Nokken

by Mary E. Twomey

  Jamie pulled Jens in for a tight hug and a kiss on either cheek. “I’ll keep her safe until my very last breath, brother.” The hug could’ve ended there, but Jens held on a few seconds longer. I could tell in the tightness with which he gripped his best friend that he was anxious about this portal.

  Jens released Jamie, delivered a brief kiss to the top of my head without looking me in the eye, and grabbed Nik’s shoulder, his machete drawn.

  Jamie reached for my hand to vanish me, but I yanked away from his advance. “No! This is a terrible plan!”

  Lucy, do you trust Jens?

  I steamed at Jamie’s question. Of course! But this isn’t right. Don’t you feel it?

  If you trust him, let him lead.

  The look I gave Jamie was nothing to be trifled with, and he took the nonverbal admonition with grace. “Let’s go, liten syster.”

  “Little sister?” I inquired.

  Jamie nodded, holding onto Tor with his other hand while Foss clamped down on his shoulder. I scooped up Henry Mancini, who nuzzled my chin and licked my face. Britta vanished Uncle Rick and Charles, looking a perfect mix of scared and fierce.

  We set off in our direction, and I tried not to grow anxious with every step we took away from Jens.

  We were a quarter of the way to the meeting place when we heard it. I turned my head to see the scope of the commotion near the pool. My eyes were wide when I saw Nøkken diving into the water with their menacing tritons sharpened for a swift kill. We all turned to watch, helpless to do anything.

  Uncle Rick was giving a command to Jamie, but I was so focused on the lake, I did not hear it. Suddenly Jamie was leading an invisible me, Foss and Tor in haste toward the docks while Britta ran Uncle Rick and Charles toward the water.

  “What’s going on?” I demanded, not liking Charles so near the danger. Henry Mancini could sense my fear as I held him to my chest.

  Jamie did not answer – a sign that he was engrossed in the new plan. He only plodded us all forward at his quickened pace.

  Tor replied, “We’re outnumbered. Alrik and tha halfy’re gonna see if they can help get them out.”

  I had a million questions as I trotted along with my head twisted so I could catch glimpses of the lake. I nearly jumped out of my skin a few seconds later when water shot straight up from the lake fifteen feet in the air. It was a wave that went nowhere, but remained tall like a wall until it went plunging straight below, turning itself inside out. Nøkken were thrown out of the lake by the fistful as the red light that signaled the portal was being broken shot up out of the water like an explosive.

  The Mouthpiece was shouting orders, whipping his head around as he fumed. He stalked back and forth along the edge of the lake, his dogged search for me made me cling tight to Jamie.

  I made several noises of worry and fear when I did not see signs of Nik or Jens. The water thrashed and crashed around the edges of the lake, giving the two plenty of time to finish the job. Uncle Rick and Charles had a firm grasp on their control of the water when they worked together.

  When the red light ceased, we knew the portal was destroyed. The Nøkken were focused on the big eruptions of water, but I was zeroing in on the perimeter, waiting for small ripples to let me know that Jens and Nik were on their way back to us.

  Tor and Foss were deliberating about the size of the aquatic upset. “There’s no way that’s Alrik. Elves can do a fair amount ta the water, but I’ve never seen nothing like that.”

  “It’s that Mace. When he scrambled the rat’s brains, his spell was too powerful. This is him. First his Huldra abilities are too much, and now his Elfish ones, too? Where’d Alrik find this guy?”

  Tor’s eyes were wide as he took in the water wall that was building at least two stories tall, and growing. “I don’t know, but I’m starting ta be grateful he’s on this trip. Had no idea halfies were so useful.”

  We watched and waited on the path between the forest and the docks for far too long. “Something’s gone wrong. They should’ve been back by now,” Jamie ruled.

  All of a sudden, three Nøkken guards broke through the water chaos, hefting a body onto the grass.

