Halfdan felt a burden leave his shoulders as the decision was made. Not because he imagined seeing it through would be easy, but at least he knew what they should do. Unfortunately, he did not know how. “So… how does one make the end of the worlds happen?” He looked at Freydis.

  “I can’t say. Loki never had reason to share this with me. I always assumed it would happen by its own accord as the omens were fulfilled, one by one.”

  They both looked at Sif.

  “I don’t know! I’m sorry, but I can’t know everything. The foretelling of Ragnar?k just says what’ll happen. It’s not a detailed guide on how to bring about the destruction of the realms.”

  “Well, that’s a quick stumbling block. We won’t get far with this plan.” Halfdan turned to Freydis again. “You must have had some idea of what Loki intended to do. He meant to release Fenrir with this hammer, right?”

  “He did. But it was just one step out of many. He would lead an army of J?tnar against Asgard,” Freydis recounted. “Besides Fenrir, his other dreaded child, J?rmungandr, would burst from the seas to join the battle. And from Hel, an army of dead would sail. But obviously, something must be done to allow all of this to happen. To release them.”

  “The dead seeress,” Sif breathed. “She told us.”

  “That witch? What did she say?” Halfdan frowned, trying to remember.

  Fortunately, he had a skáld for that. “Nine runes he wrote. Nine spells he spoke. Nine bones he broke.” She looked up at her companions. “That’s what you must do. A ritual. That’s how you release everything. That’s what Odin truly fears. If you possess everything for that, he’ll have to back off.”

  “I guess that’s a step forward. Except, what runes? What bones? What spells? I don’t possess any such knowledge or powers.”

  Sif crossed her arms. “Well, that’s beyond me. Some things, you have to figure out yourself.”

  “Or I must ask the right person.”

  “Who?” Freydis regarded him intently.

  “The only people more self-assured of their knowledge than a skáld. The nornir.”

  His companions exchanged a look.

  “Why would they know?”

  “Why would they help you?”

  The questions came tossed together, and Halfdan raised one hand to calm the conversation. “They know fate. They are fate. And as Loki, unleashing Ragnar?k is mine. For that reason, they know what to do, and they’ll help me. After all, they’d never stand in the way of fate.” He could tell by their expressions, neither seemed convinced.

  Halfdan had no doubt, however. Perhaps it was his new status as an immortal being, same as the nornir, but he understood them now. He could see his interaction with Urd in a different light. She had not helped him during their first encounter because she wanted to aid Odin or stop Loki. She had known where Halfdan’s journey would end. No, she had helped Halfdan that he might meet his fate. Destiny did not choose sides, nor did the nornir. They performed their tasks simply because it was theirs to perform.

  “We have to go Urd’s Well.”

  Freydis blew out her breath. “Alright. But that place is not part of the nine realms. The gate in J?tunheim can’t take us there. You told me you visited it before – how?”

  “A priest of Odin opened the path to us. Admittedly, he’s less likely to be helpful to us.” Halfdan’s thumb ran over the edge of his hammer. “But he can be persuaded, I’m sure.”

  “That requires our return to Midgard. Through the gate – unless you have other means?” The priestess watched her patron, who shook his head.

  “No such luck. We’ll have to go back the way we came, the way they expect, and use the gate in the underground chamber.”

  “They’ll be waiting for us, right?” Sif asked. “They’ll know we’re likely to go there.”

  Halfdan nodded. “Yes. It’ll be under heavy guard, I’m sure. We can’t expect to fight our way through it easily.”

  “It is fortunate, then, that Loki and his followers are known for their guile. We don’t have to win a battle,” Freydis pointed out. “Just get through any obstacles and reach the gate.”

  “And best we hurry before Odin has recovered,” Halfdan mumbled. It could already be too late for that; he had no idea what restorative powers the high god possessed, but he dared only assume the worst. Odin alone would be a formidable enemy; defending the gate, he would be able to bring all his warriors and fellow gods with him.

  “With that in mind, we should be on the move. We can plan while we march,” Freydis suggested. As none could argue against that, they followed her proposal.

  *

  Time did not permit foraging for food, and they had to silence the hunger in their stomach, no matter how loud it screamed. Sif had a good internal map of the area by now, and she led them to a stream of water in their direction, allowing them to slake their thirst. They all drank greedily; besides not knowing when they would have the opportunity again, it helped silence the worst of the famine they all felt, at least for a little while.

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  “Don’t look. Up in the air. We’re being followed,” Freydis spoke out of the corner of her mouth, hours later on the march. “It’s a raven.”

  “Which direction?” asked Sif.

  “Far above us, to your left shoulder.”

  The girl nodded a little and surreptitiously placed a stone in her sling. Quickly, she spun it up and turned, releasing it a moment later. The piece of living rock flew true as always, striking the bird, which plummeted to the ground. Sif ran over and collected her stone.

  “There’ll be more,” Freydis warned them. “He has endless spies.”

  “And they know we’re on our way,” Halfdan muttered.

  “We’ll have to do our final approach at night.”

  Sif cleaned the pebble as best she could, wiping the raven guts off in the grass. “I only got three left,” she said in response to their looks.

  “Nobody questioned it.”

