"Oh this is ridiculous, come on Alex, let's go find Sven. This megalomaniac is a nutter," said Matt, pulling Alex away by the arm.
As soon as Alex turned his back, Svafrlami leapt at him and wrapped his arm around Alex's neck. As soon as he made contact he went flying back through the air as an electric shock coursed through his body. Before Svafrlami hit the ground Garm leapt forward and caught him in mid air between his massive jaws. With a shake of his head, one crunch he swallowed Svafrlami whole. They all stood looking at the Hel hound in shock.
"Oh my god, did that really just happen?" asked Ellewen.
"Guys, we need to get out of here," said Alex in a low voice, backing up slowly.
Garm was licking his lips and his golden eyes flicked around looking at them all.
"You don't need to tell me twice," said Matt, backing up too.
Garm growled in the back of his throat and scraped at the ground with a huge paw. Alex drew the sword and held it out in front of them, waving it to and fro. Garm eyed the sword cautiously and slunk back towards the gate.
"Go, go, go," whispered Alex urgently, picking Dvalin up with his spare arm and throwing him onto his back.
They turned around and started to sprint towards the right where they could see the Yggdrasil tree root in the distance through the mist. Alex looked behind but Garm hadn't followed them, he was sitting down by the gates licking his paws. Alex slowed down and swung Dvalin down to the ground as they reached the tree. It reached right up into the light purple sky and Alex couldn't see where it ended.
"Impressive eh?" said Ellewen, craning her neck up. "The Yggrasil tree connects all of the Nine Worlds together. This is one of three roots and it goes through the Hvergelmir spring; the bubbling, boiling spring. It's the water source that feeds most of the rivers in the Nine Worlds."
The root looked ancient and gnarled. Damp, foggy mist hung around the base.
"We'll find the entrance to Niddhogg's lair at the base, come on," she said, leading the way.
They walked towards the tree root, looking about cautiously. The mist was getting thicker and Becca shivered. Alex noticed and put his arm around her waist, pulling her into his side. He summoned a small amount of energy to keep her warm.
"Hmm, you're toasty," she said, pressing herself into him.
"Yeah, hot stuff, that's me alright," he grinned.
"Well don't overdo it. I don't want you cooking me!"
"Over here guys," called Ellewen.
They could barely see her through the mist.
"Look, there's a gap in the root here, I reckon we should go down it," she said, poking her head into a dark hole. I can feel warm air and it stinks; this must be a passage down to Niddhogg.
Suddenly, something streaked out between her legs making her yelp and jump backwards.
"What was that?" she gasped, looking around.
"Dunno, I just saw something furry with a tail," said Matt, looking up the tree root where it had scrambled out of sight.
"Ahh, that must have been Ratatosk. He's a squirrel who delivers messages between Niddhogg and the hawk who sits between the eyes of the eagle that sits at the top of the tree. I heard that they like to wind each other up, spreading gossip and lies and they use the squirrel as their go between," said Ellewen, trying to find the squirrel.
“They need to get themselves smart phones and message each other,” said Matt, seriously.
“Yeah, because it would be so easy for a dragon to use a phone,” laughed Alex, cuffing Matt on the back of his head.
"I don't suppose he can deliver a message to Sven and tell him to climb up the tree?" asked Becca, eyeing the dark hole dubiously.
"Now that is an awesome idea," said Matt, nodding his approval.
"Guess we could try," said Ellewen shrugging. "Hey Ratatosk, come down here," she called up the tree.
A red fluffy face with beady little eyes stared down at her from a crack in the tree root.
"Can he understand English?" asked Alex.
"Have we been transported to Narnia? Talking squirrels, seriously?" asked Matt.
"Legend says he can speak every language in the Nine Worlds so I guess he can," said Ellewen, ignoring Matt.
Ratatosk cocked his head to one side and scurried down the tree to stand in front of Ellewen.
"What do you want?" he asked coldly.
"Er, we were wondering if you could deliver a message to our friend who should be down with Niddhogg? He got left behind you see," asked Ellwen, smiling politely.
