SWNOVELS Chapter 24
Are you brave enough to follow?
Chapter 24
“You aren’t Vargr,” I said as Farrin and Astrid followed Beta Caldar into the hall. It was meant to be a gentle joke but my voice came out tight with anxiety, betraying my facade at calm.
“No, I’m not,” Farrin agreed, giving me a wicked grin. “But I know how to fight Vargr, and I’m one of the few wolves Hati would trust you to be alone with, and I know exactly where he was headed. So sorry, but your stuck with a mere mortal, pup.”
I made a face. I too was just a mere mortal, wasn’t I? Hati was the immortal one.
It struck me like lightening then, the realisation that Hati didn’t age as I did. That he would potentially outlive me by centuries. There wasn’t enough time to allow myself to react as Astrid’s teeth clicked audibly together and she scowled up at her mate. “She would be stuck with me too if you’d stop being stubborn. Take me with you. Please. He’s my cousin.”
“Don’t be too hard on him. I need you here,” Calder insisted, placing a calming hand on her shoulder as a look was shared between him and Farrin.
Pleading blue eyes looked my way and I felt guilty as I lowered my gaze. Astrid had spoken on my behalf many times, and I understood she wished for me to do the same for her now, but I couldn’t. As much as she might wish to help search for her cousin, and keep an eye on me while staying with her mate, she couldn’t.
“He’s right. The pack will be in need of someone to keep the peace and keep eyes diverted.” I shifted on my feet as the weight of her disappointed settled on my shoulders, but Astrid wasn’t a silly wolf. She’d see we were right, if she didn’t know so already.
Her silence told me she did, or I suspected she’d put up a further fight. Instead she sighed and folded her arms, glancing at Hati’s empty chair as I’d been doing half the night.
“When you find my cousin, give the back of his head a whack for me.”
Pulling her into my arms, I pressed my cheek to her wind chilled one and promised, “I will. Then I’ll bring him back so you can do so too.”
She seemed please with that.
“Is it just us two then?” I asked, feeling a little disconcerted.
Caldar motioned towards the door. “No. The fastest of our scouts are waiting outside. Two are Vargr-“
“All but pups themselves,” Astrid muttered. “We didn’t think the council would appreciate taking the strongest away from the castle if there’s a chance something is happening.”
Disdain coated her tone, and I couldn’t blame her. While I wouldn’t be surprised if the castle came under attack while Hati was missing, the council didn’t seem to see the same dangers. I’d only just managed to convince them that Hati hadn’t gone for a midnight stroll. Unless he had. . .but no. As the hour got ever later, I grew more certain he wasn’t staying away of his own volition.
“We’ll run as one group to the South-East border and see what we can find. We may need to split up into pairs, which will give us three swift groups searching the forest. If he’s out there, we’ll find him in no time.” Caldar tipped his head, his gaze trying to catch mine but I knew if he did, he’d try and get me to give my word I’d come back before morning whether I found anything or not.
Pushing past Astrid to, I strode for the door with grim determination. “We’ve wasted enough time. I want to get going now.”
Nobody tried to stop me, but Caldar’s commanding voice followed my escape. “Farrin is in charge, Eabha. We’re breaking enough rules letting you go at all as it is!”
I snorted. When had I ever truly been afraid of breaking Hati’s rules?
“Don’t worry, Beta.” Pausing with the door swing open, I glanced back at him and gave him as innocent a smile as I could muster. “I’ll make sure you don’t get into too much trouble when our Alpha returns.”
Astrid laughed, a shirt strained smile, and even Farrin struggled to keep a straight face as he made to follow me. The Beta, however, was less amused than he’d been to begin with. He folded those treetrunk arms, muscle bunching to make the tattoos on the surface ripple across his skin. For a moment, I felt bad for jesting when there was a good chance he could get a scolding for allowing me to go; but on the other hand, his irritation and reluctance to let me go was more than that.
He was worried about me.
Caldar cared. As much he might struggle to show it, and others struggle to see it, he did.
