Enemies Eternal: The Road to Ragnarök, #2

By Rochelle Wilcox

Awaking alone in a strange hotel room, her memories of the last six weeks only vague images of places and people she has never seen and does not know, Lia longs for her old life. But that life is gone. As she learns who to fear and who to trust, Lia is forced to again flee Los Angeles and seek refuge with Freyr, Freyja and Will on the other side of the earth. There, the gods who have drawn Lia into the world of myth fight the undead and even part the sea in their resolve to protect Lia from family members who choose violence to keep the secret of their family's existence. As Freyr and Freyja begin to see signs that Ragnarök approaches, Lia learns that she may be the key to the gods' success — or failure — in that final battle, even as she struggles with the knowledge that Freyr's love for her, like her life, can be only a moment in time for a man who has lived since time began.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rochelle Wilcox
• Release date: Jun 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798986027326

Book preview

Dedication

This book is for my mom Carol, and for my grandparents (who I hope see this from heaven), Steve and Lucille. I was blessed with their love and support as a child and I wouldn't be who I am today without it. Thank you for giving me the foundation I needed to build a life I love.

Contents

Dedication

Prologue

Home, Again

The Return

Work

A Familiar Voice

Escape

The Lost Time

Found, Again

Sleeping with Lions

The Decision

Seattle

Pointe Noire

The Meaning of Mercy

Promise

Fear

The Return

Together, Again

Lions, Again

The Chase

Jörmungandr

A Knock at Death’s Door

Questions, and Some Answers

Human, Again

Home Away from Home

Closer and Closer

A Gift

A Glimpse of What Shall Come

A Birthday with Friends

A Voice from the Past

Gone

Defeat

About the Author:

Prologue

In a few seconds, Will was guiding Lia into one of the first-class seats that stood a few feet from the plane’s door. Frannie was there already, a gentle smile on her face. She helped Lia lay her seat down, buckled her in and tucked a blanket around her. Lia snuggled into the spacious, soft seat, warm and content, and closed her eyes to drop into the sleep her body demanded.

And then a voice drifted towards her. A voice that comforted her for reasons that she didn’t understand and didn’t have the strength to question. A voice that she had missed, without even knowing that she missed it. A voice that filled her with love. That made her feel loved.

Is she okay? the voice asked, his tone husky.

She’s just tired, Will answered in his light tone.

I still can’t believe she’s here, so close. The stranger spoke quietly, almost reluctantly. Lia couldn’t tell if he was sad or happy.

Lia wanted to open her eyes to see the face that belonged to that voice. She couldn’t. Almost like a blanket rested on top of her, preventing even the smallest movement, her eyelids felt locked in place. Lia pondered her restraint for a moment, bemused and confused, before the thought slipped out of her mind, replaced by the words Frannie and the stranger spoke quietly over her.

It took some work to convince her to come with us, Frannie said with a laugh. But she realized we’ll keep her safe, that she needs us.

I missed her, more than I could have imagined. The voice vibrated with a deep emotion, launching a kaleidoscope of butterflies in Lia’s stomach.

I know, Frannie responded, her own voice sad. But it didn’t have to be this way. You chose this.

It’s better for her, he said quietly, his voice firm, as though he was trying to convince himself. She didn’t need to be drawn into the middle of our fight.

Chapter 1

Home, Again

At first the knocking was light, almost imperceptible. It seemed as if a vast wall, thick and sturdy, stood barrier between the bed and the door far, far away. It registered at the back of Lia’s mind, which tried in vain to attribute it to a dream. And so it didn’t immediately pull Lia from the deep abyss in which her mind had been lost for more hours than should have been possible.

Instead, the dream shifted to include the knocking in its strange story as her subconscious mind struggled to assert itself. A visitor came to the magical castle that trapped Lia behind its heavy doors. A man more handsome than she had ever known, more wonderful than she could have imagined, had come to her rescue. And he was polite enough to knock on the door before coming in! Lia raced to open the door, only to find it still locked. Of course, it was locked, she thought with a grimace. He hadn’t come for her. He didn’t want her. He was just being nice.

