Dani & the Immortals

The Nine Worlds of Norse Mythology

(by the author of The Asgard Adventure, Emrys Drew)

ASGARD: home of A-List immortals and the location of Odin’s hall, Valhalla

Alfheim: shared home of elves (Kingdom of Ljósálfar) and fairies (Kingdom of Faerie)

Midgard: home of human mortals (i.e. Earth)

Vanaheim: home of B-List immortals

Jötunheim: home of rock and frost giants

Muspelheim: world of fire

Niflheim: home of icy fog and mist

Svartalfheim/Nidavellir: home of dark elves (Svartálfar) and Dvergar (dwarves). Also known as Dark Fields

Helheim: the netherworld (ruled by Hel)

(Caveat: Emrys Drew cannot be held responsible for any myth-conceptions about Norse mythology heretofore gleaned from Midgard-bound sources. It is the responsibility of the reader to do his or her own research. For more information, please consult the Library of Odin, located in Asgard City, Asgard).

Chapter One

Bucket List

DANI TOSSED A PILL in her mouth, her hand shaking from pain. As she washed the medication down with bottled water, her sister walked into the kitchen.

So, what did the doctor say about your migraines?

Oh...he gave me a new prescription which is working just great. Dani forced a smile to her lips.

When can you go back to martial arts class?

Soon. Maybe tomorrow. A complete and utter lie.

Sharon peered at her. You’d tell me if there was anything really wrong, wouldn’t you?

Of course, I would. Another lie. Dani stuck her thumb toward the framed poster on the wall, dating from her acting days in Hollywood. I’m a Junior Warrior of Atlantis, remember? We’re sworn to truth and justice and all that jazz.

Her sister snickered. Yes, but your series was canceled.

I live on in syndication. Dani almost choked on the irony, but fortunately her sister was distracted by a book on the counter and didn’t notice.

You bought a real novel with actual pages? I thought you were all about audiobooks these days.

The author is having a signing tonight at the mall, and it would be kind of hard for him to sign my audiobook.

Perhaps he could sign it in air quotes? Sharon drew ditto marks in the air with her fingers. Followed by an air kiss?

Funny.

Her sister wrinkled her nose at the cover. "The Asgard Adventure? Sounds like a kid’s book."

It’s an epic fantasy.

Whatever happened to the romance genre you used to read?

Dani averted her eyes. Grew out of it, I suppose.

A third lie. Falling in love had been first on her bucket list, but since her diagnosis several weeks ago, she’d moved from romance to fantasy literature as a form of escapism. The Asgard Adventure, written by local author Emrys Drew, was one of her favorites. Reading more than a few pages always brought on a headache, of course, but with the help of earbuds she’d listened to the audiobook version during long waits at the doctor’s office. Drew had narrated the full fourteen hours with a slight Welsh accent she found soothing.

Sharon turned the book over to glance at the author’s photograph on the back. Mmm, handsome! I wouldn’t mind exchanging air kisses with him.

Don’t let Vince hear you say that.

What my boyfriend doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

Have you decided what you’re going to be for Halloween?

Her sister sighed. I’d love to be a bride, actually. Perhaps Vince will pick up the hint. And you?

Oh, I might be a ghost this year. Her gallows humor made her laugh, despite her headache.

Sharon picked up her purse. I’m going over to Vince’s house for dinner, so don’t wait up. She paused. I’m sorry for making a joke about your series being canceled. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.

I know you didn’t. Besides which, as we used to say at the end of every episode, ‘Now it’s time for the next big adventure.’

A giggle. That’s right. See you later.

Dani maintained her composure until her sister left the apartment. When she was sure Sharon was gone, she collapsed on the sofa, dug her fingertips into her temples and prayed for her pain pill to kick in. She’d decided from the beginning against telling her sister she was dying. The doctors had said the end would come very soon and quite suddenly, so there was really no point to upsetting anyone ahead of time. As cruel as it sounded, she intended to let nature take its course and let sister grieve afterward. A handwritten letter and updated will were tucked in Dani’s dresser drawer, where Sharon was certain to find it after she was dead. Hopefully, she’ll be able to forgive me some day.

