Chapter 581 A Son In Snow

Chapter 581 A Son In Snow

Thrudd looked around at her shadowy surroundings with chills creeping down her back.

Traveling in darkness like this was frightening enough on it's own, but the demonic masks lying in wait around her only added to her anxiety.

At first, she believed them to be mere decorations as she could sense absolutely nothing from them, no breath, no aura, nothing.

But their eyes dispelled this notion.

They were almost soulless, but burning with an emotion she knew all too well.

Loyalty.

For their great leader and maker, Thrudd was almost certain that there was nothing they would not do.

And even if Sif told them not to, she knew that they would kill her if she moved about irrationally.

To calm herself, she finally thought up another topic she had previously been avoiding...

"Nord loves the master!"

"S-Shut up, Camazotz! Who told you to eavesdrop on my conversation, you little imp!?"

"Camazotz is a bat!"

"T-That's not even the... J-Just forget everything that you heard, and don't say a word to him or anyone! And that goes for you too, Zheng!"

The ninja with a golden mask made a 'mouth zipped closed' gesture.

"Besides, none of you are in a place to cast judgments on me! How many of you have had improper thoughts about Abaddon!?"

The inhabitants of the shadows who had been acting with stone-like patience suddenly looked anywhere but at Sif.

"That's what the hell I thought."

Thrudd couldn't believe what she was seeing, or what she had heard.

Her mother had actually fallen in love with their greatest adversary.

And it didn't seem like any run of the mill fleeting infatuation either; like the kinds that deities of sex and beauty were known to produce in droves.

It was as if her mother was genuinely in love.

For Thrudd, who had only seen her mother behave mildly warm at her most passionate, this was a very dramatic change.

It left her with more questions about the dragon god than answers, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on her mace.

"We're here."

Suddenly, the group stopped moving within the 'bubble' of the shadows, and they were stationed somewhere bleak and snowy.

Sif turned to her daughter and smiled reassuringly.

"Aright, this should only take a moment, daughter. Please don't be frightened here and know that no one is going to harm you." Sif said gently.

"D-Do not act as if I am afraid... Just do what you need to."

Sif smirked as she passed the small bat on her head to her daughter.

*Sniff, sniff* "Nord daughter's fear smells just like her mother's!"

"The hell is that supposed to mean!?"

-

Deep within a snow covered forest, a single man could be seen tracking through the ice.

At first glance, he appeared human, and was quite large for one.

Standing at 6'4 in height, he was built like a viking, with warm brown hair tied in a single braid, and a thick beard covering his face.

He was considered to be very handsome by most who saw him; a true testament to his looks as 'physically attractive' aren't the words one typically thinks of when they envision nordic gods.

Sif was horrified. "H-How could you-"

"CAW!"

With tears in her eyes, Sif looked up to see two crows circling overhead.

A storm of black feathers blew past her vision and from them a familiar old man appeared within the woods.

Draped in a black robe woven with golden symbols, he wore a cloak made from the feathers of numerous large black birds.

Apparently, resurrection had done the all-father well.

He looked healthier and younger than he had in centuries, with long black hair running down his back and a short beard with splashes of his former gray.

His staff that he normally carried that was actually gungnir in disguise was missing; replaced with a substitute he'd forced some dwarves to make on short notice.

The only thing that was unchanged was his missing eye that was covered in his usual golden eyepatch.

"Well... I am grateful I heeded the summoning. I should have known that you would not call me for something insignificant, Ullr."

"Hmph." Was all Ullr had to say in response.

This was to be expected.

Ullr and Odin famously disliked each other, hence the reason why Sif never thought for a second that her son would betray her to him.

However, she forgot what was possibly the most important aspect of her son's identity.

Ullr was also a god of Nordic justice.

And justice, like snow, is unfortunately sometimes cold and harsh.

"She claims to have been kidnaped by the Black Dragon... She came here seeking to take me to another location with her." Ullr moved beside Odin in front of a trembling Sif.

"Oh..? I wonder where that might be." Odin said calmly. "Perhaps you have a way to reach the lands of our enemy..? I'd appreciate if you would share the information with the rest of the class."

Sif kept backing away until she eventually ran into another hard surface.

Unexpectedly, she had backed right into Uriel, who had appeared silently without her knowledge.

Not just her, but Michael had shown up to this venue as well.

"Do not make this difficult, Sif. This will go best for you if you comply with everything that we ask of you. You needn't get hurt."

"Please listen, mother." Ullr urged."If you have truly done nothing wrong, then there need not be retribution. Forgiveness will be swift."

Sif all but scoffed out loud.

Only two kinds of fates awaited enemies of the norse; death or slavery.

And given Lillian's vision, she didn't have to guess which she would be in for.

They were saying that they wouldn't harm her now, but one look at Odin was all that Sif needed to remember that they weren't the ones with power in these lands.

Nevertheless, Sif atleast tried to profess her innocence.

"I implore you all to hear me.I have betrayed no one and sworn no oaths to Abaddon. My sole interest is in-"

*Rumble*

Sif's blood ran cold when she heard a very familiar sound come from overhead.

A bolt of blue lightning struck the ground behind Odin, and an auburn-haired jotunn emerged from it's sparks.

Thor's eyes were puffy and red, his body coursing with lightning, and the air around him stinking of alcohol.

"Ah... There is my bride. I believe we're long overdue for a chat, aren't we? Our home life could use some mending."

All of the deities in the clearing could hear Sif's heartbeat thudding out of control, but only a select few individuals could hear her thoughts.

'Zheng... When I give the signal, please come to my aid... and no matter what, do not let my daughter out.'