by Garnet Hart
Seconds later, Lysander was in, too.
Indeed… it was hell inside.
Lior looked around the dark creepy dungeon. Where they stood, he could see several paths branching out.
“I sure hope you know the way in here,” Lysander told Bran.
Bran shrugged. “There’s no permanent way inside Yggdrasil. The paths are random and have many mazes.”
“Then let’s go.” Lior suddenly turned back to where they came in when he heard some footsteps coming from afar.
“What is it?” Lysander asked.
Lior listened more carefully. “Someone has followed us.”
Lysander was momentarily quiet, and then sighed. “You two go ahead. I’ll go back out and make sure nobody enters the door.”
Lior hesitated, but he knew Lysander could easily track their way down. “Be careful,” he said and walked straight the path with Bran.
“Don’t worry about him,” Bran said. “He’ll catch up with us soon.”
“I’m no’ worried. He will no’ do anything stupid like you always do.”
Chapter 24
Asra blinked several times before she managed to open her eyes. For a moment, she thought she was in her bed in Lior’s castle, but the light above her looked strange.
She quickly sat up and realized she was enclosed in a big cage made of steel. There was a lamp above her but it only illuminated a small part of her surroundings. She was sitting on a soft bed. It explained why she felt very comfortable.
The air was thick and humid. It looked like she was in a cave!
She was about to cry for help when she heard voices.
“Why did you bring her here?” she heard someone say. The voice was low and deep, a voice she’d never heard before. It was a man.
She looked around but could not see them. They seemed to be at the side of the wall.
“I only ask for two days,” another voice answered. This time, she recognized the owner.
He was Lior’s friend and the same man who visited Lior’s ranch months ago. She had seen his face while he talked to Lior from her bedroom window. She can never forget his face nor his voice.
That man abducted her from Lior’s castle. He’d pressed a cloth under her nose and she passed out.
Now, she was here.
A shiver suddenly ran down her spine. Where had that man taken her? What was this place?
“Do you know the danger that a songstress poses to the Dwarves?” the other voice said. “If anyone finds out she’s here, creatures from all over the nine realms will attack us. We don’t have enough army to fight them. And we are in peace with all other realms save with the Dark Elves. We don’t want to be involved in any other war. The Dark Elves alone are becoming too much for us lately.”
“That’s why I’ll only keep her here for two days,” her abductor reasoned out. “Then I’ll come back and get her before anyone finds out her whereabouts.”
“No, you take her with you when you leave. I don’t want to risk my people over that Elf. If you leave her here, I’ll kill here so all this craze about the songstress will come to an end.”
She was stunned. Why were so many creatures after her life?
Silence followed, and then a man emerged from the darkness and was walking toward her.
She screamed.
It was her abductor.
She stared at him. Like Lior, he was very tall and broad-shouldered and very handsome, too. But his eyes were dark. In fact, right now, his eyes seemed all black, gleaming like black jewels.
“My name is Raith. I’m a Demon.”
She shrunk back. Mortal tales had told her that the Demons were the inhabitants of hell who tortured bad souls, but in fact, Demons, according to Lior, were inhabitants of Nifel who guarded the gates of Hell so no soul can escape back to Midgar. Lior said the Demons wanted to use her against Odin’s forces.
“Sorry if you had to hear that. I didn’t realize you were awake.”
She did not answer and just looked at him. Even if she was under his mercy, she should not lose her pride.
Raith squatted so their eyes were almost on the same level. “I’m sorry, Elf. I meant no harm to you.”
“My name is Asra.”
He smiled. “Yes, Asra… You have a beautiful name… and you are a very beautiful woman.”
She didn’t know Demons had charm. If she heard those words from Lior, she would have been ecstatic. But this man was not Lior, although he seemed more of a gentleman than that Lycan. “Are you taking me to the rest of your kind?” she asked.
“I’m sorry but I have to, Asra.”
“But why? What have I ever done to you?”
Raith sighed, his eyes going soft, losing its darkness. “You know, Nifel was once a rich fertile land where we lived in peace. Troubles started when Odin put Hel in there to establish a realm where the souls rejected by Asgard would be kept. From then on, bad souls lingered all over Nifel and sent havoc to the Demon population, so we had no choice but to put gates around Hell’s realm and guarded it so no souls could escape. It became our duty to guard souls, and I was sent to Midgar to search for lost souls and send them back to Hell. Now, Hel’s realm is getting bigger and bigger and the Demons are being pushed farther and farther away to the sides. In a few centuries, we might not have a home anymore. The realm of Nifel would then be nothing but Hell.”
“And you think I can help you?”
Raith nodded. “My father decided that we need a new home.”
“So, you want to attack other worlds?”
“Probably, but the Demons are only a handful compared to the other races. That’s why we need you.”
“But I haven’t learned the chant yet. Garr said I cannot be a songstress without learning the chant.”
“That’s why I was pleading with the dwarf to let you stay here while I search for the Dark Elf queen’s new encampment. The women have relocated because of this war between the Elves and the Dwarves.”
Asra raised her chin. “I’d rather die than serve your purpose.”
