Author's Note:

I've posted a glossary of terms (including the days/months and their English equivalents) to go along with these stories, it can be found at Bigcloset Topshelf, Fictionmania, & tgstorytime.

Shout outs go to the following people: Beyogi, Maggie Finson, Loki who served as either alpha and/or beta readers, The Rev. Anam Chara who helped edit some of the dialogue (spoken by the characters Hervor, Heime & Gilda) to more accurately reflect Elizabethan era English and last but certainly not least Holly H Hart for her superb editing prowess.

Sorry folks like part six, this part ends with a sad note. I've received parts nine and ten back from my editor and am hopeful eleven and twelve will be soon to follow. I'm still undecided on the posting schedule, but I will try to post at least once more this week possibly twice more.

Manadag, the twenty-seventh of Morsugur

Well, it has been a few days… Marion's funeral was today. It was pretty typical as funerals go, but it hurt more than any I've ever been to. It was a private ceremony and somehow Mom managed to keep the location secret from both the media and the Sons of Odin.

Mom and Gramor have taken Marion's death really hard. Mom hides it pretty well, but I can see the pain in her eyes. I even caught her crying the other day. Daniella has been the rock upon which we've all leaned on. Marion's death has effected her just like the rest of us, but somehow she's stayed strong. Flint, hasn't been the same either. He's moody and snaps at the smallest things. He's been running poor Leif haggard in our training sessions.

Yesterday, Hervor pronounced that I was ready to move on to the next phase of my training. I don't quite understand how or why, but ever since I activated that rune when we were escaping the estates the magic comes more easily to me. Mom is amazed by my progress. She insists it's nothing short of miraculous. I've done in a few weeks what would take any other spellbinder's apprentice months to learn. I think a lot of it is because of my bond with Hervor.

The first few days after Marion's death were the hardest, but when I woke up yesterday I realized that Marion wouldn't want me to fall apart because she had died. She would want me to keep on living my life, so that's what I'm doing. I've thrown myself into my training with a fiery intensity bordering on the obsessive. The next time the Sons of Odin attack I will be ready. I'm not going to let anyone else I care about die by the hands of those assholes.

Mom thinks the attack on the estates was to distract us while the Sons of Odin pulled off another attack and there's certainly enough reason to believe she's right. New Copenhagen, the center of the Seidskati's power, has been destroyed. The attack took out a large number of Spellbinders, including two members of the Seidskati. The estates were just far enough outside the main city that they would have escaped the blast had they still been standing. Something needs to be done before they blow the whole fucking nation to hel.

Norns, it's really gone. An entire city destroyed by those bastards. How many thousands did they kill? Almost everyone I know lived in the city. How many of my friends are dead because of their selfish actions? How do you mourn the death of an entire city? I don't even know which of my friends are dead and which are still alive. Or are any of them still alive? It's just… Goddess I can't stop the damn tears. I hate this.

I wonder if Ham survived…

It was Mom that took out the estates. She knew that we didn't stand a chance of overtaking those jackasses, so she decided to blow the place to hel. The coin that Flint threw up in the air was the signal that we’d had made it out safely. Mom managed to take out a sizable number of dark elves, soldiers and magic users with the blast, so maybe it was worth it.

Tomorrow, is the big day where the Council of the Seidkona are finally going to meet. I have no idea what the Seidskati are going to say, but I'm sure it's going to be pretty Midgard-shattering.

I had an encounter with Flint that was… well it's gotten me to think that he really cared for Marion. It was pretty early in the morning and I passed by his room inside the bunker. I don't know why, but I got this feeling like maybe I should check in on him. So I did.

I didn't knock, I didn't know if he would answer if I did. I flipped the door open and I felt liked dying as I saw the tortured expression in his eyes as his head turned to meet my gaze. His hands were clutched around a small photo frame and I could just make out the picture well enough to tell that it was Marion.

"I- I'm sorry," I muttered.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about, kid," he replied with a slight quiver in his voice

I moved over to sit next him on the small cot, "You really loved her didn't you?"

Flint let out a long sigh, "Yeah, I did. She was just a kid when I met her, and I never thought of her as anything more than a friend, but a couple of years ago she…" he muttered trailing off as a sob escaped his lips.

I don't know what made me do it, but I reached out and wrapped my arms around him in a hug. Flint seemed to gain a little control of himself and he spoke, "She made me promise that I'd look out for you, you know."

That explained why Flint had seemed to have been favoring me, "I miss her." I replied with a whisper.

