My lungs burned, but I managed to get it all out on the first try. “Astrid, daughter of Volundar, Chief Assassin of the Shadow Lords.”
“What is your business?”
“I must speak to the Lords.”
The guard’s eyes narrowed, and his fingers tightened on the halberd’s shaft. “You’ll need to be more specific.”
“No,” I said, still trying to catch my breath. “This is for the Lords’ ears only. Tell them Astrid has returned from her assignment in Midgard. Tell them I must speak to them now. It’s extremely important.”
The guard gave me a final suspicious look before he left his post. By the time he’d returned, I’d caught my breath.
“All right, Astrid,” he said. “Come with me.”
The guard led me into the entrance tunnel. It was just as I remembered. Even so, my breath caught when we stepped from the tunnel into the audience chamber, the ceilings as tall and grand as a cathedral.
Lit only by candlelight, the chamber was solemn and stark. Three stone thrones stood on one end of the hall, each carved directly from the bedrock. They might have been beautiful once, but a thousand years of dripping water had left them covered in strangely rippling deposits of calcite.
Seated in each throne was a figure dressed in thick gray fabric, only slightly darker than the stone itself. The ancient elves had long silver hair and skin lined with wrinkles. Their eyes shone brightly in the darkness. Ilvis, Thyra, and Lynheid. The eldest of our kind.
“Where is the safe deposit box?” said Ilvis, who sat in the center throne. “The one we sent you to fetch. You took longer than expected to return.”
It took me a second to realize that he was asking about my original assignment. That seemed like years ago. “I’ll get to that in a second.” I was taking an enormous risk with this, but I needed to know this now more than I needed anything: “Did my brother Barthol return here?”
“Insolence!” shouted Thyra.
Ilvis sighed. “Yes, he did. The box?”
Relief flooded me. Barthol was alive. Somehow, he’d escaped, made his way back to the Shadow Caverns. “Okay, well, I was attacked while trying to break into the bank. I’m sure Barthol told you that.”
“Yes, but what about the safe deposit box?” asked Thyra, sounding impatient. “Barthol had nothing to report. He thought you might have it. He’s been frantically asking for permission to find you, but we refused to give him another vergr stone.”
“I managed to get a hold of the contents. The golden ring.”
Ilvis gave me a look that said I shouldn’t know about the ring. “Where is the ring now?” he asked slowly.
“Right here,” I said, reaching into my pocket. I held up the ring so the Shadow Lords could see it. It glinted faintly in the candlelight.
“Give it to me,” said Ilvis, thrusting out a hand.
I walked to the base of his throne and handed up the ring. He slipped it into his pocket.
“That was good work,” said Thyra. “But what took you so long to return?”
“I’m sure you heard about the troll. He managed to steal the box, but I located it again.” I forced myself to smile. I hated having to lie to them, but if they suspected I’d failed to deliver what they really wanted, I could find myself in prison.
So I’d leave out a few details—my descent into the Well of Wyrd, my journey to the Helheim. The fight with Nidhogg. The bit about where Galin’s soul had been returned, and how he was controlled by Gorm.
If they knew that, they’d strip me of my commission and send me to the Kolar mines to work myself to death shoveling coal. So let them wonder at why the ring didn’t work the way they hoped. It would keep them distracted while I worked on a real solution.
Ilvis smiled at me indulgently. “Well done, Astrid. You will, of course, be heavily rewarded for your efforts.”
I’d done what they’d asked, hadn’t I? And in my own way, I was certain I’d achieve my destiny—that I was the North Star, and I would lead us out of here.
Chapter 62
Ali
I slipped through the shadowy streets of Myrk. I knew this town like the back of my hand. I’d literally been forced to memorize its every alley and passageway as part of my assassin training. Not that I was making use of any of those shadowy routes tonight.
I hung a right down Stone Cave Lane then a left at Batfoot Road. Before I