“Fuck,” I whisper as I turn on my heel.
Lucky for me, Ari is stupid in his giant form. At least for now. His confused mind does not understand the concept of a door. But I do. He saved my life in the river. Now I have to save his.
Full speed inside. Men have risen. The entire valley must be awake by now. I ignore them all, sprinting past guards who are arming themselves. They have no idea what they are up against.Spears and shields won’t stop what I have unleashed. I hope no one gets hurt. Especially Ari. He could die too.
The hall shakes as Ari hammers the wall from outside. Dust falls from the rafters like snow in the dark of winter.
I push open Sigurd’s door, entering his chamber uninvited for the second time tonight. Sigurd turns to me. He has already put on his chainmail and is donning his sword.
“Kilda.” He shakes his head. “No fucking surprise.”
“No time,” I pant. “The hammer.”
“What? What are you?—”
Fuck it. I run past him. No time.
Another slam into the side of the wall. Ari must be right outside these planks. Desperate to come in. Desperate for the hammer. I don’t know why—I don’t want to know. I don’t want to find out. He’s not getting his hands on it.
There it is. Glowing a vicious sizzling blue. The hammer beats like a rotting heart. An object of hate. Death. Its energy claws past me, toward Ari, through the wall. At first its disgusting pulse makes me nauseous, almost dizzy. Sour breath enters my mouth as I fight the impulse to vomit. I grab the hammer’s haft.
Fucking Queen. How patient is she? Waiting for years to trigger her trap. Planning for decades. Giving cursed gifts. Sending cursed skalds. She must really fucking hate Sigurd. And poor Ari is just… Ari is…
Ari is a weapon. A living, breathing weapon.
Stuffing the hammer into my bag, I turn to the door. But Sigurd fills its frame.
“Explain yourself, girl,” he mutters.
I pant, my breath caught in my chest.
“Please… plea… Sigurd, ther… there’s no time.”
Another slam on the wall, the planks break inwards. Cool air fills the room. Sigurd turns. He sees what I see. Ari’s enormous head. His twisted face. Ice. Still recognizable.
“By all the go?—”
Ari screams through the hole. Both Sigurd and I fall backward, shocked by the soundwave. My ears are ringing as I stumble to my feet.
This is my chance.
I jump over Sigurd and through the door.
“Sorry!” I shout.
I sprint past panicking men. Sigurd barks orders at them behind me. I just need to get outside. Ari wants the hammer. If I can get to the woods, maybe I can lead him awa?—
A thunderous crack. Ari’s arm is in the building. He grabs the nearest man by the torso and squeezes. The man squeals as his bones crack. Blood gushes.
“Oh, fuck,” I whisper as I turn to run.
I hit a wall. A hard, immovable wall. Vidar’s chest. I fall on my back.
“You bitch!” he shouts, his face screwed into a nasty snarl. “Fucking witch!”
He jumps down on me. Sitting over my legs and stomach.
“No, please, Vidar, I have to?—”
