I knew asking Bjorn to get me a weapon was past the kid’s abilities. So, I needed to get the attention of somebody with more access to Surtur’s palace.

 

Somebody who might even care enough about their king to try and save him. I personally thought it was too late, but…

 

It was about the realm.

 

It was about me being completely crazy and not wanting anyone else hurt. Well, anyone who didn’t ask for it. There were quite a few people around I’d enjoy beating up. I was even a bit irritated with Thruor for doing it for me, even though her motives and decisions made sense.

 

I was also starting to get…worried…about how she was deferring to me. After all, it wasn’t like I outranked her – far from it.

 

Was she giving me enough rope to hang myself?

 

More likely she thought somebody younger and less set in her ways might have useful ideas. She might be right. I certainly wasn’t listening to anyone else at this point.

 

Well, listening yes. Following the orders of, no. Because I could see everything heading down the road to disaster and bluntly, we had to try something different, something crazy, if any of this was going to come out in the wash.

 

Maybe even something that set aside all tradition.

 

Trickster’s daughter, I thought wryly. Of course I wasn’t going to do the expected. Unless, of course, that was what was unexpected.

 

So, how did I find fire giants? It was fall now, starting to drop towards temperatures as cold as this city ever saw. I wondered if they would even be here.

 

If they were, then they were probably looking for booze, and I couldn’t exactly check all the bars. Should have asked Thruor to do that.

 

I could ask Bruce, but he wasn’t the type to go wandering around bars and clubs. Which was why I was wandering through Georgetown as late as I thought I could get away with. The noise from various doors was inviting, but I didn’t want to get carded, so I stayed in the street, watching.

 

A short, sharp scream drew my attention. Most everyone else was ignoring it, but I turned, and moved into an alleyway.

 

There was a guy trying to get a struggling woman into a car. Either he was an out of uniform cop making an arrest or…

 

…well, I wasn’t about to let him get away. If he was a cop, he could produce a badge. “What’s going on here?”

 

He turned, which allowed the girl to squirm free and start running, teetering on high heels. She wasn’t much, if any, older than Kanesha.

 

“I was going to give the little whore what she deserves. I suppose I’ll settle for you.”

 

And the idiot charged me. Definitely not a cop. He had a knife…it was out of his hands in moments and I had him in a half nelson a moment later. “Nice try.”

 

“Bitch!”

 

Now I rather did wish a cop would show up. Without one, I would have to let him go, although at least his would be victim was now fairly clear of the area.

 

“Don’t insult dogs,” I told him, wryly, not letting him go until she had had a good head start.

 

He just stared at me. “Why protect the likes of her?”

 

“You were going to cut her up.”

 

He did not deny it.