Bonds of the Fallen
Chapter 25

Ace’s sword drooped in his hand, his eyes wide and unblinking as he stopped polishing his weapon, and silence cascaded through the room. Bat stood stock-still, her mind a chaotic whirlwind of thoughts she couldn’t quite grasp. They remained in that limbo, time stretching out until Ace’s quiet voice, laced with fear and confusion, broke the silence.

“What did they say to you?”

Bat shook her head as if to clear it and drew a deep, steadying breath. “I don’t even know,” she admitted. “They told me I am a being of time, whatever that means. I have more questions now than answers.” Her gaze lifted, eyes locking with Ace’s.

Ace slid an arm around her shoulders. “We’ll figure it out,” he promised. “We may not have all the answers right now, but we’re in this together, no matter what comes our way.”

Moja, however, stepped back. “I’m afraid this is where our paths diverge,” she said. “I’ll be there when you need me, but you need to go for now. The cottage is shifting back to where we first met.”

The sudden sharp rap at the door had them all tensing. Ace’s grip tightened on his sword, his body coiling, ready to spring into action. His gaze flicked to the door, searching for any hint of what—or who—might be on the other side. The knocking grew louder, more insistent. Ace crossed the room with fluid grace, sword poised for whatever awaited.

“There’s no need for that,” Moja chided gently, waving off the sword as she strolled over to open the door.

“Bat!” The door swung open to reveal Lyell, who rushed in, followed by Velika. Bat recoiled, but Lyell lifted his hands in a placating gesture.

“I’m so sorry. Rorick told me you were friends, and I was a fool to believe him.”

“Lyell rushed over as soon as he got word,” Velika explained, her eyes filled with a determination that matched Bat’s own. “We’ve been searching for the cottage, hoping to offer our help.”

A warm surge of gratitude filled Bat, and she embraced them both. As they stood there, she could feel the threads of their destinies intertwining, a pulsating web of energy that linked them in ways she couldn’t yet comprehend. She shared with them the details of her strange, otherworldly encounter.

Lyell’s gaze swept the room, taking in the rich furs, the array of mystical artifacts, and the intricate symbols etched into the floor. “What’s our next move?” he asked, his voice cutting through the thick silence that had settled.

Bat faced Lyell, her determination unwavering as she spoke. “Honestly, I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything.”

“The Harii will be here soon, hunting for you,” Velika interjected, her voice heavy with worry. “How can we help?”

Bat glanced at Ace, a silent understanding passing between them. “Get us back to the compound.”

Confusion etched Velika’s brow as she studied Bat, seeking an explanation.

Bat continued, “We’ll have you bring us in, telling them you tricked us into capture. That way, they won’t suspect you of working with us.”

Lyell’s eyes sparkled with mischief as a grin spread across his face. “I like your style. Having allies on the inside can make all the difference.”

Velika’s gaze was steady as she spoke. “I trust you, Bat. But I want you to know that I’m not happy about this. If we had more time, I could work on a way to mask your presence and give you some advantage.”

A mischievous smile played on Ace’s lips. “Time is a luxury we don’t have. Let’s consider this a little adventure. A chance to stir up some chaos and have some fun.”

Lyell’s laughter filled the room. “Now you’re speaking my language. I’ve always had a soft spot for a good adventure.”

Velika sighed, a resigned smile tugging at her lips. “You two are a handful. But alright, I’m in. For the greater good.” She crossed her arms, her gaze intense as she looked at Bat and Ace. “But you both better be careful. I won’t forgive you if you get hurt.”

“You need to leave now! The Harii will be here any moment, and they will replace us,” Moja’s voice was urgent as she ushered them towards the door. She grabbed Bat’s arm, stopping her just short of the threshold. “Remember, real power comes from within, not from external sources. Those will only corrupt you.” Moja’s eyes were intense as she spoke, her voice filled with urgency. “Your sisters have shown you the path. Now, you must have the courage to walk it. The Harii are getting closer. Go, now!”

Moja pulled Bat into a tight hug, the sound of distant footsteps echoing in Bat’s ears. She could feel the urgency in Moja’s grip, and she was released just as quickly. As Moja pushed her out the door, Bat turned for one last look, but the door had already closed behind her, the cottage vanishing as if it had never been there.

Standing at the forest’s edge, just outside the compound, Bat realized the Harii were closing in on them.

“Well, time’s a-wasting,” Lyell said, holding up a length of rope. “Let’s make this look real.”

Lyell and Velika efficiently moved as they tied Bat and Ace’s hands together. Once the ropes were secure, they exchanged a glance before leading their ‘captives’ towards the compound. As they approached, a group of Harii surrounded them.

Einar, their leader, stepped forward, his command echoing around them. “Stand down! I will handle this. Return to your posts.”

Einar’s presence was commanding as he approached them, his face twisted in a menacing snarl. He drew a long blade from his waist, his eyes flickering between Bat and Ace. Bat’s heart pounded in her chest as she took a step back. With a swift movement, Einar cut through the ropes, binding their hands.