  There was blood. Too much blood painted the body that I had held only a handful of nights ago. His body was splayed at an unnatural angle, arm twisted too far above his head to be attached properly. My mouth opened, but Foss’s hand cupped it. He didn’t need to. I had no voice to scream with.

  White-blue hair now slicked red, Nik was rolled out and dragged by his ankles. The Mouthpiece bent down and checked his pulse. His commanding voice boomed out, “We got him! It’s Nik the Man of Valor! He’s dead. Find the rake! Bring me the rake and look for Queen Lucy! If we’ve got Nik, she can’t be far! Queen Lucy must be brought in for questioning. She’s been seen traveling with Nik.”

  Foss’s hand was still clamped around my mouth, but he drew me back and pressed me against his firm torso, posturing to prove I was protected.

  My heart sank as seconds passed without movement from the mangled mess that was Nik. I shook away from Foss’s stern grip on my face. “We have to do something!” I whispered, tears running down my face. Henry Mancini licked my cheeks, but it brought me no comfort.

  “We do nothing now,” Foss ruled in his finite way.

  “But he’s not dying as a hero! He’s going out as a criminal! There’s no redemption in this. He won’t get the respect he deserves.”

  Foss covered my mouth again, only this time, it was not as forceful. “This is the way it is for true heroes. They go out for the job, not the glory.”

  I willed with everything in me for Nik to move one muscle, to give me a sign that he was alive to some extent.

  But Nik did not move. He did not breathe. There was no more happiness in his haughty eyes. There was no more grief in his heart for Kirk. As I looked out at Nik in the distance, I found there was no more of Nik at all. Pesta would not get his soul, but neither would we.

  Twenty-Five.

  Splitting Up

  “Shut down the roads out of town!” the Mouthpiece called to his team.

  Foss and Jamie exchanged troubled glances. “We can’t wait,” Foss ruled. “They’re going to shut down the docks when they don’t find the rake, and we’ll be stuck here.”

  Jamie nodded. “Sure, but what’s our other option?”

  Tor said what Jamie could not. “The two portals left ta shut down are the Fossegrimens and humans.”

  I pushed Foss’s hand away from my mouth. “And the elves.”

  Tor readied his ax. “Right. I’m not needed, so I’ll wait fer tha others and help if I can. I’ll let them know ya’ve gone on.”

  My head darted around between the men. “Wait, what? Splitting up wasn’t part of the plan!”

  Something caught my eye at the edge of the lake. My intake of breath was just enough warning for Foss to cover my mouth again before I let out a horrified scream.

  A body rose to the surface of the water, surrounded by a pool of blood.

  “It’s probably not Jens,” Jamie insisted, his voice pinched with anxiety.

  Tor shooed us away. “We’ll catch up once tha search dies down. Go! This might be yer only chance ta get ta the Fossegrimens. Maybe ya can find a few sympathizers and gain some allies.” Tor was already shaking Foss’s hand. “We’ll grab tha rake and meet ya there as soon as we can.”

  “No!” I argued, my blood cold as my eyes zeroed in on the body. The black shirt was shifting to and fro with the current, but I couldn’t see the victim’s hair. Black or bluish white? Black or bluish white? Come on! I shouted in my head. “We can’t just leave Jens and everyone to fend for themselves!”

  Jamie hugged Tor with trembling arms and kissed both his cheeks. “Farewell, Torsten the Mighty. We’ll see you soon.”

  “But you’ll be seen!” I pointed out. “Jamie can’t vanish you if we leave.”

  Tor shrugged. “What’s the crime in a dwarf visiting tha lovely Nøkken countryside? I certai
nly don’t have no rake on me. I wouldn’t be suspect ta them anyway. Dwarves don’t swim. Free pass for Torsten the Mighty.” He reached out and gently pried Henry Mancini from my arms, giving me a stern look when I resisted.

  Panic built up in me. “But he’s mine! Don’t take my dog! I’ll keep him quiet, I swear!”

  “Now, now. Don’t ya worry. I’ll keep watch over him. Ya might have ta sneak off the docks, in which case ya’ll have better luck if yer yap stays with me.”

