28
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Vali and I jogged to the tree. I kindled it, and we were sucked inside. I focused my mind on Helheim, but I couldn’t afford to waste time. Landing in the outskirts wouldn’t be ideal. I wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible, so I pictured the throne room. Why not? There was no way I was going to hide once I was there.
The journey wasn’t a long one.
With each ride, I was getting better at timing my exit. As I detected my body slowing, I braced myself, compressing my limbs. The goal was to remain standing as the tree spit me out.
When I was ejected, I stumbled, taking a few huge lunges, but I hadn’t somersaulted, so that was a vast improvement.
The only problem was that I hadn’t factored in that Vali was behind me. When the giant exited, he crashed into me, sending me flying. I rolled at least five times before a large boulder stopped my forward momentum. “Ooof,” I said, lying there for a moment to catch my breath.
I didn’t recognize where we’d landed, but we were definitely inside Hel’s fortress. I stood, checking my belt to make sure I had everything. And since the leader of Helheim knew what went on in this place, she already knew we were here.
On cue, the beasts sent up a howl.
Vali was already upright, a dazed look on his face. I walked up to him, settling a hand on his barrel of an arm. “Vali, are you okay? The beasts will arrive soon,” I said. “They will lead us to Hel. Are you ready to meet her?”
Vali nodded. His eyes skated around the room, taking it all in. There wasn’t much to see, as it was the same smooth red rock just about everywhere one looked. “I’m ready.”
The beasts charged through a doorway at the corner of the room. We hadn’t landed in the throne room, but I sensed we were close. I drew Gundren just to be safe, my energy racing along the blades. Before the beasts had even stopped moving, I announced, “Take us to Hel.”
The ones in front slid to a stop, snapping and snarling, clearly angry that I’d evaded them back in the labor camp.
When they didn’t settle down immediately, Vali let out a tremendous roar.
I watched in confusion as the beasts instantly calmed, many sitting on the ground with a thump, their small, pointy ears pinned back, their tongues lolling out like they were waiting for another order from the fierce giant.
I glanced at Vali, dumbfounded. “How in the world did you do that?”
He scratched his head. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But it feels as if I know them, and they know me.”
“Well, it certainly seems that way,” I said. “Judging by the way they responded to you, they know you, or at least respect you. That’s helpful. Now order them to take us to Hel.”
“You will take us to your queen,” Vali said.
Queen?
The beasts jumped up, some of them wagging their tails—tails I hadn’t even known they had because they were so tiny. None of them barked or snarled. As we followed them out, the only noise in the chamber was the echo of Vali’s lumbering footsteps and the beasts’ nails clicking on the stone floor.
It didn’t take us long. I scented the river before I saw it. Hel sat on her throne like she hadn’t moved an inch since the last I’d seen her. Baldur was still in his ghostly form. I smiled, knowing I was going to be able to converse with my half brother again. If there was any good to come from all of this, it would be to see Baldur free from this place.
Vali was in the lead. I didn’t have a great plan for introductions. I was simply going to gauge Hel’s reaction to the giant and go from there.
She barely gave him a look.
Not at all what I was hoping for.
Vali stopped a respectful distance from her throne, and I came to stand shoulder to shoulder with him—or, more accurately, shoulder to midchest—then harnessed my weapon.
Hel glanced at us with disdain.
She chose not to speak immediately, so I ventured, “I sincerely apologize for leaving the realm without telling you.” I tried to word it as carefully as I could. “But I had an important errand to run. I’ve brought back someone who has been waiting a long time to meet you. This is the demigod Vali, son of Odin and the giantess Rintr.” No response. I kept at it. “Vali has been dreaming about Helheim his entire life. It’s his destiny to be here with you, if you’ll accept him.”
Hel flicked her gaze to me, her dead eye fixed somewhere over my right shoulder. “I will not make deals with you,” she said. “The god of light is my companion. You will now be punished for your insolence and escape.”
“Wait!” I pleaded. “I have something else that will interest you—”
Before I could show her the valknut and try to broker a deal with her, she snapped her bony fingers. Something grabbed me from behind. I didn’t know what was happening, but she wasn’t throwing me a welcome-home party.
