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up.”
    Frey sat and concentrated her attention on anything but the smell of blood, and the unmoving mound on the gurney.
    Someone was coming and it wasn’t the cat, or his female…
    Einarr crouched between the two towering metal structures and focused his gaze on the outline of the door several lengths away from him. He wasn’t sure where he was, but the cylinders gave him good cover and the ability to ambush his adversaries if it became necessary.
    But what if he killed them all? From what he’d already seen, these men didn’t carry any weapons. Were they like the Christian monks his ancestors had plundered and robbed when the Vikings first discovered the riches of England? A defenseless peaceful people who had no ability to fight back?
    But the female had pointed some kind of weapon at him, he was quite certain of that. He had no idea how many people inhabited this strange place that seemed to float through the night skies like a giant bird or a sea-less wind-less ship.
    He hunkered down as the voices grew louder. She’d been a little thing with hair the color of an autumn leaf and wide startled brown eyes. But she hadn’t understood him at all, even in her thoughts, which worried him immensely. If these people were peaceful and were simply a means to get him to Valhalla or wherever the Gods wanted him to be, he needed to speak to them. He wasn’t like his ancestors. He’d learned to parley with those who deserved it.
    And in this instance, he was the one who needed to understand where he was and exactly what was going on. He considered putting away his axe and stepping out with his hands raised, but he couldn’t do that either. He might not be as rabid as his ancestors, but he was no coward, and until he gauged the intent of the men coming after him, he would be a fool to relax his guard.
    He squinted through the darkness. There were three of them in a single line, one carried an extremely bright source of light that he directed into every shadowed area. The others carried something in their hands, which he had to assume were weapons of unknown strength. He slid his axe back into his belt and selected a throwing dagger instead.
    As he pondered his choices, he felt an all-too familiar tingle in his fingers and the runes on his armbands began to glow. Einarr smiled into the darkness. His magic was returning. Unfortunately for his opponents, he had another source of power beyond that of his strength. He had the magic of a hundred seers in his blood—right back to his ancestor Odin. If strength would not or could not defeat a man’s enemies, there was always another way. In truth, unlike his brother Aki, he’d always used violence as a last resort.
    Eventually, the powerful light swung toward his hiding place. Lifting his hand, palm facing outward, he reflected the beam back toward his pursuers, getting his first good look at the two brawny males and the man behind them who was obviously in charge. Even as they complained about the sudden unexpected reflection, he magicked a cloud around himself, distorting his image and making him disappear into the shadows. If they were like most men, they wouldn’t be able to see him at all.
    With a sign from their commander, they moved on deeper into the space leaving Einarr in peace. He was just about to relax when one of the men turned back, his expression puzzled, and came straight toward Einarr’s hiding place. With a silent curse, Einarr caught the man around the neck and silenced him dropping the unconscious body to the floor and taking the “weapon” for further examination.
    He knew he’d have to move again. Following his instincts, he searched out a series of ladders that took him even further into the bowels of the ship and set about finding a secure place to get some rest.

Chapter Four
    Frey sat up straight as a security guard was brought into the already cramped medical facility and placed on the last remaining gurney. The doc turned away from examining her