The following rant is brought to you by the demented mind of Daniela A. Wolfe

Well it's finally here! This is the final story in the Ragnarok Rising trilogy. As such if you haven't read Incompatible or the revised version Transfigured I would recommend doing so before reading any further. This story is the final one in the series and as such it won't make much sense unless you read the first two.

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.

Vordag, the eighth of Morsugur

I've been holing myself in my room doing my best to avoid Leif. Now that Eva's gone things between us have gotten even more awkward. Mom and practically everyone else is out making preparations for Ragnarok. It was pretty difficult to avoid him, seeing as he seemed to appear every time I rounded a corner. Of course until a few hours ago neither one of us had anything to do.

That changed when I was approached by Nick Flint.

"Hey, kid."

I looked up to find the former revolutionary leaning against the doorframe. He had his arms folded across his chest, a smirk on his face.

"Mr. Flint" I said completely surprised by his sudden appearance.

"You can call me, Nick," he said with a smile that didn't quite touch his eyes.

"Hey, I meant to say something earlier, but thanks for your help with Mengele. I mean if you hadn't showed up, who knows what would have happened."

"Don't mention it, kid," he muttered, a dark look briefly passing across his face and fading just as quickly.

There was an awkward silence as I stared at Nick, trying to figure out what I should say.

nick finally broke the silence. "Look kid, your mother asked me to oversee your training."

"Training?" I muttered staring up at him blankly.

"Ragnarok is coming, and from the sounds of it you're going to play a pretty damned important part in the coming battle. We don't have a lot of time, so I'm going to need every spare minute in order to make a decent fighter out of you."

"Fighter? Me?"

Flint let out a slight chuckle and shook his head, "Things get pretty sticky in the middle of a battle. You might find yourself alone, with no one to defend you. A little training can take you a long way."

"What about Mjá¶lnir?"

"My experience is with modern weaponry. Your mother has arranged for his lordship the Prince Heime to help train you with the hammer," he said with a smirk and the slightest hint of sarcasm.

"And my magical training?"

Flint shrugged, "I don't know anything about that. You'll have to talk with your mother. I'm sure she has made arrangements."

I stared at him for a moment then nodded, "Well I guess we'd better get started."

I had no idea that it was even there, but it turned out that there was a huge underground bunker under the Le Fey estates. Apparently, Mom had hired some dvergar to dig the place out. I couldn't believe she could have done so without anyone knowing. The chamber looked every bit the training center that it was intended to be. There were mats in the floor, a track for running that ringed the outside of the room, as well as what appeared to be some sort of obstacle course. Yeah, the chamber was big.

"Hey Bryn," Leif grinned as we moved toward the center of the chamber.

"What's he doing here?" I growled, rounding on Flint.

"The kid wants to fight," Flint shrugged.

"Is there a problem?" A new voice said. I'd been so focused on Leif that I hadn't even realized that there were others present.

The speaker turned out to be an unfamiliar face and I knew almost immediately he was a light elf. Standing there just to his side was my father.

"Well met, my daughter. 'Tis good to see thee," Heime said tilting his head with a smile on his face.

"Who's this?" I asked staring at the stranger. Goddesses why couldn't I keep my eyes off him?

"I am Garik, son of Arik. It is a honor to meet you, Princess Brynhilde," he said with a flourish and a bow.

Okay, I probably should have expected that, but I really wasn't used to the whole royal treatment.

"Garik, stand!" Heime said with a shake of his head.

"As you wish, Prince Heime," Garik said, standing back on his feet.

"How come you don't speak like Heime?" I asked suddenly realizing that Garik's vocabulary had a distinctly modern sound.

"The boy is very young. He learned to speak thy language but recently," Heime replied.

I met Garik's gaze and he flashed a smile as his eyes seemed to linger on my breasts. I felt my cheeks burn and quickly turned away. Just what I needed, another damn guy trying to woo me. As if Leif weren't enough.

"Well kids, let's get started," Flint said suddenly, I was glad for the distraction.

"I need to know what I'm working with. Let's start you off by running laps," Flint added.

I'd never been much of a runner before my changes, so it was pretty surprising when we started off and I shot past Leif with almost no effort. He'd always been the more physically fit of the two of us and I ended up smoking him pretty badly. Garik, on the other hand, matched me pace for pace, and it quickly turned into a race between the two of us. I'm just glad I'd thought to change into a exercise bra before coming down to the bunker.

I don't know how many laps we ran before Flint stopped us, but Garik wound up out-pacing me by a very thin margin. Leif was about a lap and a half behind, and he was breathing pretty heavily when he finally joined us.

"I'm impressed," Flint said folding his arms across his chest. "I've trained hundreds of men and you two seem to be in unusually good shape."

"Okay, what the frizz, venn? Since when can you run like that?" Leif said still panting.

