Dagfinn spun the axe. A barrage of frost missiles shot out. Curran leaped back and forth, circling Dagfinn. On the battlements the shapeshifters roared and howled.

"How are we doing, baby?" I called out. Serves you right, Your Furriness. Next time, listen to me.

"Trying not to show off," Curran yelled.

Dagfinn brought the axe down. A sonic boom smashed into me. Curran flew backward.

"Bring it!" Dagfinn roared.

The shapeshifters booed.

Curran bounced back up and dashed forward.

Dafinn spun, but the Beast Lord was too fast. He dodged left, right, and collided with Dagfinn. The huge Viking staggered back from the impact, whipped around, picking up momentum, and charged, roaring, gripping the axe with both hands, and bringing it up for an overhead blow.

Move, honey. Move.

Curran lunged forward.

What the hell was he doing?

Dagfinn chopped down with all his strength.

Curran caught the axe with his right hand.

Dagfinn stopped.

Holy shit.

The viking strained, right leg forward, left leg back. Muscles rippled on his arms. Frost ate at Curran's hand, but the axe didn't move.

"Done?" Curran asked.

Dagfinn snarled.

Curran raised his left hand. His fingers curled into a fist.

"Not in the head!" I yelled. "We need his brain."

Curran yanked the axe forward. Dagfinn jerked back, trying to regain his balance, and Curran swept his left leg from under him. Dagfinn crashed down like an oak chopped at the root.

Curran tore the axe out of his hands and tossed it aside. Dagfinn swung at him with his right fist. Curran leaned out of the way and sank vicious punch straight down into Dagfinn's gut.

Ow. I hurt just from looking. The shapeshifters on the wall made sucking noises.

Dagfinn curled into a ball, trying to suck in a lungful of air, which was suddenly missing.

Curran pulled Dagfinn up, swung him over his shoulder, and carried the viking toward me.

Oh you crazy sonovabitch.

Curran dumped purple-faced Dagfinn by my feet. "Here is your expert, baby."

The shapeshifters on the wall whistled and howled. Why me?

"Thanks, showoff," I told him. "Let me see the hand."

"It's fine."

"The hand, Curran."

He held it out. Blisters covered his right palm. Frostbite, probably second-degree. It had to hurt like hell. Lyc-V would fix it in a day or so, but meanwhile he'd have to grit his teeth.

"I said don't touch the axe."

He leaned over and kissed me. The shapeshifters on the walls cheered.

Dagfinn finally manage to remember how to breathe and swore.

I leaned over him. "He won. You're going to read my runes now."

"Fine," Dagfinn growled. "Give me a minute. I think something's broken."

*** *** ***

According to Doolittle, nothing was actually broken. Dagfinn treated the diagnosis with open suspicion, but given the circumstances, he decided to deal with it. Curran, on other hand, got a plastic bag with some sort of healing solution tied around his hand. He liked it about as much as I expected.

"This is ridiculous."

"With the bag, the hand will be usable in two hours," Doolittle informed him. "Without the bag, it may be usable by tomorrow. It's your choice, my lord."

Curran growled a little, but kept the bag on.

I put Julie's drawing in front of Dagfinn.

He squinted at it. "Whoa. Was this on a weapon?"

"No, it's on a gold necklace that's killing a child. Looks like Elder Futhark, but not exactly. Is this a spell?" I asked.

"This isn't Elder Futhark."

"What is it?"

"It's dvergr."

I sat down into the nearest chair. "Are you sure?"

Dagfinn pulled back the sleeve of his tunic, displaying his tattoos. "Look here."

The last two characters on his shoulder matched the last two characters on Julie's paper. Dagfinn drew his fingers along the tattoo. "This says, Wielder of Axe Aslaug born from blood of Earth shaped by hands of Ivar." He tapped the paper. "This says, 'Apprentice of Ivar.' Yeah, I'm sure."

"What is dvergr?" Curran asked me.

"Dwarf," I told him. "Old Norse dwarf: magic, powerful, skilled with metalwork. Makers of weapons for the gods. They're often portrayed as embodiments of greed - they lust after power, women, and most of all gold."

"Hey now!" Dagfinn raised his hand. "Most experts believe this to be a later development. The dwarf myths probably take their root in nature spirits..."

"Dwarves like in Tolkien?" Curran asked.

