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Hel’s unseen wailing continued as we dragged Freyja closer to the sounds of fighting, and it was difficult not to cringe at the noises Hel , after all, so normal cries were ienuine e of the stages of grief, I wondered if Odin had counted on ould happen when Hel reached rage Could this be the trigger for Ragnarok, right here? Or would she stay her hand until Loki wakened froht between Hel herself and Hel’s ar I wanted to be in the chariot and flying already--but who knew if Freyja’s flying kitties were still alive at this point?

Theand draugar falling for the final time When the combatants finally hove into view, I knew I never wanted to face off against one of the Black Axes

Hel h the lines on an unstoppable wave of draugar, butfeere falling in hand-to-hand co the breach one swing at a ti heads and soenerated by their muscles My earlier supposition that their blades were ar was borne out before h the steel-plate helmet of one undead soldier with no more resistance than that of wet cardboard

A cluster of the Freyja’s chariot

"There’s our ride horound between the chariot and us was clear of draugar, except for the re pieces of them

"If we suddenly appear a Drop the enchantment now and I’ll hail them"

"Done"

I shouted in Old Norse and hoped that Hel wouldn’t hear it over the sounds of war and her own sorrow "Black Axes! To oddess!" A dozen arriors swarmed around us and escorted us to the chariot

"Is she alive?" a gruff voice asked

"Aye, but barely The wolf is dead"

"We figured Hel wouldn’t ht you are It’s time to run"

"I’ll tell the axe us safely into the chariot "Don’t wait for us Go!"

He made it sound so simple But when I looked over the front of the chariot, the cats’ eyes staring back at me did not seeo Let’s boogie Co of mist "Back over the wall Let’s do this" They stared at ion "Giddy-up!" I cried "Heaahh! Move ’e but noto work," Granuaile said

"Yeah? Well, you try it"

Granuaile faced Freyja forward so the cats could see her face "Listen," she said "Freyja is hurt" The cats took sudden interest Their eyes, indifferent before, were now clearly focused on Granuaile and Freyja "Your mistress needs help We need to leave now Over the wall, back the e ca, and I’ll buy you some tuna"

At least, I think she said tuna Her words were drowned out by a roar from Hel, who appeared in her half-hot, half-rot for of snotlike h she enty yards ae could already sreat knife Famine clutched in her skeletal left hand "Was it Freyja?"

The chariot jerked and we lifted off the ground; Freyja’s cats were suddenly anxious to escape

"Nope That was me!" I shouted

Hel’s eyes focused and then narrowed in recognition "You! You’re supposed to be dead!"

"You should have learned fro;sir," I said "Never fk with a Druid!"

I shouldn’t have said that

As we rose into the clouds of e below ht hand followed us in and closed on the open back of the chariot, halting our progress in midair Granuaile and I yelped, and the cats protested with a noise primarily composed of vowels

Freyja’s kitties were powerful, and thanks to the us back down, but neither could we escape Hel’s right hand was on the "hot" side, and thus it looked lovely and cultured and gave no hint that it belonged to so for a knife, but she had thrown the I handed her mine

She snatched it, cocked it over her shoulder, and threw it directly into the back of that giant lovely hand--not hard enough to pin it to the chariot floor, but hard enough to stick in there A bellow from below and we shot skyward as the hand disappeared I think the cats were in a hurry, because we didn’t see in the snot this tih it a bit slower than necessary

"You poisoned that blade, right?" Granuaile asked

"Yep We can always hope I doubt it will take her out, though"

I held much more hope that the Black Axes would make it out okay; I’d had no time to assess the state of their forces I rather feared that the dwarfs in Nidavellir would have to bear a counterattack now It would be better if Hel were somewhat cowed by this affair and rediscovered caution

"Hey, Granuaile," I said once we got clear of theback to the wall "Will you ask the cats to keep the portal to Midgard open for the dwarfs?"

"Sure I don’t know if that’s so they can do, but I’ll try"

"Thanks I’d hate to think ere stranding all the dwarfs in Niflhei behind her in the cold wind, Granuaile asked our transportation to keep the door open for the dwarfs I distinctly heard a ht about you," I said "You really are a cat person"