He nodded carefully. “A noble quest for noble people. But I’m not very noble these days.”
I pulled him close to me as I stripped off the gauntlets and the mask. I handed them to Anja, who took them, looking shocked. “The dragon has lived here for ages, no?”
“Yes,” Gutty said slowly.
“She would know,” I said forcefully. “She’ll take you where you wish to go. And you will guard the girls. You will keep them alive on their quest.”
“And if the dragon wishes to stay with Nött?” Gutty asked, sweating. “We must get through Itax, then the tunnels, and you just said the wells are magically locked! This is more responsibility that I need currently. I have to get back to home, and now I can only do that if Nött or Itax will help me, and—”
“Your Trad is in war,” I growled. “Aldheim will war for decades. Only one quest matters. Get the Horn to safety in Asgaard,” I winked. “Imagine what the gods will give you if you succeed.”
He rolled his eyes. “You lot have been running after this Horn for a while. And how many are left? You cannot fight Nött,” the man chuckled and went serious. “Wait. Who has the Horn? She? Then—”
I shook my head. “Dana hid it before she came here. Hid it well in the valley before she entered the city. And so you will have to trust me now. You won’t need the keys to get them out of the tower. You won’t need the Scepter to release the locks of the wells.” I hugged Anja, whose eyes popped out of her head. “She has a skill. There is no lock she cannot open. Magical or ordinary.”
Gutty grinned, striking his beard. “Truly? She’d make a nice burglar. Amongst other things.” He shrugged at Anja’s annoyed look. “Gut feeling it is. I agree.” He frowned. “Though I’m still not sure how you will get past Itax’s crew. They are prepared even for a dragon.”
“I have a plan,” I said.
“Oh, fine,” Gutty muttered. “Get to it.”
I pointed to the stairway to the right. “I will,” I told him. “And if you betray them, Anja will burn your nuts off.”
Anja frowned at him and me. “Where will you be, Ulrich?”
I smiled at her and shook my head. “Don’t worry about it.”
Anja took a long breath. “I—”
“Will you do this? I know you hate Dana, but this is no time to fight her. You joined our enemy, and I fought to control a Hel’s creature. We both tried to serve causes of others. We have to do this on our own.”
She frowned. “What about you, I asked.”
“I have to stay,” I said and felt a tear in my eye. “I’m dying.” I pulled down the chain mail and showed her the horrible wound on my chest. She put a hand over her mouth, horrified.
“That is—”
I shook my head. “Don’t say it. I know. It’s Shannon’s curse. I’ll die of it. Gods know what will follow when I do. I might come back. I will make sure I won’t. So you see, I cannot go with you. Hel commands the dead. I’d be a risk.”
“How will you—” Anja began, her eyes wet, but I shook my head, and hugged her. She had been my lover once, before we broke up for my devotion to try to mend the Ten Tears, but now she returned my embrace with warm forgiveness. “You always saw deeper than we did,” she said.
I chuckled. “Yeah, that’s why I’m dying. I’ll stay here for a while. There will be many things to settle,” I said. “Look out for Hel’s minions. They will come after you. You will go to Midgard and you will find an Aesir. Baduhanna. She was the general the Aesir sent there to lead the humans, ages ago. Let her be there still. She might be the only god or First Born in the Nine Worlds who can restore the gates. Take the Horn, and flee to her. Save us all. Nött’s victory over Shannon might not change much. Hel’s curse spread all over. Shannon is gone, but there will be others trying to destroy the Nine Worlds.”
Gutty pulled at Anja and looked unhappily at me. “I’ll not take commands from a girl.”
I chuckled. “There will be three, and one is a dragon. You will. Take care of them.”
“Who’ll take care of me?” he asked pitifully. I laughed, flexing my hands.
Anja turned to go. I winked at her. “Be careful with that thing.” I nodded at Iron Trial. “It challenges a person. And wait before you leave the castle. Hide here. You’ll keep an eye on the courtyard. You’ll know when to go.”
