Kid Dynamo Chapter Eight "To Tell the Truth" by Connie Hirsch Our Story So Far: Jessica Pierce is a teenage telekinetic fireproof mutant runaway who has taken shelter at Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, despite her considerable misgivings about the headmaster, Magneto. The leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants in his long-ago days had tampered with her mother's fire powers, which subsequently went berserk and killed her. Jessica was showing off for the other students at Xavier's when Hassen, a misdirected servant of Loki, kidnapped her, Doug Ramsey, Dani Moonstar, Stevie Hunter and Magneto. Magneto managed to free himself and Stevie only to lose the trail of the kidnapper, leaving the two adults trapped in a pocket universe; while Jess and her fellow students talked themselves into being unwelcome yet honored "guests" of Loki. Their mutant powers (with the exception of Doug's translating ability) mostly blocked by spells, the kids have determined to do something about their situation. Last chapter they went off to steal the Heartstone, a magical widget that Loki desires, in the hope they can oblige him to send them back home. Unfortunately, they got caught, got thrown into a dungeon, escaped only to be rescued by the Valkyries. In the meantime, Stevie and Magneto are having a rather interesting adventure themselves... * * * They saw the smoke before they saw the fire. Magneto was flying low, so as not to lose the road, Stevie seated next to him, cross-legged on the floor of the magnetic bubble. "Look!" she said, pointing ahead, slightly to the right. "Do you think it could be people?" "More likely a forest fire than a factory," he said, but he lifted them higher to get a better view. It seemed there were numerous blazes, spaced very close together. "I'll take us there directly," he said. Freed of the constraint of following a meandering ground trail they shot towards the site. It was a village -- or the remains of one. Several buildings were smoldering husks, others were still afire. About half the village was unconsumed; at the edge a huge dragon was patiently knocking down a house with the self-absorbed concentration of a cat pawing a toy. "It's -- really a dragon!" Stevie said beside him. It was a beautiful beast; all silvery scales and black membranes on the wings. Stevie gasped as the dragon tore down a wall to reveal cowering villagers, whom it promptly flamed and raked their remains with its claws. "No -- oh no!" she said, but Magneto had already moved into action. They plummeted downward. "I want you to stay under cover," he said, handing her out of the bubble and onto the ground. They were no more than a quarter mile from the village, at the edge of the woods that surrounded the fields. "I don't --" she started to say. "You're going to stop the dragon?" "Should I not?" he said with as much of a smile as he could permit himself under the circumstances. The dragon might have gone on to another occupied building already. The dragon was still raking through the rubble. Magneto debated the best way of getting its attention as he drew on the ambient magnetic field, strengthening himself for the task ahead. Yelling did not seem very dignified. He sent a killing bolt of lightning down into it; the fields were strong here, and so was he. But the dragon merely glanced skyward, shaking itself angrily, and letting out a bellow like a thirty foot long foghorn. The eyes, like great faceted rubies, scanned and locked in on him. He could feel its peculiar intelligence _beating_ on the shields of his mind, like vast malign fists. So it was not to be a ... cakewalk. As the dragon rose into the air, Magneto gathered even more of the ambient force of the planet. It was like being at one of the Earth's poles, so easy was it to weave the energy into his being. He could feel the St. Elmo's fire begin to crackle about his skin. Before the dragon reached him, he struck again; a vast bolt that roared through the sky. He was thankful for the protection his personal shield offered against the pure sonic fury of his own attack; if not his eardrums would have surely burst. The dragon roared its defiance, but did he detect a note of pain in its voice? It hardly seemed so, for the roar was followed by a great blast of fire; Magneto dropped all offensive output and strengthened his shields. It was enough, though just barely; he held his breath for a long aching moment lest superheated air sear his lungs. The dragon couldn't breathe fire indefinitely. The beast surprised him by following its blast with a prodigious swipe of its tail. A tactical move, or merely an instinctual gesture? It didn't matter, for by its actions the dragon had already declared itself an enemy of man: he would not let it live. It seemed to be little affected by raw electricity; its silvery scales helped to insulate it and the sheer bulk of the beast dispersed the energy. Magneto drew more of the ambient magnetic field into his core, feeling the nerves of his body tingle with the sweet fire-- powerful and more than a little intoxicating. His vision was going white; from experience he knew it was because small lightnings shot from his eyes by this point; but it did not bother him for he was "seeing" on a more than visual level; he was reading the outline of the dragon's biological field, the ground, and other incidental objects. Instead of waiting for the dragon to come to him he drove down on top of it, prepared for the fire blast, configuring his shield so the heat conversion was foremost. The dragon rewarded his planning by flaming and obligingly repeating its tail sweep, but he was prepared this time and reformulated the shield into a combination force field and conductor that grasped the tail as it came into contact and would not let go. He forced the beast from the air; better to "ground" the dragon so he could draw down the full fury of heaven upon it. Bolt after bolt he pulled from the clear blue sky; electrons were everywhere at his command. The sound was nearly deafening; but above it he could hear the dragon scream like a violated woman. It nearly brought him to a halt: he was killing at the very least a magnificent beast; but the memory of those burning villagers came to him and he remembered too what his daughter Anya's tortured screams had sounded like. He kept up the bombardment till the dragon's only movement was the muscle contractions caused by the electricity itself. The great reptilian heart no longer beat; there was only an electrical discharge where dead and dying nerve cells lay. Even though the dragon had made its last sound he could still hear Anya's cries echo in his head. Some dragons can never be fully slain, he thought. "Magnus! Magnus!" he heard and looked up to see Stevie running pell mell across the field towards him. Almost too late he realized she meant to hug him and hastily he caught her up in his power, lifting her off the ground to an abrupt halt. "Oh!" she cried, surprised. He put her down gently but kept up a shield between them. "_Never_ touch me when I am like this," he said. "Your eyes," she gasped. His vision had gone white again, but now it cleared. He held up a hand, the fingers limned in faint blue fire, micro flashes of electricity playing between his fingers. He crackled when he moved; ionizing the air with his excess of energy. He took a breath, not trusting his voice. "I must bleed off the charge," he said, kneeling down and thrusting his hands into the soil. He drove the force from him, back into the ground where it belonged. His hands were sunk in above the wrists; he wondered just how strong he was when he was charged up, the power reinforcing his muscles to superhuman levels. At last he felt human enough to look up again. Stevie was looking down at him, a curious look on her face. His heart quailed; had not Magda looked at him once so and declared him a monster? But Stevie just tilted her head. "Are you all right now?" she said. Magneto stood up; it felt strange to find himself a creature that walked upon the earth again. "I could not help but stop you," he said. "You looked as though you might leap upon me -- and that would likely have been fatal." She had the grace to look abashed. "I didn't think of that!" she said. Then she smiled, brown eyes twinkling with mirth. "You look as though I should offer you a cigarette!" Once Noemi had made much the same jest and he had snapped at her, offended. Now he could see the humor -- and the truth behind it -- in that statement. He smiled. "Bad for the health, or so I am told," he said, and was rewarded with a giggle. He schooled himself against smiling inanely, turning to look at the dragon. He was surprised at its size up close, the dragon's body was the length of a school bus, with neck and tail making up another one. No wonder his first blast had merely gotten its attention. "It's so ... beautiful," Stevie said. "It was, was it not?" he said. Even in its death throes the beast was elegant, gracefully draped upon the ground. "A pity there was no other way of stopping it." "I know," she said and he fought the impulse to hold her in his arms and comfort her. He refrained. "You were terrific," Stevie grinned -- he supposed "gushed" would be a better term for it. She went on but he stopped paying attention as he realized they were being watched. _The villagers_? he thought. Quickly and effortlessly he located their body fields, taking shelter behind ruined walls and other bits of camouflage. They had the characteristic aura of fear but not aggression. "Hush, Stevie," he said to her. "We seem to have a Welcoming Committee." "Where?" she said, turning to look. Magneto lifted his hands, palm outward, in a gesture he hoped would be interpreted as peaceful. "We know you are out there," he said forcefully. "Come out!" They stepped out from their hiding places, perhaps fifty or more. "Oh, my!" Stevie said. "There are so many!" She