We stood at ground level this time, in awed silence as we stared at the great ash tree that was Yggdrasil. I craned my head to see the top of the tree and wondered if perhaps the tree was the reason the land of the frost giants had such a high sky. The tree reached such great heights that the tops of it were invisible as they disappeared into the dark clouds above.
Yggdrasil certainly looked out of place in this barren, dark land. Its branches hung heavily laden with leaves. I gasped as I took in the size of its trunk. I was certain it would take hours for anyone to make one revolution of the tree's enormous trunk.
The roots were just as impressive. They snaked out from the base of the trunk, lifting and surging as if they rode invisible waves. Many of the roots were larger than a commercial airplane, although there were plenty that were only the size of a passenger train. No normal sized roots here at all.
I looked at Sigrun, who smiled back at me. "We are here, Bryn."
Thanks, Captain Obvious. I gave Sigrun an affectionate glance. Hugin cawed high above us, as if in agreement.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Aimee. "Let’s go explore this amazing tree."
We hurried toward Yggdrasil, eager to get there as quickly as possible. Which was easier said than done as we'd misconstrued the size of the tree and the distance we had to walk to get to it. Soon we slowed to an easier pace.
"This tree is incredible," said Joshua, his voice filled with awe.
"Yggdrasil is the Tree of Life. It spans all nine realms and holds them all together, connecting them into one living universe. And not only that, the roots of the tree give rise to all the rivers of all the nine realms," said Sigrun.
"Wow," Aimee said in almost a whisper.
"And we find the Norns beneath the roots of the tree?" I asked.
"Yes. Their existence is entwined with the tree and its roots and the universe that Yggdrasil holds together. None can survive without the other," Hugin intoned, his deep, soul-singer voice at odds with the sobriety of the words he uttered.
We drew closer to the tree, Hugin making another pass above us. Suddenly he cawed aloud again, the sound so unnaturally loud and desperate we all stopped in our tracks. Hugin flew straight at me and turned at the very last moment to land on my shoulder.
"What happened?"
"There is something wrong with the tree," Hugin said. "Though the boughs are heavy with leaves, there are a great number that are dead or dying. I fear that the tree itself may be ill or may even be dying."
When I repeated Hugin's words to Sigrun she gasped. "Hugin, how can you say such a thing?" She stared at the bird, horrified.
"I am sorry," Hugin said looking at me then at Sigrun. "I am not jesting. It is quite true. Much of the leaves are dying and that must mean the tree is also ill. We will need to find out what is wrong."
"Then let's not waste any more time," I said and hurried toward the tree again. What was happening to the Tree of Life? And what did that mean for the worlds it fed? "Sigrun, if the roots of Yggdrasil are the origin of all the rivers of all the worlds, does that also mean that should the tree die, then the worlds would run out of water?" And although I asked her the question, I already knew the answer before she said yes.
The ground beneath our feet changed from smooth soil to lumpy, bumpy and uneven terrain as we reached the root system. Here and there, roots popped out of the soil only to make a loop as big as a house, and snake back into the ground, leaving us to walk beneath the arches they made.
I stopped to inspect a pile of something solid and white covering a small area of one of the bared roots. I flagged Sigrun down. "Do you know what this is?"
"Oh yes, that is the mud the Norns make using the water from the well of Urd. Urd is a holy well with the purest water in all of the realms. The Norns take care of the tree, and they use the mud to repair any damage and to help the tree to live longer." Sigrun sighed. "It is said the tree itself has always been dying very slowly, but that the process will take centuries to complete."
I felt a bit sad to know the tree of the universe was dying. Aimee echoed my thoughts with her question. "But, if the tree is dying, what does that mean for all the worlds?"
"Everything has a cycle. Everything must come to an end and the same goes for the tree. It's like anything else in the universe. A time of birth, a time of life, and a time of death. And then it all happens again," Sigrun said sadly.
"So the end of the world is coming?" asked Joshua.
"Ragnarok is the end of the world and it is inevitable."
"Isn't Ragnarok the battle that Odin is supposed to die in?"
"That is what has been foretold." Sigrun nodded. "But sometimes a foretelling is not always correct."
