by Logan Jacobs
“I’m just glad you can’t see me like this without that little piece of glass,” she laughed. “I can’t have you thinking of me as some nasty blue giant.”
“Yeah, I like this form better.” I smirked.
“Would you like to see?” Asta asked as she moved to hand me the small piece of glass.
“Don’t you dare,” Eira threatened, and Asta stopped dead in her tracks.
The elf girl’s yellow eyes went wide as she looked at me, but I just shrugged and laughed it off.
“Alright,” Kas said. “I think we’re ready.”
“Yeah, but now we have no idea where to go,” Eira said.
I looked around at the open area we were in. There were several tunnels that led further into the caves, and at this point, I figured we just had to pick one.
“Kas,” I said. “Can you make a spell to keep track of where we’ve been?”
“You bet I can,” the strawberry-blonde said with a grin. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Kas muttered something in the old language, and some green sparkles appeared on our feet for a second before disappearing again.
“We haven’t cast this spell since the first day we went through the portals,” I chuckled.
“I know,” Kas said, and she looked at Blar on my shoulder. “He was so little then.”
“He could actually fit on my shoulder then,” I joked, and I grabbed onto Blar’s back foot on my hip and gave it a squeeze.
“I miss when he was so little,” Kas sighed.
Blar glared at her and turned his head away.
“She’s just kidding,” I laughed and scratched under his chin.
Kas rolled her eyes at the dramatic little dragon and then turned to look at all the tunnels around us. “Which one should we choose?”
“Hm.” I pursed my lips and looked around. “That one seems like our best bet.”
I pointed to the tunnel directly opposite of the entrance to the caves. It seemed to make sense that would be where the majority of people would naturally head, so I figured there had to be some sort of civilization down that way. Ramir had said a lot of frost giants lived in the caves, and I thought I remembered one of the arseholes we’d fought saying something about us coming into his city. I didn’t see any city around, but I figured there would probably be a few vendors or something once we found where people lived.
“I guess it doesn’t matter which one we follow at this point.” Eira shrugged. “Though it would make sense to try the middle one first.”
“That’s what I thought, too.” I nodded. “I’m betting that’s where people live.”
“If we don’t see anything down there, we can always try another tunnel,” Kas reminded us.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “It’s worth a try.”
The girls nodded, and we all made our way to the tunnel across from the entrance.
Unlike the tunnel Eira and I had been in earlier, this one grew larger the further we walked, and there were some strange blue lights along the wall to guide our way.
“What is that?” Kas asked with a gesture to the lights.
“It’s some sort of algae or something that grows in Jotunheim,” Eira explained. “I’ve seen them use it before to mark out paths and stuff when I’ve been here on missions. They’re smart for using it in the caves, too.”
“Do you think it grows in the caves?” Asta asked.
“It might.” Eira nodded. “I’ve never actually seen where it comes from, I’ve just seen the stuff scattered around this realm on my visits, so it has to be naturally occurring somewhere around here.”
“It seems like a good sign at least,” Kas said.
“Right.” I nodded.
The girls and I continued down the tunnel, but I kept my hand on the hilt of my blade. We were disguised as frost giants, so nobody had any reason to suspect we didn’t belong. I still wasn’t sure how to feel about being in an underground cave system where my people’s natural born enemies lived, but it had to be done.
I took a deep breath and focused on the mission at hand. The caves couldn’t be that large, so it should only take us a day or so to look around and find the dragon eggs.
As we walked, a low noise began to fill the tunnel, and it got louder and louder the farther we walked.
“What’s that noise?” Eira asked, and the redhead’s hand drifted toward her weapon.
“I don’t know.” I shook my head.
“It sounds almost like running water,” Asta said, and she cocked her head to the side. “But it’s… something else.”
The low sound continued to grow louder and louder, and up ahead I could see a bright blue light.
“I think we’re nearly there,” I said as we approached the blue illumination.
The sound was becoming clearer, and I realized it wasn’t one sound, but many, all at once.
I squinted with confusion and made the rest of the trek to the opening at the end of the tunnel. Then my jaw dropped as I looked down at the huge open area below.
The sound we heard had been a massive marketplace that spread out for what seemed like miles. I couldn’t see the end of it from our place at the top of a huge staircase made of ice, and I realized then the caves were far more extensive than I’d thought.
“Oh, shite,” Eira breathed.
“I think this is going to take longer than expected,” I said as I looked over at the girls, and I gulped as I stared out at the vast market below us.
Oh, shite, was right.
Chapter 16
“It’s going to take us days to search this place,” Kas said, and she looked at me with panicked violet eyes.
“I thought Ramir said people lived down here.” Asta frowned. “This looks like it’s a marketplace.”
“It is.” I nodded and gestured to the smaller tunnels that branched off from the larger one we were looking down at. “I’m betting those smaller tunnels lead to people’s homes.”
“Right,” Eira agreed. “And if people live here, it would make sense they’d need a marketplace. I guess I just hadn’t realized how huge this place would be.”
“I hadn’t, either.” I shook my head.