"Me too, kid. Me too."

Eirdag, the twenty-eighth of Morsugur

I could almost believe Garik was human dressed as he was in a suit and tie. We were at the Council meeting and the Seidskati were going to speak at any moment. Since New Copenhagen had been destroyed the meeting had been moved to Epegard at the convention center. Obviously not all magic users would be able to meet in one place, so everything was being retransmitted via teleprojector communication to various convention centers throughout the world.

I was a mere apprentice, so I had to stand among my peers. I think I was the only one with a protector, but after the many attempts on my life it was probably a good idea. Garik wasn't my only means of protection either. Hervor was lurking about concealed behind a shroud of invisibility.

"Neil?" a voice said from nearby.

I turned around and found a pair of pale-blue eyes looking back at me, they belonged to a girl with long-blond hair, a nose that was just a little too large and a mischievous smile on her face. It took me a moment before I recognized her, the last I'd seen her, her hair had been dyed electric-blue and she had no less than three facial piercings.

"Sophie?" I asked in surprised disbelief.

"So it's true, all this hubbub about you turning into a girl," she said with a smirk and folded her arms across her chest.

"Yeah, but I'm going by Bryn these days. Norns, it's good to see a friendly face. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, me? Well, you've caught me. I sneaked into this uber-secret event so that I could be bored out of my mind. The apprentice robes are part of my master disguise," she said sticking her tongue out at me. She may have changed her appearance, but Sophie was just as big a tease as always.

"Why haven't you been returning our calls? Leif and I have been worried sick!"

"Sorry, life's been sort of crazy lately," she replied back with a sheepish grin.

"What's with the boy toy?" she asked jerking her thumb at Garik.

"He's my protector," I replied quietly.

"Protector, huh? He's too pretty to be anyone's protector. If it were me I'd be taking him for a ride 'round the block, if you catch my drift." She grinned, giving Garik an appreciative glance before turning back to me.

"I don't think my girlfriend would appreciate that too much," I replied defensively.

"Oh, a girlfriend, eh? Someone's been riding the Lesbo-train! Woooh! Wooooh!" she said loudly and several people looked back to glare at her.

I grinned, shook my head and let out a slight chuckle, "Odin's bones, I've missed you. How's your brother?"

"Sam's good," she said with a slight frown, which was quickly replaced by a false smile.

There was something very odd about Sophie's reaction and I just knew something was very wrong with her. I looked into Sophie's eyes one more time and realized what it was. The Sophie I'd always know had green eyes, this Sophie had blue eyes. I cursed myself for not noticing it sooner and quickly grabbed at her before she could realize what was happening. We went down in a tangle of limbs and I soon felt myself being lifted away as Hervor and Garik came to my aid. There was a sudden bright burst of magic as Hervor summoned a spell to incapacitate the impostor.

'Sophie' collapsed to the ground and I knelt down next to her and felt for a pulse; she was alive, but unconscious. Who was this girl? She looked and sounded like Sophie and she seemed to know me. Which could mean one of two things: either someone, probably the Sons of Odin, was holding Sophie hostage and had grilled her for information or the person laying on the ground was someone I knew. Sam, was Sophie's older brother and I remembered his eyes being the same color as this girl. Besides having a strong physical resemblance to his sister, he was also shared a very similar personality. But, Sam and I had always been pretty friendly, and I couldn't exactly picture him volunteering to get transformed into a girl, especially if it meant hurting people.

I had only to wait the answers would come soon enough. A crowd was beginning to form around us and I didn't really think it was a great idea to stick around.

"Hervor," I called out to my grandmother. "Get us out of here!"

Hervor dropped the spell of invisibility and appeared standing over me. She knelt down grabbing hold of my shoulder and mystery girl's hand then my vision was flooded with the bright white light as Hervor called up her magic to spirit us away.

"What's taking them so long?" I muttered under my breathe as I paced back and forth in front of the detainment room of the convention center.

Mom had been down to ensure everything was alright before returning to the masses within the convention center. The meeting of the Council of Spellbinders was important, and no one intended to postpone anything even after what had happened between me and 'Sophie'. So I was stuck waiting while Daniella and Hervor interrogated the girl, whoever she happened to be.

"Patience, daughter," Heime said quietly staring over at me.

"These things take time, Princess," Garik added with an understanding smile.

"Would you stop calling me that?" I growled rounding on him.

"A-as you wish, Your Highness."

"Frizz, that's even worse! Just call my Bryn," I said with a shake of my head.