He reached through the cage and squeezed her hand in her lap. She looked into his face and saw something in his eyes that melted her heart. He did not say a word, but she felt what he’d wanted to tell her. This Demon was lost and confused, and he too wasn’t certain if he was doing the right thing or not.
“I promise you,” he said, “I’ll keep you safe. If it turns out that your becoming the Demons’ Songstress would bring havoc into this world and would risk the humans, then I will be the first one to cut off your tongue so no one would be interested in you again.”
With her mouth agape, she was finally enlightened. So that was how she could get rid of her destiny, to have her tongue cut off. But what kind of life would she have after that? She’d lose her ability to speak. How could she interact well with people?
Tears welled in her eyes. No, losing her tongue was not acceptable to her, neither was becoming a songstress and neither was death! It was not fair!
Raith squeezed her hand again and stood up. “We have to leave.”
“Where are we going?”
“There’s a friend of mine who happens to be an enemy of the Dwarves. I’ll ask him to look after you for a while.”
“And I thought you’re bringing me to Nifel?”
“Yes, but not now, not until I am sure that I will be in charge of you. I don’t want them using you for any other purpose aside from what I order. Demons tend to be abusive. If I leave you under their command, they might dream of conquering all the nine realms of this world.”
Raith opened the cage and helped her out. She did not think about running away. This was a world she never knew. Even if she wanted to, there was nowhere she could hide from this Demon.
They walked out of the tunnel for what seemed like an hour or so. She was amazed at how big the Dwarves’ mine was.
Finally, they stepped out into a world she’d never seen before.
Asra stared at the vast land of
nothingness. It was bare, without trees or grass. There were only big boulders and hills landscaping the terrains. There was a sun above, but it was covered with a dark mist that very few rays could get through.
“What is this place?” she asked.
“Svartalfar, the land of the Dwarves and Dark Elves,” Raith answered. “Beyond those hills, we’ll get into a forest. That’s where the Dark Elves stay.”
“So they stay on the same world yet they are frequently at war with one another?”
“They have different ways of life. The Elves preserve the land along with its trees while the Dwarves destroy it to mine gems. This place where we stand now used to be a cluster of green hills, but mining has made it barren. The Dwarves, by forging powerful weapons managed to get help from other realms to drive away the Dark Elves, and they succeeded. Now, their once small town called Nidavellir here in Svartalfar, had grown so much that the Dark Elves almost have nowhere to stay.”
“But you’re friends with both of them?”
“Yes. I maintain my friendship with both races, even if my race prefers to side with the Dwarves.”
“Why?”
“Because my childhood friend is a Dark Elf. Come on, let’s get going while the sun is still up.”
“How much longer are we going to walk?”
“Not very far from here. You’re probably hungry.”
Her stomach rumbled in immediate response. “I have not eaten since you took me away.”
“There will be food soon,” Raith assured her.
They continued forward. They crossed the vast barren land going to the forest. She felt like she was going to collapse, but she held herself up.
She could see the trees now. They were so near. Raith said there will be food there. But the terrible pain on her feet might kill her before she could make it there. She was wearing her indoor slippers, and the rocky ground was piercing the soles.
Suddenly, Raith grabbed her wrist.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I heard something.”
She listened and heard a grunt of an animal. “It’s Lior! He’s come for me.”
“Shhh!” Raith held her hand firmly to restrain her. “I know how Lior sounds as a Lycan, and I can tell, this one’s not him.”
“Then who is it?”
Raith quickly held both her shoulders to get her full attention. “Asra, listen to me. Run to the forest as fast as you can. Do not look back! Now!”
Shocked, Asra did as she was ordered.
She was halfway to the woods when she heard a loud growl of a beast. She couldn’t help but turn around, and what she saw paralyzed her.
It was a big, black, werewolf, bigger than anything she’d ever seen. It looked like a Lycan. Even from afar, she could tell that it was five times as big as Lior in his Lycan form, and it had horns on its head. It was attacking Raith who was trying to defend himself with a two-handed sword.
“Keep running, Asra!” Raith yelled at her. “Don’t look back!”
But she couldn’t. She was too afraid to go alone and too afraid of the beast she’d seen.
She watched in horror as the beast and the Demon fought savagely. They were moving too fast that her eyes could not catch up with their speed.
Raith jumped here and there and the monster clawed everywhere. She grew dizzy with their rapid movements until she saw Raith crawling on the ground trying to reach for his sword, and the beast was plodding towards him, ready to strike.
Asra picked up a big rock and threw it at the beast before it could get Raith. Distracted, the monster turned to her. She stepped back as the beast switched direction.
It was now coming to her and she just realized how stupid she was.
She ran away as fast as she could. She could feel it following her. She could hear its big footsteps trailing her, could feel the ground shaking under her feet. Suddenly, the monster growled right behind her!
She screamed and stumbled on the ground. She thought she was finished, but the beast turned away. When she lifted her head up to look, Raith was on its back and his sword was glowing red like a long piece of ember. He plunged it deep on the beast’s spine.
