Ice Shards - By Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,16

this forest by nightfall or we risk bringing the glowing Skalla down on us. They journey through the White Forest at night seeking their victims.”

“What are they?” Camille shivered. “The name alone sounds nasty.”

“They are . . . skulls. But not actual skulls. They are the spirits of those murdered in the forest and they feed on travelers. They do not rest, nor can they be laid to rest as long as their remains lie hidden within this woodland.” Howl gazed back at me. “You know the Skalla.”

I nodded slowly. “They were well known in the temple. The wood here is old, it has absorbed the energy of many wars, and the energy from the Skirts of Hel filters down through the ground from the glacier on high. Some say a great mouth to the Netherworld exists in the heart of the forest.”

“A mouth to the Netherworld . . . Do you think it might have something to do with Vikkommin?” Camille asked. “Since he lives in shadow now, could it be feeding him?”

I frowned. I’d never thought about that. “He didn’t create it, if that’s what you mean. The rip to the Netherworld was rumored to be there when I first came to the temple. Whenever a party traveled from the portals to the temple, there were always rumors of run-ins with the creatures if they crossed the forest at night. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t have played a part in what happened to him.”

“Did the temple tell you exactly what happened to Vikkommin?” Roz hung toward the back, guarding our rear.

“They never really knew.” I’d been over and over the story with Smoky and Camille, but maybe there was something I was missing. “His body was ripped to shreds—essentially turned inside out like I . . . I did with the guards at Stacia’s first safe house. But his spirit was somehow embedded in a great shadow and the two merged. I know Vikkommin can’t leave, not in body, for the shadow is corporeal and tied to this area, but he can travel on the astral.”

“Camille, what do you know about shadow forms? Has Morio taught you anything?” Roz asked.

“Yes, actually.” She frowned. “There are many forms of shadow, but most are created from astral entities rather than from spirits of Fae or mortals. There are some shadows, though, that have no consciousness. Maybe whatever happened to Vikkommin stuck him inside one of those?” Turning to me, she asked, “Have you ever gotten the sense that there’s somebody else there with Vikkommin?”

Her breath came in little puffs. The temperature wasn’t going to rise any higher, even though we were still at midmorning. I shivered and glanced at the sky. Snow was on the horizon—I could feel it in my bones and sure enough, before I could answer, a thin layer of flakes began to fall, drifting softly toward the ground.

I shook my head. “No, that I can say for certain. He’s gone mad over the centuries, but it’s him and him alone.”

“Then I’d say that’s what happened. Whatever ripped him out of his body, thrust him into one of the empty shadow forms. Sort of like a hermit crab, pulling on some other crab’s shell.”

“He didn’t do this himself, did he?” Smoky spoke up.

“Why would he do something like that?” Camille gave him a shake of the head. “That makes no sense. But perhaps . . . were others among the Priestess-hood jealous of you? Maybe a woman in love with him herself? Or someone who wanted the position of High Priestess? Could this have been a frame-up so that you’d be, at best, kicked out of the temple? At worst, you’d be killed, and either way, their path would be clear?”

“The Elders thought of that. They queried everyone under truth spells. Once pledged to Undutar, if you tell a falsehood, it can be detected. We can see through illusion.” As much as I wanted to hope for that, I knew it wasn’t the answer. Not unless somebody had managed to pull off a deception against the entire Elder Council.

She paused to stare at the sky. “We’re in for a storm. Even I can feel it. How much farther do we have to go till we come out of the forest?”

“This path will lead us out by early afternoon. We’re on the narrow end of the woodland and will come to the Skirts of Hel by nightfall.” Howl pushed ahead, walking faster. “We have to make