As it all cooked, he sat back on his heels, using a small stick to turn the vegetables. A rich aroma filled the air, and my stomach rumbled in response.
It must have been loud enough for Galin to hear, because he looked at me and grinned. Then he turned back to the fire. He sprinkled more salt and pepper on everything. When it had thoroughly roasted, he plucked the potatoes and greens and arranged them on plates.
I devoured the potatoes with a ferocity I’d never known. I was absolutely famished, and they were perfect. I ate without speaking, alternating between the greens and potatoes. When I finally started to feel full, I looked up.
Galin was watching me, a bemused expression on his face. He flipped open his notebook. Hungry?
I wiped the back of my sleeve over my mouth. “It was the best food I’ve ever eaten.”
I stood up and stretched my legs. Darkness surrounded us, and the cool desert air was nearly still. An owl hooted in the distance, but otherwise it was quiet.
As I yawned, Galin unrolled a bedroll. I knew the draugr were at our gates, but if I didn’t sleep, I was going to stop functioning soon.
I kicked off my boots and crawled onto the bedroll, then pulled a blanket out of my backpack. My legs still trembled with fatigue, but the ground was surprisingly soft. Next to me Galin lay on his own bedroll. The fire burned at our feet, and I found that I was surprisingly cozy.
Slowly the fire died, and the stars came out. They spread over us in a magnificent display of sparkling light. I identified Aurvandil's toe and Karlvagn.
I was going through them a second time, when I noticed something strange. Up in the mountains, close to the horizon, was a faint orange light. As I squinted at it, it grew brighter.
There—the realm of fire glowed in the distance like a little ember in the night.
“Galin,” I whispered, “we found Muspelheim.”
Chapter 30
Ali
I woke to the rising sun stroking the sky with orange. Galin was already awake, and the scratching of his pencil over the notebook was what had woken me up.
As I sat up, he handed me the notebook.
We should go. I don’t want to be caught out here in the midday heat.
While I pulled on my boots, Galin strapped my bedroll to my horse. I was still half groggy with sleep, so it took me a minute to realize that he had already packed up our entire campsite. The fire was out, the plates and bowls put away. As I turned to thank him, he handed me my horse’s reins.
With hats on, we set out across the desert, horses side by side, the sun warming our backs. Around us, birds flitted through the thorny brush. Little lizards basked on rocks, watching us carefully.
I hummed to myself, alternating between Beyoncé and Rick Roll. In front of us, hills rose off the desert floor, climbing rocky and barren until they became dark mountains at the edge of the horizon.
We followed little game trails up the steep slopes. We rode for another hour, climbing higher and higher, as below us the desert spread out like a faded blanket, dusty and forlorn. When it became too much for the horses, we slipped off them and set off on foot.
As we climbed, a faint haze filled the air. With it came the acrid scents of smoke and sulfur. We hiked all day, passing through the foothills and into the lower slopes of the mountains.
Late in the afternoon, we were climbing up a steep slope when Galin suddenly stopped. Above us a dark shadow snaked along the ridgeline—too even to be natural.
As we approached, I could see a wall of stone. Not massively high like the iron wall that surrounded Hel. More like twenty feet of ragged rock, imposing with looming parapets. They could be hiding any number of men.
“What is that?” I asked.
He flipped open his notebook and gestured to where he’d previously written Muspelheim.
“Right. Okay.” I didn’t press him for more information. A sense of unease quieted me.
We’d followed along below the wall for about a mile when I saw the guard tower rising above us—a ruddy stone that gleamed in the sun. It had a clear view of the valley below.
I sensed that Galin planned to walk right up to it. My instinct was to scout the position and learn the movements of any guards.
“What’s the plan, Galin? What did you mean when you said we would be invited in?”
He paused to pull out his notebook and write, then handed it to me. I’m going to tell them I’m King of Hel, second in command to Hela. They’ll agree to meet the companion of a goddess.
“Oh, I see …” I said slowly. “And as the Empress of the Vanir, I can tell them that I’m here to discuss an alliance with the elves.”
Galin shook his head vigorously as he wrote quickly on his pad. The giants are extremely patriarchal. Surtr rules a small court of males. The only women in his kingdom are servants and the members of his harem.
Oh gods. “Are you serious?”
Yes, Galin wrote. They’ll never accept a woman as a leader. They’ll kill you immediately if they find out who you are.
“Great!”
I’m going to tell them I’m Hela’s emissary. And you are my servant.
I stared at him. I couldn’t say I was psyched about this plan, but I didn’t see much other choice.
“Fine,” I said. “Let’s go see what the giants have to say.”
Galin crossed to the tower door and banged on it hard with his fist. The sound reverberated in the still mountain air.
For a moment there was only silence. Then, a gravelly voice called from within, “Who goes there?”
“Should I say something?” I whispered.
Galin shook his head, then banged the door again.
Twenty seconds passed before the door slowly creaked open. A seven-foot-tall giant stood in the doorway, glaring down at us with small eyes under bushy red eyebrows. A red beard covered most of his face. He was dressed in buckskin pants, and a chainmail vest that seemed a little too small for his thick arms and barrel chest. An iron mace rested on his shoulder.
