By the time Billy got out of the shower, Stephanie and Alley had managed to put some of their clothes in the dressers in the hotel room, and slip the suitcases under the beds - it gave the rooms a nicer look and saved a bit of space.   A second room off their suite was made up for Billy - Steph had tossed his kit bag and weapons inside.  

 

“We should go out to dinner.”  Alley said.  “With Billy.”

 

“Huh.  What brought that on?  We eat with Billy all the time.”  Stephanie asked.

 

“I dunno - we work with him, and don’t know much about him.  He doesn’t know much about us.   It might be fun to learn about who were risking out lives with, don’t you think?”

 

“I suppose – we’re learning more about each other every day.  I’m not sure a special fact-finding dinner is needed, Hon - but if you want to, why don’t we turn it into a social event as well as celebration if we survive my Trial?”  Stephanie suggested.

 

“Sounds good - if we survive well probably want to celebrate.”

 

Billy emerged from the shower, and slipped into his room to dress - and a few moments later, he knocked on their door.  “You wanted to see me, boss?”  He said.

 

“Yeah - but we need everyone here.  Hey Sprites!”  Alley called.  

 

The sprites immediately replied “Yes Mistress!” and began to fly over, eager to see how they could help her.

 

“Well it’s like this,” Stephanie said.  “We encountered a magical person or creature on the train and wanted to know if we screwed up with her or not - it was kind of weird.”

 

Thorn smiled.  “It can’t be too bad Miss Stephanie - you and mistress Alley are still alive!”

 

“I suppose.” Steph said, smiling.  “We were approached by a Japanese woman named Hariko Kuna who chatted for a while.  We talked and she started asking all sorts of questions - she was really interested in us.   Anyway, I got up to go to the bathroom - and while I was gone, she mind-controlled Alley into telling her she used to Andrew, we were scions, and we were here to hunt monsters.”

 

“That sounds ominous.”  Said Billy.  “She had enough magical power to charm Alley... Not good.”

 

“Oh - it gets better.”  Alley said.  “She showed up as drastically more powerful than either Stephanie or I when I looked at her - it was like some weird morality sense that clicked in.  It said she wasn’t evil - but would do anything to survive.  It also showed us she was very smart - what the heck was that?”

 

Rose smiled.  “You’re showing signs of learning to channel Enech, mistress.  Enech is a powerful force the Tuatha de Danann learned to channel in their fight against the titans a long time ago.  It deals with Geas’ and duties and the inner self - but it can be a powerful offensive and defensive tool.”

 

The other sprites started to study Alley intently.  Stump finally spoke.  ‘I think she’s manifested plant abilities too, Rose.   She might have Earth and Water too - which are really useful.”

 

“Is that good?”  Stephanie asked.

 

“Yeah!”  Thistle said.  “She’ll be able, with some training, to breath water and be buried alive with no harm to her - and eventually even more powerful and cool things.  She should be able to talk to plants or grow plants right now - not sure which talent she picked up.”   Thistle shyly turned away.  “Don’t worry mistress - we can teach you anything you don’t know, when you’re ready to learn it.”

 

Billy pondered the description of Hariko and her actions and made a hand-wave to get everyone’s attention.   “I think this might not be a bad thing.   She was magical - but she might not have been an enemy.  Lots of magical creatures don’t take sides in the war against the titans - maybe she was one of them.  If she was, she had a good reason to run like hell - Scions often kill monsters - especially the newbies who don’t always realize that sometimes you don’t need to harm them to get some good done.  The ones that don’t pick sides, stay neutral – they’re okay.   The ones that pick the other side or prey upon humans are often have to be dealt with.”

 

“And just because they have a lot of raw power, doesn’t mean they’re any good in a battle - they might have a powerful spell or something, but be weak as a normal human in a fight with people like you - and as we’ve said, normal people won’t fare well against you guys when you’re both accepted.”  Rose said.  “By the way, Miss Stephanie, were rooting for you in your trial.”

 

Stephanie smiled.  “Thanks guys.  I appreciate that.”

 

“So did we screw up?  We searched the train for her when we got back - but she was gone.”  Alley asked.

 

Billy spoke next.  “I don’t think so, Alley - looking for her with all the people on the train was relatively safe - and you did need to check out whether she was a bad seed or not - but the fact that she disappeared so easily makes me think she’s a spellcaster - like an illusionist - or some sort of shapeshifter.”