She nodded and turned away. I had given away the Iron Trial, but it was useless. I knew what I was doing. I walked past the portico to the black, elaborately built throne with arm-length thorns curving from the armrests and the back. A set of white keys hung from one throne. I looked to the side, where a simple black stone stood.
The gate to Asgaard?
So close, and yet, useless. Unless Nött would help.
I waited.
I looked behind to the doorways. I thought I saw them there, squatting in shadows by the gate.
I took a deep breath, and sat on the throne.
And then I flew out of it and onto my face.
The goddess stood before me. Her skin was dark as night, her mask hung around her throat, her red tunic and simple skirt billowed with shadows as she prodded me with the Scepter. She was unearthly beautiful with short, black hair brushing her shoulders. She shook her head and leaned on the Scepter of Night. There was a halo of darkness around her, deeper than most shadows. Aesir, Vanir? I wondered in awe. A goddess nonetheless. I, heavily, went to my knees. She eyed the keys suspiciously.
“You liked the seat?” she asked pettily with a thrumming voice, and I swallowed my fear.
“Goddess, I sought you out for a reason. I have a story to tell you,” I said heavily, as her bright eyes scoured me.
She nodded and her mood brightened. “I have been bereft of stories for a while. Amuse me, by all means.”
I spoke. “The Scepter. It was stolen by a master thief.”
“Angar,” she agreed and frowned. “Hired by the Masked One. I know this. Is there more depth to this story?”
I nodded. “And there was another who was involved. Itax, relative of a thief lord of the Unlit City. The Masked One told us Itax had a part to play in the betrayal.”
“Itax,” she said, amused. “Ah, Itax of long looks and sighs. I’ll have to find him, then.”
I grinned. “He is right outside with a sizable band of criminals.”
She smiled at me. “And you have issues with them?”
“I’d say I do,” I agreed.
She laughed brightly and blinked away.
I heard distant screams. There was magic tearing through the streets outside, and horrified screams that were cut short. It took a while, but the sounds of battle ended.
She reappeared, holding Itax by the neck in one of her hands.
She smiled at the bastard, who tried to speak, but could not. “Let us see to your many toys, Itax. I know you wanted to bed me, so let me see what I missed.” Itax shook his head, unable to move his limbs or speak. The goddess went on. “I liked your uncle and father well, but you turned out a rotten, naughty boy. Here.” She ripped away his clothes. She did with the ease, as if she was tearing paper. Rings, bracelets, a diadem, a dozen daggers, a crossbow, and six pouches fell to her feet. She eyed the naked svartalf with contempt, and rifled the treasures with her foot and then raised an eyebrow as she gazed down at his naked manhood. “No, I didn’t miss much. And now that you cannot refuse my intrusions, I’ll have a peek.”
I turned my head carefully, and saw shadows disappearing out of the gate. Nött was busy. She didn’t notice. I breathed a sigh of relief.
She held Itax close. Her eyes glowed, and she travelled his mind. He shuddered, his toes curled with pain, and in the end, she was done. She threw him aside. She looked at the keys and frowned. “Your story had merits. But there was much more in his head. This Dana is still my quest?”
“I would imagine so, Lady of the Night,” I answered with a straight face.
She laughed. “Come here.”
She grasped me by my armor and looked deep into my th
oughts.
The experience was unlike the Masked One’s. She read me like she was caressing water with her fingers. Nothing was a secret. I felt her loathing, her anger, even a shred of pity as she read my past.
Then she read my wishes, and finally, she let go of me.
She sat down, and stretched her powerful legs forward. “Liar,” she laughed. “They are running in the city now.” She shook her head, and smiled at me. Her face was gloriously smooth, young, as if a statue made of shadows, and she smiled. “You tricked me. They have the Gjallarhorn! Imagine that! And one maa’dark who can open the wells!” she laughed hugely, barely able to keep on her seat. She pointed to the black stone. “You could step right there, and blow that Horn, and the gate would open!” she said incredulously. “And yet, no. I would not allow it. You and Shannon were right to fear it. In fact, most everyone thought I would not do it. They knew me well. I like things as they are.”
