Forged by Fate

it.” He turned and left the chamber, slamming the door on his way out. He heard the startled squawk of Odin’s ravens and found at least some satisfaction in disturbing something, even if he had not changed Odin’s mind.

Odin sides with Sif. He sent the thought to Athena, and in his anger, thunder cracked, lightning flashing overhead. It began to rain, but he found the water beating onto his shoulders and head to be more comforting than anything else. He belonged to the rain, to the storm, to the sky. And it belonged to him. An outward expression of his feelings, of his person.

It won’t matter, Thor. It won’t be enough, she replied. Calm yourself. The threat of the Christians works in our favor, now.

Not with Odin. He blames Eve. It disgusted him. Odin had always prided himself on his wisdom, on his justice. It was not wrong to protect the defenseless, and it would cost the Aesir nothing to stand for Eve. It was not as though she joined in preaching the Christian doctrine! The sect could be crushed without killing her, but Odin looked at her, and saw only the author of his troubles. He blamed her even for the break in Thor’s marriage, though Sif had carried on her affair with Loki long before Thor had ever thought of loving Eve.

Athena sighed. We are all selfish, concerned only with ourselves, or preserving our power, our domination, our people. It is rare we look outside our small areas of influence and care for the larger world. The Covenant does not really allow for it.

Do you believe Michael spoke the truth? Her death will undo the world?

Bhagavan believes it, and I have never known the angels to lie, but that does not mean they will not do what they must to preserve the True God’s creation. If nothing else, you are right that we should not interfere in what we cannot fully understand.

He grunted and sat down on a stone bench, letting the rain soak through his clothes to his skin. He closed his eyes and turned his face to the sky. I have lost my father’s trust, the trust of the Aesir, for Eve.

You’ve acted only as your conscience dictated. There is no shame in this. Those of us outside Asgard still trust in you, perhaps all the more so because of it. Have peace, Thor, it will be over soon.

Her mind faded from his, and he was alone with his thoughts again.

The rain had softened to a sprinkle, and he rubbed the water from his face, opening his eyes to stare at the world tree. World to world, place to place, always offering its golden fruit. His mother’s tree, but Thor had no memories of her.

Odd that Gabriel had mentioned her. How could the angel have known his parentage at all? Known his mother’s name was Jord? It had been another plane, another world, another time. Before this world and its angels had even been created.

He had been puzzling over Gabriel’s words for more than a century now, and come no closer to their meaning. What could the True God owe him? What had he done to deserve any gift from Him, any attention? It couldn’t be his love for Eve that Michael found so distasteful. So simple a thing, not worth any reward. It wasn’t as if it had been done purposefully. Indeed, for the last thousand years it had felt as though he carried his love as a curse.

But Gabriel had said he would have her love again. That she would know him, someday. And it had filled him with a hope he hadn’t felt since before he had watched her die as Tora. One more reason to preserve her. One more reason to save her. If she was meant to know him, to love him again, he couldn’t let her be sentenced to death by the Council. She had been his wife, and he had been her husband. He could not sit by and watch her be consigned to death any more than he could do nothing if it was Baldur’s life in question. And no matter what Odin said, he would do the same now for any of the Aesir as he did for Eve. Argue for their lives just as fiercely. Even Sif, for all her cruelty, he would defend.

Odin would disown him completely after the Council meeting tomorrow. Thor would have no home, no family, no place. Magni and Modi, Ullr and Thrud would be forbidden from speaking with him. Thor would be exiled, left to care for the people who looked to him alone. He snorted. There were worse things than to walk the earth.

The earth. Isn’t that what Gabriel had said? Son of the earth?

He shook his head. Perhaps when this was over, he could consult Athena on that issue. Perhaps she would be able to make more sense of it than he had. But the Council meeting must come first. He must focus his thoughts on that. On Eve’s defense.

That someday she might know him, and his love for her, again.

At Ra’s suggestion, the Council meeting was held in Egypt. No one could argue he was not fair or just, or that he would not listen to reason. His opinions were well respected among the gods, as he was the oldest of this plane but for the Hindu Lord, Bhagavan. But because Bhagavan had taken the form of Shiva, the gods could not count on him to mediate without prejudice or preference. Shiva favored destruction and chaos. That much had been Ra’s idea, but Thor still remembered Bhagavan’s booming laughter at the suggestion.

“Ah, Thor. Good. Your timing is perfect.” Ra did not even turn away from the window, but he flicked his fingers in the direction of a table when the lightning of Thor’s journey had faded. Ra’s personal chambers were, as ever, well supplied with refreshment. “Help yourself to the wine. Athena said to give you her regrets. She is still arguing with her father, and does not dare to leave his side before the Council meets, for fear he’ll change his mind.”

Thor grimaced, but poured himself a taste of the fine red wine, cutting it with water to quench his thirst. “I was given to understand that Zeus would not be a problem.”

“He wasn’t. He won’t be. Athena has him well in hand with Aphrodite’s assistance. As long as she does not leave him open to the suggestions of Ares and Hermes. Loki found great allies in those two.” Ra finally turned away from the window and studied him. “She told me about Odin.”

He drank down the wine in two gulps and poured another glass. “I once thought myself to be my father’s favorite son. Nothing I did could displease him, once I had grown into my power. Now he seeks the death of the woman I love. How else does he expect this to go between us? Does he think I’ll roll over and beg his forgiveness if he succeeds?”

Ra’s face was lined, his eyes full of sympathy. “Odin wants what is best for his people, Thor. To the exclusion of all else. You know this. He wants what he believes is best for you. To free you from the enchantment he imagines has been placed on your heart. So yes, I think he does believe that with her destruction, you will turn back to him, your eyes suddenly opened.”

“Eve does not have that kind of power. I have told him so, repeatedly.”

“What power she does and does not have, I cannot say. But I do not believe you are controlled by her influence.” Ra sighed and sat in his throne. “You are prepared? You know what you are to say?”

Thor nodded, sipping the wine though he would have preferred to drink it by the mug to settle his nerves. He dared not lose his wits before this meeting by too much drink. “Backwards and forwards.”

“Let the others have their say. Let them shout for her death, and make their own suggestions. Speak for her only after they’ve aired their grievances. I suspect it will go quickly.”

“This meeting should not be about Eve, Ra. The true threat to them, to all of us, is the Christians.”

Ra smiled. It was thin and humorless. “Yes, Michael and Gabriel outdid themselves. It will be fascinating to see what develops.” Then he waved a hand in dismissal. “Go on ahead. The longer you dally here the more likely someone will suspect where you have gone. Have faith, Thor. A body this large is always better at inaction than anything else. Democracy does not favor bold acts.” He shook his head. “It is a wonder the Greeks ever accomplished anything.”

Thor finished his wine, bowed, and left for the temple where the meeting would be held. He took up a seat in the shadows and waited.

“All who have joined together within this temple have accepted the Covenant,” Ra began, formally calling them to order. It did not take long for the room to quiet.

“And it shall not be broken,” Thor replied with the assembled.