  *

  They found a thicket and rested there for the remainder of the day, ignoring hunger as best they could. Only once nightfall provided some cover did they continue. Halfdan placed Sif on his shoulders eventually, allowing them to set a fast pace. When dawn was still some hours away, they reached the barrows that concealed not only dead J?tnar, but also two entrances to the underground complex containing the gate. One going the long way through several chambers, the other leading straight to the main room. Taking advantage of the dark, Freydis left the others to investigate, protected by her abilities.

  She returned soon after. “Both entrances are guarded. Not by many, maybe a dozen warriors. No match for you,” she claimed, looking at Halfdan, “assuming they’re all einherjar. But enough to raise the alarm if we attack.”

  “And they’ll bring in more through the gate by the time we reach it,” he mumbled, nodding. “What else did you see?”

  “Nothing more, unfortunately. They had filled the area with torches. Not a single approach cloaked in shadows left. No path for me to slip past unseen,” the priestess admitted with an apologetic expression. “I don’t know what awaits us below.”

  “More warriors and a god or two, I wager.” Perhaps Odin himself, Halfdan thought, keeping that part quiet. “But we don’t have to win the battle – just get past them.”

  “Yes. We need to think like spies, not berserkers.” Freydis smiled a little.

  “We have one advantage,” Sif pointed out. “The tunnels and chambers below. It’s a labyrinth. Which we know very well, but they don’t.”

  “This is more suited to your thinking, as you point out,” Halfdan acknowledged. “What’s our plan?”

  “Let’s consider all our resources,” Freydis suggested. “A berserker who can clear the outer posts, alone if need be. A priestess who can hide in shadows and blink across small distances, carrying one other person with her.”

  “But not two?” Halfdan asked, to which she shook her head.

  “There’s also the fylgja, which can draw attention, act as shock assault, or defend a choke point,” she continued. “And we have a skáld who can cause confusion and knows the winding paths below.”

  “And she’s got a sling that’ll take the eye out even of a god!” Sif added aggressively.

  “Their resources lie in the numbers they already possess, presumably more than we can defeat. Furthermore, they can bring in reinforcements, meaning time favours them, not us. So whatever we do, it must be swift.” Freydis exhaled. “And there may be an unknown number of gods, furthermore with powers also unknown to us, defending the chamber we must reach.”

  “Sounds about right,” Halfdan assented.

  “Any plan we execute must make the most of our resources while minimising theirs. Most importantly, it must be done in haste. Our goal is not to win any fights, but to reach the gate chamber, all three of us, and make our escape,” Freydis summarised.

  “Still true.” Halfdan felt impatience slowly winding its way into his mind; he favoured battle plans that consisted of charging the enemy at first sight, not this meticulous approach. Which was why he restrained himself and left it to Freydis, understanding that her mind was more suited to win a battle that was not meant to be a battle in the first place.

  Freydis exhaled. “Very well. I know what we should do. Emphasis on ‘should’,” she warned. “There’s too much unknown. How many enemies we face below, how many and how swiftly more might join, and most importantly, what abilities they possess.”

  She did not want to say it out loud, but Halfdan surmised she had the same fear as him. That Odin awaited them, and with an army at his disposal, they would not survive a second confrontation.

  “If ‘should’ is the best we can do, so be it.” No battle was ever won when entered with a heart full of doubt and uncertainty. “I trust you’ll come up with the best possible plan under the circumstances.” Halfdan looked directly at Freydis, and she seemed to almost blush, lowering her eyes, which was a reaction he had never imagined the hardy shield-maiden was capable of. “We’ll do it, and let fate decide what follows.” He assumed that it went unsaid, should something go wrong, Freydis would grab Sif and vanish into the dark. Fighting in the tunnels below, Halfdan could easily cover their retreat.

  “Very well. Far be it from me to doubt my benefactor’s powers, or his faith in me.”

  “It only reflects the faith she has shown me.” Their exchange reminded Halfdan of his ability, [Empower the Faithful]. “Prepare your abilities if you have any Seeds available.” Personally, he had two. Not enough to further grant Freydis power. He needed three to increase it, as it depended on two skills higher in the hierarchy. Perhaps he should save them, as was his habit, for when the need arose.

  It struck Halfdan that he had yet to really use any of his new powers other than the one that empowered his followers. He still was not sure how [Breaker of Bonds] would be useful; as the main branch of his Loki powers, he had increased it to the sixth rank, and yet it had not saved him from his bonds in the cave. When it came to their current venture, he doubted it would be useful there either. Nor did [Your Heart’s Desire] seem like it would help him presently; knowing that the gods and einherjar wanted to kill him did little to prevent it. But the last, [Friend to Shadow], might be worth a closer look.

  Halfdan had guessed its power, having watched both Loki and his priestess use the darkness to hide and move around unseen. Given the challenge they faced, running the gauntlet rather than a battle to be won, that might be exactly what he needed.

  He tried to use it now, drawing the shadows closer to conceal him; being right next to two others perfectly aware of his presence, nothing happened.

  Well, perhaps he would overcome the resistance the old-fashioned way, swinging hammers and cracking skulls. In which case, his old abilities would also serve. Sticking with his old strategy, Halfdan decided to save his Seeds for now. Instead, he looked at his companions. “Are we ready? The night wanes.”

  They both nodded. “Let’s get it done.”