“The corpse,” Skalmöld shouted. “You have to destroy Egil’s body inside!”
Thori twisted to smirk up at Njord. No. He’d been so scared by Egil’s death, he couldn’t seriously—
“Don’t even think—” Njord started.
But Thori was already moving, slipping from Njord’s grasp, and Njord was too stunned to hold him back. And then Thori was running, vaulting onto the battlements, his lightningcrackling around him like a pack of wolves coming to hunt with him.
“Thori, no!”
He jumped.
For a heartbeat, he seemed to float, suspended in empty air, Njord’s anguished shout echoing behind him. Then the lightning wrapped around him, fueled by Njord’s power, and Njord had to keep himself from pulling Thori back into his arms. Going against his every instinct, he supported Thori’s descent instead, lending him power, keeping him from falling. Thori landed, running on the lower wall next to Gylfa, gathering speed and lunging directly at the giant.
Njord’s breath caught as he watched Thori plunge his ax deep into the giant’s chest, following it with a bolt of lightning that he pushed through the handle, through the blade, deep into the creature’s core. Svanhild’s rottenseiðrpushed back, but Njord lent him more power, determined to protect Thori.
The blasted giant swiped at Thori, but Njord brought the creature off balance, letting fierce waves pull at its feet. The giant missed, and Thori ripped his ax free to strike again, deeper this time.
Good boy, Njord thought, sending Thori not only his power but also all the warmth and protectiveness he was feeling.I’m with you.
“Down with you!” Thori roared, calling down more lightning and shrouding the creature in brightness and heat.
Bolt after bolt hammered into the giant’s chest, and the creature shrieked.
Mesmerized, Njord watched Egil’s corpse be peeled from its muddy tomb and shattered under Thori’s relentless attack.
Norns, Thori was a force of nature. Strong. Brave. Perfect.
Njord only had to keep him from getting himself killed.
Finally, the giant’s screams cut off, and for a moment it froze. Then it collapsed. Mud and peat disintegrated, theseiðranimating it, torn apart. Thori tried to leap clear, but the collapsing body moved too fast, dragging him down into the foul mass.
“Thori!”
Njord jumped after him, diving right into the horrible mud, to wrap his arms around Thori. They fell together, but Njord let the sea meet them, and suddenly they were surrounded by clear water that guided them gently down to the foot of the fortress while the giant fell apart around them.
“You reckless fool,” Njord snarled as soon as they reached the ground safely. “You absolute—”
He couldn’t finish the sentence because the ocean itself rose with rage to answer his distress. No slow gathering of power, no whispered words ofseiðr, just Njord’s sea bending to his will. He allowed his rage to pour from him in a torrent, and his domain answered. The waves turned black and towering, blocking out what little light the fog-shrouded sun provided.
“Back,” he snarled at Thori, pushing him bodily to stand behind Njord. “Get back behind the wall.”
But Thori only grinned at him. Even smeared with mud, he was still the most beautiful being in the Nine Worlds.
“Not a chance, Shipbreaker. Let’s send Sveinn to the bottom of your precious sea.”
There was no time to argue. Sveinn’s fleet was already scattering, but the fog that had hidden them now worked against them. They couldn’t see where they were going, and Njord knew every current, every depth, every treacherous rock hidden beneath the surface.
He raised both hands, and the waves obeyed.
A wall of water rose between the fortress and the attacking fleet, higher than the tallest mast, dark as storm clouds. Njordlet it hover there for one breath, giving the warriors andvöluron those doomed ships a moment to understand what was coming. To know who had killed them.
And maybe to show off a little in front of Thori.
He brought it down.
The wave crashed over the nearest longships with devastating force. Wood splintered, and warriors screamed before their voices were swallowed by the roar of water. The ships capsized; the figureheads with their glowing eyes pulled down beneath the churning foam.
But Njord wasn’t finished.