Hello, is anyone in there? The voice came from a tremendous distance, a whisper in a storm. In a bemused daze, Lia wondered how she could possibly hear it.

The knocking continued, louder now. It broke down even more of the barrier that stood guard between Lia and the rest of the world. Her mind struggled to understand what could be so important.

Leave me alone, she said under her breath, barely audible, even to her.

More knocking pulled her even further to the consciousness she resisted with all the strength she could muster.

Hello, Dr. Leng, are you there?

Leave me alone, she said, a little more loudly. She wondered why she couldn’t find the strength to yell at the strange voice. She just wanted it to go away. The blankets around her, soft and warm, tried to lull her back into the sleep her body craved.

Please, Dr. Leng, are you there? Lia didn’t recognize her tormentor. She couldn’t understand why a stranger was so determined to ruin her morning. She tried to raise her voice.

Please, please leave me alone. That was better, she told herself with satisfaction. The strange voice should leave now.

More knocking, louder still.

Go away, she croaked out.

Dr. Leng! Are you okay? Someone called the front desk and asked us to check on you.

Front desk? That didn’t make any sense at all. Why would she be someplace with a front desk? The voice was confused. But she knew that already. Lia’s body ached to return to the sleep that had held her in its gentle embrace just a few minutes ago.

I’m fine. I just need to rest, Lia said as loudly as she could. Please, just leave me alone.

Okay, Dr. Leng. Call if you need anything.

Lia stretched and rolled, surprised to find her limbs sore, as though she had laid in the same position, unmoving, for days. Snuggling under the covers, still not ready to open her eyes, she tried to go back to sleep. It should have been easy.

But something nagged at her, keeping her from the rest her body demanded. Why had she fallen asleep at a hotel? Why wasn’t she in her own bed?

It didn’t matter, she tried to tell herself. She would figure it out when she woke up. For now, she just needed more sleep.

Her stubborn mind wouldn’t be stilled. She couldn’t remember checking into a hotel. Where was she? Lia stopped fighting the pesky question and let herself think about it. Trying to pull up the last thing she remembered, she realized that it was much more difficult than it should have been. A blank tablet, devoid of any relevant information beyond the overwhelming desire to sleep, her mind could only pull up a quiet song.

Lia focused on the song for a minute, wondering where she had heard it. It seemed to come from a time long ago, buried in antiquity. Gentle, rhythmic, the subtle tune haunted her thoughts, threatening to draw her back into the sleep that had been taken from her. She couldn’t imagine where she had heard it or why it would be the only thing her mind could grasp.

Determined now to stay awake and figure out why she slept in a hotel, Lia pushed back against the song. But it resisted, eager to sing its ancient melody, perhaps to lull her back to the numbing slumber that she had just escaped. Fighting it even more, Lia groped in the recesses of her mind, searching for anything to take its place.

Slowly, painfully, something else rose in her mind.

Loss. Tremendous loss. Unimaginable loss. As though something immensely valuable—something for which she had searched all her life but never before found—had been just within her grasp, close enough to touch and hold forever, only to slip away. A gasp caught in her throat as she struggled to capture the thought, to understand what could have been so important. What would cause her such pain? She found nothing. She stood in a crevasse, empty and alone.

And then, to her surprise, the loss was replaced by a feeling of betrayal and unspeakable anger. She felt as if she had offered something beyond value, unique and precious, only to have it thrown back in her face. Unwanted. She didn’t know what she had offered, or to whom. Her thoughts bounced around the nothingness that even now dominated her mind, hoping to capture the source of her intense feelings. She found no answers. Just more emptiness, a bottomless cliff.

Finally, she found what seemed to be a memory but couldn’t have been. The plains of Africa appeared before her, wide and open. The flowing grass stretched out for miles, interrupted at a vast distance by a herd of giraffes, small in her eyes despite their tremendous size.

