by S. T. Bende
My brother, Forse, and Brynn swore in unison. Then they formed a triangle, backs pressed together, and turned a tight circle as they scanned the area for threats. Wanting to be useful, I pushed my energy out and felt for additional presences. Other than the occasional scavenging animal, my friends were alone.
You’re clear, I signaled in Tyr’s mind.
“Elsa?” Tyr grunted. “Where are you?”
Oh, sorry! I’m in here! In your head. I’m in your head. I would have asked, but you seemed kind of busy, I apologized.
“You think?” he muttered.
“Is Tyr going crazy again?” Brynn asked Forse.
“Shut up, Aksel. It’s my sister,” Tyr growled. Since I was viewing the world through his eyes, I couldn’t see my brother’s expression. But the way the sky turned a slow circle before the screen focused on Brynn, I surmised he’d given her an award-winning eye-roll.
“Elsa?” Forse flew into Tyr’s frame of vision. He gripped Tyr’s arms and shook. Annoyance flashed through Tyr’s mind. “Where? Where is she?”
“She’s in my head.” Tyr removed Forse’s hands from his biceps. I could tell from the way his mind strained, it wasn’t easy work.
Forse! Are you okay? I shouted.
“Else,” Tyr complained. “They can’t hear you. And that gives me a headache.”
Sorry.
“Rule number one. When we’re inside each other’s heads, we use our inside voices. Remember?” Tyr chastised me out loud.
I said I was sorry, I huffed.
“She’s in your head?” Brynn jumped in front of Tyr and waved with characteristic enthusiasm. “Hei Elsa! Where are you? Are you okay? Sit tight; we’re coming for you.” She adjusted her ponytail so her curls sat less chaotically atop her cherubic face. “Tyr, where is she? Which direction are we going?”
“I—” Tyr began.
“Well?” Forse’s lips were drawn. “Where is she? Come on. What are we waiting for? Brynn, pick up your sword. Let’s move.”
Brynn dove for the ground and came up holding her rapier. “Ugh. Really?” She pulled a rag from her backpack and wiped the black blood from the blade. “Dark elves have the grossest blood. This will be caked on the handle for-freaking-ever.”
“Where is she?” Forse placed his hands on both sides of Tyr’s face and leaned close to stare into his eyes. “Elsa, I’m so sorry they got you. I never should have agreed to facilitate this exchange. If I’d just been able to reach you faster, I could have ported you out of here and…” Forse looked heartbreakingly helpless. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Enough already!” Tyr pushed Forse back. “You do realize you’re baring your soul to the war god, don’t you?”
“Elsa’s in your head,” Forse countered.
“Yes. But you’re in my face.” Tyr took a step back, distancing himself from our friends.
Move the other way Tyr! I like being that close to him, I complained.
“Enough! All of you!” Tyr bellowed. “Forse, Brynn, keep watch. Tosk might come back with new friends, since we killed his old ones. Elsa, tell me where you are so we can come get you.”
I don’t know. I sighed. I’m locked in some tower but you know how it is here at night. It’s pitch-black outside, and the tower’s got enough dark magic I can’t summon my orb. You guys are lucky Brynn has her brightener on, or you wouldn’t be able to see anything. Tyr glanced to his left, where the glowing sphere hovered over Brynn’s backpack.
Right. Well, how did you find me? Do you remember passing any landmarks on your way? Anything that can help us? Tyr pressed.
I found you the same way I always do—I pushed my energy out until I picked up on your signature. I tried calling on my com, but you didn’t answer. You were probably already fighting Tosk and his minions, and didn’t hear it hum.
I’m sorry, Elsa.
It’s fine, I reassured him. I found you anyway.
So where are you?
I’m not sure. I know I’m somewhere on the other side of the big mountain behind you. I passed the parliament building on the way in, and I know I traveled for a long time looking for you. Maybe you’re seventy-five kilometers from the place Runa’s holding me? Maybe more? I guessed.
Tyr swore. You could be anywhere.
“Where is she?” Forse interrupted. My heart tugged at the crack in his voice.
