Ragnarok

NINE

Olderdalen, Norway

3 November, 0700 Hrs

Rook pressed the End button on the phone-a cell phone he had paid to borrow from a small storekeeper in the nearest town south of Fenris Kystby. He stepped out of the shop to the quiet street where Asya waited for him by Peder’s battered car, which they had used to drive the hour south.

The sky had gone overcast with a dark, heavy cloud cover. The brittle Norwegian coastal breeze ripped into him. He noticed that Asya seemed less affected by it. He supposed that was from her Russian upbringing. He himself was from New Hampshire, and he was used to both the cold and the damp sea air, but this far north in Norway was different from home. He was almost a full 30 degrees of latitude north of the chilly New England farm he knew. They were above the Arctic Circle, and Rook’s body and his emotions had taken a battering over the last few weeks. He figured it was okay to admit to himself that he was cold.

“Your friend? He will send help?” Asya seemed impatient.

“Yeah. As soon as he can, someone will be here.” Rook saw that she wasn’t looking at him but over his shoulder and behind him as he spoke.

He turned quickly to see a long-legged blonde woman strutting up to him. She wore a fleece headband that covered her ears and the scarring on her forehead-the only blemish to an otherwise sensationally gorgeous woman-the woman Rook had begun to fall in love with: Zelda Baker, also known as “Queen.” Rook whispered her name, then smiled wide. “Sonovabitch, that was fast!” Rook was stunned to see anyone from his team so quickly after Deep Blue’s brusque brush-off.

Then she drove her right fist into his jaw, squatting slightly and using the thrust from her legs as she came back up to throw her whole weight into the blow. Rook rocked back off his feet and into the air, flying backward to slam his head against the rear window of the old Two Series Volvo, shattering it. He slid down to the pavement amidst the sprinkling of safety glass cubes, landing on his ass with a thump.

Queen looked furious. Long blonde hair streamed behind her in the Arctic air. Her cheeks were a fierce red and her eyes were filled with anger. Rook understood immediately what it meant. He was both thrilled and terrified. Thrilled because it was instantly clear to him that she had come to care for him the same way her had for her, but he was also afraid that she might have construed his recent unauthorized departure from the team as his premature death. She might never forgive him for leaving and causing her to worry so.

Unfortunately, Rook was so taken by the sight of Queen and by the power of the blow she had landed on him, that he completely forgot his companion.

Asya didn’t know Queen at all and had come to a natural conclusion-only it was the wrong one. She leapt to Rook’s defense.

As Rook tried to stand up, he saw Asya’s black clad leg fly through the air as she executed a perfect flying sidekick. Her foot connected with Queen’s face, knocking the woman back, but she managed to keep her feet. Asya landed in front of Queen and both women took a long look at each other, sizing up their opponent before the real fight started.

Rook could see what was about to happen, but his head still hurt from the impact with the Volvo-to say nothing of the impact with Queen’s right cross. His body was battered and beaten from the earlier fight with the villagers and his shoulder was still brutalized from events even before that fight. He could barely move. And he couldn’t get a breath into his lungs fast enough to call out a ceasefire.

Large flakes of snow, lumped together into bold shapes, fell from the sky. A single flake fell between the women, striking the ground with a barely audible tick.

The two women ran at each other.