when I finally came face-to-face with the real deal. Sure, he'd been handsome. But when he turns into a salivating wolf, or a crazed falcon, he tends to lose his attraction very quickly."
Nita laughed softly, the sound tinkling in my ears and strangely enough, echoing inside my head. "That does sum him up quite nicely." The elf cleared her throat. "Brynhildr, I will stay with you. There is no need for you to fight them alone."
I faced the elf and studied her features. "Thank you, Nita. But you really don't need to. I am good with my sword."
Nita lifted her chin. "But I think two against three are better odds."
"Okay. Let's get up there. Before we leave I have to find my spear. I'm hoping Loki would have left it behind if the blood didn't help him use it."
She gave me a swift smile then moved to the stairs.
I touched her on her arms and said, "Bryn." When Nita faced me, a frown of confusion creasing her forehead, I said, "All my friends call me Bryn."
She flashed a smile, clasped my arm and gave it a squeeze. "Let's go get him."
I gave a nod and tiptoed up the stairs, watching the faint edge of light that seeped in under the door. At the top of the stairs, I paused, placing my ear to the door.
"The room is empty," said Nita. "The guard is outside. Perhaps relieving one of the other two. They take turns to watch, with one going for supplies and communicating with Loki."
I nodded. Then tried the handle of the door to the kitchen.
It refused to budge.
I sighed then slammed into it, shoulder first. But the door was made of sterner stuff, and I was still weakened from being drained of all my blood.
As I leaned against the wall, Nita stepped past me. "Here, let me try," she whispered as she bent an eye to the lock. Then she pressed her hands against the wood and closed her eyes. And the door began to darken, as if an invisible flame burned, turning the solid wood to charcoal.
Then she raised her fist and slammed it into the door, sending shattered pieces of coal flying into the kitchen, flooding the stairs with brightness. Nita glanced at me, a happy grin on her face.
I gave her a thumbs up then followed as she entered the kitchen.
CHAPTER THREE
The kitchen was small and simple, its most remarkable feature an old outer door, whose water-logged slats let in lines of light. The old over-sized fridge clunked loudly, and a set of cupboards on the far wall revealed their not so meager stores. From the packets of fried chips, and plastic-wrapped cream cakes it seemed frost giants liked their junk food.
Sunlight streamed into the kitchen from a large white-paned window, filling the room with rays that made sparkling fairies of dancing dust-motes.
We passed through the silent room and I followed Nita as she entered the passage leading to the other rooms within the house. Given her ability to sense people, she was in no immediate danger.
The passage was steeped in darkness, and disorienting as I moved from the light-filled kitchen to dense shadows. Nita paused to point at the door on our right which let through shards of brightness, the slivers stabbing their way through the gaps in the slats of the roughly hewn door.
I nodded and slipped out a short knife from the sheath in my boot, then nudged the door open with my knuckle, fingers tightly grasping its hilt, blade at the ready just in case. Nita had proclaimed the place empty but it never hurt to be too careful.
The door squealed, the high pitch scraping my eardrums, making me want to respond with an equally high-toned, frustrated groan. I glanced at Nita and she merely offered a regal nod. The door slowed and I pushed it further with my elbow until it stood wide open. The bare room glared back at me, its large windows bracketed by yellowed, tattered curtains that looked held together by wishes and angels.
The view outside into the yard was marred by smudges and stains, having not been cleaned in what looked like decades. The obscured windows served to give the room a dusty, closed in air.
Perfect for Loki.
A large double-bed, a four-poster of all things, sat near the window, complete with dust-ridden burgundy drapes, tied back and revealing a few dust bunnies and a scattering of straw.
A glint of weak sunlight on gold drew my gaze to