paused and added, "And they are so _small_!" _Midgets_? Magneto wondered, bemused. The largest could have been not more than four feet tall. They formed a loose ring about Magneto and Stevie, and one of them stepped forward, dressed somewhat better than the others, and began a short speech. "What's he saying?" Stevie whispered to him after the little man had finished. "I do not comprehend the language," Magneto said. "Their speech sounds vaguely Nordic, but I can only identify a word here or there." "Oh, great," she whispered back. "I gather they are overjoyed that we have eliminated their dragon problem." "I figured that out," she said. A tiny little girl came up, curtsied and presented her with a posy of flowers. Magneto nodded his thanks and Stevie smiled, taking the flowers into her hands. "I think we just landed in Munchkinland," she whispered to him, "and you just landed on the Wicked Witch of the West." "East," Magneto corrected. "They seem to be inviting us to dinner." "Do you think they might have _regular_ food?" she said. Did he detect a shade of longing in her voice? "There _is_ only one way to find out," he said, "and I may yet be able to hit upon some means of communication with our hosts." He offered her his arm. "If I may presume to be your escort for the evening?" Stevie smiled up at him and he felt a pang of -- what? Tenderness? "Buster, you can presume anything you like, _I'm_ not arguing with a guy who just knocked off a dragon." * * * On second thought, being carried off by Valkyries doesn't seem like that brilliant an idea. Consider the implications. Not that I -- we -- had a lot of time to think over what to do next. Lady Bridagan's guards were respectfully gathered in two groups, giving us plenty of breathing space on top of the parapet. The head Valkyrie -- she wore an eyepatch and I later found out her name was Grass -- got down off her horse and said to Dani, "Greetings, Sister, it appears Brightwind led us to your side none too soon." She looked over to the nearer group of guards and they nearly fell over each other backing up another ten feet away. I resisted the urge to back up with them. "We should not stay here, so mount up and we will return to the Aerie." Dani looked shell-shocked. "Right," she said, kind of choking, but she pulled it together. "What about my friends?" she said. "I can't leave them." "What would you have us do?" Grass said coolly. "We are not in the habit of carrying the living away with us." "I won't go without them," said Dani. "Are they so important then?" Grass said, and she kind of drilled me with that eye. "Ah -- another daughter of Odin." _Huh_? I thought, but I couldn't manage to get my mouth to work. I could feel the pressure slide off in Doug's direction. "The horses will not bear a living mortal." "Brightwind will," Dani said, looking at her horse. I swear he nodded. "And Hooftosser will bear your other friend," said in a strawberry blonde Valkyrie who looked to be about our age. She was shorter than me. "We should discuss this--" said Grass. "But this is not the time nor place. To the Aerie, my sisters!" "Do you know how to mount?" said my blonde. I nodded yes. "Then get up behind me and I'll show you where to hold on." The saddle she used had a high fore and aft part to it. We sat spoon fashion, my legs clamped right behind hers. She put my hands on the cantle. "Hold tight," she said, while Hooftosser twisted his head around to survey me with one huge skeptical blue eye. "Up, my beauty," she said and he fairly leaped into the sky. I thought riding on one of the big Asgardian horses had been intimidating. This was nothing compared to a vertical takeoff on a pegasus. Imagine the scariest drop on the scariest roller-coaster you've ever been on -- and run it in reverse. I clung for dear life to that cantle. No wonder she'd shown me where to hold on -- if I'd clutched her I'd've squeezed the breath out of her. Once we leveled off, things didn't feel as bad, but I didn't spend a lot of time looking down. "This is your first time?" my "pilot" said. "I'm Mist, by the way. Are you a friend of Dani's?" I introduced myself. Aside from Doug I was her closest friend for a couple of dimensions, so I wasn't going to split hairs. "Good," Mist said. "Dani ran away. I've been worried. Grass said she'd come back and complete the ceremony, but I wasn't sure." "What ceremony?" I said. "The -- I shouldn't say, not to an outsider," she said. "Speaking of which -- they're going to let your friend off here." We circled, while Dani and Grass spiraled down to a quick landing at the far edge of Bridagard Town. "No living man may enter the Aerie," Mist explained. Left to Grass, Doug would have been dropped like a sack of mail, I'm sure. Dani spent a few good minutes leaning over in her saddle talking to him -- reassuring him, I hoped. Doug could go and find Lucas to stay with him. Then they were up in the air again, and the troop got down to some serious flying. When Valkyries travel, they travel fast. "Hold tight again," Mist said, which was my only warning; we changed dimensions, like missing the top step on a flight of cosmic stairs. My stomach gave a lurch, but I was getting used to this interdimensional travel thing. While I sat there I had a chance to ponder what Grass had meant about "another daughter of Odin." Noemi was from the part of Poland that the Vikings had regularly raided when they weren't visiting England for fun and games -- it was possible, I suppose. Just as possible as a Cheyenne being descended from the Aesir. "That must be the Aerie," I said over Mist's shoulder. It was a kind of mesa, rising up out of a green and rolling countryside, maybe a thousand feet high, with a fortress made of wood atop it. The name kind of fit. We landed in the center of the fortress, where there were stables on all four sides. Before I knew what happened, I'd lost track of Dani. She'd come down on the other side of the yard, and when I looked for her she'd already disappeared. "Drat," said Mist beside me. "I wasn't quick enough." "What's going on?" I said. The yard was quickly emptying as the troop sorted themselves out and led the horses off to their stalls. Mist looked undecided until her horse snorted loudly; then she shook her head and said, "Sorry, Hooftosser, you want to be unsaddled?" She smiled apologetically to me and gestured that I should follow her. Like I had somewhere else to go. Hooftosser was a smart old horse: he led the way into the stable. "Can you hold the bridle?" Mist said, handing it to me. "They've taken Dani off to Council, and we won't be able to see her until after the Ceremony. We may as well see to Hooftosser and Brightwind because the Elders shan't let us in." She handed me a curry comb. "What are they doing?" I said. "Putting her on trial?" "Not exactly," Mist said. "She hasn't fully joined the Sisterhood, so she must give up Brightwind if she won't go further." "Give up Brightwind?" I said. A few stalls down, Brightwind gave a loud whinny. "She'd rather die than that, I think." "Will it really come to that?" Mist stopped brushing her horse and looked at me wide-eyed. "It's just an expression," I said hurriedly. "Dani's too sensible -- Brightie would pine, anyway, and she couldn't let that happen." "It's not as though it were a bad life," Mist said. "Dani was happy with us." "She's said that," I said. "It's what goes with the position, she's not so happy about." "I thought -- if I brought her friend here, she'd have someone to trust, to talk it over with," said Mist. "We're not allowed to tell candidates about what happens in the Ceremony -- but you could reassure her -- it is different for everyone." "What ceremony?" I said. "You go out to Vasalovar, the plain where the herds live," Mist said. "There is a strangeness there. Something will come to you according to your fate." "Huh?" I said. From behind us, Grass said, "The Ceremony of Choice and Blood, Jessica." I spun around. Mist gave an audible gulp. "Daughter, I thought you had more sense," she said to Mist. "Now Jessica, knowing of the secret, must undergo the ceremony herself." "What?!" I said. "I have no desire to become a Valkyrie. Besides, she didn't tell me _anything_, really." "You have no choice," Grass said, that one eye drilling into me. "The ceremony is of blood _and_ choice; and you would not be the first to choose not to become a Valkyrie." "Then why put me through it?" I said. "If you know this much, you must know all," she said. "But I don't want--" "Hush," she said. "Your desire counts for nothing. Harsh it is, but sacred and harsh is the Valkyrie's duty. You do it insult by your refusal, but you are a foreigner so I take no offense at your ignorance." She could take her offense and shove it as far as I was concerned. She must have been able to read it in my face, for she gave a rusty kind of laugh. "Again, I will say: you have no choice, save the one offered in the Ceremony. It will be tomorrow morning so you are to prepare yourself overnight. Mist, you will attend Dani and Jessica together in the chapel. I will see you at dinner." She turned and left, cape swinging. "I'm sorry," Mist said meekly. "You set me up for this, didn't you?" I snapped at her. "No!" she said, her face reddening. "I thought you could comfort Dani, let her know--" "Know what?" I said. "I can't say, not if you're going to go through the ceremony," she said. "Oh, great." "I'm sorry," she said again. * * * Stevie's composure was severely strained after dinner. Up until then she'd reacted to their hosts with a numbness derived from the horror of the dragon attacking innocent villagers. However, a large, warm meal and a mug of ale (it was that or wine) later, the "entertainment" of the evenings' banquet came on, three little women who capered about in a rustic folk song and dance routine. She glanced over at Magnus, who somehow managed to sit on the tiny chair next to her with something passing