val – fallen. Kyries – carriers. They carry the fallen / dead. The valkyries are allies of the Ravens (for real). Some sources call the valkyries the choosers of who live and die (in this guise they are similar to the fates.) Either way they are winged women, 'angels', who live in Asgard (heaven). They are affectionately referred to as Odin's girls.