Part 28 (2/2)
The young girl, Skuld, Hmphed, turned her back on the two women.
”Fine,” she said, her nose raised in the air. ”Your arm was in the Bifrost. And what did the Bifrost travel through? Oh right,” she said abruptly, cutting off any hope Gwynn had of answering, ”the Veil. And do you really think anything rots or dies here? Time is meaningless. You could hang on that tree for a thousand years and never grow older than a day. It's part of the reason why you naturally born Anunnaki don't age properly. So yeah, your arm is here, in the Veil. It's spent all this time soaking up this place's sweet energies. You all rely on weapons you shape from your hearts, but how powerful do you think your arm is now? The heart can be so fragile and fickle. But your hands can be strong and determined. You can depend on your own two hands more than your heart.”
Gwynn laughed incredulously. It hurt, but he didn't care. He laughed more just to mock the absurdity.
”And where should I look? Or even better, what the h.e.l.l am I going to do with the arm when I find it? The wound healed a long time ago.”
”Really?” Skuld said to the women, seeming to have forgotten they'd made her angry only a moment ago. ”You think this one is going to help?”
She shook her head.
”Well, we happen to know exactly where your stupid arm is. And as to what to do about it, just touch it to where it belongs. The Veil never forgets anything. So long as they're reunited here, your body and arm will remember they belong to each other. But first, you should finish communing with the tree.”
”Please explain that,” Gwynn said.
”Did you not understand the stories Veroandi and Uror told you?”
”In the stories,” Gwynn said, ”Odin gave himself as a sacrifice in his own name. I'm not a G.o.d. I was pinned here by Xanthe, who apparently hates me.”
”Odin is no G.o.d,” Skuld said. ”You should know that better than anyone else. And as for Xanthe, I think his actions were partly because he was compelled to, but also his anger at you leaving him behind.”
”Me leaving him? Didn't you hear the things he said to me? Not to mention I haven't been able to summon the sword since I lost my arm.”
”You mean since you found love,” she said.
Gwynn paused, not able to answer. When had he first tried to summon the sword again? How many months did Sophia help him back to health? Days of pain, frustration, and guilt. Through them all, she'd been the only thing to keep him going. All he'd done in the past seven years, the man he'd managed to become, was thanks to her.
”Look, don't make me deal with the past too much,” Skuld said. ”Let's just say all the things in your heart when you first summoned that sword aren't really the same anymore. And if they are, they're nowhere near as strong as they used to be. Your heart has changed, so you can't just go calling the same old sword anymore.”
”Here's what's going to happen,” she said. ”First, you're going to spend some time thinking more about what that tree might reveal to you instead of being Oh boohoo me, I'm stuck to a tree. Once you've gained the insights you need, and you will gain those insights,” she cut him off, ”you'll be ready to visit the well and retrieve your arm.”
”Well?”
”Oh yes, Mimir's Well. He's typically an approachable giant, but he doesn't like people taking things back from his well. So, you might have some problems there. But then, you never know, he might be convinced it's in his best interests to let you have it back. Either way, I'm pretty sure you'll get it back. Once you've got it, go back to that dusty bookshop in Iraq.”
”And then?”
She hmphed, set her jaw and tapped her foot. After a minute she shook her head.
”If you don't know what to do by then, we've made a huge mistake believing in you.”
Gwynn thumped his head back against the tree.
”Believed in me for what? You haven't told me what you expect me to do.”
Skuld took a few steps back from the tree, joining Veroandi and Uror who had left their table.
”We expect you to be who you are,” they said in unison. ”We believe you will be the word.”
Light radiated from their bodies, increasing in intensity until Gwynn could no longer keep his eyes open. A minute later, he opened them again to see the women and their table of knitting had disappeared.
21.
The Silenced Heart
Quetzalcoatl stormed into the room, his s.h.i.+rt half-b.u.t.toned.
”What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.
Fuyuko and Jason both were kneeling with their heads bowed.
”I am sorry for the interruption, My Lord,” Fuyuko said. ”But something has come to light we thought needed your immediate attention.”
”I've been told one of my elite guards, Hildy, is in the cells?”
”Indeed. She attacked the prisoner.”
Quetzalcoatl cast a disdainful glance toward Jason.
”Given his insolence, I suppose her actions could be seen as defending my honor.”
Fuyuko's body stiffened. Jason, beside her, felt it as opposed to seeing her body move.
”Perhaps,” she said, ”but we were monitoring the room's surveillance feed as the prisoner informed me he recognized Hildy as being in the service of Woten.”
Quetzalcoatl, who'd been pacing the entire time, came to a halt.
”And what did you see and hear?”
”Hildy confessed to being one of Woten's agents. In short, she previously faced Jason in a skirmish on Asgard, hence how they recognized each other. She sought to eliminate him before he could tell you.”
”Why not tell me when we first met?” Quetzalcoatl asked Jason.
Jason paused, licking his dry lips.
”Given my situation, without proof, you would take her word over mine. I believed you would frown on me further if you thought I was making false accusations.”
”You read situations well, I'll give you that. But tell me, was there ever really a list of these operatives, or was it a gamble to draw out the traitor within my own ranks?”
Fuyuko's movement was far more obvious this time. Jason hoped Quetzalcoatl's attention was too focused on him to notice. Despite trying to be subtle, it was clear she was readying herself to strike should the need arise. Would she attack an Ageless One to save him? If so, perhaps he hadn't lost entirely.
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