Last God Standing (Endangered Norse Gods Book 3) by Erik Brodin

Author:Erik Brodin [Brodin, Erik]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2017-02-15T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 25

WE CONTINUED ONWARD. I let myself fall behind Utgard-Loki this time. Loki and son were chattering behind the giant king. We were walking fast, but we didn’t see anyone else on the road. If a thousand giants lived here, I’d expect to see at least one of them. Observing the landscape, I was struck by how uniform everything looked: the snow-covered fields, rolling hills, and the total absence of buildings and distinct features. I looked left and right, far and wide. The landscape was too similar in every direction. It was like we were going in circles. A magical loop, I suspected.

The giant king trotted along in front of Loki and son. Three tricksters as travel buddies. Lucky me. I had to do something. I searched my pockets for a granola bar wrapper. Pausing at the side of the road, I quickly made a cross in the snow and crammed the wrapper into the middle of it. Then I hurried after the others.

Ivan turned and walked backward, watching me. “Tired already?”

“I’m full of energy,” I said. “How far is it?”

“Should be as far as it is wide,” he said. “It might take a while. Why? Are you in a hurry? Enjoy the beautiful scenery!”

He was definitely enjoying the moment, watching me scowling at him. He wanted to play around? Okay, then I’d join the fun. “Just want to make sure that I’m back in time for Sigyn. Your mom could use a slice of apple.”

“Don’t badmouth my mom.”

“I’m not. I’m concerned, that’s all. She looked unwell. She’s been catching snake venom for your father for so many years. Think about it: the frequent earthquakes, the guilt of not catching all the droplets, the stress of never-ending, unpaid, hazardous work … Everything has taken its toll on her.”

“Is she all right?”

“Your mother is fine,” I said, “and she’s waiting for you in Asgard. You’ll see her soon.”

“Are you sure?”

“As long as I return with the apples first.”

“Are you threatening my mom?”

“No. I’m ensuring that this exchange happens according to plan. We had a deal.”

“I know. You worry too much.”

“Worrying is bad for your health,” Loki chimed in. “Speeds up the aging process too.”

“Yeah, you look a bit old and weary,” Ivan told me. “Are you feeling all right?”

“Since when did you care about my health?”

“Come on, we’re practically family!”

They were both smirking at me. Loki was a couple inches taller than his son, but other than that, Ivan looked like the spitting image of his father. I’d never consider them to be family, but I wasn’t going to argue the issue. That’s what they wanted. I’d simply made it clear that they needed to watch their step. Heavily outnumbered, I nonetheless had some leverage on them.

We marched on, the giant now a hundred yards in front of us. Still, the increasing distance didn’t do much to put the towering king out of the picture.

“I need to go have a chat with our host,” Loki said, rushing ahead.

While Loki caught up

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