had to admit, Meghan looked incredible, not that he was really admiring the clothes.
Val clapped her hands to get their attention. “Okay, you two, sit down and eat. You’re going to need your strength.”
As Jord suspected, the eggs were loaded with onions and green peppers.
Val raised an eyebrow at him when he turned up his nose. “You’re welcome.”
Meghan dug in to the food. “This looks great, Val.
Jord just grunted. “Could use some ham, and a bit of cheese.”
“And you could use some common sense.” There was a hint of anger in Vals’s voice.
“What?” Jord feigned innocence, but he knew. He’d been expecting this outburst since Val burst through the cabin door.
“Taking a mere hundred bright elves into the heart of Nokkurra? You were almost killed.” Her voice was rising, she was really upset. “I offered to come along, as you may recall.”
“Look, Val—”
Val brought the spatula down on the counter hard. “Don’t you Look, Val me. I was on my way, I’ll have you know, but I would have been much too late to do anything more than haul your sorry ass spirit off to Valhalla.”
Jord shook his head. At times Val was worse than his mother.
“Thank goodness Meghan was there.” Val’s voice softened as her eyes moved to the mortal woman. “You did well, sister. The bright elves are already making songs about your heroics.”
“My heroics?” Meghan blushed.
“Jord was lucky to have such a resourceful mortal by his side,” Val then leveled her piercing gaze back on Jord as her voice raised, “though he should have had his Val . . . kyr . . . ie!”
Val punctuated each syllable of the last word with a stab toward Jord with her spatula. Silence filled the room, and Jord hastily started eating. This was not a battle he could win.
“Now.” Val sighed. “Magni has returned from Jotunheim. The army of Fenrir is starting to come together and is making ready to move out toward Asgaard.”
Meghan looked confused. “Magni?”
Jord nodded. “My other brother.”
Val continued. “He saw no sign of your father, and the advanced scouts are already at the Well of Mimir, so Odin has ordered a bolstering of the northern defenses, expecting the attack to come from Urd.”
“Sorry?” Meghan shook her head. “I didn’t understand any of that.”
Jord chuckled. “I’m not surprised.
Val pressed on. “Mimir and Urd are springs that feed Yggdrasill, the world tree. Using the tree will allow the army access to Asgaard without having to battle up Bifrost.”
Meghan still didn’t look as if she understood, but she nodded anyway. It made sense to Jord, though. Even a small force could hold the rainbow bridge against an invading army, but attacking from the north would allow Fenrir’s army to spread out and siege the walls of Asgaard easily.
“So Grandfather knows where the assault will be coming from.” Jord hoped to clarify things, at least a little, for Meghan.
Val nodded, but raised her eyebrows in her here’s the kicker look. “But, there is a small force of giants heading this way. They carry a crate marked with strange runes, and are making their way toward the portal here, at Eagle Mountain.”
Jord stood. “Here? Why here?” He began to pace, not liking this turn of events. Why would the giants send a force to Midgaard?
Val folded her arms and tapped her foot. “Perhaps they are trying to hide something away from the fighting in Asgaard . . . something or someone.”
Jord’s head spun with the possibilities. “Father.”
Val nodded. “That is what your brother conjectured. He would have tried to take on the force himself, but needed to return to Asgaard first with his news of the invasion. He was going to come back here, but I told him you were already here and we could handle it, so he stayed to help with the defenses.”
Jord was still pacing. “We’ve got to find out what is in that crate.”
Val pointed at Jord’s plate of unfinished food. “Magni
Val clapped her hands to get their attention. “Okay, you two, sit down and eat. You’re going to need your strength.”
As Jord suspected, the eggs were loaded with onions and green peppers.
Val raised an eyebrow at him when he turned up his nose. “You’re welcome.”
Meghan dug in to the food. “This looks great, Val.
Jord just grunted. “Could use some ham, and a bit of cheese.”
“And you could use some common sense.” There was a hint of anger in Vals’s voice.
“What?” Jord feigned innocence, but he knew. He’d been expecting this outburst since Val burst through the cabin door.
“Taking a mere hundred bright elves into the heart of Nokkurra? You were almost killed.” Her voice was rising, she was really upset. “I offered to come along, as you may recall.”
“Look, Val—”
Val brought the spatula down on the counter hard. “Don’t you Look, Val me. I was on my way, I’ll have you know, but I would have been much too late to do anything more than haul your sorry ass spirit off to Valhalla.”
Jord shook his head. At times Val was worse than his mother.
“Thank goodness Meghan was there.” Val’s voice softened as her eyes moved to the mortal woman. “You did well, sister. The bright elves are already making songs about your heroics.”
“My heroics?” Meghan blushed.
“Jord was lucky to have such a resourceful mortal by his side,” Val then leveled her piercing gaze back on Jord as her voice raised, “though he should have had his Val . . . kyr . . . ie!”
Val punctuated each syllable of the last word with a stab toward Jord with her spatula. Silence filled the room, and Jord hastily started eating. This was not a battle he could win.
“Now.” Val sighed. “Magni has returned from Jotunheim. The army of Fenrir is starting to come together and is making ready to move out toward Asgaard.”
Meghan looked confused. “Magni?”
Jord nodded. “My other brother.”
Val continued. “He saw no sign of your father, and the advanced scouts are already at the Well of Mimir, so Odin has ordered a bolstering of the northern defenses, expecting the attack to come from Urd.”
“Sorry?” Meghan shook her head. “I didn’t understand any of that.”
Jord chuckled. “I’m not surprised.
Val pressed on. “Mimir and Urd are springs that feed Yggdrasill, the world tree. Using the tree will allow the army access to Asgaard without having to battle up Bifrost.”
Meghan still didn’t look as if she understood, but she nodded anyway. It made sense to Jord, though. Even a small force could hold the rainbow bridge against an invading army, but attacking from the north would allow Fenrir’s army to spread out and siege the walls of Asgaard easily.
“So Grandfather knows where the assault will be coming from.” Jord hoped to clarify things, at least a little, for Meghan.
Val nodded, but raised her eyebrows in her here’s the kicker look. “But, there is a small force of giants heading this way. They carry a crate marked with strange runes, and are making their way toward the portal here, at Eagle Mountain.”
Jord stood. “Here? Why here?” He began to pace, not liking this turn of events. Why would the giants send a force to Midgaard?
Val folded her arms and tapped her foot. “Perhaps they are trying to hide something away from the fighting in Asgaard . . . something or someone.”
Jord’s head spun with the possibilities. “Father.”
Val nodded. “That is what your brother conjectured. He would have tried to take on the force himself, but needed to return to Asgaard first with his news of the invasion. He was going to come back here, but I told him you were already here and we could handle it, so he stayed to help with the defenses.”
Jord was still pacing. “We’ve got to find out what is in that crate.”
Val pointed at Jord’s plate of unfinished food. “Magni
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