 

“...which takes lots of magical skill, but not much combat ability.”  Thorn finished.  “I think she was scared - if it really was a she.  She probably figures she poked a hornet’s nest and ran so she wouldn’t get stung.”

 

“So were probably good?”  Alley asked.

 

“Yeah.”  Billy said - and it was obvious the sprites agreed.  “I’d ask her about it if you ever meet her again - but she might not be - no, probably isn’t - one of the bad guys.”

 

Stephanie and Alley breathed a sigh of relief.  

 

“So when do we check out that cave?”  Stephanie asked.  “Do we need more training time?”

 

“We don’t.”  Billy said.  “Alley does - maybe a day in the care of her sprites.  I’ve got some plans for us to do, during that time.”

 

“Such as?”  Stephanie asked. 

 

“Preparations for a major battle include having the right gear, preparing for the worst - and having an escape plan if it all goes wrong.   You want to make sure you’ve got all three - or you’ll put yourself into needless danger.   We need to scout out where this stone house and cave are located, and see if there are any safety considerations well need to talk about... Like ropes to climb or lights to see in the cave with.”  Billy took a breath.  “We might also want to steal or rent a car to get us to safety or the hospital in case one or more of us gets seriously hurt.  We need a place to hide my weapons if we don’t want them to be found - and we need medical supplies on hand.”

 

“Wow.  How come we didn’t do much of that for Alley?”  Steph asked.

 

“Cause it wasn’t my op.  Billy said.  It was Thorns and the others.  They do things differently.”  He smirked a bit too.  “Plus I’d love to get a chance to talk you for a while - get to know my new student and all that.”

 

“We could talk now.”  Stephanie said.           

 

Billy looked a bit nonplussed.  “I’d rather talk in private, ma’am if that’s okay.”  He said.  “Some of it’s personal - some of its business and I don’t want my problems being public, if it’s alright with you.”

 

“Wha... Do you have a problem with me?”  Stephanie asked, looking worried. 

 

“No - just the opposite, ma’am - but I do have some things I’d like to discuss later.”

 

Stephanie nodded, and they tabled the rest of the discussion for now.

 

*              *              *

 

The next day, Stephanie found herself out in the wilds of Norway with Billy and a pair of rented binoculars, in a rented car.   Alley, as the sprites demanded of their mistress, had stayed behind to learn how to use some other supernatural powers - and also to find out which ones she had a tendency towards...  Thorn and Rose thought they could teach Alley enough in a day, which gave the others time to perform some basic reconnaissance.  

 

Billy spied the Stone house Sif had told them about from about a mile away.  It was a minor local landmark - and was an actual house done in the traditional Norse style, made of field stones stacked upon one another - which is probably why it still stood as opposed to falling to the test of time.  “I can see the cave from here.”  Billy said.  “There’s a steep incline to get to it from below - but it’s probably going to be harder to approach it from above if we try it that way... nothing to anchor a rope to, to support our weight.”   Billy handed the binoculars to Stephanie, and told her to look at the cave.  “Tell me what you see.”

 

Stephanie looked - and at first she saw nothing but a steep rocky slope with a narrow cleft into the side of a steep cliff - but as she watched, she began to see clues of more.   “Some of the rocks are discolored in a very odd way - like they were stained by heat or a chemical, and periodically there are long vertical gouges in the rock that look sort of like cat scratches - except whatever made them in the stone must have had only three toes.  It’s definitely used to be something’s lair from what you and the sprites have taught us so far.   Any idea what kind of creature it is, Billy?”

 

“If I had to guess, I’d say it was a Lindwurm - and before you ask, in case you ask, it’s a wingless dragon that walks or slithers, is about 30ft long, and weighs about 400 lbs.   Definitely a handful.  Really old ones sometimes grow wings and learn to fly.”

 

“Is it one of those?”  Stephanie asked, a little concerned.

 

“No - your mom wants you to prove you’re worthy, not set you up for a Total Party Kill.”  Billy said.  “It’s probably something more manageable.”

 

“Yeah, it’s that probably that gets me.”  Steph said, frowning.  “I suppose there’s always a chance its one of the old ones, right?”

 

“I prefer to plan for the worst and hope for the best.”  Billy said “But yeah, there’s always a chance...”

 

“So we approach from below, and climb up to the hill and cleft or cave, then deal with the critter.”  Steph sighed.  “Any ideas?”

