by Logan Jacobs
“They are?” Eira asked. “I’ve never heard of them, and I’ve been to Jotunheim quite a few times for battle.”
“I’m not surprised they hadn’t revealed where they live,” Ramir chuckled. “The frost giants and the Asgardians have a checkered past, and it’s not much better today than it was a hundred years ago. It only makes sense they would try to keep their true homes hidden from us.”
“I suppose that’s true.” The redhead pursed her lips. “So, where are these ice caves?”
“They’re at the base of Joter mountain,” Ramir said. “At least, that’s where the entrance I know about is. I’m sure there’s a million other ways to get down there.”
“Hm, so we have to go underground into tunnels where we have no idea where anything is,” Eira said dryly. “Every instinct I have is telling me that’s not a good idea.”
“What about the invisibility spell?” Kas asked. “I could cast that for us.”
“We’d only have an hour to look around, then.” I pursed my lips. “We need longer than that, especially since we don’t have a map of these caves.”
“You’re right.” Kas nodded. “But we can’t just walk into the caves.”
“Maybe not if we look like ourselves,” Asta said. “But Kas can disguise us as frost giants, right, Kas?”
“I can.” The strawberry-blonde bit her lip. “But I do need frost giants to work from. I can’t just make us frost giants, we have to assume their identities.”
“Soooo, you’re saying we need to kill some frost giants?” Eira asked, and she raised a red eyebrow at Kas.
“Essentially, yes.” Kas nodded.
“That shouldn’t be too hard.” Asta frowned. “Right?”
“It shouldn’t,” I agreed. “If we can get Blar to make a portal near the mountain, I bet we can find some frost giants nearby. We can take them out, cast the spell, and head into the caves.”
“Good idea,” Eira said. “We won’t bring any suspicion as long as we act like we belong.”
“What about the dragons?” Kas asked. “Do frost giants have dogs?”
“None that I’ve ever seen,” Ramir said as he passed out more squash to the small reptiles.
“Father, they just had breakfast,” Kas chastised with a shake of her head.
“They’re growing dragons,” Ramir countered as he cut off another piece of squash. “They need the extra sustenance.”
Kas rolled her eyes at her Father.
“Hm, if we can’t disguise them as dogs, how can we disguise them?” Eira asked.
“I believe some frost giants keep snow leopards as pets,” Ramir said.
“What?” Kas asked, and her violet eyes widened with horror. “Those monstrous things? How would they even fit in a cave?”
“They’re not monstrous,” Ramir chuckled. “You must be thinking of a giant snow leopard. That’s a whole different species.”
“Even regular-sized snow leopards are fairly large, are they not?” Eira asked. “I’ve seen a couple on my travels.”
“They are.” Ramir shrugged. “But not too large for a frost giant to keep.”
“I suppose they are very big.” Asta nodded.
“Do we have to kill a snow leopard for each of the dragons?” Eira asked, and her red eyebrows pinched together.
“You don’t need to kill any, dear,” Ramir said.
“I doubt the beast will just let us take some of its fur.” Kas pursed her lips. “And we don’t have time to scavenge for loose fur all over the place.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you won’t have to,” Ramir chuckled.
“What do you mean?” Eira asked. “Do you have a spell for us?”
“A spell?” The old man shook his head. “No. Not a spell. I’m afraid the spell Kas will use is the best one for the situation, but I do have some fur you can borrow.”
“You keep snow leopard fur on hand?” Eira asked, and her brow furrowed with confusion.
“I also have giant snake skin in a jar bigger than me in the back room,” the old man said, and he cocked his head to the side with an amused look. “What’s your point?”
“Nothing at all,” Eira laughed and put her hands up in mock surrender.
The redhead should’ve known better than to question why Ramir had something in his shop. After all the strange things I’d seen in the jars that lined his shelves, nothing would surprise me.
“Oh, that would be great!” Asta squealed. “I wish we could see them, though. I bet they’ll look like such cute little snow leopards.”
“I’m sure they will,” Ramir chuckled. “Didn’t Kas show you how to see them?”
“Oh, no.” Kas frowned. “I never thought about it.”
“Let me gather the materials,” Ramir said. “We’ll put the spell on them, and I’ll show you what they look like.”
“Thank you, Ramir,” I told the old man as he disappeared to the front of the shop.
I glanced over at all the little dragons passed out on the floor near the fireplace, and each of them had a fat little belly, including Svass. Actually, her belly was the fattest of all, and it protruded from her scaly skin up to the sky as she laid on her back and snored lightly.
Apparently, Ramir hadn’t figured out how to alter the size of the snack for the size of the dragon. The little female probably got the same amount of squash as the other dragons, though she was half their size.
I shook my head at them, and a moment later Ramir returned with a jar full of dusty white fur. He removed the lid and pulled a few strands out, and dirt fell from them and landed on the floor.
“They’re not the cleanest animals around.” He shrugged.
“I can do it,” Kas said, and she took the fur and walked over to the dragons.
“What kind of spells do you cast with leopard fur, anyway?” Eira asked curiously.