"Is that why Fenrir was able to change his mind and pledge himself to Odin?" asked Aimee.
"Yes, exactly. He said his future is not set in stone. He felt he could change his part in Odin's death by being a loyal follower and not allowing himself to be in any position to endanger the All-Father’s life."
Before anyone else could ask any more questions, a large shadow passed over us. A shadow dark enough to draw goose bumps to our skin. I looked up and shuddered. An eagle, easily the size of a hang-glider, swooped down, heading straight for us. Its silence was eerie and frightening. I could hear the rush of feathers as the bird flapped its wings, increasing its speed as it aimed for us.
I remained frozen to the ground until I could see the sharpness of its yellow beak and a reflection of Aidan and myself in the vicious bird’s eyes.
Chapter 20
Aidan slammed against me, shoving me onto the ground so hard my shoulder throbbed. For a moment I was sure it was dislocated. But before I could yell at him for the overkill, he set his anger on me. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He growled and we both writhed on the ground rolling beneath the safety of a crop of twisted roots.
"Nothing's wrong with me," I bit back. "I was just—"
"Just what? Just wanting to get yourself ripped to shreds by an oversized, maniac eagle? Why the hell didn't you duck?" The bird cawed up above, as if agreeing with Aidan.
"I—" My words were cut off by a low growl, the sound reverberating around us, distorted by misshapen roots and the thick, heavy air. A dog or a wolf lurked somewhere out there, and from the sound of its growl, he had us in his sights.
Before the bird attacked I’d seen everyone run for cover. I just hope they were still okay.
The wolf growled again, closer this time, and my gaze darted this way and that. I worried where the wolf would come from, worried if the rest of the team had their own wolves attacking them, and worried if the bird was about to return. The sea of intricate rising and twisting tree roots around us made it hard to see anything. A quick scan of the sky confirmed it was bird-free for now. Aidan grabbed my arm, pulled me to my feet, and pushed me behind him, but I shrugged him off and drew my sword. Aidan followed suit, drawing his own quietly from its scabbard and rising to his feet.
I listened hard for the sound of paws or claws on the ground. For the susurration of breath as the wolf breathed our scent.
There.
I nudged Aidan and pointed to our right, only a second before the wolf charged at us. One moment he wasn’t there; the next, he appeared over-large and too frightening. The wolf slammed against Aidan's side, throwing him a few feet away, then continuing on to me in one smooth stride.
Bring it on, Dogsbreath.
I crouched down, praying I'd timed it well. Watched and waited as the wolf launched itself into the air, hackles rising, pink tongue flailing, saliva spitting. He rose in the air then fell toward me, a neat semicircle of movement that would have worked more for him than me. I waited, counting the milliseconds as he drew closer. Close enough I could feel the heat of his body through his fur, close enough I could smell the pungent odor of his fetid breath.
I lifted both my legs and kicked him in the abdomen, using his momentum to fling him over me to land somewhere within the twisted roots behind me with a sickening thud and a pain-filled whine.
Aidan and I scrambled to our feet as the sounds of scrabbling filtered through to us. The wolf wasted no time in getting back up onto his spindly legs. His muzzle and head appeared a few feet away as he sniffed and searched us out.
The great brute bounded up, using the roots to surge forward and gain ground, reaching us within seconds. It landed in front of Aidan, snarling, lifting its lips and revealing gigantic canines. Aidan drew his sword, sank into his stance, and waited. But he made a big mistake. He stepped away from me, and in a moment, the wolf stood between us, cutting me off from Aidan. He tried to circle back, but it was as if the creature had planned it.
The wolf launched at Aidan, growling so loud it brought goose bumps to my skin. Aidan lifted his sword, swiping a wide arc at the beast as it fell on him, but nothing happened. The wolf just kept going, landing his full weight onto Aidan's chest. The animal bore down, teeth bared, going for his neck.
And I screamed.
Loud enough to gain the beast’s attention.
"It's me you want, isn't it, you great big brute? Well, why don't you come and get me?" I snarled at the animal, putting as much force and challenge into my voice as I could. From the corner of my eye, I could see the streaks of blood on Aidan’s chest from the wolf's vicious claws. He was completely helpless. His sword lay near his left hand just out of reach.