“What are we going to do?” Kas pushed. “We don’t know when the King is going to come for those babies.”
“Yes,” Asta added. “And we need to get to the little baby who hatched.”
“I know,” I said, and I pursed my lips and thought for a moment.
The area was much larger than I’d expected, but that didn’t mean our plan had to change too much. It might even be better for our disguises that the area was so large since we were less likely to run into someone who knew the people we were disguised as. We could move among the tunnels unnoticed, but the only problem was there were too many tunnels to search in the amount of time we had.
We needed to work with our wits.
“We can do this,” I told the girls.
“How?” Kas asked, and she bit her lip.
“We’re going to do the same thing here that we did at the market in Alfheim,” I explained.
“Good idea.” Eira smirked. “We should be able to spot the arseholes around here pretty quickly.”
“Yeah,” I said. “If we walk around and keep an eye out for suspicious-looking giants, I’m sure we can find them. It might take longer than we’d anticipated, but it’s our best bet right now.”
“You’re right.” Kas nodded. “The market in Alfheim was huge, too, but we spotted the dragon trading bastards there.”
“If I’ve learned anything being in a warband, it’s that criminals aren’t afraid to operate out in the open,” Eira said with a shake of her head.
“You would think they would try to avoid being in public.” Asta frowned.
“Everyone looks in the shadows for someone being suspicious,” I explained. “Nobody expects it to be right in front of them, which is why they operate in plain sight. Most people wouldn’t think criminals would be that bold, but they almost
always are.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Kas said, and her strawberry-blonde eyebrows pulled together.
“Everyone, stay close,” I said, and I looked at Blar and Inger. “No flying, at all. You understand?”
All four little dragons nodded, and I bit my lip as I looked at where they sat on the girls’ shoulders.
“I think you all should walk on the ground, actually,” I added. “Except for Svass, you’re small enough, Eira can carry you without it looking suspicious. But you need to be in her arms instead of on her shoulders.”
Blar, Inger, and Uffe hopped down from our shoulders, and I expected Svass to stay in Eira’s arms, but the little yellow dragon flew down to join them.
“Are you sure?” Eira asked her, but Svass just nodded and then looked at me with determined pink eyes.
The little dragon already felt an incredible sense of loyalty to us all, and even though she was small, I knew she understood what was happening to her brethren and would do whatever she could to stop it.
“Kas,” I said. “Can you make us some leashes?”
“I’m sure I can,” she answered before she reached over and pulled out a strand of Eira’s hair.
“Ow!” the redhead squeaked, and she turned to look at Kas with horrified green eyes. “What the fuck?”
“Sorry,” the strawberry-blonde apologized. “I need something to make the leashes from, and your hair is the longest.”
“You could’ve just asked,” the redhead said with a terrifying glare.
“I figured it would hurt less if it was a surprise.” Kas smiled and ignored Eira’s attempt to scare her.
We’d all seen the softer side of the redhead by now, so it was hard to take her glare seriously.
“I don’t think that’s how that works,” Eira snorted.
“We’ve been in battle with you several times, and I’ve never heard you say ‘ow’,” Asta noted as she cocked her head to the side curiously. “Are you alright?”
“I don’t get hurt in battle,” Eira countered.
“Are you hurt now?” Asta asked, and her yellow eyes were full of concern.
Her blatant innocence was all that saved her from seeming like a total arsehole for calling Eira out on squealing at a little hair pull, and I couldn’t help but snicker into my hand.
“I guess not,” Eira said dryly, and she turned to me and pointed a thumb at Asta. “Teach your elf some manners.”
“Sorry,” I laughed and shrugged. “She doesn’t know any better.”
“I was only inquiring if you were injured.” Asta frowned at the beautiful redheaded warband leader.
“I know, I know,” Eira chuckled and rolled her eyes, and then she playfully pushed the elf girl on the arm. “Next time, don’t bring it up if I say ‘ow’, okay?”
“Okay, I will not say a word,” Asta said as she put her hand over her mouth.
“All done,” Kas announced, and she handed each of us a leash.
The lead looked and felt exactly like real rope, but I knew it was just her illusion magic. Still, it would do the job, and it would also ensure the dragons could easily break free if they needed to.
“Thank you,” I told the strawberry-blonde as I took the leash.
Once we got all the dragons hooked up to their leashes, I nodded and led everyone down the huge ice steps.
Blar pulled on the lead, and I had to hold it steady to stop him from trying to take off.
“Behave,” I told him, and I looked over at where all the other little dragons walked easily in front of the girls
I rolled my eyes at my blue buddy, and he glared and then rolled his eyes back at me as if he were mocking my gesture. He stopped pulling the leash, though, so I just shrugged it off and continued down the steps.
The market was incredibly crowded and loud, and it was filled with vendors and smells I’d never had the pleasure of inhaling before. I was surprised to find the Jotunheim food smelled so good, and I wasn’t sure if it actually smelled delicious, or if I was simply hungry.
Either way, I was determined to get some before we left.
It almost felt wrong to think about buying food from my realm’s enemies, but I knew the majority of these frost giants were just average citizens trying to live their lives and sell their wares. It didn’t hurt to give them a few coins for a scrumptious meal, and we probably had some time to kill anyway.