The squirrel jerked his head around the group and his beady black eyes settled on Alex.
"Ahh, you're the one," he said with a gleam in his eye.
"Er, I guess so," he said.
"Hel is not happy with you. You're brave coming down here. Either that or stupid," he said, scampering over to look at the sword hanging from Alex's hip.
"Don't touch it," cried Alex, backing out of reach quickly. "It's dangerous."
The squirrel blinked at him a few times. "If you say so. A message is it? What do I get out of this?"
"What do you want?... Nuts?" Alex asked.
Ratatosk wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Nuts? Are you serious? I want gossip, something juicy that no one else knows. I love a bit of gossip."
They all looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. The only gossip they knew related to who was dating whom at school.
"I've got something," said Ellewen. "Thor was told that Alex's mum had died but he found out that she's still alive. His wife Sif is going ballistic in Asgard. I bet you didn’t know that."
"Ooh, juicy. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes. Sif's dangerous when she's angry. Ok, what's the message and whom am I giving it to?" he asked, swiping at his whiskers with his paws.
"It's for Sven, the dwarf. Tell him to climb up the root, his friends are waiting for him and will get him out of Helheim," said Alex. "Oh and tell him I'm sorry, I didn't mean to leave him behind."
"Hmm ok, but I didn’t see anyone alive when I was down there earlier. I’ll check for you though just in case. I'll be back soon, wait here for me." Ratatosk bounded over to the hole in the root and with a flick of his red, fluffy tail, disappeared out of sight.
"I wonder how long it will take Sven to climb up,” pondered Alex as he looked down the dark hole.
"I wonder if he's still alive," said Dvalin morosely.
They sat down at the base of the gnarled root and waited in silence. After what felt like a lifetime they heard scurrying paws echo from the hole.
"He's back," said Alex, jumping to his feet.
Ratatosk leapt out of the hole and stood looking at them nervously, his whiskers twitching. He had something strapped to his back.
"Hey, you're back, did you find him? Is he ok? Where is he?" asked Alex, in a rush.
"Erm, I'm sorry, he wasn't there. I found this though."
He turned around and shrugged off what was on his back. It was a brown boot, covered in gemstones.
"On no," whispered Alex, his stomach turning over in dread.
"Sven," cried Becca, clasping her hands to her mouth in horror.
"I guess that's that then," said Dvalin picking up the boot and studying the gems. "Hmm, nice."
"Dvalin, cut it out," shouted Matt, grabbing the boot and holding it out of his reach.
Dvalin had been trying to prise the gems off.
"How could you?" asked Matt, choked up.
"Well they're no use to him now are they? Look there's a ruby there, that’s worth a fortune."
"Dvalin, stop. Leave it alone," snapped Alex.
Guilt was pouring over him in waves. It was his fault Sven was gone. He should have made sure the crystal door was working before he left him. Becca stood by his side and held his hand tightly. She could see how this was affecting him.
"Alex, you did your best, you tried. It's not your fault. The door was closing on you, you had to go or you would've been stuck too. Come on, best we go find Sasha and let her know." S
he hung her head sadly. Whilst they hadn't known Sven long, they all felt responsible and would miss him.
They said farewell to Ratatosk and made their way to the palace, which looked like it was hovering on top of a cloud in the distance.
The mist surrounded them and the cold seeped into their bones. It was so thick now they could barely see the person in front of them. Ice crystals crunched beneath their feet as they trudged along a well-worn path.
"It's so cold here," moaned Matt, rubbing his arms.
"Well, it's hardly going to be sunny is it? It's the Underworld, it's meant to be cold and miserable," said Ellewen, flicking her wrist in the air.
Suddenly Matt started to feel a warm glow surrounding him.
"Ooh, that's nice, what is it?" he asked, looking at Ellewen.
"Magic!" she grinned at him.
As they neared the base of the mound the palace was built on, they could hear moaning and wailing echoing around in the mist.
"What's that?" whispered Becca, clinging onto Alex's hand tightly.
