He slid his hand into his pocket and stepped closer to me. He flicked my hair off my shoulder, leaned in, and whispered in my ear in a deep, rich murmur, “Perhaps you could join me in my room later?” The sound of his voice and the closeness of his perfect face sent a hot thrill over my skin.
Then, from my other ear, he appeared to pull a silver coin. He held it up, grinning. “See? Human magic.”
I fought to suppress a smile. Humans were lovely, simpleminded creatures. “Okay. This actually worked as a form of magic?”
A slow shrug. “In a way.”
“So, this is a long way of you explaining that we need to distract King Gorm so that I can steal the wand.”
“Exactly. I’ll make a scene to distract him, and you steal it.”
“When exactly do you want to do this burglary?” I asked.
He tossed the coin in the air, and it glinted as it spun. He caught it again. “Tomorrow night.”
“That soon?”
“I’ve been thinking about how to do this for weeks. I have a plan.” Galin fixed me with his gaze and drew in a deep breath.
I got the feeling, even before he spoke, that this would be another prime example of not taking the safest option.
Chapter 32
Galin
That night, I fell into a deep, dreamless slumber from which I awoke fresh and rejuvenated. I dressed in a clean set of clothes and my favorite useless accessory: the Helm of Awe. It was important to keep up the illusion that Gorm was in control while Ali and I planned to steal Levateinn.
Once fully dressed, I walked down the stairs. Today, I arrived in the mead hall in time to snag some scrambled eggs, sausages, oatmeal, orange juice, and a mugful of piping hot coffee. As I sipped the coffee, I heard Revna call for me. Her voice was like sharp claws raking inside my skull.
I turned to see her sitting with Sune, dressed in a gold gown and waving her fingers at me. “Were you planning on dining with the lowlifes?”
“I wasn’t. That’s why I walked past your table.”
When she replied, all the playfulness had disappeared from her voice. She went straight for the jugular: “Why did you betray us?”
I mentally calculated the best way to keep Ali alive. “Perhaps I have a plan, and perhaps the Night Elf is useful. How do you think I’ve survived this long?”
Revna’s eyes slowly widened, and she grinned. “Oh, you naughty boy. So, she’s an informant?”
“Tell me more,” said Sune, leaning forward eagerly. “Have you seduced her for information? Mind if I have a go?”
Just as I was considering if this was the appropriate time to snap my brother’s neck, a trumpet interrupted us, followed by the dulcet voice of the herald announcing the arrival of the king. King Gorm walked in slowly, looking tired. He’d survived the race, but not without considerable effort.
With a grim expression, he ambled over and sat next to Revna without looking at me.
“Daddy,” said Revna in her most saccharine voice, “are you still upset with Galin?”
“I should have him executed for treason,” he muttered. “But we can’t afford to lose any more High Elves in the Winnowing. We’re in last place.” Only then did he slowly turn to look at me, speaking softly but otherwise not bothering to hide his rage. “Once this is over, perhaps we will find suitable accommodations for you in your former lodgings.”
The dungeon, of course.
Revna sighed. “Father, that is a little excessive. Why don’t I keep an eye on him?” She gave me a wink that put me right off my breakfast.
From the Vanir table, the Regent rose. “If I may have everyone’s attention. Now that King Gorm is with us, I’d like to announce the final contest.”
I scrubbed a hand over my jaw, staring at him. I’d expected him to continue with his announcement, but instead, he began waving his fingers in what I recognized as the runes of the portal spell.
An instant later, electricity crackled, and a dark void bloomed a few feet to his right. It grew larger and larger, until it took up almost the entire aisle between the rows of tables. All around me elves began to scream. Then, I saw why: a beast of hair and muscle, nearly as tall as a horse, charged into the hall, snorting and grunting loudly.
“Eofor!” shouted the Regent. “Eofor, sit.”
And just like that, a monstrous boar sat in the great mead hall of the High Elves. It was covered in bristly black hair and smelled terrible, like the contents of a sewer that had fermented in the hot sun. When its head turned to look in my direction, I saw beady eyes set behind a pair of ivory tusks nearly the length of my forearm.
