Henry shrugged. "That's something at least. Do you have any idea where that is?"
Andromeda shook her head. "I've never heard any specifics about Jotunheim except that it was a terrible place."
Henry looked around. "Yeah, I think I got that. Can you walk?"
"I think so."
"Good. Let's stay under the cloak."
They leaned against each other as they stood. Fortunately, the cloak didn't seem to need to cover their skin to protect them. As long as they were under it, it blunted the cold. They picked a direction at random and headed off. It was a struggle to walk. Every step brought fresh pain. Every once in a while one of them would lose their footing and fall. More often than not, the other would fall trying to keep them up. Henry lost all sense of time, and moving forward became a real effort.
"We have to keep going."
Andromeda sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him. Her eyes were unfocused, and she barely lifted her feet as she walked. They slowed and huddled closer together as they walked, but even their shared body heat seemed almost nonexistent next to the cold pressing in on all sides, but she was right. They had to keep going, but the canyon wound ahead with no end in sight. Wisps of snow danced across the ground in response to the biting wind. Andromeda stumbled and groaned as her weight shifted to him. The cold had sapped most of his strength, and he collapsed under it. He shook Andromeda but she didn't move. Panic mingled with the pain and exhaustion, but it was a dull thing, more an echo than an actual emotion.
"Please get up."
His words came out as hardly more than a whisper, and he realized he didn't know if he himself had the strength to rise anymore. She didn't even stir. He grabbed one arm and dragged her to the edge of the canyon, hoping that the frozen wall would provide some measure of protection. He threw the cloak over them, but it was a meaningless gesture. No one was coming for them, and if they couldn't press on, this cold land would swallow them, and Idun would conquer all of human imagination. What little strength he had left was focused on keeping him alive and awake. If he lapsed into unconsciousness...
He shook his head and tried not to think of Andromeda's still form as the sky darkened, and the temperature began to drop. Henry tried once more to rise, but there was no point. He fell back down and prepared to die.
"Mom, dad," he said. It seemed like there should be tears, but they didn't come. His parents deserved at least a few tears. "I'm sorry for leaving. I hope you have that other kid. Maybe he'll be a better son than me."
A pale blue light appeared behind him and, for a moment, he thought it was the light at the end of the tunnel. He turned around and got ready to go into the light, but it wasn't just one light. Dozens of tiny blue stars shone in the ice. He stared at them dumbly for a second trying to decide if he was imagining them. Then, much deeper in the ice, a new cluster of stars appeared, much dimmer than the others. Before long, the ice was alive with them. Hope blossomed in him, giving him strength he didn't know he had.
His numb fingers closed around the hilt of the broken sword and he jabbed it into the ice. He wasn't sure if the ice itself was weak or if some portion of magic still inhabited the metal, but it went in easily. Over and over, he chopped at the wall, but less than a minute later, his newfound strength had deserted him, and he leaned against the wall. He didn't even feel the cold anymore. He tried to stand, but his bones creaked and groaned under the effort. He pushed himself up just as a white crack spider-webbed from one of the holes he'd made. He stared at it uncomprehendingly. A loud crack filled the air, and his arms pushed through the ice. A shout escaped his lips just before his body impacted the wall, but he broke right through and fell onto the floor of massive cavern made of ice.
A wall of warm air greeted him, and he breathed in with an almost delirious joy. His skin began to tingle, and he actually laughed. Half a second later, he remembered Andromeda. Panicked, he turned toward her. Her skin had turned blue, and he dragged her in and pulled her away from the hole he'd made. It was only then that he allowed himself to take in the cavern.
In the fading light, he couldn't see much. Snow covered the frozen ground. Scattered around, he saw clusters of blue light in the ice itself. They didn't provide much illumination, but it was enough for him to see sharp stalactites hanging from a high ceiling. He turned back to the hole. Other lights were in the ice above it and a few wiggled around in the broken pieces at his feet. He bent down to examine them. They had already begun to disappear into the ice.