“Oh, it’s wonderful for protection spells.” Ramir smiled. “And for creating amulets for warriors. In fact, I think one of the members of your warband has an amulet containing some leopard fur.”
“What?” Eira asked. “Who?”
“Oh, I think the son’s name is Hargin.” Ramir shook his head and held up one finger. “No, no, no, that’s not right. Hagree? Haaaagggg…”
The old man trailed off and looked up to the ceiling with his eyes narrowed in thought.
“Hagar?” I laughed.
“That’s it!” He pointed at me and smiled. “You must know him well, eh?”
“I guess you could say that,” I snickered.
“His father commissioned it to be made for him,” Ramir explained. “He wanted to protect his son in battle. Apparently, he’s not the hardest steel in the blacksmith’s forge, but I’m sure you already knew that.”
“I did,” I snorted and shook my head.
“All done!” Kas called out, and I looked over at the dozing dragons but found they still looked the same.
“Now, for the fun part,” Ramir said, and he picked up a small triangular piece of glass from his desk, held it in his hands as he muttered something, and then handed it to Asta. “Here you are, dear.”
“What do I do with it?” the white-haired elf girl asked.
“You look through it,” Ramir instructed. “Just hold it up, and you’ll be able to see through the enchantment.”
Asta followed his directions, and as soon as she laid eyes on the little dragons, she let out an excited squeal and jumped up and down.
“They’re soooo cuuuute!” the elf girl squeaked.
“Let me see,” Kas said, and she grabbed the glass and looked through it.
“Me, too,” Eira said, and she snatched the glass from Kas and looked through it. “Alright, that’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.”
“It can’t be that cute,” I laughed.
“Look for yourself,” the redhead said as she handed me the glass.
I held up the small, see-through triangle, and I couldn’t help the laugh that erupted out of me when I
saw the dragons.
The girls were right, they were absolutely adorable.
They all looked like the same leopard, of course, that was how the spell worked, but it was easy to tell them apart by their sizes. They looked like giant kittens, with white fluffy fur covered in dark spots, long twitching tails, whiskers on their faces, and little pink cat noses.
Svass was the tiniest and most adorable of all. Well, her and Inger, who now looked like a cat wearing a braided grass collar with a large flower stuck on the side.
“They’re pretty cute,” I agreed with a smile, and I passed the glass back to Ramir.
“And now, you’re ready to go,” the old man chuckled.
“Thank you, again.” I smiled.
“Of course.” He nodded. “Leave your onehorns and your cart here, too. I’ll make sure they get something to eat.”
“What did you call them?” I asked as I thought back to our straight mounts. “Onehorns?”
“That is what they’re called, Rath,” the old man laughed.
“Huh.” I nodded. “I’ll have to remember that.”
“It might be better if you gave them names,” Ramir said. “It seems like you’ll be keeping them a while, after all.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “Names would probably be polite.”
“Ah, and I do have this for you,” Ramir said as he gestured to his bookshelf, and a large volume floated down and opened itself on his desk. “I thought this might help with Blar’s portal making.”
On the page was a representation of the mountain Ramir had told us the caves were beneath, Joter Mountain. It was a huge, shiny black rock surrounded by snow and ice. The top of it reached into the clouds, and I wondered how large it actually was.
Blar hopped up on the table and looked at the book.
“You think you can get us there, little buddy?” I asked. “Not too close, though. We need the element of surprise here.”
Blar looked at the portrait, pursed his lips, and then nodded.
The girls and I quickly retrieved our armor from the cart, and Kas cast a spell to keep us warm in the frigid temperatures of Jotunheim. It was still early in the day, so we had plenty of time to look around once we got there.
I only hoped we’d be able to find some frost giants fairly quickly. I wanted to get into those caves as soon as possible, and there was no way we could go in looking like Asgardians.
The Asgardians and the frost giants were sworn enemies, and we’d be slaughtered as soon as we were spotted. Eira and I were great warriors, and Kas and Asta were on their way to becoming great as well, but even with our skills and our dragons, there was only so much we could do if we were trapped and outnumbered ten-to-one.
We had to be smart about this, and disguising ourselves was the best way to get into the caves unnoticed.
Once we were all ready to go, Blar created a portal, and the girls and I clasped hands and stepped through.
As soon as I opened my eyes in Jotunheim, I could see a small light in front of me. I realized this was the entrance to the caves, but we weren’t standing on the outside.
Blar’s portal had brought us into the caves.
“Where in the Hel did you come from?” a man’s voice growled, and I turned around to see a large group of frost giants behind us.
There were at least ten of them, they were clearly warriors, and they started to pull swords and axes from their hips as they slowly walked toward us. They were huge, at least three feet taller than I was, with dark-blue skin and bald heads. Each of them had eyes a different shade of blue, and they were incredibly muscular and toned. They wore leather tunics, tall black boots that came up to their knees, and dark-gray armor on their chests and forearms.
“I said, where the fuck did you come from?” the man sneered. “Your kind is not welcome here.”
We’d come looking for a fight, and it seemed we’d found one.
Chapter 15
“Shite,” I breathed as I drew my sword.
