A story in the Grains of Time Saga. For an introduction to this saga, I recommend reading my mini-guide
Trembles Yggdrasil's (*4)
ash yet standing;
groans that aged tree,
and the jötun is loosed.
Loud bays Garm
before the Gnupa-cave,
his bonds he rends asunder;
and the wolf runs
(*5)(Voluspå)
~~~~~
The landscape was barren. As he looked up to the sky, he noticed it was dark as the ground, no hint of blue at all. It was the kind of dark you get at night, it was much, much blacker. So black it hurt to look at.
The ground was hot under his feet. He moved several paces to the right, but it was still hot. So incredibly hot it even hurt to breathe. In the back of his mind a sound began to register. An almost cackling sound, changing with every breath.
Slowly he realised it was the sound of something burning. Scanning the landscape for the source, he saw a shadow of flames play on the ground far away. Something was burning on the horizon, something big.
“I remember this,” a low voice said by his ear, and he turned to look at Erik. Covered in ash and sot, the great Viking looked like he'd walked through fire. “This is how the world ended.”
Nick opened his mouth to reply, but never got sound out. Above him he suddenly heard ravens cry out, and he could have sworn it sounded like human cries. Crying out for him.
“You are too late,” Erik said. “Too late.”
Amanda screamed.
And Nick ran towards the flames, knowing he was indeed too late.
Nick jolted awake, almost banging his head against the seat in front of him. Raven gave him a curious look in the seat beside him, but said nothing. Taking several deep breaths, he forced the panic from the dream away. He wouldn't be too late. Besides, Amanda and Erik were more than capable to take care of themselves. Still, he wished the plane could fly just a little faster.
“How long do you and Erik go back?” he asked, just to have something to talk about. She raised an eyebrow.
“Way, way back. We spent a century together training.”
“Erik was your teacher?”
A smile tugged at her lips as she answered. “No, not exactly. I was his teacher.”
He looked impressed, she noticed, but not as much as other fresh Immortals she had met. There was a fine, yet important line between being in awe and being impressed.
“Do you know why he decided to be my teacher?”
She didn't answer right away, wondering how much to say. Erik did things for his own reasons, but she had known him long enough to see those reasons clear as daylight.
“He saw potential in you, I think. We can be killed, Nick. And when we die, we want to leave something behind. We can't have kids, but that doesn't mean we can't leave a trace. Come a century or two you might take a student too.”
“I can't think that far ahead.”
“It seems a very long time when you're as young as you. I'll tell you a secret though.”
He glanced over at her.
“It is a long time. And never forget it.” Her voice was serious, and she leaned back in her seat looking very far away. A thousand years away, perhaps.
He let his own thoughts trail off, but not in time, just in place. “Damn you Amanda”, he thought. “There isn't a place I wouldn't follow you to.”
******
Amanda waited impatiently as Erik spoke hurriedly in his native tongue to a police officer. She felt restless, so bad it was nearly itching. She could barely stand still.
She wasn't dong anything wrong, she told herself. She was just protecting Nick by not telling him. If he'd known, he'd want to come along and he stood no chance against an Immortal as old and powerful as Loke. She had a right to do this.
So why did she feel so bad about it?
“He's in Oslo all right,” Erik declared, walking up to her. “I'm not surprised. He's waiting for me.”
“So you're just gonna walk up and challenge him?”
“Yes.”
“Remind me again why you wanted me to come..?”
“If I fail, you must challenge him and win. And..” He reached for something in his coat and handed her a wooden box. She accepted it after a moment's hesitation.
“Give it to Nick in a decade or two if I should not win. He should have learned enough by then. Or if he's dead, you keep it.”
“Yeah, of course.” She bit her lip slightly. He was arranging his affairs. That could only mean he thought he might lose. She'd been there a few times, believing her end to come, and it was not a good place to be in.
“Tomorrow I will walk up to Holmenkollen and challenge Loke.” Erik waved vaguely in the northwest direction.
