Tough.
We picked up the pace and took the next turn at a canter.
And almost ran straight into a dwarf pushing a cart filled with black rock. The dwarf goggled at us; the cart wobbled, tipping over, black rock cascading onto the ground. He grunted, and what I could make out of his cheeks flared red. He stared hesitantly at us, fingers hovering a few seconds above his sword. He pulled free the obsidian blade and squared his shoulders, ready to charge. A single torch beside us cast a doubtful flame upon our contrary gathering.
My heart gave a resoundingly relieved thump as it dawned on me that he couldn’t see us hidden inside the folds of the cloak.
But he could see Mika.
Sarah and I shared a worried glance, then looked from dwarf to ice-cold Ulfr. The dwarf's nostrils flared.
A low growl erupted from Mika's throat, and a sickening dread ferreted in my gut. This would not end well. Once again, I wondered at the irony of taking an Ulfr along, right into a den of Ulfr-detecting dwarfs. I squeezed Sarah's arm and held a finger to my lips. At her acknowledgement, I snuck out from under the cloak, drawing my sword as I sprang forward.
The sword sang, startling both Ulfr and dwarf. I rammed into Mika, registering her almost fully transformed Ulfr form: eyes glaring yellow, canines lengthened and deadly. She backpedalled, and I took the opportunity and bore down on the dwarf.
He stared at the sword, then at me. Or maybe not at me, but at my wings. All he saw was a charging Valkyrie. Fear flooded his eyes, but he held his ground. A courageous dwarf? I was impressed.
I swiped my sword at him, and he struck back, defending himself. Swinging again, I shifted my body, pushing him further against the wall. The cart sat almost in the middle of the passage, and my maneuver gave Sarah and Mika the chance to move around to the opposite end, into the waiting darkness of the passageway. I played my little swordfight act with the dwarf. It was really no challenge. He was a worker, not a warrior.
My peripheral vision confirmed that Mika had passed safely to the other end of the corridor. "Sarah?" I grunted as the dwarf lunged and I parried, his blade missing me by an inch. Never underestimate an opponent, dwarf or otherwise.
"I am here," she said.
With both Mika and Sarah safe, I forced the dwarf to lunge again, allowed the momentum of his swipe to carry him forward, then kicked his feet out from under him. The poor guy landed on his face, eating black rock.
He struggled to his feet. I winced, knowing I had no choice, but still not happy to beat up an almost defenseless dwarf. Maybe I needed to borrow some of Mika's coldness. Glad that, anatomy-wise, dwarfs were built pretty much the same as humans, I slammed the heel of my hand into the base of the dwarf's skull.
Lights out.
I wasted no time checking on the poor dwarf, just turned and fled toward Mika, slipping beneath the cloak held open by a grinning Sarah.
Despite stumbling onward in near darkness, it didn't take long to get to the entrance, and soon we were pushing the stone door open peeking out into . . . bright sunlight? Morning already? I blinked and squinted. Weird. Wasn't this the bloody underworld? What happened to the gloomy shadows?
I began to step out into the light—when a snarl and a sniff right at my elbow made my heart thump. The brothers—we had forgotten the two dwarf princes.
***
I turned around, an inch at a time, keeping Sarah safely against the wall. But the brothers, safely out of the deadly rays of the sun and no doubt searching the corridors for their attacker, had come up behind us. And spotted Mika. And smelled her. The two dwarfs, faces bearing bruises and scratches from their earlier encounter with her, lifted their weapons, grimaced, and charged toward us.
My heart thumped at their proximity. But I was safe beneath the invisible cloak. Or so I thought. The tip of one brother's sword hooked onto the edge of the cloak, ripping it free in a whoosh of satiny fabric.
And I stood there, suddenly exposed, wondering if I'd be better off not visualizing bad endings. I'd just imagined my worst nightmare into reality.
The first dwarf slid to a stop, and his jaw dropped. I trembled, certain we would meet a gory end. On the point of his sword. But his dark and swarthy face transformed into something resembling a pretty good-looking dude. "Sarah!"
He dropped his sword to the floor in a thunk and rushed past me again, this time to wrap his arms around the girl. "What happened? How did you get free?" He grabbed her shoulders to peer at her face, then squashed her to him in a gripping hug all over again. His brother blinked and gave a confused-looking grin that bordered on a sneer.
"They helped me," Sarah said, pointing a finger at me and Mika over her shoulder, a tender, happy smile on her face.