Einar’s expression shifted, a laugh escaping his lips. “You look so confused,” he said. “I doubt you’d try to escape, especially since your captors here forgot to disarm you.” He shot a glare at Lyell and Velika. “If you wanted to escape, you would’ve done it already. We’re preparing to travel back to our realm. The treaty has been broken, and we’re mobilizing for what’s to come.”

“Are we at war?” Ace’s voice pierced the silence that had descended upon them.

“Yes, and our priority is to uncover the role you are meant to play in all of this,” Einar responded, his eyes shifting to Bat.

Her heartbeat quickened. “But why are you helping us?”

“I am not bound to the gods in the same way Val is. His position is precarious at best.” Einar’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Regardless of what you might think, you are both prisoners here. And if you believe anything I say, believe that we are doing what we believe to be right.”

“Where is Val?” A pulse of worry shot through her.

“The gods have once again summoned him. When he returns, we will make our way to our realm. We’ve already sent a small party ahead, including the Volva Hedda and your mother.”

“She’s alive?” Bat felt as though the floor had dropped out from beneath her.

Einar guided them through the maze-like corridors of the compound, their passage marked by the watchful eyes of guards who regarded them with undisguised suspicion. “She was spared the second death. Val hoped it would serve as a small atonement for his sins.”

A wave of relief swept over Bat, and she exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Val had spared her mother’s life, and hope flickered in her chest.

“Once we reach your quarters, we’ll begin your training,” Einar announced, pushing open a door and gesturing for Bat to enter. “Lyell and Velika will continue their investigations. We’ve reached out to the Volva who was aiding you, and we hope she’ll accompany us to our realm. As of now, she remains elusive.”

Ace paused beside Bat, hesitating before he spoke. “Do you want me to stay?”

She shook her head. “I need a shower.”

Ace chuckled. “Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.” With a wink, he strolled down the corridor to his room, accompanied by Einar.

Alone in her room, Bat closed the door and gazed at the towering tree in the center, its roots sprawling across the floor like a network of veins pulsating with ethereal energy. She felt the dirt and grime clinging to her hands, and with a sigh, she wiped the back of one hand against the other, smearing the soil across her skin.

Peeling off her clothes, her gaze was drawn back to the tree. She lowered herself into the small pool at its base, sighing as the warm, murky water enveloped her body. She tipped her head back, allowing the water to cascade over her face.

“Skuld,” she murmured, her voice swallowed by the water as she dipped her head beneath its surface. As the world faded into darkness, she didn’t resist its pull. She let the abyss envelop her, pulling her deeper into its embrace. The silence around her magnified the sound of her heartbeat, the golden threads that danced around her, and the ominous black hole that devoured everything in its path. The sight was both mesmerizing and terrifying in equal measure.

A gasp tore from her throat as she emerged from the water, her heart pounding in her chest. Bat stepped out of the pool, reaching for a robe to wrap around herself.

Nestled in the cushion of her bed, the aches and pains that had plagued her for days melted away, leaving in their wake a tranquility that threatened to pull her into the arms of sleep. But sleep remained elusive as the thud of heavy footsteps echoed outside her door. Val had returned.

Her heart in her throat, Bat made her way to Val’s room, pushing open the door to replace him slumped on the settee, a bottle of something substantial cradled in his hand. His hair stood on end. His clothes were in tatters and stained a dark shade of black. His eyes met hers with evident pain lurking in their depths.

He took a long swig from the bottle before he spoke. “The gods, they wanted me to kill your mother. To prove my loyalty to them and that I was one of them.” His voice trembled as he turned to face her. “They were right to doubt me.” The weight of his gaze was almost too much for Bat to bear.

“You spared her, though,” she whispered, her voice cracking.

His body folded in on itself as he took another gulp of the liquid. “Had it not been for your plea, I would have slaughtered them all.” His voice was a low rumble, heavy with pain.

A part of her yearned to hate him, to blame him for everything that had gone wrong. But as she looked into his eyes and saw the torment that lurked within, she found she couldn’t. She couldn’t bear to see him in pain.

“What happened?” She sank to her knees beside him, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Some wounds run deeper than flesh.” His body was a dead weight as he leaned into her embrace. She felt his sorrow, regret, and pain like hers. She wrapped her arms around him, feeling the heat of his skin against hers, the rhythmic beating of his heart against her chest.

“I thought I had lost you forever.” His voice was a low murmur against her skin. “The way you looked at me... it shattered me.”

Val’s eyes were pools of desperation as they locked onto Bat’s. His face, a canvas of pain, sorrow, and regret, pleaded with her for some form of salvation, a remedy that could make the world right again. His gaze, intense and unyielding, pinned her in place, making it clear that, at that moment, she was his entire universe.

His burdens were heavy, and it shattered Bat’s heart to see him so broken. “You don’t have to share if you’re not ready,” she offered gently. “But know that I’m here and want to help in any way I can.”