for dignity. It was like being in Munchkinland, she thought; everything was downsized, including the furniture and the utensils. She felt like she was visiting kindergarten. The Mayor's wife (or so Stevie privately identified her) came up again and offered them another plate of tiny cookies. Stevie graciously shook her head. She was reduced to simple sign language. Magnus, at least, had managed to identify a few common words and conducted some halting conversation with their hosts. He'd conveyed to her that the mayor confirmed they were indeed in Asgard, which was something of a relief: now they could give a name to the place, and think of ways to get home. "They seem to be under the impression that we are Aesir," he'd remarked at one point. "No, really?" she'd said, amazed. "I thought it best not to discourage this idea," he'd said. All well and fine, but she certainly didn't feel like a goddess. What she felt was exhaustion. "How much longer to you think this is going to go on?" she said to him. "I have not the slightest idea," he said with a small shrug. "Why, do you not care for the 'entertainment?'" "I'm bored out of my skull and I'm tired," she said in an even tone. No use in upsetting the hosts. "And singing, dancing hobbits are ridiculous." "Hobbits?" he said. "Munchkins," she explained. No point in explaining _The Lord of the Rings_ just now. "Ah, yes," he said. After a short discussion with their host, only having to resort to sign language once or twice they were shown up tiny stairs, Magnus bent almost double to avoid the frequent ceiling beams. Their hostess curtsied as they passed by her in the room she indicated. "The Presidential Suite," Stevie muttered as they passed inside. "Oh, no!" "What?" Magnus said, looking about the small room quickly. "What did you tell them about our relationship?" Stevie said. "There's only one bed!" Actually, there were three, to be precise, standing side by side to form a nearly human-sized double bed. "My fault," said Magnus. She saw him shrug. "The mayor offered to trade for you, so I may have given him a somewhat inflated idea of what you meant to me." "Oh, great," she said. "What did he offer, anyway?" "Three young women," Magnus said and cleared his throat. "Three virgins." He stopped, smiling as Stevie broke into giggles. "Having no desire to set up business as an interdimensional panderer, I declined." "Well, thank you," she said. "Although, it would have made for an interesting midlife career change." "I believe the Mayor was serious." Stevie shook her head. "Unreal." "Take it as a form of compliment," he said. "Considering the cultural context." Stevie let it pass and stood looking around their room, probably the finest bedchamber in the entire town. It had white- washed walls and a big braided rug covering the floor in front of a scaled-down fireplace. There was no private corner in which to change, not even a closet to step into. "Allow me," Magnus said, evidently aware of her desire. He detached his cape and it flowed into a stiff free standing privacy screen. "That's great," Stevie said. "Now if I only had a night gown to change into." "Easy to say as to do," Magnus said. Over the barrier floated a metallic flannel nightgown. Stevie gaped, then giggled. It was a rather modestly cut gown. "You've got to be kidding," she said, emerging from behind the screen. Magnus stood bare-chested in the firelight, wearing something like pajama bottoms. "Does it fit well enough?" he said. "I estimated the size based on your body's electrical field." Stevie smiled. "It's _fine_," she said. She looked uneasily at the bed and wondered how best to broach the subject of just who slept where. Magnus anticipated her. With a negligent gesture he magnetically disassembled the "screen" and formed the material into a slim air mattress and top sheet. He wasted no time -- or words -- in getting into it. _I guess it's the big bed for me_, Stevie thought. She climbed on the end of the combined beds. "Oh, this is much more comfortable than I thought," she said. The mattresses felt like they were stuffed with soft feathers. She crawled to the head of the bed to reach the lamp that was flickering at the bedside. "I suppose I should douse the light," she said, looking over her shoulder to Magnus. "Unless you would prefer to leave it on," he said, turning over to look at her, propped up on one arm. "Oh, no," she said. "Well, I suppose it's 'Good Night' then." "Indeed. Pleasant dreams," he said, continuing to look at her. She leaned over and blew out the wick of the lamp. Several moments passed in the semi-darkness; the fireplace cast enough flickering light to see by. Stevie watched the shadows on the ceiling, sinking in to the lonely luxurious softness of her bed. "Magnus," she said in a tiny voice, half hoping he was asleep and would not hear her. "Stevie?" he said promptly, his baritone voice crisp and resonant and fully awake. _Drat_, she thought. "Is the fire too bright?" he said. She could hear him stirring, sitting up. "I can bank it, if you like." "Oh, no," she said. She wiggled down the length of the bed, perched on the foot to look at him. "It's just that this bed is so big and comfortable, it's just not fair that you have to sleep on the floor." She paused, feeling her pulse thumping in her ears. "We could share -- it isn't as though we haven't before --" "Stevie," he said in such a tone that she couldn't tell if he was shocked or amused. "I mean, the horses have all run out and the barn door is wide open anyway," she said, feeling the heat on her face. "It's not like anything would happen." She heard him sigh, a tiny sound under the crackling of the fireplace. She could see him silhouetted against the light as he got up and walked over to her, just a few feet. "I could not," he said, his face lost in the shadow. "I could not share a bed with you, without.... No." She looked up into this shadow, knowing he looked down at her silently and realized that above all things, all considerations of their past and future relationship, she wanted to sleep with him, tonight. And she also realized what would hold him back was his sense of duty, his desire to do right by her. "Well," she said, her heart beginning to pump vigorously. "That particular horse has vacated stall as well." "True," he whispered. She held out her hand and he hesitated reaching for it. "Sit," she said, pulling him down next to her. For such a big strong man he came along awfully easily, she decided. "Listen," she said. "It's a warm comfy bed, too nice to waste on just one of us. And as for the rest -- well, I could be contented with -- just sharing it with you. But I wouldn't object if we were to -- make love." "If there were no other objections--" he began to say and she put a hand over his mouth. "Hush," she said. She could see firelight gleaming in his eyes, their blue almost black in the light. "I'm doing this of my own free will -- in sound mind and body." He moved his face just a little, kissing the palm of her hand as he did so and moving her grip to the side of his face. "To make love of our own free will, because we want to," he said. "I would like that, Stevie." "So would I," she said. Her heart raced as she thought _I"m going to have to kiss him first_. But it wasn't fear that made her hands tremble as she put her arms around him and touched her lips to his. And as for Magnus, it appeared fear was the farthest thing from his mind just now. Afterward, Stevie lay silent against him, wondering how she could have supposed the incident at the oasis could have changed their relationship. That love-making has been the mere lust of two bodies compared to _this_ sharing "Thank you," she said in his ear and he shifted so his eyes could meet hers. "Am I not supposed to thank you instead?" he said softly. "Think of it as a gift we've given to each other," she said. "I'm glad." "And I am -- sorry, my dear," he said, "that we can not take our relationship any further than this night." "You can't unbreak an omelet," she said. "It _will_ be a little strange when we get back to the school, but we can cope." "We are, as you have taken great care to point out, adults," he said. He ran three fingers up and down her spine, soothingly. "Would that life were that simple. Perhaps we should not be enjoying ourselves tonight -- the children are still lost." "By now, though," Stevie said. "They could be home." "I hope with all my heart," he said. "They are but children." "They have powers," Stevie said. "Dani and Jessica." "We can hope they know when to use them," he said. "It sorrows me to have failed to protect them." "You can only do so much," Stevie said. "They're old enough to help themselves." "I feel a particular duty in regards to Jessica," he said. "I have tried not to let it impede my fairness towards _all_ my students, but I owe her a great deal." "Oh?" Stevie said. "There's something I haven't told you about Jessica," he began. * * * "We'll run for it," I said. "How do you propose to get off the Aerie?" Dani said. "Brightwind refuses to budge -- and Mist won't take out Hooftosser." I contemplated getting a lot of rope together and rappelling down. Like we could have broken out of the chapel they'd thoughtfully locked us into, overcome the "honor" guard, and then wandered around without attracting any notice. This wasn't Bridagard. Worse, the Valkyries were _all_ top-notch fighters, nearly every one of them more than humanly strong. Grass was right: we had no options. "I'm sorry I got you into this," Dani said after I sat silent a few minutes. Our candle was going to burn down soon and then we'd have to lay down on our pallets until daybreak. "Comes with the territory," I said. "The Ceremony of Choice," she said. "It doesn't sound too sinister. How bad _can_ it be?" "Ever read 'The Lady or the Tiger'?" I said. "Point taken." I was so tired I slept like a lamb; woke up wondering where I was and why women in armor