I had hoped the water would confuse the hounds, but they kept coming, growing steadily louder. Clearly, there must be some sort of magic at play.
We ran for what seemed like miles.
At last, the rays of dawn began to break through the trees. Holy smokes. How long had I been dancing for?
Around us, the forest was thinning. And beyond it, Vanaheim’s golden plains stretched like an endless sea.
“We can’t go out there,” I whispered to Marroc. “They’ll be able to see us. We’ll be visible for miles.”
The stream followed the edge of the forest for a few more miles, then spilled out onto the plain. There wasn’t any other choice, and yet this seemed like death.
We plunged into the ocean of golden grass. Marroc ran yard after yard, his breath even. He crossed the stream a few more times, trying to confuse the dogs.
Lifting my head from his chest, I looked over his shoulder to the edge of the forest. Dread gripped me as huge beasts emerged from the trees. Not hounds, but boars nearly the size of horses—with black fur.
They could see us now, squealing and crying. Vanir warriors mounted on horseback moved among them.
“Marroc, where are we going? How do we get out of here?”
Of course, he couldn’t answer. He turned sharply back toward the water. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that the stream had widened into a small river.
We charged into it, water spraying around us, and Marroc let me go. We both started to swim in the cool water, though I still had no idea what the end game was. Only that the giant boars now lined the riverbanks. They tracked us, calling for the horsemen.
In the water, I heard a new sound I couldn’t place, a distant roar like unending thunder.
The first spell hit a wave next to us with a sharp, sizzling pop. Instantly, Marroc grabbed me by the shoulder, pulling me under. Above me, through the swirling water, I could see the distorted shapes of the dogs and horses, and on them the dark shapes of men, wands raised.
Their spells fizzled against the water’s surface like mighty raindrops. I tried to stay underwater as long as possible as the river began to churn with killing hexes. But my lungs burned; pain spread through my chest.
Death below and death above. I was going to drown if I didn’t get a breath.
I rose above the surface to gasp for air, and a spell burned my cheek. I plunged under again, desperate for more air.
But the water was rushing now, and we twisted and tumbled like flotsam in a storm.
Again, my head broke free. The boars and horsemen were gone, replaced by rocky cliffs and the thunderous roar of what I now understood was a waterfall.
Chapter 33
Marroc
When I spotted the sharp cliff and the waterfall before us, fear speared my chest. The river was raging out of control, the waters carrying us along and spinning us around. I kicked my legs, fighting against the currents, but they were supernaturally strong.
Whatever happened, I didn’t want to lose Ali. I grabbed her to me, pulling her close with one arm.
A rock rose in front of us, large as an elephant. We slammed into it, but before I could grab it, we’d already bounced off. We spun again, and I saw another boulder. This time, I was able to hold on to it, but only for an instant. Slick with mud, my hands slid off. With water rushing around us, the waves swept us back into the seething river, churning us under this time.
And through it all, I felt her soul next to mine—a golden ray of light beaming from her body. It was like some of her memories were spilling into me: Ali as a child, painting on the walls of a dark cavern by the light of candles. A female Night Elf spun a lantern carved with animal shapes, her eyes bright as she told a story. She looked like Ali. Her mother, maybe.
Then Ali stood by the bed of the same woman, but the woman’s eyes were no longer bright. Now, her face was gaunt, lips dry and blistered. She whispered something, and it sounded like leidarstjarna—the North Star. The lodestar and the guiding light. But the air smelled of illness, and blood spattered the sheets where she’d been coughing. And I felt the heartbreak, felt it shattering…