“Elsa, give me a minute with these guys,” Tyr spoke aloud. “Forse, get the locator set up and set up two scans—one for Elsa specifically, and one for all towers within a fifty-to-two-hundred-fifty-mile circumference of the parliament building. Elsa, do you know how high up your tower is?”
Between twelve and fifteen meters. And it’s surrounded by water. But Tyr, I think the tower’s cloaked in dark magic—there’s enough in my cell to mute my light magic, though thankfully my energetic abilities are intact. I guess you know that, though, since I’m in your head. But I think it will be too much for the locator to see through. So even if—
“Slow down. The dark magic’s strong enough to mute yours? You’re not in Helheim, are you?” Tyr sounded alarmed.
“Oh gods, is she in Helheim?” Brynn cried.
“I don’t know. Let her answer! Elsa?” Tyr pressed.
I’m not in Helheim. You’re still in Svartalfheim, and I didn’t jump realms to find you, so I’m here, too. I just have no idea where.
“She’s not in Helheim,” Tyr voiced out loud. I heard Brynn and Forse sigh in relief.
Oh, Elsa. Regret clouded Tyr’s vision as he directed his words inside his head. I’m so sorry I put you in this position.
You didn’t. Runa did. You were right to want to bring her in. We just hit a little hiccup, but we’ll get through it. I’ll try to escape and get back to you guys, but in the meantime, I’ll make myself useful and gather as much intel as I can—find out who she’s working with, what she’s planning to do with Fenrir…she really wants that dog. Be careful—I have the distinct impression that if you show up wherever I am, you’ll be walking right into a trap.
Elsa, surely you know that I am un-trappable. Tyr’s arrogance made me smile.
Of course. You focus on steering clear of Tosk, and whoever else he’s working with. When I’ve gathered as much information as I can from Runa, I’ll find a way to get out of here and track you down. If you guys happen to find me in the meantime, we can catch the next Bifrost out of here.
Tyr’s view narrowed as he furrowed his brow. Sorry, Sis, but finding you trumps everything else. He spoke his next words out loud. “Forse, amend your scan to include all towers in Svartalfheim over twelve meters in height, surrounded by water. Don’t worry about looking for Elsa’s trace; she says the tower’s cloaked in enough dark magic to render the locator useless.”
“What the Hel?” Forse swore.
“I know. But that device can still track the towers themselves. We’ll isolate all potential hostage locations. And since there are only three of us, Forse, you’re going to port us to each one until either that locator or our god hunt tracks down my sister.”
“With pleasure.” Forse put his hands on either side of my brother’s head and pulled him close. Now his emerald eyes were just inches from my vantage point. They burned with an intensity that was equal parts adoration and agony. “We’re going to get you out of there, Elsa,” he vowed. “And then I’m never letting you out of my sight again. That’s a promise.”
My energy fluttered, and I willed Tyr forward so we could kiss the bridge of Forse’s nose. But my brother’s audible groan, coupled with his vigorous removal of Forse’s hands from his temples, thwarted my plan.
Tyr, I complained.
“Both of you need to remember that you are talking through me,” Tyr growled. “And this is getting weird. Elsa, knock it off. Forse, get to work.”
“Fine.” Forse stepped back. He pulled the locator out of his pocket and set up shop beneath the rocky outcropping at the base of the mountain. He drew his shoulders back, set his jaw,
and began pressing buttons like a god possessed.
You know he’d do anything for you. My brother’s voice sounded inside his head.
I’d do anything for him, I said wistfully. Tell him I miss him.
You can tell him yourself when we pick you up. Förbaskat, Elsa, I can’t believe they pulled one over on us. Again. How are they getting through? I knew Tyr closed his eyes because the screens went dark.
Freya was—well, we’d never seen an attack like that before. And we’ve never seen anything like the crystal Runa ingested. It gave her powers, Tyr. Powers. We don’t even know the extent of them. Did you know it could generate magic like that? I asked.