“I feared as much,” I said with resentment. “You care for your secrets, your games, and your land.”
She nodded. “I don’t want Odin, that is for sure. He and I don’t see eye to eye. Though I don’t want Hel doing any more meddling in my land.” She thrummed her fingers on her throne. “I could still find them. You know this. I could wait for them at the wells.”
“Will you stop them, then?” I asked. “Or let them play the game.” I hoped she would be intrigued.
She toyed with the Scepter. “Manipulative bastard, Ulrich. Hitting a goddess where she is the weakest. Game, games. I do love them. The Horn is valuable. I like valuable things. But I also enjoy games. Fine, I’ll play one. Hel cannot take Svartalfheim now. Not from me. Not easily, unless she marshals all the armies of the Nine to take it. The gods may or may not return, one day. It all hinges on the actions of a traitor human girl, a chubby thief, a vengeful girl who hates the other girl, and an annoying, moral dragon.” She chuckled. “A grand game. No. I will let them go. After all, what awaits them in Midgard, will make the game very adventurous.” She leaned forward. “All you needed to do was to ask. And what of you?”
“Did the Hand of Hel die?” I asked her. “Is she finally at peace?”
She shrugged. “I am not sure. The dagger was not there. It was, then, in the chaos, it was taken. She died, probably. Hel’s threat did not. Her army is gone, her plans dashed. The draugr scattered through my land. And yet, I think the loss of Famine means there is a new threat. But you didn’t answer. What of you?”
I forced myself to speak. “I’d die,” I said and went to a knee.
She smelled the air. “You are dying. And you wish to die? Is it not all well, then?”
“I am dying, Lady,” I said miserably. “It is Hel’s curse coursing through my veins, and gods know what gets up when I fall. I’d die permanently. Surely a goddess can arrange it?”
She snapped her fingers. Kiera fell out of a dark portal, shackled, her wounds healed. “I see. What of this one, then?”
I sighed. “I don’t know.”
She shook her head. “Don’t be shy. I read from your head that you cared for her?”
I choked. I shook my head and looked up at her. It was useless to deny. “I did. I do. I do not know. I felt things for her, when she was still alive. After that, she has done terrible things.”
She nodded at me. “That’s right. She has. She loves you, still. Otherwise, she would have killed you many times by now.”
“Perhaps,” I answered. “She has been very patient.” There was a stab of irony in my voice.
“Day, two, and you are much different, Ulrich,” she mused. “Hel’s thing.” She looked amused. “Here is the thing. You tricked me. I cannot abide that. Bad for reputation. And yet you ask for a favor. Cheeky man. You would die.” She leaned closer, smiling. “This dead elf has a wish as well. And I will grant only one more today.”
“What do you mean, goddess?” I asked her, scared of her mood.
She brought out a gold coin. “I will give only one more wish today, I said. That’s plain enough. Choose. If you choose right, I’ll burn you to cinders. If wrong, I’ll choose Kiera’s wish.”
“What did she wish for?” I asked her.
“Choose!” she said. “Sword, or crown?”
“Sword!”
The coin flew, it spun in the air, and landed with a clinging sound. Even Itax was staring at it.
It spun crazily and fell on its side.
“Crown,” Nött said, delighted. “I do love to bring couples together.”
She opened her hands. We flew to them, and she grasped our wrists. She squeezed them. We shrieked and writhed. My bone fetter was burning brightly, then with dark swirls, and skin and flesh bulged. I looked at Kiera, and saw there was a similar pattern forming on her arm. “Hel be humped,” Nött laughed. “She thinks she can take my land? Oh, no! And to guard against the dead, the dead shall do well. I take you, Kiera, away from Hel.” Kiera shrieked in horrible pain. “And you Ulrich, shall join her in her hunt. And her bed. And hunt well, as my Under Lord.”
