Our boots pound against stone as we race to the gardens. Empty. The space where I last saw Dani now holds nothing but scattered petals and trampled grass. A thundering of hooves splits the silence as Gullfax charges toward us, his golden coat blazing in the fading light. He rears back, muscles rippling beneath his gleaming hide, hooves striking sparks against stone as he screams his urgency to the sky.
"By the Norns!" Bryn's fingers fly to her daggers. "What in helvíti is it, Gullfax?"
The stallion's answering whinny pierces the air like a battle cry. His golden eyes lock onto mine, and somehow I know—he knows where they've gone. The beast drops to his knees, sides heaving, head turned toward us in silent command.
"He knows where they are," I mutter, the certainty settling in my gut like a stone.
"Move your ass!" Bryn barks, already running. I follow behind, grab her waist, launching her into the saddle before vaulting up behind her. Gullfax surges upward before I'm fully seated, the force nearly throwing me backward.
The bond pulses with Bryn's wild energy as I grip her waist. Below, Heimdall swings onto Sleipnir's back, both horses leaving light trails in their wake. Gullfax rockets through the clouds, faster than I've ever known him to run. The wind tears at my clothes, my stomach lurching as we slice through the clouds at impossible speeds.
"Holy shit," Bryn's curse is lost to the howling wind. The beast beneath us is no longer just a horse—he's become pure fury given form, and he's carrying us straight into chaos.
My thighs clamp around Gullfax's sides, fingers digging into Bryn's waist as the beast tears through the skies. Wind screams past us, the ground below nothing but a distant blur. Each thunderous beat of his hooves against the sky sends shockwaves through my bones.
"Gullfax!" Bryn's voice barely pierces the gale. Her fingers wrestle with the reins, knuckles white with effort. "Slow down, you stubborn ass!"
The stallion's ears flatten against his head, his golden mane whipping our faces. Her command only seems to fuel his determination as he surges forward with renewed vigor, the air around us crackling with energy.
"Hold on!" I press my mouth to Bryn's ear, feeling her body jolt against mine as Gullfax banks sharply. My grip tightens, one hand splayed across her stomach, the other fisted in the stallion's mane. The bond between us pulses with adrenaline and fear, but I pour my certainty through it. She won't fall—not while I have breath in my body.
The icy winds claw at my face, tears streaming from my stinging eyes. I swipe them away, blinking to clear my vision. A towering structure pierces the horizon through the swirling clouds—a silver needle threading through the sky's fabric.
"The Elemental Nexus!" Bryn's words battle against the heavy winds, fragments reaching me. "Should've... known! Loki, you... bastard!" Her curse carries on the wind as she leans forward, her body tensing against mine. "With my wings... been there... already."
Gullfax's muscles bunch beneath us, his answering whinny vibrating through my chest. The cocky stallion lunges forward with renewed determination, the sudden acceleration sliding my ass dangerously close to the edge.
"Maybe don't insult the horse that's carrying us!" I tighten my grip on her waist, pulling myself forward. "Especially when we're this high up!"
The wastelands of Valhalla's Veil unfold beneath us, a graveyard of titans. Ancient bones pierce the earth like jagged monuments, the remains of fallen gods and giants reaching toward the sky. Memory strikes—Gullfax turning back at this point the last time we were here, the winds too fierce even for this great steed.
"Gullfax, stop!" I shout aswe hurtle toward the barrier. "The winds will tear us apart!"
The stallion's only response is a defiant snort, his golden form streaking toward the light bridge like a meteor. My fingers dig into Bryn's leather armor.
"Fucking hell!" Bryn curses. "The stubborn bastard's going to get us killed!"
Danica
65
Thefirst step materializes before me, a solid stone hanging in empty air. I step forward, and the stone vanishes. My stomach lurches as I pitch forward into nothingness, a scream rips from my chest. The wind slams into me from the left, throwing me onto a step that appears just in time.
My knees shake as I gasp for breath. One misstep and it's over.
"Having trouble?" Loki's laugh echoes through the void.
The wind tugs urgently at my jacket. I let it pull me right as my current step dissolves beneath me. My boots scrape stone that appears split-seconds before I plummet to my death. Left. Right. Forward. Each leap feels like my last, the ground never there until the final instant.
Halfway up, my foot catches the edge of a disappearing step. I stumble, arms windmilling as I tip backward into empty space. The wind howls, shoving me forward. My fingers scrape stone as I scramble onto the next step, heart trying to punch through my ribs.
"Fuck," I gasp, hands shaking. The void below seems to pull at me, promising a long fall into darkness.
The pattern accelerates. Steps flash in and out faster, the gaps stretching wider. The wind drags me into a frenzied run. I leap—the next step vanishes before I reach it. My stomach drops as I fall, but the wind throws me sideways onto another step, my ankle twisting as I land hard.
Pain shoots up my leg. The step beneath me starts to fade.
"No time to rest, little savior," Loki calls, frost spreading across the steps as he follows. "Your mate awaits."