"Elves lack many of the physical weaknesses of humans," Garik said, staring at the Leif with a look of contempt.

Leif scowled back at Garik, but lost his chance to respond when Flint suddenly cut in. "Alright why don't you drop down and give me thirty push ups."

Garik stared at Flint with a blank look, "What are push ups?"

"Watch and learn," Leif said dropping down with a triumphant smile.

"Ah, we call them risa-rata," Garik muttered suddenly and dropped down to the ground.

I shook my head and growled a curse before dropping down and started doing push-ups. Both Garik and I finished before Leif, despite his head-start. Leif glared at Garik, but didn't say anything. The two had only barely just met and I could tell that there was going to be trouble. Leif could get really competitive, especially when there was a girl was concerned. It just made it all that much worse that I happened to be the girl they were competing over.

Flint had us do jumping jacks, sit-ups and chin-ups next. Garik of course, had to be shown what each exercise entailed, but once he saw Leif and me doing it, he muttered some strange name and jumped right in. When we had finally completed the chin-ups, Flint called everyone to a stop and eyed us each with an appraising look.

"Well, since you two seem to be in such amazing shape, I'll be focusing more on your combat training. Leif, I'm going to have to push you hard if I'm going to get you into good enough shape."

Garik cast Leif a smug grin, then turned his attention to Flint, "There will be little need for me to receive any of your training, Mr. Flint. I have been training for Ragnarok for nearly the entirety of my life. I have served as a member of the royal guard for the past two years."

"Then what are you doing here, kid?"

"General Flint," Heime interjected suddenly. "I brought the boy to duel as partner for my daughter. If thou wouldst allow, mayhap, I think to begin her training."

Flint nodded, "I'll give you a few hours. Aryanna requested I train her with the Hyrklufar rifles."

"Very well," Heime said with a very slight bow of his head.

We separated, Leif went with Flint and Garik and I went with my father. Heime produced an old war hammer and an odd sort of wooden sword.

"They've been enchanted. The hammer should feel like you're handling Mjá¶lnir but it has been softened to prevent its impact from hurting anyone. The practice sword has been enhanced to prevent breaking and to prevent serious injury," Garik explained.

"Is it dwarven made?" I asked as Heime handled me the hammer.

"Nay, 'twas forged by elven hands," Heime replied quietly.

I tested the hammer out and it found that like Mjá¶lnir, it felt unnaturally light in my hands. I was suddenly struck by just how strange my current situation was. The very idea that I would be training to use a war hammer was absolutely ridiculous. I dropped to my knees and fell into a fit of hysterical laughter.

"Brynhilde?" Heime asked with a concerned look on his face.

"I–uh–Doesn't this all seem strange to you? I mean, me learning to use a war hammer? Goddesses, just look at me!"

"'Tis as it must be," Heime muttered sadly.

I shook my head with a loud sigh, "Let's just get started."

Heime nodded and asked Garik and me to stand across from one another. I half-expected Heime to have us start dueling it out there and then, but instead, he began with a primer about footing and form. After that, with Garik's help, he began to show me some of the more basic moves. There was a lot more to fighting with a war hammer than I ever would have guessed, but it was still a weapon of brute force whereas the sword was a weapon that required a lot more finesse or at least that's what my father said.

I don't know how long we were at it when Flint finally stopped us, but I was just as glad it was over. I looked over to where Leif was waiting and I felt a tinge of guilt when I saw him collapsed in an exhausted heap on the ground. While Garik and Heime had been training me, Flint'd had Leif run the obstacle course. Flint hadn't exactly been kind or gentle either. Whenever Leif showed signs of lagging Flint became every bit the stereotypical drill instructor; yelling at the top of his lungs and doling out curses and insults.

"Alright, boys and girls, it's time for target practice," Flint muttered as he approached us.

Flint lead us out the practice room, down a corridor and into a much smaller room which had been setup as a shooting range. In the corner was a rack of rifles. I walked over and picked up one of the guns and could feel my eyes widened as I looked it over.

"This is a dwarven fire-cleaver, isn't it?"

Flint nodded, "Your mother was able to procure a large quantity of them."

"How large?"

"A couple hundred thousand," he shrugged.

"A couple hundred thousand? Holy frizz, venn! Your Mom's been busy," Leif whistled.

"Yeah, I noticed," I muttered, absently tracing my hands across the rune markings on the barrel and stock of the Hyrklufar rifle. It was the sort of weapon every police officer, soldier and marksman dreamed of owning, but few ever would. Mom had managed to stockpile a massive number of dwarven weapons, where no one else had ever been able to get hold of more than a few hundred at a time.

I knew a little about guns. I'd even learned how to fire them a few years back, but this was a whole different class of gun. The fire-cleaver made the hunting rifle I'd used look like a peashooter. It was a weapon meant to do one thing, kill, and it did it very well. Humans may have invented firearms, but dwarves had perfected them.