were so eager for me to get up. They didn't let me complain for long, just put me in a white shift and hustled me down to the stables. This time Grass made me ride behind her; Dani was taken up behind Mist, Brightwind flying riderless alongside. The horses were decked out with garlands of wildflowers, and we all wore flowers in our hair, like hippies gone to war. We did the usual "changing worlds" and ended up over a plain of yellow grass, purple mountains majesty in the distance. This must be the Vasalovar. We landed in a flattened circle of grass and Grass said, "Down you go." I slid off, expecting she and the rest would follow, but instead they took off again, taking Dani and everybody with them. "Hey!" I yelled after them. Dani was looking back over her shoulder, anguished. "HEY!" I screamed but they didn't stop, just flew away until I couldn't see them anymore. So there I was, dressed in a white shift that barely came to my knees, barefoot. I didn't have anything, no weapons or tools, no idea where I was, and no idea where to go. "Shit," I said. I felt like climbing the walls, but there weren't any handy. I settled for stamping my foot a little, but not much, 'cause my foot was bare and stomping would hurt. I must have waited an hour or more before I got the brilliant idea to start walking in the direction they'd flew off in. I realized there was a problem with this almost immediately: the grass was taller than I was and it was tough to walk through. All I could see was a vast bowl of blue sky above me while I waded through the stalks. I started losing my sense of direction. I'm still not sure if I made an inadvertent circle and came back to my original landing place or just another empty spot in the tall grass. Whichever, I stepped into it gratefully and almost fell over backwards retreating immediately: the circle was occupied. I ran back into the grass; I could hear it coming after me. It was a horse, okay? Just a horse, a big black horse with a white mane and tail; but the sight filled me with an irrational fear that made me run away like a child. Walking through the grass had been hard; running was near impossible and I could hear the _horse_ crashing behind me in pursuit. I ran until my heart pounded in my ears and the breath hurt my lungs and then I tripped over a tussock of grass and went sprawling as the horse came up right behind me. I just lay on the ground, my eyes closed, curled into a ball to protect myself as best I could. I was convinced something horrible would happen; just what I wasn't sure. I could feel the great beast standing over me, hear its breathing. Those great jaws drew closer, I could smell grassy breath. The horse commenced eating the flowers in my garland. It tickled, and the horse gently nosed the side of my head. _i can't get at the rest_, he complained inside my head. _turn over_. All the dread inside me was transformed into awe. Maybe it had been awe all along. I turned over and looked up at him; he was just a beautiful horse with blue eyes. They were big and gentle horse eyes that somehow had the twinkle of intelligence in them. His velvety nose tickled my face. "Let me get that," I said, sitting up and taking off the circlet. _as you will, daughter_, he replied. I carefully fed him the flowers one by one. "How do you do that?" I said, puzzled. "Reading my mind, sort of?" _i take the concepts from your head; i am a mirror_, he said. _and your mindshield didn't matter -- as horses can't throw up_. "So what is this about?" I said. He accepted another flower and I patted his big nose as he chewed. _should it be about_ anything? he said. _ nothing and everything. all that you are and shall be, daughter_. He kept calling me that. I didn't quite make it into a question; we were linked so deeply it didn't matter. _i am an echo_, he said. _an image of your inner reality. or perhaps the other way round. a touch of your idealized father_. "I like you better than the real thing," I muttered and he lay his big head over my shoulder so I could give him a hug. His mane was like fine white silk. _perhaps you've never allowed yourself to meet the real thing_, he thought with just a touch of reproach. It wasn't just his tone; I could feel it in my heart. "But he's terrible," I whispered. _and so was i_, the horse said. He let me hold him until I was ready to get up, then he helped me stand. _you want to get back to your friends, yes_? he said. I stood leaning against him. He smelled of clean horse and wildflowers. "Yes, I do," I said. "But wasn't there supposed to be a ceremony or something?" His only answer was a whinny of laughter. We had an unspoken exchange, duty vying with the pleasure of each other's company. Duty won, for our communion was by its nature intended to be transitory. Besides, deep communication like this would last a lifetime. _come, ride on my back_, he said, stretching out his front legs so his back was low enough for me to mount by throwing a leg over him. _hang on to my mane_, he said and I took a handful down near the nape of his long neck. He started trotting through the tall grass, gradually going faster and faster, seeming to only touch the ground every ten yards or so. His gait was smooth and it was so quiet that I could hear the crickets singing in the grass. And all the while we talked, though I can't tell you what about, because I don't recall. Sometimes, just when I'm falling asleep or in a dream, I feel like I remember, but I can never hold it. It seems to me we talked over events of my life; but whether they had happened yet or not I'm never sure. I don't remember stopping or getting off. Perhaps I fell asleep as we flew over the grass, the great warm horse beneath me, the great blue sky above. The next thing I knew, I was sitting in a patch of wild flowers on the side of a mountain. Grass came walking over to me, carrying a skinbag of wine and two cups, her horse Stargrazer following dutifully behind like a Chinese wife. "Where did he go?" I blurted out, looking around. "He is not here, He has returned to His place," Grass said solemnly. "Here, partake of this wine and tell me what happened." As she sat next to me I did so, to convince myself it had been real and partly to fix it in my memory. If you write down a dream you won't forget it. Grass didn't ask any leading questions, yet she seemed unsurprised that I had met a talking horse. "Has this happened to other people?" I asked. "Some have a similar experience," she said. "You should not discuss this with any but your closest friends. Each experience is highly _personal_." "Yet you came here and asked me all about it," I said. "I came in my role as senior female relative, however distant," she said. "Were it possible, your mother would have come in my place." "She's dead," I said. "Yes, I know," she said. "Thus it is my responsibility to act in her stead. It is a duty I do not take lightly." I didn't have anything to say to that, so I didn't. I just gazed out into the valley below. "Does this mean I can go?" I said. "Does this mean Dani and I can leave?" "That will depend on Dani's Ordeal," said Grass. "She herself will tell us." "Hardly an ordeal," I said. "Sure there were some rough moments...." "Do not underestimate what you went through, Jessica," Grass broke in. "You were blessed with a mild Ordeal. Truly you are favored by the Gods. Pray that Dani takes no harm." "You think she might?" I said. Grass gave a slight shake of her head. "I have learned not to presuppose what a woman's experience will be," she said "Dani is extraordinary in so many ways -- and she has already been Chosen by her mount." "If I'd been chosen for a Valkyrie, I'd've met my horse?" I said. "That is how it is done," she said. "Although one is... tested first." I thought she was going to say more but she seemed to decide against it. I took another sip of my wine, the last in the cup. "Please, feel free to call upon me in a mother's capacity," said Grass. "When you need to." I think stared at her at that. If there could be anybody less like Noemi than this female gym coach from Valhalla, I couldn't think of it. I had no desire to ever regard her as a substitute mother. Grass shook her head again. "Parenthood is more than love," she said cryptically. She stood up, offered me her hand to pull me up. Surprised at how shaky I felt, I took it. "Today among our people, you have entered womanhood," she said. "There will be a feast in your honor back at the Aerie." I mounted behind her on Stargrazer, who glanced over his shoulder and greeted me so casually that I actually missed the fact that I could exchange thoughts with him. (Eventually I found out that I could talk with all of the Valkyrie's mounts.) "Who's going for Dani?" I remembered to ask. Over her shoulder, Grass said, "Mist volunteered. She is a good choice, if a bit young, for of all of us she is closest to Dani." "I guess," I said, and when Stargrazer shifted universes I thought I saw a ghostly rainbow envelope us. * * * I'd never been feted before. Aside from the fact that I couldn't get a moment alone with Dani, it was pretty nice. Grass had given me another garland for my hair and Stargrazer was already dolled up. All the Valkyries were singing in the central yard of the Aerie -- it sounded like a Gregorian chant. They threw blossoms at me when we landed, and danced around as I was led into the main dining hall, and repeated the performance when Dani and Mist landed a few minutes later. We launched into a big dinner that lasted most of the afternoon. Quite a few of the Valkyries got roaring drunk, but enough were alert enough to stay on their feet and dance away. Dani was in the middle of it all, and when I caught a wink from her I took the hint and joined in. It was a country-type dance where you changed partners every few minutes to promenade up and down the floor. Eventually the dance brought us together as partners, but she hardly had more than a chance to