I hope I’m doing the right thing .
Inside the cell, Callan beckoned me with his hand. “It will be all right,” he intoned. “Do as they say.”
With resignation, I moved forward, trying not to react to the skogs, who looked like they’d just been given the greatest gift of their lives.
“Go on, dirty troll! Get in there,” an angry elf voice said. “You will stay put.”
Junnal bent his head and lumbered in. They slammed the door after him, cackling like fools.
The first thing I noticed were the bumpy rocks, similar to porous lava, dark and jagged, covering the walls. “What is this place?” I turned in a circle. “Why is it covered in volcanic rock?”
Callan smirked. “The elves believe that using earth stone will dampen our magic. They dig it up from a special place in the realm and bring it here.”
“Does it work?”
“For true white elves, possibly,” he answered. “It might dampen some of their abilities. White elves gather magic organically, straight from the soil, and this kind of rock inhibits the transfer. But for me? Who is also a mage? It does nothing.”
“Please tell me you still have the weapons and the cloak?”
“Indeed, I do.” He smiled, his crooked teeth thankfully not sharp. He patted his stomach. “They are right where we left them.”
I rubbed my shoulder, yearning for the feeling of my swords strapped to my back again. “Well, at least that’s something.”
As I began to walk around, my hands fisting in frustration, the ground began to rumble under our feet.
15
__________________________
____________
I glanced at Callan, a single brow angled up. “Do you know what the shaking means?” More tremors ran beneath our feet, and dust and debris in the form of black pellets fell from the walls and ceiling.
“I’ve only felt this one other time in my residence,” Callan answered. “From what I gathered then, it means a guest is arriving who is not invited. The elves will try to prevent it from happening as best they can.”
“That really wouldn’t be considered a guest, then,” I pointed out. “More like an intruder.” My brain instantly thought Fen. If he could find a way in, he would. If not Fen, then the Valkyries may finally have found a way to breach the realm with Huggie’s help. My spirits lifted considerably.
Callan opened his tunic, moved his long beard aside, and took out my cloak. With authority, the old man said, “It’s time to get you out of here.”
Huh?
My brows furrowed. “What are you talking about? You made me go along with this plan, assuring me it was the right choice, and now we’re stuck here until Zee frees us. We can’t just get out of here.”
“On the contrary, that skog can’t be trusted!” Callan all but snorted as his eyes narrowed. “I went along with Zee’s plan to get us off the cursed level. It was the only way. There were too many of us, not to mention”—he jammed his grizzled thumb at Junnal—“the giant would not have gone unseen. But those lizards are dishonest to the bone. They will rob you blind and sell your soul to the highest bidder.” He handed me the cloak, ignoring my bewildered look. “You will don this, retrieve your weapons, and go find your mother. Then you must leave this place as quickly as you arrived. If luck is with us, you will go undetected.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “What…what about you and Baldur?” I stammered, feeling a little stunned. Why hadn’t he just told me?
Callan swiped a hand while making a pfft sound. “We will be just fine. The giant here will spring us once you leave. I will find Baldur, and all will be well. There is no time for arguing.” He pushed at my back, his bony fingers like prongs urging me toward the door. “But you must hurry. I bet that lowly skog is double-dealing with the elves right now asking for ten caskets. The highest bidder will get his loyalty, nothing more, nothing less.”
Well, okay, then.
I wasn’t going to leave Callan or Baldur behind, but I wasn’t going to tell him that now. “The skogs aren’t just going to let me walk out of here,” I said, once he guided me to the door. “How is this going to work?”
“I will open the door with magic, and you will slip out.”
“I need Gundren,” I pointed out. “I can’t fight the elves without it.”
“Of course you must have your swords. Weapons like that are hard to come by.” Callan held up his withered hand and placed it on the door. He closed his eyes and leaned down, speaking through the grate. “You will open this door and return the Valkyrie’s swords to her right now!”
I arched a look at Junnal.
The giant shrugged.
It seemed Callan might be delusional.
Then, to our utter surprise, the door opened. Gundren was tossed unceremoniously through, clattering to the ground.
I bent down quickly, clutching it to my chest, exclaiming, “How did you do that?”
“I still have it,” Callan said, his voice gleeful as he held the door ajar. “I wasn’t sure I did, as I have neared the end of my life span in this awful place, but it worked. I haven’t had a subject to try it on in years.” His voice was wistful. “It wasn’t until the second month of my stay on the cursed level that I realized my plan to hide out there until help arrived was severely flawed. I could not escape if I had no one to manipulate, and all stayed away. I thought my king would send others back for me.” Callan’s expression turned downward. “But it was too late when I realized he thought I perished.”
I harnessed Gundren on my back, asking in a soft voice, “A subject to try what on?”
“My specialty is mind control,” Callan replied proudly, straightening. “It was how I was able to break out of my cell the first few times, but I could never find my way fully out. Directions are not my strong suit.”
This white elf mage was full of surprises.
“Callan, you’re an extremely talented guy. I’m lucky to have you on my side,” I said with sincerity. “Do you have any tips on how to find my mother once I’m out?”
