Chapter 12
The Border
After a two-hour ride, Alina and Lysandros finally slowed to a normal trot. They emerged out of the woods onto a rocky beach and rode up to the edge of the wavy water. The tide was high, splashing against rocks along the beach, and frigid wind made them pull their cloaks tight to their bodies. Pinks and purples glistened off the water in the evening sun. They barely saw the outline of land through the thick fog in the distance.
“The Baltic Sea?” Lysandros asked, confused why Alina wanted to come to the home of the Danes. “Wait, I know this place,” he said, anger brewing in his stomach. “The locals call it Lietuva. It normally would have taken us weeks to get here. We could not have been riding more than two hours! Why are we here, Alina?”
“You know exactly why we are here,” Alina spoke coarsely without looking at Lysandros.
“Whoa, we are not going to get the Lost Brothers,” Lysandros threw his hands up in anger then pointed threateningly at her.
“That is exactly what we are going to do and you are going to apologize for them getting lost to begin with!” Alina’s tone grew furious.
“They will kill me the first chance they get! Especially since they’ve been living with the Danes for the last twenty years,” Lysandros said waving his hands around exasperatingly.
“First of all, you are part of the reason they have been living with the Danes. Secondly, no they will not because Breanna still needs you. The only thing we need to do is to convince them to help us,” Alina said, jumping down from Lightning and looking around the shore.
Lysandros dismounted and walked over to Alina. “Why wouldn’t they? They are her…”
“Because you and my husband left them here and forbade them from returning to Etruria!” Alina cut him off before he could finish his thought. “So not only do they not know their sister, but they may not even want to help her!”
“Why do you insist on defending them?” Lysandros shouted, throwing his hands in the air and almost smacking Magic, who huffed at the gesture, in the face.
Alina walked dangerously slow towards Lysandros pointing her index finger as she berated him. “Because you and Remus pushed them to their limits. You two fundamentally forced them to take their actions. You and my husband share the brothers’ blame.”
“Alina,” Lysandros said in shock, “they stormed the gates of Umbria and nearly overthrew the king. They almost caused a war between three kingdoms, even after we told them to leave the Umbrians alone!” Lysandros defended his and Remus’ decision.
“You gave King Hugar and his brother, Ieogo, back the land my boys took, which stopped them from retaliating. However, you seem to be forgetting that you were plotting to invade them anyway! You and Remus were merely sore because they did it first and with only three men. I, on the other hand, was incredibly proud of them.” Alina folded her arms and held her head high, beaming with pride.
“Of course you would be. That is the Celtic side of you. You are Alina, the Celtic Warrior Princess, patron of rogue soldiers,” Lysandros said, still emphatically waving his hands.
“Watch your tone, Lysandros, or you will see my Celtic side,” Alina spoke low in her Gaelic accent, rolling her Rs in a way that only happened when she was mad. Her eyes narrowed menacingly and the ground shook as she threatened him.
“Don’t threaten me, Alina. I am still a favorite of Mars and for good reason,” warned Lysandros taking a step closer to the furious queen.
“Ha, Mars! He too is partly to blame for this whole mess!” Alina scoffed at Lysandros’ warning. “I do not fear the God of War. I married his beloved son.”
“Do not speak of the God of War in that way. You will get us killed!” Lysandros yelled, scanning the perimeter expecting Mars to show up and smite them both.
“We are in Norse territory now. He holds no authority here,” Alina said and rolled her eyes.
“Yes, Norse territory. Home of more war gods than any other pantheon!” Lysandros yelled.
Alina made it perfectly clear Lysandros did not need to remind her by waving her hand dismissively.
Before Lysandros could retort, thunder rang through the skies and lightning crashed to the ground. Alina and Lysandros held tightly to the silver reins as the horses reared in protest. A large man stood on the charred ground where the thunderbolt collided with the beach. He was almost seven feet tall with red hair that flowed from under a fur rimmed Viking helmet. His clothes were made of white leather and iron armor. His arm muscles bulged as he held up a giant double-sided hammer.
“Loki! Show yourself!” the man bellowed, slightly hunched over looking at his surroundings. “Jævel!” the god cried out. He spun around and slammed his hammer down in the air. From the blow of the hammer, a scrawny man appeared and dropped to the ground.
