Judging by Gunnar’s and Freyja’s darkening stares, they didn’t care.
“Fine,” I huffed, out of options, anyway. I’d meet their queen. Unfortunately for her, I was all out of smiles and charm.
Those things didn’t suit me, anyway.
Chapter 13
Neither of the elves acknowledged me. They hardly even glanced at each other as they stomped to the car, pushed me into the back seat, locked the doors, and drove away.
We raced down a wet, slick road towards their queen. My hands twisted in my lap as I picked at the frayed skin. I’d been full of adrenaline on the bluffs, but now it was waning.
Now I was scared.
Their accusations echoed in my mind. Their words thrown and weapons pointed as if I were the threat, as if I were the enemy.
Mountains rose to the left, the sharp, snowy peaks cutting into the sky. The vibrant grass that carpeted the foothills gave way to glistening ice fields. Snow no longer merely capped the summits but cascaded down the cliffside. The hum of the tires and the off-and-on patters of rain were the only sounds to break the silence for hours.
Freyja pulled into a near-empty parking lot just as a few remaining tour operators were packing their shuttles full. Arctic water surrounded us—trickling down the mountains, running off the massive glacier, flowing into a vibrant lagoon and then into the stormy sea.
The chill of it crept into the car, frosting the windows, turning my breaths into little puffs of clouds.
“Get out,” Freyja barked. Gunnar gave me a small smile and opened my door.
I stepped out of the car and put my hand to my brow, squinting against the sun. The waning light coated everything in a warm, orange glow, igniting the fragments of ice into fiery diamonds.
“Where are we?” I dared to ask.
“Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon,” Freyja replied, popping up beside me. “The entry point to the Kingdom of the Huldufólk.”
My blood ran colder than the glacier sheeting the horizon.
Gunnar headed for the narrow waterway that divided the fresh waters of the lagoon from the salty ocean, motioning for us to follow. “Come.”
Freyja angled herself into my line of sight, arm outstretched, beckoning—or maybe she was just trying to block me from running. I took in a tight inhale, the icy air sharp on my lungs. And I walked, head low, legs heavy, as they brought me to…
A boat.
Freyja jerked her chin at it. “Get in.”
It didn’t look like anything more than a quintessential rowboat as it rocked against the dark shore. Expecting Gunnar to bust out an oar—and maybe hand it to me—I was surprised when he tugged a small motor on instead.
“You coming?” he asked, although it was clear it wasn’t a question.
“I’d listen to him,” Freyja whispered in my ear. She backed towards the vessel, wiggling her fingers. Taunting.
I frowned so hard I could feel my face wrinkling.
She just laughed, one foot already in the boat.
Anger flickered through me. Source gathered in my chest, like I was sucking up all the energy from the elements, as if I were my own conduit. And maybe I could be. I’d have to be.
With a hard glare, I did as I was told.
Gunnar gave me a nod of approval when I stepped gingerly onto the wood beside him. “Remove your earrings and any other jewelry.”
I might have expected such an outlandish request from Freyja, but Gunnar? It sent my Source skittering. “What?”
“You heard him.” She tabled her palm. “Your jewelry.”
