I smiled as I held the vial down into the water to let it fill up. The small container didn’t take long to fill with water, and when I pulled it out and put the cork on, it immediately started to glow as well.
Kas pulled the other two vials out of her satchel and held them up. The three of them all glowed brightly, and we stared at them for a moment before I handed Kas the final vial to put back into her bag with the rest of them.
“What do we do now?” Asta asked.
“We have to find Nidhug’s well,” Kas answered.
“The map won’t tell us where his well is, right?” the elf girl clarified.
“No.” Kas frowned. “Apparently, my father was wrong.”
“It seems odd Ramir didn’t know something.” Asta looked at Kas with wide eyes.
“I know.” The Valkyrie smiled. “I can’t wait to see the look on his face when I tell him he was wrong.”
“Kas!” Asta gasped, and she laughed and smacked Kas on the shoulder.
“What?” the strawberry-blonde laughed. “I’ve never gotten to tell him he was wrong before.”
Somehow, I didn’t think Kas was lying. I was shocked Ramir had been wrong as well. The old man seemed to know everything.
“Is there a spell we can do that will show us where it’s at?” I asked in an attempt to get us back on topic.
“There has to be,” Kas said, and she reached into her satchel to pull out her spell book.
We’d assumed the well we were going to was Nidhug’s well, but that wasn’t the case. I wondered if someone had mixed up Nidhug with that giant snake, and that was how the story of the well being guarded by Nidhug had begun.
Kas looked through her spell book, and after a moment she held the book out.
“Here we go.” She smiled.
“What do we have to do?” I asked.
“I don’t have a compass.” Kas bit her lip. “But I could maybe make one if we got some sticks.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “Hold on.”
I wandered around for a second until I found a couple of small twigs, and then I brought them over to Kas. The sorceress used some twine from her purse to tie the twigs together before she closed her eyes and waved her hand in front of the twigs.
The sticks suddenly turned into a small compass of the same size, and I was once again astounded by her illusion magic.
“Alright,” Kas said as she held the compass up. “Now, we just have to cast it. Asta, I could use your help.”
“Of course.” The elf girl smiled.
“And Rath, you, too,” the sorceress said.
“Me?” I asked. “How can I help?”
“If Asta and I touch you while we’re casting, it will boost our magic,” she explained. “You make us stronger.”
“Well, alright, then.” I smiled and stepped closer to the girls, happy to be of some use with their magic.
Kas set the map on the ground, and then she put the compass on it, closed her eyes, and reached out to Asta. The two of them each reached out to me as well, and I held their hands and watched as they started the spell.
The girls began to murmur something in the old language. It looked similar to the spell Ramir had cast for us, but this time a golden sparkle moved the compass over the map, and instead of the map changing, it just lit up gold for a second and then faded all at once.
“Alright,” Kas said as she let go of my hand and opened her violet eyes.
“That’s it?” I asked.
“It should be.” The sorceress nodded. “It’s similar to the spell my father did for us, but we know the well is in this realm, so all we had to do was have the map show us where it’s at.”
“Let’s go, then.” I grinned.
Once again, the girls’ magic had saved the day. If we hadn’t been able to cast this spell, we could have wandered around Niflheim for hours, or even days, looking for Nidhug’s well. Even with Blar’s teleportation, we wouldn’t be able to find it easily. We were lucky he’d managed to get us as close to this well as he had.
Kas picked up the map and looked at it, but when she did, her eyebrows scrunched together, and a confused look came over her face.
“What is it?” I asked as I walked around to look over her shoulder, and Blar leaned forward off my shoulder to get a better look, too.
“This can’t be right,” she whispered.
“It says we’re right here.” Asta frowned. “It shows we’re already at the well.”
The little golden X that marked Nidhug’s well was right over the top of the well we were standing at. The X was literally inside of the well on the map, and my own eyebrows pulled together with confusion.
“What in the world?” I whispered as I leaned in to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me.
“Did we do the spell incorrectly?” Asta asked.
“No.” Kas shook her head. “It was right. The map is accurate.”
“How can that be?” Asta asked.
“I don’t know.” Kas bit her lip and looked at me. “I’m not sure what to do.”
“You’re sure it’s correct?” I clarified.
“I’m positive.” Kas nodded.
“Alright,” I said, and I took a deep breath and walked over to the well.
I peered down inside the dark water, and suddenly, realization dawned on me.
“We have to go through the well,” I muttered.
“What?” Kas asked, and she looked at me with wide eyes.
“How do you know?” Asta asked.
“I’m not sure,” I answered honestly. “I just feel it. I think the wells are connected somehow.”
“I guess that would kind of make sense, given what the map says.” Kas pursed her lips.
“Yes,” Asta agreed. “That could be why they’re the same on the map. Maybe we are under Nidhug’s well.”