"Okay, Bryn," he replied with a pleased smile on his face.

"I can't take it any more!" I shouted suddenly and burst through the door where Sophie's lookalike was being held.

"Daughter, wait!" Heime called after me, but I was already through.

"Bryn, what are you doing?!" I heard Daniella cry as I breezed past her and Hervor.

"Alright you!" I said suddenly dropping to my knees in front of the impostor–who was chained to the ground in the middle of a circle of imprisonment–and latched onto the collar of her apprentice robes. "Just who the frizzing hel are you! And what do you want with me!"

"I'm so sorry! I didn't want any of this, but after they found out that I knew you they wouldn't relent…" she cried and burst into hysterical tears.

"No," I whispered and let my head hang as I realized the implications in her words.

If she said she knew me that could only mean one thing. "Sam?"

The girl looked up at me and nodded, "I'm so sorry. They have Sophie. I didn't have any choice."

I shook my head, "The Sons of Odin?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah."

"Why? Why did they change you? You could have easily gotten close to me without being transformed."

"I volunteered."

"What?"

"You have to understand… When I first joined the Sons of Odin, I was so lost. They gave me something to believe in, but deep down I knew I didn't belong. I've spent my whole life pretending to be something I'm not. I was born male, but I wanted to be female as long as I can remember."

"I can relate," I muttered biting my lip. I had no idea Sam had ever felt that way before. I'd heard about people like Sam, but I'd never really met one. Well, I guess Mom and Daniella might have fit into that category at some point, and I didn't exactly feel at home in my body, but Sam had been born feeling as if she were trapped as the wrong sex. Mom, Daniella and I had been stuffed into the wrong body after years of living as the right sex.

"I tried for years to be normal. I was afraid that people would find out what I was so I repressed my feelings and did my best to live life as a guy, but it didn't work. I slipped into a deep depression and at one point I even tried to kill myself. People like me aren't accepted by society.

“Then one day I met a recruiter for the Sons of Odin. He was very persuasive and told me that if men got equal rights, then transgendered people like myself would be accepted. So I joined. At first, I thought I'd found my purpose, and when they asked for volunteers to try out Mengele's formula I thought it was my dream come true."

"The formula worked and I finally felt like I belonged in my body, but then I learned what they wanted me to do. At first I refused, but then… they kidnapped Sophie and Mom. It didn't take them long to figure out that Sophie and I knew you, and it all went downhill from there. They killed Mom and the threatened to kill Sophie if I didn't agree to help them."

"Now she's going to die, and it's all my fault," Sam finished breaking down into tears.

I slowly stood to my feet and clenched my fists as anger flooded through me. "Goddesses those fuckers are going to pay!"

Suddenly, there was Mjá¶lnir floating there in front of my face. Somehow the hammer had sensed my need and come to me. Clearly, I really was meant to wield the thing. I grabbed it out of the air and clenched my fist around the haft. The warhammer was an instrument of destruction, and that's exactly what I planned to use it for.

"Bryn, what exactly do you think you can do?" Daniella asked abruptly.

"Whatever I need to!" I snapped.

"Where's she being kept?!" I demanded turning back to Sam.

Sam stared up at me with wide eyes, "There's a facility in the old warehouse district a few miles away. It's on the corner of Weigh and Cross. That's where I saw her last."

I turned for the door, but was stopped by Hervor, "Granddaughter, this is folly. Thy training has only just begun, thou art not ready."

"I won't let someone else I care about die, Hervor. Never again!"

"I am sorry child. I shan't let thee pass."

I shook my head and looked down at the hammer. There had to be a way. I reach out to Mjá¶lnir with my mind and smiled as I could feel it's power flow through me. I acted quickly, slinging the hammer at the wall just beside the door and watched in satisfaction as the weapon transformed into a lightning bolt and blasted a huge hole in the wall.

I grabbed the hammer out of the air and ran for the hole before either Daniella or Hervor could stop me and leapt through it.

It didn't take me long to find a way out of the convention center. I sped out an emergency exit, and already had the beginning of a plan forming in my head when I stopped dead in my tracks. Dark elves. They were everywhere and I knew then that Sophie was as good as dead. Whatever chance I'd had at rescuing her had been thrown out the door when the dark elves appeared.

"What have we here?" A voice asked.

I swirled around and found myself facing a dark elf woman with platinum hair and an inhuman smile on her face.

"A pretty little halfling has come out to play," she continued with a wicked chuckle.

