Entrapment (Thor's Dragon Rider #3) - Katrina Cope Page 0,13

don’t think anybody will know we're gone. I doubt anyone else saw the lava monster leaving.

Defeat and disappointment creep into my optimism, taking over my muscles, which go lax, and I flop against Elan, her sharp scales digging into my flesh. I ignore the discomfort, taking solace in knowing my scaly friend remains by my side. “You’re probably right.”

I assess our surroundings, taking in every inch, and study the access points again to assess if I’ve overlooked a loophole that will get us out of here. I can’t tell when Surt will be coming back, and when he does, if I don’t give him the answer he seeks, we may need an escape route, however dire it is.

Minutes, if not hours, tick by, bringing the discomforting feeling of being lost. If not for Elan, I would be very lonely. I've studied every part of the cave, only to come up empty-handed for brilliant ideas, and my gaze returns to the lava lake, my eyes drooping with exhaustion as the warmth lures me to sleep.

A strange scratching pulls my focus upward, and I search for the source. The glow of the lava bathes everything in an orange-red light, making it hard to spot the source of the noise.

The scratching continues, and I squint, focusing within the darkness, higher than the light of the lava. But I fail to catch any movement pointing to the cause of the sound. Looming darkness, thick enough to cut, prevails in the top half of the cave, the hole remaining blocked by the lava monster.

The scratching continues, setting my nerves on edge. Worried that it might be a dangerous creature exclusive to Muspelheim, I continue searching the shadows cast by the orange light behind the jolting rocks. Eventually, something glowing a deeper orange darts across the far side of the cave. I blink. The object is hard to discern in the light from the molten lava river. Perhaps the fire embers are reflecting against something, but then it seems to glow a different kind of red. Whatever it is, it continues to move in a circular downward motion, heading toward us.

Pushing off Elan, I stand to get a clearer view of the approaching creature. My fingers tingle with anticipation, and I gather my magic while unhooking my bow and nocking an arrow to aim at whatever is scurrying along the wall.

In a place like Muspelheim, it could be anything. As Surt pointed out, I’ve been uneducated about this realm and the creatures it holds, other than my personal experience with the lava monster. Whatever this is, it could be just as dangerous but in a small form.

Elan shifts behind me, and her presence looms over me protectively even though my arrow remains nocked and ready to release, aimed at the anticipated location of the moving creature. As though oblivious to the threat we present, the animal continues to scamper, and its scurrying echoes as it circles around and down, crawling closer to our position.

My eyes narrow, focused entirely on this thing. It maneuvers to a rocky ledge and pauses, standing upright and exposing a furry white chest that burns with the lava river's golden glow. I squint harder. It can't be, I think.

“Elan, are you seeing what I'm seeing?”

Do you mean Ratatoskr? She sounds almost bored. I told you Yggdrasil must come to Muspelheim somewhere even if we can’t see anything that resembles a tree. He is renowned for carrying messages to every part of the realm.

I gawk at the little thing, my eyes widening as I realize the truth. Elan is right. This is that tiny, annoying rodent. He has followed me even to the depths of the fire giants' realm.

Beady little black eyes focus in my direction, peering over the sharply pointed nose. The high-pitched voice reaches my ears as he crosses his arms and leans against the rock wall. “There you are. I finally found you.” He scurries down a couple more levels. “My source was right. The talk on the rumor mill is that you've been taken to Muspelheim.”

My eyes narrow at the little rodent. “How could you possibly know that?”

The squirrel waves a paw at me. “You’d be surprised by the connections I have.” He looks me up and down. “Clearly, this time, it was right.”

He scurries farther down the cave, weaving over the jutting rock surfaces.

For a moment, my heart skips before beating rapidly, and a glimmer of hope rises to the surface as I stare at the squirrel coming