by S. T. Bende
As it turned out, the answer to my question was complicated.
“Your senators were relocated.” Maja looked up from a hologram. She, Viggo, Rafe, and I sat around a table in her family’s living quarters, while her mother, Syrra, readied food in the kitchen. The Sorenssöns were eager to see Emilie, but they knew Signy and her team would be in touch as soon as they’d determined the best way to get everyone safely away from the capital. In the meantime Maja, true to her word, was focused on tracking our Opprør. The extraction itself would follow the same steps we’d used to free the älva . . . but now we had a different problem.
The senators weren’t where we thought they’d be.
“Skit.” Viggo leaned forward to scrutinize the glowing, blue image hovering atop the table. “They were just there this morning.”
“They were.” Maja adjusted the band she wore around her head, and the hologram shifted to a wider frame. The device was something Maja had developed to project her mental images to a broader audience. According to Rafe, it had proven immeasurably valuable in helping his warriors protect their colony. I had no idea how it worked, but I was definitely talking to Maja about it when everything calmed down. We needed to know how to replicate that tech.
“See this room here?” Maja pointed to one of the open areas in what appeared to be a series of subterranean caverns. “This is where they were being held. But the trace on the heat signatures is faint enough to suggest they were evacuated four hours ago—not long after we freed my sister.”
Viggo swore again. “Do heat signatures leave a trail? Is it possible to track where they went?”
“It is,” Maja confirmed. “But remember, they’ve got blockers in place around their new cell, too. So, I can’t say with certainty that they’re being held here.” Maja tapped her headband again, and the hologram pulled back to reveal a rotating model of a seaside cliff. She used two fingers to spin the model around, then raised her hands to the image, and drew them apart. The hologram zoomed in on a new series of tunnels, which led almost directly to the ocean. Maja pointed to the highest cavern—one nestled well above the sea. “But I can say it’s highly likely.”
I studied the image. “Are the blockers the same kind we dealt with this morning? Or have those changed, too?”
“See those wavy lines around the cavern?” Maja gestured. “That’s how my mind views clearing columns. But there are jagged ones as well—the ones between the waves. I haven’t seen anything like them before.”
“Awesome.” I exhaled heavily. “So, we have no idea what we’re dealing with.”
“Not entirely.” Maja’s mom set a plate of lefse on the table. Black braids swung over her shoulder as she slid into the chair beside her daughter. “Clearing columns are unnaturally strong—very few projections can maintain a charge in their presence. If those lines are a secondary block, they have to be emphyr walls.”
“Great.” Maja groaned. “Something I’ve never managed to cut through.”
Viggo and I swapped worried looks. “What are emphyr walls?” he asked.
“A super dark blocker.” Maja shook her head. “You thought the clearing columns were hard? Nobody’s ever managed to break through these.”
“I did once.” Syrra looked at Rafe with a soft smile. “To get to you.”
Rafe placed his hand atop his wife’s. “Thank gods you did.”
Maja’s eyes widened. “Is that how your parents trapped you on Svartalfheim? Using emphyr walls?”
“Yes.” Syrra turned to Viggo and me. “Let me rewind a bit. I was born on the dark realm, but I left many years ago. From the time I was quite young, I made no secret of my distaste for my birth realm’s . . . proclivities. After my first escape attempt, my mother and father set protections around our compound. I quickly learned to cut through their basal blockers, confounders, and most of the entry-level dark spells.”
Maja’s mom was no joke.
“After a while, the protections got more complicated. Thankfully, my parents were never fully aware of my capabilities.”
“Or your indomitable determination,” Rafe said proudly.
Syrra flushed. “When they conjured the emphyr walls, they were so sure I wouldn’t be able to break through them they took a trip to Muspelheim. They were meeting with high-ranking fire giants when I managed my escape. I came straight here, and never returned.”
Seriously? “You got into Alfheim? But how?”
“This was before the barrier,” Syrra said gently. “Things were simpler then.”
“Tell me about it,” I muttered.