I looked down at my right hand and found Mjá¶lnir still within my grasp. "I'm not just any frizzing halfling. I am Princess Brynhilde Athilda le Fey of the royal Lejosá¡lfar house, and this is the hammer of Thor!" I screamed and struck before the vile creature could so much as raise a hand in self-defense.

There was a bright flash of blue light as the hammer struck her square in the chest and sent her charred remains hurling through the air. I reached out and the hammer flew back into my hand. "Any more of you scum suckers want some of this?" I howled in fury.

For a moment none of the dark elves moved, then they all lurched into motion at once and I felt my eyes grow wide. "Oh, shit! Midgard to Bryn! When you're surrounded by an army of dark elves, don't provoke them!" I cursed and started booking it back toward the convention center.

And from out of nowhere there was Daniella, and Hervor, standing between the me and the entrance. "Go! There are dark elves all over the frizzing place! Get back inside!" I yelled urgently.

"We know," Hervor said between pursed lips just before she burst into action.

Goddesses, I knew Hervor was powerful, but I never realized how powerful, as she unleashed a fiery onslaught on our attackers. In just a few seconds she managed to wipe out several hundred dark elves with barely more effort than it took me to lift my hand. I shook my head and raised the hammer of Thor, I couldn't just stand around in the middle of a battle when my ass was on the line. I spun around and released the Mjá¶lnir and watched in amazement as it swept out in a wide arc and completely destroyed a dozen or so dark elves that were getting a little too close for comfort.

The hammer flew back toward me. I snatched it out of the air and threw it out again, aiming it at the next nearest group of attackers. I flung Mjá¶lnir out again and again, and each time I destroyed a new wave of dark elves. They just kept coming, and before long I knew I was in trouble if the attacks didn't stop. Each time I threw the hammer the more energy it seemed to drain from me. I was getting weaker and weaker, and I knew that if something didn't change the dark elves would overwhelm me at the first sign of weakness.

Daniella was completely surrounded by dark elves, and I don't know how much longer she could last. Hervor was fighting with the same intensity as before, but she was fending off Dokká¡lfar sorceresses in increasing numbers, and I doubted even she could keep up the pace for long. It was getting harder and harder to fend the dark elves off and I beginning to think things were hopeless.

Daniella wasn't the only one surrounded by Dá¶kká¡lfar. They had formed a circle around me and each time I took one out, two more took its place. One leapt at me from behind and white hot pain shot through my body as his blade sliced across my back. I screamed in agony and spun around in a mad attempt to loose his hold, but it was an exercise in futility as the creature refused to let go. I had the strength and endurance of a full-blooded elf woman and was actually stronger than most human men despite being much smaller. So it's really no surprise I was able to remain standing, but when the dark elf clasped his arms around my neck in a stranglehold I couldn't remain standing and collapsed to the ground.

I clawed at my throat desperately attempting to force the dark elf to let go, but nothing I did seemed to work and I could feel my thoughts begin to slow as my mind was gradually deprived of the oxygen it so desperately needed. Just as human men were generally stronger than human women, elven men were stronger than elven women, and this dark elf was no exception to the rule; his grip was like iron. Then I remember the hammer, and I felt a glimmer of hope as I reached out to it with my right hand. The hammer flew back into my hand and I quickly slammed into the dark elf's arms. There was a bright flash of light as the hammer flared to life and suddenly I could breathe again.

For a brief second I remained on the ground, but as my mind came back into focus I realized how vulnerable I was. The encounter with the dark elf had left me weak, so it took some time to untangle myself from his corpse, but when I staggered back to my feet I found that the circle of attackers was gone. They must have figured me for dead and moved on.

I didn't really have any time to recuperate, as a new attacker was on me almost immediately. I barely had time to raise Mjá¶lnir to block his attack. Bolts of lightning shot out in every direction as the dark elf's blade came in contact with the hammer. One of those bolts hit the elf in the face and he stumbled backward howling in pain. I seized on the opportunity and with all my strength I slammed the warhammer across his chest. The elf let out one howl of agony before the power of the hammer completely consumed him. His charred remains fell to the ground and I turned to meet my next opponent.

I was pretty well running on adrenaline, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I collapsed from exhaustion. I had pretty well given up on hope when suddenly, the first of the magic users from the convention center appeared, stepping out of a nearby door. She was only a Charmer judging by the strength of the magic she summoned, but her appearance was so unexpected that she managed to take out a full dozen enemies before taking a blast of fire to chest and collapsing to the ground. More members of the convention appeared, joining us in greater and greater numbers until even my mother, the ancient Theodora, and the other members of the Seidskati had thrown themselves into the fight.