The beast growled in pain and swirled around to get Raith off its back. Though the sword looked tiny compared to the beast’s size, there seemed to be something about it that inflicted so much pain on the beast.
Raith finally lost his balance and fell on the ground, landing hard on his back. The beast’s claws lashed across Raith’s chest, drawing blood spewing out like water coming from a broken pipe.
She covered her mouth and cried quietly as she was unable to scream. She knew she had to run or the beast would get her next, but she could not move. She sat there, waiting for her death, but the beast just stared at her as though he’d heard something from afar and was trying to decide if it should kill her first or run.
The beast chose the latter, and she was finally able to catch her breath. When she turned around, she saw around two dozens of people lined up from a distance, their bows and arrows all aimed at the monster who was then fleeing away.
She knew these creatures. She’d seen them before. They were the same creatures who had put her to sleep for two hundred years. The Dark Elves.
She ran to Raith who was lying on the ground. He was still breathing, but blood had pooled around him that it seemed impossible for him to survive this. But he was not human. Something like this might not be fatal to Demons.
Then she wondered why she even cared. This
Demon abducted her. She shouldn’t care.
“Asra,” Raith said and paused as he spat blood. “Go with them. They will protect you.”
Tears ran down her eyes as she glanced at the men behind her. He may have abducted her but he also saved her from that monster. “I won’t leave you.”
“Don’t cry. I don’t deserve your tears.”
“They might be able to heal you.”
“No. No one can heal me now. Go with them. Lior will eventually find you. When you see him, tell him I’m dead.”
She shook her head. No. She cannot possibly leave him here to die.
“That monster you saw was Grunt. He’s an ancient Lycan who’d been locked away for centuries for his madness. He is after you. He wants to take Vanar back so he could rule it and take revenge on Asgard for imprisoning him.”
“Will he come back?”
“That’s for sure, but don’t worry. Lior can protect you. He’s the only one who can.”
“That monster is too strong. He’ll kill us.”
“That monster fears Lior. As of now, he won’t dare attack again. He’s been wounded by my sword and will need some time to heal. Go now. Those Dark Elves will escort you to their realm.”
“But if you die…”
“Have you heard of a Demon dying?” he managed to humor her.
One of the Dark Elves stepped forward to help her up. Among all the Dark Elves, he was the tallest, with a body frame like that of Raith. Just by his stance, she could tell he was the leader
“Miss Asra of MacLeod, my name is Emyr, the King of the Dark Elves. Come with me and I will protect you with my life.”
She was astounded. All these creatures knew her? It seemed that the news of her being a songstress had travelled across the realms fast.
She was just so grateful that the Dark Elves were willing to take her in and protect her. Her only option was to trust him, knowing that she was helpless in this unknown land.
Chapter 25
“I thought there’s a path in Yggdrasil that goes straight to Nifel?” Lior asked while they traversed the barren land of Svartalfar. “Why did we come out here?”
“I’m not sure,” Bran replied. “I probably made a mistake. But anyway, I know the way to Nifel from this world.”
Lior stopped walking. “D’you hear that?”
Bran glanced at him. “No. What d’ya hear?”
Lior felt the ground rumbling. Something huge was running ar
ound just close by. “Something… or someone is here.”
“Raith?”
Lior shook his head. “It’s a monster.”
“Good,” Bran said and pulled out his sword. The Macleod sword, which was crafted by the Elves, was the only weapon they managed to get through the tree of Yggdrasil. “I can’t wait to try this MacLeod sword.”
Lior didn’t mind lending the sword to Bran. He had two sets of steel-hard, razor-sharp claws as deadly as the deadliest of swords.
Lior suddenly lost track of his subject, as if it probably caught their presence as well.
This was dangerous. He knew, whatever that was, it was not an ordinary monster.
“Grunt,” he uttered softly, as though something in him knew before he realized it.
“Really? That mutant Lycan is here?” Bran asked.
“Dunna underestimate him,” Lior warned. “That monster is more ferocious than anything you’ve ever seen.”
“Then why’s he afraid of you?”
Lior shook his head. He couldn’t answer the question because Grunt must be listening, but he knew why. Grunt thought he had the Grimrist, the weapon that could kill any beast in one blow.
According to Fenrir, he had hidden it inside his body so Odin would not find it and use it to kill the Lycans. But he can only use that if he’d shift into his Alpha form. However, Odin sealed all Alphas’ ability to transform into their Alpha form. Now the Grimrist was useless as it was trapped inside him.
“And why’re you afraid of him?” Bran asked again.
Lior swallowed. He hated to admit it, but Grunt was probably the only one who could evoke fear in his system.
“Stay alert,” he whispered. “He’s just around us.”
“Why can’t I hear him?”
“Because you’re no’ a Lycan.”
“Ah, I’m not scared of a Lycan.” Bran walked forward. “Lycans are chickens. That’s why they lost their land from the minions of Odin.”
“Bran, get back h—” Before Lior could finish, a ten foot monster jumped right in front of Bran, growling louder than an exploding nuclear bomb that could wipe away an entire city.