whisper, "I've got to talk to you -- soon!" before we were separated again. Grass was doing a pretty good job of keeping us apart, but she didn't reckon with Mist's loyalty. The young Valkyrie managed to sit at my side and whisper that Dani would meet me at the stables right before the chapel service. I sat quietly during all the speeches about Dani's joining the Sisterhood. The Valkyries were as bad as the Shriners or Masons. They could pomp it up with the best of them. They called a recess, to wake or sober up, before the big Ceremony. I was shown to "my" room where my armor and other possessions had been laid out, and I wasted no time on getting into uniform. I was used to buckling on my armor now, and I made quick work of it. Amazing to think how quickly it had become second nature. I'd taken care not to drink too much; compared to most of the women I was clean sober. Using my seeker sense, it was child's play to get down to the stable unseen. Dani was already waiting there, Brightwind standing saddled beside her. "I was afraid you wouldn't be able to get away," she said, climbing onto his back. She unhooked her foot from the left stirrup so I could climb up behind her. "I was afraid I'd have to leave you." Just then Mist came in. "Wait -- I'm coming with you," she said, dashing down to Hooftosser's stall. "Where are we going, anyway?" I said brightly. "Back to Doug," Dani said as Mist saddled her horse. She left the bridle hanging from her belt -- you didn't need one to control these mounts. We were out in the yard and into the blue within moments. I was getting better at taking these blastoffs in stride. Once we leveled off I ventured, "But won't they follow us?" "They'll try," Dani said. "But probably they'll think Bridagard is the last place we'll go -- they don't know where Doug is now -- and there's enough dissension about my joining that they won't be too quick to start searching anyway." "You're both going over the fence, then?" I said. "Excuse me, but I thought you'd just become a full-fledged Valkyrie or something." Dani took the time to give me a rueful smile. "I did," she said. "But that doesn't mean I have to agree with their definition... I'm going back to Earth with Brightwind." "And Mist?" I said. "Is she going too, or what? Hey!" I added, "You could carry Doug and me back with you!" "We'll have to talk about it," Dani said. "Brightwind doesn't know if he can find the way back on his own." "Great," I said. Well, at least we have transportation, I consoled myself. Brightwind followed Hooftosser through a hole in the air and with an interdimensional _wrench_ we were in the air over Bridagard Town. We landed behind the inn where we'd left Lucas the day before. Dani and Mist sent the horses flying off. "The Sisterhood may try to track us through them," Dani said, "so it's better if they lay a few false trails. Besides, we'll not get a warm reception at the inn if they know we're Valkyries." We slipped down the alley and went into the common room of the inn by the front door -- just three young women dressed in armor. Luckily, in Asgard that isn't so unusual. There was a crowd gathered at the far end of the room listening to a bard. But right near the door Lucas was sitting, reading a book by the light of several candles. "Jessica!" he exclaimed, jumping up. "Dani!" he added. "I was worried about you! Doug said you'd gotten separated escaping, but he didn't want to go searching for you." He gave me a friendly hug that threatened for one tender second to turn into an embrace. Dani cleared her throat. "Lucas," she said, "This is my friend Mist." While we waited for Doug to finish his song (he was the one performing at the other end of the room), we told Lucas a cock and bull story about how we'd slipped out of an unguarded room at the castle and fallen in with Mist. Lucas seemed to buy it pretty well. When Doug came over we went through the whole charade again, embellishing as we went. He caught on well, I thought. _We should have taken Lucas in with us from the start_, I thought guiltily. At least then we could have openly discussed our options now that we had two interdimensionally-travelling pegasi available. But Lucas called for a round of ale and we swapped a few jokes, and he told us about the magic spells he'd been able to purchase -- disguise spells that would enchant two of us, plus blocking spells that would prevent ordinary magic detection spells from working on the disguises. That's right, anti-spell spells. Without much discussion it was decided that Doug and I would go, me because I was the only one who could get through the Lake of Fire, and Doug because he could sneak us in so much better. I broke up the impromptu party by yawning mightily. It had been a long day and we would have a lot to do the next day. Luckily the innkeeper had a spare room that we three women could use. As we made our way upstairs, Lucas drew me aside. "Would you come to my room tonight?" he said. I didn't know what to say. I blushed and couldn't meet his eyes. "I don't know," I said. "I won't put any pressure on you," he said. "But I'd really like you to..." "I'll see," I said. I had this uncanny feeling that this was going to be one of those decisions that would greatly affect the rest of my life. Lucas, I noticed, was in a room right near the top of the stairs; it wouldn't be that hard to find. Doug slipped in when we got to our room. I didn't even notice him enter. "How the hell did you get in here?" was how I put it. "Old Ninja trick," he grinned. "I'm gonna get sick of this real fast," I said, but I couldn't help but grin back. We held a quick pow-wow. Brightwind and Hooftosser wouldn't return for a day or so, so we wouldn't know if we could ride them to Earth until then. Doug pressed for trying for the Heartstone anyway -- "We've got all we need for it anyway, and it will give us some bargaining leverage..." Surprisingly, Mist spoke up on his side. "We can not count on our horses," she said. "Even in the best of times, the road to Midgard is dangerous. Far better it would be to have even one such as Loki in your debt." "Tomorrow, then," said Doug. There was a bathroom down the stairs and out the back -- it was exactly that, a bath-room, the water supplied by a hot spring beneath it. I took the last turn, but I was delayed because several pilgrims decided to use it all at once. I'm just not into sharing a bath with several complete strangers, okay? So I nipped back into the common room and listened to Doug for a few minutes. By the time I'd washed up properly (thinking about Lucas the whole time, true) a fair amount of time had passed. I may be slow sometimes, but I twigged right away how Dani moved guiltily away from Mist when I knocked and entered our room. I should learn not to be in such a hurry; I'd be embarrassed less often. Mist wasn't embarrassed, of course, but she came from a society of women where female to female sexuality was commonplace. I imagine she'd started to massage Dani as a friendly sort of thing and it had just progressed from there. As for Dani she looked absolutely mortified. "I, uh --" she began, but couldn't seem to think of what to say. "Is something the matter?" said Mist, completely innocent. "Uh, _you_ explain it to her," I said to Dani. "I'm going to spend the night with Lucas." With that I flounced out of the room, until of course I neared his door. Then I came to a halt, my heart practically in my mouth. Big brave words. Well, maybe Lucas would understand if I didn't want to do anything more than share his bed. On the other hand, I'd been through a lot in the past couple of days, and it had brought to me that there were quite a few things I didn't want to regret not having done. Of course, I could always beg Doug to let me spend the night in _his_ room -- on the floor if necessary.... So there I was standing in the hallway dithering, when Lucas came up behind me, carrying a wine bottle and two glasses. "Hi, I was wondering if you'd show up," he said. "I didn't mean," I started to say. "It's just-- I don't know what I'm doing here." "Good thing some of us do then," he said. "Listen -- it's obvious you're upset. Come in and sit down and we can talk..." Sit we did, and talk we did. Of course, the only place to sit in his room was on the bed and it seemed pretty natural when he put his arm around me. One thing led to another as they say, and to tell you the truth I didn't mind at all. Noemi had told me that I'd know when it was right. Lucas was everything I could have asked for, kind and gentle. He even asked if this was my first time, and I lied just a little and said it was, not counting Don Alphonso. It was -- _great_. This was no teenager fumbling around in the back seat of his parents' car, after all. He knew what he wanted, and importantly, he knew what I wanted as well. Even though I didn't have much to compare it with, I knew he was exceptional. Afterwards, Lucas seemed more affected by our lovemaking than I was, and it was kind of off-putting. I mean, he started crying, saying he could never be good enough for me and I would never forgive him. "What do you mean?" I said, crawling back across the bed. He gave me a look of positive heartbreak, shuddered and tried to pull himself together. "A touch of sadness, nothing more. It was such a beautiful thing, being with you," he said smoothly, but I was not reassured. In fact I was having all sorts of doubts now. "I suddenly realized how soon we are to be parted." "But you're coming back to Earth eventually." I said. "We can get together again." _Maybe you'll have calmed down by then_, I thought. I wasn't sorry for what I'd done, I just wasn't really pleased with the consequences. "Yes, of course," he said, seeming not cheered. I pushed some of his black hair back off his forehead and he caught and held my hand. "We must get you back home," he said. "As much as it pains me." I nodded. We finished off the wine, cuddled