"Glow worms?" he said.
Andromeda groaned nearby, and he rushed over to her. Her skin was still discolored, but she opened her eyes.
"Henry?" She blinked several times. "Where are we?"
"I'm not really sure," he said. "I think we're still in the giant's realm, but it's warmer in here. At least it's enough for the cloak to make us think that."
"I'll take whatever I can get."
"Can you walk?"
"I think so."
"Good. Let's head that way. It seems to be where the heat is coming from."
They walked slowly into the interior of the cavern. The glowworms did little but allow them to see vague shadows. After a few minutes, the ice gave way to slush, and a little while after that, to rock. The faint light revealed wisps of steam. Henry almost fell when he stepped into a puddle. The water was warm. He stared into the darkness and could just make out a number of pools. A stray glow worm fell from the ceiling and plopped into one of the pools. It flickered and died as it sank in.
"We should rest here," he said.
"Do we have any food?"
Henry shook his head. "I lost my pack when we fell off Bifrost, and I haven't seen anything we can eat since."
"I was afraid of that," she said as she sat down on a rock next to him, and he joined her a second later. "What are we going to do, Henry? We can't survive out there, and for all we know, we could be going deeper into Jotunheim."
"Maybe you could look into the past and find out if we're going the right way."
"Look for what?" she asked. "Unless someone has gone from these springs to Asgard, I can't exactly ask how to get there. Maybe if I could freely scan the past without my head exploding I could find something, but short of that..."
"I think there might be another option," he said.
"What's that?"
"Have you ever heard of a place like this in Jotunheim?"
"I told you all I know about Jotunheim..."
"I know, just a few stories. This is supposed to be the land of the frost giants, right? It doesn't make sense for there to be hot springs in the middle."
"What are you saying?"
He looked out over the water, and took in a deep breath, taking in the steam. The warmth in his chest felt wonderful.
"I think this cavern leads to another world," he said.
"What world?"
"I'm not sure, but it has to be better than here."
"What about Idun?"
"We can't fight her if we freeze to death."
He couldn't see her face in the darkness, but he imagined her biting her lower lip. She didn't want to do this. Neither did he, for that matter, but he didn't see any other option. Jotunheim had nearly killed them. It would finish the job if given half a chance. She had to see that.
"What about Cepheus, Frederick, and Budli?" she asked "What about their men who are dying trying to reach Asgard?"
"How long do you think they can hold out?" he asked. "They could already be dead."
She leaned against him and laid her head on his shoulder. When she spoke, her voice was so quiet he could barely make it out. "I know."
He put his arm around her. "Look we don't have to decide right now. We're not going anywhere until we get some rest. Let's talk about this in the morning."
He felt her nodding against his shoulder. A few seconds later, she was snoring soundly. It wasn't long before the efforts of the day caught up with him, and he fell into darkness.
CHAPTER 31
The ground rumbled, and Henry opened his eyes. Light from the hole illuminated the cavern, revealing an area smaller than he'd thought. It was perhaps two hundred feet across and twice as wide. Frozen spikes hung from the ceiling, and a dozen steaming pools littered the rocky center. A narrow river flowed to the back of the cavern and disappeared through a thin crack in the stone. Two wide openings stood on either side. The ground rumbled again. He shook Andromeda awake, and her eyes opened slowly, but another rumble made them go wide.
"Something's coming."
She nodded, and they stood up. He lifted his stump of a sword just as a shadow appeared in one of the openings. It looked like a man but was at least twenty feet tall. It carried a club in one hand, and when it stepped out of the entryway, Henry saw blue skin and white hair. The club was the bone of some huge creature. It wore a breastplate of black metal, and its eyes were pearly white with no color at all. Henry stepped in front of Andromeda and lifted his weapon. The giant gave a great booming laugh that shook the cavern. Icicles fell around Henry and Andromeda. One sliced into his arm, but the rest shattered against the stone or splashed into a pool.