I gave him a proper smile this time. “We’ll be fine.”
His expression remained unchanged, but his shoulders relaxed somewhat.
A gentle nudge to my back from Farrin and I braved stepping out into the cold dark night. Four wolves hovered by the gate, naked but unbothered by the chill. Heads bobbed in greeting, Farrin quickly introducing me to my new companions. The two skinshifters didn’t look much younger than my parents; two lithe females with earth brown eyes lined in khol, warm bronzed skin, and thick dark hair braided back. They smelled like mates, and moved around each other as if they were of one mind with fingers always finding the skin of the other. It made me smile. It also made my heart ache with the need to know someone so intimately.
The babyfaced Vargr on the other hand, couldn’t have gone beyond their teen years yet. I could still feel their power thrumming through their veins, and young they might have been but they looked strong. Both males blanched and spun around as I tugged off my dress to add it to the pile of clothes tucked inside the door of a small shed, and somehow I thought it had less to do with protecting my modesty and more to do with whatever they whispered about Hati when they thought I couldn’t hear.
While Farrin gave the scouts a quick rundown of the plan, I lifted my gaze to the heavens. Millions of stars shone in the dark night sky, glittering and twinkling as swaying branches took turns blocking some out and revealing them again as a moaning breeze swept around. Once my eyes focussed I could make out familiar constellations, and even a faint green glow that tried to peak over the mountains.
Were the Gods watching this?
Did Odin sit on his throne and see where Hati was? Could they he have offered a sign of where to look, some small guidance? Again and again, I pleaded for something, but my prayer either went unheard or simply unanswered.
I would find Hati myself then. That was fine. Gods be damned.
Snowflakes twirled around my legs, blown down from high up the mountain and trees to make it appears as if it was snowing. Fluttering wings overhead filled the air alongside the cries and calls of other nocturnal animals who’d noted our presence and sent out warnings that predators were near. Not that the animals of the forest needed to worry about us tonight, we were on an entirely different hunt.
I’d never been afraid of the dark, not even after hearing scary stories as a pup, or seeing for myself the strange creatures, shapes, and lights that appeared when one was alone. But standing now, knowing what might lie ahead, even the jutting frozen shrubs covering the forest floor seemed to morph and grow to become snarling creatures tucked low to the ground.
Peering into the twisted shadows of the night, I wondered when the last time I’d hunted for food was, and not stray pack members. I couldn’t remember.
A shiver went up my spine as I glanced back at the scouts, only to be met with a bare chest. I jumped, and Farrin gave me a sympathetic smile, even though I could tell he wanted to laugh. Neither of us felt at ease enough for such a sound though.
His eyes followed where mine had been watching. “Do you see something?”
I shook my head, finding myself leaning closer to him. His arm brushed against mine, an act of comfort I appreciated.
“Is it bad I want to find him hurt in a ditch?” I murmured, trying to keep my voice low so the others wouldn’t hear.
Farrin snorted. “I would rather we found him injured too, but I fear it’s too much of a coincidence with everything else that’s been going on this last year.”
Glancing up at him, I studied his pinched lips and furrowed brow as I tried to figure out what that meant.
“The return of the Blood Drinkers; the brazen way they test our borders, dare to kill within then even. Not to mentions your arrival with the gifts you possess.” He sighed, turning his gaze back to mine. “Something is coming, Eabha. Whatever you are, Eirny believes you’re important to the safety of the pack. Hati does too. Who else could go in search of a wayward Alpha, a son of Giants and Gods, with hope to succeed if not the she-wolf who communes with the dead?”
I allowed myself a small chuckle, at the same time feeling my stomach flip at the thought the pack would rely on me at all. Nothing I could do was of any use to anyone.
“Do you think it’s Skoll?” I asked, dread settling into my bones. “Do you think he has Hati?”
His adams apple bobbed as he swallowed, a muscle twitching in his jaw. He’d faced Blood Drinkers before, I knew that, but facing something like Skoll and those he kept in his company was something else entirely.