“Why there?”
“We fought there before, once, long ago. A great epic battle. I would have lost, had it not been for Raven.” Erik's trembled just a little bit. “When I first met her.. I had just died my first death, and she stood there, like an angel, telling me to come with her. She was so old, so wise, so beyond me, and I loved here from that moment. She trained me, and showed me the world. She was with Odin then, and I wasn't even jealous, so happy was I to be near her. And he was a great man. When Odin died, I was so angry and filled with grief. I went after Loke, even though he was far beyond my skill. She stopped us, telling us there had been enough death.”
He sighed, looking lost in the past. “I have loved her for so long she was a part of me. You understand that, don't you?”
She just nodded, trying not to think of Duncan MacLeod too much. She briefly wondered where he was, and if he was thinking of her.
“I will not let that bastard Loke have any part of her, and certainly not her Essence.”
Again, she nodded. Every once in a while you came across someone so special they stayed with you no matter if you lived thirty years or thirty thousand. Rebecca had been one, and they way she'd spoke of Raven, Amanda could understand Erik.
Oh, she understood him all too well.
******
Frank let an arm encircled Rachel as she slept, kissing her shoulder lazily. He loved lying like this, feeling closer to her than when she was awake. There were no walls now, no arguments. Just the two of them, together.
He traced slow patterns on her bare back with his fingertips, waiting for her to slowly wake up. It was Saturday, so there was no immediate rush.
It was worth it. On a warm Saturday morning like this it was worth it ten times over. Giving up his Immortality so Rachel might live. She didn't like to talk about it, as if it would go away if she ignored it, but he knew she would have to face it eventually. Just as he'd had to face her Immortality.
The memories were still foggy, and he wasn't sure just how he'd done it. He remembered the sense of terrible urgency and dread as he'd seen a vision of Rachel dying, and the feeling of waning to protect her and David no matter the cost.
Rachel began stirring as his fingers dropped down to her hips. She muttered something he couldn't quite catch, and then suddenly bolted from the bed and straight for the bathroom. The door slammed shut after her.
Seconds later, he heard her throw up. There was no mistaking the sound, and he grimaced.
Rachel felt dizzy. Her world span, and no matter how hard she tried to focus she couldn't make it stop. Waves of nausea washed over her. She wanted to throw up, but there was nothing to throw up anymore.
“Rachel?” came Frank's worried voice from the other side of the door.
“I'm fine,” she muttered, sounding less convincing than she'd liked. Taking one long deep breath, she stood up and opened the door.
“I thought Immortals didn't get sick,” Frank remarked as she brushed past him rather briskly.
“I'm not sick.”
“Of course not.”
She just ignored him, but the words echoed through her mind. She couldn't be sick. Could she?
*******
The sky was so very, very dark. David looked at it curiously; he'd never seen a sky so dark. It was beyond black, but even as it looked it began to light up. He watched it turn dark grey, then light grey, then blue.
The ground, which had been barren under his feet, began to sprout and grow. Within minutes he stood on a green field, and everywhere he looked it was so green. The sun rose high on the sky and felt warm against his skin.
He heard a tingling laughter beside him and turned to look at a young girl. Her long dark hair moved with the wind as she ran past him. He ran after her, not quite knowing why, but he knew he had to.
“Daviiiiiid!” she called, “Daviiiiid! Come find me!”
The grass was so tall now he couldn't see her, but he followed the sound of her laughter until he found her in a bed of flowers.
“You found me,” she smiled, “Now can you find mum?”
David opened his eyes and looked up at the roof. The sun was warm on his face, and he felt warm and good inside. Fingering with the small chain Raven had given him, he smiled happily.
He was going to have a sister.
*******
Erik watched the dawning sun with a hint of sadness. It was his last sunrise, for today he would die. He'd always known it would come; yet he found himself filled with dread. A true warrior did not fear death. But.. Oh, there was so much he wanted to have done.
