Macha's Journey

Freyr looked at the man who betrayed his own country. Despite disliking the traitorous nature, a deal was a deal. Alec did provide intelligence even if it turned out to be useless. His clear blue eyes stood out against his dark purple jacket, "You will be a.s.suming the name Dominic Leamas. I had the bank put an account in your name and we have deposited the funds into it."

Sierra handed Dominic his new identification and papers. Her voice dripped with bitterness and she stared the man down, "You better be happy. The information wasn"t even useful."

Ignoring Sierra"s comment, Freyr continued, "We gave you a small place in Sector 12. It resides in the poor district, but with the money you have, you could afford something decent. I hope you enjoy your new life in Ma.r.s.eille."

Dominic bowed again, thankful that this King was so principled. He originally worried the King would not uphold the bargain. If it was not for the bombs, Kochi would have probably lost the war. The Toowoomba forests had been covered in traps and in the beginning, they vastly outnumbered the Kochi army.

After his meeting with the King, Dominic walked through the dark streets. He looked at the map, trying to locate his new place. The area was a dump, and he decided he would find work at a bread shop tomorrow and hopefully move by the end of the week.

A young girl in baggy clothes lay on the ground. She had long brown hair and appeared injured. She moaned in pain while clutching her stomach. He quickly moved to the child"s side and asked, "Are you all right?" He shook her arm, hoping she understood him through his strong accent.

In a flash, the small arm snaked out and shoved a dagger in his heart. He looked down and in his final moments; he saw the child transform before him. A man with strawberry-colored hair squatted before him and pushed Dominic over.

The light left Dominic"s eyes, and the man gave a smirk. "You didn"t think it would be that easy did you?" he wiped the blade on the dead man"s shirt-sleeve.

Putting it back in its sheath, he lit a cigarette. There was a coldness about him, a calm and collected att.i.tude that allowed him to murder without hesitation. Smoke blew from his lips as he stood up. "We"re all the same. You should never have let your guard down. You can never escape." He took a few steps.

Sierra turned the corner and spotted Havok. He walked away from Dominic, who lay dead on the ground. She was going to kill the spy herself, but it appeared that Havok already did the job for her. "I didn"t give you orders to do that. I don"t believe that falls under your jurisdiction."

Havok smiled. "Can"t say trust him. You know I want Ma.r.s.eille"s messages and communication to remain free from spies. Having a known spy in the city is a bad idea. Therefore, I consider it part of my jurisdiction." He worked hundreds of years to obtain his position. Now he was head of all communication for Ma.r.s.eille.

She walked past him and went to retrieve the papers she gave to Dominic earlier. There was no point wasting the payment they deposited into his account. She would have her people withdraw the gold and cancel his paperwork. The funds could go to more important things that the country needed instead of rotting in a bank.

While she rifled through the man"s pockets, she told Havok, "You may leave. I won"t tell the King about your little escapade." Sierra also worked behind Freyr"s back tonight. If she blew the whistle on Havok"s actions, then she would have to explain what she was doing there as well. In the end, he took care of the same thing she was going to do so there was no need for her to bring up his actions.

****

Tyr scanned their apartment, taking in the somewhat familiar scene. He had been away from the luxuries of society for such a lengthy amount of time that it seemed unnatural to be in such a clean place. A few things seemed different from when he remembered, not that they lived in the penthouse for very long before his deployment.

As Macha helped him take off his armor, he stared in the mirror. The image of her unlatching the various pieces was a sight he recalled seeing many times. Now that they had privacy, he finally relaxed and asked her some questions he had been curious about. In an even tone, he asked, "Was it difficult while I was gone? You mentioned that Ullr and Freyr visited you daily."

She looked up from unlatching his greaves. "I was really busy. Your mother insisted that Ullr help me with reading the doc.u.ments. In exchange for his services, I taught him my language. After Freyr found out, he requested to join the lessons as well. He helped me with my training as payment for the tutoring." She recalled Ullr and Freyr"s constant attention and gave a deep sigh. Dealing with both of them at the same time was something she never wanted to experience again.

Upon hearing that his mother insisted that Ullr help, a wave of anger coursed through him. It took a long time for him to suppress it so Macha would not notice the change in his voice.

While she finished taking off the last of his armor, he began to help her with hers. His face remained unchanged, "My mother asked Ullr to help?" This news enraged him beyond anything else Hrod ever did. He could not believe his own mother wanted him to practically be a cuckold. Just asking this question made him wish he could throttle his mother.

She looked up and made a perturbed expression, "Mmm, I tried to get out of it, but she was so insistent. I didn"t want to anger her since our relationship seemed to be getting better, so I agreed. Sorry, I know you don"t like him..." Despite the intense attraction she had to Ullr, she managed to push his seductive behavior aside for three years. She considered her discomfort a small price to pay for her improved relationship with Hrod.

After an awkward silence, she added, "I was actually thankful for Freyr wanting to join the lessons. He made things less..." Her voice trailed off as she thought about a neutral word to use, "uncomfortable, so please don"t be annoyed at him." She worried Tyr might be jealous that his cousin spent so much time with her. They were close, and she did not want unwarranted emotions to get in the way of their bond.

Tyr grinned at her concern. He had no reason to be angry at Freyr. His relative reported to him about Ullr"s flirtations for years. It seemed that Freyr felt more anger about the situation than he did. From what Tyr understood, his cousin seemed to accept that he and Macha were together but refused to lose to anyone else. "Mmm, I"m not."

Hearing his easy acceptance of the situation left her uneasy. She expected he would ask more questions or be upset. His reaction was very calm considering Ullr was involved. She had been faithful, but if she were him, she would hold an interrogation.

As he continued to take her armor off, he thought about her new brother, Tai Shan. The man found out such simple facts that he did not even know about after four years of being Macha"s boyfriend. This bothered him and made him worry that Freyr and Ullr also knew her better than he did. By nature, he did not talk much and preferred to let her open up to him at her own pace.

Macha ran her fingers along Tyr"s shoulders and through his hair as he de-armored her. She wanted to have s.e.x with him later, but on the way back she had gotten her period. They were also exhausted from the long the journey.

When Tyr took off her ta.s.sets, he realized she had her period. While he was looking forward to being with her tonight, he also saw this as an opportunity to get to know her better. While they had done it while she menstruated before, they usually avoided it because it was messy.

This was also fortuitous event because he needed to pick up the Abyzou pendant he ordered years ago from the jeweler. Those pendants took months to make and only worked between two specific people. It had an enchantment on it so he would not accidentally cause Macha to conceive. "You said you were going to meet Tai Shan at the park tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yep, I get to meet his child tomorrow. I hope she likes me. You said you were going to join us right?" she was nervous and wanted Tyr to come with her.

Placing the last piece on the armor rack, he turned around. "I"ll be there, but I have an errand to run before that." He was not sure if he needed to tell Macha about the pendant or not. They were not married and it was understood that he would not want to have a child out of wedlock.

After they took a shower, they laid in bed for a long time. Tyr chatted with her about many different things and she was surprised that he was so talkative tonight. He asked her many questions about her past and the things she liked. While she always a.s.sumed he would discover these things over time, it was still comforting to know that he was curious about what she liked or disliked.

Macha traced her fingers along his jawline, "Why are you so curious about these things all of a sudden?" She gave his collarbone a light kiss and rested her chin on his broad chest.

The reason was embarra.s.sing, so Tyr reached over and turned off the lights. In the darkness, he whispered, "You know that I love you. I can"t help myself."