Book 6 - Interlude: Kres (I)
Odin’Astrid’Smiðja.
She’d always been an odd one, Kres mused, even for a Smiðja. Eccentric, often running her beak and tail at anything that fascinated her, and one of the few Odin who didn’t feel intimidated to speak directly to the Icon of Stars.
That is to say, Kres had caught her sneaking to the bridge of the ship when the Gungnir weren’t watching. He’d never have befriended or even met her otherwise.
She’d even learned the ancient human tongue as well. Admittedly, out of sheer spite when Kres had told her she didn’t have the attention span needed to learn the difficult words in the first place.
“Hop faster.” She shot back at him, wide awake when she should be sleeping, and now making it Kres’s problem. “The Icon wanted me to bring you as soon as I was done with my project, and I’m too excited to wait any longer.”
Kres followed behind, taking measured hops through the dense city passage. At this hour, only the night shifters were out in the city proper, the rest of the city sleeping away. And they certainly didn’t care if a Smiðja and Vindr were running amok somewhere.
The moment they were outside the hull of the ship, he was back in his domain and even her enthusiasm wouldn’t let her fly faster than he could. “You were saying?” He asked, making slow lazy circles around her as she squawked with each wing beat to go faster.
She didn’t answer, every breath focused on being sent straight to her wings, but the little glare she shot him wasn’t missed.
The familiar airlock near the top of the ship opened up as soon as the pair dropped by, flashing green and sliding into the walls. They flew into the more sacred areas of the ship, fully free from any prying eyes. And soon they were at the very heart of the Icon, within the seat of all knowledge.