“Who are you?” he growled at Galin, entirely ignoring me.
Galin handed him a folded piece of paper.
The giant opened it, then slowly read it. “I see,” he said at last. “An emissary of the Queen of the Dead. You wish to meet with King Surtr?”
Galin nodded.
The giant gestured for Galin to follow him, and we started forward. But as soon as I moved, the giant’s mace dropped in front of me.
“No foreign women are allowed in Muspelheim.”
“I’m the sorcerer’s assistant.”
“No women.”
His beady eyes met mine. They were the strangest part of him; while the rest was proportionally large, from his feet to his beard, his eyes were far too small for his face. And yet I still recognized their hungry expression when they swept down my body.
Gross.
“Look,” I said, locking eyes with the giant, “this was supposed to be a surprise, but the thing is I’m not really Galin’s assistant.” I drummed my fingertips together.
“Who are you?” he growled.
“You can’t tell anyone,” I said in a stage whisper. “But I’m actually a gift to King Surtr. I’m to join his harem.” Night Elves must have been a rarity in the realm of fire, I imagined. I’d add something exotic to his collection.
Galin shot me a furious look, but it wasn’t like he could say anything.
“You’re a whore?” asked the giant, sounding confused.
I cleared my throat. “I am a courtesan. Very unique and expensive. Does the king have any Night Elves in his harem?”
Still the giant didn’t look convinced. “You’re not dressed like a courtesan.”
He had a point here. My leather pants and jacket were caked with dust. I smiled, batting my eyelashes. “We’ve been traveling rough, but give me a bath, clean lingerie, and a spritz of eau de toilette, and I’ll satisfy your king like no woman’s done before. He won’t need a harem once he has me.”
&
nbsp; Galin’s dark eyes were blazing as he looked at me.
“Do you want King Surtr to learn that you turned me away?” I went on.
“All right,” grumbled the giant. “Better come in, miss. Mountain lions roam these hills, size of ponies. Make a snack out of you. We’ll see what King Surtr has to say about you.”
I started forward, but again the giant blocked my path. He pressed an old burlap sack into my hands. “You are to wear this.”
“How exactly am I supposed to do that?”
“Put it over your head. We can’t have outsiders, courtesans or otherwise, learning the layout of Muspelheim.”
I looked at the rough fabric of the sack. Once I put it over my head, I’d be practically defenseless. I’d just told a lecherous giant that I was a courtesan.
Still, what other choice did I have? I’d already fully committed. If I backed out now, I sensed he’d throw both Galin and me out. We had a sword to steal, and that was the important thing. I took a deep breath, then pulled the bag over my head.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I heard the giant telling Galin he needed one as well.
While I stood, unable to see, a hand gripped mine. It took me a moment to realize it was Galin’s.
“Thanks,” I whispered.
The giant grunted, then the ground shook as he began to walk away from us. We followed the sound of his footfalls, passing through the interior of the tower, then back outside. I could tell because the light changed, and the mountain wind pushed the burlap against my face. Growing up in the caverns, I supposed I’d gotten used to functioning without a sense of sight.
Almost immediately, we started down a slope. The scent of smoke grew stronger, and mixed with a rank sulfur smell. I kept expecting to stumble, but Galin’s firm grip kept me upright. I thought the giant must have been leading him, because somehow he managed to make his way forward without falling.
We walked until the path flattened again, but it didn’t get easier. Now, the air was thick with smoke, the smell of sulfur so pungent that my eyes watered. I reminded myself why we were here—without the sword, the world would end at the hands of the draugr.
So I could deal with some discomfort.
At last, the footfalls stopped. A door creaked, then the interior of the sack darkened as we were led inside.
“Stairwell!” the giant called out.
He didn’t say if it was up or down, so I awkwardly pedaled my foot in the air till I realized we were heading down again.
The scents of smoke and sulfur disappeared, but the air kept growing hotter. Sweat wet my brow and began to trickle down my neck.
After what seemed like ages, the giant stopped, and a second door creaked open. Voices greeted us—the deep, gravelly tones of giants mixed with more feminine notes. In the background, music floated in the air. The voices went quiet as we crossed into this new room.
Galin gave my hand a squeeze, then let go.
“Who the Hel is this?” a deep voice boomed.
An awkward silence fell, then the burlap sack was unceremoniously ripped from my head. I gasped, both at the fresh air and at what I saw before me.
Galin stood next to me, free from the burlap as well. The giant guard stood beside him.
A new giant dwarfed us, at least ten feet tall. He had the same bright red hair as the guard. His black silk pajamas draped over a large stomach, and his pig-like eyes squinted at us. A gold crown marked him as the king.
By my side, Galin was frantically writing in his notebook.
So this was Surtr. Looked like a charmer. What I didn’t see was a sword on him.
“I said,” he growled, “who the Hel are you?”
Galin ripped a page from his notebook and handed it to the giant king.
“What in the dead gods’ name is this?” said Surtr, holding the paper close to his face. He read slowly before speaking again. “I see. You’re really Hela’s king? King Galin?”
Galin nodded, gesturing to the shadowy runes tattooed on his chest.