A giant fucking boar.
All around me, elves were shouting and jumping out of the way as the boar began to snuffle and snort. A dark purple tongue slid out from between the tusks, and it began to snake plates of pancakes, bowls of oatmeal, even—I grimaced—pieces of bacon into its maw.
“Quiet! Quiet!” shouted the Regent at the terrified elves. “We don’t want to upset him. This is Eofor, the largest of the royal hogs.”
King Gorm had risen, still clutching his cutlery. “Why in Hel did you bring this revolting creature into my hall?”
“I’m terribly sorry, King Gorm,” said the Regent, gently patting the giant boar on its cheek. “When Eofor is well fed, he’s really a fine fellow and very well-behaved, but unfortunately, he digests his food very fast and gets hungry again. All this breakfast will come out the other end soon enough.”
The boar leaned forward, snuffling loudly as he tried to reach a plate of sausages.
“Which is why we will be hosting the final contest this evening. We will be releasing Eofor and five of his brothers and sisters onto the grounds of Mount Auburn Cemetery. I haven’t fed Eofor’s siblings for nearly two weeks, and even after he gobbles up these crumbs, he will still be quite hungry. The goal of our contest is simple: don’t leave the confines of the cemetery, and don’t get eaten. When half of the remaining are dead—one hundred and thirteen elves—the contest ends.”
The hall fell silent, interrupted only by the sound of Eofor’s chewing.
Revna raised her hand. “Will we be able to bring weapons?”
“Of course, anything you like. But I should warn you that the hide of a Vanaheim boar is exceptionally thick. I don’t think you’ll succeed in piercing it.” The Regent paused for a second. “But that does remind me. We won’t be allowing any magic. None whatsoever.”
Chapter 33
Ali
Alone, I crouched in the back of a tomb. Ancient marble blocks surrounded me, encrusted in sheets of dirty ice. A moldering skeleton lay in a nearby alcove. I hugged myself tight, teeth chattering, still trying to block out the pain in my leg. And trying to block out my memory of what had just happened.
Two of the Shadow Lords lay dead. I’d barely escaped as the boar had charged Thyra and Ilvis, goring them to death. The images kept flickering in my mind—the ivory tusk piercing Thyra’s chest, Ilvis trying to save her. Blood on the snow, the Shadow Lords screaming. I’d felt like the world had dropped out from under my feet as I’d watched the boar tear Ilvis to pieces. Two of my leaders were dead, and I hadn’t been able to stop it.
I thought I’d been here for an hour, maybe—biding my time in Mount Auburn Cemetery while waiting for another boar to appear.
Situated in Boston’s suburbs, Mount Auburn Cemetery had remained untouched for hundreds of years. Over the past hour, the setting sun had cast lengthening, eerie shadows on tombstones frozen in ice. Now, moonlight streamed onto the icy floor of the tomb. I tried not to think of Ilvis’s screams …
The plan had been for all the Night Elves to stick together, but that had all gone to shit when the first boar attacked. We’d been ambushed out in the open. The Shadow Lords had been the first in the line of attack.
The Regent had been right; the boar hides were virtually impenetrable. Even Skalei hadn’t been able to do much more than scratch it.
And now, I found myself alone in
a tomb, surrounded by broken marble and skeletons. It was dark and cave-like, which I liked, but it was also a dead end. If a boar found me inside, I’d be cornered. Still, my bad leg was a major impediment to moving around, and I didn’t want to be caught limping around in the snow.
The scream of a boar ripped through the air, making my muscles tense. It was a caterwauling cry that prickled the hair on my arms. I gripped Skalei tighter, ready to fight if I had to.
As I steadied my breath, a shadow fell over the entrance of the tomb, and my heart skipped a beat. “Ali?”
Galin. Quietly, I crept to the doorway of the tomb and peeked out. Galin stood on the path not twenty feet away, looking for me.
“Over here,” I whispered.