So much he should have done. Stayed with Raven longer. Seen more of the world. Seen more sunrises. Even though he had lived for sixteen hundred years, one more day of living felt so long.
He had known how he would die for a long time, but not when. As he closed his eyes, he recalled the vision Yggdrasil had given him.
He stood on the grassy hill of Holmenkollen and looked over Oslo. It glimmered in the sun, reflecting the light up at him. His own sword glimmered too, as he lifted it in a gesture to Loke. The other man looked at him with scorn.
No words were spoken as they exchanged a few blows. Both held back, eyeing the other. Finally, Erik charged and their swords flew through the air.
They fought until both were breathing heavily, and sweat was covering their faces. But with each thrust, Loke was getting a little bit faster. And finally, he knocked the sword from Erik's hands.
Erik didn't scream, didn't breathe, didn't even blink as the sword came at him.
Exhaling, Erik pushed the memory away. He'd always known it to be true, and now he had to face it.
The coward believes he will live forever
If he holds back in the battle,
But in old age he shall have no peace
Though spears have spared his limbs
(Håvamål)
~~~~~
The air was slightly colder than it had been in Paris, and Nick shivered involuntarily. It was a nice enough day, blue and clear sky and only a small wind rushing through the trees. But the wind was still cold, even if the sun was warm.
Beside him, Raven was sitting calmly and staring out at nothing. The air around her seemed tense, but she herself was strangely calm. When he'd asked her what she was doing, she had just given him a impatient wave.
She closed her eyes suddenly, and with a sharp intake of breath she shuddered, just once.
“Holmenkollen. Of course,” she muttered, urgency in her voice.
“You know where they are?”
“Yeah. Come on,” she declared, jumping of the hood of the car where she had been sitting.
“Many great battles have been fought there ,” she explained, “Tor was killed there. Erik and Loke battled there too and would have killed each other had I not come. They will be there.”
“Thor?” Nick asked as he got in the car with her.
She smiled grimly. “Slightly different spelling, but yes. He was a great man, and I taught him well.”
“You mean Thor was..”
“Immortal.” She put the car in gear and spun onto the road. “Where do you think the legends about him creating lightning came from?”
“Quickenings,” Nick muttered. “You're telling me Nordic mythology came from Immortals?”
“Not all of it, of course.” She barely dodged a car as she drove the car forward way over the speed limit. “A lot of it can be tributed to people's imagination. But.. Yeah, some of us were real people.”
“Us?”
She gave him a look that could mean anything, the car screaming as she turned a curve.
“Who were you?”
She waited so long before she answered he almost thought she would ignore the question.
“I was one of the oldest,” she said in a low voice, and pushed the gas pedal even further down.
*******
The sky was as blue as he knew it would be, when Erik stepped onto the highest point on Holmenkollen. Beneath him, the city shone in the young sunlight. He brought his sword out just as Amanda walked up beside him.
“Are you sure about this?”
He nodded, feeling strangely calm now that the moment was here.
“Go to his home and wait there,” he instructed her, “When Loke comes back..”
“Or you,” she cut in.
“Fight him and win.”
“I will.” She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss and looked him deeply in the eyes. “Thank you for what you have done for Nick.”
She turned and walked away with a little less than her usual sway. Erik didn't watch her go. He looked up at the brilliant blue sky and thought of Raven. Holding the sword out, he waited until the sudden insisting Buzz in his head told him Loke was near.
*******
The car pulled up with screaming brakes and Raven jumped out of the car almost before it had stopped. They had driven almost to the top of the hill, and even in their hurry Nick noticed that the view was fantastic.
It was too early for any nature walkers, Raven figured, as the parking lot was largely empty. She scanned the area, trying to sense any Presence nearby. It was hard with Nick so close.
She closed her eyes and forced herself to remember that dreadful night so many, many years ago when Erik and Loke had fought and the tree had burned. It had been a small clearing, surrounded by thick wood back then. The area had changed, but..