a little more and blew out the lamp again. Long after Lucas had dozed off I was staring into the darkness, marveling at the dichotomy between physical and emotional closeness. * * * Stevie came down the steps into the common room. Magnus had preceded her, leaving her sleeping, but rolling over onto the empty space where his body had been was enough to wake her up. She'd dressed in newly cleaned clothes, thoughtfully laid out for her and hurried to find her -- companion. The so-called Mutant Master of Magnetism was sitting in the middle of a circle of the little people, levitating a kettle of some kind. His audience watched open-mouthed as a spot of brightness traveled around the outside, leaving the kettle shiny and clean and flawless, as if it had been new. "There," said Magnus in English. "Does anyone have any more broken or rusty implements?" They may have not understood the words but they most certainly comprehended his tone. They thrust forward several items. Stevie crept closer to watch, almost hating to disturb the fun, but their ever watchful hostess pounced and led her to a seat of honor next to Magnus and set a lavish breakfast tray before her. "Please, don't stop on my account," Stevie said, picking up a piece of toast. She slathered it with berry preserves from a little dish on the tray. "They are bringing items for the sheer joy of seeing me 'repair' them," Magnus said, his eyes belying his serious mien with tiny creases of amusement. "All the true repairs were done earlier." "You are enjoying yourself, aren't you?" she said. "I will give them -- 'a big ending'," he said, and clapped his hands for attention. All the pots and pans and broken candlesticks floated up from their owner's hands and soundless light encased them all. Then, repaired and flawless, they came down again. The crowd broke into spontaneous applause, which Magnus belatedly acknowledged with a nod of his head. The audience remained, smiling. "You enjoyed that," Stevie said with a slightly jam- smeared grin. "It is refreshing to exercise my power in a helpful manner," he said. "It brings back to me how rare an occurrence that is back on Earth." "Maybe you should fight more dragons," she said. "Were the dragons more readily identifiable," he said. "I have some interesting information from our host this morning. If I understand the gentleman, there is a dimensional doorway of some kind up the road in a cave in the mountains ahead." "That's very ... _interesting_," Stevie said. "Do you think we can make use of it?" "There is a gatekeeper of some kind," Magnus said. "If I can make myself understood to these villagers, we may be able to communicate with this person. I would particularly be interested in recent transdimensional travelers." "And if you can't?" Stevie said. "I have directions to fly us to Asgard City itself," he said. "Though, given my past interaction with Thor, a member of the official pantheon, it may not be an ideal solution. If nothing better presents itself, I may have to trade on my reputation as a villain to convince the authorities to act on our behalf." "I guess a bad reputation is better than no reputation," she said. "Once I would have agreed with you," he said. Farewells and Thank-Yous were said to their hosts, who insisted on pressing upon Stevie a large hamper filled with food. "This is much better than trail fare," she murmured to Magnus as the Munchkin-villagers burst into spontaneous song. Magnus gently formed a magnetic bubble about the both of them and the village dropped away behind. "I feel like Glinda the Good Witch now," said Stevie. "Another of your Oz references," he said. "I do not catch why you should mention her," he added. "Oh, that was the movie," Stevie said. "She traveled in a soap bubble sort of thing." Magnus looked at her, intrigued. "Art imitates life?" he said. "You will have to show me this movie, once we are back on Earth." "It would be my pleasure," she said, her grin widening at the thought of his reaction to the singing and dancing. _I am going to hold you to this promise, come hell or high water_, she thought. * * * Once one had acquired a goal, the miles one traveled went by both faster and slower, Magneto mused. Faster, because the practical speed he could maintain when he was sure of the course, but slower perceptually, because of the impatience he felt to reach the end of the journey. He was feeling a multiplicity of conflicting perceptions, he noted wryly. Most of them centered on Stevie seated next to him, avidly scanning the unfolding scenery below. They were in the mountains now, and he had asked her to keep an eye out for cave mouths, hard to see among the rocks and debris below. Altogether, he decided, he was glad of their lovemaking the night before. If nothing else, it had taken the 'curse' off their unexpected earlier lust. This had been a normal decision between two consenting adults; not some drug-or magic-induced frenzy; a decision they could look back on as a mutual one. Though it did not solve the problem of the inadvisability of a continued relationship, it at least gave them the basis for mutual feelings of respect and friendship. He would never, he decided, shut himself off emotionally from Stevie again. He would be honest with her, even when those feelings did not benefit her. He owed her no less than that. Enough wool-gathering; there was more important business at hand than his personal life and its future. They _must_ find the dimensional doorway and its keeper; appealing to the Asgardian pantheon was too chancy a proposition. His radar detected the cave mouth even as Stevie cried out. "That has to be it!" she said, pointing. It was no mere cave mouth; pillars, carved from the living rock, flanking a dark opening that disclosed a dark glimmering as of fire distant within. Magneto held them motionless just without the opening. There were runes carved deep into the rock just above the door. "'Abandon hope, all ye who enter,'" Stevie quoted. "I doubt it says that," said Magneto. "You got any better suggestions?" she said. "Besides, isn't it traditional, or something?" "Just so long as it is not _literal_," he said and gently floated the two of them within. The cave seemed to be a long gallery of pillars, some carved into grotesque animals. Magneto's force bubble fluoresced, providing low key bluish light to see by, adding to the supernatural ambience of their surroundings. Beside him he could see Stevie shivering involuntarily. There was a fire burning at the far end of the corridor. It seemed miles long; Magneto wondered if his perception of distance wasn't being twisted somehow. As they came closer to the fire, Magneto thought he heard an odd tapping, as if from a cane. As they flew into the cavernous opening at the end of the corridor he could see the chamber was bisected by a great chasm, out of which belched great gouts of flame and a sulfurous stench. In the exact center -- directly in their path -- was a slender stone bridge spanning the gap. And upon it stood an old woman, holding a cane. "That may be the guardian the mayor spoke of," Magneto told Stevie in a low voice, but the chamber picked up his words and echoed them clearly. She was dressed in a shapeless black garment. Her white hair was unbound and tangled into a dirt-tinged rat's nest. The old woman smiled an evil smile; she had pointed teeth. As he flew closer it was apparent how truly tall she was, even bent and leaning on a cane she was taller than he was. She raised that cane now and he found himself pushing against an invisible barrier. It did not feel too strong, he thought, he should be able to break through, though perhaps it would not have to come to that. "Who presumes to disturb the rest of the spae-wife Grua?" she boomed. Her irises were white, her tiny black pupils rolled back and forth like marbles. She spoke in perfect German, Magneto was surprised to note. Stevie looked to him, open mouthed. "She speaks English!" she whispered but the strange acoustics caught her voice too and echoed it through the chamber. "Grua speaks all tongues, the better to understand those who pass her way, mortal woman," said the spae-wife. "What business have you here?" "We seek three children, kidnapped by a rabbit-faced man a week ago," Magneto said in English, the better for Stevie to understand, though he continued to hear Grua in German. "Have you any news of them?" "Grua has news of most everything and everyone," said the hag, "but not everyone has the price for that news, Son of the Aesir." Magneto considered what she had said carefully. He would have to bargain, he accepted that. But if she were as all- seeing as she claimed, she was perhaps trying to trap him into claiming to be someone whom he wasn't. "No Aes am I," he said. She cackled. "You have the smell of Thor's blood about you," she said "And through him the All-Father, cursed be his name, and the Mother Earth. Do not presume to trick Grua; those who do so know her wrath." "I intend no trickery," he said. "You are the one who states as fact something untruthful. No relation am I to the Aesir." The hag cackled, her mouth open revealing her uneven teeth. "Have never you wondered where your power comes from, little god?" "I am a mutant, madam, unlike my parents." Her white on white eyes flickered side to side. "A 'mutant,'" she said stretching out the strange word. "A sport such as the trickster Loki, unlike either of his giant parents? Yet, even there: the race of the giants once birthed the race of gods. Far back in your ancestry, self-called Son of Man, one of your foremothers lay with a god." Magneto waited until she was finished. "As you will have it," he said. He wondered if it were true; there were several childhood stories his grandmother had told him that he had discounted long ago. But now was not the time to discuss whom he was related to. "About the rabbit-faced man," he said. Grua cackled again. Stevie shifted next to