change my mind altogether. And it seemed Frigga sensed my thoughts because in an instant, we disappeared from the infirmary tent and reappeared inside her chambers.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Thor was pacing the white marble floor when Frigga and I materialized in her chambers. He looked up immediately, tension and worry gouging deep grooves in the pale skin of his forehead, and eking the brightness out of his normally sparkling blue eyes.
A glance around the room revealed the effects of the quake. Dozens of shattered marble tiles, broken stone statues and cracked walls were proof that nothing had survived the quake unscathed.
One of the two stone pillars that had bracketed the balcony entrance now lay broken on the floor, blocking the way out. On its journey down, the column had also taken out the drapes, railing and all. They lay like a silken white pool, strewn across the tiles with the broken rail sticking out like a golden, listing mast in a sea of milk.
Thor stopped his restless pacing and headed to the doorway. He stepped over the remains of the column but was unable to avoid the curtains, and just strode through them, straight onto the balcony. An act that I would have found unnerving, considering how unstable everything around us was. Knowing my luck, the balcony would give way as soon as I stepped onto it.
I stayed inside and so did Frigga, both sharing a worried glance but waiting until Thor returned to the room. Perhaps he'd needed the time to compose himself out in the fresh air, but maybe the view of the destroyed Asgard valley was too much to bear. It would have been for me.
Only moments passed before Thor returned. He ran a hand across his stubbled chin and walked to one of Frigga's white sofas, taking a seat in silence. He looked strange, his huge muscled bulk balanced on the narrow, elegant sofa. The only good thing was he'd retained his normal size as opposed to towering twelve foot tall god.
Neither Frigga, nor I, interrupted his preparation to speak.
The goddess moved to a small table that sat beside her working desk on the right wall. From a tall, thin pitcher she filled three glasses then handed one each to Thor and myself. I drank in silence, for the first time unable to summon even the tiniest bit of joy that I sipped the delicious golden, honeyed Asgard Mead. The magical milk of the goat Heidrun possessed regenerative powers which were incomparable. And its addictive powers were akin to Midgard's most hardened drugs. Nevertheless, it was a necessity in Asgard for repairing and regenerating wounds and broken limbs. All the warriors, einherjar, Valkyrie and Ulfr made good use of its restorative properties.
And in the wake of the horror of the quake, such a drink was surely well needed for all our faculties. Without Odin to take charge of this disaster we had to make do on our own.
Thor drained his glass and handed it back to Frigga without even a word of thanks. His lack of manners didn't even raise an eyebrow.
Frigga reached for a nearby table, overturned by the quake, set it on its legs and placed Thor's empty flute on it. Then she took a seat beside him and motioned for me to take the single sofa opposite.
Everything in the room was white and seemed to lend a certain sense of calm to my soul. So when Thor did speak the shock he gave me did not completely kick the feet from under me.
He cleared his throat. "This quake, all this destruction . . . It is Jormungandr." His voice was raspy, as if even the thought of it was unbearable.
I frowned. "Jormungandr? Isn't that the Serpent of Midgard?" I asked.
I'd learned a little about Norse myths since I'd been plunged into the reality of the Nine Realms, but when someone says Serpent of Midgard my mind automatically derails into 'that's just a myth' territory.
Thor nodded absently while Frigga remained frighteningly still, the whites of her eyes bright and almost scary. She glanced at me, taking pity on my ignorance. "He is one of Loki's children. Odin banished him a long time ago, to remain beneath the seas, where he has kept the Midgard world in balance. Unfortunately, Loki did not take it too well."
I snorted. "I'm not surprised. If the serpent is his child, of course Loki would have been unhappy with the banishment." The words were out of my big mouth before I could