“I accept your terms.”
Volund nods. “One more item: it should be clear to you that I am not Makt. Should you or your companions try to enter my realm again or make a play on my life, know this…”
The air sparks along his skin, and the faint light illuminating the realm darkens until the only glow is a dark green hue around the God of Death.
“Your entry into the Abyss will be granted. Your life forfeit to me, the Master of the Underworld. There will be no escape, and I will claim your souls for myseidr.”
With that, the God of Death vanishes in a whoosh of verdant dust, returning theseidrlight to normal and leaving Calder alone with Aura’s soul and Makt’s axe.
He rushes forward, cradling her body against his chest.
There will be time to break down Volund and his motives, but for now, his life is returning Aura to hers.
Once he possesses the axe and her soul, he feels the same sensation from when Briny took him into the Depths.
“I never forget favors owed to me, Calder Avardsson.”Volund’s voice is in every crevice of his mind.
Suddenly, the Abyss fades, and he stumbles back into Nightwall Keep.
The deafening roar of the lingering troops and their companions that follows fades to a murmur as he seeks Aura’s body, which is clutched tightly in the grip of a tearful Thora.
He drops Makt’s axe and kneels beside her body, gently allowing her ethereal form to merge with her physical self.
Thora inhales just as he does. They lean forward, waiting for her eyes to flutter open or her chest to rise.
Nothing.
“Sissy!” Thora tugs Aura into her chest.
Once again, the smooth voice of the God of Death whispers in his ear.“I am a man of my word. Take heed that your girl will wake in time. After all, my vengeance rests on your little clan.”
46
AURA
October 30th, Year 21, 10th Era
Coldheart Keep, Skalor
Dark silhouettes swirl through her mind. Their whispers envelope herseidrwith a warm familiarity as if they are a part of the fiber of her being. The trio of shadow figures' language sounds foreign yet reassuring to the young witch, who feels a sense of serenity in their presence.
“Aura?” Her name floats through her mind. The sound restarts the beat of her heart in its deep timbre.
The figures in her mind fade as her soul becomes entwined with its physical state.
No, do not leave me!
The three distinct beings ignore her callings as they vanish one by one.
As soon as the darkness falls over her, she feels a whooshing in her ears, and her eyelids fly open. She gasps as if she has never truly taken a breath before.
She discovers herself in Calder’s bedchamber in Coldheart Keep—a rare ray of sunshine in Skalor shimmersthrough the open window. A light breeze tickles her cheek, bringing with it the sweet scent of apples and autumn leaves.
“Aura!” Calder’s haggard face appears before her. His calloused hands grip her cheeks as the anguish in his features dies, replacing it with a man who has finally seen the light of day.
He clutches her body as if at any moment someone might rip her from his grasp. She relishes the sensation of being held safe within his strong arms.
Their moment hangs outside of time, belonging only to the relief that, hopefully, their quest is over.