It made me wonder just what my role in the coming events would be. Hervor claimed I was meant to free the dead gods from Hel's clutches, but there had to be more to it than that. Otherwise, why change me into a girl? I could just as easily wield Mjá¶lnir as a guy, and Hervor had as much as admitted there were things she was holding back.

"You listening, kid?" Flint asked suddenly, and I realized that he'd been speaking the whole time and I'd been completely oblivious.

"What? Oh, I was just thinking," I said quietly.

He folded his arms across his chest. "This is too important for you to be daydreaming, kid."

I shook my head and let out a tired sigh, "Let's just get this over with."

Flint went on to show us how the guns worked. On the surface all the basic components looked similar to human-made guns, but when you looked further you started to find things that seemed a bit out of place. The ammunition was probably the best example of this. Like many weapons it loaded with a cartridge, but what was unusual was the shape of the cartridge and the bullets inside. The cylindrical cartridge was roughly two inches long, had a diameter about the same size, and was loaded with really odd cork-shaped bullets. Flint explained that many human arms manufacturers had attempted to duplicate the dwarven made weapons, but none had been successful. The ammunition could be reproduced easily enough, but the metals that the dvergar used to make the guns couldn't be found anywhere on Midgard.

Heime and Garik both knew next to nothing about guns, and seemed interested in learning to fire them, so Nick handed us each a set of earmuffs and got us started with the guns. At first, Garik and Heime had difficulty, but it didn't take them long to adjust to the unfamiliar weapons and start hitting their targets each time with near pinpoint accuracy. As for Leif and me, Flint said that our aim was so bad that we couldn't hit a drunken troll.

Flint didn't yell at any of us like he had Leif earlier, but he was much nicer to me than anyone else. It made me wonder if Flint was giving me preferential treatment because of who my mother was, or maybe it wasn't that at all. Maybe he was treating me differently because I was now a girl, or was there something else? Flint really didn't strike me as the type to favor anyone, especially not for personal gain. There to be some reason for him to be behaving that way, didn't there?

By the time we finally finished, it was getting pretty late, so I made my way to my bedroom. When I pushed in the light button, I stifled a scream as I realized I wasn't alone in the bedroom. Hervor was sitting cross-legged in the dead center of my bed. Her eyes were closed and she had a look of deep concentration on her face. Abruptly, her eyelids snapped open and she smiled as she turned her head to look me in the eyes.

"What the hel? You scared the frizz out of me!" I growled at her.

"Apologies, granddaughter. I intended not to unsettle thee."

"What exactly do you think you're doing on my bed?"

"I await thy return."

"Why?"

"I spake with thy mother and received her consent to train thee in the ways of seidh."

"What? Why?"

"The methods in which I may train thee are more effective than those available to humans," she responded with a cock of her head.

"Look, I'm really tired. Can we maybe talk about this tomorrow?" I replied with a tired sigh.

"Nay, haste be required so that thou art prepared when the final battle come."

"I can barely keep my eyes open. Can't it wait another damn day?" I spat glaring at her.

"Child, I understand thy resentment, but thou must learn to use thy magic. Time doth grow short," she replied, sliding across my bed and climbing to her feet.

"I just want some sleep."

Hevor smiled sympathetically then she came over to place her hand on my cheek. Ice-cold chills shot through my body and I let out a loud gasp as I felt my sleepiness and fatigue fade away.

"Holy frizzing hel! Ask me before you do anything like that!"

"Curb thy tongue! Such language becometh not an elven princess," Hervor muttered in response.

"Don't even go there, Hervor. You have no right to tell me what to do!" I folded my arms across my chest and glared at my grandmother.

Hervor smiled sadly and nodded, "Shall we begin?"

"You're not going to let up, are you?"

"Nay, Brynhilde. I will not."

I hung my head and gritted my teeth, "Does this mean Mom won't be taking me on as an apprentice?"

"'Tis for thy mother to decide," Hervor said, reaching up to touch my cheek again.

I could see the soft glow of magic surround Hervor, and by the time I realized what Hervor was doing it was already too late. The world shattered into a million pieces as I lost focus of everything around me. I could feel Hervor in my mind as I realized what she was doing; she was forming a link like I had inadvertently done with Eva. I wanted to scream and make her stop, but there was nothing I could do. I was powerless as the magic bound us together.

Gradually my vision returned and I realized that I'd fallen to my knees. I let out a gasp and stared up at my grandmother in shocked disbelief. Just as with Eva, I could feel all her emotions in the back of my head and I had no doubts that Hervor could feel mine as well.

"Thou oughtst have told me that thou linkedst thyself with another," she muttered quietly.