 

“How about we don’t let this monster fucking kill me.”  Billy joked.  “Seriously though, people in the past used all sorts of strategies - from poison to phalanxes to a cow carcass with a giant iron hook inside it, to just being badass enough to kick the crap out of one in hand to hand combat.”

 

“Did any of them have your assault rifle?”  Steph asked with her best ‘Can I borrow it pretty please?’ eyes.

 

Billy laughed.  “Probably not.  And yes, you can borrow it - but I’d rather you use my axe.  I’m better with a gun than you are - and well need every edge to win - this thing is bound to be as strong as or tougher than Greyfang.”  Billy thought a moment.  “And actually shooting a firearm near a Norwegian landmark may be unwise if you want to remain un-arrested.”

 

“You take the fun out of monster hunting, Billy.  Fair fights suck.”  Stephanie said, mock pouting.  “I kind of expected that anyway – can’t have it too easy after all...”

 

“Yeah.”  Billy said.

 

“So about the stuff you wanted to talk about...?”  Stephanie let the question hang there, waiting for Billy to answer.

 

Billy sighed, and ran his hands through his hair.  “Yeah - about that.”  He said.  “It’s a bunch of things really - but I really do want to get to know you better too.”

 

Steph laughed.  “Well, get started then.  I’ve been dying of curiosity since you mentioned it yesterday.”

 

Billy nodded.  “First, I want to thank you for ordering me to talk to my dad.   I mislead you a bit - I wasn’t MIA, I was MIA presumed KIA - and we Einherjar aren’t supposed to contact our living loved ones... We’re dead, right - and the dead shouldn’t mix with the living, at least according to Hel.  Anyway, by asking you, and you ordering me I could have got you in a ton of trouble - and I’m sorry.  I’ll never forget my dad’s voice - how he sounded hearing my voice again...”  Billy had tears in his eyes, and his throat was hoarse.   “That was a gift I can never repay - and then to promise we could visit him... Again, I can never repay you, Stephanie.   If I wasn’t already bonded to you, I’d swear myself to your service for what you have done.  Thank you.”

 

Stephanie was so taken aback by Billy’s unexpected admission - or the revelation of exactly how much it meant to him - that she said nothing, and just listened, motioning Billy to continue.

 

“You see, his dad was a World War II vet, and he left for the war when my dad was young - fought in the US Marines in the Philippines.  He never came home - he was MIA too.  As I understand it, he was sent with a bunch of other men to take a remote Philippine island and just disappeared - vanished with his entire squad of 24 - and were never heard from again.  Ever since then my dad’s had a fear I’d go missing too - and when I did, it must have just killed him.   To lose his dad and his son, was too much - and to hear his happiness, and the life come back into him as we spoke made me feel like the best in the world.  It saved my dad - and in a way it saved me too.  Thanks.”  

 

Stephanie nodded, and wrapped Billy in a careful hug.  He felt strong and warm in her arms, and smelled a little like cologne - but at the moment also vulnerable.  He hugged back, and they sat there for a few moments, one consoling and the other being consoled.  It was a tender moment - where they shared a closeness that they had never felt with one another before.

 

So it was a bit of a surprise when he bent his head down and kissed her. He gently cupped her face in his hands, so that she was looking in his eyes, and kissed her gently on the lips.  He tasted sweet, and the bristles of his five-o-clock shadow tickled her lips as they brushed across hers.  It was thankful - but also sensual, and she could feel herself start to melt into his arms.  Just as he was starting to pull away, Stephanie surprised herself by grabbing Billy’s head hungrily and kissing him back.  Something had awakened within her - she couldn’t name it - and she just went with her gut feeling - and her gut was telling her to kiss Billy.

 

Billy went with it for a moment, then pulled back, surprised himself.  “Are...are you sure, Steph? What about you and Alley?  Is this what you want?”

 

Stephanie stopped - and the enormity of what she’d done hit her - her face went ashen. Oh god!  What have I done?   Steph asked herself.  How could I treat Alley like this?  I’m such an evil bitch.  “I...I can’t...Billy.” she said, tears coming to her eyes.  “I’m sorry.  I have to go.”

 

Stephanie unbuckled her seatbelt and left the vehicle, wrapping her coat around herself as she began walking back towards town, leaving Billy alone in the car, just as stricken as she was.   “Steph... I...”   Billy hung his head in shame.   “I’m sorry.”