"I don't know," he said shuddering at the sound.
The noise was eerie and gave him goose bumps.
A breeze stirred the mist around them and Becca jumped sideways into Alex in fright.
"Oh my god!" she cried, burrowing her head into Alex's chest.
Alex looked over and could see a row of heads buried up to their necks on either side of the path they were standing on. The flesh on the heads was rotting away and each one was moaning and wailing noisily.
"What's going on?" she whispered, too scared to look at the gruesome sight.
"I read about this. They must be the dead who died without honour in battle; the cowards who let down their comrades," explained Ellewen.
"Dudes, pipe down," called out Matt into the mist. The moaning and wailing was giving him the creeps.
The heads nearest them snapped around and stared at them.
"Nice one Matt," growled Ellewen.
The one nearest to Matt stretched its neck forward. "Help me, help me," it pleaded. "I didn't do anything wrong. I should be in Valhalla, I'm a brave warrior. I died with a sword in my hand."
"Yes, probably running away from the fight. Come on, let's get going. We're going to get this all the way up the hill now," she sighed, pushing Matt ahead of her.
She was right, the whole way up the path, the heads called out to them professing their innocence and begging for mercy. When they reached the top and the gates to the palace the last head just stared at them belligerently, completely silent.
"Hey, what's up with that one?" Matt asked, pointing to the head with his foot.
The head turned to him. "Well, if you didn't help those poor beggars down there, you’re not going to help me are you? Might as well save my breath and just enjoy the view up here. Could you move out the way, I can't see who's winning.”
Matt looked around. The mist had lifted and he could see Helheim stretched out before him. Beyond the mound he could see two armies battling each other fiercely on a wide plain.
"Poor souls, they'll fight for eternity, neither winning nor losing. They are the ones who died in battle without their sword in their hand. At least they weren't cowards though," said Ellewen, glaring at the heads.
Only a few looked away, ashamed. The others started their wailing again about how unfair their death was.
"I thought the dead weren't allowed weapons in Helheim?" asked Becca.
"Those are spirit swords, they can't do any harm, hence why neither side ever wins," said Ellewen.
"Good to watch though. Would you mind moving on, you're blocking my view," moaned the head, craning his neck trying to see around Matt's feet.
Alex raised an eyebrow at Matt and they quickly moved out of the way. Alex looked up at the palace. Tall doors crafted out of the bones of the dead rose up before him.
"Ok, that's creepy," said Matt, eyeing up the doorknocker which was a yellow skull. It still had some of its hair attached and he grimaced.
Before they had a chance to knock, the doors swung open wide revealing a large hall with a raised dais at the end. Sitting on the dais on a throne of ice crystals sat the most beautiful girl Alex had ever seen. Her hair was raven black and hung down to her waist. It curled around her pale face, which was turned to the side. The side of her face, which was turned towards them, was pure white and her lips were ruby red. The first thought that went through Alex's head was, I'm standing in front of Snow White. If she had come skipping down the aisle with birds flying around her head and rabbits hopping about her feet he wouldn't have blinked an eye. He heard Dvalin gasp and tried unsuccessfully to suppress a small laugh. Becca nudged him in the ribs hard and he cleared his throat. The girl on the dais turned to face him fully and Alex took a step back in shock. The other side of her face was pure black and rotten. It was as though someone had patched two people together. She winced slightly at their reaction and gripped the armrests of her throne so tightly Alex could see the whites of her knuckles.
"Enter cousin," she commanded sternly.
Alex could feel his torshammere mark start to itch and he walked through the doors cautiously, looking around for danger. The hall was freezing cold and he could see his breath misting in the air. They passed between tall, thick wooden pillars, which were holding up the ceiling. The pillars were covered in ice and engraved with golden runes which pulsated gently, casting an eerie yellow glow on the room. The walls were made of thick grey stone and everywhere Alex looked he could see ice crystals covering everything. No wonder it was so cold, he thought.
"You sure we're not in Narnia?" whispered Matt.
