Goddess Of Ashes and Sun

CHAPTER NINETEEN (Shea)

I stood in the empty barracks, Njord and Artemis on either side of me, staring down at the quivering man with golden eyes. He'd held out longer than I'd thought he would. His will was strong. Admirable.

He struggled to his knees, blood dripping from his chapped lips.

    "You're wasting your time, I won't tell you anything." he cast those strange eyes on me, something like judgment hidden in them.

    "At this point Drengur, I'm just having fun," I spat back coldly.

Thor, Idunn, and Zeus marched through the door, fresh blood staining their clothes. I doubt any of the prisoners survived their wrath. Amy entered after them, her cold brown eyes surveying the walls of weapons.

    "Herra Augustine has betrayed us," she announced.

    "Shame. There could've been such promise with that one," Artemis said, flexing her stubby fingers.

They all turned to the golden-eyed manservant.

    "Has he cracked?" Idunn asked.

    "No. We've all had a try. Nothing," Njord answered quickly. He seemed unusually skittish today.

Thor stepped in front of the man, staring down at him with burning eyes. Suddenly without notice, he hit the man across the face, sending him flying into a rack of weapons, his head colliding with the metal rack. He slumped, unconscious against it.

    "Great, now he's unresponsive!" Idunn threw her hands up.

    "I doubt we would've gotten much out of him anyway," Zeus mused, staring at the man without compassion. "He either doesn't know anything or has nothing to lose."

    "What are we going to tell Lord Baran?" Njord asked.

    "The truth. He'll find out either way, it's best he hears it from us first," Zeus said gravely.

    "We're going to tell him about our failure? Like, face to face?" Njord's voice was a high pitch squeak.

    Thor turned on Njord and grabbed him by the collar, much like I'd done not too long ago.

    "You think we feel any better about this?!" His voice was an inhuman growl.

    "N-n-no. Sorry," Njord ducked his head into his chest and his body went limp. Thor tossed him aside.

    "Let's go. Amy, take the prisoner to a cell and guard him. We'll see what Lord Baran has in store for him."

    We all quietly followed Thor out of the barracks, tension stretching its way through the air. Njord sidled up beside me.

    "Shea, I just want to warn you that-" Idunn grabbed him by the back of the neck and threw him into the wall.

    "Shut it you little snake!" She grabbed a fist full of his hair and dragged him to the front of the group. Artemis gave me a wary look. I wasn't liking this.

    Thor led us to the ground floor and stopped in front of giant golden doors with black metal handles.

    "Wait here," he ordered me as everyone else slipped inside. "I'll tell when you he's ready."

I raised my eyebrows. He had to get ready? What in Odin's green earth did that mean? I waited in thick silence for what seemed to be an eternity before Thor swung the doors open and I was ushered in.

    It was a throne room. Not quite as large as the one I'd met Kaleb in, but still grand in size. Pillars of dark brown and golden stones were moulded into the walls, curving at the top to merge into the ceiling. Prayers were scribbled along the pillars in haunting handwriting, all addressed to Lord Baran. In the middle and towards the back was a golden throne and on that throne lounged a tall, thin, sickly pale man whose face was obscured by a gold and blue mask. He was dressed in all black silk and his white-blond hair was tied at the nape of his neck. Kneeling on the steps in front of the throne was an equally pale man with jet black hair and eyes. His mouth was covered with a metal gag that in turn was attached to a chain, the end of which was clasped tightly in Lord Baran's thin hands. Lord Baran had Death himself, Thanatos, on a leash and his knees. I wasn't liking this one bit.