“And you?” he said, turning to me.
I forced a smile that may have been a grimace. “I’m a gift. Hela is giving me to you as part of your harem—a gesture of goodwill from the goddess.”
He looked me over then, his beady eyes roving unashamedly over my body. I wanted to puke. “A little small for my taste,” he said at last. “But I’ve never had a Night Elf before.” He drummed his fingertips together, then licked his lips. “Delectable. I’m sure we can find room for you in my harem.”
I bowed deeply, even as bile rose in my throat. “Yes, my liege.”
Think of the draugr. Think of the draugr. We are here for a reason.
Chapter 31
Ali
I followed behind a willowy elf with long white hair. She turned to frown at me. “Normally I’d take you straight to your room, but considering your state, I think we should go to the baths first.”
What I wanted to know was where Surtr’s sword was, but I had a feeling that if I came out and asked, I might find myself being burned to death in a furnace. So instead I asked, “What is your role here, Asha?”
Asha’s expression said I should already know the answer to my question. “I’m the Madame of King Surtr’s harem, along with my sister.”
“You’re the head of the harem?”
“Yes, and King Surtr’s main consort,” she said primly. “Now if you’ll just follow me, I’ll show you to the baths. The stench on you is not appealing.”
“How did you end up here?” I asked. “You look like a High Elf.”
“I ended up here after Ragnarok,” she said with a sense of finality. “Here we are.” She stopped at a door marked Baths. As she pushed it open, I was immediately enveloped by a cloud of steam.
I blinked in the hot vapor, then crossed inside.
Asha gestured at a stony pool of steaming water, inset into ivory marble. “There you are. The king does not like his women filthy.” She huffed. “At least not in the way that you are currently filthy.”
I smiled. There was absolutely no way King Surtr was getting filthy with me, but I played along, hoping to find out more about the sword.
In any case, the bath looked amazing, with steam rising from a large, clear pool. I pulled my shirt over my head. When I could see again, Asha was staring at me. I wasn’t ashamed of my body, but there was something about her expression that made me instinctively self-conscious. Her gaze seemed … professionally critical.
“Is everything okay?” I asked sharply.
“Your breasts are the size of oranges. He likes them larger.” She tsked, then suddenly shouted, “Shauna! I need your help.”
An instant later another woman appeared in the doorway, her appearance identical.
“What do you think?” said Asha to her twin.
Shauna looked me over, shaking her head. “They’re pert. Not proportional to her hips. Her ass is nice and round, which will be good for the twerking.”
“The what?”
“You know how to twerk, right?” they said in unison. “The dance.”
Asha added, “Any courtesan should know.”
I did not. And yet—could twerking get me close enough to Surtr to steal his sword? The seed of an idea started to bud in my mind.
Perhaps this twerking could save the world.
“I need to brush up on my twerking. But before I do that, I’m going to bathe now,” I said quickly. “Can I get a bit of privacy?”
Asha burst out laughing. “Privacy? Honey, this is a harem. There’s no privacy here.”
“Fine.”
Fuck it. I pulled off my pants and slipped into the bath, wearing my bra and panties. The water was a little hot, but it felt amazing on my tired muscles. Closing my eyes, I submerged my entire body.
After a few seconds I popped my head out. Immediately I heard Asha’s voice. “Well? What’s your plan?”
“Plan?” I frowned. “What do you mean?”
She tossed her white
hair behind her shoulders. “You’re the first girl to be added to the king’s harem in nearly one hundred years. He’s going to want you to perform for him as soon as possible. To dance, play a musical instrument, sing—”
“I can sing,” I offered.
“Oh, Surtr will like that. He loves a good tune. What songs do you know?”
“Well, my favorite song is called ‘Rick Roll.’” I began to hum a little bit of the melody. Then I added, “He was a great warrior.”
“Honey,” said Asha. “That song is not sexy. You need to sing something seductive. You’re supposed to be putting King Surtr in the mood.”
I smothered my irritation. “Rick Roll” was seductive. Taking a deep breath, I launched into one of my other classical favorites—“Baby Shark.”
The sisters clamped their hands over their ears, looking furious.
“No!” said both harem sisters simultaneously.
“That will definitely not work,” Asha shouted. “In fact, never sing that song again. I’m tempted to have you executed for that.”
“Wait,” I said frantically, “I was just warming up. How about this song?”
This time I began to sing the only Beyoncé song I knew: “Single Ladies.”
This time Asha and Shauna didn’t interrupt. In fact, when I stopped after finishing the first verse, the twins simply stared at me. I thought it was over. Then both their faces split into huge smiles.
“I want to hear more of that.”
“She’s Beyoncé,” I said. “Once a great queen in Midgard. In fact, I had an iPod with her music on it. Sacred music.”
“Oh my gods, can we listen to it?” The twins nearly shouted as they stood over me in the bath. They were both shaking with excitement.
I shook my head. “Unfortunately, I lost the iPod.” The twins’ faces fell. “But, I remember more songs—”
Shauna cut me off. “Will you teach us?”
This, I realized, was an opportunity. “Will you show me how to twerk?”
Shadow Empress (Night Elves Trilogy Book 3) Page 16
