My pulse roared in my ears because this was the moment. Drawing in a deep breath, I let go of the branch and dropped beneath the surface.
All around me was blackness and cold, and if not for the rope around my waist that kept me from being swept away, it would have felt like a void of nothingness.
I pulled myself toward Geir. Hand over hand, the effort it took far greater than I’d anticipated.
The need to breathe grew with every passing second, as did my panic that I’d mistimed my dive.
Then I collided with something solid.
Geir.
Feeling along his arms, I found the rope that would lead me to the tunnel opening and swiftly drew myself alongit.
My chest was burning, instinct screaming that I swim back to the surface.
Except that if I did, I’d be seen. All it would take is one arrow shot from the wall and my destiny would be cut short.
The fibers of the rope cut into my palms as I desperately pulled myself along. The darkness grew more absolute, the current diminishing.
I was in the tunnel.
Except it was completely submerged and thick with debris.
I had to move faster. Had to find air.
But as I tried to hurry through the debris, I was jerked back by the rope fastened between me and my brother.
I clawed with desperation at the knots binding it around my waist.
Air.Air.I needed air!
The knots came loose and I half swam, half dragged myself down the tunnel. My chest was spasming, the need to breathe terrifying. Agonizing.
Then hands closed around my wrists and I was jerked upward.
My head broke the surface of the water, and I gasped in a mouthful of air. For the first few breaths, all I felt was relief. Then the stench of shit, piss, and worse accosted me. Gagging, I called my magic and covered my fist with it, illuminating the tunnel.
And the dead aroundme.
Not undead, though my draug were present, but the warriors who’d accompanied Ylva. I bit down on my other hand to curb the screamthat threatened to rise, because they were bobbing around me, cold limbs bumping my body, eyes sightless yet staring.
Geir emerged from the depths. He looked around, then took my arm and led me farther along the tunnel where I had only filthy water to contend with.
“They must have thought the corpses would go into the river, over the falls, and out to sea. But no one has cleared the tunnel in so long that they got caught up in the debris,” he whispered. “But their mistake is to our advantage, as it is yet more proof that Snorri is not Snorri, for why would he murder his own men?”
I gave a tight nod and kept moving, sloshing through the murk to where the tunnel curved and turned vertical. Light filtered in from above, along with laughter and voices.
“The great hall,” Geir whispered. “We wait until they go to sleep, then climb and find Steinunn.”
The person I was desperate to find was Bjorn, but he’d be the one under guard. If I took him, Harald would know that we’d infiltrated Grindill and my plans to reveal his secret to all those who gathered for the execution would be ruined. I was risking Bjorn’s life to defeat Harald, and that fact was like a knife twisting in my gut, but I knew he’d tell me to do it with no hesitation.
We stood in silence listening to shouts and laughter, the only break in the monotony when the servants tossed waste down the opening into the drain. I was glad for the darkness so as not to have to see what floated past. But then a familiar voice filtered down from above.
“You promised I would have vengeance, Harald.” Steinunn sounded close to tears. “You promised that at the end of this, Snorri would suffer for murdering my family. Instead, you’ve formed an alliance with him, and rather than suffering, he is currently drunk on mead and servicing Ylva in the comforts of his room! Worse still, you promised that the shield maiden who gave him power was dead, yet Skade has revealed that not only is Freya alive, but she has also returned to Skaland with an army of the dead.”
I caught hold of Geir’s arm, a sudden thrill running through me because if they were at odds, this would make my task far easier.
“It is a mystery to both Snorri and me how she survived,” Harald answered, and I could tell he was struggling to reconcile the lies he’d told with all that had happened since. “She was imprisoned by magic on an island in the middle of the strait with no shelter and no sustenance. Anyone who attempted to approach her risked being dragged to Helheim, and we were certain that the elements would see her swiftly to her death. No one is more shocked than I am to discover she yet lives.”