The dark elves had greater numbers, but we had more magic users, and the tide of the battle quickly turned in our favor, but as I'd come to learn from my lessons with my father a fight seldom turned out the way you expected. Just when I thought the dark elves were about to turn tail and run, a new foe that was even worse appeared from out of the shadows. At first, they didn't appear to be anything more than misshapen hulks, but as they drew close I felt cold chills run down my spine.

A large gray, hairy, and very angry looking creature with twin tusks on either side of its head appeared out of the shadows before me. It was human in shape, but that's where the resemblance ended. Its face, was so gnarled that I couldn't even determine if it had a nose, but I knew it what it was almost instantly, a troll. Trolls generally avoided humans and it was very uncommon for anyone to run across one, but you did hear the occasional story of a traveler happening upon one and it seldom ended well for the traveler. According to legend, trolls were big, incredibly strong, stupid, and worst of all, damn near impossible to kill.

The massive hulk in front of me let out a loud roar and it was soon joined by dozens of others just like it.

"Uff da, this can't be good," I muttered then flung Thor's hammer at the nearest of the Trolls.

Mjá¶lnir hit the horrid thing right in the chest, and it staggered a few feet backward and fell to its knees. When the hammer returned to me I saw that it had left a huge black mark on the creature's chest.

"Double uff da, this is definitely not good."

"You can say that again," a voice said from nearby.

"Mom!" I said swirling around coming to face my mother.

"Bryn, I want you back in the convention center. It's not safe for you out here."

"Yeah, like I'm just going to cower inside while everyone else is fighting!" I shot back, then leapt into action, throwing the hammer back at the same troll I had hit before. This time when I hit it, it went down and stayed down.

Mom let out a curse and shook her head, but she didn't say any more as a group of trolls came running right at her. Mom was amazing, I've never seen a magic user fight like her. When it came to air magic her skills were unparalleled and she used that to her advantage. She was like a ghost as she disappeared, only to reappear, then quickly strike and disappear again.

Heime appeared to join the fight, but I caught no sight of Garik, who I assumed was still guarding Sam. Heime's blade sliced through his opponents with an ease that almost seemed impossible. The blade sliced through solid bone as if it were butter and with the span of just a few minutes he'd already killed a full half-dozen dark elves. If I didn't know better, I would have sworn that my father were using magic, but no that couldn't be it. There was something very unusual about my father's weapon, and I had a feeling I might know what it was. Only one sword could cut through the wielder's enemies with such ease. I remember hearing it mentioned in history class. Gram, but the sword had been lost and no one had seen it for centuries.

"Princess!" a voice called from behind. I swirled around to find Garik running toward me.

"So much for him calling me Bryn," I muttered under my breath as I smashed a troll in the head with the hammer. The troll fell to the ground with a loud thud and I turned to swing the hammer at the next nearest target which happened to be Garik. I stopped the hammer just inches from his chest and let out a long string of curses as I stared up into his eyes. "What the frizz is wrong with you!? Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

"Sorry, Bryn," he muttered with a big grin on his face.

"What are you doing out here? Who's guarding Sam?"

"Who?" he asked blankly.

"The girl I captured!" I yelled swinging my hammer at a nearby troll.

"I-I couldn't stay in there, and do nothing. Not when you were in danger," he said averting his eyes and then did something completely unexpected, he kissed me. It wasn't much more than a light peck on the lips, but it felt good, too good.

"What the frizz did you go and do that for? I growled as he broke away.

"I've been wanting to do that for a while now," he said with a grin, then turned to the nearest troll and started hacking at it with his weapon.

The trolls were hard as hel to kill, and many of the weaker magic users were having difficulty countering them. More and more fell as the trolls quickly overwhelmed them. Things were definitely starting to look bad, but that's when something amazing happened.

A loud call, that sounded almost like a trumpet rang throughout the battlefield just as bright pillars of light appeared all over the place and from out them emerged tall fair-haired figures many of which were mounted atop horses. Suddenly, the bond between me and Eva was back to full strength and I knew that she was among those that had come to our rescue.

"It's Eva!" I called over my shoulder.

"She’s brought the exiled elves!" Mom called back.

The newcomers tore into the trolls and remaining dark elves with a vengeance and it was only a matter of time before the enemy combatants fled the fight. I let out a relieved sigh, felt my arms fall to my side and watched as a trio of elves approached. They were tall and beautiful, and they walked with the same fluid grace that I'd come to associate with Hervor.