Even without armor, I could tell these weren’t regular Jotunheim citizens. They each carried a weapon on their back or hip, and they were covered with plenty of scars. They were definitely part of one of the frost giant warbands, which meant they’d actually have skills.
This wasn’t the fight I was hoping for, but it would do. My crew and I were outnumbered two to one, but those weren’t terrible odds, not with how skilled we were.
“Go tell the others!” one of the men shouted.
At his order, a tall frost giant turned and ran into one of the tunnels leading off from the large open area we were in.
“Fuck,” I cursed. We couldn’t let anybody else know we were here. “Eira, go after him!”
“I’m already on it!” the redhead shouted as she rushed by me.
Several guys ran toward her, but she expertly dodged them and kept going, and I was right behind her to block them from continuing to pursue her.
Then Blar blasted them with fire from his spot on my shoulder.
The giants’ jaws dropped to see flames come out of a snow leopard, and they held their arms up to shield themselves.
Their attempt to block themselves gave me the opening I needed, so I quickly raised my foot and kicked one of them away, while I took a stab at the other one.
My blade made contact with his skin, but frost giants weren’t easy to stab through, so my sword only made it a few inches into his stomach.
“Ahhh!” the male screamed in pain, but then he gritted his teeth and grabbed my blade in an attempt to push it away.
I willed my sword to extend so it pushed all the way through the giant and into his spinal cord, and blood dripped through his fingers as my blade left deep, terrible gashes in his palms.
I yanked my sword from the man’s stomach as the frost giant I’d kicked away returned with a vengeance.
The large male swung his axe as he approached, but I pulled my blade up to block him. He was large, and his swings were wide, so I nearly stumbled over his dead friend as I tried to keep my distance.
“Blar!” I called out as I countered the man's attacks.
The little dragon flew up and let out another fire blast that gave me the opportunity I needed to disarm the man.
I swung my blade up and to the side so I caught his arms just below his wrists, and his hands still gripped the handle of his axe as they went flying into the air.
Blood squirted from the frost giant’s stumps, and he stared down in horror at where his hands used to be.
There wasn’t much he could do at this point without hands, and he’d bleed out soon anyway, so I raised my knee and kicked him square in the chest. He flew into the ice that surrounded us and slid down the cavern wall, and I swung around to see an incredible fray of swords, axes, and blood.
Asta and Kas were both locked in battle, with Inger and Uffe helping, of course, but before I could get too much of a glimpse, two other men were on me. They approached with swords at the ready, and one swung on me while the other tried to make his way around to my back.
“Your kind are trash,” the male in front of me spat, and I realized it was the larger frost giant who’d given the order a moment ago. “You will not leave our caves alive.”
“I don’t think it’s me you should be worried about,” I growled as I countered his attack by stepping to the side and lifting my blade.
“You walked into our city uninvited,” he roared. “You must die for your insolence!”
He came toward me with a flurry of wide swings, but I countered each one and allowed him to get a bit closer with each step.
Once he was near me, I stepped down hard on his foot as he swung, and I used his own momentum against him to push him to the ground.
He hit the ice floor with a thud, but the louder sound was the bone in his ankle as it cracked from where I still had his foot pinned to the ground.
The frost giant screamed in pain as bone protruded from his ankle, and his weapon clattered to the floor.
Before he could make a move, though, Blar blasted him with fire, and I spun around and swung my sword low.
I caught the frost giant below his kneecaps, which were a good foot higher off the ground than mine with his incredible height, and my blade went straight through one of his legs only to get stuck in the bone of the second one.
“Fuuuuuck!” the frost giant screamed, but at this point he’d seen me take out several of his friends, so he wasn’t willing to go down without a fight.
Even with only half of one leg, he reared his arms back and attempted to swing his sword at me again.
I ducked low as he made a sloppy pass over my head, and Blar had my back as he went high and blasted the frost giant with a massive blue flame.
“Helheim feline!” the man screeched as he lifted his arms to block his face, but with only a small amount of leg left to stand on, he quickly fell to the ground next to his already severed leg.
Blood pooled around him and coated the ice an awful red color as he continued to curse me even in his dying state.
“Good job, buddy,” I told Blar as the little dragon landed on my shoulder again.
“What did I miss?” Eira asked, and I turned to see her come out of the tunnel behind me. Her body was covered in blood splatter from her clear victory, and even Svass had a few drops on her small yellow body.
“Rath!” Kas yelled, and I immediately spun around and found the strawberry-blonde. “Two more just left!”
The sorceress swung at her opponent, but he countered, and their blades made a terrible sound as they clashed together. She pushed back, and the male slid on the ice with his legs spread wide in a fighting stance. Then Kas surprised me. She yanked her sword back so she could throw it up in the air, and she took two steps forward and lowered onto her knees to slide between the giant’s legs.
The giant looked up at her magic covered greatsword as it floated above him, but as soon as Kas was at his back, the sword dropped down into her hand, and she thrust it up through his spine. The tip of the blade came through his chest as his body spasmed, and blood burst out of his mouth as he coughed.