Amaterasu looked over the car roof at Cass, who continued to stare at Mordred for several seconds.
“Better hurry, exceptionally bad people are going to arrive here soon. I sort of made a mess.”
“Hel,” Cass said. “I’m Loki’s daughter. Odin and Frigg’s granddaughter.” Her appearance changed slightly, and her skin tone took on a bluish tinge.
“I know who Hel is,” Mordred said. “What I don’t know is why you’re coming to me.”
“Because we need Hades, Diana, Selene, Irkalla, and all of the others who oppose Arthur. Because we need to get into the Norse realms and defeat those opposed to Odin’s rule. And we need to do it before we are overrun.”
“Why me?” Mordred asked again.
“The blood elves have found a way into Asgard, and they’re going after Yggdrasil. If they capture it, we will fall. And then Arthur and his minions will rule over the Norse realms.”
“You need to speak to everyone else, too,” Mordred said.
“That was our request,” Hel said, clearly trying to keep her patience.
“And what of the other weapons like yourself?” Amaterasu asked.
“I only know of Nate,” Mordred said.
“So, what of Nate?” Hel asked.
“Yeah, that’s where we’re going to have a problem. Nate’s undergone his nightmare transformation.”
“So we have one weapon, four missing, one dead, and one in a coma?” Amaterasu asked. “This is not the best news.” She looked over at Hel as the sounds of shouting came from the lift area.
“Shit,” Hel snapped. “You talk too much, Mordred. We’ve wasted time. Where is the base? Where can we find you?”
“Greenland,” Mordred said as both women jumped in their car, and sped off.
Mordred got in his car and hunkered down as another car sped past him out of the garage, presumably going after Hel and Amaterasu. He waited for a few seconds to ensure there was no one else, then drove out of the garage as quickly as possible. The car that he’d seen only a few seconds ago had been hit by a bus. He had no idea whether it had been an accident or not, but it was a hell of a coincidence.
He drove away from the wreck with several thoughts on his mind. Of all the things he might have expected today, Hel and Amaterasu’s appearance wasn’t one, and had given him more questions than answers. And he didn’t need even more things to add to the already-large pile of worry.
He wondered how long they had before Yggdrasil was breached. He realized that if the blood elves had left the dwarven world to go into the Norse realms, then that meant Baldr could be there, too. Mordred smiled. That was something to look forward to.
CHAPTER 37
Nate Garrett
Greenland
I opened my eyes and immediately wished I hadn’t. The light caused them pain and forced me to close them again. I went to rub my hand over my face and found myself chained to the bed with thick manacles. There didn’t appear to be any runes etched on them, so I tried to use my magic and . . . nothing. No hint of magic.
“Great, another place with runes in the walls,” I said. My throat hurt, and I needed a drink. “If anyone is there, I’m awake.”
The doors opened, and Hades walked in. He had several weeks’ worth of beard growth and looked tired. “Nate, you’re finally awake.” He unlocked the manacles and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Where am I?” I asked.
“My secret facility in Greenland. You’ve been in a coma for four months.”
I couldn’t quite process that as an answer. “What? Four months? But, I was . . . Mordred . . . He shot me. Is he okay?”
“We’ll bring you up to speed with everyone in a minute. I just need to make sure you’re okay. Can you sit up?”
I did as he asked.
“We’re going to run some medical tests,” he told me.
“Hades, I’m fine. I ache, and want a drink, but otherwise I’m good. My nightmare, Erebus, he saved me.”
Hades nodded. “Let me go get you a drink, and we’ll talk. Stay here.”
“Hello, Nate,” Erebus said from beside me.
“I thought you were going to vanish after I died.”
“Apparently not. The mark on your head unlocked a lot of things, but they’re all a jumble at the moment. It’ll take some time to sift through it.”
“Including who my father was?”
“That’s in there, but it’s not information I have. Your mind needs time to heal, as does your body. It’s been under incredible stress. Your lack of magic will not help things along.”
“My magic is gone full stop, isn’t it? I remember Mordred saying something about it.”
“Yes, for the next year, or thereabouts, you will have no magic. You are essentially just human.”
“Anything else?”
Erebus shook his head. “Hopefully when the year is up, you will regain your power. But when you do, it would be wise to be somewhere barren.”
“Why?”
I looked up as Mordred entered the room. “He’ll explain,” Erebus said, and vanished.
“Glad you’re up and about,” Mordred told me.
“I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck,” I said.
“Yeah, it’s not a fun experience. You’ve lost your magic, then.”
“I figured that bit out. Erebus said it’ll be a year before I can access it again. He also said any info unlocked by the mark will take a while to work through.”
“It was the same for me. Took about fifteen months to fully understand everything in my head.”
“Did you have messages from your parents in your head, too?” I asked.
Mordred shook his head. “No, I had no need. I know who they are, and I’ve always known who my mother was. Did Erebus say anything about when your power returns?”
“Be somewhere uninhabited.”
“Make sure you do that. I didn’t realize until it was too late and I’d destroyed a warehouse. When your magic returns, you’ll have full use for about a day; then it dies down. You’ll need to relearn some stuff. It’s not a quick process.”
“Untapped, incredible power, but at the cost of a year or more with nothing. Always give with one hand, take with the other with magic, isn’t it?”
Mordred laughed. “You need to come with me. There are some things you need to know.”
“I’m in a pair of shorts. Can I have a shower and get changed first?”
“Oh, sure. Shower’s over there. I think Hades said something about clean clothes for you in the drawer.”
I looked over at the door, which presumably led to the shower, and the light-blue chest of drawers. “I’ll be twenty minutes.”
“Take an hour. Have a long shower. You’re going to need it. A lot has happened.”
Mordred left me alone, and I went for a shower, making the powerful, high-pressure water as hot as I could bear.
“You feel up to a little company?” Selene asked from the doorway.
I opened the glass door to the shower. “I’m achy, but I’m sure I’ll manage.”
She dropped her robe to the floor, revealing that she was naked underneath, and stepped into the shower.