See Chapter One For Disclaimers.
Valkyrie Rising
Chapter Four
…darkness closed suddenly, driving Megan before it, plummeting to the brink of oblivion. Bolstered by the cries of ravens she fought, lashing out with will alone. Seeking some purchase on reality… some advantage against the will that diminished hers…
Ginger backed away slowly, never taking her eyes off the apparition in front of her. The eyes weren't Megan's; they were wild, lit by a primal fire she'd never seen. Despite all evidence to the contrary, she was facing a total stranger.
"Who… who are you? Where's Meg? Who will be here soon?" Gin fired out the questions with machine gun precision, her fear and confusion causing her voice to crack with strain. A surge of desperation coursed through her as she continued backing away.
The other woman took a single step toward her, one hand outstretched as if in entreaty. Heart pounding crazily against her ribs, Ginger backed herself right up against the half-open hall closet. Groping blindly into the open space behind the door, her fingers came into contact with something long and solid… Grandy's old cane!
Blessing the old woman's heart and anything else that may still be around, she curled her fingers around its smooth surface and pulled it from it's hiding place. The solid heft of it in her hands was reassuring. "Don't come any closer!" Ginger swung the cane out in front of her and set it to spinning menacingly. A low thrumming filled the air, and the whirling became a steady blur. Despite the implied threat, she was taken aback by the response that followed.
The woman jerked her hand back as if she'd been stung. Brushing a strand of dark hair out of her eyes, she looked around in apparent confusion. "Where is this place…." Her voice was rough with emotion, but at least she appeared to have forgotten about Ginger for the moment. Instead, she began to wander aimlessly about the tiny apartment, touching things at random. Her strong face was a study in bafflement.
The unexpected reprieve gave Ginger a chance to think. This had to be tied somehow to all the other weird things that had been going on lately. The question was, what? Maybe she had an opportunity to find something out here… something that would help Megan. Mercilessly quashing the feeling of sorrow that threatened to overwhelm her at the thought of Meg, Ginger told herself firmly that she'd do better to take advantage of the opportunity rather than continue with the hostility. She had to get Meg back somehow; the alternative didn't bear thinking about.
Taking a deep breath, she let the cane slow to a stop, then cautiously set it down. No sooner had she moved than the stranger whirled to face her. Even though the tall woman had dropped instantly into a fighting crouch, she made no move toward Ginger. Her eyes were wary, but not in any way menacing. In fact, it occurred to Gin that nothing she had done so far could be even remotely construed as threatening.
Bracing herself mentally, Gin stepped away from the closet. "Well, I'm starved. Are you hungry?"
Inexplicably, this mundane question brought a quirk of wry amusement to her visitor's lips. Raising one eyebrow slightly, the darker woman merely nodded her head.
…darkness fractured, light crept in bringing with it an uncanny sense of Otherness. Through a haze, Megan saw Ginger, struggled to cry out to her; to move, anything to make her presence known… still, the Other was stronger… From somewhere beyond the raven's cry came the notion that it would have to be a waiting game…
Ginger's thoughts were a whirl of confusion as she cleared away the remains of their meal. It had taken only a few minutes for her to prepare a salad and toast. Even so, she had caught the other woman looking at her with a peculiar sadness, an almost hopeless longing in her eyes. She looked so much like Megan then that it tore at Ginger. The pull was so great that she imagined she could hear Megan calling her, begging for help. It was all Ginger could do not to take her in her arms and comfort her. She had to keep telling herself over and over again that this wasn't Megan.
They had eaten in silence, concentrating on the food to the exclusion of all else. Avoidance seemed to be a universal trait Gin noted with amusement. Whatever her origin, as dark and forbidding as her presence was, this stranger was no more anxious to delve into the truth than Ginger. Perhaps she was afraid, perhaps she just didn't care. There was no way for Gin to know.
At that particular moment, she was lounging indolently at the table watching Gin deal with the dishes. Her eyes were half-closed, her expression unreadable. She almost appeared somnolent. It came as a surprise when she spoke. Her quiet voice broke the uncomfortable silence with a sudden wistfulness that was surprising.
"You look so much like her. Gods, I wish I could see her. I miss her, almost beyond words." The rich contralto trailed off into nothingness.
Ginger's heart stopped in her throat. This woman sounded like she had lost someone too, a lover maybe. Perhaps this would give her the opening she was looking for. It certainly gave them common ground. Wiping her hands on the dishtowel, she went back over to the table. "Miss who?" she prompted gently.
Ice blue eyes looked at her consideringly. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft, tinged with a deeper meaning. "My… traveling companion."
"Traveling companion…" Willing to play along, Ginger paused for a moment, as if in thought. "Your lover?"
The dark woman merely nodded. It was all the answer that was needed. Gin could see her swallowing hard, as if choked by emotion.