I led the girls through the crowd, and I even saw a couple other frost giants with snow leopards on leashes, though they were much larger than the little dragons appeared to be. A few citizens saw the babies and smiled at them, but nobody approached to ask to pet them like they usually did in Asgard.
As we walked through the market, I glanced at all the booths around us. Some of them looked just like Asgardian booths, with large tunics, weapons, and armor for sale. There were a few differences, namely in the size of the clothing and armor, but overall, it felt almost like home.
There was a huge frost giant female behind a booth to our right, and all over the wooden walls were pegs with jewelry hung on them. There were necklaces, bracelets, rings, and even chains that looked like they were meant to be worn on the hips and feet. Most of the jewelry was made with silver, and there were various stones set in them. A lot of the gems were blue in color, but there were a very few that were red, green, and gold.
“Oh, everything is beautiful,” Asta said with a smile as she glanced around. “And it smells wonderful.”
“Yeah, it’s making me hungry,” Kas said.
“Me, too,” Eira agreed before she lowered her voice. “Rath found some coins on the man he killed earlier.”
“We did, too,” Kas snickered.
“We should have plenty.” I nodded. “Should we find some food?”
“It can’t hurt.” Eira shrugged. “We’re going to be here a while, right? I always focus better if I’m full.”
“Alright,” I said, and I gestured all around us. “You all pick.”
“Mmmm.” Asta bit her lip and closed her eyes as she smelled the air. “Everything smells sooooo good. I don’t know which one to choose.”
“Me, either,” Kas groaned. “I’ve never had Jotunheim food. I don’t even know where to start.”
“Eira?” I asked.
“I’ve never had their food, either.” The redhead shook her head. “But everything smells good. I’m okay with whatever Kas and Asta decide.”
Blar tugged on my leash, and I looked down to see the little dragon staring at a vendor up to the right. A large piece of meat hung from the ceiling of the booth, and the frost giant behind the counter carved off pieces of it for his customers.
“Blar seems to like that one,” I laughed.
“Mmmm, that one does look good,” Asta said, and she turned to me and bounced on the balls of her feet. “Can we get it?”
“Of course.” I nodded. “But you might want to avoid jumping up and down.”
“Why?” the white-haired elf girl asked, and she looked at me with round yellow eyes of concern.
“Um, because to everyone around, you look like a massive frost giant warrior,” Eira chuckled. “I doubt they’re usually seen bouncing around.”
“Oh, yes, you’re right.” Asta straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I must play the part.”
“Much better.” Kas smiled.
Blar tugged on his leash again, and I was suddenly regretting my idea to give them leashes in the first place.
“Alright,” I laughed. “Let’s go.”
The girls and I made our way over to the booth, and as soon as we stepped up to order, Blar put his paws on the front of the counter so he could get a better look at the meat.
“Get down,” I hissed. The last thing we needed was to attract attention.
The little blue dragon rolled his eyes, but he did as requested, and I waited for the vendor to approach me.
“What’ll it be?” the man asked after a moment. He was extremely tall, and wide enoug
h to match, with dark-blue skin, bright yellow teeth, and a nose that looked like it’d been broken a time or two.
“Eight plates of meat,” I told him.
“You’re getting plates for the kits as well?” he asked, and he raised a dark eyebrow at me.
I’d never heard that term before, but I assumed ‘kits’ meant kittens.
“They get hungry, too.” I shrugged.
In this sort of situation, it was best to keep things brief. The goal was to be forgettable as soon as we walked away. We wanted to blend into the crowd as best as we could.
“Suppose you’re right,” the man chuckled, and he grabbed some plates made of ice and started to dish meat onto them.
He also put some strange vegetables I’d never seen before on top of the meat, and he topped it all off with a foreign red sauce.
“Eight copper,” he told me.
“Here you go,” I said, and I handed him the money.
“Next,” the man called as the girls and I grabbed the plates and walked over to a nearby table.
It seemed everything here was made of ice. The plates were a very thin ice, the table and chairs were made of ice, and of course, the entire cave system was, too.
“I feel as though our food is going to be cold.” Asta frowned.
“It’s probably meant to be eaten cold.” Kas shrugged.
“Mmm, maybe you’re right,” the white-haired elf girl mused as she looked down at her plate.
“Hot or cold, it smells fucking delicious,” Eira said as we took our seats.
Blar hopped up on the bench next to me, but I quickly pushed him back down and set the dragons’ plates on the ground.
“I’m sorry,” I told him as he glared at me. “But I don’t see anybody else letting their snow leopards eat at the table. I don’t know the protocol here, and I’d rather not attract attention.”
Blar shook his head, but he was too excited about the meat to stay mad for long. The little lizard devoured his food, and I turned my attention back to my own plate.
“Ohhhhh, fuck, yes,” Eira groaned through a mouthful of food. “Rath, you gotta try this, it’s so good.”
“It sounds like it,” I chuckled.
“Delicious.” Kas nodded and covered her mouth as she chewed.