If I did, I’d never have taken it out of the treasure vault, much less put it in dark elf hands. We don’t need to give them any tools that might help them bring about the fall of Asgard. The Norns have been following the Ragnarok prophecy, but they don’t see the end of days coming for decades, maybe centuries. Though they’ve been wrong before…Tyr’s screen brightened as he opened his eyes to stare at the sky.
Don’t go there, I cautioned.
It’s my job to go there, he growled. But Ragnarok aside, these monsters are getting around us, Elsa. We’ve got to tighten up or…or…
He didn’t have to say it. I could see the flashback from inside his mind.
Stop, I ordered. We aren’t our parents. I’m going to be just fine. You guys will get me, and we’ll head back to Asgard, and everything will be exactly the way it was.
That’s not good enough, Tyr rumbled. The way it was got a lot of gods killed. We’re going to get you out of here and so help me, Forse and I are going to make Runa and Tosk pay.
You do that, big brother. Just make sure you don’t give her Fenrir. She wants him too badly. I flinched as my energy went on lockdown. My ears picked up on something clanging outside the door. Sorry, I’ve got to get back to my body. You know it’s hard on it when I send my energy out for this long, and I think someone’s coming. I’ll gather intel on this end. If I break myself out of here before the locator finds me, I’ll let you know where to come pick me up.
Take care of yourself, Tyr thought softly.
You do the same. And take care of Forse, okay? I kind of need him around.
Will do, Tyr vowed.
Secure in his promise, I withdrew my energy from his head, pulling it at breakneck speed across the black space until I was once again back in my body.
It was the last place I wanted to be.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“GET UP. YOU’RE GOING to show me where they’re keeping Fenrir.” Runa stormed into the cell, her stiletto boots clacking on the stones. A glow bathed the room as Runa lit a wall sconce I hadn’t noticed in my inventory. Interesting. I filed its presence away and pushed myself to my feet. I pressed my back to the wall and kept my arms flexed in the defensive stance Forse had drilled into me before we left.
Runa laughed, the barking sound echoing off the walls. “You think you’re going to fight me, ko?”
Well that was just rude. I was many things, but I was definitely not a cow.
“I think you’re going to be angry when I tell you I don’t know where Fenrir is. So I’m prepared to defend myself, yes.” I held my breath as Runa stood directly in front of me. Even without the stilettos she would have towered over my five and a half feet. She was easily as tall as my brother, and her shoulders were practically as broad as his. I swallowed my anxiety and pushed out calming energy. Bullies preyed on fear, and I wasn’t about to give this one any reason to strike.
“What are you going to do, meditate your way out of this?” Runa crossed her arms. “Don’t forget, I lived in Asgard once too. I know you went through high school in the protected gods program. Those weaklings didn’t get nearly enough fight training to take me on. Your little gift meant you never had to learn to fight for yourself—the rest of the gods trained hard to be able to protect sweet little Elsa.” She snorted. “I remember all about your freaky mind powers. Now they’re going to take me straight to Fenrir, so show me what you know and I won’t kill you.”
What I knew was that the cell door was open, and with my magic on lockdown, I might not have another window to get out of there. The situation wasn’t ideal—a beast of a woman stood between me and freedom, and I was hardly athletic enough to overpower her. But I did have a modicum of Brynn’s Asgardian super-speed, and one Hel of a lot of motivation to remove myself from my current situation. If I faked left and dove right like Forse had shown me back in the forest, I might be able to throw Runa off long enough to get to the door. And from there…well, there was a reason even gods in the protected program went through so many improvisational drills in school.
Here goes nothing.
I didn’t allow myself to think about the risk, the odds, or the likelihood that I was about to incur severe injury. I simply shifted my weight to my toes and bolted.
I launched myself through the door and barreled down the narrow hallway. The grey stones were hard beneath the thin soles of my shoes, and I stumbled across the uneven surface before slamming into the thick slabs of a dark wood door. A high-pitched laugh pealed behind me.
“Just where do you think you’re going?” Runa called.
