War and Famine: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Revelations Book 2) Read online

  The woman sat up with a start, nearly splashing herself with tea. As it stood, most of the contents of her cup wound up on the white table cloth in front of her, but she didn’t seem to notice. She hobbled forward, dragging along a leg of gnarled tissue which sort of made Amy wonder why she was wearing such a short skirt. The thought made her cheeks flush. Who was she to tell this lady how to dress just because her leg was hideously deformed? If she wanted to flaunt it, more power to her.

  “How did you get that?” the woman asked in a voice that actually made birds sing in the tree branches around her, filling the small space with birdsong. When Amy didn’t immediately respond, she pointed at the knife clutched in Amy’s hands.

  “This?” Amy replied, holding up the blade. Emerald light licked along its surface which was an altogether new thing. It’d flared red or purple before, but never green. Only this wasn’t any green. This was the same green that had colored Mjolnir when Malcom had wielded the hammer. Why was his coloring on the knife? Was it just coincidence?

  “Yes. Where did you get my knife?” the woman asked, flopping down next to her on the hard gray stone ground. “It’s been lost to me a long, long time.” She finger combed her long hair. “Back when I was young and beautiful.”

  “Your knife?” Amy said before shaking her head and letting out a slow breath. If the woman had looked any more beautiful, Amy might have seriously revisited her current views on her own sexuality. “I took it from the god Vali after he tried to kill me.”

  “Vali should not have had my knife. I wonder how he got it?” the woman remarked, suddenly thoughtful. “Well, that doesn’t matter. You should not have it either. It is not a thing that belongs in your world.” Her lips squished into a pout. “It should never have been made, but I was young and foolish. I was in love and that love led me to bind myself to another’s blade, to lend him my power to fight his battles.”

  “What do you mean? Vali said it belonged to someone else who wore the mantle of war, like me.” As the words left her lips, the woman’s face went as cold as ice.

  “That is true. The man of whom I speak was the last Bellum. He was never supposed to let it go, but then he went and got himself killed being all noble. It was meant to intensify your mantle, so I suppose it falling into your hands was inevitable.” The woman held out her hand. “May I see it please? I promise to return it.”

  Amy wasn’t sure why, but she believed the woman would return the knife to her. Besides, she had no idea where she was. Maybe this woman could help her return home? Then again, maybe she could explain Vidar’s cryptic final words about bringing back death.

  “Okay,” Amy said, holding the weapon out to the strange, blood-haired woman.

  Instead of taking the knife, she ran one fingertip along the flat of its blade. The runes etched into it glowed with green light, raging to life like someone had hooked it to a 1.21 gigawatt power source. The woman’s eyes went distant and far off as she stared at the blazing weapon, a curious smile upon her lips. After what felt like forever, she finally pulled her hand away and looked over at Amy, a plastic smile on her lips.

  “How can I help you, Bellum?” she asked before gesturing at her table. “I don’t have much to offer you, really. I can get some more tea, but I’ve long since run out of pastries.”

  “You could start by telling me who you are, and what I’m doing here?” Amy replied, glancing from the woman to the stuffed guests at the table and back again.

  “Oh, those are easy questions.” The woman pushed herself to her feet remarkably easy for someone who had only one good leg and began shuffling back toward her chair. “Come have a seat and I’ll explain everything.”

  Instead of replying, Amy merely nodded and took her place at the table. An empty porcelain cup sat on the table in front of her. She was almost thankful it was unfilled since there was no way in hell she was drinking anything in this weird place. She had a sneaking suspicion she’d wind up being fine, but then again, she also had no way of knowing if the other two “guests” had been living people. Maybe they’d been transformed into stuffed animals upon accepting the woman’s hospitality.

  “Now, to answer your questions,” the woman said, tapping her chin with one delicate finger. “Firstly, I am Hel, queen of Hel, the home of the restless dead. It is a place for those who have left their business unfinished to rest their heads until the time is right for them to return.” She smiled comfortingly as Amy’s heart dropped into her toes. Was she dead? “Don’t worry, my dear girl. You are not dead. You only came here because you possess my knife. It hijacked your trip through the nine worlds and brought you here.”

  “So I’m just here because of coincidence?” Amy replied, eyes falling upon the knife in her hand. If what Hel said was true, there was no reason she couldn’t leave right now. Still, something nagged at her, tugging at the back of her brain. Why had Ian run away when he saw the weapon? If it was just a knife meant to help focus her mantle, why would he care? It wasn’t like she had been about to harm him.

  “Well, sort of. I think the real reason you’re here is for this.” Hel held out her hand, and upon her palm sat an emerald the size of a robin’s egg. “This is your friend Malcom’s soul. Evidently, even though he died a warrior’s death, he came to me. He must have left something unfinished. If someone was to take it back to his body, and oh I don’t know, use my magical knife to reattach it, well, I’ll leave the last bit in suspense, but I’m sure you can figure it out.”

  “Are you saying what I think you’re saying? Are you really saying Malcom can be brought back?” Amy asked, trying to decide whether she even wanted to do that. Malcom had been her friend, sure, but he’d also been a wild card. If he came back, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t snap and kill them all.

  “Perhaps,” Hel said, her lips twisting into a sly grin as she slid the gemstone across the table. “Perhaps.”

  Thank you for reading War and Famine. If you wouldn't mind, please leave a review. I have also included a glossary of terms on the next page.