him, visibly annoyed, to judge from her expression toward the spae-wife. "Hassen cools his heels in Niflheim now," she said. "I make you his name for a gift. But anything more must be paid for." "How?" Magneto said, conscious of his rising anger. She seemed bent on provoking it. "Hassen must be called back to the land of the living to answer your questions," she said with a so-gentle smile. "A life for a life." "Unacceptable," he ground out. "It need not be yours," she purred. "Your dusky leman would be enough." "No," he said. "What else would you accept?" "Why, nothing," she said. "But only consider the worth of your misplaced ... students, versus one mere mortal life. Surely I offer a bargain?" Magneto looked at Stevie; she looked even angrier than before. "You have no intention of granting our request if you put your price so high," she said. "Speak only when addressed by your betters, _nigger_," spat the hag, raising her cane. A slow moving ball of blue fire rolled off the end, headed for Stevie. Magneto reached out and absorbed its energy long before he would have had to take evasive maneuvers. He cocooned them both in a protective bubble. Simultaneously, he caught the angry expression on Stevie's face and his own anger overflowed its banks and flooded out his common sense. "You will speak to my companion with _respect_, old woman!" he said, his voice booming through the chamber. "And if I do not, Odin-spawn," Grua said, drawn up to her full height. She held her cane out in front like a baton. "What will you do then, godlet?" "You spoke of a price, old woman," he said. "A life for a life, you said. I will let you keep yours if you help us." The flames shot up higher from the chasm. "Do not presume, Aes trash," Grua spat. "You have not the power." "Do I not?" said Magneto. He thickened the shield about himself as he spoke; even in anger he did not lose sight of basic safety. He reached out with his power, deep into the rock and pushed at the fault line that lay at the heart of the chasm. As once he had controlled the lava at the base of a volcano, he _pushed_ and _pulled_ now and began to draw the gap in the earth closed. The bridge that Grua stood on shook; her cane gave off sparks as she fought for control of the fires. "Enough, old woman?" his voice boomed through the great room. Magneto let harmless but showy lightnings play around the edges of the force bubble, the better to impress. Grua's reply was a shriek of pure anger. "I'll teach you, swine!" Her spells flew thick and fast, but they were unsubtle, pure force he could counter easily. He succeeded in moving the lips of the gap ten feet closer together. The slender bridge buckled; Grua remained standing in thin air. She was all but beaten, he thought, now to wrestle her down and force her to tell him what he needed to know. "Begone!" she screeched. "Back to where you belong, mortal trash!" Abruptly, too quickly for him to counter, a darkness opened up beneath him and Stevie, like one of Illyana's stepping disks only reversed. It swept upward, or perhaps reality swept down, but the result was a _reversal_ of reality: he and Stevie were in mid-air, elsewhere. "Oh!" said Stevie "What happened -- where are we?" Magneto had been holding her separated from him, shielded in her own protective cocoon, but now he recombined the protective bubble to hold them both more comfortably. The geography below looked familiar, North was in a terrestrial direction, and he could "hear" the radar beacons for Kennedy and Poughkeepsie with ease. For a moment he really thought he might scream with frustration. He should have physically attacked the old woman instead of trying to intimidate her, but he had thought he was being kinder that way. Suddenly the humor of the situation came to him and he laughed. "What is it, Magnus?" Stevie said concerned. "Where did she send us?" "Stevie," he said, "I do not think we are in Asgard anymore ..." * * * Getting into the castle was child's play, this time. Doug led; I just followed his cues. The others were to meet us just outside of town with the regular horses we'd used in our journey for a quick getaway; Doug and I bid them adieu. Lucas looked stricken when I glanced over my shoulder as I rode away; Dani looked stricken as well but there wasn't time to reassure her that it made no difference to me which sex she preferred. It would be awful if I never had a chance to discuss it with her. I resolved not to let that happen, for whatever good that would do. Besides, she and Mist would get all the fun of explaining the wingety horses which would probably show up later in the day. I didn't know if I should relish or dread the shock that would give Lucas. Maybe it would convince him that I wasn't really the girl for him. As I said, Doug led the "assault" on Bridagard, which meant I played dumb and followed him. With virtually no trouble (but with a couple highly interesting maneuvers) we got to the famed Lake of Fire. It lived up to its advance billing. I had half expected some smoldering oil floating on top of a lily pond; this was proper flames shooting up out of this hazy substance that wasn't quite water or foam. Doug backed up, moving away from the heat. "It's all yours, Jess," he said, "... if you want it." "I eat stuff like this for breakfast," I replied, and stepped in. The strange substance never got any deeper than my waist, but the flames were often higher than my head. As I should have expected that made it hard for me to breathe. I wished I'd stopped to take a deep breath before starting; I was dizzy by the time I was halfway across and by the time I stumbled "ashore" on the little island where Bridagan kept her treasure, I had little black spots dancing before my eyes. Fifty more feet and I'd have fallen down and died of asphyxiation. As it was, I lay on the grass and took deep grateful breaths. There must have been mucho magic at work; the island was totally unaffected by the heat and flames. There was a small building right in the center, so I went in. It was set up like some sort of exhibition hall; exhibits off to either side. There were mounted swords and armor, trunks overflowing with gold, a World War I biplane (I swear), a giant Lincoln Penny taller than I am, and off in one of the alcoves, a red-haired woman-girl laid out in a crystal coffin like Snow White. I crept closer and saw her chest slowly rise and fall. Weird. All the while, I kept my eyes open for the Heartstone. It was a white jewel, big enough to hold in your hand, and Bridagan considered it very valuable. So, of course it was at the very end of the hall, perched on a red velvet cushion. I wasted no time; it had just occurred to me to wonder if Bridagan had some magical alarms set up even though her fiery lake was safety enough. But I was too committed to this madness to go back and say to Doug, "Maybe we should rethink this one," so I grabbed the jewel and ran for it. You know, I never had the slightest doubt as to whether what I'd taken was really the Heartstone. It had a warm, living feel, even through my leather gloves. Hard to describe, but it was a warm sort of feeling, friendly and helpful, healing. I supposed we've heard more about "evil" objects; this one was "good," whatever that means. I put the Heartstone under the padding beneath my armor, next to my skin, where it would be safe from the heat. For all its magic, the Heartstone might be just another lump of carbon -- it had that diamond glitter. I'd hate to go to all this trouble just to burn it up. This time I remembered to hyperventilate before wading through the fire. I almost needn't have worried; it was not just my imagination, even halfway across I could see the fire _was_ diminishing. "You've got it?" Doug whispered as I waded ashore. "We'd better hurry," I said, glancing back. He took one look at the soon-to-be Lake of Smoulder and nodded. We hurried. Doug created a diversion at the right moment and we got out, made our way around the castle and past Bridagard Town without hearing any alarms. We met Lucas, Dani and Mist about a mile beyond. "Did you get it?" Lucas demanded anxiously as we rode up. "I mean -- you took so long," he added. "Sure did," I said, pulling it out. Everyone oohed and ahhed -- it was a handsome gem, much bigger than the Hope Diamond I've seen at the Smithsonian, the size of my fist. We passed it around from hand to hand as we checked the tack on the horses and made ready to ride. Lucas took the longest, fumbling with his pack to get out a magnifying glass to examine it with. "This is just incredible," he murmured. "We've got to get going, Luke," Dani took charge as always. "Sorry," he said gallantly and held it out to me. "I suppose you're the logical choice to carry it, having done the hardest work." "Hey, it was nothing," I said, "but I couldn't have done it without Doug." We didn't chat much as we rode; we were concentrating on putting as much distance between us and Bridagard as we could before nightfall. The Heartstone had lost the "good" feeling I'd noticed earlier, now it was just a hard lump of rock next to my skin. I wondered if we'd somehow bollixed the magic with all our handling or if the gem had somehow noticed it was being stolen. Now that it was done, my conscience was after me. Maybe it shouldn't have; I'd been raised by Noemi, who'd had decidedly strange ideas about individual property rights. But she'd also encouraged me to develop my own ideas. Now, belatedly, I was having second thoughts about turning a magical widget over to Loki. I decided I'd talk to the others when we stopped for supper. Besides, if we'd destroyed the magic, it was a moot point anyway. We must have ridden nearly twenty miles when we saw a party headed in our direction. That was nothing new; we'd passed several groups of travelers in both directions, but they brought my hackles up just the same. We rode around a bend in the road so that they were out of sight for a