by Linsey Hall
“Toxic?” Del’s voice was frantic. She supported Roarke, who was riddled with so many puncture wounds that he looked like an old pincushion. She didn’t look much better, having taken several hits while trying to drag me up onto the stairs after I’d fallen. They were probably both leaning against each other.
“Curable.” The elf nodded at Roarke. “Even for him. But it is best if we start now.”
“Yes.” Del nodded frantically.
“Follow us.” Alva turned her horse.
Ares looked down at me. “I’m going to help Roarke. I don’t think he can walk. Can you manage?”
I nodded. Jeff came to fly under my arm. I put a hand on his back, drawing a bit of strength from him. It flowed into my muscles, warm and wonderful. “Thanks, pal.”
Ares took Roarke from Del, wrapping Roarke’s arm around his own shoulders and helping him limp toward the retreating elves. Del staggered toward me, hardly able to walk. I reached out for her, wrapping an arm around her waist. We lurched after Roarke and Ares. Jeff gave me just enough strength to walk, but the snow made it hard going.
When we reached a massive tree in the middle of a clearing, my jaw dropped. It was bigger than a redwood, with wooden stairs built in a spiral all around. High above, lights glittered in the trees.
“We live above,” Alva said.
“More stairs?” Del sounded like she was going to cry. I couldn’t blame her.
I sucked in a shuddery breath and moved toward the stairs. As soon as I stepped onto the first one, warmth flowed through me. The air changed, just slightly. Warmer and full of magic.
I looked at Alva. “What is that?”
“Our realm. This is a gateway to our world. We defend this outpost. But the tree is able to take some of the magic from Álfheimr, our homeland.”
“Wow.” It made me feel slightly stronger, enough so I could make it to the top. Maybe.
Alva nodded. “Wow is correct.”
We climbed the stairs that spiraled around the tree. Even Roarke could get himself up with the help of the magic, though his wounds continued to weep blood and green poison. By the time I reached the main building high in the branches, I was super ready to be done with today.
The stairs led into a main room that was built entirely of pale white wood. It was octagonal shaped, with large windows looking out to the branches beyond. Skylights revealed the Aurora Borealis, which was brightening as the night went on, reds and purples being added to the green. Sparkling golden lights glittered in the ceiling—fairy lights. Literally. Even my pain couldn’t keep me from chuckling quietly at the bad pun.
There was little furniture in the space, just an open fire pit surrounded by plush blue cushions.
We all stripped off our heavy jackets and hung them on hooks near the door. Jeff gave me one last look and disappeared. I assumed he went back to my trove, but I couldn’t say for certain.
“These elves really have a thing for blue,” Del whispered
“I was just thinking that.” I kept my voice low.
Most of the elves went through a doorway on the other side of the room. Alva turned to us and gestured to the cushions. “You may have a seat. I will bring a healer and some food.”
Gratefully, I collapsed onto a plush cushion. Ares and Del sat next to me, with Roarke nearly keeling over on a cushion next to Del.
“Are you okay, Roarke?” I asked.
“Fine,” he slurred.
“Fighting in the air amongst Jörmungand’s children was brave,” Ares said.
I looked at him, surprised to see how much more blood had seeped from wounds beneath his clothes. He’d probably received them while defending Del and me as she’d tried to haul me back up onto the stairs.
I frowned at Ares. “You really got it, too.”
He shrugged. “None of us escaped unharmed.”
That was the truth.
A moment later, Alva returned with a healer. The newest elf was older, her face lined and her posture stooped.
“This is Astrid,” Alva said. “She is very talented.”
I nodded. “Thank you for coming.”
“Will you see to Roarke first?” Del asked.
Astrid’s white eyes traveled to Roarke and she nodded. “That would be for the best.” Her voice reminded me of a birdsong.
She sat at Roarke’s side. She had no medical instruments, so I assumed it would be a magical sort of healing. When she hovered her hands over Roarke’s body, blue light glowed from her palms. He winced as green venom seeped from his wounds, brilliant beneath the fairy lights.
