Eric Flint: Pyramid Power

The ravens were up, flying across a rain-drenched Asgard, and Odin was riding Sleipnir followed by a pack of Einherjar. Trailing behind them were Thjalfi-Harkness and Bott and Stephens, struggling to ride.

The sun broke through as they crested a ridge… and stopped. Relieved, Agent Bott managed to catch up, in time to see the entire group staring out across a lovely lake. It was a pretty sight, even if you could see the mirrored reflection of two dragons in it.

"Loki!" screamed Odin. "Curse you, trickster!" He turned on his Einherjar. "Get down there and unblock it!"

Bott looked at the lake, lapping against the wall. Must be some sort of drain that was blocked. It looked quite deep.

A raven dropped onto Jerry's shoulder. "Odin is looking for you," said Hugin. "Got any jelly beans?"

Jerry didn't. But Thrud did. "Where is he?"

"Back along that trail," said the raven. "Good war going on down there. Plenty of fresh corpses. Waste of time to be flying around here."

"Why don't you go and fly there and tell Loki we're in and the Gjallar river is blocked and rising."

"Has he got more jelly beans?"

Thrud nodded. "And lots of dead fire giants. I think you'll like them."

Hugin took flight and the party of four took the trail that the raven had pointed a wing at. It was narrow and steep, leading up a spur, and hard going for Jormungand.

"I wonder if we wouldn't be wise to wait in ambush," said Jerry.

"Too late," said Sigyn.

Sure enough, there was Odin on the neck of the trail. He couldn't have chosen a better spot for self-defense either. There were a series of steep curving rock steps zigging into the little gully and then zagging out again, so that if they came up to attack him they could be neatly speared from above. It was also such a narrow gully that Jormungand would have to skirt around rather than go up it.

Behind Odin were the traitorous Bott and Stephens and Thor's man Thjalfi. Odin started to lower his spear and then spotted Jormungand. "Einherjar!" he bellowed.

Odin didn't have Thor's voice, but he obviously thought he had backup coming.

Jerry studied the situation, and didn't like what he saw. If the Einherjar came up behind them, they could attack Jormungand before she could turn. And if she did turn, then Odin, on horseback and with a spear, would surely kill some of them. Sigyn had a knife and Jerry a sword he really didn't know how to use, and a net that he could see no way to use at all. Thrud could certainly use her battle-axe, but one-eyed Odin was the lord of battles, for all his faults. He probably was the second most powerful warrior of all the?sir, and he had cunning on his side.

Cunning that led him to turn to Thjalfi. "Go down."

Thjalfi paled, and turned to his foot-soldiers. "Get them."

Nervously, they began to advance.

Jormungand spat venom at them. It fell short, but where it landed, it actually ate into the rock, hissing.

The two PSA agents stopped. Both began unlimbering what looked suspiciously like crossbows.

Jerry decided to try to beat Odin at his own game. He concentrated on speaking English. He had no idea if his words were being translated or not.

"Why are you doing this? I'm a fellow American!" he shouted.

"We've got a job to do. And we're as stuck here as you are!" That came from Stephens, putting a quarrel in the groove. He jerked his head at Thjalfi. "And we figure Mr. Harkness here is the boss, in this situation-and those are his orders."

"Think very carefully about what you are doing. We have found a way back. The sphinx and Bes and Cruz made it through. They've taken Ella and Ty and Tolly back. Cruz is coming with reenforcements and soon we should all be able to head home to America. That applies to you too, if you take that bastard down."

The agent stopped in the act of cocking the crossbow.

His fellow agent put a hand on Stephens' weapon, pushing it down. "We can go home," said Bott, with huge relief. "Stephens, we'll have succeeded in our mission. We've got Mister Harkness, after all." He, too, nodded at Thjalfi.

Suddenly, a lot of things made sense to Jerry. "Harkness is in his fifties and overweight and bald. I know. I was shown pictures at the debriefing. You must have seen pictures too. This guy is not Harkness. Anyway, I don't care who he is. Right now we have one?sir against us. Help us, and we'll help you."

Stephens blinked. "But he knows all the codes…"

Bott blinked also. "He said he was magically disguised…"

"Apples of youth," snarled Thjalfi. "And I am telling you that it is in the national interest that you kill that man. He's anti-American."

"Do that and you lose all chance of going home," said Jerry with a confidence he didn't feel. "Odin-"

The wavering Bott turned, and at that moment, Thjalfi-Harkness cut him down from behind, with a vicious stroke through his spine and heart. Stephens, beginning to turn, realized that Odin's spear was leveled at him. His companion's body abruptly disappeared.

"You killed him," said Stephens incredulously.

"Shoot them," said Thjalfi-Harkness, his voice harsh. "I haven't got this far to be stopped by some longhaired university left-wing asshole. Get the dragon first."

Just then a bat-winged spiky shadow passed overhead.

"Down there! That's Jerry!" yelled Liz, looking at the scene.

"And that's our darling," said Bitar, almost throwing Liz off with his delighted wriggle. "Jorgy! Roses are red, and violets are blue, and they both stink compared to you!"

Lamont was also having to cling, desperately, as Smitar did an aerial dance for Jormungand too. "My darling, how I hunger for your touch and your lunch, let's get a bunch to munch!" he caroled.

"Set us down before you drop us. And spare us any more Vogon poetry!" said Liz.

Hastily the dragons swooped down on the ridge, and Liz and Lamont bailed onto the rocks above the stand-off. It was a dangerous maneuver, but it beat more poetry.

Looking down, Liz could see Stephens raising his crossbow, and Jormungand fluttering her eyelashes at her suitors.

"Stephens, I'll shove that thing up your ass sideways unless you drop it!" yelled Liz.

Lamont, ever practical, was lifting a large rock.

Jormungand looked up at the aerial acrobatics. "Boys," she said, "I hear some knights coming to attack our rear. Could you… "

Marie had come out to get a bit of fresh air. The smell of food was appetizing, but maybe the cancer had advanced more rapidly than she'd expected or she'd been asleep longer than she realized. Lodin, poor thrall, had retreated from a house full of females too. He was about to run into the stables, when Marie looked up at the ridge. And screamed.

"What's wrong?"

"I know those two dragons! And I'll bet that's my husband! I can tell by the way he moves. Lodin, please-help me up onto one of these damn winged nags."

Marie Jackson had never ridden a horse on her own in her life before, let alone been in control of one with wings. But she wasn't going to let that stop her.

She nearly fell off as the horse reared aerially at the sound of a great roar… as the weight of the water burst through the wall of Asgard. But she kept her seat somehow, and forced the horse on to the drama unfolding below.

She heard yells behind her, and realized that the better part of her three-hundred-odd Valkyries were also following. They were much better riders. Her horse had gained more height than she'd intended-but that let her see Odin's Einherjar charging upward from the broken wall to answer their master's summons.

Somehow Marie had drawn the sword Gram without cutting herself or the horse. "Get them!" she yelled, pointing. And then, suddenly realizing that she could in fact talk to this stupid animal, she leaned forward. "Get me down there or I'll chop your head off."