Heresy: The Book of Mammon

Chapter 37

Chapter 37



Loki stepped through the doorway into his office, and drew in a harsh breath. He turned to shut the door, and behind it, the fiery eyes of Razelle glared at him. She offered him no smile or greeting. He rolled his eyes at her, and she slammed her hand into his chest. He fell backwards and the hammering of stone against bone rang in his ears as his head crashed against the floor.

“What the hell are you doing?” She stood over him, and placed her boot upon his gut.

Sharp pains subsided as he rubbed them to a dull ache. There was no blood on his fingers as he held his hand in front of his face. “Exactly what I was supposed to do!”

She scoffed at him as she removed her boot. He stood and dusted himself and offered her a smile. “I believe everything will fall into place now.”

She shook her head. “You are very lucky that you’re alive, Loki.” Her fists clenched tight, and her arms quivered. The fire in her eyes never vanished.

He laughed at the statement. “My dear Razelle, this is what we’ve been waiting for. What happened tonight will fuel an uprising beyond measure. If it doesn’t, we now control the food supply of the populace.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

He plopped himself into his chair. “Money doesn’t control people, regardless of how greedy they are, they cannot ignore their instinct.”

“What instinct is that?”

He smiled. “Survival. Without food, they will go mad. Either way, the King cannot remain on the throne for long, if what happened tonight doesn’t invoke a revolution, starting a famine throughout all the provinces certainly will.”

She shook her head and laughed. “You’re willing to starve your own people to usher them into the future?”

“I’m willing to do what is necessary for our survival. You’ve seen the west, and you know what they can do. Alliances are betrayed, Razelle. That is the way of the world. We cannot place all of our trust in them, though we have no choice for the time being. When the King is overthrown, we will begin to focus on our own power. Laws will change, and rather than starvation and war, we will bask in the benefits of our own strength.”

She drew in a heavy breath. “You’re quite the strategist.” Tight leather creaked as she turned from him. “You know this could go against you and your Tribunal.”

“People won’t blame us, they will blame the King. His laws are the ones that are heard, and we go unnoticed beneath it all.” He stretched his arms as he propped his feet on the desk.

Razelle stepped toward the fireplace, and waved her hand. The wood ignited in a raging fire. “What happens when they discover you?”

“They won’t discover us, Razelle. Once I’ve been named king, the Tribunal will dissolve. We’ll return to Asgard and prosper as we were meant to. Thanes will remain here to keep order, and perhaps we’ll appoint a governor to rule this land, but the Aesir will rule all our territories from our new capitol.”

“And what of our agreement?”

“You will have what was rightfully yours. We grow weary of conflict, and I’m sure the people will be more than willing to end it.”

She turned and glared at him. His flesh burned as though it were ablaze, but no fire touched his skin. “Alliances are betrayed, Loki. You said it not but a moment ago.”

“I would not dare.” His reply came through gritted teeth.

She relaxed, and the burning vanished. “You best be speaking the truth, Jarl. What of the Tome?”

He turned and looked out the window. “Jotunheim.”

“Will they have it?”

He nodded. “It is why I have pushed for the Ymirjar’s independence. Our newest ally will bring it to us.”

She laughed. “Clever.”

“Indeed.”

Razelle smiled at him. “You don’t fail to impress me, Jarl. Just see it through.” She turned to the window, and as before, it shattered. As she stepped through, the glass clicked back into place one at a time, and the cracks vanished.

Loki sat back in his chair and sifted through his papers. There were no letters, just as they said. He made his response at the council, and a new nation rose from the ashes of arguments and animosity. The Ymirjar now had their own lands, but they would still pay tribute to Xalimfal. Such was the fabrics of empires, and the Aesirs would be an empire as they were before the start of history. The Ymirjar would be their first colony, and their foundations would delve into the lost cities of the men of old.

The Nidavellir islands were a land long left behind. Attempts at resettling had failed, for the beasts that roamed their mysterious mists preyed upon the lone settlers of old. Now, they would be theirs once more. The Ymirjar were thousands strong, and beneath the veil of feeble appearance, their true gifts remained hidden from the eyes of the Norsemid. Their ancient enemies carried with them, the abilities to see beyond, though it had been obscured to them, the Aesir kept detailed documents of their talents. Their eyes would find the old cities. Jotunheim would return from the voids, and the Tome of Norns would once again return from the sands.

The Gylfaginning held many mysteries, but through the stories of beasts, and powerful men, the real truths hid between the cracks. She had shown him, and now he had the means to delve into the unknown. The world was shaped by those that dared to step beyond the mysteries that enshrouded it, and he would be the first in a millennium to take that first step. The Ymirjar would be his guide.

Though the secrets of the Tome of Norns were not but darkness, with them, their land would return. Asgard would come back from Annwvyn, and with it, their own gifts. Norsemid were a forgotten people to the rest of the world. None knew of their histories except the Aesir. The west would rise as it wished, but he held the key. The cold touch of the Orichalcum caressed his hand as his fingers rubbed against its rough surface. They needed Xalimfal more than they knew, and what threat they would be with the secrets of the book, would be drowned in their own strength.

The Aesir were more than a broken clan that had been long bereft of the throne; they were the guardians of the dead. They were the first Valkyries. Annwvyn had stolen that title, and their home. As it said in the Gylfaginning, Asgard was the first land of the world. They were the scions of the gods, and the powers that were stolen from them, would be theirs once more.

He looked down at the city from his window. Below in the night enshrouded streets, the citizens of Gjaalarbron were in an uproar. Those that had slaved for them for centuries had been taken from them by the word of King Hjalmar. The Tribunal succeeded in their mission. The people of the city now questioned their king. Regardless of what his decision was, it still would have been the same. He knew that the Thanes empathized with his speech, for it was true. The lands of Xalimfal had grown weak and decadent due to the king’s rule. They needed a new source of power, and the potential of new wealth, food, and iron appealed to all of them. Though losing the Ymirjar would be a great loss, they would manage as they did before the war. Economy would rise within their nation, and those that were poor would work for those that were not. All could share in the wealth of the nation, and all would be proud of their new ruler.

He would not rule with old laws, spoken by one man, but a great gathering of many. He would be the leader of a fair and just nation. Rather than one deciding the fate of their populace, it would rest on the hands of the people themselves. All would have a chance at shaping their empire.

Soon the people would unite, and he would lead them in their fight against the crown. The wheels were turning, and with each minute, the noose tightened around Hjalmar. The intricacies of administration had triumphed where open rebellion would have failed. That was before the law was passed. Now, all men shared equal disdain for their king. It would be an uprising of Thanes, nobles and poor alike. He’d been the one pulling the strings for far too long. It was now time to usher the new Ragnarok, and reshape the world once more.