“You must search for a cell with a milf standing in front of it.”
“I’m sorry,” I sputtered, “but did you just say milf ?” I coughed. I knew the word wouldn’t mean the same thing in this realm as it did on Midgard, but it was still hilarious to hear it come out of Callan’s mouth.
“Yes, exactly, a milf,” he answered.
“I don’t know what you mean by a milf. Please excuse my ignorance,” I told him as I donned my cloak, deciding not to explain what it meant in my world, as that would just be totally confusing all around.
“It describes an elf hybrid. Milf means ‘mixed elf,’ and they are taller and look more human than their dark elfin counterparts. They are sired by elves and another, most often human. They have held this Valkyrie a long time, and they know she’s wily. She will prefer to interact with milfs. To ensure that her needs are met, they will have staffed her with them.”
“Are they as strong as dark elves?” I asked, readying to make my break.
“Some are. It depends on their parentage. But most are not. Humans do not kindle magic anymore, so they are no threat. The dark elves keep the milfs around more or less as slaves.”
“That’s helpful to know.” I tightened the leather straps on my scabbard. “I was under the impression the elves were torturing my mother down here. Is that true?”
Baldur had appeared grimy and in need of a shower, but he didn’t look like he’d been abused during his time as a prisoner.
“They likely have through the years, trying to extract what information they can about the Valkyries. But they also fear Odin’s wrath, so they wouldn’t have gone too far. But that’s just this old mage’s opinion. Who knows what they have done? You must go now, before the skog leader comes back. It will not be so easy to fool him.”
I was ready. Callan held the door open a few inches. I leaned over and gripped his arms, gazing down at this stranger who was kindl
y helping me and expecting nothing in return. “Callan, before I go I want you to siphon some energy from me. I want you to be strong so you can escape.”
“Nonsense,” he chided. “I need no more. What I took was enough. It will last. Yggdrasil will enrich me when I finally leave this place.”
“I insist. I need to make sure you have enough to make it to the tree. You’ve helped me more than I ever could have imagined, and you don’t even know me. It’s the least I can do.”
“Okay, yes, I will take a small amount.” He closed his eyes, and I began to feel a draw.
After too short a time, he let go, shaking himself like a dog coming in from the rain. That was peculiar.
I squinted in the low light. Did his hair look different? I was about to ask, when we heard shouting outside the door.
“You must leave now,” he ordered. “I am certain we will see each other again.” He withdrew Gram and the ice pick, handing them both to me.
I took Gram, Odin’s dagger, which had saved my life on more than one occasion, but I told him, “You keep the elf dirk. You will need it more than I do.”
He nodded once, thankfully not arguing, and stuffed it back inside his dirty tunic. I pulled the cloak down over my head and addressed Junnal. “Stay here for now. We will meet up soon. I’m not sure how this is going to go, but we’re getting out of here together.”
Junnal shook his head no and took a few steps toward me.
I raised a hand to stop him. “Listen, I know splitting up isn’t opportune,” I argued. “But I’ve got the means to do this now, thanks to Callan. I need to find my mother. It’s the only way. You can back me up if anything goes wrong. For now, I need you to stay here so no one notices I’ve gone missing.”
“Not…safe,” the Jotun answered.
“I know,” I told him. “But we don’t have a better plan.”
“Promised…Odin,” Junnal responded.
“I realize you took a vow to keep me safe, and letting me go is doing just that,” I assured him. “I’m going to be okay. No one can see me. We need to find a way out of here, and I’m not leaving without Leela.”
The Jotun dropped his arms to his sides, looking resigned.
I reached out and hugged his massive frame. “Thank you. I didn’t trust the skogs, and I’m grateful for another chance. I don’t want to screw this mission up any more than I already have. It’s time to get this done.”
Callan began murmuring something through the crack in the door in a language I didn’t understand. After a moment, he stepped back. “You may go now. They will not notice you.”
I nodded as I slipped out, making sure not to brush up against the guards as I went.
Callan scolded them, and I smiled. “You shouldn’t leave the door open. Your leader will be angry at your negligence.”
One of the skogs hissed and slammed the door shut.
I heard Callan softly chuckling as I traversed the long hallway, backtracking the way we’d come. I needed to find the stairs, the ones we’d come down as prisoners. I couldn’t risk moving through a main artery.
As I moved silently, I realized there were more doors here than I’d seen on any previous level. Voices came from around a corner, and I dodged to the side, ducking into a doorway as two elves scurried by.
“It stinks of white elf magic here!” one declared.
“That’s because the filthy white elf is back,” another snorted.
“I cannot wait until Invaldi kills him once and for all. That whage has put us in a very tough position after all these years. If it gets out that we lost him in our own castle, we will be the laughingstock of all the realms! No one will pay us to keep their criminals.”
“Yes. Killing him is the only way.”
I managed to hold in my gasp until after they passed. No one would be killing Callan. Once I had my mother, getting the white elf out was my next priority.
Once the coast was clear, I hurried along.