“It doesn’t if it is Skoll who has him. We don’t make contact remember? We scout, we see what we find, and we return back.” He looked down at me with a seriousness that might have made me quake before but my time here had made whatever had frightened me about the male before seem almost. . .gentle. “I don’t want to have to drag you back, Eabha. You’re quick, and you might have magic, but you won’t win against me as much as you’re considering if you will. How do you expect to take on Vargr, and Gods, demons, or Skoll himself?”
My teeth ground together, and in fur I might have snapped, but unfortunately he was right. Yet, in my last encounter with Hati’s twin, as terrifying as he was, I didn’t think he would hurt me. Not straight away at least; which gave me a chance. As for those with me. . .
Farrin sighed when instead of answering him, of promising not to do anything restless, I shifted to fur. Maybe he didn’t want to risk me running off on my own because he shifted to, giving my shoulder a warning nip that I shook off. Circling our small pack of wolves, I committed the strangers’ scents to memory as they did mine. It wasn’t a proper introduction. A gentle nudge of acknowledgement, quick licks to cheek to mark each other, and then in single file, we followed Farrin to the border.
Every now and again, a couple of us would break from the line to sweep our surroundings for any trace, but even the nocturnal wildlife had gone eerily quiet, perhaps sensing our presence and waiting in burrows and high branches for us to pass. It was tiring work dragging our legs through patches of deep snow where the spindly branched canopies above us didn’t protect the ground below.
Head low and tail straight, I strained to keep up with the long strides of the bigger males. It at least kept me warm; even the pads of my paws didn’t sting so much once my blood started pumping. I was impressed with the mated skinshifters managing to keep up too. Their unusual sandy coloured wolves ran close behind Farrin, their legs completely in sync as they tested their endurance.
Thankfully, we reached where Farrin had told Hati to go faster than I thought. Unfortunately, Hati wasn’t there. Not that we thought he would be after all this time. We fanned out and coordinated with glances and small rumbles, spreading out to scour the area. Hati’s scent barley lingered, and his pawprints were mostly hidden by a fresh layer of snow that nearly hid the scratched out marking of the border. Grey fur caught on brushes and branches warned prey and predators alike that this was our territory, but someone hadn’t gotten the message.
I swiped at a stray twig with my paw when no one could pick up a trail to follow, a growl of irritation issuing forth. Farrin wasn’t ready to give up yet though, urging the mated pair to split so each could go with one of the Vargr to further search. I loped over to wish them luck, nipping at their shoulders as Farrin had done to ask them to be careful. If one of them got hurt doing something I’d all but ordered, I would never forgive myself.
I watched them run off then doubled down again, desperate to find something that would lead us to Hati, or at least a clue. There was nothing to find of course, and Farrin rubbed his head on top of mine, using his body to turn me away so we could turn back Northwest and off the trail for one last attempt. I moved to follow, but a tingle up my spine made me freeze. My ears twitched but could pick up no sound, and yet I swore someone was watching me. Just like I felt in the hall earlier.
Motion caught my attention, but then a whine made me whip back round just in time to see Farrin’s tail tuck between his legs as he wavered on his paws before he crumbled as if all life was suddenly drained from him. Panic swelled. Darting over, I nuzzled his cheek, bit his ear, tried to get any response. Shifting to fur, I shook and grabbed at his fur, calling his name only to get no reply.
“He’s alright. He will wake up none the wiser once we are done.”
The unfamiliar voice was smooth and melodic, but it made me uneasy all the same. Turning slowly, I strained to make out the figure rustling closer. The dark shadow moving against the tall sentinels of the forest brought with it a ripple of energy that tugged at a spot on my chest; a sensation that alerted me to their ability to use magic. It was similar to the power I felt from the Vargr, but it held a sense of something other. Something more.