I began to slide backward. “Don’t do this!” I called. “I have something for you!”
The last thing I saw before the river yanked me under was Vali lumbering toward me, his giant features furrowing.
Invisible tendrils latched on to me, anchoring me below the surface. I couldn’t move my legs. I thrashed, trying to get my head above water to breathe, to no avail. After a few moments, I stopped. I had to tamp down my fear and take stock of my situation.
To my horror, once I stopped moving, I spotted dozens upon dozens of ghostly bodies floating by me, their faces blank, their hollow mouths open in stark terror.
The river of the damned lived up to its name.
Was Hel ignoring these souls? Or was it their fate to swim forever in an endless current?
I ducked below to see what was keeping me submerged, but saw nothing but water. I drew Gram out of my belt and swiped it under my feet, hoping to sever whatever was holding me under.
The blade came in contact with absolutely nothing.
Panic built, and I tamped it back down. I would lose consciousness soon. I had no idea if drowning would kill me, as I didn’t actually know how immortality worked. Was it my destiny to be kept half alive underwater in Helheim for an eternity? I didn’t think so.
I glanced up through the watery ripples.
Vali’s face hovered above me. He reached a hand down. I leveraged myself up, using my arms to propel me. I was a swimmer in high school, remembering that the water was my friend, not my enemy. The giant’s hand plunged below the surface, and I desperately held on.
My half brother yanked me slowly out of the water, using his incredible strength, my head finally breaking through to air. I gulped frantically. “Vali…get me out,” I gasped.
“I am trying, Sister,” he said. “But I fear it won’t work.”
“Make a bargain with Hel,” I sputtered. “Tell her I have something she wants.” The tendrils beneath me tightened, and I sank under once again.
I searched for anything that could help me. I found nothing. There was no life in this river. Everything was dead. The water was dark and murky, and other than the poor souls floating by me, it was void of anything else.
There was a distinct possibility I could die. Unconsciousness would overtake me soon. I fumbled to place Gram back in my belt. The dagger wouldn’t do me any good, and I didn’t want to lose it. As I found the sheath, my hand brushed something else.
The valknut.
When my hand came in contact with it, energy radiated outward.
I palmed it tightly and remembered Huggie’s instructions. I just had to imagine what it was I wanted to look like. I had no idea if it would change my physical properties, but I had to try. I closed my eyes and conjured the image of myself as a sea serpent who could breathe underwater.
A warm feeling permeated my body, beating out the chill of the river.
Then, like a miracle, I could breathe again.
My body felt like my own, but I knew my outward appearance had morphed into something else. This was what Skuld must feel like all the time. I had no idea what kind of a serpent I resembled, but I could breathe, and that was all that mattered.
My eyesight was much keener as I peered upward. The thick screen of water was no obstacle and, as I watched, Vali’s expression changed from confusion to shock.
The giant yelled something over his shoulder.
A few moments later, Hel came into view.
I opened my mouth, flooding water through the gills I now had in my neck. I wished I could speak to Hel and tell her, I told you so, but seeing her expression was reward enough.
Her anger penetrated the water. “How are you doing that?”
I couldn’t do anything but stick my long, serpenty tongue out at her, mocking her the only way available to me.
While she watched, I focused my mind on changing back into my regular body. It happened immediately, and I hadn’t braced myself for the quick transition. My mouth had been open, and I choked underwater as icy water rushed down my throat.
I had no choice but to go back to the serpent form, which I did on the next thought. I could feel my real hand clutched around the valknut, even though my serpent form didn’t have hands. This was a crazy powerful object.
I sent a silent thanks to my father.
Back in serpent form, my eyes focused upward again. Vali was speaking to Hel animatedly, his arms swinging from side to side. I hoped he was making progress convincing her to set me free. I couldn’t miss Fen’s hearing. His life depended on it.
Hel abruptly walked away. Vali followed.
I was left alone, not knowing what to do. The river still held me fast, even in this form. Maybe another form would work better? I imagined myself as a fish. I felt my body transforming, the gills working harder than they had before, but I was still fixed in place.