About fifteen minutes after the pill hit Dani’s stomach, her headache eased. Since it was risky for her to drive while medicated, she used a cellphone app to request a rideshare car for the short journey to the bookstore. That done, she tucked The Asgard Adventure into a backpack and checked her look in the mirror. Her reflection appeared to be that of an athletic young woman in the peak of health, but her CAT scans and MRIs said differently. In those images, the inoperable brain tumor had been all too obvious. Dani still didn’t know how to cope with the news. If there really were seven stages of grief, she was stuck in shock...with no interest in moving on to any other stage. She preferred for death to take her while she was still numb. From what the doctors said, she’d get her wish soon enough.

ALTHOUGH IT WAS EARLY October, the tiny mall bookstore was already decorated for Halloween. Fake spiderwebs filled the corners of the space, cardboard cutouts of skeletons graced the walls, and a tiny witch zoomed around on a broom overhead, suspended from a wire attached to the ceiling fan. Dani lingered in the back of the store until the short queue of adoring women waiting to meet Emrys Drew had disappeared. Perhaps a close encounter with a famous author wasn’t on her bucket list, but she meant to make the most of the opportunity. When the coast was clear, she approached the table and set her book down next to a black cauldron filled with bright orange pumpkin candies.

Hello.

Emrys gave her a twinkling smile before opening the book to the title page. To whom would you like this dedicated?

Dani Avery. She watched him write. I loved the book, by the way.

He finished the inscription, closed the cover, and gave the novel back to her. "You’ve already read The Asgard Adventure then?"

I listened to the audiobook version, actually. I don’t know how you managed to create such amazing characters. You’ve made Asgard seem so real.

Asgard is as real as Midgard. He winked, but he sounded quite serious.

Midgard? Oh, you mean Earth.

Yes. Asgard and Midgard are two of the nine worlds in Norse cosmology.

You’ve quite an imagination.

Oh, I didn’t invent the nine worlds. They sprang into being long before I came along.

Well, I loved listening to your narration. It was heartbreaking when Prince Rein of the elves risked everything to rescue his true love, only to have his loyal flying horse, Joss, get burned to a crisp by the Guardian Dragon. I’m not usually emotional, but that part made me cry.

Fortunately, it’s only a story. He peered at her. You look familiar. Do we know one another?

"No, but you might recognize me from TV. A few years ago, I starred in Junior Warriors of Atlantis. You can still catch me on cable."

Are you serious?

Don’t doubt me. She put The Asgard Adventure down long enough to give the Junior Warriors’ ubiquitous martial arts salute. A grown woman wouldn’t know how to do that unless she’d been paid.

They shared a laugh.

I remember you now. Your name was Mysteria, wasn’t it?

Mysteria Blades.

That’s right. So why aren’t you still on television?

I’m not a teen any longer, and there aren’t too many roles in Hollywood for a girl with my skill set. Besides which, after my parents died in a car accident, the whole acting business didn’t seem fun anymore. They were my managers.

That’s terribly sad. Do you have any desire to go back?

Dani shrugged. Since she had no future, her feelings about the acting profession meant less than nothing. Nevertheless, she wished to be polite.

"I don’t know. These days, my claim to fame is showing up at Junior Warrior of Atlantis conventions once a year, to sign autographs. Fortunately, I still fit into the suit."

You’re a modern day shieldmaiden.

Not really, but I played one on TV. She slid her smart phone from her pocket and held it up. Er...would you mind if I had my picture taken with you?

Not at all. I’d love to take a picture with a genuine Junior Warrior. Let me get my phone so I can have one as well.

When he retrieved his backpack from underneath the table, Dani laughed. I have that identical bag. She swung her black leather pouch from her shoulder and set it down next to his.

Quite so! Great minds think alike and such. He retrieved his phone from a side pocket and waved to get a clerk’s attention. I’m a martial arts enthusiast myself.

Really? Dani was pleasantly surprised. Do you prefer hand-to-hand combat or weapons?

I’m a swordsman.

My training is in taekwondo and hapkido, but I learned sword technique for the series.

The clerk came over to help take the photographs. While Emrys posed with his arm around Dani, several women clustered nearby, waiting for their chance to meet the author.

Oops. Dani gave Emrys an apologetic smile. I’m holding up the line.

The clerk returned their phones to them and directed the newcomers to form a queue.

Well...it was nice to meet you, Dani said. Best of luck with the book.

Hang on. Emrys slipped his phone into his coat pocket, stowed his backpack underneath the table, and pressed a promotional bookmark into her hand. This bookmark has all my appearances listed on it. As it so happens, I’ve an author appearance at Crossroads Books tomorrow morning.

That’s downtown.

