Going Thru Hell (20 page)

Bru stood outside the glass walls, watching me. I met her eyes, frowning. She was covered in dirt and blood, sporting new injuries.

“How many?” I croaked out.

“A dozen, I think. We took care of them. Although I think your neighbors were alerted. Most of them were staring out the window. Is it done, Kylie?”

I nodded slowly.

“Don't feel guilty. We will take care of the body.”

Another nod.

Bru left me. I stood in the shower, filled to capacity with power, Aki's soul and immortality. Unlike previous times, I was in control, no temptations.

I stepped out, dried off and put on the shirt we'd decided was best. It was time.

Chapter Thirty Two

I landed in rich vegetation. The air redolent with lavender, growing plants of spring, with bright blue skies and fluffy clouds. I stood, understanding why Tiamat gave directions to this
particular place. A path ran through the grass, and I followed it to a small cottage set against the backdrop of snowcapped mountains. The temperature was perfect, a light breeze ruffled the t-shirt and cooled my skin.

A woman opened the red front door. She wore pants and shirt made of
sealskin, traditional boots called mukluks, the hood down. Akna, the Inuit goddess of fertility and childbirth. She was short at five foot, with olive colored skin and a round face. I recognized her from my grandmother’s stories . Her white eyes, as if someone forgot to color in the irises, the long black hair, pulled into an intricate braid, the scar across her left cheek. “Come child. I will bind you until it is time.” She held a hand out.

I walked forward, reaching for her. She took my hand, leading into the
cottage.

It had a rustic feel, with exposed wood beams in the ceiling, taupe walls, wood floors and furniture scattered throughout. She stopped in front of a
blue door, “This will be your room. This is my realm, young Braider. Tiamat told me what you are trying to accomplish.”

“How am I supposed to birth them both separately yet together, Akna?”

“Good, you know of me. Your grandmother was a good soul. Do you not know what you have done, coming here?”

“No. Tiamat only said instinct would take care of a few details.”

“As it has. You've merged your nineteen year old self with the current. If you look in the mirror, you are going to be nine years younger, Kylie Rippons.” She pointed to a mirror hung above an antique dressing table.

I shuffled over, a heavy feeling between my legs making it hard to walk normally. I gasped at my image. I ran my hands over skin, searching for the scars accumulated over the years. The image was me, just younger and fresh, minus the idealism I'd had at that age.

Akna stood behind me. “To follow singular threads, dear one, the ability knows it must merge, pull things together and avoid a paradox. The ability has its own sentience. You are pregnant with the Norse's child as well as the Berserker's.”

“I have to live nine months in memories, hoping I can keep t
he courage to finish?” I stared, angry. This wasn't in the timeline.

“Yes, my child. Now, sleep.” She put a hand on my forehead, gently pushing me onto a
four-poster bed, carved out of oak and burnished a deep honey color. She pulled the covers back, tucking the covers tightly around me. Another slide of her warm, graceful hand across my cheek and I fell asleep easily.

Akna remained true to her word. None found me in her realm. Days were filled with grief and monotony, as I watched the changes to my body. I dreamed heavily of Aki, Bru,
and Tiamat. In the different realms, time had no meaning. By the growth of my abdomen, months passed, yet I remembered only a few weeks.

The starlight filtered gently through the window. I lay still, watching movement of the sky. I rubbed a hand over my rapidly expanding stomach, humming to the children I carried.

I sat up, requiring several minutes to maneuver into a sitting position. Waddling to the window, hands on the sill, I got lost in memories that weren’t mine.

Aki stood at attention, waiting for an older male, with a heavy white beard and braided hair, to emerge from a lodge. Aki's shield carried bite marks and battle scars.
He looked content, covered in animal skins and a feral light in his eyes. In the background, sounds of battle raged.

The picture changed to a dreamlike quality, as he lay on thick, soft grass, playing with a small child. Pure joy lit their features.

He would never live that dream. Nor would I. The changes would take all of those moments, and I was to blame. I'd killed Aki, and the guilt wouldn't subside, even if it was for the right reasons.

I'd done the unforgivable to prevent the unthinkable and create the possible.

The stolen power lapped at my insides, the sliver of soul surviving only because of everything the others sacrificed. The temptations were gone, everything waiting.

As I had on many occasions, I
cried. I missed them. I tried to get to know Akna, but she would just run a hand over my belly and smile indulgently.

The sun rose, creating colors of purple and orange in a gorgeous display. An ache began in my lower back, wrapping around to the front. I doubled over, groaning.

“Come, Braider, it is time.” Akna settled a hand at my waist. “You must finish what you started.”

I nodded, ready. Another contraction hit and I tried to concentrate on the string. So many steps, and I had to execute them in perfect order or the sacrifices would be for nothing.

Searing pain racked my abdomen, overtaking my entire body.

“I'm limited,” I panted, “help me.”

Akna put a hand on my forehead, another over my heart. Electricity danced over my skin, the familiar dizziness, and the hard landing.

A rush of thick liquid poured down my thighs, and I assumed it was amniotic fluid. I glanced down to
see bright red blood pouring out, puddling around my thighs.

Not until the children are born,
I thought.

I remembered Riot's original birth. I'd gone into labor, determined to have a natural birth. But a hemorrhage forced an emergency cesarean. Something about a thin wall.

The plan was not to stop it this time, to birth the twins, and let me die. But I had to finish the braid, take memories to ensure the safety of my children.

I had mere moments to force the changes, expel enough power to
erase the memories of immortals. I grasped the remaining thread, the only timeline available. Holding it tightly, letting it guide all my actions, whipping from one place to the next, changing and rearranging. The blood trickled down my legs, the stored power depleted.

The last change made, I landed in Laramie, in an open field outside of town, too weak to move.

“There you are, child. Come, let us finish this.” Tiamat's voice, welcome and comforting, sounded very far away. She picked me up, her talons careful.

“Did I do it? Did I save them?”

“Yes, child.”

She lay me on the ground, pulling the shirt to my chest, using her talon to slice into my belly. I screamed, the pain bowing my back. Someone put a leather strap in my mouth, telling me to bite down, hands holding my head. I could see Bru, as she promised.
I stared into her eyes, watching her tears fall unheeded over me. She rubbed her thumbs over my temples, making
shhh
sounds, mumbling about promises made, and lives restored. I held her gaze, as the agony of being ripped apart threatened to force me into the black voice before I was ready. I hoped she could see how much I loved her in my own tear filled eyes.

Tiamat remove
d my children. The cost of braiding arrived, throwing me out of Bru's arms, and I hit the ground with the gaping wound in my abdomen releasing the last of my life into the mud. Before the blackness of death took over, before I let it win one last time, I glanced around the green field, noting the mountains to the north. I found what I looked for, the sight of Tiamat and Brunhilde cradling the most precious of gifts.

I smiled, giving myself over, knowing my children, my true heart and soul, would live. I didn’t fight the payment Death demanded. The world went black.