“So Bellona is not imprisoned here, then?” Tania asked, intrigued.

  “We have already told you—we know of no one who arrived here by that name,” the goddess replied.

  “Wait. If Loki was the one imprisoned, why did you try to hide it from us earlier?” Ana asked.

  “That man is the reason the Father of Asgard managed to reach Vinland,” the polar goddess explained. “Yet at the same time, Asgard does not trust him. That is why they left him here, imprisoned. And that is precisely why Lel wants to seize him.”

  “If Lel learns that you have had contact with Loki, he will surely torture you to extract every piece of information you possess,” Nanook added. “That is why we did not want you to meet him.”

  “Either way, Lel wants us dead,” Ana replied calmly as the others nodded. “That changes very little.”

  “Then we wish to see him,” Menrva said to the polar goddess.

  “Honestly, I am not particularly eager to lay eyes on that bastard,” Tania muttered.

  “You know him?” Menrva asked, surprised.

  Ana and Tania explained to Menrva and Sedna everything they had endured while fighting Loki in Jutland.

  “Oh my… I had no idea he was so dangerous,” Sedna said after hearing the story. “Perhaps it would be best if he rotted in our dungeons.”

  “I hate to ruin the mood, but I would still like to speak with him,” Menrva interjected.

  “Be aware that the moment you meet him on this land, we will no longer be able to shield you from Lel,” the polar goddess warned darkly.

  “We accept the risk,” Menrva replied.

  “Very well,” Sedna said. “Nanook, take them to the dungeons.”

  The members of Orniskem followed the polar god to the lower levels of Adlivun, behind a great ice portcullis barred with frozen grates and guarded by two sentries in heavy coats. At Nanook’s command, the guards opened the gate.

  The dungeon was even darker and colder than the rest of Adlivun. Only a few small torches provided light. The cells were sealed with metal bars edged with blades that would tear flesh from bone at the slightest touch. Inside, frozen corpses—humans and gods alike—could be seen, mummified by the cold.

  “It is true. The temperature here is extremely low, even for us gods,” Nanook remarked.

  Everyone turned at once toward Rodrigo. He was curled in on himself, trembling violently, his face bluish, frost clinging to his skin.

  “I’m sorry, everyone… it looks like I can’t go any farther,” the young tannin said through chattering teeth. “Please, go on without me.”

  “Rodrigo, please!” Epona protested, but Ana interrupted her.

  “It’s your tannin blood, isn’t it?” the Irish goddess asked.

  “Yes. Rui must be far more vulnerable to cold than the rest of us,” she added, finally understanding why Rodrigo always complained.

  “Go on, Rodrigo. Stay outside. We’ll fill you in afterward,” Menrva said.

  “Th-thank you,” Rodrigo replied, retreating quickly from the dungeon. The others pressed deeper into the dark labyrinth beneath Adlivun.

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  “That cell,” Nanook said, pointing to one at the very back.

  Menrva stepped closer and saw Loki bound by the wrists, half-naked, seated on the frozen floor. Ice had crept up his legs, locking them in place. The Norse god’s head was bowed.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure of such an Etruscan beauty visiting my humble cell?” Loki asked, lifting his gaze toward Menrva in the dim light.

  “You are Loki, correct?” Menrva asked coldly.

  “You may call me darling, beautiful,” he replied with a roguish grin.

  In an instant, Tania kicked the bars, making the dungeon tremble.

  “Save your idiotic theatrics for another time, you bastard!” she shouted as Epona, Tania, and Anpiel moved closer. Susanoo remained a step behind them.

  “Oh, the three lovely goddesses I had the honor of fighting before,” Loki continued smugly.

  “Forgive the filthy sty in which I am kept. I would much rather host you somewhere finer, with mead and wine—though I imagine you had plenty of that in Asgard.”

  “Enough nonsense, Loki!” Tania snapped, kicking the bars again. “Do not think I will ever forgive you for what you did on Earth—your stupid war and the innocent victims of that giant of yours!”

  “Oh? Is that how you thank the man who saved you from the Celtic gods when they meant to kill you?” Loki replied mockingly. “My heart is shattered.”

  “Tania, stop. That is not why we are here,” Ana said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

  “Fine. I’ll calm down,” Tania replied, turning away.

  “No, dear, don’t leave me alone!” Loki called after her, dripping with sarcasm.

  “Listen carefully, animal,” Menrva growled. “You had better start behaving, or I will come in there and tear out your tongue.”

  “Oh come now. Can you not endure a little jest?” Loki replied lightly. “I am the one rotting in this cell, not you.”

  “Was all of this your doing?” Ana asked, leaning toward the bars. “Did you arrange for the Asgardians and Athena’s followers to come to Vinland to die?”

  “Oh, beautiful Morrígan… when you plunged your sword into my body, it was truly my heart that you pierced with your beauty,” Loki purred. Ana flushed despite herself.

  “Answer the question, you pervert,” Menrva ordered.

  “I told you before, beautiful Morrígan, and I will tell you again,” Loki replied, ignoring Menrva as he smiled at Ana.

  “I will not betray my brothers of Yggdrasil to a foreign power.”

  “Then answer this,” Menrva pressed. “How do you know Odin is in Vinland?”

  “Sedna said that no one but Viking explorers has entered these lands,” Ana added.

  “You have seen how that Sedna hides her divine presence, yes?” Loki said.

  “Father Odin was far superior at concealing his essence. He could pass for a weak human—or whatever he wished to be—and even cross this continent’s foolish barrier in human form if he so desired. That was his greatest art.”

  “So he came here as an explorer?” Ana asked, stunned.

  “All I know is that Father Odin nearly died at the hands of Lel’s brutes. They believed they had found his corpse. My daughter Hel, keeper of the dead of Yggdrasil, deceived them with a false body. Only she knew of the attack, and she told me. Father foresaw Lel’s designs, and only my daughter shared that knowledge.”

  “Then it’s true,” Anpiel said excitedly. “Odin could still be here, hidden among the people of Markland.”

  “There are many ways into Vinland,” Loki replied. “But if you wish to know precisely where he may be found, I suggest you free me.”

  “And why would we ever do that?” Tania snapped.

  “I am a burden to this small kingdom, and they know it,” Loki answered.

  “What could they do if Lel attacked? Imagine the catastrophe if warships from Europe sailed here solely because of me.”

  “Why should we trust you?” Menrva asked.

  “Could you not simply tear off your hands and escape with your powers?”

  “Oh, how harsh you are with me, beautiful,” Loki replied.

  “Can you not see I am held within an anti-divinity barrier? I would bleed to death before escaping.”

  “He speaks the truth,” Nanook said. “To prevent escapes, prisoners are held within anti-divinity fields that suppress their powers. You experienced that in Nitassinan. We also drain most of their ichor, so they cannot tear off limbs and regenerate.”

  “Then if you knew all that, why did Asgard leave you here?” Ana asked.

  “I will answer that, dear,” Loki said.

  “Do not call me dear,” Ana snapped, though she blushed again.

  “Of course, dear,” Loki continued.

  “Though Thor trusted me, Tyr, Freyr, and Freyja did not. By vote, they abandoned me here. They claimed it would be more exciting to roam the land, seeking strong foes, rather than truly searching for Father Odin.”

  “What a pack of idiots,” Tania muttered.

  “For Thor and those three fools, everything is a game, a challenge,” Loki went on, feigning tears.

  “So Father’s whereabouts mean little to them. But without him, how long before Lel strikes Asgard again?”

  “I see,” Menrva said. She stepped away from the cell and gestured for the others to gather around her.

  They all complied.

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  The next part will be released tomorrow.