Journey of an Einherji - The Sword of Summer

The Tree of Worlds

When my new friend said, that we would climb the tree that connects the Nine Worlds, I was expecting we would go to a tree. Not to some ducks' statues.

"Behold!" - Blitzen said - "The nexus of the universe!"

Hearthstone knelt reverently.

Magnus and I glanced at Sam, who had joined us after a daring escape from first-period physics. She wasn't laughing.

Magnus and I could barely contain our smiles.

"So..." - Magnus said - "I'm just going to point out that this is the Make Way for the Ducklings statue."

"Do you think it's a coincidence?" - Blitz demanded - "Nine Worlds? Nine ducks? The symbolism screams portal! This spot is the crux of creation, the centre of the tree, the easiest place to jump from one duck... I mean one world, to another."

"Couldn't have been a statue of a tree with nine branches or something like that?" - I asked to no one in particular - "Maybe nine spears? Or small obelisks?"

"Of course not!" - Blitz cried - "It would be too obvious, the ducks are perfect. Besides, if they were obelisks we would have lots of problems with... Doesn't matter."

"If you say so." - Magnus shrugged. He was wearing the same clothes Blitzen had given us after our talk about Utgard-Loki: denim jacket, jeans, beige T-shirt and winter boots.

I looked at the ducks' statues. Honestly, I had never bothered to learn if they came from a children's book or from an old tale, I gathered it was about a mama duck and her babies crossing a street in Boston. Probably one nearly died and got help or something like that, so they put a sculpture of it in the Public Garden. I don't know, I've never really cared.

Hearthstone passed his hands over the statues like he was testing the heat of a oven.

He glanced at Blitz and shook his head.

"As I feared." - the dwarf said - "Hearth and I have been travelling too much. We won't be able to activate the ducks. Magnus, we'll need you."

Magnus looked at him, waiting for an explanation, but Blitz just studied the ducks. He was testing out a new hat this morning, a pitch helmet with dark netting that drapped to his shoulders. According to Blitz, the net fabric was his own design. It blocked ninety-eight per cent of the sunlight, allowing us to see his face while not covering up his fashionable outfit. It made him look like a beekeper after a funeral.

"Okay, since no one is asking." - I said - "How can the ducks be activated?"

Sam scanned our surroundings. She didn't look like she'd slept much. Her eyes were puffy. Her hands were raw and blistered from our fishing expedition. She had changed into a black wool trench coat, but otherwise she was dressed the same as yesterday: green hijab, axe, shield, jeans, winter boots. All the accoutrements of a fashionble ex-Valkyrie.

"However you do it, do it quickly." - she said - "I don't like how close we are to the gates of Valhalla."

"But I don't know how." - Magnus protested - "Don't you guys go world-jumping all the time?"

Hearth signed. I think he said... Too much? Maybe I'm starting to understand ASL.

"Kid." - Blitz said - "The more frequently you travel between the worlds, the harder it gets. It's kind of like overheating an engine. At some point, you have to stop and let the engine cool down. Besides, jumping randomly from one world to another is one thing. Travelling on a quest... that's different. We can't be sure where exactly we need to go."