"Put away your broken knife, little man," it said.
"If we follow the river, it won't be able to follow us," Henry said quietly.
"That path leads to another world, doesn't it?"
"I don't know, but that would be my guess," he said, "but even if it is, we should be able to come right back once he leaves."
"Should?"
"Hermes told me that not every path goes both ways."
"Maybe I can look into the past to see if this one does."
"If you pass out, I won't be able to carry you out of here."
"We can't take that path."
The giant took a step toward them.
"Are you sure?" Henry asked.
"Yes."
"Then go. I'll be right behind you."
A second later, footsteps came from behind, and he turned to follow. The giant roared, and the ground shook as they made their way between the pools. Ice fell from above with loud splashes as the giant crossed the center of the room. Henry almost lost his balance when they moved from rock to ice, but they made it to the other opening. It sloped upward, and it was a struggle to climb. The giant was right behind them. Henry pulled Andromeda into a smaller side passage hoping the giant was too big to follow, but it forced itself in. The passage groaned and shifted. Abruptly there was a loud crack and chunks of ice crashed to the ground. The walls each moved back a foot and the giant's steps resumed. It was getting closer. Henry spotted a crack in the ice, one far too small for the giant to fit. He and Andromeda dove in. It only went back about a dozen feet. The entrance darkened as the giant bent down and looked into the hole. Henry threw his hilt at the giant's eye, but even when it had been whole, the sword had never been meant as a thrown weapon. It bounced off a wall and skidded under the giant's face. The creature chuckled.
"You have spirit, little man," it said. "More than most of your kind."
"Heimdall said the same thing," Henry said.
The giant growled, and Henry took an involuntary step back.
"Talk to it," Andromeda whispered.
"What?"
"Reason with it."
"How do you expect me to reason with that?"
"Come out," the giant said. "It won't be nearly as pleasant for you if I have to dig you out."
"The giants are the enemies of the gods. We're not exactly their favorite people right now. Convince it we're on the same side."
"It's worth a try," he said under his breath.
He walked up to the entrance. The giant's eye had to be half the size of Henry's face. Its snowy white eyelashes were covered with a layer of frost.
"We're friends," Henry said.
The giant laughed so loud Henry had to cover his eyes. "I like you, but I have no human friends, particularly not those favored by the gods."
Henry gave a laugh of his own, but it sounded strained. "You think they favor me? Heimdall told me that after we fought, just before he threw us off Bifrost."
"You spin a good tale."
"How do you think we got here, in the middle of your land with nothing to protect from the cold? This is where we landed."
The giant blinked and backed up a second. Something crashed and Henry realized it had sat down.
"Alright. I'll listen. Come out here, and tell me your story."
"How do I know you won't kill me?"
The giant chuckled. "You don't, but you know I will if you stay in there."
Henry looked at Andromeda and she shrugged. "It's not like we have very many options right now."
Henry nodded. His throat felt dry, and his heart raced in his chest. His knees felt like jelly as he stepped out of the cave. He glanced at the broken sword, but didn't pick it up. He sat in front of the giant, its icy breath not quite overcome by his cloak. The air smelled like rotten meat. Andromeda sat beside him a few seconds later. He would've preferred for her to stay behind, but he had no way to tell her that without letting the giant hear too.
"Well?" the giant asked.
"The gods, some of them at least, have been trying to kill me for a long time. I'm sure they thought they succeeded when one of them threw us off their bridge."
"And what were you doing on Bifrost? Were you coming or going?"
"We were going into Asgard, hoping to catch them by surprise."
"To do what?"
"To stop them from trying to kill me. I've heard that in these lands, the gods can be killed. I don't like having to look over my shoulder. I just wanted it to end."
"So you thought to attack the gods in their own home," the giant said between laughs. "Bold. Stupid, but bold, but you are still a human in the middle of Jotunheim, and your kind are not welcome here."
