All Your Fates (Currently editing/updating)

Chapter 12: The Volva ~ Randy Astle

“No, nothing like that. I’m a scientist, really. There is no magic where I come from.”

“What’s the difference,” she retorted. It wasn’t a question, but I went on.

“I’ve been studying the, well, the connections between planes of the multiverse, and we were working hard on it, and there’s this girl—”

“And a man?” she cut in.

“Um, no, just a girl, who I’m looking for.”

“Tsk, tsk . . . there’s always a man, David.” She peered at me, expecting me to understand, but I had nothing, no idea what she was getting at.

“There’s not always a man. I’m looking for Emma, Emma Gossett—”

“It’s no use pretending not to understand; nothing so daft. You know very well that I’m referring to . . . just . . . one . . . man.” She paused, grinning fiendishly. “You know him, hm? No one else but the Norns themselves can travel betwixt dimensions.”

Was she talking about me? Or, wait a minute, was there someone else? I didn’t like the sound of that, I mean . . . hold on. Just why would somebody be going between parts of the multiverse? I’d been thinking so much just about Emma that I hadn’t thought about, about any other reasons, or what you could do, or… Hey, you could learn a lot of stuff going from universe to universe. And if you could control where you went, and when… You could have a lot of power. Hell, you’d have to start out with a lot of power in the first place to be able to pull something like that off. I thought what we’d done was pretty freaking brilliant, and here I was getting batted around the multiverse like a ping-pong ball. But to control it, to move at will, what kind of person could do that?

“I’m not convinced,” the old woman interrupted my thoughts, “that you don’t know what kind of person could do that. His aura surrounds you—and betrays you.” She stared into my eyes like some kind of Jedi gypsy lady. Well, Sith gypsy lady. She went on, “And His power is great, as you know. But even He,” she paused, leaning forward for effect, “dares not come here. Yet you…you do. Why is that?”

She leaned back, actually waiting for an answer. And this whole thing was starting to seriously freak me out.

“I don’t control it, I mean… I’m looking for a girl, I told you.” And you know what, that’s what I was going to do, all the hocus pocus mumbo jumbo aside. Why let these witches have all the cojones? Were we remaking The Wicker Man again or something? I straightened my spine up and raised my voice. “And if you’ll just tell me where Emma Gossett is, because I’m pretty sure you know, I’ll just be on my way.”

She chuckled, brought her damn wand forward a bit so I’d still remember she had it. “Perhaps you didn’t understand me,” she finally croaked. “We have powerful magic here as well. And this man, and His minions,” she pointed a finger at me, “have always hitherto known to keep their distance from here. Women’s magic, you understand, feeds from the Norns in a way that no man never can. We have battled Him before and conquered, and we will do it again—our magic has not dimmed. Is that the message you want to deliver?”

That was it. I stood up. “Now I don’t even know what the hell you’re talking about. Just get me outta here, lady, and you can keep on doing whatever the hell you want with your Druid chicks, with your babies, with your Norns and wizards and, and bloody Harry Potter Game of Thrones nonsense. But I’m out. The door’s back that way?” I turned and started to move into the hall, not waiting for an answer. But of course I got one.

“Halt, David Blunt.” I kept walking until I realized I hadn’t told her my last name. I stopped and turned, ready to see that twisty little wand up in my face. But it wasn’t. The witch had stood up, but her hands were at her side and her face, even in the shifty coal-light, seemed calm. “You say you act alone. You say you serve no master. But understand this. There are others who move as you, but with greater power and sinister intent. There is a battle going on for the fate of the stars, and you have been pulled into it. This much is clear. And now listen: Avoid any who have the magic to travel twixt dimensions but claim it is impossible; these are your enemy.”

“Got it, good.” I tried to leave again.

“Hold,” she warned, “one thing more. Beware any without a fate. She may be your destruction—all our destruction. You may not want to find what you seek.”

Okay, now I was even more freaked out, if that was even possible. I shuddered involuntarily, looked at her a moment, then turned and tore through that damn cramped hallway as fast as I could.

****

After David left, the volva sighed and sat back down. “What to do, what to do,” she muttered. Wisps of black smoke swirled out of the wall, coalescing into an immense female figure. Its body was lithe, muscular, with naked jet-black skin protected by silver armor, a winged helmet on its head. Its eyes were fiery red and immense leathery wings folded behind its back, rattling against the bric-a-brac on the wall.

“Well?” it asked.

The old woman pressed her fingers against her head, as though fighting a migraine. Finally she spoke.

“This complicates things. He appears to truly not know Him, but he is little more than a fly in his web. He has touched him. His aura hangs heavily on him. And if this boy has come here, He might dare as well.”

There was a long pause.

“Grevinnan Borbjorgur,” the creature finally spoke. “The boy?”

The volva sighed again.

“Kill him.”

The winged figure bowed and was gone.

///

ABOUT THE WRITER:

Randy Astle is a filmmaker and writer in New York City. He likes all kinds of movies and transmedia, from kids' TV to interactive documentaries. @randyastle

A/N

Short and sweet note guys, cause I'm going to LA AGAIN!!!! CRAZY SCHTUFF! 

Who all here is in LA and going to VIDCON??? I'll be there!! I'll be sure to post some pic's to my tumblr. If you do go, I'm the almost 6 foot tall girl with green/red hair wearing looking a bit like a demonic bunny wabbit.

And it seems things are on the upswing!!! We are now getting 5000 reads every few days, and are just over 330,000 reads in total. CRAZY STUFF!!! I remember when Tom and I got so excited after reaching 100 reads!!! We love all our fans but particularly those who have supported us from the beginning and held on during this crazy journey as well as those who comment and fan!! YOU GUYS ARE THE BESTEST!!!!

C

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All Your Fates © 2012 Carrie Cutforth-Young, Jim Martin and Tom Liljeholm. All Rights Reserved.