Slowly he relaxed. The most obvious of his wounds closed up. After five minutes, he was sitting straighter, his gaze brighter.
“Thank you.” He nodded to Astrid.
“Hmmm.” She turned to Ares. “You next.”
They were the worst off by far. Astrid was quicker with Ares, and quicker yet with Del. I’d been lucky with only a few puncture wounds, possibly because of my positioning on the steps.
When Astrid hovered her hands over me, warmth flowed from her palm. My wounds burned fiercely as the poison leached from my flesh, but comfort came when the poison was gone and Astrid’s magic closed the tears.
“That’s amazing, thank you,” I said.
“Hmmm.” She gave a small smile and stood, then left the room.
“She doesn’t speak much, does she?” I asked Alva.
“Not to you, no. Many of our kind are insular. She doesn’t mind helping you, but she is thousands of years old. She can’t imagine you’d have anything new to tell her.”
I chuckled. “Fair enough.”
Three elves entered the room, each carrying a tray laden with glasses and food. The savory smell of spices hit my nose, and my mouth watered. Though I was so exhausted that my body felt like a pile of spaghetti, my stomach grumbled. I could find the energy to eat.
Alva took a seat across from us, joined by the male elf that had ordered the healer. She gestured to him. “This is Eirik.”
I nodded hello as other elves set the food on a nearby table, then served us each a plate of food and a goblet of amber liquid.
“Thank you,” we all spoke at the same time, each of us clearly grateful for the sustenance.
I chowed down, trying not to be a pig about it but so famished that I probably looked pretty desperate. Everything on my plate was some form of vegetable—none of which I recognized—but it was all delicious.
With the worst of my hunger sated, I looked up at Alva. “Thank you again for your assistance.”
She nodded. “It is rare that someone visits our land. It is difficult to reach.”
“That’s an understatement,” Ares said.
“Yes, well, you made it to the top. Clearly your goal is important to you. Which direction are you headed?”
“Northwest.” At least, that was where my dragon sense was currently pulling me.
Alva frowned. “That will be difficult. You’ve reached a region where supernaturals reign supreme in Norway. As I’m sure you know, we don’t do anything in half measures here.”
“I can see that.” Jörmungand’s children had made it very clear.
“We will send a scout with you to the border of our land, along with reindeer for you to ride. There are some rune stones at the border that will help you cross the next part of your journey.”
“How so?” Ares asked.
“Ask them your questions, and they will give you answers. There are parts of our land upon which you must not tread. It will become more clear tomorrow.”
I hoped so, because this was clear as mud. “Thank you for the help.”
“It is the least we can do.” Alva’s gaze zeroed in on me. “Your dragon makes it clear that you are meant to do something great. Dragons would not accompany the unworthy.”
I just hoped I could live up to Jeff’s faith in me, then.
Alva rose and gestured to a door to the left. “There are sleep quarters there for you, along with a bath. W
e will see you in the morning.”
She and Eirik departed, leaving us alone.
“Well, this has been some good luck,” Del said.
“Yeah. I don’t know if we’d have survived otherwise,” I said.
“We’d have managed,” Ares said. “Though barely.”
I sipped the wine. The most divine taste exploded over my tongue. It was as delicious as Laima’s Ambrosia. Maybe even better.
“This is amazing.” I held up the glass.
Ares’s gaze sharpened. “Do not drink too much. It is elven wine. Stronger stuff than we mere mortals can tolerate. Be wary here.”
He was right. Though warm and comforting, it was dangerous. I nodded as I sipped again, my head buzzing with pleasure. I just felt happy. I sipped again.
Ares reached out for the glass, taking it from me. “Be wary. The elves help us and we can trust them, but not all in their world is made for us. We are in the realm of the gods here, a place with more magic than we’ve ever known. It is dangerous because of that.”