Lia had never been to Africa, she reminded herself. She didn’t remember even having watched a movie about that continent on the other side of the world. Like the unknown song, Africa seemed to have appeared in her memories of its own volition. And yet it seemed so real. A desire to visit Africa—to make these images a part of her life—washed over her.

Lia snapped her eyes open, anxious to escape the strange place her mind seemed determined to take her. Hoping to drive away the final remnants of fatigue she sat up, ignoring the pain her sudden movement triggered. A typical hotel room surrounded her, the decorator couch and every lamp and picture oozing homogenized luxury. Gold and blue dominated, different patterns mixed together in pleasing designs. The room held the large bed underneath her, a living room and a dining area. A generous bathroom stood next to her, large enough to hold a dozen people.

Turning to gaze around, Lia smiled to herself as she realized that it also had a coffee pot. Another sensation now dominated her thoughts. Hunger. She felt like she hadn’t eaten for days, almost as if the weakness that engulfed her would stop her from ever leaving this room. Coffee would help, if she could just find the strength to make a cup. With slow determination, she stretched her long legs to sit on the edge of the bed. Wow. She shouldn’t be so stiff. What in the world could have made her feel this way?

Gradually rising to her full height, she held onto the side of the bed for a few seconds to stabilize herself before attempting the long journey across the room to the coffee pot. When she finally felt ready to try, she let go of the bed and stood up on her own, wobbly but in no apparent danger of toppling over. Taking a small step, then another, she finally crossed the space between herself and the coffee pot to grasp the table.

This won’t work, she thought with a grimace. She needed food, not just coffee. She wouldn’t have the energy to leave this room if she didn’t get something to eat first. Looking around, her eyes found the simple binder that typically held a room service menu. Another journey, this one not quite as difficult as the first, brought it within her grasp.

So far, so good.

Collapsing on the couch, Lia opened the binder and found the room service menu. To her relief, the telephone sat on a nearby table. Pulling it toward her, she pressed the button for Speaker and then Room Service.

Good morning Dr. Leng. What can I get for you this morning?

Is it morning?

An amused voice answered her. Yes, ma’am, it’s 9:30 in the morning. Is everything okay?

Yes, it’s fine. I’m just a little mixed up. Can I get a fruit bowl, scrambled eggs with hash browns, sausage and wheat toast, some pancakes, and a triple latte?

You can. Is that to room 1217?

I guess so. Is that what your computer shows?

It is.

Okay, then to room 1217, Lia agreed.

Yes ma’am, we’ll send that up right away.

I’m really hungry. Can you rush it?

We’ll do our best.

Great, thank you.

Lia hung up the phone and sunk deeper into the couch, exhausted and weak. She couldn’t believe how much energy that had taken. What had happened to her? What was she doing here? Forcing her mind to exert some of the little energy she had available, she started to think back.

She knew her identity—Ailia Leng—so she didn’t have amnesia. She was an emergency department physician at the Los Angeles Central Hospital. She remembered that. What else did she remember? Vague memories of patients emerged from the emptiness of her mind, filling the vast spaces. It felt good to capture these reminders of her life.

As she visited the restroom—another journey more difficult than it should have been—she worked her way through the many pictures erupting in her thoughts, finally finding her last memory, of walking toward a lawyer’s office to talk about creating a will. A heavy rain fell all around her and she walked as fast as she could, hoping to get inside quickly.

After that she could find only a blank slate. Try as she might, Lia couldn’t remember what had happened at the lawyer’s office or how she had ended up in this strange room. Frustration settled in her stomach, an unacceptable substitute for the food she needed.

A knock interrupted her thoughts. Rising carefully, she tottered toward the door and opened it to admit the heaping plate of food, inhaling with a greedy intensity. The familiar scent of sausage and hash browns filled the air, triggering Lia’s taste buds as her brain focused on the heady smells. Signing quickly and sending the stranger away, Lia settled into the nearest chair to eat.

It felt as if she had gone weeks without the simple pleasure of a hearty breakfast. She had never tasted anything so good. Using the remnants of her toast to capture the crumbs left on her plate—fighting the urge to pick it up and actually lick it—she finished, satisfied at last. She leaned back in her chair to rest.