  If you are curious about Sabastin's daughter, you can find out about her in Hardboiled.

  You may also want to check out my other series. The first book, May Contain Spies, is currently free on Amazon.

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  Visit my blog at JACipriano.com for all the latest updates.

  GLOSSARY

  I’ve decided to include a glossary of certain terms found within this book. This list, more or less, falls into line with the actual mythology although I made some of them up, some are twisted to fit my story, and others are from my other books.

  Atropos – One of the three Greek Fates. She is known as the cutter, deciding when a person must die. She inhabits one of Sabastin’s computers.

  Balder – A Norse god. He is killed due to Loki’s trickery.

  Bellum – The Latin word for War. This is what the Horseman of War is called throughout the book.

  Blue Prince – A god of space and time from The Lillim Callina Chronicles. He currently lives within the body of Caleb Oznek and is the counterpart to Morgan, The Red Queen.

  Brokkr – A dwarven smith. He created Mjolnir and many other objects.

  Caleb – A member of the Dioscuri. He wields the sword Incinerator and is host to a being known as the Blue Prince.

  Clotho – One of the three Greek Fates. She is known as the spinner, determining how a person will be born. She inhabits one of Sabastin’s computers.

  Cyclops – A monster from Greek mythology with one eye.

  Dioscuri – A group of supernatural warriors from The Lillim Callina Chronicles. Their job is to fight monsters and keep the world safe for humans.

  Fames – The Latin word for Famine. This is what the Horseman of Famine is called throughout the book.

  Fenris – A giant wolf who will break free of his bonds at Ragnarok
and kill Odin before being killed by Vidar. He is the first of Loki’s monstrous children.

  Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse – Four beings who will signal the coming of the apocalypse from the book of revelations.

  Gleipnir – A magical rope created to bind the Fenris wolf until Ragnarok.

  Gungnir – A magical spear wielded by Odin. It is said to never miss its target. It was crafted by dwarven smiths.

  Haijiku – A Japanese word meaning “Being defeated.” It is the name of the sword used by the Dioscuri in The Lillim Callina Chronicles.

  Hades – The Greek god of the underworld.

  Hel – The third of Loki’s monstrous children. She presides over the realm of Hel which is home to the restless dead.

  Incinerator – The sword used by Caleb. It is powered by the Giant Surt.

  Jormungand – A Norse monster known as the world serpent. He is the middle of Loki’s three monstrous children. During Ragnarok he and Thor will kill each other.

  Jotunheim – The land of the frost giants in Norse mythology.

  Loki – A trickster god from Norse mythology. He is technically not a god, but is instead a giant. He is the father of Fenris, Jormungand, and Hel. He will fight on the side of the giants during Ragnarok. He was sealed away following the death of Balder. He is also the blood brother of Odin.

  Lachesis – One of the three Greek Fates. She is known as the allotter, and decides how a person’s life will unfold.

  Lillim – The main character from The Lillim Callina Chronicles. She is the daughter of Sabastin.

  Mantle – An important role passed from one person to another.

  Mjolnir – The magical hammer wielded by the Norse god Thor. It was crafted by the dwarven smith Brokkr.

  Morgan – A god from The Lillim Callina Chronicles. She is the Red Queen and is the counterpart to the Blue Prince.

  Mors – The Latin word for Death. This is what the Horseman of Death is called throughout the book.

  Muspelheim – The land of the fire giants in Norse mythology.

  Odin – The king of the Norse gods. He is the god of wisdom and will be killed during Ragnarok by the Fenris wolf.

  Polyphemus – A cyclops from Greek mythology. He fought Odysseus on an island when the Greek hero was lost at sea.

  Ragnarok – The Norse version of the apocalypse. During this time the world is reduced to ash and many gods, giants, and monsters are killed. Afterward, the world is reborn.

  Sabastin – The former leader of the Dioscuri and father of Lillim Callina from The Lillim Callina Chronicles.

  Sleipnir – An eight-legged horse that is ridden by Odin in Norse mythology. It was birthed by Loki.

  Surt – A fire giant who will consume the world in flames during Ragnarok. He will also kill the god Freyr. This is the spirit that inhabits Caleb’s weapon, Incinerator.

  Thor – The Norse god of Thunder and lightning. He wields the magic hammer Mjolnir.

  Vali – A Norse god of Vengeance. Thought to be either the son of Loki or the son of Odin.

  Vidar – The Norse god of Vengeance. He is the son of Odin and kills the Fenris wolf during Ragnarok to avenge his father’s death.

  Victoria – The Latin word for Victory. This is what the Horseman of Conquest is called throughout the book.

  Yggdrasil – The world tree. Its branches extend into each of the nine Norse worlds.

  Zef – A god of death called the Black Prince from The Lillim Callina Chronicles. He is the counterpart to Rhapsody.

  Table of Contents

  Kim 02:01

  Ian 02:01

  Amy 02:01

  Caden 02:01

  Kim 02:02

  Kim 02:03

  Ian 02:02

  Caden 02:02

  Kim 02:04

  Amy 02:02

  Ian 02:03

  Kim 02:05

  Caden 02:03

  Amy 02:03

  Kim 02:06

  Caden 02:04

  Amy 02:04

  Ian 02:04

  Kim 02:07

  Caden 02:05

  Amy 02:05

  Ian 02:05

  Kim 02:08

  Amy 02:06

  GLOSSARY