A Yank at Valhalla

'Wait, Jarl Keith, before you exult,' warned Odin. 'There is not enough radioactive fuel to operate this mechanism much longer. When it stops, Loki's lightnings will play yet greater havoc with us.'

'Can't we charge with all our horsemen and destroy Loki and his devilish weapons?' Thor cried fiercely.

'As soon as we leave the defense of this generator's screen of energy, Loki's lightnings will cleave us,' Odin replied.

I realized the desperate nature of the emergency. If the Aesir and the Jotuns were to fight this battle on anything like even terms, Loki's storm-cones must be destroyed! Even if they were, the Aesir would be facing overwhelming numbers. But there would be a chance for victory, at least, whereas there would be no chance at all if Loki's forces were not checked.

In this emergency, my eyes fell on my plane parked some distance to the rear of our forces. Suddenly I remembered the bombs I had made the night before, for possible use in the battle.

'Lord Odin, I think that I may be able to destroy Loki's weapons!' I cried eagerly. 'In my flying craft I have a weapon of the kind my people use in war. Let me try it.'

'Can any flying ship live in this tempest?' the Aesir king asked incredulously.

I wondered, too. The storm that raged over this strange battlefield had now become chaotic in its insensate fury. From all the black sky over us, bolts of lightning induced by Loki's storm-cones were sizzling and flashing down. Though they were splattering on Odin's defense screen, the mounts of our horsemen were rearing wildly. Our warriors were white-faced in the light of the flashes. In the south, the mighty Jotun army was forming up to advance against us.

'I can make it!' I persisted without conviction. 'I'll circle back around the worst of this storm.'

'Then go, Jarl Keith, and the Norns guide you,' Odin said reverently.

Chapter XVIII The Battle for Asgard

I raced back toward the plane. In a moment I had the rocket motor roaring, and then I managed a perilous take-off from the field. Raging winds, blowing now in this direction and now in that, threatened to hurl my rising plane back to the field. Sheets and flares of blinding lightning dazzled my eyes. But I rose and zoomed out over the sea, to circle back and approach Loki's position from the rear.

I hurtled through the unnatural darkness over the water. Lightning flares gave me a momentary glimpse of Aesir and Jotun ships locked in death-combat down on the wild waters. I rocketed over them. Then I swung back toward the cliffs of Midgard and came roaring down from behind upon the crest where Loki had his storm- cones.

I had the cabin-window open, and my crude bombs near at hand. As I dived steeply, I peered down at the crest. Loki stood by the vicious storm-cones. The big mechanisms were clustered close together, their quartz nozzles pointed toward the distant Aesir forces. A fine violet electrical brush played over them as they sprayed their controlled static field.

I saw Loki's startled white face, and the alarmed features of Utgar, Hel and the Jotun captains as my plane swooped down. Diving within a few yards of the storm-cones, I dropped four small bombs. There was a crimson flare in the lightning-seared blackness behind me. I looked back to see the storm-cones, all but one, lying shattered and dismounted. I glimpsed Loki and Utgar. Unharmed, the Aesir arch-traitor was shouting orders as the Jotuns ran to their horses.

'Score one for my science,' I muttered between my teeth, as I hurled the plane back toward the Aesir positions.

The single remaining storm-cone was still operating, and lightning was flaring and thunder rolled. But the terrific hail of bolts that had threatened to destroy the Aesir had stopped.

'Well done, Jarl Keith!' roared Thor, when I had landed my plane and run back to the hillock where Odin and his captains stood.

'It was well done,' Odin declared. 'For my generator is faltering now. Had you not destroyed the storm-cones, we would have been helpless.'

'Loki's preparing to advance with all the Jotun forces,' I said breathlessly. 'See, there they come now!'

The Jotuns were deploying on the farther side of Vigrid field. At least ten thousand unmounted warriors formed up behind their wide screen of cavalry.

'There rides the arch-traitor!' cried Heimdall wrathfully.

I saw Loki. He rode behind the cavalry, at the head of the massed Jotun footmen. His bright golden helmet gleamed in the lightning flashes, his white steed curveting. Besides Loki's horse ran a great, gray shape — the huge wolf, Fenris, coming like a war-dog with its master into battle.

'If only Iormungandr were with him, too!' rasped Thor. 'The Midgard snake must die this day, to fulfill my oath.'

The archers of the Jotuns, advancing behind their screen of horsemen, were discharging their missiles. Arrows rattled down like rain among us. Men dropped from their mounts and horses squealed with pain.

'Take your places, but do not charge till I give the word,' Odin ordered.

'Are we to be riddled without striking back a blow?' cried Thor furiously.

'Wait till I give the signal,' Odin bade sternly. 'Both our wings of horsemen shall ride at the center and split through their main body. Vidar will follow with our footmen. Then, if Wyrd wills it, we shall cut their split forces to bits.'

Odin rode forward, and I followed with Vali, Bragi, Forseti, and the other of the Aesir captains. Taking up our position between Thor's horsemen on the left and Heimdall's on the right, we waited. I felt the awful suspense of the moment. The arrows rattled down among us during the slow advance of the great Jotun host. The thunder and lightning of the storm still grumbled across the dark sky. In the face of them all, the horsemen and footmen of the Aesir waited silently and motionlessly behind Odin.

The Jotuns were well within bowshot, and their arrows were taking even greater toll. So close were they that back among them I could make out the white face of Loki, urging them forward. I could see big Utgar, the Jotun king, riding beside the arch-traitor. An ancient feud was rushing toward its climax in these last moments. I felt the tension of men who were somehow more than men. When this battle joined, it would be the clash of cosmic forces…

'Now!' cried Odin, raising his mailed fist and flashed his sword high.

The trumpets of the Aesir blared wildly in answer. With a yell of pent-up tenseness, we spurred our horses and galloped forward. Our two mounted wings converged, charging right at the center of the great Jotun army. Riding forward with the others, I was scarcely conscious of individual action. Instinctively I spurred and drew my sword and leaned forward over my saddle-bow.

Before me, Odin's mighty figure galloped with great sword still raised high. Beside me, Thor was already whirling his gigantic hammer, bellowing his terrifying battle-cry. Beyond him were Heimdall, Forseti and Bragi. And behind us thundered the three thousand Aesir horsemen, followed by the footmen under Vidar, Vali and Tyr.

Arrows showered among us. Men and horses tumbled, crashing in our midst as we galloped in that wild charge. Thunder roared deafeningly from the blackened sky ahead to drown our yelling trumpets. Lightning flashed blindingly across the sky.

We struck the screen of the Jotun horsemen like a thunderbolt, tore through them as a sword tears through paper. Then our charge carried us smashing deep into the main body of the Jotun army. All Earth must have felt the splintering shock of that collision! My horse stumbled over Jotun bodies. I leaned from the saddle and struck furiously with my sword at black-bearded warriors who sought to reach me with ax and blade. I hewed down two enemies before their spears could touch my side.

All around me, swords were banging on helmets, men yelling in fierce blood-lust or shrill death agony, hamstrung horses squealing horribly, shields crashing together with deafening clangor. The trumpets of the Aesir were blaring unceasingly. The hoarse horns of the Jotuns roared a savage answer.

Thor, close beside me in the battle, was forcing his stallion forward. His huge hammer kept falling like a thing endowed with its own life upon the helmets of the Jotuns. Miolnir's steel was red with blood and gray with brains as