Raven is wise for she tells Wolf where to find it's prey.
Raven is wise for she lets Wolf dine first.
Raven is wise for she tells Wolf it's enemies are approaching.
Raven is wise for she builds her nest above Wolf's den.
A large stack of currency burned atop an unmarked grave. It was marked at some point in history, but all that remained now was a generic stone slab put in place ten years ago. A beautiful woman with Italian features tended the small blaze.
“You could have given it to those that need it.” Lind spoke with a firm and guarded voice. She spoke like a goddess. “Such a wasteful act.”
Silence greeted the Valkyrie. Two more ten thousand dollar stacks fell onto the fire. “I'm not the Goddess of Charity or the Champion of Lost Causes. This money deserved to be lost.”
Lind changed the path of the conversation. She didn't come here for a fight. The Valkyrie knew the score very well. “I would not have wanted to fight her as a one of Hild's Furies. Thank you.”
“I suppose that means I can cross Hild of my list of people I want to steal from.” The goddess smiled a bit. “Were you the young child's patron?”
Lind tilted her head to the side and smiled. Saotome was not her responsibility. She leaned into a large obelisk shaped head stone adorned with a cross. Her eyes lingered on the burning money. “Is that what you did with my ax?”
“Mhmm... which one?” She knew Lind had no need of her services had Ranma been her case. Laverna teased as she tossed another small fortune onto the fire. “The pretty blue one? I still have that one. The double headed green one is somewhere. Think I used it in a poker game.”
“Don't you mean, you lost it in a poker game?” Lind tried to tease the thief.
“No, such prizes are well taken care of.” Laverna turned her attention from the last stack of money on the flames. “It was merely a tool for another prize.”
“Always another notch in the belt.” Lind shook her head. The Goddess of the Ax spoke quietly, “Why didn't you just leave her to the ferry girl?”
“Because it was amusing.” Laverna turned towards Lind. She let the last of the currency turn to ash. “I got to deliver a splendid insult you to Enma and Hild. I also get to draw the Norns into this little drama.”
Lind had a suspicion that this was going in that direction. “So you're going to steal something from a Norn?”
“You are as every bit as sharp as your ax.” The raven haired goddess stood up. The accusation made sense. Laverna didn't go after small marks. Belldandy was the class one and therefore the most likely target. As if she was reading Lind's thoughts Laverna taunted her. “However, I like Bell. She and I are very similar. The things she values are not the kind of things you can steal without breaking them. I like Keichii's wish. It takes a lot to lure a Goddess out of heaven and steal their heart. Messing with it now would be like stealing an unfinished painting. How deeply will she come to love him? How many children will she bear for him? Will she follow him into his lights? Consider Ranma my bit of color in the painting of their life. A gift if you will.”
A small nod came from the Valkyrie. She thought, “Just as the Greeks offered up a horse to the Trojans.” She could understand what the goddess of the present and the thief would have in common. Skuld or Urd could have something. Lind wracked her brain and realized they could have anything.
The Roman Goddess gave her a smile. “Now you're getting it. This isn't a smash and grab, a shell game, Faustian bargain, or a quick scam. This is the kind of game played with Goddesses and Heroes. So is it the future or the past I am playing with?”
Lind felt a bit of panic swell up in her heart. Troy was also played with Goddesses and Heroes. If Urd could be swayed to go rogue, the entire balance of power would shift. Skuld, for all her innocence, could just as easily be broken. Should the balance be disturbed on either end the results would be disastrous.
“I like you Lind.” A black cloak wrapped around the thief. “But, you must see all of the layers. Don't try to stop what is coming.” She chuckled a bit. “I really can't even ask you that. I hope you do meddle, if only to see my old friend again. Just, keep your eyes open.”
A swirl of black energy rushed past the Valkyrie. Crimson lips pressed against her cheek. As the dramatic exit ended she found her ax had been taken once again. A green ax imbedded its self in the arch of a head stone. The familiar weapon wasn't quite as she remembered it. Silvery runes adorned the body of the blade. The shaft of the ax seemed alive in her grip. It was the same ax she had stolen all those years ago. Laverna certainly didn't lie, the ax was just a tool. This ax was on a completely differently level. It hummed with the power of the forest, the blade resonated with the air of the mountain. It was a finer weapon than the young goddess had ever used. She had the sinking feeling that she would need this ax before this was over.
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(Posted Thu, 08 Sep 2011 06:43)
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