The dwarf's eyes widened. Near Mika, the other dwarf prince lowered his weapon. "You have my thanks, Valkyrie," he said to me. And then to Mika, less warmly, he added, "And you."
"Don't mention it. Just take care of Sarah." I inclined my head.
As the dwarf prince glanced at his beloved, his face shifted from tenderness to worry. "We will have to leave, Sarah, before my mother realizes you have escaped! But we cannot go this way." Bright sunlight poured through the doorway. "The far tunnels! We must hurry."
The prince spoke with a desperate urgency that revealed the depth of his affection for the human girl. I was amazed.
The dwarf and the girl—a romance? Who would've thought?
Sarah shook her head. "No, she won't be looking for us." She pulled herself free from the arms of her beloved and held up the bloody pillowcase. Then she tipped the queen's head out of the pillowslip. It thudded again, rolling along the stone.
The dead queen's head disconcerted me. I gaped as it rolled over and over—her wide open, staring eyes were there one moment, gone the next.
The queen's decapitated head didn't pause in its journey to the open doorway. And no one made a move to stop it. It bumped along across the threshold until it came to a hesitant, rocking halt. Five pairs of eyes watched in silence as the sun fell upon the queen's dark skin and, as if a magical hand had passed across it, the ebony color turned to a pale grey.
I shuddered.
The entire head took on a solid, almost stony look. Ripples of disgust and relief warred their way up and down my spine. The witch's head solidified into smooth stone. The sun had done its job, and the queen was no more.
I held my breath, unsure of what Sarah's prince's reaction would be. Would he want to kill us? Would he want revenge for the death of his mother? The muscles in his face tightened at the sight of the head, and he didn't move, nor did he challenge us to a death duel. He shook his head and sighed, turning to face his brother. "She is dead, my brother. We are free at last."
His brother nodded weakly, his leathery face streaked with pain, and I knew in that instant that Mika had hurt him pretty badly. I glared at her, but she merely shrugged. Protecting the entrance to Swartelfheim was his duty, but he didn't deserve a mauling by a rabid Ulfr for his troubles. What did she have against dwarfs anyway? Was it the fact that the dwarfs had helped to imprison Fen, long ago? I guess that would give her a reason to hate them.
"Thank you," Sarah said, and I beamed at her. I quite liked this feisty, courageous girl. A little unsure of her choice in partner, but who was I to judge? The boy I cared for was no longer alive.
"It was the least I could do."
"I too thank you, Valkyrie." The dwarf prince bowed low, and I felt like a curtsy was almost in order, but I restrained the urge and just nodded. He continued, his tone and attitude so formal I wanted to smile, "You have freed our realm from the tyranny of my mother's rule. All of Swartelfheim is grateful."
"I did only what I had to do." I inclined my head, throwing a quick glance toward the door. I really wanted to get out of there before Sarah slipped up and mentioned the goblet. What if it was important to them for some reason? The last thing I needed was to have to battle the princes for it. "I'm afraid it's time for us to leave."
Mika drew closer to me, and the princes bowed again. "Come, Sarah." They limped past me, without a word to Mika, leaving us at the unguarded entrance, alone with the stone head of their mother.
"Finally." Mika said, staring at the disappearing trio. She glanced at me, her face hardened, resolved. Boy, was she eager to get the Hel out of there.
I grabbed the cloak, folding it over my arm as we walked out, and shoved the door shut with a nudge of my shoulder. With the door closed behind us and warm sunlight on our heads, the whole experience seemed quite surreal. And yet the queen's stony eyes stared sightlessly at us as we passed, sending a shudder down my spine. Stony eyes that proved all the craziness of the last few hours had really happened.
At least it was all over. Relief and elation bubbling up inside me like a geyser, I turned to Mika, a smile of triumph on my face. I wanted to enjoy the victory with her, to celebrate our triumph. Despite her special Ulfr aroma giving us away all the time, Mika had been instrumental in the success of this mission. How would I ever be able to thank her for insisting on coming with me?
I meant to reach out to her and give her the biggest hug.
Instead I froze, feral fear now flooding my senses.
Mika glared at me, her eyes half transformed, her forehead low and teeth bared.
With deadly intent, Mika sprang at me.
Chapter 31
She attacked with a ferocity that surprised and hurt me. But I didn't have time to ponder the possible reasons for her assault.