The two women exchanged a look, a silent conversation passing between them before Liv settled again. Bryn removed her hold on the Elven, but not before her thumb stroked the inside of Liv's wrist gently.
"Its home lies north, in the Elysian Caves just off the coast of where the Kingdom of Shadows meets the Kingdom of Rivers."
"Excellent," Maude bit out quickly. "Another mission to another mysterious cave for a weapon that may or may not exist."
Bryn snorted but smothered the sound quickly as Liv elbowed her before motioning over her shoulder to Hakon and Gunnar. The two men remained quiet, their glazed eyes reflecting the horrors they were reliving from their time in the Knotted Cavern. What they'd witnessed, who they had lost.
"What happened in the Knotted Caverns also set you all on the path the gods intended for you from the start," Hildr went on, ignoring the grief that tinged the air. "The death of your friend at the hands of the Knotted Caverns has influenced each of you, putting you on the trajectory that led you here. Eydis was a catalyst— the agent that sped up your progress toward your fates."
Hakon, his face twisted with fury as his nostrils flared, opened his mouth to speak the words that burned in his eyes, but it was Maude who spoke instead.
"Eydis was so much more to us than a tool the gods used. If that's true, then they're all the cruel bastards I always knew them to be. Don't speak to us about what we lost and call it necessary."
Her voice was low and acidic even as she kept her eyes downcast on the fire that danced in front of her. She could feel Hakon's eyes on her, the surprise that broke off from him in violent waves. Bryn and Aeric remained silent as they watched this exchange, watched how their whole group seemed to collectively flinch from Hildr's words about Eydis.
"She was my friend, and I will not tolerate hearing her spoken of like she was a pawn to be thrown away," she continued as she looked up to meet Hakon's gaze. "I know I don't always seem like I'm broken up about it, but I miss her every day. She didn't die for some god's scheme. She died bravely protecting her friends, protecting her loved ones." Her eyes returned to the Soothsayer. "You dishonor her by callously speaking of her sacrifice."
When Hakon relaxed against the cot, Maude noticed that Dahlia had woken. Amethyst eyes rested on the Heir of Rivers, her face unreadable.
"I meant no disrespect," Hildr said quietly, though her words held a tone of impatience. "I only meant that even though you were never going to find the weapon you were looking for in the south, the gods put you on the right path using Eydis's death. Her passing has affected each person in this room— for some it has not become clear as to how yet."
Hildr eyed Gunnar and then Herrick but no one spoke for a moment, letting the ominous impact of her words settle.
"So how do we get to these Elysian Caves?" Herrick asked, breaking the silence and focusing the conversation on something other than the heartbreak Hakon and Maude were clearly still nursing so they could recollect themselves. She was grateful for it.
"You don't have to go there," Hildr replied, her mouth tilting up in the corner. "The weapon is already here. In this room."
Before Maude could process what the Soothsayer was implying, Hildr removed the dagger she had carried for the last decade from her robes and placed it on theground in front of her. Every thought in her mind turned to ash, every emotion frozen in her veins, as shadows danced in her periphery.
She eyed the weapon that had once brought her comfort, the promise that was wrapped around its hilt but found nothing resembling relief as she got closer to it. Only weariness that sat heavy in her bones, like her very being was warning her away from the weapon even as she yearned to have it at her side again.
Maude had possessed thedalkr Helaall this time. Her mother had provided the legendary weapon for her all those years ago, knowing she would need it.
But how did Sylvi come across such a dangerous weapon?
40
Baldr was struggling to keep his eyes open as he chatted with a few of the nobles who attended the King's Midsommar ball. How some of the most boring aristocrats maintained power in Logi was beyond him. They must have been proficient in nothing but appealing to their ruler. Why else would Helvig keep them around if they so clearly lacked a single brain cell?
A surprising amount of wildflowers bloomed in the Palace of Wind and Embers' grand hall; they hung in long garlands across the large windows overlooking Logi, vases filled to the brim with exploding life lined the ballroom floor where dancers twirled in brightly colored gowns with flower crowns on their heads.
At the head of the ball, sitting on a grand podium well over six feet from the floor, were Helvig and Vilde. Side by side in their thrones, the couple was a black stain in a room bursting with color.
Midsommar was one of the more favored holidays in Ahland— a time where loud celebration was encouraged, bonfires in the desert reached as high as the gods, and mead flowed steadily into eager drinking horns. Even now, across the entire city, pubs and taverns were filled to the brim with those looking to escape their slice of Hel for a few hours on the longest day of the year.
This year, however, most of the people of Logi had taken to gathering outside the palace gates instead. Their collective emotion spilled over the wards surrounding the black iron that separated them from the nobility: fury, outrage, sorrow. The restlessness of Logi's citizens was starting to become difficult to reign under control. Constantly at war with himself over toeing that fine line of rebellion and duty, Baldr was at a loss on how to move forward.
Did he let the people overwhelm the palace gates at the cost of their lives? They did not have the support from the north yet, did not know that what they were waiting for could change the outcome of this brewing war. The chaos that threatened to overwhelm the security at the gates had heightened enough during the day that Baldr had snuck out into the city in search of the rebellion leader.
Hood pulled low over his brow, Baldr kept his head down as he navigated the slums of Logi in search of the pit keeper, Sigurd. When he finally arrived at the pale green house that had been packed in tightly between the other homes on that street, he hesitated.
Dropping off the map needed for Herrick and thevitki'sescape was one thing. He had not needed direct contact. Now, he needed to speak face to face with one of the most influential rebels in the city. His entire cover would be blown if Sigurd recognized him. But it was a risk Baldr needed to take if he was going to protect the people of Logi from a fight they would lose right now.
Though the mid-morning sun was already coating the streets with heat, Baldr was cold as he searched for the courage to knock on the door.
"Can I help you, boy?" a voice came from the dense shadows beside the house he stood before. "I'm on my way out and won't be returning for a while."
Baldr turned to find the pit keeper emerge slightly from the dark alley, cloak pulled tightly around his face and a thick pack slung over his shoulders. Was he leaving already?