“Home,” I muttered, pulling on the heavy iron handle of the door. It took all of my strength to wedge it open enough to squeeze through, and I didn’t bother pulling it shut behind me before I sprung into motion again. My arms pumped and my flats clacked as I raced down the circular stone staircase. I bit back a yelp as my elbow made contact with an uneven shard sticking out from the wall. Runa’s laughter echoed through the rocky chamber, letting me know she was close behind.
“Do you honestly think this little escape act is going to work?” Runa barely sounded winded as she called from somewhere behind me.
“You achieve what you believe,” I panted. And it was my absolute belief that if I didn’t make it out of here right now, I might not get another chance.
The staircase filled with a bright blue light as a beam shot over my head. It struck the wall directly in front of me, sharp rocks raining down on my head and arms. I pushed forward, ignoring the pain as a dozen tiny tears erupted across my skin. I knew my Asgardian super-healing would fix the wounds in minutes. My magic might have been muted by whatever cloak Runa placed on this structure, but my energetic gifts remained mercifully unaffected. For now. I ducked as another beam shot past me, this one narrowly missing my arm. It struck the wall, creating a boulder-sized hole. Another beam struck the ceiling, and I covered my head as the stones from above clattered to the ground, blocking the staircase. I skidded to a stop just before I plowed headfirst into the rubble. A keening cackle came from behind me.
“Now what are you going to do?” Runa’s voice sounded unnervingly close.
What was I going to do? Forse had told me to identify two plausible escape routes in any situation. But the staircase was blocked, and the monster trying to kill me was closing in. The only way out was…
I didn’t bother to look down. No matter how high I still was, the freshly blasted wall was my only escape. I bent my knees and launched myself off the staircase, through the hole and away from Runa.
The second I was outside, panic wrapped me in its manacles, and I flailed wildly. Oh, gods. I must be twelve meters high. And I’m…over a moat? If I hit the water from this height…but I won’t. I jumped as far as I could from the wall, and there’s no way Runa could summon enough dark magic to extend the blocker this far beyond the edge of the building; the cloak is going to wear off any minute. I held out my hands and pushed energy at the rapidly approaching ground, secure in the knowledge that my magic would kick in and slow my descent.
Any second now.
It was about to happen.
Oh my gods. Why isn’t it kicking in? How did she cloak the outside of the tower? I closed my eyes and braced myself for the collision, praying whatever injuries I incurred wouldn’t prevent me from swimming to the shore and cl
awing my way back to my friends…wherever they were. But before I felt the sharp strike of the impact, my body was yanked upward. My head bowed under the force and heavy energy squeezed my heart. Darkness overwhelmed me, as I was ripped away from the moat and back through the hole.
“No!” I screamed, clawing at the air in a pointless attempt to overpower Runa and her blue beams of terror.
“Yes,” she hissed, as the beam pulled me back up the staircase and down the narrow hallway before flinging me into the cell I’d just escaped. I landed on my hip and skidded across the uneven surface. The stones scraped through my clothes and left me feeling raw and bruised. But I pushed myself to my feet, refusing to give up.
Runa wasn’t taking me without a fight.
“You’re going to tell me where they keep Fenrir.” Runa slammed the cell door behind her and stalked toward me. “And you’re going to tell me now.”
My gaze shifted between the closed door and the barred window. I needed to buy time while I figured out another escape route. I wrapped my arms around my stomach so my fingers grazed the worst of the bruises. They hurt, but I’d had worse. “I’d love to help you, Runa, but I can’t. Nobody told me where they took Fenrir after we captured him. Maybe his guards knew it’d make me a target.”
“Liar.” Runa thrust out her arm, and thick fingers wrapped around my neck. The pressure against my windpipe was immediate, and my hands fell to my sides as I opened my mouth in a futile effort to suck in air. Was Runa always this strong, or…oh gods. Exactly what powers did she get from that crystal? The ability to port with at least one captive. Blue beams. Super-strength…what else was she capable of? Oh gods, oh gods. Forget gathering intel. Forget outrunning her. I’d be lucky if I could hold off Runa long enough to send my friends one final jeg elsker deg.
“What’s the matter, snowflake? Didn’t your brother teach you how to protect yourself?” Runa taunted as she squeezed.