"What the frizzing hel is wrong with you!" I screamed shaking with rage.

"Brynhilde–"

"Just shut the fuck up, Hervor! I don't want to hear it. You don't give a damn that I had a life before you came along, and you certainly don't give a damn that maybe I would have liked to have chosen my own path! This is my frizzing life, and you've screwed it all up. I didn't ask for any of this! I damn well didn't ask for a pair of these!" I yelled clutching at my breasts.

Hervor's eyes grew wide and she took a step back from me. I didn't stop to give her a chance to reply. "And what about Eva? I didn't intend for me and her to be bonded like that, but now she's stuck with you just like I am! Maybe if you had stopped to think about someone else for a change you might have realized that it was possible I was already bonded with Eva!"

"Thou understandest not. The bonds are separate. The girl and I share no link. I merely sense the link." Hervor said quietly.

"Oh, and that's supposed to make it all better?!"

"Nay, child."

I opened my mouth to speak, but then I really started to pay attention to the bond. Hervor may have looked calm and serene on the surface, but now that I could feel her emotions I knew that it was all just an act. She was plagued with self-doubt, a deep and abiding sadness, a nearly overwhelming guilt and strangely enough a stubborn unrelenting determination. I was struck by the power of her feelings and I couldn't believe she wasn't curled up in a ball sobbing her eyes out. For Frigg sakes, I was having trouble keeping them back and the emotions didn't even belong to me! Yeah, they were that powerful.

Ever since Eva had left, her emotions had been muddled almost as if they were somehow damped by the distance, but I could feel them rise up and touch me. Her worry for me and as usual, a deep sense of love came over me and I reached out to her, doing my best to project reassurance and calm so that she would know that I was fine. And just like that Hervor's emotions didn't seem quite so overwhelming, I let out a sigh of relief as I looked at my grandmother.

"Why? Hervor? Why frizzing hel did you do that?!"

"'Twas necessary," she said as I felt guilt and remorse rise up and nearly overtake her.

Up until that moment I'd thought of Hervor as a cold manipulator who would do anything to ensure she achieved her goals, but I'd completely misjudged her. Yes, she had manipulated me, but she actually seemed to feel regret for what she had done.

"Why, damn you! Tell me!"

"I cannot. I have taken an oath. I am sorry, child," she said with a sad smile and guilt pouring out from the bond.

"An oath to who?"

"Frigg," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

And suddenly a lot of things that Hervor had done seem to make a bit more sense. It wasn't that she wouldn't tell me. It was that she literally couldn't. For an elf and nearly any other vattir, an oath had to be obeyed. If Hervor had sworn an oath, it couldn't be broken no matter how hard she tried. I made a mental note to watch what I said from then on out, I didn't know if I was bound by the same rules, but I really didn't want to find out the hard way.

"Shall we begin, Brynhilde?"

"Yeah, whatever." I muttered, doing my best to hold back my anger and resentment.

I didn't like what Hervor had done, but I knew that learning to control my powers would help me survive. I resented her for what she had done to me, but at the moment she was my best chance at getting through Ragnarok. It seemed fitting really, I was going to use her just like she had used been me.

"Very well child, let us begin," she said reaching up to touch my cheeks and the world shattered into a thousand pieces as I was lost to everything but the bond with Hervor.

Training with my grandmother turning out to be one of the weirdest experiences of my life. After she touched me the bond went into overdrive and the world around us just sort of faded away. There wasn't darkness, there wasn't light, there wasn't anything. Our consciousnesses were just there.

"What the hel?" I called out and I could hear my voice echo in a strange disjointed sort of way.

"Be not alarmed, child," Hervor's voice called out with the same disjointed echo.

"What's going on?"

"I created a bridge between thy consciousness and mine. In this place thou wilt be free of distraction."

"So, what do I do?"

"Thou shalt learn to silence thy mind."

"How?"

"Worry not, child. I shall show thee."

Hervor led me through several exercises to help me empty my mind. In one, she asked me imagine a rose blooming and to let go of everything as the petals pushed out. In another, she told me to imagine a mountain stream and imagine that I was a pebble resting under the water. It took me a while, but I was finally able to let go as I fell into a sort of calm serenity that felt absolutely amazing. I could have stayed like that for hours if it hadn't been for Hervor, who broke the link between us thus returning me back to the real world.

"Thou didst well, child," she beamed and I was more than a little surprised to feel her pride through our bond.

"I guess we're done then?" I asked.

"Indeed, now 'tis time for thee to rest," she muttered.

I realized then that whatever Hervor had done to energize me had worn off and I was dead tired.

"Uh, well I guess it's good night then."

"Good night, Brynhilde. May thy dreams bring thee peace and contentment," Hervor muttered and swept out of my bedroom with a swirl of her robes.