If we were in some sort of upside-down world of Niflheim, then it was no wonder this well looked exactly like Nidhug’s, only the opposite in color. The two wells had to be connected somehow, and that was why they looked so similar. The whole area looked like where we’d been before, which was probably why Blar was able to get us so close when he’d made the portal. He’d focused on Nidhug’s place where we’d been, but he’d taken us here instead. It worked out, since we were able to get the water we needed, but now we needed to find the great dragon and finish the quest.
“What if we aren’t, though?” Kas questioned. “What if the well doesn’t go anywhere?”
“It has to go somewhere,” Asta reasoned.
“Most wells don’t,” Kas objected. “They just got into the ground.”
Blar bumped his head into mine, and I turned to look at him. The little blue dragon looked at me and then down at the well.
He was trying to tell me he could check.
“Can you teleport through it?” I asked.
Blar nodded his little head, and I let out a breath and thought for a moment.
I’d seen him teleport through space, and since he wouldn’t be going extremely far, I figured it would be worth it to let him go. I didn’t like the idea of him teleporting alone, but he had to get to know his powers on his own, too, and I could somehow feel that the well led to Nidhug’s well.
“Alright,” I told him. “You can go. Just be careful, and if you get into any trouble, come right back here.”
Blar nodded before he closed his eyes, and a little portal appeared over the top of the well. Then the little dragon jumped down from my shoulder and into the portal on top of the well. The portal disappeared a second later, and everything seemed quiet for no particular reason.
“Do you think he can find Nidhug’s well?” Asta asked, and she looked at me with wide eyes.
“I think so.” I nodded.
“I hope he’s okay.” Kas bit her lip and looked down into the well.
“He’ll be fine.” My voice was confident, but I was worried as well. I had faith in the little dragon, though, and I knew he’d be back soon.
I hoped my feeling was right, and the well led to Nidhug instead of another giant snake. The map agreed with me, though, there was something about the well. It wasn’t only what it appeared to be.
A minute passed, and there was still no sign of Blar.
“What’s taking him so long?” Asta worried, and she peered down into the well as if she could see him below the water.
“We should go after him,” Kas urged.
“Not yet.” I shook my head. The little dragon hadn’t been gone long, and jumping into the well and hoping it would take us where I felt it was going to be a good idea unless we were all together.
It was best for us to stay put and wait.
Then another minute passed, and I started to worry, too. I could feel my heart rate accelerate, and it took every ounce of my willpower not to jump into the well.
“Look!” Asta gasped, and she pointed into the well.
I looked over the edge to see Blar headed straight up at us. The little dragon splashed through the water, landed on the side of the well, and shook himself off.
He splashed me when he dried himself, but I was too happy to see him to care.
“Well?” I asked. “Does it lead to Nidhug?”
The little dragon nodded, and I smiled and reached out to stroke under his chin.
“Good job, buddy,” I told him.
“He came back up through the well,” Asta said. “Should we go through the well, or have him make us a portal?”
Blar nodded down at the well.
“I guess we’re going through the well.” I shrugged.
Not too long ago, jumping through a magical well to get to the other side of it where a massive dragon waited for me would be the craziest thing I’d ever done in my life.
Now, it wasn’t even the craziest thing I’d done that week.
It felt amazing to have magic in my life, and I climbed up onto the ledge of the well and held out my hand for Kas and Asta.
The girls pulled themselves up with the twins on their shoulders, and then we all glanced at each other.
“Are you ready?” I asked, and I couldn’t help the smile that came over my face.
We were nearly done with the quest.
“I don’t know.” Asta bit her lip. “It looks like a long way down.”
“Don’t worry.” I smiled at the elf girl. “We’ll be okay, just trust me.”
Asta smiled, and I held my hands out so both the girls could grab them. Once I had both their hands held in mine, I looked at each of them one last time before we jumped.
This was the last time everything would be the way it was. I didn’t know how this water was going to change my life, but the Norns had warned me nothing would ever be the same again.
I was ready, though. The dragons were counting on me to fulfill the prophecy, and my destiny.
“One, two, three!” I smiled and leaped into the well with my women and my dragons right beside me.
Chapter 15
We hit the water, and I felt myself get soaked as the well enveloped us, so I held my breath and opened my eyes to see the girls floating next to me.
Everything around us was black, and I could barely make out the brick behind us.
Asta’s long white hair was floating above her, and she looked at me with wide yellow eyes set above puffed out cheeks as she held her breath.
Kas’ violet eyes were squeezed shut, and her curls went in every direction as she held onto Uffe on her shoulder.
Inger swam with Blar below us, and the two of them dove together and swirled around each other as they went through the water.
If I hadn’t known they were underwater, I wouldn’t have ever thought they were. They appeared to fly as normal, and it was beautiful to watch.
Uffe didn’t seem bothered by the water, but he allowed Kas to cling to him, and I smiled at the sweet little dragon.
After a few seconds, I realized we were still falling, but Blar and Inger were further down than we were. I didn’t want to lose them, and since we all needed to take a breath soon, I figured the sooner we could get to the other side, the better.
I reached out to Asta, and the elf girl grabbed my hand.
Kas’ eyes were still closed, but when I reached up and pried her hand off Uffe, she jerked back, and her violet eyes opened wide.
