Valhalla Virus, Nick Harrow [simple ebook reader txt] 📗

on Gunnar’s resources. Chasing them out of the lodge would be the wisest move. That would let him concentrate on finding Bridget, which was the most important thing right now.

But he couldn’t do that. These people needed someone to protect them from the monsters trying to destroy the world. Gunnar had been given powerful gifts to do just that. Turning his back on those who needed him most wasn’t the jarl’s style. “It’s fine,” he said to Erin as the cheers died down. “It’s more than fine. Thanks for making everyone feel at home.”

He passed through the crowd, the völva and Erin trailing behind him. Gunnar shook hands and clapped shoulders in greeting. He was surprised how much taller he was than anyone else in the cavern. Few of the men were within two feet of his height, and they all watched him with awe as he engulfed their hands in his. He worried his size would frighten the children, but they laughed and scampered around him, playing hide-and-seek around his legs as he made his way to the model of the lodge.

When he reached the door to his sacred place, he held up a hand to those who had followed behind the group. “I need some time alone with my team,” he said. “There’ll be time for us to talk later. In the meantime, Erin’s in charge.”

“Me?” the young woman asked, blushing to the roots of her dark hair. “Why me?”

“You’ll be fine,” Mimi said. Then, in a lower voice, “Better you than me.”

The crowd dispersed and went back to what they’d been doing before the jarl and his völva had arrived. Gunnar hoped they’d save him some of the meat smoking over the fires, whatever it was. He was starving.

The four of them entered the room that contained the model of the lodge. It still hovered above the wooden table, though it had changed to match their shelter’s new appearance. A notable addition was the tree that now grew up from the subterranean lodge through the longhouse on the surface. Gunnar was curious about what the hell was up with that, but he had more pressing matters to contend with before he added any new mysteries to his plate.

Gunnar hoped he’d find new options available now that he’d gathered another rune, but he was disappointed to see the same three symbols above the floating structure. The only difference he could find was a small line of glowing text beneath the Hall of Heroes upgrade. “Fifty-four people have answered the call. Twelve children, twenty women, and twenty-two men. The Hall of Heroes has space for an additional six people.”

Well, that was interesting. Gunnar hadn’t expected the Hall of Heroes to attract survivors, but he wasn’t unhappy that it had.

Now, though, he needed to pick the next upgrade.

“We still got two options here,” he said to the völva. “The Hall of Battle and the Hall of Feasting. The first one will provide arms and armor for the lodge’s residents. The second one will provide food.”

“Weapons,” Mimi said without hesitation. “The guns that Deke brought look like they still work, but I bet they won’t for long. Everything’s turning all stabby instead of shooty.”

Gunnar wondered how long it would be before guns were just a distant memory. The world was changing, and it would keep right on changing. Before long, they’d be back to the Iron Age or earlier. Fighting the jötnar with an automatic shotgun and high-tech shells had been hard. Fighting them with swords and axes seemed suicidal.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling of hope that had entered him at the sight of those people settling into the lodge. He’d grown stronger since accepting the Valknut. Maybe those who followed him would gain new strength like the völva had.

“I agree with Mimi,” Ray piped up. “It’ll be good to have more soldiers to help defend this place against Hyrrokkin’s army of assholes.”

Gunnar reached out and tapped the rune for the Hall of Battle. The blood rune on his arm flared and fed hamingja into the symbol next to the floating lodge. The air around the model shimmered, and Gunnar saw a new cavern open off the south end of the subterranean level. A pair of crossed axes appeared above that new room, along with a small line of text. “Chain shirts and axes for twenty soldiers. Specialized armor for the jarl and his retinue.”

“That’ll help,” Ray said. “Nothing there to help us find Bridget?”

Gunnar shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Looks like that’ll be up to you and Mimi.”

Chapter 24

MIMI TOOK GUNNAR’S hand and looked deep into his eyes. The golden dot at the center of her forehead spilled honey-colored light across the model of the lodge. “This is gonna take a lot out of me,” she whispered, “and I need you to keep my batteries charged. I don’t know how long I’ll have to search for her, either. My connection to her is...”

“Very faint,” Ray finished. “There’s interference. That’s the best way to describe it. She’s more of a shadow than a bright light...I’m sorry. Explaining this to you is hard. I barely understand it myself. This is all so new.”

Gunnar gently stroked the völva’s cheek with the backs of his calloused fingers. “It’s okay. You’re both doing great. We’ll figure this out.”

Mimi sat on the wooden bench on the far side of the table and cupped her chin in both hands. She stared at nothing, the dot in the center of her forehead pulsing with golden light as she considered what she had to do. “I have to strengthen the connection to Bridget,” she said. “That will make it easier for me to locate her.”

“How can I help?” Gunnar asked. He didn’t understand any of the völva business, but he would do anything to bring Bridget home.

“Your most vivid memories of Bridget are probably from, you know.” Mimi formed a circle with her thumb and forefinger, then poked her opposite index finger through the hole.