as honey-sweet as the
Mead, but just as delicious.
"Thank you." I grinned, a little warm and fuzzy
from Mika's drink. When a slightly flushed Joshua leaned forward and introduced
himself to Mika, I watched in silent amusement. It didn't take long before I
concentrated on sipping my cider slowly, keen to avoid looking at the two of
them blushing and making goo-goo eyes at each other, preferring to enjoy my
drink without the cringe factor, thank you very much.
At last Mika tore her gaze from Joshua's and leaned closer
to me. "Everyone is very eager to leave for Midgard, you know."
I nodded politely, probably the only one reluctant to return
to Midgard. The loneliness of it punched me in the gut.
"Well, I see the two of you are getting
acquainted," Fen remarked, tapping the shoulder of the Ulfr next to Joshua
and nodding a dismissal; the Ulfr rose, bowed and hurried away. Fen sank into
the vacated seat beside Joshua, eyes flitting from the younger man to Mika and
back again.
Joshua's smile thinned, and he responded with a hesitant
up-and-down motion that looked more like a tic than a nod. He looked away from
the Ulfr general, his gaze running smack into Mika's. Then he scanned the room
as if desperate for someone to call him away. I held in a giggle, partly amazed
and partly amused—and, oddly, partly annoyed—as Joshua sat there, torn between
his fear of Fen and his attraction to Mika.
"Excuse me," he croaked as he rose from his seat.
"I have to . . ." He made his getaway, not bothering to finish the
thought, leaving Fen, Mika and I to stare after him.
Fen shrugged. "Bryn, I have not told you who your Ulfr
is yet." He glanced at Mika, and they shared an odd look.
I held my tongue, knowing that if I opened my mouth I'd no
doubt say something I couldn't retract. My anger with Fen tested my
self-control.
He seemed to understand, giving me a tiny nod. "Mika
will be your Ulfr," he said softly.
Mika's eyebrows shot in the air, her surprise way too
obvious. "But you said—"
Fen cut her off with a wave of his hand. "I have
changed my mind."
Mika scowled. "You do realize that means you will be
Joshua's Ulfr?"
Fen bristled at her dry, disrespectful tone, and I laughed
so loud I almost choked as I hurried to swallow the last sip of my divine
drink.
"You and Joshua?" I asked, not even bothering to
swallow my giggle.
Fen looked puzzled. His brow wrinkled as he asked,
"What? Why is that a problem?"
Mika and I exchanges incredulous stares, both shaking our
heads. For a while, I forgot my anger.
"You have some work to do then, Fen," I remarked.
"You wouldn't want poor old Joshua to get nervous and slice you in two by
accident, would you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Joshua is a tiny bit afraid of you, Fen." It had
been on the tip of my tongue to refer to Fen as the big bad wolf, but again I
had the good sense to shut up.
Fen shrugged. "Fear can be a useful tool for a
Warrior," he said, rising and dismissing us with a single stern nod.
"So can rest. I suggest you get some. We will start our mission at
dawn."
I raised my eyebrows, unsure how Joshua's fear of Fen would
make him a better Warrior. I ignored the temptation to voice my thoughts.
An insidious chill crept down my spine. When it came to
being a better warrior, I was pretty sure there was one thing I had over the
rest of the team.
A strange brand of unadulterated rage.
Chapter 11
A loud knock roused me from a deep sleep—a Huldra with an
urgent summons from old One-Eye. In the thick of night, I hurried to Odin's
Hall to find the All-Father awaiting our arrival. But no Fen. There Odin sat,
looking minuscule on the large seat of his throne: an old, one-eyed man,
hunched over his hand-carved cane—the simple, unassuming form in which the god
usually appeared. Guess he liked to look nondescript. Better than scaring the
shizzles out of us in his true gigantic form.
Odin leaned against the marble arm, his head slightly tilted
as he concentrated on the huge
Mead, but just as delicious.
"Thank you." I grinned, a little warm and fuzzy
from Mika's drink. When a slightly flushed Joshua leaned forward and introduced
himself to Mika, I watched in silent amusement. It didn't take long before I
concentrated on sipping my cider slowly, keen to avoid looking at the two of
them blushing and making goo-goo eyes at each other, preferring to enjoy my
drink without the cringe factor, thank you very much.
At last Mika tore her gaze from Joshua's and leaned closer
to me. "Everyone is very eager to leave for Midgard, you know."
I nodded politely, probably the only one reluctant to return
to Midgard. The loneliness of it punched me in the gut.
"Well, I see the two of you are getting
acquainted," Fen remarked, tapping the shoulder of the Ulfr next to Joshua
and nodding a dismissal; the Ulfr rose, bowed and hurried away. Fen sank into
the vacated seat beside Joshua, eyes flitting from the younger man to Mika and
back again.
Joshua's smile thinned, and he responded with a hesitant
up-and-down motion that looked more like a tic than a nod. He looked away from
the Ulfr general, his gaze running smack into Mika's. Then he scanned the room
as if desperate for someone to call him away. I held in a giggle, partly amazed
and partly amused—and, oddly, partly annoyed—as Joshua sat there, torn between
his fear of Fen and his attraction to Mika.
"Excuse me," he croaked as he rose from his seat.
"I have to . . ." He made his getaway, not bothering to finish the
thought, leaving Fen, Mika and I to stare after him.
Fen shrugged. "Bryn, I have not told you who your Ulfr
is yet." He glanced at Mika, and they shared an odd look.
I held my tongue, knowing that if I opened my mouth I'd no
doubt say something I couldn't retract. My anger with Fen tested my
self-control.
He seemed to understand, giving me a tiny nod. "Mika
will be your Ulfr," he said softly.
Mika's eyebrows shot in the air, her surprise way too
obvious. "But you said—"
Fen cut her off with a wave of his hand. "I have
changed my mind."
Mika scowled. "You do realize that means you will be
Joshua's Ulfr?"
Fen bristled at her dry, disrespectful tone, and I laughed
so loud I almost choked as I hurried to swallow the last sip of my divine
drink.
"You and Joshua?" I asked, not even bothering to
swallow my giggle.
Fen looked puzzled. His brow wrinkled as he asked,
"What? Why is that a problem?"
Mika and I exchanges incredulous stares, both shaking our
heads. For a while, I forgot my anger.
"You have some work to do then, Fen," I remarked.
"You wouldn't want poor old Joshua to get nervous and slice you in two by
accident, would you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Joshua is a tiny bit afraid of you, Fen." It had
been on the tip of my tongue to refer to Fen as the big bad wolf, but again I
had the good sense to shut up.
Fen shrugged. "Fear can be a useful tool for a
Warrior," he said, rising and dismissing us with a single stern nod.
"So can rest. I suggest you get some. We will start our mission at
dawn."
I raised my eyebrows, unsure how Joshua's fear of Fen would
make him a better Warrior. I ignored the temptation to voice my thoughts.
An insidious chill crept down my spine. When it came to
being a better warrior, I was pretty sure there was one thing I had over the
rest of the team.
A strange brand of unadulterated rage.
Chapter 11
A loud knock roused me from a deep sleep—a Huldra with an
urgent summons from old One-Eye. In the thick of night, I hurried to Odin's
Hall to find the All-Father awaiting our arrival. But no Fen. There Odin sat,
looking minuscule on the large seat of his throne: an old, one-eyed man,
hunched over his hand-carved cane—the simple, unassuming form in which the god
usually appeared. Guess he liked to look nondescript. Better than scaring the
shizzles out of us in his true gigantic form.
Odin leaned against the marble arm, his head slightly tilted
as he concentrated on the huge
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