Vordag, the fifteenth of Morsugur

Well, it's been a week. I haven't had much spare time lately what with all the training. Eva's still gone and it's been pretty hard not having her around, especially with Garik and Leif competing over me. A part of me really likes all the attention, and that really scares the hel out of me. I'm trying to resist it, but this new body is changing me, and that scares me more than anything else.

My naming ceremony is today. Mom is pretty paranoid that Jonas Talman or one of his allies will crash the party, so she taking some pretty extreme precautions to insure that if anyone attacks they can't touch us. I'm a little fuzzy on what she has planned, but I do know Hervor is in on it.

Well, I guess I better go… It's time for me to get ready. I'm just so excited. Yay! Isn't sarcasm awesome?

So… The naming ceremony turned out to be a major suckfest. Well, really that's an understatement, but I'd rather just tell what happened…

I'd been to a few of my cousins' naming ceremonies so I pretty much knew what to expect, but it was still pretty uncomfortable for me. Especially since Mom had a team of beauticians doll me up, and the dress certainly didn't help. I looked every bit the elven princess that I was. I stood around greeting guests as was customary for the initiate being named. I only caught glimpses of my family and friends, but I knew they were all there, including Hervor, Heime, and Leif. Even Garik was there, but I'd hardly call him a friend, more of an irritation really. There were also a few familiar faces, various Spellbinders I'd met over the years and various members of the Seidskati like Elizabeth Bathory, Xiu and Matoaka. Mom and I stood around greeting guests until everyone was seated, then finally, Mom led me to the center of the room.

"Neil Gandalf Steenburg, my beloved son who through unfortunate circumstances has become my daughter. You have sought admittance into the Council of the Seidkona and have been found worthy to enter our ranks. Thus, I have chosen to take you on as my apprentice. Like me, you've had this mantle unfairly thrust upon you. You have trials ahead of you the like of which few can imagine. My hope is that you may find happiness despite what has been done to you. I name you, Brynhilde Athilda le Fey. Brynhilde a name of your own choosing, and Athilda after our ancestor, my mentor and dear friend. You are my pride and joy. I have given you the name of a legend because I believe that like her you are destined for greatness. Make me proud."

Mom reached out to touch a lock of my hair, there was a bright of flash of light and I knew she had just laid the mark of an apprentice on me. The lock had been turned a reflective silver-gray and will mark me as an apprentice until I complete the trials to become a full Spellbinder.

It happened so suddenly, that it was over almost before I knew what was happening. I didn't even have time to duck as the knife came soaring toward me and… went right through me. I'd known all along, but Mom and I weren't really in the same place as the guests. Our images were being projected from the estates. Anyone who tried to touch our illusory figures, would believe they were touching solid flesh, but would in fact be groping at air. No spellbinder, my mother included, had the power to create such a complex illusion, but Hervor did. Once my grandmother created the illusion it was a simple matter of passing the weave along to my mother. Holding the illusion took a lot less energy than creating it.

There was a scream from the crowd and a flash of light, and one of the guests tumbled to the ground in a heap.

"Dammit! I hate being right," I heard my mom curse as the image of the reception hall faded away.

I looked around and found that Mom and I were back in the dining room of the estates.

"Frizz, how many times are they going to try and kill me?" I asked bitterly.

Mom smiled sadly and placed her hand on my shoulder, "They'll only stop if we let them succeed."

"Well that's comforting."

"Lady Aryanna!" A voice said urgently from the doorway.

"Yes, what is it Meredith?" Mom asked glancing back at the woman.

"There's been an attack, it's all over the news. Vá¡gburg has been leveled, and the Sons of Odin are claiming responsibility."

"Goddesses!" I muttered in disbelief.

There were hundreds of thousands of people living in Vá¡gburg, if they had leveled it they'd either gotten hold of some really powerful military-grade weapons or it had been done with magic. Either way it was scary as frizzing fuck that the Sons of Odin had that sort of power at their disposal.

"H-how?" Mom muttered.

"I think it's better if you watch if for yourself," Meredith replied after a moments hesitation.

Meredith led us out of the dinning room then down the hall to the nearby media room. The teleprojector was already running as we stepped through the door. Real-time images of the wreckage were being displayed, while a reporter explained that rescue efforts had already begun. They spent a few minutes on this. Then the screen suddenly flashed to a man sitting at a desk.

"For those of you just joining us, a shocking and unprecedented attack has been per–" suddenly the image flickered away and was replaced by a tall gray-haired man dressed in full military fatigues.

"People of Nyrland. I am Jonas Talman, the leader of the Sons of Odin. We have gained control of all teleprojector communications so that I might speak with you concerning our recent attack on the city of Vá¡gburg." he smiled darkly.

"This attack could not have been successful had it not been for the efforts of the beautiful Josefina Mengele, who has perfected her formula to grant any man the use of magic."

