She’d understood. The only safe place right now—away from this creature’s teeth—was on its back.
Chapter 22
Ali
Sitting in front of Marroc, I clung to the beast’s fur as it bounded between Yggdrasill’s roots. With Marroc’s steely chest behind me and his arms wrapped around me, I felt strangely secure.
Where the Helheim was this thing bringing us? We’d climbed on it to avoid its gnashing jaws, but now it was taking us on a wild chase over the tree roots.
Despite being as big as a house, the squirrel was surprisingly agile. Even with my magical eyesight, it was hard to see in here. I could just about make out the roots beneath us, but the squirrel leapt from one to another with the ease of a monkey. I was pretty sure we needed to be going down, beneath the roots. Instead, we were on a frantic journey above them.
As the squirrel moved along, I held on tight with my thighs. Slowly, the roots gave way to an enormous tree trunk so wide that I could just barely make out its curvature. Around us, the air warmed, and green light began to filter down from somewhere high above.
Then the situation took a turn for the worse. The squirrel began to ascend the giant trunk itself—the opposite of where we needed to be going. But he was moving too fast, too high for us to jump off. I slid back further into Marroc, but he held his position steadily, arms locked around me. His body seemed like pure steel against mine.
Even climbing straight up the trunk, the squirrel moved swiftly, its claws digging into the thick bark as it raced toward the light. It climbed until we reached a branch nearly as wide as the Citadel and long enough to taper off into shadows, where I couldn’t see the end.
Hardly pausing, the squirrel ran along the branch, and I clutched tight to its fur. I tried not to look at the black abyss below me. Instead, I closed my eyes, thinking of Barthol. He’s never going to believe this.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw a fork in the bough. The squirrel turned onto a smaller branch, and after a minute or two, massive green leaves began to appear.
It chittered again as it slowed to a stop. Now, we were among a thick clump of leaves, each as large as a small car. Their shape was familiar, and I recognized them after a few moments. Ash leaves. The squirrel’s nose twitched with excitement.
Suddenly, it scurried forward and pulled something large from under one of them. A giant seed. The squirrel’s mouth buzzed as it began to eat the kernel. From behind me, Marroc touched my shoulder, then nodded at the branch. With the squirrel distracted by its snack, this seemed a good time to make our getaway.
Letting go of the squirrel’s fur, I slid down to the branch. Marroc landed behind me while the squirrel ate. At last, it turned and, without even a glance in our direction, sprinted down the branch and into the darkness.
My arms and legs were shaking with fatigue, and I slumped, cross-legged, down on the branch. Marroc crouched next to me, eyeing me with concern.
“Do you know what that thing was?” I asked.
He pulled out his notebook and began to write. It’s called Ratatoskr. The immortal squirrel of Yggdrasill. Bigger than I imagined.
“Understatement of the day,” I murmured, closing my eyes. My arms throbbed, and I thought there were still bits of bone in my hair.
Marroc touched my shoulder gently.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” I opened my hand, showing off the golden ring with a brilliant smile. “I got this.”
Happiness streamed over me. This was it. They key to setting the Dokkalfar free forever.
Chapter 23
Marroc
I stared at the ring, almost disbelieving that she had it. Through dust, shattered bones, and a very angry squirrel, Ali had somehow managed to find it. On one hand, I was exceptionally impressed, but on the other, I felt a strange twisting feeling in my chest. A lump in my throat. Was this… sadness?
No. Guilt.
The problem was that the ring was useless. My soul was no longer within the golden circlet that Ali looked so pleased with herself for finding. It was within her.
And worse, she’d risked her life for a trinket.
If she put together the truth—that she held my soul, and who I truly was—it would all be over for both of us. So, I schooled my features into