Moonlight bathed the stranger in a silver glow that rippled over his skin when he got close to the boundary line. The male was bare chested and unbothered by the chill; despite his slim build made more for agility than brawn. Shoulder length blond hair shimmered with a golden sheen around a delicate face, but dark eyes matched the twisted smile he wore as he studied Farrin on the ground.
My friend was still breathing, but that didn’t lessen my fear at all. What exactly had he done?
“Who are you?” I demanded, placing myself protectively in front of Farrin.
The new arrival was no skinshifter, that much I could sense, but nor did his aura feel like that of the Vargr either. There was definitely something wolfish about him though, his scent held the musky undertone all of us did, and his movements were just as smoothly predatory.
“I’m displeased you don’t see the family resemblance after spending so much time with them,” the stranger replied, placing a hand over his heart as if I’d offended him. He bowed his head, but dark eyes remained on me. “My name is Vali, son of Loki. I was named for the son of Odin King of Gods, to whom my Father is blood brother. You’ve met my brother, Narfi, I’ve been told.” He licked his lips and grinned to show off sharp fangs. “And you are familiar with my nephews too. Very familiar.”
All hope drained away from me in that moment.
Hati had said he wasn’t sure who had been responsible for the death of Narfi because the stories got twisted and distorted. There were many version of the events; whether it had been Vali son of Odin, or Vali son of Loki, or someone else all together. But sensing the wolf in the son of a Sygn confirmed just who the killer was, because the end of one story told that Odin had turned the brother into a wolf to do the deed.
Vali BrotherKiller, would have been his name had such a thing happened in my homeland.
I gave him another once over but saw no weapon in his hands, and on closer study, I did see the resemblance; the shared high cheekbones and sharp eyes, though Hati and Skoll were bears compared to this slight framed male.
Family they might have been, but knowing so did not comfort me any. It didn’t promise that they wouldn’t harm Hati.
“You’re on packland,” I hissed, doing my best to straighten to my full height which still left me two heads shorter than my opponent.
Vali scoffed and motioned to the line he dared not cross. “Not really. Not yet. And I shall respect the border completely should you decide to come to me instead of forcing me to come to you. I can even promise your safe return, Daughter of the Vargr.”
Narfi had called me that too, but Vali said it with a twitch of lips as if it was an amusing jest rather than a clue to what I was.
Safe return.
Did I believe him? I had no reason to. Skoll have proven he was capable of deceit and causing harm, but Vali did seem to respect Hati’s border, eyeing it whenever he moved to make sure he didn’t step so much as a shadow across. A clever attempt to make me trust him? I couldn’t be certain.
I was certain he knew where Hati was, but that I’d be taken there too? That I wouldn’t be killed the second I stepped over the line?
“Skoll wants you.”
I tried not to react to the disembodied voice of my brother; something that was more likely to be a conjuring of my imagination than anything else. Whatever the truth of it, the voice was right. And the voice had helped me before.
“You will take me to Hati?” I asked slowly, creeping forward even as instincts screamed at me to turn tail and flee back to the castle. “You promise Farrin will wake up unharmed?”
Farrin would be angry with me when he woke to me gone, there was no doubt, but he would return to the castle. He’d figure out someone else had been here and I’d gone with them. Tracks in the snow would hide nothing of Vali’s presence, and his scent would linger alongside mine. It would leave the perfect trail for the pack to follow. . .if Caldar could convince the council, or if he was brave enough to decide to overrule them.
There was little point in me trying to run back now for help, and if I did, if I howled to signal for help, what else could Vali do to Farrin? How many would believe me if I did manage to find help anyway? Probably not enough; and they would still posture and cower at their table instead of acting upon the news. Without an Alpha, the pack was lost. It was up to me to get Hati back.
“I never had any intention of harming your friend, he is far too handsome. I would like to see him again.” Vali eyed Farrin with pouting lips and a look of what could have been desire, but backtracked immediately when I growled. Huffing, he muttered, “Yes, yes. I will take you to my nephews. You will not be harmed, just as Hati has not been harmed.”