"Holy frizz!" I gasped.

A smoking hot woman in a lab coat appeared next to the image of Talman. It was obviously Mengele, and 'she' had completed her transformation. She looked just like her female half when I'd seen her before, but with one major exception. Her hair was now the same auburn as my own. My blood must have been responsible for her change in hair color. I shuddered as I was struck by a sudden thought. What if it had effected her in other ways? What if it had made her more powerful?

Mengele had changed. She looked more controlled, and composed, but I thought I could still see the spark of insanity in her eyes. When she spoke she sounded sane, but that was probably because she was actually referring to herself as 'I' rather than her usually 'we'.

"As my associate Jonas Talman has been so kind to point out, the formula may grant any man the use of magic. Unfortunately, the formula has another effect on the body, it transforms any man who takes it into a woman. I have injected a number of volunteers with the formula, and each one of them has been successfully transformed."

"Norns," Mom muttered, her face suddenly going very pale.

"Our attack on the city would not have been possible without Josefina's formula. We all know what can happen when a Spellbinder loses control of her powers. We sent several of our volunteers to Vá¡gburg where each one of the new women unleashed her magic in key locations within the city, thus causing the near total annihilation of the populace," Talman continued.

"We regret the loss of life, but it has become very obvious that the Spellbinders will never give up their stranglehold on this country without some encouragement. Although great strides have been made in the Men's Rights Movement in the last few years, the upper class will always be composed of Spellbinders. Men will continue to be second-class citizens and this is something the Sons of Odin will not stand for. So this message goes out to those in power. Step down from your positions, disband the government, and the Seidskati or we will destroy one Nyrlander city every week. It's your choice. This is will be your only warning," Talman muttered, then the image flickered, returning back to the image of a stunned looking anchorman.

Mom looked pissed, and I mean pissed with a capital 'P'. I'd never seen her so mad. She raised her hands and a huge fireball shot out from her fingers completely annihilating the teleprojector. "That bastard is going to pay!" she said between gritted teeth.

"Mom, what are you going to do?"

She shook her head and let out a long sigh as much of the anger drained away from her face. "He has to know that his demands will never be met. He's doing this to foment chaos. I need to find Elizabeth, and the rest of the Seidskati. We'll need to issue a response to this." Mom shook her head, then with a gust of wind she was gone.

Siffendag, the sixteenth of Morsugur

The media has had a field day since Jonas Talman's pronouncement to the nation and the destruction of Vá¡gburg. And just about the entire country is in an uproar. People were already starting to demand that the government and the Seidskati give in to Talman. If only they knew what was at risk. As much as I hated the old bats, the Seidskati would be needed if we were to defeat the Jotun.

Just hours after Talman had hijacked the airwaves, the government issued their response, vowing to hunt down Talman and bring him to justice, but made it very clear that they would never give in to his demands. The Seidskati has issued their own response, saying much the same thing, and as they did so they took the opportunity to call together the Council of the Seidkona and the world's magic users.

Laurdag, the eighteenth of Morsugur

I haven't been getting very much rest. My training takes up nearly all my time, and on top of my lessons with Hervor, Heime, Garik and Flint, I now have lessons with Mom too. Ever since my naming ceremony she insists that I train with her at least a few hours a day. Damn, I'm so tired.

I stumbled onto something I really wish I hadn't earlier today. I'd just gotten through my lessons with Mom and was on my way to the bunker to start lessons with Heime and Garik when I passed by one of the guest rooms. The light was on, the door wasn't fully latched and I could hear voices inside.

"Nick I'm scared," I heard a familiar voice speak out. It belonged to my Aunt Marion.

"I know, me too, babe," the voice of Flint answered back.

I felt my jaw drop, had Flint just called my aunt 'babe'? I could hardly believe my ears. Flint and Marion? The guy had to be old enough to be Marion's father! It just wasn't right! I knew Spellbinders and other magic users hooked up with younger men all the time, but I'd always thought that was creepy. The reverse was pretty creepy too. The thought of Heime and my mother just made me shudder.

Someone cleared their throat behind me and I turned around to find my father standing there with his arms folded across his chest. "Come daughter, 'tis time for thy lessons."

"Okay, uh–yeah, I was on my way, but I just–uh–," Oh frizz, what was I supposed to say? I hated not being able to lie. "You know what? Forget it. Let's just get down to the bunker."

"Very well," Heime said with his brows furrowed. He gave me a strange look, but didn't say anything else as we made our way down to the bunker.

Manadag, the twentieth of Morsugur

So I'm getting really worried about Sophie. I got a call from her today, but when I answered there was no one there. I've tried calling her back, but I haven't gotten any answer back. I talked to Leif about it, but as usual he wasn't much help.