I smiled softly at her and then held out my hand for her to take.
Kas grabbed my hand, as well as Asta’s, and then I pulled them both with me as I dove down after Blar and Inger.
It felt counterintuitive to dive downward when, in reality, what I needed to do was get to the top of the well. But I knew Blar wouldn’t steer us wrong, so we would get to the top of the other side of the well soon.
I kicked my feet, and the girls and I gained some speed so we caught up to Blar and Inger. The little dragons were still a ways ahead of us, but we were much closer than we had been.
It felt as though we’d been underwater for a long time, but I knew it was less than thirty seconds. Still, I was growing slightly concerned. I needed to take a breath soon.
Just as I was about to panic, I saw a small light below us. I quickly pulled the girls down further, and the light grew larger and larger.
Blar and Inger were ahead of us, and I saw a slight splash as the two of them exited the water, so I kept kicking my feet and pushed as hard as I could to propel myself faster. I had the girls’ hands gripped tightly in my own, and I kicked and kicked harder as I sensed the air depleting from my lungs.
We broke through the surface just as my lungs were about to give out, and I drew in a long breath as I threw my arms over the side of the well.
I could hear heavy panting next to me, and I turned to see Kas with her head hung over the side of the well. Her long, curly hair dripped water onto the ground, and she looked up at me with wide violet eyes as she took ragged breaths.
Asta, on the other hand, pulled herself over the side of the well, stood up, and squeezed her long hair between her hands to get the water out. She didn’t seem phased by the journey we’d just taken at all, and I blinked in shock at her calm expression.
“How are you not out of breath?” I gasped.
“Oh.” Asta frowned at Kas and I as if she’d just noticed our frazzled state. “I don’t know. I guess I can just hold my breath longer than you can.”
“I would have cast a spell so we could hold our breath underwater,” Kas breathed. “But I didn’t think we’d be under that long.”
Kas turned to glare at Blar, and the little blue dragon smiled and shrugged his shoulders before he hid behind Inger.
I pulled myself over the edge of the well and then helped Kas up, too. Then Uffe hopped down off her shoulder and shook himself off.
Once I was sure everyone was alright, I looked around to see we were in the correct place. This was Nidhug’s well, only I didn’t see the massive dragon.
The black well we’d just emerged from was definitely the one he’d gone into the last time we were there, though, and the large stone walls around us were eerily familiar.
We had to have been right this time, and the well with the giant snake was the opposite of this world. It was almost like the underworld of Niflheim.
I didn’t know much about the realm of fog and mist, but apparently, it was full of surprises.
My clothes dripped and clung to my body, and I quickly rolled up my sleeves to try and take away some of the dripping. It didn’t work, though, and all I managed to do was have the water drip down my arms before it got to the ground.
But I didn’t mind the water. I was ready to find Nidhug and finish this quest.
“This is the right place,” Kas said as she looked around.
“It is.” I nodded.
“Where’s Nidhug?” Asta asked.
“I’m not sure.�
� My eyes narrowed as I looked around the courtyard like the massive dragon was hiding behind a stray stone.
“You should try to call out to him,” the elf girl suggested.
“You did talk to him last time,” Kas agreed. “Maybe he’ll be able to hear you.”
“I can try,” I said.
I wasn’t sure if I’d been doing the whole ‘reach out mentally’ thing correctly, but all I could do was try. When I’d talked to Nidhug and the wolf, they’d both reached out to me first. I hadn’t initiated contact, so I wasn’t sure if I even could.
Still, I closed my eyes and focused.
I imagined Nidhug, and I tried to think of his voice and the last time we spoke. Then I took a deep breath, let it out, and tried to push my mental voice beyond myself.
Nothing happened, so I squeezed my eyes shut even harder and tried again.
You mustn’t try so hard, Volrath.
The familiar voice made me smile. I’d initiated contact.
“Where are you?” I asked aloud.
I am where you just came from, the voice said.
“Is he here?” Kas gasped.
“He heard you?” Asta asked with a smile.
“Yes,” I told the elf girl. “Thank you.”
“Well, what’s he saying?” Kas pushed.
“He said he’s where we just came from.” My eyebrows furrowed together, and I looked down into the well only to see two glowing white eyes staring back up at me.
I stepped back, and I pulled the girls with me. A second later, Nidhug scurried out of the well and nearly blended in with the obsidian rock around us.
He seemed even larger than I remembered, and I couldn’t help but think how much he looked like Blar. The two had a very similar body type, and I wondered where they came from. I didn’t think they were from Asta’s homeworld. I’d seen the dragons there, and they didn’t look anything like Blar. No, they had to be from another land. But where?
“Nidhug,” I said as I bowed slightly to the huge black dragon. “I have fulfilled the quest you sent me on. Now, tell me how to use the water to fulfill the prophecy.”
It is not the water that will fulfill the prophecy, he said as he walked around the brick well between us. It is you who will do that. The water will only help you to do so.
Dragons of Asgard 2 Page 23
