Treachery : book 2 of Codex Elysium

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Present time: Asgard

Rekkr stood in the gloom that was Valhalla, he was tired, hungry and sweating, his temper and patients were fraying quickly. The long ride from Nidavellar had been tiring, he had seen many things and some of it was deeply troubling. He needed to be by his king's side preparing for war not out here delivering pointless messages.

In order to get from Nidavellir to Asgard, Rekkr had to cross the mountainous region that was home to the giants – Jotunheim. The journey had been long and uneventful until he had reached the border between Asgard and Jotunheim. Rekkr was brought to a grinding halt by what he saw. There was no physical border between the two worlds, just wide open grasslands. No landmarks of any kind to define it.

That had all changed. Hundreds of giants were digging furiously. They were clearly marking a border, they dug a deep trench and were tossing all the earth into a great long mound on the Jotunheim side. Rekkr judged that the earth bank had to be about twenty feet high. Based on the way the giants needed ladders to get down into the trench, it had to be a good twenty foot deep at least. This was some serious earth works, the trench wasn't narrow either. Rekkr tracked the line of the earth wall, it wound its way like a ribbon off towards distant mountains in the west. Clearly the giants had been doing this for a long time. Rekkr looked towards the east, in the distance was the world sea. The giants were clearly digging their trench towards it. The dwarf growled in frustration as he realised what was happening. The giants were building a river to cut themselves off from the Aesir gods. Combined with a twenty foot wall and a deep river, that would be tough defences but it was the clear that the giants weren't finished there. They were carting tonnes of stone towards the earth bank. Were they thinking of building a wall on top?

Rekkr shook the thoughts off, it would still take them days to link that trench to the sea. He had plenty of time to cross back. The dwarf settled for looking around the gloom of Valhalla, this was not the mighty hall of legend. Where were all the feasting warriors? Why were the fires cold? So few torches lit? Rekkr's patients continued to fray as he paced back and forth in front of the gods table. Thor sat near the head of the table, his eyes tracking the pacing dwarf but otherwise unmoving. Next to the thunder god was an empty seat and then Freyr and Lin sat quietly. What was really trying Rekkr's patients though was the three mortals sitting opposite the gods. Mortals! Rekkr couldn't understand what he was seeing. Was this some kind of joke? This was meant to be the table for the gods, exclusively for the gods. Rekkr muttered curses in his native tongue as he continued to eye the three druids. In the middle of the trio sat a wise old looking man with long grey hair and beard. On either side of him were two girls that looked young enough to be his granddaughters.

A slim, golden-haired goddess moved around the table, refilling glasses of wine. She paused in front of Rekkr and raised the jug questioningly.

"I don't have time for drinks!" roared the dwarf "I must deliver my message to Odin right now!"

Thor slammed his fist on the table, making glasses jump and spill their contents "Be quiet scum! The high one will be here when he chooses and no one will tell him different!"

Rekkr's hand shot to the handle of his sword at his hip, he glared at the thunder god. "He will see me right now! I must say. I think very little of the fabled hospitality of Valhalla" Rekkr began to draw his sword, Thor rose to his feet menacingly "In fact" the dwarf continued "I find myself extremely disappointed with it"

The doors to Valhalla slammed open with a deafening boom, Odin stormed into his hall and shouted. "Is that so? And why exactly should the Aesir extend their hospitality to a dwarf?"