I sneered at that. “Your first lie, Vali son of Loki. Skoll could not have taken Hati away from his pack without having to harm him. Don’t lie to me again.”
At first he looked amused, then begrudgingly impressed as he placed his hand over his heart again, smirking as he bowed his head. “My apologies, my lady, let me reword that. Hati will not be harmed. . .any further.”
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, a flash of bloodlust reddening my vision. To hear it admitted out loud that Hati had been hurt nearly sent me into a rage that even Vali would have struggled against. He struggled now, backing away with wary eyes as he watched my hands fist at my sides. The power I possessed swirled in my chest, and somehow, I knew if I just let go, it would cause the damage I desired. It was tempting to give in when I felt as if lately I did nothing but pound my emotions into submission. . .so I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Marching forward now I had fury to overwhelm any sense of fear, I hesitated only at the border. Vali and I both stared at my feet, neither of us breathing as we waited to see what I’d do. If I’d take the step and place my trust in the enemy. Then, wishing I’d travelled on horseback so I could have the cover of clothes, I stepped out of the safety of packland.
Whether I really had the power to go through with my threat or not, I narrowed my eyes at Vali. “Know this; if you hurt me, or Hati, or anyone else from my pack, I will make sure when you die that your soul won’t find a place in the keeping of Hel. Or any other land of the dead. You will never know peace again because I will erase you’re existence so it would be as if you never were.”
The venom in my tone, the surety in my stance, it shocked even me. More shocking, frightening even, was that every word was entirely true. Just who was I becoming?
“I don’t know whether you’re capable of such a thing,” Vali replied cautiously. “But I’ll endeavour not to test you. . .if I shift, will you be able to keep up with me?”
I sucked my teeth as a I bit back a retort, certain I saw the reflection of flashing gold eyes in the eerie red of Vali’s. He tsked and held his hands up. “It was but a question, my lady. By Odin, my nephew has chosen a fiery one, hasn’t he?”
“I think you’ve lost any right to call Hati your nephew,” I spat back, shifting to fur and snapping my jaws with bristling hackles to make it clear I desired not further conversation.
Vali crouched in the snow a few feet away, a sly smile curling full lips. “I wasn’t talking about Hati, Sweet One.”
The sight of his own shift to fur cut off any chance I had to ponder on the meaning of that. I wavered on my paws with bile burning the back of my throat as I watched skin peel back from bone to reveal patches of fur and bulging muscle that seemed to ungulate painfully into their new position.
The sounds coming from the once God were worse.
Grinding bone moved slowly, popping loudly into morphed joints while groans and stifled cries bellowed out from bleeding lips. Red stained teeth fell to be replaced with deadly canines, red eyes brightening to a sunrise fire. Shifting could be exhausting and painful on occasion but this looked like torture.
This was the vengeance Odin could wreak.
Real fear clawed at my belly, though I wasn’t sure if it was fear of Vali or fear of what horror might await me should I anger one of the Gods.
In size, the wolf-shaped creature would tower over even Hati. His limbs jutted at odd angles, his snout was too long, and scraggly fur looked more like something to be seen on the dreaded ghosthounds that were said to haunt forests back home.
Vali grinned at me, drool dripping from canines as long as daggers, and deadlier still. It took everything in me not to cower, to keep my head up and face him head on. But my scent was sour with the truth of me, and his nostrils flared as he caught onto it. Taking one step, he jerked his head in the direction he’d come from, begging the question, “Are you brave enough to follow?”
I was about to take a step when Farrin mumbled behind me. His eyes fluttered beneath closed lids, and an impatient snort from Vali warned me he would soon wake.
Uncertainty hit me again.
What if it was all a lie?
What if Farrin needed a healer?
What if Skoll didn’t have Hati at all?
Vali had been waiting for me, that was clear enough, but if I turned back now and they did have him. . .
