DIVINE CHAMPIONS 5: THE FROSTY FATES

OFF TO THE NORNS

"Put it down!" Rick said, as he jumped along the table, at one place, once they were home, "Put it down!"

"Yeah alright, alright." Rishi said. Aitri patted Rick's back, but it seemed as if Rick had taken a doze of Maja's morning coffee and wasn't ever going to stop.

The disc that the wolves had given was metallic, which different designs of trees and vines made on it. It had a button in the center, which Rishi went ahead and pressed. And suddenly, the disc was covered by a green light, which took the shape of the Yggdrasil, with a black dot blinking on Midgard. It was a freaking hologram projector! "Woah!" Rick exclaimed, only to be repeated by Ishaan and Rishi.

"So, this is us, here." Meghna said, pointing at the black dot, "Now what?"

"Well, we need to go to Urdarbrunnr." Rishi said, "Which is down here." He pointed towards the roots of Yggdrasil. "Somewhere down there."

"At the bottom of the roots." Mikael added.

"You mean, under Hvergelmir? Nidhogg's well?" Rick asked, his jumps slowly coming down.

"Yes."

"Oh, man. This is bad. This is very bad." Rick's hands shot up to his temples.

"And the way to that area is?" Ishaan asked, as if asking for more bad news.

"The realm of the dead, and the most mysterious and unpredictable goddess in the pantheon." Rishi said.

"Nice." Ishaan sighed, "No pressure, I guess."

"But it still isn't giving us the exact location." Meghna said, "So, you get to Hvergelmir. What after that?"

"Yeah, I think this thing works more than this." Aitri said, taking the projector from Rishi. She brought it close to her mouth, and said, "Urdarbrunnr."

The black dot stopped blinking, and its position changed soon. Now, it showed a place under the roots, even under Hvergelmir. "That is where you need to go." Meghna said, "Under Hvergelmir."

"Through Helheim, then?" Ishaan asked.

"I'm afraid so." Rishi said.

"Hey!" Aitri shouted at them all, "None of us signed up for easy. We knew from yesterday that this wasn't going to be easy at all. Come on, guys, we can do this."

"Yep." Rishi said, as he stood up, "We leave at first light tomorrow. We can do this, we've been through enough to be ready. For our families, for our friends, for our world, for ourselves, we must face it all."

"And face it we will." Rick added, his hands getting stiff.

"Yeah, come on guys, take rest for the night, for we have a long day to start tomorrow."

Next morning had a weird feeling once Mikael was woken up. He looked at the clock. Eight o'clock. He freshened up, and came out to pick up the little back pack he had packed last night. As soon as he entered the hall, someone held a cup in front of his face, "Coffee, Sir?" That someone was the newly appointed Valkyrie, Meghna. 

"Please." Mikael took it and started drinking, when he realized how strong it was. Mikael, unlike traditional Swedes, hated his coffee strong. He liked a bit of milk on it. With one sip, his neck burned. "What is this?" He asked Meghna, "Gorgon blood?"

"The amount of time you mention the Greeks, I am surprised that you were chosen by Ullr and not Chione." Meghna answered, "Anyway, its something your sister made to get you going."

"Yeah, I'm ready anyway. Where is everyone?"

"Oh not yet. I'm here to take you two for breakfast in Rishi's house. Then, I've planned my schedule with Maja for bonding, while you five take off."

Having a proper Indian breakfast at Rishi's home was an amazing experience. Mikael was thankful to Rishi's parents for doing this. If this was his last earthly experience, it was quite a good one; the lazy Sunday breakfast.

Rishi's mother was a very good cook. When he had entered the house with Meghna and Maja, she had given them a welcoming smile. Rishi's apartment was surely not as big as Rick's mansion, but it was a cozy, cute home. There was comfort in here, and they all seemed to feel it. Rishi's father seemed a bit more sincere, and was surely an experienced man. He struck conversations very easily. He asked the Nyqvists about their country, and also about their heritage. Mikael was still very surprised how they were so okay with everything. When Maja had asked about the same thing, Rishi's mother had replied, "We saw him in action once. We realized that if there is a danger, he can get out of it."

On the table was a mild spicy whitish potato preparation, along with Luchi, some kind of round unleavened bread. Mikael saw Rishi gobble at least seven of those breads up, while Aitri, Meghna and Rick only managed five. Ishaan beat Rishi's score with eight. Mikael didn't count Rishi's parents' score, while he only ate four. So did Maja, to which Rishi said, "You two disgust me."

"Its fried food." Maja said.

"Ah!" Ishaan said, "You Europeans and your health consciousness. Appalling."

"I can't eat anymore anyway." Mikael replied. He had actually eaten the potato thing a lot more. He was full.

"Oh no no, its not done." Rishi's mother said as she got up, "A Bengali breakfast is never done without a sweet."

"Yeah!!!!" Rishi, Aitri, Rick, Meghna and Ishaan cheered, in unison. Rishi's father chimed in, "That's what I'm talking about." 

Rishi's mother opened the refrigerator, and took out a red box, and put a very weird looking pink sweet on everyone's plate. The shape was so weird that it looked like someone without head or hands flexed his shoulders. Mikael had eaten many Indian desserts, but never ever had he had a Bengali sweet before. "This looks weird." Maja said, "What is it?"

"It is the Jolbhora Taalshash." Rick said, "Jolbhora means 'filled with water'. But its actually filled with jaggery."

"It's a seasonal sweet, only available when jaggery is available, which is the winters." Aitri said. Ishaan had picked his up, and was looking at it funny. He asked, "Its a big one. I've never seen one this big in Assam."

"Eat it, Ishy." Rishi's father said, "See if you like this one."

"No question, Uncle. Its the authentic one." Mikael still found it weird that how all of them addressed Rishi's parents as Uncle and Aunty, because, Indian traditions, respect to elders is foremost.

The Taalshash melted in Mikael's mouth. And the liquid jaggery tasted amazing. The whole thing filled Mikael's mouth so much that he forgot that he was about to go on a life-threatening mission about any time now. Maja finished hers and said to Meghna, "I'm eating more of these today."

"You got it." Meghna replied.

And thus so, they were ready to go. All of them got hugs from Rishi's parents, after Rishi and Aitri had taken off for Aitri's house for a while. Both sets of parents came down in the parking lot which seemed deserted. Then, Rick opened the portal, while saying, "Off to Helheim, then." The portal opened, and the icy morbid world showed up, as if they were looking out a window. "Five years and still, I gasp at these supernatural stuff." Aitri's mother said.

"Aunty, even we gasp at these supernatural stuff. I gasp at my own powers at times." Rishi replied. They all waved at the elders, Maja and Meghna, and one by one, jumped in. Mikael hugged Maja tight, who said, "Don't be late." Mikael nodded, and jumped in.