"This is where we part ways," Baldr announces, his hands hovering over the flames like he's blessing them. "You and Dani will continue on to face the Einherjar alone."
I bite back a snarl of frustration. This pompous fuck has been about as useful as tits on a bull—showing up to point at obvious landmarks and spout cryptic bullshit. Some "wise guide," Odin promised. The bastard's done nothing but preen and posture while others bleed and sacrifice.
Thefirelight catches his features, casting shadows that make him look almost human. Almost. But something in those eerie eyes puts me on edge. Something that makes my vampire instincts scream: threat.
"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Dani asks between aggressive bites of jerky, her scientist's mind already working to catalog and analyze. Classic Dani—she'd demand a PowerPoint presentation from Death himself if he showed up without proper documentation.
Baldr's lips curve into that infuriatingly mysterious smile he seems to have patented. "The answer will reveal itself when the moment is right." He produces a corked jar from his robes with all the flourish of a stage magician, tossing it to Dani. "For containing its essence. We'll maintain our vigil here until your triumphant return."
Dani catches the jar one-handed, examining it with narrowed eyes. "Seriously? That's all you've got? No user manual? No helpful hints? Just 'you'll know it when you see it' and a mason jar?"
"My dear savior, some mysteries must unfold naturally, like a flower greeting the dawn."
"Right," Dani snorts, shoving the jar into her pack. "Because clear communication would just ruin the whole mystical vibe you've got going."
"The path through these depths will lead you to Einherjar's domain," Baldr says, waving his hand theatrically. "Though I'm sure you'll find your own way to complicate the journey."
Dani rolls her eyes. She turns to Bryn, concern, etching lines around her mouth. Bryn's spine straightens like steel before she can unleash her protective instincts.
"Don't." Bryn's remaining wing pulls tight against her back, her chin lifting with that familiar Valkyrie pride. "Save your concern for the Einherjar. I'm still a warrior of Zephyria, wings or no wings." The bladder dangling from her fingers betrays the cost of maintaining that fierce facade.
I lace my fingers through Dani's, tugging her toward the tunnel's gaping maw. The darkness swallows us whole, leaving the others' voices to fade like smoke on the wind. The tunnel stretches endlessly ahead, black as a demon's heart, while that damn wind keeps howling like a chorus of the damned.
Dani conjures one of her light balls—a perfect sphere of pure energy that bobs through the air like a drunken firefly. Its glow catches on the ice-slicked walls, turning ordinary stone into something out of a horror movie. The shadows dance and twist on the cave walls, making every rocky outcropping look like it might sprout fangs and take a bite out of us.
Our boots crunch against frozen gravel, the sound mixing with the steady drip-drip-drip of water somewhere in the darkness. Each step takes us deeper into this frozen hellhole, and my vampire senses strain against the shadows, searching for whatever cryptic bullshit Baldr sent us to find.
"Just like date night, right babe?" Dani's voice carries that edge of snark she gets when her nerves are dancing on a knife's edge. "Dark caves, possible death around every corner. You really know how to show a girl a good time."
"Fuck yeah," I snort, squeezing her hand. "Though last time we were swimming through Aquaria's caves instead of freezing our asses off. At least the scenery is consistent—rocks, darkness, and more fucking rocks."
"And here I thought you were going to complain about the lack of sea monsters trying to eat us," Dani quips, bumping her hip against mine. "Getting soft in your old age, Viking?"
Her light ball bounces ahead of us, casting wild shadows that make the cave look alive. Christ, my mate and I have a fucked-up idea of quality time together.
I growl, pulling her closer as we navigate the darkness. "Let's find whatever ancient pain in the ass is waiting for us and get the fuck out of this frozen hellhole."
"Agreed," Dani mutters, just as her light illuminates a fork in the tunnel ahead. Three gaping mouths stretch into darkness, each howling with its own particular brand of arctic hell.
"Well, isn't this just fucking perfect." I eye the passages, my nostrils flaring as I try to catch any helpful scent through the damp, mineral-heavy air. The left tunnel reeks of stagnant water and rot. The middle one whistles with the wind that carries the sharp bite of ice. The right passage... something about it raises my hackles—a stillness that feels more like a held breath than peace.
"Three tunnels," Dani's light bobs higher, casting shadows that dance like demented puppets across the frost-slicked walls. "Because, of course, there are three tunnels. That's like Evil Lair Design 101."
A loose stone skitters down one of the passages—the middle one—followed by what sounds suspiciously like a growl.
"Think Baldr could've mentioned the multiple choice portion of this test?" Dani's fingers tighten around mine, her other hand glowing with defensive power.
The growl echoes again, deeper this time, making the icy walls around us vibrate. My fangs descend on instinct, every predatory sense going into overdrive.
"Left tunnel smells like something died in it," I mutter, pulling Dani slightly behind me. "Middle one's got our growling friend and the right one..." I trail off that unnatural stillness, making my undead blood run cold.
"Oh, good. We can choose between eau de corpse, mystery monster, or creepy silence." Dani's light splits into three, sending one down each tunnel. "Is there any chance this is just some elaborate Nordic escape room?"
The middle tunnel's growl turns into a roar, sending stalactites raining around us. Through the falling ice, I catch a glimpse of something massive shifting in the darkness—something with way too many fucking legs.
"Fuck this." I grab Dani's arm, yanking her toward the right tunnel. "I'll take creepy silence over whatever the hell that is."
"Wait—" Dani starts, but the thing in the middle tunnel chooses that moment to emerge into her light's reach. Eight glowing eyes reflect at us, attached to a body that looks like someone crossed a wolf with a spider and threw in some nightmare fuel for good measure.