“So how did you do it?” Maja blinked at her mother. “How’d you break an emphyr?”
“I only managed it once, and it nearly killed me. But if I’d had your abilities—or yours, Aura . . .” Syrra studied each of us in turn. “Being of both realms gives each of you unique abilities. You’re in a better position than I was to overpower their protections.”
“Can you teach me?” Maja pressed.
“You’re far more advanced than I ever was.” Syrra’s eyes sparkled with pride. “I have every confidence you can learn.”
Viggo leaned forward. “Can she learn fast? If they’ve moved our senators once, they might do it again—and this time, somewhere even more remote. I’d rather we act before they get that chance.”
Maja shot her cousin an irritated glare. “You think I’m a slow learner?”
“No.” Viggo held up his hands. “I just—uh . . .”
“I’m kidding.” Maja rolled her eyes.
I arched my brow at Viggo. I’d had no idea Maja could joke.
Who knew?
“I’ll figure it out.” Maja shrugged. “Mom and I will break through the blockers. You guys make sure you have a solid team on the ground.”
“Can you see anything else?” I studied the hologram. “How many guards they have, what the best points of entry are . . . any insights that will help us?”
Maya tilted her head. She used her fingers to zoom in on the beach at the base of the mountain. “This should be the easiest entrance. It’s unguarded at the moment—though my guess is they haven’t had time to relocate yet. Moving that many prisoners probably took most of their resources, and staffing the exits would be a secondary priority.”
“So, we’ll go in there.” I squinted at what appeared to be a narrow opening in the cliff. “And follow . . . this tunnel here?”
“No. That one’s wide. After today’s breakout, they’ll be expecting another. Unless they’re stupid, they’ll have guards on the ones that are large enough for an extraction team.” Maja pointed to a narrower channel. “Use this one. You’ll only be able to bring a few of your warriors in at a time, but it’s small enough they may not think to watch it as closely.”
“What about here?” Rafe tapped an entrance to the left of the cavern. “Could we fly in an älva team through this one?”
My heart warmed. “You’re coming?”
“You saved our daughter.” Rafe squeezed his wife’s hand. “You will always have an ally in us.”
“Always,” Syrra repeated. “Our resources are yours.”
“Thanks,” I said softly. “That’s going to make this a lot easier.”
“We’ll handle the air strike, and the blocker breakdown,” Rafe said.
“And we’ll take care of the ground team.” Viggo turned to me. “When do you want to move?”
“We’ll need to give Signy time to get the älva out of the capital, and regroup. And it’ll probably take her team a full day to travel south—most of them can’t fly.” I wrung my fingers together. “Is two days too soon?”
“It may not be soon enough,” Maja warned. “By then, your officials will probably have been moved again.”
“Let’s hope not.” A loud rumble echoed from my stomach. My cheeks flamed in embarrassment. “Sorry.”
“Eat.” Syrra pushed the lefse plate to me. “All of you. Then, Maja, you and I have work to do.”
Viggo turn
ed to me. “And we need to figure out how we’re going to up our weapon game.” He tilted his head at his waist. “These daggers are the only things we brought.”
“Show me.” Rafe offered his palm. Viggo removed his blade from its holder, and passed it across the table. Rafe studied it for a moment, then looked up. “Is Aura’s similarly made?”
“I think so.” I handed Rafe my own dagger. His face illuminated as he took it in his other hand.
“I can enhance these,” he said confidently. “In fact, if you come with me, I can show you some other weapons that may be of use. What do you usually work with?”
“What do you have?” Viggo practically salivated.
“Everything,” Rafe said seriously. “What we weren’t able to bring with us, we’ve either procured or crafted using our, erm, talents.”
“The dust.” Viggo glanced at me. “Do you think Aura and I will get that, too?”
I turned pleading eyes to Rafe. If he told me I was going to grow magic faerie dust that I could use on whatever I wanted, I was going to explode with happiness.
“You might.” Rafe studied Viggo’s wings. “There is a hereditary component, so even though it skipped your father it may still pass to you. Aura, did anyone in your family have that gift?”
