A Mermaids Tail

14.Remember

The sun glistened off the still waters enough to shield Alicia from any pirate that may cast a gaze overboard. She was only young, still not belonging to a Kraken, and unaware of the dangers of humans. Her and a young merman had been frolicking at the surface when a net had closed in around them. She had barely escaped but the young merman had been captured and hoisted aboard a huge ship. It was hard to get a clear view of what was going on behind the pirates so she swam to the side of the boat and hauled herself up the anchor chain. Each pull strained on her arms and it tired her quickly but determined she reached the top only to be greeted by a sight so vile her hands let go of the chain crashing back into the sea and speeding away into the safety of the depths horrified.

"They gutted him like a fish," she sobbed sat next to Mimir, the images gone from the Well, "the same Captain from the town..."

"The Norns decide the fate of mortals my dear, they intertwine destinies and influence fates, they seem to have decided that yours and that mans be connected for some reason. I wish I could tell you why but those wenches are beyond my understanding," there was a bitter tone to Mimirs voice as he spoke of the Norns.

"There's so much I'd forgotten, since coming on land, like it was a dream and not my past until now," Alicia rubbed at her temples trying to ease the headache building there.

"Faery magic, both times they played tricks on yourself and Narfi, it's their nature to do so, since you drank from the Well those tricks are being undone," Mimir saw the worries glance and added, "but don't fret, it won't rid you of your legs, the physical effects will remain untouched, only the mental ones will become ineffective."

"You said that there was commotion up and down the tree, what do you mean?" Alicia, seeing things anew, asked again. "Has it got something to do with us, Narfi and I?"

"Some of it certainly has," Mimir nodded laughing silently, "For starters, your Kraken isn't best pleased."

"I doubt he would be," Alicia scowled, she had no love loss for that cruel destructive creature.

"He aims to reclaim you Alicia, if you think you can escape him on land you're wrong," Mimir warned gravely.

"We've got bigger problems with the Ventatores right now," Alicia tried to brush off the subject.

"Problems have a way of all piling up sometimes," muttered Mimir returning to look at his Well. "I'd say our biggest problem right now would be returning you to your body, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, but how do we do that?" asked Alicia drying her eyes.

"We have to see the mistress of souls in this part of the tree, your soul has been separated, Hel will be able to return you to it," Mimir explained to her.

"Hel, from what I gather she's not the most giving of goddesses," Alicia protested.

"Hel is misunderstood in the main part, bitter and resentful, but hardly evil," Mimir smiled at her then added, "Besides, you're practically family now! I'm sure an early birthday present to her sister-in-law-to-be isn't too much to ask."

For a second Alicia was confused then she realised, "Hel is a child of Loki, like Narfi, Vali and Nari."

"Among others," confirmed Mimir nodding.

"How do we get to her?" Alicia looked around the exit-less room and back to Mimir.

"Same way the deal was made, we open up a doorway," said the old man frankly getting to his feet. He dipped a finger into the Well and then proceeded to draw upon the wooden wall of the room, tracing the shapes of runes, each rune glowing blue as Mimir finished it and continued to the next one, not working in a line but curving round into a circle until his last rune came next to his first. Returning to the Well he cupped his hands and gathered up water, then turning surprisingly quickly for his age, and threw it against the wall within the circle of runes. Blue light exploded as the liquid hit the solid surface, temporarily blinding Alicia. As her eyes returned to normal she saw that the wood within the circle was no longer there. Instead there was a circle of black ice within the runes, frosted and the ice mist from it wafted out like an eerie fog.

"This doorway will lead you into the Underworld, as close as I can get you to Hel," Mimir pointed at the ice, "Once you step through this doorway you can not turn back, travel only onwards, do not stop and do not rest until you reach Hel, there are more than just the souls of the dead in that place, and even they can often not be the most pleasant of folk to come across. Hurry and don't look back young Alicia," the old man urged pressing her in the small of the back towards the hole.

"Thank you Mimir," Alicia stopped as she readied to go through the ice, and kissed the old man gently on the cheek, before gripping the cold wood at the sides of the hole and pulling herself through.

There was a loud crack, like the snapping of an ancient tree and the icy circle was gone, and Alicia with it. Slowly at first the old man began to giggle, then cackle, and then into roaring manic laughter. Throwing back his head, his eyes wide in his crazed laughter as his face twisted and contorted, stretching and moving, wrinkles vanishing and features morphing, as his body grew and straightened. The morphing figure doubling up with laughter that filled the room and reverberated along the world tree.

The three brothers had reached a steep slope that headed upwards and as the ascended an icy draft touched their skin signalling they were almost there. They had walked in silence for most of the journey. Narfi was deep in thought, he was worried for Alicia and wished he could have stayed himself but he wasn't about to trust Nari and Vali together alone. He wondered to where her soul was now, if she was safe, and how long it would be until she returned to her body. He prayed to the Gods there wasn't an attack while they were gone.

The light of the torch began to be outdone by the growing white light that shone down the tunnel from above. Within minutes they found themselves facing a wall of ice through which the sunlight was glaring. Narfi reached out and touched the ice and it bent to his will, making a crackling sound as it receded to shape a doorway and a comforting blast of ice cold wind hit him hard in the face and chest. The huge jagged mountains of rock and ice loomed above them, snow covering everything par the harsh black rock of the cliff-faces, the sight was incredible to behold after so long. He heard the other two gasp behind him and smiled, "What's wrong?"

"It's as cold as Helheim out there!" Vali barked in protest.

"You could always put a coat on," Nari retorted, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

"Well Nari, now what?" Narfi asked before things escalated.

"I sent word to the others and told them to meet us here, I doubt they'll bring their full force to begin with until we've held a war council, they'll just send a small party, maybe even an individual so they travel faster," Nari explained, "So we wait."

"Then they'd best hurry," Narfi squatted in the snow resting his back against the frozen rock, "I'm not waiting indefinitely."

"So you'd walk all this bloody way to turn back empty handed?!" Nari snapped.

"Who said anything about going back empty handed?" Narfi glared at his brother, "We could leave here with the force to crush the Ventatores without doubt and you know that's true Nari!"

"You're talking about siding with the enemy of the Aesir!" both brothers stood now tensed, Narfi was ready to do whatever it took to keep Alicia safe, he cared not for the opinion of Nari, right now he hated him for holding him back, the thoughts and feelings flowing through him uncontrollably.

"And we owe them what Nari? Nothing! We've been left to die off while they sit safely in Asgard!" Narfi stepped close to Nari so they were face to face, "We are outcasts everywhere for our lineage, I say embrace it."

"Ya say embrace wha' lad?" all three brothers looked to the source of the voice and found three snow covered dwarves standing before them.

"Our new alliances with the other races," Vali responded unusually quickly. The other two turned away from each other, Nari concerned and Narfi boiling with rage.

Narfi calmed himself and slowly the rage subsided, what had just gotten into him? He introduced himself to the dwarves but paid no attention in truth and we to sit in the snow, letting it's cold sooth and relax him. It had felt like there was something inside of him, urging driving his rage feeding off his emotion, something alive. He'd never felt it before, he knew that something was wrong, and he had a fair idea what had caused it. Vali was right, he should never had trusted Nari, and his gut tightened at what had happened to Alicia. Yet he could do nothing right now, he knew just as well that the others they were meeting had been equally duped by his silver tongue, so they could still be valuable allies yet if he outed Nari, but now was not the time. He got to his feet and went to join the others.