I was getting serious déjà vu. First the tricky goddesses and their Ambrosia, and now the elves with their wine. “You’re right. We need to keep our wits about us.” I stood. “I’m ready for a bath and bed.”
Everyone else stood, and we went into the bedroom. It was a simple room, with four long, plush cushions on the floor for sleeping and two doors leading out of the room.
I peeked my head into both, finding a fabulous shower room in one and a steam bath in the other. Both had ceilings of glass.
“How do they handle plumbing?” Del asked.
“Magic?” I couldn’t imagine running pipes up into the tree. For one, it was alive, so you couldn’t run them through the trunk. And we hadn’t seen them when we’d climbed the stairs.
“Nix and Del, you can go first,” Ares said.
“Thanks.” I hurried into the shower room with Del.
The room was built of the same pale wood, but half was tiled with sparkling beige stones. Small waterfalls poured from three spouts against the wall. Quickly, I stripped off my clothes and ducked under one of the showers. The water was warm, and the pressure felt like a massage against my aching shoulders.
Del did the same, ducking under her own waterfall.
“This is amazing,” I murmured.
“No kidding.” She paused. “So, it’s really getting serious between you and Ares, huh?”
“Yeah, kinda. I really like him. A lot. And Laima has confirmed that it’s not a product of the blood bond. That we’re fated.”
Del spit out water. “Whoa, fated? That’s really a thing?”
“For vampires, I guess. And me, apparently.”
“Wow. How do you feel about that?”
“Well, I’m not a big fan of fate deciding things for me. But I like Ares. So maybe fate’s not so far off.”
“Well, I like him. He hasn’t taken his eyes off you the whole time we’ve been out here.”
My heart warmed. I finished showering, scrubbing the rest of the blood and poison from my skin, then grabbed one of the fluffy towels from a shelf by the window. It wasn’t terrycloth like a human towel, which was no surprise. I couldn’t imagine an elf in Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The fabric was silky and absorbent. There were silk PJs on the shelf as well.
“Toss me a pair of those, will you?” Del asked.
I threw her a pair—of course they were light blue—and pulled on my own. We traded places with the guys, who looked like hell. They’d obviously chosen to try out the steam room, and streaks of sweat cut through the blood on their arms. I raised my brow at Ares.
“It was a mistake.” He grinned. “But it looked nice, so we tried it.”
I laughed and pointed to the shower. “Get in there.”
Del and I settled onto the cushions on the floor. I moaned as it enveloped me, cloud-like softness welcoming me into its embrace. I pulled the silken blanket—blue, of course—over me and stared at the glass ceiling above. Swirls of color painted the night sky.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” I yawned.
If Del responded, I didn’t hear it. Sleep had never claimed me so fast in my whole life.
Chapter Nine
The next morning, after a breakfast of more vegetables and a divine bread that was soft as a cloud, we descended the stairs from the elven fortress. I felt a thousand times better after food and sleep. The elves had even given us winter clothes to wear, since ours had been soaked in blood and venom. Of course they were blue, but it’d saved me from having to conjure any, so I was at full strength and ready to rock.
The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, spreading a pink glow across the snow. Since it was winter in Norway, that didn’t mean it was particularly warm, however. By my estimate, it was slightly after nine.
At the base of the tree, five reindeer waited. They were bigger than normal reindeer, their backs almost level with my head. They wore cream-colored saddles with blue embellishments.
Alva gestured to the animals. “Your rides.”
“Thank you.” It took me a few tries to climb onto the back of the reindeer closest to me. Twice, it turned around to look at me, its eyes clearly saying, “You’re new at this, aren’t you?”
“Give me a break, Rudolph,” I muttered.
Ares chuckled from behind me, then gripped my waist and lifted me enough so that I could climb on.
“Thanks.” I smiled at him.
“Anytime.” He leapt onto his own mount, looking like he’d been born in the reindeer saddle.
Eirik mounted his reindeer in one smooth move and directed the beast to stand in front of us. “I’ll lead you through the forest. Follow my directions, and we’ll be fine.”