"We would speak with the one known as Aryanna le Fey. Is she here?" The foremost of the elves spoke, she was tall, long-legged, had wavy light-brown hair that fell all the way down to the back of her knees and save for the leather loincloth and strip of clothe across her chest that didn't quite cover her breasts she wore no clothing.

"I am Aryanna le Fey," Mom said stepping forward.

"I am Solveig of the Vindá¡lfar," the elven woman said with a very slight tilt of the head.

"I am Ingolf of the Saerá¡lfar," a man said coming to stand just to Solveig's side. He wore a plain gray shirt, black shorts, and carried a trident in his left hand, but the thing that really stood out about him was his blue hair.

I felt a sudden weight up against my side and looked over to find Eva leaning against me with a thoughtful expression on her face. I smiled and reached for her hand. I felt her love and warmth through our bond and I basked in its glow. I didn't say anything, I didn't need to. The emotions we shared through our bond conveyed more than words ever could.

"I am Snorri of the Hyrrá¡lfar," the final member of the trio proclaimed. Snorri was probably the strangest looking of the three. His hair was snow white despite having an agelessly youthful elven face, and was done up in a braid that hung on the right side of his head. His clothes were a garish collection of worn patched-up cloth, with every color from bright pink, to putrid green.

"We come before you to pledge our peoples' support in the coming battle of Ragnarok," Solveig continued once her other two companions had introduced themselves.

A slow smile crept onto Mom's face, "Well then on behalf of the Seidskati, the Council of the Seidskati, and House Le Fey I gladly accept your pledge of support."

Solveig tilted her head forward and bowed ever so slightly, "It is agreed then."

"Sam…" I whispered suddenly and met Eva's gaze.

"Come on," I muttered dragging Eva along with me back toward the convention center.

"Bryn, what's wrong?" Eva asked as I led her into the convention center.

"I'll explain later. It's just I have a bad feeling…" I muttered quietly as I leapt into motion and shot down the hall.

I flew into the small room where Sam was being held and stopped dead in my tracks. Sam was lying on the ground, still secure within the circle of imprisonment, but she wasn't the only person in the room. There was a tall beautiful woman with auburn hair standing over her. I didn't even need to see the woman's face to know who it was. "Mengele!" I cursed.

"Why hello again," Mengele smiled pleasantly.

I eyed Mengele warily. There was no doubt in my mind that 'she' was dangerous, but this woman was very different from the Mengele I'd met before. For starters she looked and acted sane, but it went beyond that. She struck me as someone who was very comfortable in her body. Everything from her clothes, her makeup and her perfume gave her the appearance of a refined upper-class woman.

"What do you want?" I growled.

"I have to thank you. I never imagined having a female body could be such… fun. It has been so long since I was capable of having sex. Have you tried it? Sex as a woman? If you haven't you really should. It feels so good it's almost indescribable."

I shuddered and looked into Mengele's eyes. The spark of insanity was still there, "Mengele… step away from Sam!"

"No, I don't think I will. I made her, she's mine. She's failed, and I must punish her," Mengele said, staring back at me with a cruel grin on her face.

"What have you done with Sophie?!" I spat back.

"You mean the sister? There was an unfortunate accident and she died. It's regrettable, but sometimes these things can't be avoided."

"Damn you! Damn you to frizzing helheim!" I screamed. I didn't even think before I acted. I raised Mjá¶lnir, felt the hammer's power flood through me then I leapt at Mengele. The hammer came down and hit Mengele square in the chest. She had been in the process of raising a spirit shield when I hit her, so it didn't hit her at full strength, but there was enough power in the blow to send her flying against the wall. Her spirit shield cushioned her from a good portion of the hammer's strength and most of the impact of hitting the wall, but I doubted it would be able to withstand much more. I raised the hammer and prepared to attack, but stopped short when Eva suddenly screamed out. "Bryn no!"

I hesitated for just one moment, which was long enough for Mengele to get away. She summoned a travel spell and was gone with the blink of an eye.

"Why did you stop me?" I demanded reeling on Eva once the wind from Mengele's travel spell had died down.

Eva shook her head and locked eyes with me, "You were acting out of anger."

"So!?"

"Bryn, that path doesn't lead to a good place. Believe me, I know that better than anyone else," she muttered quietly, and I felt her concern wash over me.

I felt tears well up in my eyes, I grabbed at Eva and let all my anger and grief loose in a flood of tears. Sophie was dead, and the person who was responsible had gotten away.

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