"We're trying to leave," Henry said. "I understand your realm borders Asgard."
The giant drew back and stared at them. Henry resisted the urge to shrink from that gaze. Once again, the giant's laughter shook the cavern.
"You were thrown off Bifrost by a god, and landed in one of the most hostile worlds to mortal life, and your next idea is to go in the realm of the ones who did that to you?"
Henry shrugged and tried to look nonchalant about it. "Like I said, I don't like people trying to kill me."
"Alright, little human, you've convinced me."
"You'll let us go then? Or can you show us the way to Asgard?"
"It's not up to me. You'll go to Thrym, king of the frost giants. He'll decide if we'll give you aid or grind your bones to make our bread."
CHAPTER 32
The giant led them through a network of frozen tunnels. The dim sunlight filtering through the ceiling told Henry that this cavern wasn't just some feature of the land that had frozen over. It was made entirely of ice. As they walked, the light faded. The giant didn't say anything, but once they got deep enough, he lit a large torch. The ice almost seemed to recede from the dancing flames.
"It's almost like the time we were captured by Valin, isn't it?" Andromeda asked.
"I don't think Valin would've eaten us, though."
"Do you think he was serious about that?"
"I don't think he had a reason to make that up."
They had to jog to keep up with the giant's long strides as it led them through a number of passageways. A couple of the caverns they passed through had other tunnels leading out. Henry considered trying to use one to escape, but he had no idea where he'd go if he succeeded. For now, at least, the giant king was their greatest hope.
They walked for hours. Unlike the path leading to the dwarven city of Kerat, which lay under the Nordi Mountains, the way the giant took them on eventually sloped upward. Light shone through the ceiling again and steadily grew brighter. The giant never slowed, and before long, Henry's legs began to burn and the cuts on his stomach reopened. From Andromeda's wheezing beside him, he could tell she wasn't doing much better.
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br /> "How much longer?" Henry asked.
The giant sniffled. "You tire after such a short walk and yet you expect to defeat the gods?"
"Unless I've grossly overestimated them, I'm not going to beat them by walking so just answer the question."
The giant chuckled. "We're nearly there."
True to his word, they soon rounded a corner. The slope became a little steeper and passed through an opening in the ceiling. The wind howled, carrying the chill from outside that pierced the cloak. Instantly, he moved to Andromeda's side and threw the cloak around her. They huddled together as they came out of the tunnels.
For the first time since entering this world, there was a clear sky, and the sun reflected so brightly off the snow that Henry had to shield his eyes. A castle stood in the center of a field of blazing white. Frozen towers surrounded a large central spire. Walls of blue ice glimmered in the sunlight. A path of packed snow wound through the landscape. At first, Henry thought it was similar to the other castles he'd seen, but as they came close, he realized just how much bigger it was. It wasn't just scaled up from human size. It was a hundred times the size of the Hreidmar's castle in Nidavellir, a thousand times bigger than King Frederick's palace in Argath. As they neared the towering walls, they could make out the individual bricks of ice. At random, blocks sank into the wall, and by the time they'd reached it, a wide doorway had opened. The giant passed through it without breaking stride. Eager to get indoors, Henry and Andromeda rushed in, thankful for the protection from the elements. It was still cold inside, but it was nothing next to the deathly chill they'd just come out of.
The ice forming the floor was slippery, but not just because it was ice. It wasn't wet at all, but was perfectly smooth. It felt like walking on glass, and it was just as clear. Henry found himself gazing down into it. Blurry figures sat within, and he focused on one as they passed. His eyes went wide and he took in a sharp breath.
"Is that a skull?"
The giant paused and looked down. "Of course. All our enemies rest there. Thrym's throne sits on the skull of Baldur himself, and you walked over Hod's skull when you pass the threshold of this castle. Your skull will join them if Thrym isn't satisfied with what you say."
Mimir's Well (The Oracles of Kurnugi Book 3) Page 13