Well, if they hadn’t thought we were mad before, they certainly would after that announcement...
Raucous laughter burst from Laing, much as I’d expected, and McMurdo, Fionnlagh and Kinsella turned to Conn, as if still waiting for the punch line. Only Lambert shook her head at Laing while Galbraith nodded unexpectedly.
“All hail Woden, rightful king of Ésageard. All hail Fréa, lord in Ælfhám, and Hel, protector of the dead. May Tiw be cursed to fall... All hail Fríge.”
I wasn’t sure what surprised me more, that he’d remembered what I’d said when I helped Fenn save Aethelmær – words that had been broadcast nationwide – or that when he murmured ‘hail Woden’, Conn inhaled sharply at the rush of belief fuelled power which hit him, turning his eyes molten gold and illuminating the names on his arms. My body had a similar response when Galbraith said my godly name.
“You believe?” I asked, astonished.
“I do now,” he stated unequivocally. “When mortals started using those damn stakes, I looked up the meaning of the tiwaz rune. I didn’t understand the implications, I expected to discover a cult, but I was concerned enough to get in touch with the one southern sire I felt I could trust. John Blackmore didn’t tell me that gods walked amongst us – if he had, I would’ve had him up for psych assessment - but he did say to put my faith in you. He advised I brush up on my mythology too, though I had no idea how that would help at the time. The puzzle pieces are falling into place.
“I know who you are, queen of Ésageard, even if I hadn’t just witnessed the runes appearing on your forearms. I know who your husband is. I can make an educated guess on who Fennbúend Cenewulf is too... ”
Lambert’s eyes widened in surprise, even though she hadn’t seemed shocked to learn we were gods.
“He’s not...” she breathed in disbelief.
“He’s Fenrir,” I confirmed, guessing where her line of enquiry would go. “I predicted he’d kill my husband in a time long ago. Tiw had him bound in servitude until he fulfilled that task. He did so, and now he’s free and willing to be our ally.”
Laing’s guffaw grew louder.
“Surely you don’t believe this tripe? Vampire’s do not become gods.”
“True,” I answered, “but as it turns out, gods can disguise themselves as mortals and mortals can become vampires.”
“Why would you come here if you were, truly, gods?” Fionnlagh demanded, suspicion in her expression. “Especially for so long. You’re both masters. You’ve both been on earth since the Saxon period, except for brief periods of death. Why are you here?”
“We came here to protect you,” Leof answered. “We don’t have our memories of our lives prior to becoming Cyneweard and Dunthryth, but my wife has been back to Ésageard and what she discovered indicates that we were faced with a choice; condemn the world to subjugation and ourselves along with it, or live the lives we’ve lead, from Dunthryth’s tortured past to my stint in Valhalla. It was a price we paid for your freedom and the freedom of your ancestors.
“Midgard has had more than eleven centuries of freedom to plot it’s own course because we sacrificed ourselves, William, Fenrir, and loved ones who were not only tortured but who were killed to give you a chance to avoid Tiw’s cruelty. We gave up children for it too. Children who died, and children who were taken from us. We’ve sacrificed every scrap of strength and every scrap of dignity we had in Ésageard to preserve yours. But Tiw has new followers now, new strength, and our sacrifice isn’t enough any more.
“Tiw is no longer confined to Ésageard and he wants to claim all of the heavens. Berith wants to claim Helheim. What should worry you is that Osier wants to claim Midgard. He will incite fear and anger, and lead people to commit unspeakable crimes. By doing so, he will earn sinners’ souls for his master in his new hell, while also becoming ruler of his own realm. You will be slaves if you’re lucky, and dead if you aren’t. And I promise you, you don’t want to be dead if Tiw and Berith control both heaven and hell. No longer will you be received in paradise to wait out time. Instead you will know an eternity of pain, of death and degradation, of suffering you can’t even imagine.”