“The gods rage against me for allowing you to remain free,” Val admitted, his voice thick with emotion. “Odin claims to be my creator, asserts that he has the right to destroy me just as he made me.”

“But Moja concealed my whereabouts. It wasn’t your fault,” she reasoned.

A shadow fell over Val’s face, his eyes glinting with anger and something darker. “Do you think I couldn’t have found you if I truly wanted to? Our bond is unbreakable, regardless of your condition. I can feel you, sense your presence, even when you’re miles away. It’s like a constant pull, a tether that links us, even as the gods try to sever it from their end.”

Slowly, almost hesitantly, Bat reached out to caress his cheek, only for him to withdraw from her touch as if burned.

“Don’t,” he snapped, a hardness entering his voice that made Bat recoil. “You can’t possibly comprehend what it’s like to be enslaved by the whims of the gods, to feel their power pulsing in your veins, compelling you to bend to their will.”

Val surged to his feet, the bottle still clutched in his fist. His voice trembled with emotion as he continued, “I’m hanging on by a thread. They’re ripping me apart from the inside, and I don’t know how much longer I can hold out. If I succumb and let them use me as their puppet, I’ll be lost to the darkness forever.”

A heavy silence enveloped the room, punctuated only by their ragged breathing.

His voice was barely audible when Val spoke again, laden with a world of pain. “It’s agony seeing you with him.” Gently, almost reverently, his finger traced the curve of her cheek before falling limply to his side.

A lump formed in Bat’s throat as she met the torment in his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“I chose Ace for a reason. I knew he’d lay down his life for you, even if it gutted me to admit it. He’s fiercely protective, steadfast, and good.” His voice broke on the last word.

“You are, too,” she whispered, covering his hand.

A bitter laugh escaped Val’s lips. “I’m damned from the start, molded from darkness. You’d be a fool to love me, yet here I am, offering you my heart and soul.” His hand cradled hers, pressing it against his cheek. “Even if you never return my love, know it’s yours for the taking, always.”

His eyes, dark and tortured, held hers captive. Bat felt the intensity of his love wrap around her, a hauntingly beautiful melody playing on her soul’s strings. Without hesitation, she bridged the distance between them, sealing their lips in a kiss that tasted of bitter sweetness, of love both lost and found.

She yearned to be his salvation, to meld their broken pieces together and intertwine their souls until they were indistinguishable. The threads of fate that had entwined their destinies pulled her closer, binding her to him as their lips danced in an age-old rhythm.

His hands roved over her, setting her very being alight with an inferno of passion. A soft sigh escaped her as he pressed her into the plushness of the armrest, his body a solid wall against hers.

With each brush of his lips, each touch, she lost herself, the world dissolving into nothingness. Heat seared her flesh as golden threads wove them together, an inseparable tapestry of love and longing. She gave herself over to him entirely as their tongues met in a dance that bared their souls to one another.

His hand traced the curve of her hip, settling on her thigh to pull her closer with intense desire. Val’s hunger was a mirror of her own, and as she drew back just enough to drink in the sight of him – shirtless, magnificent, and beautifully fractured – she knew she was lost to him completely.

A keening moan parted her lips, the heat within her burgeoning into an all-encompassing inferno. She yearned for him to claim her, to mark her as his own, just as she longed to do to him. “Do not stop,” she panted. “I want this. I want you. You have my consent.”

A wicked grin curled his lips as he lowered his mouth to the column of her neck. He inhaled deeply, a shudder wracking his frame as she pulled him closer. His teeth grazed her skin, sending sparks of electricity racing down her spine. “You will be my ruin,” he murmured against her skin before his teeth sank in.

Together, they moved in a harmonious dance, every caress igniting an inferno that consumed them both. Time and space dissolved, leaving just the two of them wrapped in each other’s embrace, drowning in the sea of passion that surged between them. The shadows that shrouded them provided a shelter where their souls bared themselves to each other, vulnerable and unguarded. At that moment, they were the sole inhabitants of their universe, their breaths mingling and merging as the crescendo of their passion reached its zenith.

She drew him to her, their blood intertwining in an intimate communion. Rivulets of crimson stained her neck, but she felt no pain, only pleasure as he fused his mouth to hers once more. Pleasure cascaded over her, each wave leaving her breathless and craving more. His touch was a salve to her fevered skin, his hand ascending the column of her neck, his thumb pulling her lower lip down in a sensual caress that elicited another moan from deep within her.

In that timeless embrace, they clung to each other, reluctant to relinquish the intoxicating euphoria that swallowed them as they plummeted into the abyss of their connection.

Gradually, their breaths slowed, their hearts synchronizing in a steady rhythm that pulsed through her, infusing her with a sense of peace and contentment. They lay there, basking in the afterglow of their union, entwined in each other’s arms, the weight of the world slipping away, leaving just the two of them perfectly in sync, perfectly united.