“How dare you play with these humans? They are protected by our laws and not of our land. You have no authority over them!” The god picked Loki up by the collar and shook him in the air as he spoke.
“Dearest Thor, please forgive me. I did not know who they were,” Loki looked over at Alina and Lysandros. “Do forgive me, Your Majesties. I was unaware of your importance.”
“You knew exactly who they are and you proceeded with your antics,” Thor responded.
“I say not, Nephew. They are on the land we protect. I thought they were invaders, coming to harm our innocent and vulnerable subjects,” Loki pleaded with his captor.
“Save your excuses, Loki. You are forbidden to cause any more quarrels and use your magic to harm these two or anyone associate with them. Am I understood?” Thor continued to shake Loki as if trying to engrain the unspoken threat on his life.
“Of… course, miiiighty Th..Th..Thor. You arrrre al..wayyys cor..rect.” Loki’s response was staggered by the violent shaking.
“Enough of your sniveling you sly, bottom feeder,” Thor threw him to the ground and Loki sunk into the sand.
Thor rubbed his hands together as if to get rid of dirt, “Now as for you two, I apologize for Loki’s behavior. Odin will deal with him for his crime against your emotions. You are here to collect three of our warriors, are you not?”
Alina stepped forward and looked Thor square in the eyes as she corrected the thunder god. “With all due respect, Thor, they are our warriors and my sons.”
Thor threw his head back and let out a thunderous laugh. “She has a backbone the size of Asgard. Ha-Ha!”
Alina cleared her throat and poised herself. “The three brothers must promptly return. I need them to help my daughter.”
“I should say so. There are a few of us who would see The Power inside her destroyed, which in turn will mean her death. However, your clan exiled them here twenty years ago. What makes you think they will go with you now?” asked Thor.
“Because they are her brothers,” Alina answered flatly.
“That may be so, but they were abandoned by their father and this one standing before me.” Thor pointed to Lysandros without looking in his direction.
Lysandros threw his arms in the air once more. “They wer..”
Snap!
Thor snapped his fingers and Lysandros’ voice disappeared before he could repeat what the boys had done. “Yes, yes. I am well aware of what they have done.”
Thor waved his hand towards the water and a giant rainbow bridge shimmered into existence, “The Bifrost will connect you to the shores of the Danes. There is a small village a few miles away where you will find the Lost Brothers.”
Thor walked over to Loki and picked him up from the back of the collar. “I’ve granted you safe passage across our land. No Dane shall harm nor try to stop you. Keep in mind that the men you seek are not Danes.” Thor looked at Loki with an exhausted look and sighed, “Odin’s palace for you, Loki… Again.”
Another thunderbolt crashed to the ground and the two gods vanished. Lysandros coughed and made random noises to check that Thor had not damaged to his throat. Meanwhil
e, Alina examined the bridge Thor constructed. The rainbow colors glistened over the ice-cold waters of the Baltic Sea.
The bridge stood fifty feet above the water and twenty feet wide, big enough for two horses to get across. Alina pressed one finger into the violet stripe. The gelatinous strip bent around her fingertip. Despite her pressure, she could not pierce through the sheer material. It was soft enough to mold but strong enough not to break.
Lysandros seized Alina’s arm when she tried to mount Lightning, “Where are you going? There is no way this bridge can hold us. Don’t be foolish, Alina.”
Alina was still feeling the discord effects of Loki’s presence and ripped her arm out of his hand. “If you don’t wish to follow, then stay here and wait in the cold. Or better yet, make yourself useful and find a way to my daughter.”
Alina quickly mounted Lightning then jerked the reins so Lightning lurched to the right. Lysandros stumbled backwards as Lightning bolted across the Bifrost.
“Damn it, Woman,” Lysandros grunted as he mounted Magic.
Halfway across, Lightning froze as her hooves sank into the multicolored bridge. The jittery horse and her shaking legs wobbled the bridge high above the freezing water. No matter how hard Alina kicked, Lightning refused to budge.