He spun around to face me, then hurried over. “Thank the gods you’re still okay.”
He’d been disarmed. “Where’s your sword?” I asked.
“Broke it on a boar. Those things have hides of steel.”
“Thyra and Ilvis are dead. I couldn’t—” A boar screamed again, and my stomach flipped. My Night Elf eyes strained, staring into the darkness, until I saw movement along the crest of the hillside opposite us. The silhouette of an enormous creature, its heavy footfalls shaking the ground.
My stomach clenched as a new pair of shadows came running along the path, closer to us. The boar was charging two people, and it took me a moment to realize who they were—Revna and Sune. The dumbasses’ shrieking was drawing the attention of the boar, and they were rushing down the hill for our hiding spot.
“Galin! I know you’re near! I can feel your power. You have to help us!” Revna cried. To my horror, she and Sune were running right for our tomb. My future tomb, if she didn’t fuck off.
From the top of the ridge, the boar bellowed, charging for Revna as she led it to us. I heard Galin growl as she and Sune ran inside.
The entire tomb shook as the boar slammed into the entrance. Bits of ice and marble rained down on us from the ceiling. I coughed as rock-dust filled the interior.
The boar howled and screamed like a banshee. Its massive head filled the doorframe, tusks jutting into the empty space. Grunting and twisting its shoulders, it tried desperately to squeeze inside, but its body was too big. It snorted loudly, filling the tiny room with the stench of its breath. By now, I was pressed up against the wall, Galin standing in front of me like a shield.
Then, the boar stepped back and disappeared into the wintery darkness.
The sound of heavy breathing filled the tomb, each of us gasping for breath.
“Did it leave?” asked Sune.
Before I could say, “I doubt it,” the boar barreled into the marble doorway like a wrecking ball. Again, the rock shook and dust rained down on us. This stupid beast wasn’t going to stop until it got us.
“We can’t stay in here,” I said quickly.
Revna stared at me like I was a complete idiot. “If we go outside, the boar will kill us.”
I pointed to the ceiling, which had cracked open from the force of the attack. Great chunks of marble threatened to rain down on us. “The roof is going to collapse. If we stay, we’ll be buried alive. Not to mention that that thing is absolutely strong enough to break in here and eat us.”
The boar had disappeared into the darkness, quiet again. In the moonlight, I could just about make out the shape of the beast turning around, steam rising from its back and snout. In seconds, it would be charging us again, and we’d be buried under marble.
I had to do something. As a Night Elf, I’d have the best chance of seeing the boar in the darkness of the tomb. I recalled Skalei and crouched, readying myself, praying for the roof to hold.
The boar charged again, smashing itself into the entrance like a freight train. Dust rained down, and stone shifted above us, but the ceiling didn’t collapse. As the boar thrashed in the doorway, I leapt forward, trying to plunge Skalei into its cheek. Despite the ferocity of my attack, I hardly made a dent. Boar hide, it turned out, was the one thing a shadow blade couldn’t slice.
The boar screamed, so loud and close it felt like it was ripping my brain open. Then, its tongue lashed out, twisting around my ankle like the coils of a snake.
Galin lunged toward me, grabbing for my arm. But the boar was too fast, ripping me out of the tomb, dragging me into the wintery night. Snow filled my mouth and eyes. Frantically, I wiped it away only to smell the stench of the boar and to see the blood of the elves it had already eaten dripping from the ends of its tusks. I knew that in moments, it would begin to eat me alive.
I struggled against the prehensile tongue to no avail. Galin charged from the entrance of the tomb, trying to distract the boar, to offer himself instead, but the creature wasn’t interested in him.
I had to do something. The boar’s tongue was tight around my ankle, purple and glistening. Then, a thought came to me: maybe the tongue wasn’t as tough as the creature’s hide.
“Skalei!” In one swift movement, I slashed. It was like a hot knife through butter.
Blood sprayed the snow. I’d hacked part of its tongue right off. I was free.
I tried to stand, but my injured leg buckled, and I fell.
