After signing my name on the dotted line, darkness over took me and a burning desire to just breathe hit me. I gasped in a breath and began to sit up û and hit my head before I could even get a quarter of the way up. I rolled to the side and instantly came against a wall. No head room. No room to roll. And that air was
seeming awfully sparse.
Oh. Shit.
I was in my coffin.
I fought down my panic, forcing myself to breath sparsely. DonÆt get me wrong, IÆm not claustrophobic or anything û not after living in my (now burned down) apartment- but thereÆs something about lying in your grave, six freaking feet under that tends to set off your instincts natural panic button. I tried to calm myself and think of my options. As always, my mind provided its usual solution: fire.
No, Harry, that wonÆt work. In a space as small as this IÆd fry myself before I blasted to the surface. Earth magic then, which I really wasnÆt all that proficient with in the first place. Now I had to use it without my blasting rod, staff, or even more than a couple inches of wiggle room.
ôOk, Harry,ö I muttered ôyou can do this.ö
I gathered in a moderate amount of energy and focused upward, doing my best to keep the magic smooth.
ôGeodas, geodasàDispertiusö I heard a rumble and the sound of loose soil scattering around the side of the coffin.
ôAlrightàthat shouldÆve at least loosened things upàletÆs add a bit more juice now.ö
I drew in a heckuva lot more power. Coffins are heavy things, and IÆm not exactly weightless myself. It was gonna take a bit of power to propel myself over six feet through the air and onto solid ground. With any luck, IÆd break my coffin in the process. I took in a deep breath; I didnÆt have the option of holding back, it was either bust out of here, or die again.
ôVentas Servitas!ö At first I wasnÆt quite sure that anything had happened at all. Then I found myself pressed against the top of the box, instead of the bottom.
ôOh, crap.ö With a massive thud, I hit the ground on my side, all my breath forced from my lungs. A glimmer of light seeped in and I realized that the coffin had splintered. Oh thank God, they had used wood. I drew back my leg and as hard as I could kicked at the crack. The force put my foot entirely through, surprisingly.
Right. Enhances physical strength. Part of the whole Einherjar deal.
As I squirmed my way out, I had to fight the strong sense to groan out
æBraaaaains.Æ
ôBraaaaaaaaainsàö At times, I lack self control.
Sufficiently amused with myself, I got up and brushed the dirt off of my burial clothes. It was a suit, in case you were wondering, and it was damned nice. In fact, I only knew one person that could afford one of this quality. John Marcone had evidently paid for my funeral garb. I was nearly surprised, until I remembered that this was very much like him. Half the city believed I was working for the crime lord. Paying his respects would only cement the idea that he had been in control.
I took a look at the city lights from Graceland and narrowed my eyes.
Harry Dresden was back from the dead, and someone was going to pay.
But first, I was at least a few days late for a date.
-----------------------------------
I approached MurphyÆs small house warily. I had veil up, not knowing if she was being watched. Seeing as how I was dead, I was pretty sure she wasnÆt, but it never hurt to be careful. A few people had called me paranoid. Lately, I wasnÆt bothering to correct them. I went around to the back and knocked on the door. Her bedroom light flickered on and I heard the sounds of someone moving through the house and toward the door. She opened it slightly and squinted into the darkness.
ôKarrin, ItÆs me-ô Before I could even finish indentifying myself, she struck. She kicked the door open, sending it careening into my face and before I could even recover she pistol whipped me in the face. She dropped me to the ground, twisting my arm at an awkward angle and I knew the barrel of her gun was pointed directly at the back of my head. I idly noted that my veil went down.
ôYou motherfucker!ö She screamed. Karrin was screaming, and I was understandably terrified, although a part of me objectively noted: What the hell else was I expecting from Karrin Murphy?
She wasnÆt done, not by a long shot. She kicked me onto my back, putting her boot down on my neck, a crunch away from crushing my wind pipe.
ôWho are you!? Who killed Harry!? Answer me you son of a bitch!ö The hammer of her gun clicked back in anticipation.
ôKarrin,öI croaked out, ôItÆs me, I swear.ö
She kicked me hard in the ribs with an incomprehensible scream of rage.
I tried again. ôYou remember when we met? I was a Ragged Angel, the word was that a little girl had been kidnapped, and I was the one that had her. You didnÆt bust me, remember?ö
ôYou shut the fuck up!ö Her voice cracked, and I heard anguish heavily coloring that rage. IÆm glad I didnÆt have the Sight on, because IÆm sure if I had seen my best friend as she truly was at that moment, my heart wouldÆve broke.
I did the only thing I knew to do at that moment to confirm to her I was who I said.
Me and Karrin had never soul gazed. If you didnÆt know, a soul gaze is initiated when a practitioner of sufficient power meets someoneÆs eyes for anything more than a quick glance. For most people, continued eye contact is merely uncomfortable. For a wizard, itÆs look into some oneÆs soul. They say eyes are the windows to the soul; itÆs not just a saying people.