minute. "I have a funny feeling," Dani said, but she never got to tell us what she felt, for when the road straightened out again they were blocking the path, waiting for us. My hand went to my spear, but as I reached for it I heard horses behind us. We were boxed in by a troop of soldiers, with bows drawn, arrows pointed at us. A large woman on a bay horse rode forward. She looked like the kind of opera singer who'd perform Wagner, down to the breastplates on her armor and the horns on her helmet. "I believe you have some property that belongs to me," she said coldly. "Lady Bridagan," said Mist. "To think that members of the Sisterhood would lend themselves to such an enterprise," she said. "We are not answerable to you," said Mist. "We serve a higher law." "One that permits _stealing_?" the Lady snapped. "I think not. However, in view of my respect for your vocation I am content to seek no reprisals -- if the Heartstone is handed over _now_." "Shit," said Doug, faintly. "I looked at Dani. She shrugged back at me: "Your call," in other words. "No reprisals?" I said. The Lady nodded. Between getting shot full of arrows or getting off with my skin intact, I didn't really have a choice. "Okay," I said with a sigh. "Here it is." I took it out of my shirt, looked it over one last time. It was as brilliant as ever, but just cold, where it had been warm before. I tossed it over to her. She caught it deftly, closed her fist over it. A look of such anger came over her face I half expected smoke to come out of her ears. "Such a _cheap_ trick, girl," she said to me. "You think to fool me with illusion?" She uttered some sort of short spell that ended: "Let all illusions be cast aside!" I could feel a funny sensation on my face. Lady Bridagan held up a lump of coal. "Did you think to -- " she said, and stopped, her mouth open, staring past me, so shocked she'd forgotten what she was saying. I glanced back, noting as I did so that Doug's magical disguise had gone away; mine must have as well. However, I nearly forgot all that when I saw who was sitting on Lucas's horse. Loki. He was the only one present who didn't look surprised, my numbed brain noticed. "Why, Bridagan," he grinned, "Have you lost something?" The Lady kind of spluttered. "How did you -- " Loki held up a hand, the Heartstone glittering on his open palm. "Thanks to the efforts of my friends, what is rightfully mine is in my possession again." "Holy shit," said Doug. "But -- but you vowed not to work to reclaim the gem," the Lady said. "And I did not," Loki said. "My friends took it upon themselves to reclaim the jewel for me." "What did you do with Lucas!?" I said, finally finding my voice. "My dear," he said. "I have done nothing to Lucas." "Then where is he?" I said. Loki sighed, "Jess, you never struck me as particularly stupid," he said in Lucas's voice. He switched back to his own, slightly deeper, more cultured: "My dearest love, it was a mere lark to assume the pose of an anthropology student. And it let me see you succeed in your quest -- without, of course, providing you with such help as would contradict my vow." Deep down inside, right at my center I began feeling the subterranean stirring of some earthquake emotion vibrating its way to the surface. And that emotion was anger, a sort of basic red anger. If I'd thought I'd seen steam coming out of Bridagan's ears, it would have been nothing compared to what I'd have seen in a metaphorical mirror. "You...lied...to us," I said. "A few, regrettable prevarications," Loki said smoothly. "I thought the journey would keep you busy..." Dani snorted. "You owe us, buster," she said. "Indeed I owe you much," Loki said, looking at me directly, "for bringing love back into my life." "Oh, don't give me that," I grated out. Abruptly Bridagan laughed, deep and long. "Ah, hoist by your own petard, Lord of Lies. The hunter, captured by the game. You are love-spelled, Loki." "So I am," he said. "You weren't _really_ a virgin," he said to me reproachfully. "In the traditional sense, that is." "That's my business," I snapped. I was flushed already, too angry to get embarrassed. "How dare you pretend to be something -- someone you're not, living with us, misleading us!" "I have not earned the title 'Lord of Lies' for nothing," he said humbly. "Hey wait a sec," said Doug. "Did you go to bed with --" "Shut up, Doug." I said. "I miss out on all the fun," he grumbled. I turned and gave him such a look that he actually blushed. Then I turned back to Loki. "You owe us bigtime, Mister," I said. "You are rightfully upset," he said. "I am sure, after some reflection --" "-- I'll still hate your guts." I finished for him. "Why me?" I addressed the universe at general. "You are not without a certain degree of power," Loki said. "Having you as a devoted love-slave would be advantageous." Bridagan laughed again. "Almost this pays for the loss of the Heartstone," she said. "Young woman, make the most of this boon. His spell went awry and rebounded upon him." "Enough," I said. "Okay, Loki, you owe us. In payment for our services, you're going to send us back to Midgard and you're going to remove these stupid collars." "As my love commands," he said. "A period of calm reflection will do wonders for your temperament, my dear." "Stuff it up your ass," I said. "I ask you, Bridagan, does she not have spirit?" said Loki. "So it is adieu for now," he said to me, as though we were alone. "Do remember your words about _honesty_, Jessica," he said with a knowing smile. "And do send my greetings to your father." Before I could so much as gasp, he raised the Heartstone and a light, a really blinding light sprang forth. It must have been a magical light because my body field absorbs excess light -- natural "sunglasses." In the midst of the light there was a _wrench_, the kind of feeling that I was getting altogether too familiar with. This time, however, it was very, very welcome. When the spots cleared, we were standing on the lawn in front of the Mansion. "We're _home_!" Dani cried. She grabbed me and gave me a hug, turned to Doug, hugged him, turned again, hesitated just a fraction and hugged Mist. "Hey," said Doug. "Mist came with us!" "Welcome to Xavier's," I said. "I've never been to Midgard," she said, smiling shyly at Dani. "This will be an interesting visit." "So you and Loki--?" said Doug. "Get your mind out of the gutter," I said. "Aren't you supposed to be grateful we're home or something? Remember those pesky parents?" "Yeah, sure," he said. "No harm done -- we got back okay! HEY!" he yelled at the house. A window flew open on the second floor, and Rahne stuck her red head out. Her eyes widened -- I could see that, even from where I stood. "You're back!" she cried, and disappeared, obviously running for the stairs. A white circle of light flashed and Illyana stood before us. "You're back!" she cried as well and tried to hug Doug and Dani at the same time. There was a whirring like a helicopter and one of the strangest individuals I've ever met landed next to Doug. "Selffriend Doug has returned!" it said. It looked halfway between Robbie the Robot and a big silicon chip, always moving and changing. "Greetings! Expressions of joy at reuniting!" It wrapped its "arms" around Doug, an expression of cartoon happiness on its face. "Uh, this is Warlock," Doug said to Mist and me. I'd seen pictures of course, but the reality was still pretty startling. Mist had an expression of polite stun on her face. "Don't worry," Illyana said to her. "He hardly ever bites.' "Dani! Doug!" voices cried behind us. "Jess!" Rahne ran out onto the lawn, followed by Amara, Sam, and a black boy who must be Roberto, the other classmate who'd been missing since my arrival at the school. It was old home week. "I'm so glad to be back," I said. I felt my neck. "Hey Dani -- the collars are _gone_!" I cried, and she felt her neck. "At last!" she said. "I am so glad to stop living in armor," I said. _How long has it been since I put on this helmet_? I thought as I lifted it off -- at least since I came out of the Lake of Fire. I yawned and ran a hand through my hair, fluffing it up. I turned to say something to Doug and noticed he was staring at me, his mouth wide open. "Is something the matter?" I said. I turned and looked behind me, in case Loki had just popped up or something, but there was nothing there. When I turned back, more people had fallen quiet and were staring at me. At last Doug broke the silence. "Holy Shit," he said. "Your hair's turned white, Jess." I grabbed some of the curls on the side and stretched them so I could see. It must have returned to its natural color when Bridagan turned off the illusions. "You look just like Magneto," said Rahne at last. "Ah remember thinking that once," said Sam, "but seein' as you didn't say anything, and _he_ didn't say anything." "It's been perfectly obvious," said Amara firmly. "But since it was none of my business..." "Holy Shit," Doug said again. "Students?" Magneto said from the doorway. "I heard the three of you -- returned." Even _he_ was stunned. I wanted to scream. I wanted to pitch a fit right there on the lawn. I wanted to dig a hole and hide. Maybe it was because I was at the end of my emotional rope, what with stealing the Heartstone, being caught, Valkyries, Lucas/Loki and all. Everything that had happened to me reared up and I realized I could blame it all on just one man. So that's why I said the one thing I'd sworn over my mother's dead body I'd never say: "Hello, Daddy." Then I ran past him, into the house, up the stairs, and slammed the door to my bedroom. I fell on the bed, still in my armor, and had a good cry. To be continued in Chapter 9: "Truth or Consequences" This story (c) 1992 Connie Hirsch The New Mutants, Magneto, the Hellions, Loki, and all constituent characters (c) 1992 Marvel Comics Group. This story is not for sale and is not to be distributed without permission of the author. .