Lia glanced at the bed, wondering if she needed to sleep more before she would have the energy to leave. She wanted to rest, forget for a little longer the questions that haunted her. Her mind would not be still, though. Lia needed to figure out why she found herself alone in a strange hotel room with no memory of how she got there.

Lia pushed herself up and walked slowly to the window, her strength increasing with each step as her body began to absorb the food she had just gulped down. Reaching the curtains, she pulled one aside to gaze out. With pleasant surprise, she realized that her room overlooked the ocean, its deep blue water stretching out in front of her endlessly. The soft waves lapped against the brown sand, both glistening in the bright morning sun.

Glancing up, Lia saw a small band of seagulls hovering on the wind, perhaps enjoying the freedom that their wings brought them. She wondered what it would be like to sprout wings and soar high above the ground, just for the pleasure of feeling the wind on her skin. For a moment, she felt as if she really could fly if she tried. As if the world wasn’t nearly as limited as she had been taught as a child. Shaking her head, she kicked the wayward thought out before it could take root. She had no time for fantasies right now.

Looking down at herself, Lia realized that she didn’t recognize the pajamas she wore. Where were her jeans and blouse? Where was the raincoat she had worn to protect herself from the onslaught of rain that was the last thing she remembered? Wandering around the room, now with growing strength, Lia realized that her clothes hung clean and dry in the closet. In the bathroom, she found everything she would need to shower and get ready to go. She even found her purse and all of her credit cards. It held hundreds of dollars, more than she normally carried, but nothing seemed to be missing.

Suddenly, Lia was ready to leave, to find out if anything had changed while she was gone. She showered as quickly as she could—resisting the urge to luxuriate in the hot water—threw on her clothes, tossed everything in a small suitcase she didn’t recognize, and stepped into the hall.

Much as she expected, the lobby exuded subtle extravagance. Lia considered leaving but realized that she needed information more than she needed to escape. Stopping to smile at the girl at the front desk, she told her that she was there to check out of room 1217.

All right, let me check your balance, please. After a few seconds a look of surprise crossed her face and she said, almost to herself, I haven’t seen this before.

What? Lia asked, grateful that she had decided to stop.

Your room is prepaid for another week. The instructions are to refund the balance to you in cash. We owe you about $3,500. I’ll need to step into the back to get it.

Before you go, does it show when I checked in?

You’ve been here nearly a week. You checked in last Sunday.

Lia tried to hide her surprise at the clerk’s words, apparently not successfully.

Are you okay, Dr. Leng?

And what is today? Lia asked in a whisper.

Today is Saturday.

The date? Lia pushed, a tremor in her voice. What is the date?

The clerk’s nervous laugh betrayed her discomfort at the odd question. It’s May 15th, Dr. Leng.

Gasping sharply and trying to calm herself, Lia demanded, Are you sure it’s May 15th? Is it possible you’re wrong?

No, ma’am, I’m quite sure. May 15th, all day. The clerk smiled, perhaps hoping to calm the wild look that certainly had formed in Lia’s deep sable eyes.

It didn’t work. Lia’s mind groped in the dark abyss, struggling to discover where she had lost two months. It should have been March. Early March. And then Lia realized that she had no reason to assume that she only lost two months. Maybe it was fourteen, or twenty-six.

Steeling herself for anything the clerk might tell her, Lia forced herself to ask, 2012?

Yes, the clerk responded with a nod, apparently relieved to discover that her strange guest knew the year.

Lia’s mind reeled in the odd mixture of relief and bewilderment that grew out of the possibility that more than nine weeks of her life was just gone. She took a deep breath to prepare herself for the next answer.

Are we in Los Angeles? She almost shrunk away from the possibility that she had somehow ended up in a completely different city.

Close, Newport Beach. The perky clerk’s face now displayed her confusion that Lia didn’t know the city in which she’d stayed for the last week. Can I help you with anything, maybe call someone for you? she asked, her tone solicitous.