Yes, it is. If you’re free, I’d like to take you to lunch afterward. Shall we say one o’clock?

His invitation gave Dani a warm glow. It had been a long time since she’d met anyone as interesting—and attractive—as Emrys Drew. Even so, it was unfair to start something she could never finish. Torn, she bit her lower lip.

I’m not exactly sure of my plans tomorrow.

His face fell slightly. I understand. It was just a thought.

As she gazed into his eyes, her resolve weakened even further. But if I can swing by, I’d like to have lunch with you. I’d like that very much.

Emrys brightened. I’ll look for you, then.

Dani picked up her signed book and bookmark, slid it into her bag, and moved aside for the next woman in line. As she passed a life-sized replica of the Grim Reaper on the way out, she glanced back over her shoulder. Although Emrys was busy signing a book, he looked up in time to give her a wink and a nod. As soon as she was out of sight, however, her smile faded. Why did she have to meet such an attractive man at the end of her life? She was cursed in more ways than one. Nevertheless, she vowed to have lunch with him tomorrow—unless her date with death came first.

It was past eight o’clock at night when she left the mall, and a chilly wind made her shiver. She was about to reach for her phone to request a rideshare pickup, when two towering figures with indistinct forms and features pinned her from either side. One of them spoke in a voice that was neither male nor female—or even human.

Druid, we have you at last.

What?

For a moment, Dani was too shocked to react. But when something like clammy tendrils of rubber cement began to curl around her wrists and upper arms, she was galvanized into action. Although she tried to beat the ectoplasm out of her assailants, the tendrils continued to form until she was nearly immobile. Then, the shadowy figures dragged her into another plane of existence.

Chapter Two

Chance of Rein

DANI MATERIALIZED IN a field of electric-blue grass laced with broad swaths of green four-leaf clover. The sunlit sky was unlike any she’d ever seen. The color was a kaleidoscope of intense periwinkle, purples, and pinks, with an occasional silvery wisp floating past. Reminiscent of the aurora borealis, the effect was dazzling, but she could scarcely enjoy the view in her current predicament. She was lying in the grass, trussed up like a turkey, and utterly helpless. Unable to speak because of the rubbery tendrils stretched across her mouth, she could only glare at her kidnappers. Moments ago, the creatures had appeared spectral, but now they were vividly clear. Although the two figures were humanoid, the facial features under their hooded capes were strangely avian. Could her brain tumor be causing her to hallucinate?

The men bent closer, training their beady dark eyes on her, as if she were a squirming bug.

I hate to admit it, Ninn, but this definitely ain’t the Druid.

The second man grunted in agreement. "Ymir’s blood, Ginn, I told you something wasn’t quite right."

Ginn took a deep whiff and then shook his head in bewilderment. I can’t explain it, but the smell is the same.

Dani tried again to loosen her bindings. What was happening to her didn’t feel like a hallucination, and these two men were dangerously deluded.

Ninn sighed. This is exactly why I don’t vacation in Midgard. I’m as blind as an earthworm over there.

A thick black tongue emerged from Ginn’s mouth and licked his thin lips. Mmm, earthworms. I could go for a whole platter of earthworms. Inter-dimensional travel makes me hungry.

At any rate, I’m glad we stopped to check the merchandise before delivery.

Me, too. Can you imagine what would have happened if we’d showed up with this?

Yeah. We would have been so plucked. Ninn snickered.

Ginn prodded Dani’s thigh with the toe of his pointed boot. It’s a female. He massaged his beaklike nose, swollen even larger from close contact with Dani’s knuckles. A shieldmaiden, I’m guessing, from her combat skills. What should we do with her?

Send her back to Midgard?

Can’t. She’ll warn the Druid we’re looking for him.

Let’s dump her in Helheim.

Ah, that would be too cruel. Ginn gave a diabolical chuckle. But I like it.

Maybe we can get some information out of her first.

With a wave of his claw-like fingers, Ninn somehow sliced the tendrils binding Dani. The cut pieces wiggled into the soil like fat, moist worms, and the raven men licked their lips. She scrambled to her feet, leaving her backpack on the ground. Ninn immediately pounced on the bag and handed it off to his companion.

So, Shieldmaiden... Ninn paused, as if for dramatic effect. Where’s the Druid?

I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dani sputtered. I don’t know anyone by that name.

Ginn, who was rummaging through the backpack, pulled out The Asgard Adventure and thrust it in her direction. Aha! How do you explain this?

"It’s a book.