…Megan could see Ginger, knew she was talking to the Other… no sound penetrated the haze, but she suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of loss and longing… for an eerie moment her vision of Gin was overlaid by another face, one virtually identical in the firelight… Firelight?… The odd double vision flickered around the edges and was gone… an experimental flexing of her will told Megan that the waiting was almost over…
Gin never got to press the issue further; she was forestalled by an insistent knocking at the door. Cursing violently, she stomped toward the door. She was vaguely aware that the other had ducked back into the kitchen, conveniently out of sight. The interruption couldn't have come at a worse time. Good old Murphy was hard at work, as usual. Whoever it was, they would soon wish they'd stayed away. Drawing the deadbolt with a solid clunk, Ginger jerked the door open. "What the hell do you…"
Surprise drowned the rest of the thought unspoken, as Brennan grabbed her and roughly shoved her back into the apartment ahead of him. Without loosening his grip on her arms, he slammed the door behind him and started shouting. "You will listen to me Ginger. There's no other way. Go get your bags now, you're coming with me. You've seen what's been happening to her. She's not safe for you to be around."
Ginger knew a second of stunned disbelief. His voice was harshly guttural, and his handsome face was a mask of barely controlled fury. Worse yet, the condescending tone he used made her immediately angry. Without conscious thought, she stomped hard on his instep. When he howled in agony and dropped his hold on her arms, she scrambled backwards as fast as she could.
"You misbegotten little bitch!" He had her by the arm again in two steps. This time she couldn't break his grip, no matter what tricks she tried. She didn't have long to worry about it though.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Ginger's visitor drawled from the kitchen door.
"Yeah? Who's going to stop me Megan? Certainly not you." Sarcasm fairly dripped from each word, and his scorn was evident in the hard planes of his face.
"Your kind doesn't frighten me, godling. Take your filthy hands off her." Her low laughter echoed mockingly right in Ginger's ear. Somehow, quite impossibly, she had crossed the room in an instant.
Brennan did a double take, then shoved Ginger away from him with enough force to send her crashing to the floor. "So…" He made the word a single drawn out hiss. "It's you."
"I told you long ago, Greece doesn't concern itself with your petty northern feuds. I've no doubt the same holds true here."
"Too bad it's not your decision to make this time." As he spoke, he raised one hand as if to throw something.
Gin squeezed her eyes tightly shut, trying in vain to get a handle on the situation. Nothing made any sense at that moment. Things were rapidly getting more confusing. It was obvious that Brennan knew the other woman from somewhere, and that she knew him. What did she mean by calling him a godling though? That wasn't possible, was it? Possible or not, she found herself mulling the idea over, wondering who he really was. Trying to still the fear that shook her, she forced herself to take a closer look at him. Somehow, it looked as if he were surrounded by a shimmering reddish light…
…more light filtered through, Megan felt a weakening in the bonds of will that held her… gathering her own will she held herself ready, poised to act… she saw Ginger fall and rage boiled, rising like lava… without warning the binding gave… an instant of bizarre duality occurred… she was both there and not there, and in that single moment a voice much like her own whispered 'Guard them both, the Bard and the Staff. Ward them well.' Then the Other was gone…
A muted red light pooled in Loken's hand, gathering to form a sullenly pulsing orb. Somehow, in that instant, some part of her knew him for what he was. Megan felt the anger inside her burn even hotter, smothering the voice of panic. "Not her decision, Loki. But it is mine." Her words were cold and hard, slicing through the air like tempered steel.
Brennan raised his eyes in confusion as he realized that she was herself again. He looked at her in open-mouthed shock, just as she launched herself at him. Using the white-hot flame of her rage like a shield, Megan hit him both physically and mentally with everything she had. He was taller by about four inches, and much heavier. It did him no good; he went down like he'd been poleaxed.
When he didn't move, she turned her attention toward Ginger. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" When she didn't get an answer immediately she turned back towards him. "I'll kill him…" She stopped in mute astonishment… Loki was nowhere to be seen. It was the last straw; she started to laugh uncontrollably.
"Megan?" Ginger's voice was shaky and weak, but it stopped the laughter cold. "Is it really you?"
Megan looked directly at her and nodded. Ginger lunged at her, nearly bowling her over with the force of impact. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was there, safe in Meg's arms. Her slender body was wracked with sobs, and she clung to the taller woman as if she would never let go. As Megan looked down at the copper and gold head nestled against her, something melted deep inside. For the first time, she let go of the grief that she had held for so long. At least for the moment, all the crippling guilt faded into the back of her mind.
"I thought I'd lost you." Gin's muffled voice was thick with tears.
Megan stepped back a little, lifting Gin's chin gently. Her thumb lightly brushed the moisture from a glistening cheek as she looked deep into tear-bright green eyes. "Never," she whispered, "Not in this lifetime." As she slowly lowered her lips to Gin's, the words 'Nor in any other' echoed through her mind.
(c) M.C. Sak 1999