Page 37 of Odin

Loki waved his hands. "Yes, you go do human things. I promised Jorunn we would break the bed before breakfast, so I will go wake her."

Freyja looked at Odin. "Should we follow him, to make sure she's all right?"

Odin smiled. "Just as I am your protector, he is hers. As long as he is cursed, he cannot hurt her. Besides, Jorunn is made of the same stuff as the shieldmaidens of my time. It is Loki who must watch himself with a woman like that."

FORTY-TWO

"If they are on foot, then they will arrive here tonight," Thor said. "We must have a plan."

"How could they possibly know where we are? No one knows we're here except us. They couldn't possibly have followed us here unless they could fly, in which case, they'd already be here. So what makes you think they'll come here?" Sibyl asked.

"Because even the dullest witch can do a scrying spell to find what they are looking for," Loki said.

Jorunn brightened. "So you can tell us where they are?"

Loki winced. "I can try, but unless I recognise the place, it still won't help."

"But we still must have a plan," Thor insisted. He turned to Odin. "What shall we do?"

Odin sighed. That was the problem, wasn't it? Thor and Loki, like the rest of his men, would follow him anywhere. They'd even followed him here. But then, just like now, he still hadn't truly known a way they could win.

"What do we know? The witch is coming, with the wolf man. He is her protector, so any threat to the witch will be met with force from him," Odin began.

"I will fight Fenrir. I have my hammer, and I am stronger now. There are no other warriors here to distract me. This time, I will be victorious, leaving the rest of you to deal with the witch," Thor said eagerly.

"Do we know what powers the witch has? She is a healer, and she cast the curse on us. What else could she do?" Odin asked.

Loki spread his hands wide. "Her mother was a powerful enchantress, whose spells kept me captive in Erik's longhouse while the battle raged outside. If she learned magic from her mother, and inherited even part of her power, there is no telling what spells she might cast."

"So we make sure we meet them outside. I don't want any of you destroying my lab," Freyja said.

Odin nodded. "Yes. If there is a battle, it must be outside in the courtyard. We three warriors will meet them, while you women..."

"Here it comes. Scratch a man and you'll find the misogyny," Jorunn said, setting her hands on her hips. "I've got news for you, big Viking warrior. Us girls aren't hiding anywhere. You three might be good at whacking things with swords and hammers and axes, but you know bugger all about this time, or the world as it is now. If they know even the slightest bit more than you do, you're fucked. You need us."

"Loki," Odin began, appealing to the man for help.

Jorunn just shook her head. "If you're about to tell him to control his woman, I'm about to dump this can of coke in your lap. You might be made of living stone, mate, but this is acid, strong enough to clean coins. How long do you think Freyja will stay with you if I melt your cock off?"

"You would use sorcery on me?" Odin asked.

Jorunn shrugged. "Actually, it's just basic chemistry. Or alchemy, for the medieval misogynists in the room."

Loki just stared at her like a lovesick fool. "Marry me," he said.

Jorunn considered for a moment. "If we survive this encounter with a thousand year old witch and her immortal werewolf, I will."

Loki's grin widened. "So, while Thor's playing with the wolfman, we distract the witch. If she bites her lip, distract her before she can cast a spell. Blood fuels her magic, so whatever you do, don't make her bleed. When the wolf is down, we fan out and surround her. She can't take all of us at once, and we convince her to tell us where Erik is, if he's still alive, and maybe even break the curse. Freyja, is there a particular place outside we should choose for our battlefield?"

Freyja nodded. "The courtyard between the loading dock and the outbuildings, next to the helipad. It's still covered in snow, so...maybe we could distract the witch by throwing snowballs at her? Odin?"

Loki burst out laughing. "Did he tell you about the time he knocked out a reindeer with a snowball? He stole it from me and everything. I already had it half tamed, and he just came in and wham! It woke up harnessed to his sled, and that was it. It was Odin's pet reindeer after that." He shook his head. "Maybe that'll work on the witch. If all else fails, knock her out with a snowball, Odin."

Odin buried his head in his hands. "This is a terrible plan."

Thor clapped him on the back. "Then let's go outside to the courtyard and think of a better one!"

They all trooped down to the loading dock, where the girls donned their snow gear and the guys stood around waiting, not sure what to say. As if their easy camaraderie as brothers in arms had been left frozen in the ice while the centuries passed.

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