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “My grandmother doesn’t have it. And my mom died when I was little, so I can’t say.”
“Hmm.” Rafe pressed his lips together. “Well, you’ll just have to see when your powers fully vest. Now grab some of that lefse and follow me. I’ll show you our weapons vault.”
“You have an entire vault?” Viggo’s voice climbed several decibels. “Nice.”
Rafe chuckled as he stood. “I have a feeling you’re going to enjoy our stores nearly as much as I do. Come on.”
Viggo and I each snagged some food and followed Rafe from his living room. As we walked, I shot a grateful look at Maja. Whatever else had passed between us, in this moment I was filled with gratitude. She was helping us track down our Opprør. And in doing that, she was working to create the Alfheim I wanted to be a part of.
I’d be forever grateful.
Chapter 16
VIGGO AND I SPENT the two full days training with Rafe’s warriors. We needed that much time to manage even a basic level of competence with the dust-enhanced weapons. Their blades projected energy bursts so strong, more often than not we found ourselves flat on our backs. It took half of a day before Viggo and I could wield them . . . and another half before we could send out a charge without draining ourselves. By the end of day one I was exhausted, sore, and mentally drained in ways I’d never been before. And at the end of the day two, my muscles trembled with a ferocity that gave me zero confidence in my ability to take down a single guard. But confidence didn’t matter given the enormity of the dangers we faced. We had to push forward, whether we were ready or not.
Our world literally depended on it.
Signy had left the newly released älva under the care of a Protektor unit. Now, she guided her recovery team into place near the beachside caves in the south. Rafe’s unit would make the twelve-hour flight with us to the rendezvous point, then orchestrate an air strike while we moved in on the ground. Maja and Syrra would handle the dismantling of the blockers. They’d remain in the northern colony, protected by a small warrior unit, and let us know once they’d broken down the columns and walls. They’d also run remote surveillance, with Maja watching for additional dangers or further relocation attempts. We had a lot of pieces moving at once. I crossed my fingers that everything went according to plan.
Our flight took longer than expected owing to fierce winds, but eventually we reached the south. Rafe’s warriors were the first to touch down. He instructed a small unit to land on the beach beside the cliff. They scoured the area for threats before giving us the all clear. My shoulders trembled with the strain of our long flight. The moment my feet hit the white sand, I dropped to my knees, careful not to cut my leg on my holstered sword. Viggo dropped in beside me, his stoic features bearing no sign of exhaustion. Instead, he held out a hand and pulled me up.
“We’d better move, Glitre. We’re exposed.”
“I’m aware.” I jogged the short distance to the meeting point. Once there, I joined the huddle of älva tucked behind a rocky outcropping. “Where’s Signy?”
“The ground team is half a mile away.” Maja’s voice came through my comm. “Move farther inside the cave—if the captors have scanners, you’ll be less detectable there.”
I motioned at Viggo, who waved the group forward. “Everyone in.”
“What if the other side has someone like you?” I spoke to my wrist. “They’ll already know we’re here.”
“That’s what the air team’s for,” Maja said. “There’s a confounder in that unit—she uses her dust to impair awareness.”
“Meaning?” Viggo came to stand beside me.
“Meaning if I see anyone start to move on you, I’ll order the confounder to unleash her abilities.”
I glanced nervously at Viggo. “What if we get caught in the dust? Won’t we be, uh, confounded too?”
“The dust is coded,” Maja explained. “It won’t affect members of our party. Now get inside. There’s a captor patrolling the far end of the beach. I’ll reroute the ground team until he shifts position.”
My comm beeped off, and I nervously followed Viggo into the cave.
“Hey.” He tugged my bottom lip from between my teeth. “They’ll be fine.”
“Yeah . . .” I pulled my shoulders back. “I’ll just feel better when I can see it for myself.”
Viggo reached out to wrap his hand around mine.