  Henry Mancini licked Tor’s beard and then sneezed, whining at me to question whether I thought this was the best way for him. I ran my hands over my puppy’s fur, trying to put on a brave face underneath my tears. “It’s okay, Henry Mancini. Mommy’s just going on a little trip. I’ll be back to come get you sooner than you think.” I nuzzled the top of his head, my heart breaking as he whined. “I’ll always come back for you.”

  “Off ya go, lass.”

  “Tor, I don’t like this idea,” I insisted, my heart pounding as I cast around for any excuse they might allow me to stay. “Jens! The body in the lake… It’s… I don’t know if… We can’t leave without Jens!”

  Before I knew what was happening, Tor pulled me down to his level, which was only a handful of stooped inches, and kissed my mouth. “Fare thee well, Queen Lucy the Brave.”

  Then Jamie all but dragged me away from Tor and Henry Mancini. He took me away from Uncle Rick, my new brother and my new best friend. He led me away from Nik’s ripped and lonely body that would not be laid to rest with any respect, nor with Kirk.

  Of all things, he took me away from Jens.

  Enjoy a free preview of Fossegrim,

  book three in the Undraland Series.

  One.

  Adrift

  Foss shook his head as he, Jamie and I ran away from the lake where the Nøkken portal to the Land of Be had just been destroyed by Nik. “We stick to the plan. Let’s head for the docks. As soon as Alrik and Charles stop fiddling with the water, Tor will grab them and they’ll meet us in Fossegrim.” We were holding hands so Jamie could vanish us, which made for an awkward escape.

  “What if they need our help?” I argued as we ran toward the ocean. Well, I ran. They trotted, their long legs making the trek far easier on them. “How can you be sure that bloody body we saw floating to the surface wasn’t Jens?”

  Jamie’s steps faltered, but Foss righted him. Foss’s response was firm. “Nøkken have the upper hand in a water fight. If we get involved, it’ll mean death for us all. Those who can be of use are helping. We’re sticking to the plan. Let’s go.”

  I wanted to run back to Nik and Jens, but part of me saw the merit in Foss’s logic. I wasn’t even the best swimmer in gym class. And tritons? Those Nøkken were no joke. Plus, given my last experience when the Nøkkendalig attacked me underwater, I wasn’t keen on getting back in a lake so soon.

  Jens was probably fine. He had Uncle Rick, Charles, Britta and Tor. They would find him and help him. His body probably wasn’t the one I saw with blood blooming out into the water in red puffs, streaking through the blue in ribbons. I felt cold and empty. The limbo of not knowing felt like a vice around my throat.

  When we reached the dock, Foss took the lead. Jamie kept me vanished outside a small shanty just off the dock while Foss negotiated a small boat for us to cross the water in.

  I had no idea Undraland was so vast. I heard Foss talking with the merchant, and he pointed to a piece of land so far away, it was barely visible. The dock worker had a fear of Foss that went beyond being intimidated by his physical appearance. Foss’s reputation had preceded him. Whatever softening had happened as a result of Mace’s whistle stripping away layers of his curse, it was pushed out by his sneer that seemed even more cruel than usual.

  Foss paid the man, who began loading into the small boat the baskets Foss pointed to. There was a basket of food, one with blankets and clothes, one with nets, and a few I could not tell what was inside.

  When Foss gave us a discreet nod, we made our way invisibly to the dock with quiet feet. Jamie lowered me down and Foss steadied me with his hands on my hips. I didn’t love the fact that since I was the smallest of our trio, I was to sit on the floor between the two wooden seats. I curled my knees to my chest to make room for the invisible man.

  The image of surely not Jens bleeding out in the water imprinted itself on the inside of my eyelids, taunting me whenever I drew breath. Since I was invisible and no one would see my miniature breakdown, I turned my head to the side and wept into Jamie’s thigh.