I saluted. He frowned at me.
Whoops.
“May fate be with you,” Alva said.
“Thank you for the help.” I waved goodbye and directed my mount after Eirik.
We trailed in a line after him, Ares behind me, with Del and Roarke following him. Trees rose tall around us as we rode over the sparkling snow. The elves’ winter clothing was light, but warm. If only the rest of our journey could be this comfortable.
We rode for over an hour in peaceful silence. The sun crept higher in the sky. I was just about lulled into complacency when Eirik stopped his mount abruptly and held out a hand. He cocked his head, listening.
I did the same, but heard nothing.
“Go!” he shouted, spurring on his mount.
Crap! I nudged my reindeer with my heels. The beast set off, galloping across the snow. I clung for dear life, bouncing in the saddle.
“Avoid the wisps!” Eirik shouted.
Wisps? I looked around, frantic to see the threat. The forest looked the same—tall trees and glittering snow. Except now there were hazy white ghosts zipping through the air. They were small and formless, glowing with a white light.
Wisps, definitely. I had no idea what they did, but if Eirik was riding like mad, I was going to follow.
One of the wisps zipped closer to me, headed straight for my mount. I pulled the reins left, dodging by an inch. Snow kicked up from the reindeer’s heels as we galloped after Eirik. Another wisp came from the right. We veered away, narrowly avoiding that one, too.
We’d made it another twenty meters when two wisps came at the same time, hurtling through the air. I dodged one, but the other hit my mount square in the neck. The reindeer shrieked and bucked, going up on his hind legs.
I clung to his back, but he bucked again. I lost my grip, flying off into the snow. The air whooshed out of me as I slammed against he ground.
“Up!” Eirik shouted.
Panting, I scrambled up. Ares was galloping right for me, arm outstretched. I reached for him, grabbing his arm as he swung me up onto the saddle in front of him. My heart soared. It was a move worthy of a movie.
I clung to his reindeer’s neck as we raced after Eirik. My reindeer was going wild in the distance, racing through the trees and chasing the
wisps.
Ares directed us around more of the shooting white lights, barely escaping them time and again. By the time Eirik slowed his reindeer, I was panting from the exertion of holding on to the wildly galloping reindeer.
“What were those things?” I asked.
Eirik gazed back into the distance, no doubt at the reindeer we’d lost. “Wisps possess an animal, turning it feral. That reindeer is one with the forest, now.”
“People, too?” I asked.
Eirik nodded. “We’re lucky we weren’t hit. It’s impossible to predict where the wisps will travel.”
Del slumped over her mount, panting. “Whoever said riding isn’t a workout is an idiot.”
I laughed, still breathless.
The barest smile tugged at the lips of the stoic elf. He turned his reindeer. “Come, we must go on.”
We followed him through the forest, silent and alert for more wisps. I leaned back against Ares, absorbing his warmth as we rode. The sun rose higher in the sky as the day progressed.
Finally, Eirik pointed ahead. “The stones are there.”
I squinted across the bright snow. There were three standing stones, each enormous. As we neared, I realized that they were at least fifty feet tall. Bigger even than the stones at Stonehenge.
Eirik led us right up to the base of the largest one. There were no runes carved upon its surface.
“Where are the runes?” I asked.
“You must ask it your question.” He paused, face grave. “Choose wisely.”
“Any question, huh?”
“Yes. And remember—you face great dangers ahead.”
“What kind?”
He shrugged. “That depends. Your question may help you with that.”
I looked back at my friends. Del and Roarke directed their mounts up to stand next to me.
“What do you guys think? My Seeker sense is already leading us to our answers.” Though I was pretty sure that Eirik didn’t give a damn if I was a FireSoul, I was careful to use my usual lie. “But it doesn’t take into account the dangers ahead.”
“Isn’t that the truth. If it was any good at avoiding danger, we’d have taken a different route.”
“So we should ask it the safest way to get to where we’re going,” Ares asked.