To my relief, Vali came back. He motioned to me, and I glamoured myself back to normal. He reached down, and I held on. He lifted me a few inches above the water. I gasped for breath, thankful I’d remembered to keep my mouth closed during the transition. “The queen wants to know how you are doing such things,” Vali said.
“She has to let me out of here first,” I replied firmly.
“I think it’s best to let me be your intermediary for now,” he said in a low whisper.
“Absolutely not,” I sputtered. “She talks to me, or I stay here as a serpent for as long as it takes. I will figure out how to survive this place. It’s only a matter of time.”
“I will go talk to her,” he said, letting go of my hand.
As I slipped beneath the surface, I morphed back into the serpent form. Hel had to be curious, as glamour had been her number one request from her father.
Luckily, I didn’t have long to wait for Vali’s return.
He extended his arm. I changed back, and this time, the tendrils securing me fell from my legs. I kicked, making my way to the edge of the stream with Vali’s help.
I was out of breath and drained as I climbed out, rolling over with my arms spread, breathing hard in between hacking coughs.
Using glamour took a ton of energy.
Soaking wet and chilled to the bone, I rolled over and stood, staggering forward. But not before securing the valknut back in my belt.
Hel was seated on her throne. Surprise, surprise.
As I made my way to her, I thought I detected a glimmer of recognition as Baldur glanced my way. Something in his expression changed but, just as quickly, he gazed out into nothingness.
I stopped in front of her throne. “Hand over everything in your possession,” Hel ordered, the side of her mouth quirking in a dangerous grin, the other side a row of unmoving skeletal teeth.
“I will do no such thing,” I answered. Before she could suck me back into the river, I quickly added, “But I do have two things of value in my possession that I would like to offer you, in exchange for your cooperation. I will gladly gift these things to you willingly, after we’ve made our deal. It’s my understanding that magic has to be given, not taken, or it won’t work correctly. I promise, these items will be of great value to you.” She would likely deny my request, so I reached into my belt and drew out the small velvet bag. My hands were numb and the drawstring was tiny and wet, so I struggled to untie it. I was lucky I had Hel’s attention.
Once I unfurled the string, the large jewel slipped into my open palm.
It was dazzling and deep red, the size of a golf ball.
I immediately looked away. I couldn’t afford to become entranced by it.
Hel’s sharp intake of breath as she sat up in her chair took me by surprise. “Where did you get that?”
Startled by her reaction, I stammered, “It…it was given to me by an oracle. It belongs with—”
“I know what it is,” she snarled as she stood. “Give it to me.” She made her way down the steps.
I curled my hand around the precious stone. “I can’t give you this until you agree to my terms,” I said. Her gaze seared me. “But I’ll let you look at it.” I unfurled my fingers, making sure there was enough distance between us so she couldn’t outright snatch it. She peered at the jewel like she’d never seen anything of its likeness before. Wait until she saw the valknut. “This goes with the—”
“Where’s the crown?” she demanded before I could finish.
I dropped my hand so she didn’t get any ideas. “Vali is in possession of the crown.”
She gazed at the giant. “You have the crown?” She sounded incredulous. “Who gave this thing to you?”
Vali was shaken by her rage, so I stepped in. “Both the crown and the jewel were given to me by the seer I spoke of. In turn, I gifted the crown to Vali, as it’s his destiny to—”
“Enough,” Hel silenced me, lifting her dead hand. “I will hear it from the giant. Who gave you my mother’s crown?”
Her mother’s crown?
I had no idea it had been Angrboda’s crown. Fen’s mother was the queen of Jotunheim.
“It was originally given to me as a child.” Vali walked over to where he’d set down his burlap sack. “But I was young and foolish and I lost it. I thought it had disappeared forever, until my sister brought it to me.”
“You should’ve told me—” I started.
“I told you to be quiet,” Hel warned. She focused her sights back on Vali, who had taken the crown out and was cradling it in his hands. “Where did you come by this crown? As a child, where did you find it?”
“It was given to me by my father, Odin,” Vali replied, his eyes pinned on the ground. “He entrusted it to me and told me one day it would lead me to my destiny.”
So the leader of gods had known about this all along.
“The crown isn’t the only thing you need,” I interjected. “I have something of even greater value.” I opened my left palm, exposing the valknut. “I’m ready to make that deal.”