Becca hissed at him to be quiet and they followed Alex as he walked towards the throne on which Hel was sitting. To her right was a deathly pale old woman holding a plate and on the other, an old man holding a knife. They were so still Alex was convinced they were dead. Guards wearing black armour and black facemasks flanked either side of the chamber. Alex could just see their eyes, which looked like black pits. They were glaring at Alex menacingly. When he reached the edge of the dais he nodded his head at Hel in greeting.
"Er, hi," he said lamely, not really knowing what to say to the Goddess of Death.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't feed you to Niddhogg?" she asked, glaring at him.
Her eyes were bright blue and appeared to glow in her strange face.
"Er, because we're family?" replied Alex, shrugging his shoulders.
"That's the reason why I allowed you into my presence. I could have finished you in the outer lands and commanded the Nifs to devour your soul," she hissed angrily, pointing a long slim finger directly at him.
Alex suddenly jerked in pain as his chest constricted. In response the torshammere mark started to glow red and pulsated through the cotton of his white t-shirt. Hel lowered her hand and smiled coldly.
"Your power is strong. You would be wise to contain it. We don't want any accidents to happen to your dear friends," she said eyeing up the others menacingly.
Her icy gaze settled on Matt and she grinned wolfishly.
"Now there's a man with courage. My brother Fenrir has some unfinished business with you, but it would be a shame to ruin that handsome face." She licked her red lips and Matt shuddered.
Whilst one side of her face was stunningly beautiful, there was something very wrong with the way she looked at him. She had a manic glint in her eye and he was trying not to gag from the smell of death and decay emanating from her. She winked at him and directed her gaze back at Alex.
"The other reason why you're still alive is because of him," she said, waving her hand to the left.
A hunched figure was sitting on the edge of the dais with their back to everyone. The person was completely absorbed with something in their hand.
"Sven," she barked to get his attention.
He jumped in shock and spun around, a phone clasped in his hand. When he saw Alex and the others standing there he grinned and gave them a rude gestur
e with his hand.
"Sven!" they all shouted in unison.
The sound echoed around the hall and Sven stood up and gave them a jaunty bow.
"My guards found him crawling out of the Yggdrasil tree. He says he was left behind and was trying to escape from Niddhogg. He's been helping me out with a few things but said he wouldn't do another level unless I let you enter Helheim, so here you are."
"Another level?" asked Alex, confused.
"Candy Crush," said Sven. "She got stuck on a hard level so I'm helping her," he grinned.
"Oh man, am I glad to see you," said Alex, walking over to Sven and picking him up in a big bear hug.
"Get off you perv," cried Sven, kicking his legs furiously in the air.
Alex dropped him to his feet and laughed. "We thought you were dead. When that squirrel brought up your boot...."
"My boot?" cut in Sven. "It got caught in a crack and I lost it."
"Here bro," said Matt, tossing him the boot.
Sven's eyes lit up as he caught it with his free hand.
"Have you got me through that level yet?" Hel snapped at him.
Sven sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, the next one looks easier. You should have a go at that," he said, handing the phone back to her.
She snatched it off him and stared at the screen and started to swipe with her finger impatiently.
"Er, sorry to interrupt but is our friend Sasha here? She came with her father Baldur," asked Alex.
Hel threw the phone to one side and stood up quickly. Her long, black gown flared out with the motion and a foul stench wafted over them making them recoil and instinctively put their hands over their noses. Alex noted the look of hurt that quickly flitted across her face before she composed herself.
"Yes, she's with her mother and father now. What a shame you wouldn't extend that courtesy to myself and allow me to reunite with my father," she snarled.
A loud bang echoed across the chamber, making them all jump. Baldur had entered through a side door with Sasha following closely behind. She was gripping the hand of an older, attractive woman with long fair hair, whom Alex assumed was her mother, Nanna.
"Hel, you can speak to your father at any time. You intended on taking over Midgard and ruling with Loki, we couldn't allow that and you know it," said Baldur firmly.
Helheim (The Nine Worlds Trilogy Book 2) Page 11