scream. Then, I saw why: a beast of hair and muscle, nearly as tall as a horse, charged into the hall, snorting and grunting loudly.
“Eofor!” shouted the Regent. “Eofor, sit.”
And just like that, a monstrous boar sat in the great mead hall of the High Elves. It was covered in bristly black hair and smelled terrible, like the contents of a sewer that had fermented in the hot sun. When its head turned to look in my direction, I saw beady eyes set behind a pair of ivory tusks nearly the length of my forearm.
A giant fucking boar.
All around me, elves were shouting and jumping out of the way as the boar began to snuffle and snort. A dark purple tongue slid out from between the tusks, and it began to snake plates of pancakes, bowls of oatmeal, even—I grimaced—pieces of bacon into its maw.
“Quiet! Quiet!” shouted the Regent at the terrified elves. “We don’t want to upset him. This is Eofor, the largest of the royal hogs.”
King Gorm had risen, still clutching his cutlery. “Why in Hel did you bring this revolting creature into my hall?”
“I’m terribly sorry, King Gorm,” said the Regent, gently patting the giant boar on its cheek. “When Eofor is well fed, he’s really a fine fellow and very well-behaved, but unfortunately, he digests his food very fast and gets hungry again. All this breakfast will come out the other end soon enough.”
The boar leaned forward, snuffling loudly as he tried to reach a plate of sausages.
“Which is why we will be hosting the final contest this evening. We will be releasing Eofor and five of his brothers and sisters onto the grounds of Mount Auburn Cemetery. I haven’t fed Eofor’s siblings for nearly two weeks, and even after he gobbles up these crumbs, he will still be quite hungry. The goal of our contest is simple: don’t leave the confines of the cemetery, and don’t get eaten. When half of the remaining are dead—one hundred and thirteen elves—the contest ends.”
The hall fell silent, interrupted only by the sound of Eofor’s chewing.
Revna raised her hand. “Will we be able to bring weapons?”
“Of course, anything you like. But I should warn you that the hide of a Vanaheim boar is exceptionally thick. I don’t think you’ll succeed in piercing it.” The Regent paused for a second. “But that does remind me. We won’t be allowing any magic. None whatsoever.”
Chapter 33
Ali
Alone, I crouched in the back of a tomb. Ancient marble blocks surrounded me, encrusted in sheets of dirty ice. A moldering skeleton lay in a nearby alcove. I hugged myself tight, teeth chattering, still trying to block out the pain in my leg. And trying to block out my memory of what had just happened.
Two of the Shadow Lords lay dead. I’d barely escaped as the boar had charged Thyra and Ilvis, goring them to death. The images kept flickering in my mind—the ivory tusk piercing Thyra’s chest, Ilvis trying to save her. Blood on the snow, the Shadow Lords screaming. I’d felt like the world had dropped out from under my feet as I’d watched the boar tear Ilvis to pieces. Two of my leaders were dead, and I hadn’t been able to stop it.
I thought I’d been here for an hour, maybe—biding my time in Mount Auburn Cemetery while waiting for another boar to appear.
Situated in Boston’s suburbs, Mount Auburn Cemetery had remained untouched for hundreds of years. Over the past hour, the setting sun had cast lengthening, eerie shadows on tombstones frozen in ice. Now, moonlight streamed onto the icy floor of the tomb. I tried not to think of Ilvis’s screams …
The plan had been for all the Night Elves to stick together, but that had all gone to shit when the first boar attacked. We’d been ambushed out in the open. The Shadow Lords had been the first in the line of attack.
The Regent had been right; the boar hides were virtually impenetrable. Even Skalei hadn’t been able to do much more than scratch it.
And now, I found myself alone in a tomb, surrounded by broken marble and skeletons. It was dark and cave-like, which I liked, but it was also a dead end. If a boar found me inside, I’d be cornered. Still, my bad leg was a major impediment to moving around, and I didn’t want to be caught limping around in the snow.
The scream of a boar ripped through the air, making my muscles tense. It was a