I wish. I dragged my hand over my face. "One time four dwarf brothers, the sons of Ivaldi, created some magical gifts for the gods. Two other dwarf brothers, Brokk and Eiti, became jealous of all the praise and bet Loki, the trickster, that they could make better gifts. He wagered his head. The dwarves won and then wanted to murder Loki. The gods wouldn't let them do it, so Brokk sewed Loki's lips shut with wire. These are not jolly, drink beer and go on adventure type of dwarves."

"The one I met was a good guy," Dagfinn said.

"You think it's the same Ivar who made your axe?" Curran asked.

Dagfinn nodded. "I was about fifteen or fourteen. I was wild back then, not like now."

Curran and I looked at each other.

"So my uncle Didrik, he was a viking, took me to the mountains to this valley. We met a smith there and my uncle talked to him and then left me there for the summer. It didn't go well at first, but Ivar and me got along finally. I liked it there. When Didrik came to get me, Ivar made me this axe and put the runes on me. Right arm," he slapped his right biceps "controls the axe. Left arm is my oath. I can't ever kill a defenseless person or force myself on anyone, or the axe will turn on me."

"I heard you broke into the monastery looking for the Asian ladies," Curran said.

"Asian ale," Dagfinn said. "I wasn't looking to rape anybody. I was looking for the beer. None of them would talk to me, so I kept trying to grab them to make them still so I could ask where the beer was. I had a bit to drink that evening."

The light dawned on me. "Dagfinn, they are Buddhists. They don't brew beer. You needed the Augustine Brothers two miles to the south. You went to the wrong monastery, you dimwit."

"Tell me something I don't know," Dagfinn growled. "Anyway, can I see this collar?"

We took him in to see the boy. Roderick shrank a little. "Don't be scared," Dagfinn said. He examined the collar for a little while and we returned to the other room. Dagfinn sat into his chair, while Curran leaned against the wall, watching him and emanating menace.

"Could be Ivar's work," Dagfinn said. "I just don't understand why. The dwarf I knew wouldn't hurt a child."

"Can you find the valley again?" I asked.

He shook his head. "There is a trick to it somehow. I'd meant to ask Didrik about it, but he died. I've tried to find him on my own. I've been all over the Smoky Mountains and nothing."

He was holding something back, I could feel it. "What are you not telling me, Dagfinn?"

He hesitated.

"It's going to kill the kid," Curran said.

"He might know," Dagfinn said.

"He who?"

"You know. He."

My heart took a dive. This was getting better and better.

"He who?" Curran demanded.

I stepped closer to him and lowered my voice. "The Vikings know of a creature. He's been trapped on their land for a very long time. They don't like to say his name, because he might hear and kill them at night."

"Don't tell me you're thinking about it," Dagfinn said.

I spread my arms. "I'm out of ideas."

"Kate, please tell me you haven't been to see him before, right? Right?" Dagfinn asked.

"No. This will be my first time."

"Why?" Curran asked.

"He catches your scent when you go to see him," Dagfinn said. "It takes him awhile, but once he learns the scent, he never forgets it. People who go to see him twice don't come back. Their bones stay on that hill."

"We're going to need back-up," I said, thinking aloud.

"Don't look at me," Dagfinn said. "I like you and all, but I've been once. I ran like a little girl and barely got out. I can't go again."

"Backup won't be an issue," Curran said.

I shook my head. "We can't bring anyone we can't afford to lose."

"She's right," Dagfinn said. "I hired a crew. Six people. I was the only one who got out and only because he ate them first. My advice, hire someone you don't know and tell them upfront it's a fight to the death. They're just flesh speed bumps for him." He looked at me. "You need to talk to the Cherokees."

"Yes, I know." Thinking of going to see Håkon sent ice down my spine.

"Well, I'm out," Dagfinn rose. "Thank you for the fight, I had fun, we should do it again sometime. It was nice knowing you."

Curran pushed from the wall. "I'll walk you out."

"I can find my way," Dagfinn said.

"I'm sure you can. I'll save you the trouble." Gold rolled over Curran's eyes.

Dagfinn sighed and they left.

*** *** ***

I went upstairs onto the roof. We had set up a small dining area there, two chairs and a table. Lately every time we sat down to eat in our kitchen, someone would knock on the door with some bullshit emergency, so when we didn't feel like being interrupted, Curran and I would go up to the roof and eat in peace. His Furry Majesty was threatening to drag a grill up there and "cook meat" for me. Knowing him, "grill" meant a giant pit and "meat" stood for half a deer.

I sat on the low stone wall bordering the top of the roof. It was late afternoon, and the sun was slowly rolling to the west. The stone wall was nice and hot under my butt. Summer was coming.