Weaving Fate - Nora Ash Page 0,95

alert at all times. All of us.”

The last bit he said with a meaningful stare at his father, who once again had a sock stuck in his mouth. Seemed Loki had gotten mouthy again.

The dark-haired god only gave him a reproachful glare in response.

I nodded, pushing the pain of my damaged bond to Modi to the back of my mind as well as I could. By now, I was used to feeling broken. It was a constant, gnawing agony, the result of being torn into four jagged pieces. If we made it through the day, at least by the end of it I would be reunited with Magni and Saga. Then there would only be one source of pain left.

I sat down by the fire and looked at my two mates. “Okay. What’s the plan?”

“It’s at least eight hours to Hvergelmir,” Modi said, apparently having also decided to pretend like last night hadn’t happened. “Once we’re close, we will know if Níðhöggr is awake. If he isn’t, passage should be easy.”

“If he is,” Bjarni continued, "we will have to rely on your magic to keep us hidden. Once we’ve passed, it’s less than half an hour to the portal.”

I choked. “My magic? I don’t know how—” My voice died when Bjarni raised his hand.

“You’ve proven time and time again that your strength and resilience is more than enough to carry us through. It won’t be any different this time. Modi and I will be there to guide you. Now is not the time to doubt yourself, mate. We’re on the final stretch.”

I nodded. He was right. Whatever I had to do to get us back to Saga and Magni, I would find a way.

The nearer we came to Nidhug’s well, the lighter the fog became. It was so gradual, it wasn’t before I noticed the huge, dark surface rising high on our right side that I realized how much easier it was to see my travel companions now.

“What’s that?” I asked, staring at the dark thing. In all directions, it stretched far out of my field of vision, the mist hiding its true size, but the looming nature of it reminded me of a mountain range.

“One of Yggdrasil’s roots,” Modi answered. He was up front, leading us through the frozen wasteland for the past few hours. He and Bjarni still took turns, even though there was no snow to press down to ease my way here. “The World Tree gets much of its nourishment from the springs surrounding Hvergelmir.”

“It looks like a mountain,” I said, squinting to see it better through the mist. Now that I knew it was a root, I could sense that the surface of it was a different texture than I would have expected from something shaped from rock.

“It’s big as one too,” Bjarni rumbled from behind me. “We’re getting close—if the fog is lifting, it means the heat from the springs is not too far.”

“Or it means Níðhöggr is awake and spewing his fire into the air,” Modi mumbled.

Muffled protestations came from behind Bjarni. Apparently Loki wasn’t pleased with that suggestion.

“I agree,” my blond mate said matter-of-factly. “Let’s not jinx it, hmm?”

Modi only chuffed in response.

It took only a couple more hours of walking until the mist was fully gone, revealing the landscape around us for the first time. But where it had been frozen and dead for the rest of our journey, here green sprouted from the ground, flowers, bushes and trees dotting the land in a kaleidoscope of colors.

I could now make out the full scope of the root guiding our path to the right, and it was a magnificent sight to behold. It was indeed as large as a mountain range, its form twisting and gnarly like the roots of an ancient oak. It stretched into the sky and deep into the horizon, far past where my eyes could see, a dark contrast to the lush greenery surrounding us.

“This is the only place of warmth and fertility in Niflheim,” Modi said. He must have noticed my open-mouthed stare. “The springs fight back the icy grip of the rest of the realm.”

“It should be teeming with life,” I mumbled. “I mean… mammals. Birds. Why is it as quiet as the rest of this word?”

“Niflheim’s inhabitants never come here,” Bjarni said. “Nothing that wishes to live trespasses on Níðhöggr’s domain. It’s far odder that we have had no run-ins on the rest of our journey.”

“Great. That’s exactly what I needed to hear right now,”