I felt my mind burn. I felt my chest knit itself, and my breath stop. I sensed many things moving even outside the palace. I heard whispers far in the tunnels and smelled things I had not imagined. I felt the night, touched streams of magic I had never understood or seen. There was the ice, that which only Shannon amongst the Dark Levy had touched. There were deeper, more sinister fumes of fire and ice, under the layers of fiery and icy streams that were forever Filling the Void.
I stopped breathing. I felt no pain, and I was immensely strong.
She let go of us.
I looked at my arm. It was burning with black swirls. Kiera was backing off. Nött smiled at me. “Now you understand your lady Kiera a bit better, Ulrich. You will, soon enough. Two hunters of the same kind. She wished it, and so be it. Though you are not free, but mine.”
“I—” I began and clutched my chest. My voice was not what it had been. I was not breathing, and it was hard to make it come out right. “You killed me?”
“Hel killed you,” she answered. “I kidnapped you. And now, you will guard the land against Hel. You and her. She no longer obeys Hel. You will both obey me. And it is not bad service, Ulrich. It will be delicious to see you struggle with your conscience. I said I like games, Under Lord.”
“There is an Under lord,” I said, terrified. Dead? Like Shannon? Like Kiera? I turned to look at her, and she was smiling. Things were just like she wanted them.
“Itax?” Nött said, reclining on her seat. I turned to look at the bastard, who looked supremely surprised to be free of his invisible bonds. Nött laughed softly. “You know Itax, he is right. There is an Under Lord. The throne is filled.”
“My lady, these—”
“Itax,” she said pitilessly. “Kill Ulrich. And you stay Under Lord. Ulrich,” she said. “Topple his throne.”
Itax froze, I turned, and groped for my belt.
He whimpered and attacked. His spell tore at the air. A dozen fiery darts left his hands and went through the space where he thought I was.
The ring gleamed on my finger. I stood next to him, and the look on his face was one of horror.
I placed my hand on his face, braided together a fiery stream of flames, and it tore through his head.
He fell back, and died.
Nött smiled. “Well, Under Lord. You have a guild to organize, a realm of spies to set up. And you will keep Svartalfheim safe of the dead. Hunt well, you two. Now, kneel. And give me your oaths.”
Kiera looked away, her arm a tendril of shadows. Nött snapped her fingers and she was compelled. The tendrils glowed. She fell to her knees.
Mine glowed as well and I felt the compulsion to do the same. I did.
We gave her our oaths.
“Go then,” she said, and we got up. I turned, bewildered. I walked out, and stopped by the coin. I picked it up. There were two crowns. I turned to look at Nött. She smiled and shrugged. “I never said I didn’t cheat at games. Keep that in mi
nd if you cross me. I might cheat in the Game of the Horn as well.”
I nodded.
We left the tower and I smiled.
Just like the Bone Fetters, Nött’s mark held no power over me.
EPILOGUE
The tunnels were not abandoned. The three humans made their way through them and the dangerous caverns, protected and guided by a dragon. Svartalfs and orcs, and other monsters trekked the ancient, lost ways, and they had many an adventure. In the end, the travelers reached a winding stairway, and on top of that, there was a carved room.
There, they found four wells, in apparently haphazard order. All had a magical lid. The blonde girl touched one, which the dragon pointed at. The man argued for another way, but didn’t say more, as the dragon pushed the lid aside.
They climbed to the well’s edge, looked down and jumped in. They tumbled into emptiness, and fell to the land called Midgard.
There, they would have to find Baduhanna, the Aesir.
In Svartalfheim, a well stood open. And in the corridors leading to it, a being walked, carrying the Famine.
-The story will continue in the Horn’s Fate -
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