  Jamie ran his hands through my blonde tangles. “There, there. Nik knew this was a possibility. We all did going into it. There wasn’t time for him to suffer much, and we must be grateful for that.”

  “Grateful? We have no idea if Jens is even alive! Nik’s body surfaced, but Jens went down there invisible. If he’s dead, will we even know? How will they find his body?”

  Jamie gripped my hair too hard to be comforting. “When Tomten die, our magic leaves us, so he’ll be easy to spot.”

  “That’s it? That’s all you can say? He’s your best friend!”

  Jamie didn’t answer, but looked far off into the distance. Through the psychic bond we shared, I could tell he was not anxious to reach our destination, but more nervous for what happened when we did. “It’s best we remain concealed in the land of the Fossegrimens. They don’t value women as your culture does.”

  “Okay,” I answered, forsaking open grieving and turning inward.

  Jens could be dead right now. The invisible force I’d taken for granted was gone. I had hope that he would survive, but no assurances. I was more connected to Jamie than to him, and I really hated that. If he died, would I feel the ping? Would I know across an ocean in my heart that he stopped existing? Would the pounding in my chest feel hollow, or would I keep hoping for his return, eternally pining in my state of relationship limbo?

  I was so tired of surviving. I rested against Jamie’s thigh between his legs and closed my eyes, pretending the hand in my hair wasn’t to vanish me, but to bring me comfort. I had to do a lot of pretending lately. I could feel Jamie’s angst through our psychic bond, which only compounded my own.

  Foss rowed us across the water toward the docks. As we got closer, the landscape changed. Instead of the vivid green of Nøkken with its gorgeous flowers and bursting nature, Fossegrim was only sparsely green with muted sand and limited foliage along the outskirts of the island. There were beige tents set up along the coastline with various merchants selling their wares. It was Aladdin’s town from the cartoon I always thought was a little too racy to be for children.

  Foss took charge, correctly sensing Jamie and I were useless in our current state. “You’ll stay here. I’ll send Viggo for you. He’ll bring you to my house where we’ll wait. Stay hidden until you get to my bedroom.” He snapped his finger to make sure we were paying attention, since he couldn’t see us. “Not my property. Not my house. My bedroom. If the Mouthpiece catches wind of you on Fossegrim soil, you’ll be easy to find. He won’t set foot on our land, but we don’t want him to know that you have. The less people know you’re here, the better. I have business to attend to, and then I’ll be home.”

  Jamie agreed for the both of us, since Foss couldn’t give a crap what I thought anyway. Sure, let’s split the group further. It’s clearly proved a solid idea. Whatever. At least I get Jamie.

  Foss had rowed us for nearly three hours. I was just starting to get over my slight seasickness when we docked. “Lucy, where’s your face?” Foss asked, reaching around near his knees.

  “Right here,” I said, hoping he could follow my voice and wouldn’t have to pat me on the top of my head like a dog.

  He did it anyway, and I cringed.

  He bent his neck to try looking me in the eye. What he couldn’t see was me obstinately looking toward the heavens. Take that.

  “Look, rat. Jens and your world tolerate you better than I do or my people will. If you want to get out
of this intact, you’ll keep your mouth shut and your head down. You’ll get a change of clothes from Viggo when you get to my house. Keep your head down like your maidenhood depends on it. They’ve never seen a blonde before.”

  “Don’t talk about my virginity,” I scolded, clutching tighter to Jamie’s thigh. I took a breath and softened a little, since Foss was actually trying to be helpful. “But I can do that. Thanks for the heads up. No one ever tells me what to expect when we get to a new country.”

  His expression was a snarl, as it usually was. “I’m not doing it for you. I owe Jens more than he’ll hold me to, and I don’t like having debts. I’m keeping you safe for his sake.”

  “Aw, shucks. You say the sweetest things.”

  When Foss got out of the boat, it was like losing a small elephant and a giant dark cloud. The boat floated at least a foot higher, and I felt like I could breathe well enough to feel the grief from leaving Jens and Nik behind.

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