The boar squealed again, a broken gurgling sound this time. Then, it fixed me with its beady black eyes and lunged for me, trying to gore me with its tusks. I barely rolled out of the way. Grunting and snorting, it spun on massive hooves, and I scrambled away on hands and knees, pain racing up my thigh.
The boar charged, its breath clouding in the frigid air, blood and lather dripping from its chin.
Out of the corner of my eye, a shadow moved. Galin was racing toward the beast, something long and pale flashing in his hand. He leapt, silent as a ghost, and thrust his weapon at the boar’s face. The boar’s screeches rent the air, and it staggered back. Two more steps, and then it toppled like a felled tree. A human femur quivered in its eye.
Galin turned to me, but my gaze was on a new boar—massive, with black fur and a tank-like body. Eofor stared right at us from the top of the hill.
He stood for a long moment, snorting steam. Then, he threw his head back and squealed—a terrible sound like jagged bones scraping on stone. An instant later, he was answered by another, then another. And now, a chorus of squeals and grunts rose from the woods behind him.
“Ali!” Galin held out his hand to me and pulled me up. “We can’t stay here.”
Again, Eofor’s enraged cry rent the night air. I doubted I’d be able to outrun him.
Chapter 34
Galin
The cold air burned my lungs as I raced with Sune and Revna through the snow of Mount Auburn Cemetery. Ali was managing to hold her own, keeping up with our frantic pace, even with her injury. I broke trail through six inches of snow. Ali just had to hold out a bit longer. I knew a safe place.
A boar squealed suddenly into the night. They were closing in on us.
“Where are we going?” whispered Revna sharply.
“Shhh … don’t let them hear us.”
Revna was quiet for a few seconds before she spoke again. “Galin, we can’t run forever. We should find somewhere to make a stand.”
The boar screamed again, cutting her off. It couldn’t be more than a hundred yards away.
“There,” I whispered sharply, pointing up.
Silhouetted against the night sky was Washington Tower. Nearly five stories tall, it had been constructed as a lookout atop the tallest hill in the cemetery. It would be the perfect refuge, built from solid marble, the stairwell far too narrow for the boars to climb. We just had to get there.
I led the way up the hillside, weaving between trunks of ancient trees encased in ice. Half way up, I looked back down into the valley below. The enormous shapes of the boars were closing in on us, charging.
When we reached the summit, I let Sune and Revna go on ahead, as I held out my hand to Ali. She gripped it hard, and I pulled her up. She crouched beside me, gasping for breath and grimacing. Obviously in considerable pa
in.
I slid my arm around her waist and helped her move toward the entrance. She was limping, leaning into me. As the boars started charging up the hill for us, I scooped her up and carried her into the tower stairwell.
I heard tusks rake the stone, but we were safe for now. Holding her tight to me, I started climbing the spiral staircase. She rested her head on my chest, and my pulse raced at the contact.
Just a little farther and we could rest.
At last, I reached the top. I eased Ali from my arms, and she slid down my body, sparking a surge of warmth throughout my muscles.
We stepped onto the top of the tower, a small circular roof ringed by tooth-like stone crenellations. From below, the boars grunted with frustration, trying to hammer the tower with their shoulders and tusks. I peered over the edge. Four of the beasts paced around the base of the tower like sharks circling a life raft.
Still, there was no way they could possibly reach us. We were safe.
Revna leaned against the railing, next to Sune. “You made it,” she said to me, then narrowed her eyes at Ali. “You trailed blood all the way here, you know.”
My chest tightened as I saw the blood streaming from Ali’s leg. She desperately needed medical care.
Suddenly, a shadow passed over us—a High Elf riding a moth. One of the judges. “One hundred and fourteen remain. The Night Elves have lost badly!” she shouted down to us.
“One left,” said Revna, turning to look at me. “One more elf dies, and this is all over.” She refocused on Ali and drew a dagger. “The Night Elves are losing anyway. She dies no matter what. Those were the terms, right? If the Night Elves lose the Winnowing, they all die.”
Ruined King (Night Elves Trilogy Book 2) Page 15