Lia tried to hide her own confusion. Clamping her lips shut so she didn’t confirm the clerk’s likely opinion that she may not be sane enough to leave the hotel alone, Lia forced herself to speak.

No, thank you. That’s all I need to know.

Shall I go get your money now, Dr. Leng?

That would be great.

Watching the clerk walk away, Lia breathed a sigh of relief to be alone again. At least she was close to home and could take a cab to get back to familiar territory. She wondered briefly where she should go and knew almost immediately that she had to go to work. Los Angeles held nothing else for her. She lived to work. Although she had friends, most of them worked with her. The hospital offered her the best chance for getting answers to her questions. She could only hope that nothing had changed in the time she’d forgotten.

Lia didn’t waste any time leaving the hotel. The clerk gave her the refund, a small stack of hundred-dollar bills, and thanked her for staying with them. Walking as quickly as she could, Lia hailed one of the cabs that stood waiting at the curb and plopped down in the back seat. She had only been awake a couple of hours and already she was exhausted. It would be a long day.

Chapter 2

The Return

Lia’s mind raced with the speed of the passing freeway. The sun continued its march toward its zenith, hanging high and to the side of them to throw its hot rays on her right arm and shoulder. Enjoying its warmth, almost marveling at the sensation of feeling the sun on her skin—as though she had been hidden from it for weeks—Lia watched the scenery zipping past them change from the beach community that surrounded her hotel to the rough city around her hospital.

She struggled to keep her mind from returning to the odd feelings and thoughts that had confronted her when she woke up. Instead she focused on exploring her memories, hoping to discover what she had lost. She let the scientist in her take over, suppressing her emotions as she examined the facts and considered possible explanations. But her mind couldn’t grasp anything that might explain why she woke up in a strange hotel wearing pajamas she didn’t recognize, two months after the rainstorm that was the last thing she remembered.

The heavy traffic that was inevitable in LA slowed them to a near stop at times. Her frustration rose, pushing away the objectivity of the scientist as fear and anger took its place.

By the time they reached the hospital Lia’s need to see somebody she recognized had reached a crescendo. Throwing a few bills at the driver, she jumped out and raced toward the hospital door. She had seen the hospital so many times before, she barely noticed the palm trees that tried without success to add style to the plain, crude grounds, or the wide swath of yellowing grass lying between the hospital and the nearby street. Slowing a bit to let the door open in front of her, she jogged toward the desk. A harried receptionist looked up, perhaps expecting another impatient demand for attention.

Her mouth dropped open and her eyes grew wide, as if she had seen a ghost. Gasping softly, she asked, Dr. Leng?

Relief so palpable she almost could taste it washed over her. They knew her! She wasn’t crazy! Well, at least not about this.

Hi Andrea, she said quietly.

Dr. Leng! Andrea seemed incapable of uttering anything else.

Lia felt the same. She wanted to say something to reassure the stunned woman, but could find no words of comfort. Lia was the one who needed to be comforted.

Lia? This question came from behind her, the deep voice throbbing with emotion. Lia heard in that voice a mixture of hope that someone he had believed lost to him had returned, and fear that his foolish imagination was playing a trick on him.

She turned to find a face that used to thrill her. Now, she wondered how she could ever have found him so attractive. The dark eyes that before had seemed sultry now looked empty. The sandy blonde hair that rose in waves above his rugged face was haphazard and neglected. Something had eclipsed him. Lia had no idea what could have shifted him so easily out of her life.

Hoping to hide the inexplicable change in her feelings, maybe even from herself, Lia let herself be drawn into his arms, burying her face in his shoulder.

Jonathan, she said in a soft voice. I can’t believe you’re here.

He hugged her fiercely before grabbing her shoulders to hold her away from him and peer into her eyes.

We didn’t think we would see you again. Is it really you?

It is, she whispered, feeling almost like a stranger in her own life.

Where have you been? he demanded, his voice shifting quickly from relief to the brisk tone he used at the hospital. Others started to gather around, their faces a mix of joy and confusion.