We locked eyes, and hers widened as she realized what was happening. She tried to pull away, but it was already too late. Every wizard goes through a soul gaze a little differently. My friend Ramierez says that he hears them, like music. Others are more vague and esoteric still. I tend to see someone as they are, and what they could become.
Murph was hanging on by a thread, and it broke my heart to see it. The Chicago PD had forced her into early retirement and that left a bruise on KarrinÆs very being. She was a proud, strong woman. One that took her commitment to the people of Chicago very seriously. Hell, she had once stared down a giant Billy Goat Gruff into submission over her oath. But that wasnÆt what had her so broken down. Karrin knew she was losing her job, but she was proud that she had lost it doing the right thing. No, something else had scarred Murph far more deeply and I knew what.
My death.
She had always reacted strongly when my life was on the line. She had given me a couple good bye kisses in those scenarios before. She had been bracing herself for loss. This time thoughàI was stolen from her at a time when she least expected it. It was supposed to be a time of recovery. Hell, we were supposed to go on a date and make love that night. Instead she came back to the Water Beetle and saw my body floating in Lake Michigan.
I turned from Murphy Present and stared at what she Could Be. To my utter surprise, there was only one path in front of her at the moment. Fidelacchius blazed in the little blondeÆs hands, her gold hair blazing brightly with the reflection of the holy swordÆs blinding light. She was an angel of death, and she was avenging the hell out of me.
In an instant we were pulled away from each otherÆs souls. I looked up at my best friend. Her blue eyes were wide, and steadily filling with tears. She dropped to her knees and draped her body over mine and I found myself in a bone crushing embrace.
ôOh, God, HarryàItÆs really you.ö She sobbed. ôWe lost you Harry. Dear God we lost you. I came back to the boat and you were there floating in the lakeàthere was blood all around you Harry. We buried you!ö
I shushÆed her gently, running my hand through her hair. I sat up, and brought her into my arms, picking her up to her feet easily. I wouldnÆt carry her, her pride didnÆt need any more blows. I found my body surprisingly unhurt, despite the beating my friend had just unleashed on it. ôLetÆs get inside, Murph. We can talk there.ö
She sniffled and nodded, trying her damndest to compose herself. We got inside and she shut and locked the door. The two of us walked to her living room in silence, and she turned on a lamp. She turned to me and gave me another crushing hug. She let go and looked up at me, seemingly composed for now.
She only spoke one word. ôHow?ö
ôYou remember the guy with the spear in Chichen Inez. Kicked major ass, used lightning as a method of transportation?ö
She nodded.
ôThat was Odin, Lord of the Aesir, The All-Father. How caught up are you on Norse mythology?ö
She shrugged. ôThor, Odin, Loki, Valkyries. Horses with more legs than necessary.ö
I snorted. ôOk. LetÆs go from Valkyries. You remember what they were supposed to do?ö
She shook her head in the negative, so I continued my explanation. ôTheyÆre tasked with the responsibility of choosing the souls of dead warriors, to prepare them for Ragnarok. AKA, the end of the world. Or at least as far as Norse Mythology was concerned. Anyway, these dead warrior souls were called Einherjar.ö
She nodded her head, putting the pieces together like I knew she would.
ôMarconeÆs security agent, Gard. SheÆs a Valkyrie. She came to me when I died, offered me a deal.ö
Her eye brows scrunched up. ôSo, youÆre working for Odin now. What about Ma-ô
ôDonÆt say her name!ö I interrupted her. ôWhen I died, my deal with the Winter Queen expired. That doesnÆt mean IÆm in any hurry to see her again, though.ö
ôWhatÆs this deal with Od-ô
I interrupted her again, and I caught her eyes flicker with annoyance. ôCall him Donnar, or Vadderung. Saying his name any more could summon him. I donÆt expect heÆd cause any harm, but that doesnÆt mean heÆd be happy about it either. Sorry.ö
ôWhatÆs your deal with Vadderung, then?ö
I shrugged. ôFrom what I can tell, IÆm supposed to just keep on where I left offàI just have to keep my eyes out for certain things now. Out with the Red Court, in with the Vanir. Oh, I have to look for sleeping Aesir and be ready to kick ass at Ragnarok if it breaks out too, I guess.ö
ôSleeping Aesir? How does that work?ö She asked.
ôBeats the hell out of me. WasnÆt really explained. Guess IÆll know it when I see it.ö
She nodded, apparently accepting that explanation.
ôBut youÆre not going away againàright?ö I could hear a faint twinge of apprehension in her voice.
ôNot if I can damn well help it, Murph.ö
She breathed out a sigh of relief and gave me a genuine, beautiful smile. She opened a cabinet and pulled out a little box of mints, handing me one.
ôYour breath,ö she started ôis stale as shit.ö
I took the mint and chewed on it. After about the third crunch, Karrin lunged at me and pressed her lips to mine. I returned the favor, and before long the kiss deepened. We stumbled backward, lost in each other. She fumbled with her arm, and I heard the click of the lamp being turned off before we fell to her living room floor, never breaking contact.