There should be stairs back here somewhere.
Where were they?
I was just about to turn back and head for the main stairway when I heard a different kind of noise, like quiet tapping. I splayed my hands against the wall to my left, then rested my ear against it. It sounded like feet going up stairs, and it was coming from the other side of the wall.
The stairs had to be concealed behind this wall. I just had to figure out how to access them.
I ran my hands along the brick. More noises erupted from inside the stone, this time louder. I leaped out of the way just in time, backing up flush against the opposite side of the hallway, making sure I was completely covered by the cloak.
The wall in front of me slid open seamlessly, and two figures emerged.
Zee and the elf leader!
They had their heads together.
Callan had been right all along! I had to wait for them to pass to slip into the stairwell, hopefully before it closed. I was just about to make a run for it when Zee stopped in his tracks, his ugly lizard face pointed upward, his nostril slits flaring.
“Do you smell something?” he lisped to the elf leader.
“Just the smell of victory,” the leader replied. “You were perfect in your role of turncoat. It couldn’t have worked any better. You will be lavished with gifts. Invaldi will be beyond pleased.”
Zee sniffed. “If you do not pay us within the next hour, we shall see what happens.”
“You will have your fifteen caskets delivered within the hour.”
Fifteen! That dirty double-crosser.
“And our agreement includes the Valkyrie, do not forget,” Zee added.
My interested piqued. Were they talking about me?
“The maiden is awaiting transport on level three as we speak. I am certain the shieldmaidens won’t be able to recover her from the depths. We will be glad to be rid of her. She has been nothing but a problem, always trying to escape.”
They were talking about my mother!
“They will not get through our defenses,” Zee said. “We will bury our trail after we descend. It will be impossible to track us.”
“The agreed-upon term is three years, no more,” the elf said as they began to walk again. “Odin will check in, and we will delay, but three years is the maximum.”
“I would gladly trade her for the younger Valkyrie. Talk to Invaldi,” Zee said. “She smelled delicious, and Odin will not be checking in for her. A few caskets less for five years.”
I shuddered, my blood running cold. Thinking of either one of us as the skogs’ prisoner was horrifying, and it wasn’t going to happen. I ducked into the stairwell, right as the wall closed. I hurried up the flights, thankful no one else was around. They’d said she was on level three, not five. It had been a lucky break to overhear the conversation.
Zee was likely heading to check on me, so I had to hurry. Once he found I was gone, he would sound the alarms. I rounded a new level, and right before I cleared the next, a large figure barreled into the stairwell. I caught myself just in time, barely edging out of the way, sputtering as I realized who it was.
“Baldur?” I whispered, as I grabbed on to his arm. “What are you doing here?”
He grasped me around the shoulders. “Sister, is that you?” He couldn’t see me. “Ah, I smell you now, little Valkyrie. How fortunate to meet up.”
“How did you get here?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
“I’m not totally without skills.” He chuckled. “I’ve broken out of almost every cell at least once, and the skogs only kept me tied with that feeble cord. After I was free of it, I used my outstanding strength to break out—meaning I sweet-talked the guards into opening the door to give me food, and then I hit them over the head.” He grinned wide. “Worked like a charm.”
I slid my hand into his, keeping my cloak hood over my face. “Come with me. My mom is on level three awaiting transport. Those bastards are sending her down with Zee and his two-timing army of lizards.”
Baldur sw
ore under his breath. “I knew they were double-dealing.” We started to run.
“If you knew they were going to break their word, why didn’t you tell me?” I asked as we rounded the next level. “Callan didn’t trust them either.”
“Because the only real choice we had was to play along. They saw you with their own eyes. If we had not agreed, they would’ve sounded the alarms. I’m not extremely familiar with skogs, but I smelled a rat from the start. I thought if we went willingly we might have a chance to break out, and we did.”
I came to a stop on what I thought was level three. “Are we here?”
Baldur inspected the markings. They were so small I hadn’t even noticed them. “Yes, level three.”
“Where were you heading when you almost collided with me?” I asked.
“To find you.” He gave me a lopsided grin. It was impossible not to like this guy. Why did he have to be destined for such a dismal future?
It was so unfair.
“Callan said to look for a milf guarding my mother’s cell,” I told him as we crept into the hallway. This entrance was wide open and not concealed by a magic wall. I reached up to take my cloak down, making it partway before my brother stopped me.
“Leave yourself concealed. Just in case,” he warned. “We have the element of surprise, but only for a short time. They will be on to us soon. If they find us here, I will claim the actions, and you can stay hidden.”
“Okay,” I agreed.
We weren’t in the hallway more than a few seconds when a cackle erupted. It was light and melodic. I grabbed on to Baldur’s hand and squeezed.
I knew that voice.
“Here to see your dear mother?” a female voice intoned. “She hasn’t had company in such a long time. You really should try and visit more often.”
My heart dropped.
“Oh, don’t be so surprised to find me here, girl,” the singsong voice I knew too well told me. “I do predict the future, you know.”
Freed: (Phoebe Meadows Book 2) Page 12