I don’t know, she responded, turning back to Jonathan with a frown. Her mind still struggled to grasp the fact that she had been gone for so long. I woke up this morning in a hotel. They said I had been there for six days, but that makes no sense. And I don’t remember anything that’s happened since early March. The hotel clerk said it’s the middle of May. Is that right?

It is, Lia, Jonathan told her. It’s May 15th, and you’ve been missing since March. You just disappeared. The police, even a private detective, have been searching. But nobody knew where to look. We thought you were dead. He pulled her to him again, holding her as if she would disappear without his embrace.

She let him hug her for a few seconds before pulling away. A need to walk around, to reinforce the feeling that she had come home again, overcame her. Maybe it would help her get rid of the uneasiness that had been nagging her since she walked in the door—the sense that she belonged someplace else. The giraffes rose in her mind again and she shook her head impatiently.

Where’s Dr. Miller? she asked, spinning around. She headed in the direction of Rebecca’s office, anxious to find her boss and best friend. Rebecca would talk Lia down from the cliff she seemed to be stuck on.

Wait, Lia, Jonathan demanded as he reached for her hand. You’re saying you’ve lost two months of your life. Do you remember anything at all? Do you know what happened to you?

I don’t. I’ve been trying to figure it out since I woke up and I just don’t know. Lia couldn’t keep the frustration out of her voice. The last thing I remember is walking to a lawyer’s office in the rain. After that, it’s all blank until I woke up at the hotel this morning.

He looked at her closely for a few seconds. Have you gone to the police?

No, I’m not going to the police. I’m home and I’m fine. I just… Lia glanced around, suddenly desperate to get away from him. She took a deep breath, hoping to calm herself as the weight of forgetting everything that had happened for nine weeks grew heavier in her mind. Now she wished she had just gone home, tried to process everything privately before seeing other people. Jonathan, I just need to think. It’ll come back to me. It has to.

Or maybe not. We’ve all seen permanent amnesia. His tone shifted again into the peremptory command that usually worked for him. You need to talk to the police, let them know you’re okay, see if they can figure out what happened to you.

A different voice interrupted her response.

Lia? Is that you?

Lia turned to find her boss, Dr. Rebecca Miller, smiling at her, a look of wonder in her pretty face.

Hello Becca.

And then Becca’s arms were around her, holding her as if she would never let go.

I can’t believe you’re here! she exclaimed, a catch in her voice. We thought you were dead!

Not dead. Just gone. Lia didn’t know what to say, and so she just let Rebecca’s hug calm some of the anxiety and fear. Becca’s presence brought a calmness that Lia needed more than she’d realized. She had been wound tight since she woke up that morning.

Where have you been?

Lia leaned back to look at her. She would probably hear this question about 100 times before the day was done.

I don’t know. I woke up in a hotel in Newport Beach this morning. I can’t remember anything since early March. I feel completely lost.

Does your family know? They’ve been so worried. I think I talked to your mom ten times a day when you first disappeared. They even hired an investigator to try and find you. Nothing!

I haven’t talked to anyone. What would I have said? She turned to glance at the people gathered around them. I didn’t know where to go so I came here. This is the only home I have in LA, Lia said, smiling a bit as her eyes began to water. She brushed her hands across them, embarrassed by the emotion she didn’t want anyone to see, before looking again at her best friend. Rebecca’s presence always had this effect on her. Even in the midst of the most frantic ER, Rebecca kept everyone around her calm. This is where I come when I need answers.

Lia, Jonathan said in the quiet voice he used with stubborn patients, we need to call the police. They need to come talk to you, see if they can help you remember something, figure out what happened.

Ugh, you’re right, Lia said, looking at Jonathan and then back at Rebecca. Something happened to me. Maybe the police can help me figure out what.

The next couple of hours caused Lia more pain than she felt ready to endure. A detective from the LAPD appeared at the hospital within an hour. She and Lia took over Rebecca’s office as the detective tried without success to draw some memory from Lia’s uncooperative mind. When Rebecca interrupted them, barely thirty minutes after they’d begun, Lia was exhausted. She didn’t