She opened her eyes again, and began walking eastwards. After a few metres she broke into a run, and Nick followed. She felt a terrible sense of urgency like an ache in her heart. The wood soon became thick around them, and she slipped on some wet patches of snow still remaining. As she fell, it felt like her head was about to explode.
Erik and Loke. Nearby.
She stumbled up again and tried to catch up with Nick.
Nick felt the pounding in his head warning him several Immortals were near. Through an opening between some trees he saw something glimmer in the sun. He could hear steel clashing with steel.
There was a loud clank of metal just as he broke free of the forest and into the clearing.
Erik's sword was on the ground. Without thinking, Nick dived for Erik's opponent, trying to stop the blow. He was too late.
The sword met its mark seconds before Nick crashed into who had to be Loke, a great, tall blonde man. They both tumbled forward, but Nick managed to regain his balance somewhat. Loke didn't. Falling backwards he tumbled over the ledge with a loud curse just as the sky darkened.
The Quickening came at Nick even as he struggled to remain standing. He felt power surged through him and the first bolt of lightning strike. He sensed something creep into him, power, knowledge, memories and maybe even soul of what had been his teacher. It was all he could do to stand until the lightning stopped.
Nick had just managed to calm his breathing when Raven came running from the darkness. Her face was drawn, and her face fell as she took in the situation within seconds. Then she came at him. At first he thought she was going to attack him, but she didn't reach for her sword. She simply flung her arms around her and kissed him.
He tried to protest, but suddenly realised she wasn't really kissing him. She was kissing Erik and whatever Essence remained of him in Nick. So he let her, holding her lightly. After a while she broke it of and leaned into his arms.
She broke into what he assumed was Erik's native tongue, words tumbling out of her mouth. He couldn't understand and yet understand what she was saying at once. She was saying goodbye.
When she pulled back, she seemed more collected and managed not to look embarrassed.
“I'm sorry,” she said in a clear voice. “I just had to..”
“I understand,” he cut in, “I didn't..”
This time she cut in. “I know. I was right behind you. Loke took the shortcut down. We have to find him before Amanda does. I will not have any more fighting in my name. Come on.”
Still feeling out of breath, he followed her as fast as his legs managed. He felt weak in the knees and barely managed to stumble to the car. He was glad he wasn't driving, he had a distinct urge to throw up.
*******
David sat by the window feeling warm and content in the hot sunlight when he began to doze of. He didn't feel tired, but his eyes closed nevertheless.
He stood on the grassy field again, looking up at the biggest tree he had ever seen. When he reached out and touched it, it seemed to pulsate lightly. Like a heartbeat.
“Impressive, isn't it?” the big man said, coming from behind it. He was dressed in strange clothing, David noticed, a kind he'd never seen before.
“I remember it,” Erik continued, “And now I shall rest beneath it.”
“You're dead?”
“Even angels die, David.” He lifted his arm and pointed out over the field and David looked. At first, he saw nothing. Then fog drifted forward and in the fog he saw Amanda fighting a shadow. He couldn't see clearly, as he strained to see the fog drifted away.
He ran after it, but even as he ran, the fog seemed to drift further and further away.
“David?”
He awoke with a start, looking into his mum's face. She looked worried, she always did when he did something she didn't think was normal. He didn't want her to worry so much.
“I dreamt about Amanda,” he said in an uncertain voice.
“Oh honey,” Rachel sighed. “She will be all right.”
She wondered if she was trying to convince him, or herself. She hugged him warmly, wondering what kind of life he would have. She would have to explain Immortality to him, especially because he would become one.
“Do you miss dad?” he asked out of the blue, and it took her a few seconds to manage an answer.
“Of course I do.”
“Why didn't he become an angel, mum?”
Seeing the question in his eyes, she realised it was time to tell him. He wasn't a little boy anymore, and she couldn't protect him from the truth. Not anymore.
*******
Part Three
