Valhalla Reborn Sample…
Prologue
“The Great North Wind Made The Vikings”-Ancient Scandinavian Proverb.
The child asked the skald, “Sir, if Loki was so bad, why did Thor not simply smash him to bits with Mjolnir?”
The ancient skald looked down at the child. The skald’s right eye socket was empty, but the remaining eye was as green as emerald grass on a sunny day. His skin was sun-bronzed, the texture of old leather and he had white whiskers growing out of his ears. His beard was blotchy and missing large sections of hair but as he looked at the little one he smiled. His teeth were perfectly white without any trace of rot and his breath was sweet like honey mead. “You show the wisdom of Mimir, child” The skald looked to his right as if he expected to see someone standing there. His head dropped slightly as he sighed and looked back at the child. “Sometimes the god’s nobility, their honesty, and forthright nature are just not enough. For all of their strength and power, sometimes lad, you need a bastard. You may not trust the bastard and more often than not he is going to put a knife in your back if he thinks he can get away with it. There are occasions when all the good intentions in the world just aren't enough and you need him. Sometimes the problem cannot be solved with a crushing blow from Thor’s hammer, Vidar’s strength, or Frigg’s ability to read the future. When things get bloody, when you’re alone, outnumbered, and the Great North Wind is blowing, sometimes you need a bastard. You need someone who isn’t afraid to spit in the eye of the Jotun and kick them in the balls. Loki was a bastard, boy, but he was our bastard. Never forget that.”
The child blinked his eyes and looked down, nearly about to ask, “Why,” but when he looked up the Skald had vanished. A lone, black raven’s feather twirled and spun slowly in the air as it fell to the ground.
The man with the sledgehammer on his back was in the lead position on a Harley Davidson Fat Bob, his 1340cc engine growling like a dragon on the wing. Even though the giant-sized motorbike was built for larger folks, the huge man made it look just a tad too small for him. He wore black motorcycle boots and blue jeans with a jean jacket under his black leather cut. The man was enormous and had skin a deeper shade of ebony than seemed normal. His head was bald and smooth but his beard was a thing of beauty. It was long, nearly to the mid-portion of his chest with a single streak of white down the center. It would have been the most eye-catching thing about him if his eyes were so startlingly a shade of icy blue. He pulled the Harley off the side of the road next to a dilapidated brick factory-style building and turned off the engine. He slipped off the machine and looked around as his two companions pulled up next to him. He took an enormous sledgehammer off his back and spun it like a toy, turning to look at the next two pulling up, he nodded at them.
The first companion was on a much smaller Harley, a more svelte soft tail. The rider was in all black riding leathers and clearly a female. She removed her helmet as she got off the bike and her scarlet red hair fell out, spilling about her head and shoulders. She sat the ebony helmet down on her bike seat and drew two Czeck-style Skorpion machine pistols. Her emerald eyes gleamed in the dim light. She nodded at the black man with icy blue eyes and stepped towards him.
The last companion was the smallest and slightest of the trio. His long ebony hair was in a topknot, his goatee long and pointy. He stopped his own Harley and as he got off the bike his slightly almond-shaped eyes revealed his Japanese ancestry. He drew a katana from his back and walked to stand next to the others. He said, "Thor" and nodded his head in greeting towards the large man. He looked at the scarlet-haired woman and said, "Heimdall, good to see you."
The red-haired woman smiled broadly and said, "Tyr, it's been weeks. Are you well?"
The Japanese man nodded and drew the Katana from his back, "I am well, sister, and delighted to see you. Thor, is he here?"
The black man looked down at the smaller man, "Frigg says he is here."
The scarlet-haired Heimdall growled, "I think we should kill him now and be done with it, Thor. He is going to cause us problems. You know it and I know it, we all know it. He's a dick." Heimdall spat at the ground, her lip curling in a snarl.
Thor turned his icy blue eyes on Heimdall and blue veins of electricity danced in those cold eyes. "If anyone kills him it will be me, this I promise you. For now, Frigg says we need him to find Odin and the rest. You will do as you are told."
Heimdall grudgingly nodded and Thor said, "Come, let us go find that bastard Loki."