“All of it is wrong. This luxury is what Hel uses to keep the people here weak. To make them forget the glory of the other gods. She abuses her power over the dead in this way.”
Erik stretched out in the chair. “I guess…” He yawned, looking out the window at the park. “She said she’d help, but all I seem to remember is getting stabbed and freezing my ass off.”
“I told you a deal with her would come to nothing.”
“Yeah, you did. That’s fine. We’ll see what happens at Valhalla, I guess.”
“Good.” Göll’s voice was curiously flat, almost hollow. “I will guide you to Valhalla.”
chapter|31
Ljunge hadn’t joined them that morning for breakfast, something Erik had almost expected him to do. There was more variety in the food, roasted potatoes, fish, and more modern fare like eggs and toast. Tove ordered well more than she could ever eat, knowing that it was free. She seemed especially enamored of the sweeter items, waffles and French toast.
Mouth full, she pointed a fork at her food. “You mean to say people eat this daily in Midgard now?”
“Not daily, no. Well… some people do. They’re, uh… usually pretty fat.”
“It’s no wonder.” She shoved another fork of syrup-covered bread into her mouth. “It borders on obscene.”
When the food was done, they left, Erik wanting to get a lay of the city. Göll had been even more quiet than she normally was. It was after Erik had asked for directions to a shopping area that she finally spoke.
“How long do you intend to dawdle?”
Her voice was flat again and her eyes had been dark since the night before. It had been enough to convince Erik to sleep with his arms still wrapped.
“Dawdle? Woof. Strong words there, Göll.” He was growing tired of the odd air around her. “What’s your deal right now?”
She looked at him, icy eyes sharp. “I have come to guide you to Valhalla. You should not waste time.”
Erik shrugged. “Well, I’m gonna waste time. A lot of it. How’s that?” He turned, nearly shouting at her. “I’m going to buy a fucking house here and live in this city. Sound good? You going to put your spear through me if I do that?”
She said nothing, only stopped and stared, her expression unchanged.
He looked at Tove and motioned a hand at Göll. “You see it too, right? She’s being fucking weird.”
Tove seemed nervous being brought into the conversation. “I do not feel I should take part in this…” She trailed off and Erik felt a pang of regret at having lost his temper.
He forced a calming sigh and they carried on in the direction of the shopping center. His mood was more than soured and Tove understood that well enough. She kept close to him even as they arrived in the shopping district. It was a street, less wide than the main thoroughfares, lined with shops from one end to another.
In spite of having come half for Tove’s sake, she kept her eyes locked forward, still feeling awkward. Erik put a hand on Tove’s shoulder.
“Hey, if Göll wants to be weird, let her. And maybe she doesn’t want to. No reason her deal needs to ruin the day, right?” He noticed a shop that looked to be selling chocolates. “You ever heard of chocolate?”
“Chah…” She’d heard the word but it was foreign to her.
“Jesus, Kvernes is like a horror show when I think about it. Anyway, you’ll like it, I think, considering what you did to your breakfast.”
He started toward the shop. Modgudr had given them some money and he figured that would be as good a place as any to spend it. Tove came behind him, complaining.
“It’s not my fault I ate so much! Who wouldn’t? You’re the odd one for not eating it, I say.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
They came into the shop and the woman behind the counter was quick to hold up a welcoming hand.
“Welcome in! I’ve got candies and chocolates, as you can—”
Göll came in and the woman stopped.
“Oh, you…” She looked from Göll to Erik. “You are einherjar?”
Erik laughed awkwardly. “Look, I guess. I’m happy to pay for things. It’s weird for me if I don’t.”
The woman shook her head. “Oh no, I couldn’t allow that. Have as much as you like. It’s my honor.”
She came over, suddenly much more attentive to them than she had been. There were others in the shop who stared at Erik and Göll, smiling and talking excitedly. It felt undeserved in so many ways and even if it weren’t, it was off-putting. He tried his best to ignore it, pointing Tove toward some truffles.
“These are usually pretty good.”
The woman behind the counter grabbed a pair and handed them over the counter. Erik bit into his immediately while Tove looked it over. The chocolate was expertly made, something he hadn’t expected.
“What is it? It looks like droppings.”
Erik smiled, trying not to laugh. “It’s a… candy. A treat. It’s sweet.”
“Like the breakfast?”
“Yeah, more or less.”
Tove took a bite of the truffle and chewed it once before spitting it out onto the floor. Everyone stopped, looking at Erik as he burst into laughter, doubling over.
He held up a hand at the woman who ran the store. “Haaa, oh god.” He blinked back tears. “Oh man, I didn’t know she’d do that. I’m sorry.” He was still laughing.
Tove blushed bright red, shoving him to the side. “Why must you laugh so hard? It tastes odd! I don’t trust it!” She crossed her arms. “You people have terrible habits in food. All of this is strange!”
She stormed out. The owner waved him after her, smiling, and Erik apologized again before running off to catch her. He came out laughing and Tove turned to him.
“You’re picking fun at me, I know it.”
He held his hands up. “How could I know you’d hate it?”
She pointed past him into the store. “It looks
