another way."
"There
isn't. The only other way is I kiss you and you die."
"So
maybe..."
"No,
Jess. I'm not doing that."
Chapter Six
The night
blended into a dark and rainy morning. We dressed and ate the last of the MREs in Jesse ’ s
pack. I boiled some water over a small fire in the grate to make coffee.
Jess was
quiet and thoughtful, mirroring my own mood.
The
carriage house was located just a few hundred yards from the courtyard door.
Inside were two vehicles, a 1957 Volkswagen bug and a 1986 Mercedes. I chose
the Mercedes, and we were soon winding our way through the mountains, along the Deutsche Alpenstrasse , the German Alpine
Road, heading for Austria.
"It's
really beautiful here."
"Yes.
It's prettier when the sun is out. In winter, the sunshine striking the snow makes
the mountains luminous. ”
Crossing
the border into Austria, the picturesque valleys and red-tiled roofs gave way
to billboards and dilapidated housing. Where southern Germany was all grass
covered hillsides and flowing waterfalls, Austria was bustling city streets,
crowded avenues, and inexpensive living.
"It's
like crossing the Brooklyn Bridge."
"Is
it? I wouldn't know."
"You've
never been?"
"Has
there been a battle in Brooklyn?"
"Not
that I know of," Jess said, laughing. "So you've only been to
battlefields? What about the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls? Los
Angeles or Miami?"
I shook my
head. "I was at Antietam. Yorktown."
"Ever
been to Texas?"
"Is
that where you're from?"
"Houston."
"Ah.
No, I've never been to Texas. I think Gustel was
there once. Mexican war."
We drove
the rest of the way in silence. Jess watched the rolling hills and endless
fields of hops roll by, that little muscle in his jaw twitching, lost in thought. It wasn ’ t long before we were edging through the crowded streets of
Salzburg.
"There
it is," I said, pointing to Hohensalzburg Castle.
One of the largest medieval castles in all of Europe, Hohensalzburg Castle loomed over the city of Salzburg like a temple. It sits atop the Festungsberg mountain , a sprawling
white fortress made of ever-enduring limestone. Its walls and turrets rose up
as if the mountain itself had generated the fortress as an adornment.
I followed
the street signs to the parking garage. When we passed into the mountain, Jess
shifted in his seat. "We're driving into a mountain?"
"Yes. There
aren ’ t a lot of places to build parking lots in the mountains. ”
"When
are we going to see this witch?"
"Now. We're here."
"We're
in a parking garage, Sabrina."
"She
lives under the mountain."
"This
is going to be kind of amazing, isn't it?"
I smiled,
despite my own churning stomach. I couldn't help but smile. He was unlike any
mortal I'd ever met. Were all the men from his generation so open minded and
fearless? If so, I hadn't seen it. I wondered how much my own unhappiness and
boredom with my duties had blinded me to this fresh generation of warriors.
"A
parking garage inside a mountain? I've never even heard of such a thing before."
"It's
unique." I found a parking space and pulled in. My heart was beating a
faster rhythm than its usual clock ticking regularity. I was nervous about facing Skuld .
The garage
was packed with cars, but I didn't see any other mortals. The gray walls seemed
to press in around me. We followed the painted fire-engine red lines that
marked out a walking path to the nearest elevator.
I pushed
the down button and waited.
"So
this witch lives under the mountain. It doesn't seem like much of a hiding
place if you can just take the elevator."
"I'm
not sure she is hiding. People usually hide from Skuld , not the other way around."
"Oh. Right."
We took the
elevator down to the bottom level. The doors opened onto an expanse of
stainless steel.
I pulled my
necklace out from underneath my shirt.
I held up
the symbol for the Wings of the Valkyrie, closed my eyes and muttered the charm
under my breath. I felt the metal wings heat in my
"There
isn't. The only other way is I kiss you and you die."
"So
maybe..."
"No,
Jess. I'm not doing that."
Chapter Six
The night
blended into a dark and rainy morning. We dressed and ate the last of the MREs in Jesse ’ s
pack. I boiled some water over a small fire in the grate to make coffee.
Jess was
quiet and thoughtful, mirroring my own mood.
The
carriage house was located just a few hundred yards from the courtyard door.
Inside were two vehicles, a 1957 Volkswagen bug and a 1986 Mercedes. I chose
the Mercedes, and we were soon winding our way through the mountains, along the Deutsche Alpenstrasse , the German Alpine
Road, heading for Austria.
"It's
really beautiful here."
"Yes.
It's prettier when the sun is out. In winter, the sunshine striking the snow makes
the mountains luminous. ”
Crossing
the border into Austria, the picturesque valleys and red-tiled roofs gave way
to billboards and dilapidated housing. Where southern Germany was all grass
covered hillsides and flowing waterfalls, Austria was bustling city streets,
crowded avenues, and inexpensive living.
"It's
like crossing the Brooklyn Bridge."
"Is
it? I wouldn't know."
"You've
never been?"
"Has
there been a battle in Brooklyn?"
"Not
that I know of," Jess said, laughing. "So you've only been to
battlefields? What about the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls? Los
Angeles or Miami?"
I shook my
head. "I was at Antietam. Yorktown."
"Ever
been to Texas?"
"Is
that where you're from?"
"Houston."
"Ah.
No, I've never been to Texas. I think Gustel was
there once. Mexican war."
We drove
the rest of the way in silence. Jess watched the rolling hills and endless
fields of hops roll by, that little muscle in his jaw twitching, lost in thought. It wasn ’ t long before we were edging through the crowded streets of
Salzburg.
"There
it is," I said, pointing to Hohensalzburg Castle.
One of the largest medieval castles in all of Europe, Hohensalzburg Castle loomed over the city of Salzburg like a temple. It sits atop the Festungsberg mountain , a sprawling
white fortress made of ever-enduring limestone. Its walls and turrets rose up
as if the mountain itself had generated the fortress as an adornment.
I followed
the street signs to the parking garage. When we passed into the mountain, Jess
shifted in his seat. "We're driving into a mountain?"
"Yes. There
aren ’ t a lot of places to build parking lots in the mountains. ”
"When
are we going to see this witch?"
"Now. We're here."
"We're
in a parking garage, Sabrina."
"She
lives under the mountain."
"This
is going to be kind of amazing, isn't it?"
I smiled,
despite my own churning stomach. I couldn't help but smile. He was unlike any
mortal I'd ever met. Were all the men from his generation so open minded and
fearless? If so, I hadn't seen it. I wondered how much my own unhappiness and
boredom with my duties had blinded me to this fresh generation of warriors.
"A
parking garage inside a mountain? I've never even heard of such a thing before."
"It's
unique." I found a parking space and pulled in. My heart was beating a
faster rhythm than its usual clock ticking regularity. I was nervous about facing Skuld .
The garage
was packed with cars, but I didn't see any other mortals. The gray walls seemed
to press in around me. We followed the painted fire-engine red lines that
marked out a walking path to the nearest elevator.
I pushed
the down button and waited.
"So
this witch lives under the mountain. It doesn't seem like much of a hiding
place if you can just take the elevator."
"I'm
not sure she is hiding. People usually hide from Skuld , not the other way around."
"Oh. Right."
We took the
elevator down to the bottom level. The doors opened onto an expanse of
stainless steel.
I pulled my
necklace out from underneath my shirt.
I held up
the symbol for the Wings of the Valkyrie, closed my eyes and muttered the charm
under my breath. I felt the metal wings heat in my
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