Maybe it's nothing. Maybe her area just lost power. Yeah that's probably it. I really hope that's all it is…

Siffendag, the twenty-third of Morsugur

My hands are shaking just trying to write this. Yesterday was a game changer. If I had any doubts before they're now gone. I'm not going to sit by the sidelines and watch as the people I love fight and die. Goddesses, I'm going to do everything in my power to make the Son's of Odin and Mengele pay for what they've done. If only there was something I could have done, maybe Marion would still be alive.

I was in my bed, having one of those private moments that have been far too rare lately. I think I must have dozed off when it happened. The estates began to shake and quiver so strongly that my teeth started to chatter.

"What the hel?" I gasped, sitting bolt upright. I felt my eyes widen, then I jumped to my feet and sprang out the door.

I ran down the hall, turned a corner, found the nearest window and looked out. Fear flooded through me and felt panic threaten to overtake me. I almost gave over to it, but that stubborn part of me I'd inherited from my mother refused to give in. I looked out the window again and clenched my fists. A ring of women were pounding at the estate with bright bursts of magical energy. They were soon joined by a massive mob of human soldiers and horrendously ugly black-skinned creatures who appeared from out of nowhere via wind-spell. Though I'd never seen them before I recognized the creatures as dark elves.

"Holy frizzing shit!" I cursed and ran back toward my room.

I grabbed my shoes by the bed and slipped them on. I hesitated for a moment, then I grabbed my journal off my dresser and took off down the hall toward the bunker. With the estate under attack it was the only logical place to go.

"Bryn!" A voice called suddenly from behind me. It was Marion.

"Aunt Mare, the estate is under attack. We have to get out of here!" I called over my shoulder.

"Goddesses!" I heard her call out then she was right behind me. "Where are you going?"

"The bunker!" I called back and slowed down a bit so that I didn't outpace her.

We'd just rounded a corner when we ran into Nick Flint, Garik and my father. All three were wielding dvergar fire-cleavers and were running right at us.

"This way! They've gotten through the shield. We need to find another route out!" Flint yelled once they'd gotten closer.

"Daughter, take the weapon," Heime spoke tossing me a fire-cleaver that had been strapped across his back.

"Has anyone seen Leif?" I asked grabbing the rifle out the air.

"We shall find thy friend. Worry not, daughter."

We were soon headed back the opposite direction. Marion took up the rear, holding up a spirit shield behind us as we fled. Human soldiers and dark elves were on our tails within moments, and it was only Marion's shield that kept them off us as we sped down the corridors. Soon several magic users joined our attackers and I could tell it was taking every ounce of Marion's willpower to keep the shield up.

"What about Mom and everyone else?" I yelled as we ran.

"Your mother made me promise I'd get you to safety. She says she'll find her own way out. Hurry! We don't have a lot of time!" Flint called back.

We rounded another corner and I almost ran right into Leif. "Come on!" I yelled back as I zoomed past him.

"What the frizz, venn? What's going on?" Leif called after me.

"The estate is under attack! We need to get the hel out of here is what the frizz is going on!" I yelled back between gritted teeth.

We rounded another corner and Flint suddenly called for us to stop.

"Human, why have we stopped? It's not safe for the princess for us to just be standing here." Garik said rounding on Nick.

"There's a passage here," Flint muttered glancing back at the soldiers pounding against Marion's protective barrier.

He stood there for a moment, his hands tracing across the wall, "Now if I can just remember…," he muttered trailing off.

"Oh, for hel sakes," I muttered stepping in and grabbed hold of a nearby sconce and pulled on it. The wall swung open and we found ourselves looking down a long flight of stairs.

"Where's that lead?" Leif asked breathlessly.

"Out," I muttered with a shake of my head.

"The strain! It's too much!" Marion suddenly called out and I could see her shield begin to quiver like Eva's had when Mom had forced her way through it in the mall.

"Come on!" Flint called. "We have to get out of here!"

I moved toward the entrance just as the shield collapsed and enemy fire came shooting out at us. I didn't even have time to think as I leapt through the entrance to the stairway. I fell head-first down the stairs before landing on my chest. I hurt like hel, but I shook off the pain, struggled to my feet and looked back just as Garik and Heime came hurdling through the doorway. Flint and Leif came through a moment later dragging Marion along with them.

"Hey you! The runes in the doorway! Activate them!" Flint screamed gesturing wildly at me.

I hesitated a moment before leaping at the doorway and latching hold of my magic. I'd never activated a rune before, but I knew from what I'd learned from Hervor that they could activated with the slightest touch of the right magical element. I struggled against the whirlwind inside me and unloosed the tiniest bit of spirit magic on the rune. Bright blue light flooded the doorway as a spirit shield appeared in the empty space in front of me.

"We need to leave. That shield will not hold for long," Garik muttered staring at the barrier then back to me.