As Lightning stood in one spot, her legs sank further into the bridge, up to her knees. Lightning whinnied in fear. Her legs protruded from under the structure wrapped in the colorful sheer material.
Back on shore, Magic reared in angst. Hold tight, Light!
Before Lysandros could stop him, Magic sprinted up the bridge with Lysandros in tow. His hooves did not make a ripple against the bridge’s jelly-like texture. When within a few feet of Lightning, he leapt into the air then slammed down on the bridge’s surface. Lightning catapulted out of the bridge. While in the air, Alina kicked her horse so hard Lightning took off running when her hooves reached the surface.
When Magic slammed himself down, Lysandros and Magic submerged enough so that the yellow strip came up to Lysandros’ thighs. The bridge’s texture was like quicksand. The more they struggled to get out the more they sank.
“Hold on, let me get my sword. I’ll cut our way out.” Lysandros unsheathed his sword and hacked away at the substance, but every cut he made instantly sealed itself.
Well, that is a pleasant discovery, Magic sneered while lifting his legs.
“Oh shush. Save your sarcasm until we reach the other side,” snapped Lysandros through puffs of breath as he swung his sword deep into the Bifrost.
“You expect me to see you in Tartarus? HA, it’s the Elysian Fields for me.”
“We’re not going to die here, you over grown mule. I mean the other side of the bridge,” Lysandros said, taking another slash at the bridge.
From up above their heads a strong wind pulsated down on them. Air whistled loudly in their ears making them deaf to their surroundings. A flash of light caught Lysandros’ attention. When he looked up, Alina waved her sword in the air, catching the sunlight. Desperately pointing upwards above his head, she was yelling something inaudible against the wind.
Lightning reared and Alina slowly mouthed the words: Above you.
Lysandros whipped his head upwards. Several winged horses hovering over their heads confronted him and Magic. Each had a female rider in silver armor. The leader of the female warriors did a swan dive off her horse and landed gracefully on the bridge without sinking.
She addressed Lysandros, “My name is Brynhild, and I lead this battalion of warriors. Odin has sent us. Toss me your reins.”
“I should think not. How can you remain still without sinking? You know, I am tired of your gods always getting in our way. Can’t you all see…”
“Silence, petulant man! We are here to help you. Unless of course you don’t want out of the Bifrost.” Brynhild raised an eyebrow to Lysandros.
Magic struggled once more with his legs but sunk further down. Yes, yes we want your help. Don’t pay attention to the petulant man. He’s a simpleton whose mind isn’t all there. Magic arched his back so that Lysandros fell forward onto his neck. Give her the reins, simpleton.
Lysandros tossed the silver reins to the mysterious woman who then leapt back up to her horse. Brynhild tied the reins to her saddle and urged her horse forward while another horse landed softly behind Magic. The horse stomped its feet in a cadence, creating waves that loosened the Bifrost, slowly freeing Magic’s legs. With his freed legs, Magic took off running towards Lightning and Alina.
Once Magic and Lysandros were safely on the other side, Brynhild and the other women landed next to Alina. Alina greeted Brynhild and her warriors. "Thank you so much for rescuing my friends. We are here to..."
"We know why you have come. Völva has already seen you and your quest. We are a half hour’s walk from Odin’s palace and the Great King Odin is expecting you at court,” Brynhild instructed.
Alina bowed her head and tried to mount Lightning. The horse reared and backed away in fright. Alina kept a firm grip on the silver reins and hummed soothingly.
“Fear not, Wit Blixtnedslag, you have been safeguarded by Thor and Odin. Not even we can harm you without severe punishment,” Brynhild reached out to stroke Lightning’s neck, but the horse recoiled.
Lightning huffed at the sound of her name in Swedish. She nudged Alina’s arm with her eyes wide in fear. “Easy, Tintreach Bán,” Alina rubbed the soft spot on her nose and smiled as she said her horses name in Gaelic, “Odin and Thor will protect us. We are close to those we seek.”
Lightning calmed down after hearing the proper form of her name in Gaelic. Alina remounted her steed and followed the women. Neither Lysandros nor Magic said a word.
“We should be on our best behavior, boy. I don’t believe these women are overly fond of men.” Lysandros patted Magic’s neck and he snorted in agreement.