Duality : Book 1 of Codex Elysium

Chapter 15 (edited)

Chapter 15

2845 years ago

Jotuenheim

The land of giants was full of towering mountains and deep valleys. On the eastern boarder was a vast range of mountains that looked towards distant Asgard. High up on the one face was a great cave., Iinside it was dark and dank,dank; the floor was littered with animal bones. This cave was home to a giantess called Thokk. She was nearly eighteen feet tall and was very fat. Her face was broad and flat, a mop of tangled hair covered beady black eyes and a stubby nose. Thokk sat in the cave's opening and watched all the comings and goings of the giants., Sshe had no friends or family and all the other giants steered well clear of her. From this high vantage point Thokk could just make out the rainbow road that led to the land of the gods.

For many years now the road had been packed with messengers racing back and forth. Hermod had returned from his long journey and delivered Hella'ss message., Eever since then Odin had dispatched messengers to all corners of the nine worllds asking for all to weep for his son's return. Thokk had no love for the Aesir gods and she cared even less about their comings and goings., Aall she wanted was to be left alone. As the years had gone by everything had been done as was asked and all had wept for Bbalder. Birds wept, animals wept, insects wept even the cold bloodedcold-blooded snakes wept. Now the Asgard messengers were in Jotuenheim and one by one the giants did as was asked.

Thokk screwed up her ugly face and glared down at the base of the mountain. Two messengers were talking to a giant who was easily three times as tall as they were. The giant listened and his tear- soaked face looked straight up at Thokk., Hhe spoke to the messengers and pointed at her. There was no path or road up to the cave so the messengers had to climb and scrabble up as best they could. They wore heavy bearskin cloaks which they wrapped tighter around themselves the higher they got. Their heavy leather boots slipped on loose rocks and small plants. Despite the challenge, the messengers were in high spirits. Balder was so well loved that everything in eight of the nine worlds had wept. Jotuenheim was the final hurdle and so farfar, every giant had wept. Fur- lined gloves covered noses as the messengers reached the cave., Tthe stench coming from it was unbearable.

Thokk sat in the cave's entrance glaring at the messengers. She was wearing nothing but a filthy rag around her waist which did nothing to conceal her dignity or the matted black hair. Her skin was a dirty brownbrown, - grey colour. Trying not to look at the giant sagging breasts the first messenger spoke.

"Greetings, we bring word from Asgard."

Thokk just stared and said nothing.

"The most loved and fairest of all the gods has been cruelly sent to Helheim, it was not his time and his death was not fit for an Aesir god."

Thokk continued to glower at the messenger and still did not speak. The messenger began to wonder if the giant even understood him.,

Hhe pressed on.

"In order for Beloved Balder to return to Asgard, Queen Hella has demanded that all must weep for him."

The words were met with silence, the only noise was the heavy breathing of the giantess.

"Will you weep for Balder?" asked the second messenger.

The giant growled deep in her throat.

"Thokk will not weep for a dead god.......... I care not for him or for his trickster father!"

The messengers exchanged worried looks. After all these years and the many miles, they had travelled, was it all about to be for nothing?

"But you must weep, your tears can free the kind and fair god. Do not condemn him to Helheim until the end of days!" pleaded the first Messenger.