"Yeah, good idea," I agreed with a nod.

"Shit, venn…" Leif said trailing off.

I looked over to where Leif and Flint were huddled over Marion's body and felt my stomach clench as I realized something was very wrong. Flint had his hand gripped around Marion's and there was a sort of wild look to his eyes that I'd never seen there before. When I looked over at Marion I finally understood. Her entire chest was blackened and covered in sores and boils. Then there were her eyes… they looked empty. I scrambled over to where her body was laying and frantically checked for a pulse. There wasn't one.

"I'm sorry, venn. When her shield collapsed she took a huge blast to the chest," Leif muttered quietly.

"No, no, no!" I breathed feeling suddenly very angry. I wanted to destroy those fuckers who were responsible for killing my aunt.

I reached out to my magic and was ready to summon it when my bond with Eva suddenly kicked back into full gear. I felt her love and concern through the bond and I realized what I'd almost allowed myself to do. If I had loosed my magic in the narrow stairway, I probably would have killed us all.

"We need to get out of here." I forced back my anger and felt hot tears sting my cheeks.

"Aye," my father said nodding solemnly.

"Just–do me a favor. Don't leave her here."

"Of this thou hast my word."

I got back to my feet and staggered down the stairs and did my best to keep a clear mind. I had to get out of the estate alive. I owed Marion that much at least. I heard Heime and the others following me, but I couldn't bring myself to look back. Not if it meant looking into Marion's dead eyes again.

The passage took us down a long flight of stairs and through an even longer tunnel that led out back behind the estates into the forested section of the property. There were runes all along the inside of the tunnel to keep anyone from entering it, but they weren't there to prevent anyone from leaving, so we were able to exit with relative ease.

I stumbled out of the tunnel with tear filled eyes, still in shock from everything that had happened.

"Come on, we're not out of danger yet," Flint muttered with a distinctly bitter tone to his voice.

"General, mayhap 'twould be best if I lead," Heime said, placing a hand on Flint's shoulder and smiling sympathetically.

"Do whatever the hel you want!" Flint yelled.

"Human, remember the signal," Garik muttered suddenly.

Without a word Flint pulled a small silver coin out of his pocket and tossed it up into the air. There was a bright flash of light that shot straight up into the air, soaring over fifty feet before fading away a few minutes later.

No one really spoke after that. Leif wrapped his arms around me and I clung to him as if my life depended on it. My father took up the lead with Marion's body still slung over his shoulder, and Garik walked a few feet behind him with a very slight frown on his beautiful face. Leif kept looking at me as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. As for Flint, he kept a distance from all of us, his face didn't display any emotion, but when I got a look into his eyes I could see a storm of despair brewing just under the surface.

We were walking through the forest away from the estates when we all heard a loud bang. I looked back and watched the Le Fey estate go up in flames. I felt my jaw drop as explosions rippled through the building. Then with one final great blast the building collapsed in on itself.

"It's done," Flint muttered.

"Thank Frigg," Daniella's voice said suddenly from out nowhere.

"Daniella!" I cried running right for her as she appeared out of the trees. I flung my arms around her and buried my face in her chest before she even knew what hit her.

"Bryn? What happened?" she asked after a slight pause.

"Oh, goddesses Daniella, she's gone. She's dead!" I cried hysterically.

"Oh, Norns. Is that… Marion?" I heard Daniella whisper.

"Aye," Heime responded.

"Come on, Bryn. Let's get you somewhere safe," Daniella muttered with a slight quiver to her voice as wind began to whip around the two of us and we went soaring into nothingness.

We reappeared in the bunker a few moments later. Daniella touched my shoulder, "I'll be right back," she muttered, then disappeared with a gust of wind.

I collapsed to my knees and let it all out. Marion was dead and it had happened so suddenly that my mind was still reeling. I'd seen her body and looked into her empty dead eyes, and I still couldn't believe she was really gone. Her death had been so abrupt. One moment she'd been alive; the next, dead.

I don't really remember much more after that, I know that Daniella took a few more trips to bring everyone back down to the bunker. She wasn't near as gifted with air magic as Mom so she wasn't able to bring everyone down at once like Mom would have been able to do.

The bunker was safe, since the only physical entrance had been destroyed. The only way in or out was via travel spell, and someone could only do that if they knew the bunker's exactly location.

I pretty well let my grief take over, Marion was more than just my aunt, she was one of my best friends and her death had left an empty spot in my soul. Shortly after being brought down into the bunker I felt a pair of strong arm wrap around me and lift me from the ground. I looked up to see Leif gazing down at me and I buried my face in his shoulder as he carried me away.

Comments, no matter how short, are very much appreciated. If you liked this story please take a minute to leave a review. Criticism is welcome, but only when presented in a constructive and positive manner.