Growling to strengthen my resolve, I threw myself forward before I could further contemplate my decision. My claws scraped uselessly over the frozen mud beneath thick snow, but somehow I managed to catch up with the bigger wolf. His bulky form ploughed through snowdrifts for me, snapping spiky branches that would have otherwise torn at my fur and skin so my run was less of a challenge.
For hours we ran, and even with him getting rid of the worst of the obstacles, my body quickly began to tire. Forest gave way to rocky terrain as we stuck close to a jutting cliff that caused the wind to moan around us. I glanced back to see the mountains but a speck in the distance, but didn’t let my gaze longer long in fear doubt would creep in again.
It had been many weeks since I’d pressed on this far. At one point, I would have found our trek as easy as a summer stroll, but I had a long way to go before I would again.
Without great stone and forests to block the worst of the weather, the wind became more unforgiving, battering against us like a stampede of bison. Even Vali slowed and lowered his head against the mighty gusts that swept a blizzard of snow up from the ground to try and blind us.
Maybe the weather is warning me away, I thought, maybe this was the sign I’d asked for before we began our hunt.
The longer we walked, the more I began to regret my choice. Where were we headed? Surely Skoll hadn’t set up his place within a nights travelling distance of Hati’s territory? I wouldn’t last much longer without shelter and water.
It seemed Skoll had indeed kept close as Vali suddenly slowed before a lone tree standing tall and barelimbed in the barren terrain. Something about it seemed odd to the eye, as if the air around it rippled and shimmered, but that could have been a trick caused but the snowflakes twirling down from a now starless sky. A slither of moon glimmered behind thinner clouds, but otherwise our surroundings were a startling black and white.
I trailed after my guide with growing trepidation.
There was no sign of a camp or a place to hide from the storm. In fact, there was no sign of life at all. Even the tree looked like it had been dead a long time, it’s bark pale and lifeless with massive cracks splintering the trunks, and what limbs were left jutting out like broken bones.
It had to be a trap. Why had I been led here?
I barked for Vali’s attention but he paid me no mind, which only added to my confusion. He seemed to have lost interest in me all together as he padded with an awkward lip on twisted legs towards the tree. Then, before he reached the first gnarled root metres from the trunk, something sparked in the air, and Vali vanished as if he’d never been.
Blinking in astonishment, I followed his tracks up to where they disappeared and felt a current of power prickle through windblown fur. Like Vali’s magic, it called to me, tugging and prodding until I found myself forgetting about being careful and stepping forward. Whatever the rippling air was, it tickled like walking through thick fog, cool and unsettling all at once. There was a rush of noise as everything faded around me, and a feeling of weightlessness that made me stumble into a foreign object.
It was Vali I bumped into, I realised once my surroundings slowly came into focus.
Standing once more in skin, he seemed as unconcerned as one of the pack being without clothes. Pale skin shimmered in a strange green glow that I soon realised was thanks to the eerie torches of emerald flames lining what looked like a cave tunnel of glittering black rock.
“You might want to stay as you are, in a form you can best protect yourself for now. Skoll rules here but even he can’t predict or control the behaviours of the souls that linger beyond these walls. Nor a few of the creatures within. . .”
But just where were we?
What did he mean by souls, creatures? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
My ears twitched to pick up on even the slightest drip of water but the tunnels atmosphere felt so thick and heavy, it was as if it muffled all sound. Even the fires lighting our way didn’t crackle or billow, in fact they didn’t seem to be burning anything for fuel at all.
“Stay close to me, and if anyone comes our way, keep your head and eyes down,” he muttered, giving me a sharp look.
I peeled my lips back from my teeth in answer, but he didn’t need to know that I had every intention of taking his advice. With no idea where I was, or what beings now surrounded me, I didn’t need to start making enemies.
My reaction didn’t surprise him, in fact he chuckled as if he’d expected as much. The sound was oddly pleasant and warm, but his beauty was nothing to my eyes after seeing his other form. That would haunt my nightmares for years to come, I knew it would. I shuddered at the thought of seeing it again, but thankfully Vali strode down the tunnel on padding feet. I followed with my heart thundering in my chest, taking in every tiny detail of my surroundings, making sure I knew exactly which turns to take should I be in need of a quick escape.