A small eternity passed before Signy finally appeared at the cave’s entrance. She walked toward us, her team trailing behind. She’d brought with her a small group of warriors, Protektors, and—
“Ondyr. Hey, man.” Viggo released my hand to clap his friend on the shoulders. “Nobody told us you and Zara were coming.”
“Last-minute call.” Ondyr nodded at my aunt. “Apparently, we were short on numbers. Professor Bergen said if we did well, we could skip combat next year.”
“What I said was that you could earn extra credit for aiding the rescue efforts,” Signy corrected. “All Verge classes remain mandatory.”
Ondyr shrugged. “It was worth a try.”
“Aura.” Signy drew me in for a quick hug. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine,” I said. “Glad we’re on the homestretch.”
“That’s my girl.” Signy squeezed my shoulder.
“You need to meet Rafe.” I looked around, until I spotted Viggo’s uncle. In a few steps I’d closed the distance between us, my aunt on my heels. “Signy, this is Rafe. He’s Viggo’s uncle, and commander of the Faerie Corps. Rafe, this is my aunt—one of Alfheim’s Protektors, and leader of this ground unit.”
“Good to meet you.” Rafe bowed his head. “Aura’s spoken very highly of you.”
“And you as well.” Signy smiled. “Thank you for standing with us.”
“You freed my daughter. It is the least I can do.” Rafe’s eyes tugged downward. “How is she?”
“She’s strong,” Signy said admiringly. “She told me if you didn’t have a unit available to escort them home, she’d lead her people herself. You raised an incredible girl.”
“He raised two,” I said. “You’ve got to meet Maja. She’s difficult, no offense, but she’s really smart. Definitely the energy warrior you want on your side.”
“I heard that.” Maja’s dry voice came through the comm.
“I said no offense,” I muttered.
“Move into position,” Maja instructed. “The guards are heading around the far side of the cliff, which means you have a clear shot at the entrance to the smaller passage. Remember to stay to your left at the first three breakoffs. I’ll send an image to your comms. Hold on . . .”
“It’s through.” Rafe waved with both hands
, and his team gathered around. Zara moved into position at my side, and the rest of Signy’s team circled up.
“Hey.” I nudged Zara with my shoulder. “Thanks for doing this.”
“You kidding?” She spoke out of the corner of her mouth. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
My heart tugged. As dark as Alfheim had become, we were lucky to be surrounded by friends who were willing to fight to bring back the light. Whether that fight took us an hour or a decade, there was a bright future awaiting us.
Right after we got out of this cave.
“Everyone knows their positions.” Rafe raised his voice to address the group. “Siro and Vienna, bookend the ground team. The rest of my unit, follow me to the top of the cliff. We’ll enter through the northern passage, and disable any guards between the prisoners and the exit. Signy.” Rafe turned to my aunt. “My wife and daughter should have the blockers cleared by the time your team makes it up the tunnel. We’ll meet at the cavern in approximately ten minutes. The prisoners will be extracted in twelve.”
“I like that confidence.” Signy clapped her hands. “Okay, ground team. You have your orders. Move out.”
Two of the älva flew from the cluster. The male positioned himself at the entrance to the cave, while the female stood beside me.
“I’m Vienna.” She raised her palm. “I’m taking the rear.”
“I’m Aura. I’ll be right ahead of you. Viggo, you’ve got the other glowy sword—you want to go to the front and protect Signy?”
“I doubt Professor Bergen needs my protection.” Viggo winked. “But I’ll head that way. Ondyr?”
“I’m staying with Aura. She’s way tougher than you.” Ondyr schooled his face into a mask of innocence.
“Fine. Zara?”
“I’ll guard you, if that’s what you’re asking,” Zara replied.
Viggo shook his head, and fell in behind Signy. We acted on her signal.
Icy wind swirled off the ocean, blasting my cheeks and whipping my braids against my face. The temperature had dropped considerably while we’d been in the cave, the lack of warmth enhanced by the rapidly setting sun. A smattering of stars had just begun to peek through the dusky sky, and while my mind appreciated the tactical advantage of entering the mountain in near-darkness, my body couldn’t wait to get out of this cold.