The oppressive walls either side of us were interspersed with black wooden doors that stank of damp rot, and every so often I swore I heard an echoing voice, or ghostly footsteps that made Vali pause until they moved away. We turned corners and took passageways, and at one point I caught the unmistakeable scent of vegetable broth and cooking meat.
This wasn’t just a cave then, or at least, it was more than simply that.
Was this Skoll’s stronghold after all? Was there a way to get in and out other than the way we’d used? I wasn’t even sure how’d I’d gotten here in the first place. It certainly felt as if it was many miles under ground. . .
It also felt like eyes watched from every shadow, though we never saw a single other being. Not until I could make out the glinting tips of spears over Vali’ shoulders.
Two scarred faced Vargr stood either side of a set of double doors wrought in metal that seemed devoid of colour, a black so dark it even seemed to suck in the light around it. If it weren’t for the fact I could smell Hati’s scent, I would have turned tail and run at the very moment I sensed the true magnitude of the evil that crawled across my skin like oil. Whatever horror was hidden within, Hati was behind those doors. So that was exactly where I intended on going.
I crept to Vali’s side, never letting my eyes stray from the two battle-worn guards with their dark-wood spears crossed to bar the way. The older of the two stood on the right, a nasty mess of scars all that was left of the side of his face. The one eye remaining was nearly white in colour, and narrowed as Vali stroked a finger down his arm.
“I told you I’d get her, Uffe” Vali sang sweetly. “What do you think I’ll get in return where you failed?”
Failed? In getting to me? When?
Uffe glowered and shoved away the pale finger creeping up his arm. He gave me a quick glance, and something flickered in his expression - something I worried might have been pity - before he jerked his head to his companion and they uncrossed their spears from the doors.
“She may enter,” Uffe said. “You may not.”
Was it madness that made me shrink closer to Vali’s side? He’d kept his word so far, and I knew he’d made sure we ran into no trouble once we’d arrived here. Leaving him meant leaving someone who seemed to have the want, or need, to keep me alive, if not safe.
The doors pulled open on groaning hinges, and though Vali leaned in to get a closer look, he didn’t appear to have interest in arguing with their orders. To my eyes, the room ahead was pitch black. A yawning abyss that even my eyes couldn’t pierce. But I’d seen before the illusions they used here, and had to trust I wasn’t about to step into a pit or trap.
I sensed the hand heading towards my head before I saw it, and twisted swiftly to snap at the offending limb. Vali jerked back with real fright glittering in his eyes, cupping his nearly bitten hand to his chest.
“I was just going to pet you goodbye, Little Wolf.” He sniffed and turned his face away. “You owe me for keeping my promise to you. That pretty one is already back at that castle with quite a tale to tell your pack.”
How he knew Farrin was home safe, I didn’t know, but I didn’t trust the strange wolf-god anymore than before. Not really.
“Enough of your games, Lokisson,” Uffe's companion muttered, locking me under charcoal eyes. “Enter now, or leave, she-wolf.”
Despite my adamance, I found myself looking back at Vali for reassurance without thinking, but he was still glaring at the wall and unwilling to forgive me trying to bite a finger off. Huffing a breath, I dared to let a growl roll out towards the two guards, my tail flicking as I glared at each in turn as if that might make them think again about killing me in future, before stepping through the door.
It was like stepping into another world again. A feeling of weightlessness as if my body was being carried off somewhere, and this time when I arrived through the strange gateway, my eyes were assaulted by a bright fire in a large stone hearth. I blinked and rubbed my stinging eyes, my body tense and ears straining to make out if I was safe, or if I was about to be blindsided by an attack.
But it wasn’t a battle cry that rang through the room though. Nor was it an evil laugh, or screaming ghouls, or any of the myriad of other things I feared awaited me. It was a voice, familiar, disbelieving and wary all in equal measures.
“Eabha?”