Page 41 of Baldr's Secret Mate

I closed my eyes for a moment, reaching out with my senses. There was a faint breeze coming from the leftmost corridor.

“That way,” I said, pulling him to the left. “There’s a way out through there!”

We ran as fast as we could down the tight tunnel. To my surprise, it wasn’t widening out or moving upward. In fact, it seemed to be getting smaller. Nearly two minutes passed before we came skidding to a halt once again, the way in front of us blocked by a collapsed room. I didn’t understand how I could still feel a breeze against my skin even with the tunnel blocked. I glanced side to side, searching for its source. But then I finally looked up.

There, above the collapse, was a long shaft leading away on an angle. If I turned my head just right I could catch thefaintest hint of sunlight far off. It was only then that it dawned on me that it was a small tunnel specifically dug to let in fresh air far underground. And it was far too tight for either Mist or I to get through. And that left us only one choice.

We had to go back.

Guttural cries echoed up the tunnel from the deep. The Draugr had found their way into the main part of the ruins. Now it was only a matter of time until they found us. And we didn’t have days or hours to escape. We had minutes. At most.

“We're trapped,” Mist whispered, his voice trembling with fear.

I shook my head, trying to stay calm despite the panic rising in my own chest. However, the surge of Mist’s emotions over our bond was making that difficult. “No, we're not. We just need to think.”

I scanned the collapsed tunnel, looking for any weakness or opening we could exploit. The stones were tightly packed, with no obvious way through. But there had to be something we could do. I refused to accept that this was how it would end. Besides, my visions were never wrong, and this wasn’t how I met my fate. So there had to be a way out, right?

“Can you use your magic again?” Mist asked hesitantly. “Maybe to clear the rubble?”

I winced at the suggestion. “I don't think that's a good idea. My energy is already low from the spirit summoning and what just happened with the Draugr. If I push too hard, I could pass out. Or worse.” I paused for a moment, letting out a long sigh. “We have to go back,” I said grimly, turning to face Mist.

His eyes were wide with fear, but he nodded nonetheless because there was no other option.

I took his hand, giving it a squeeze. “Come on.”

We raced back down the narrow corridor, our footsteps echoing off the stone walls. The cries of the Draugr grew louderas we neared the junction where we'd made our choice. My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline coursing through my veins. We had to find another way out, and fast. They were sure to have heard our running and definitely the panting. We had only moments to spare.

As we reached the split in the path, I paused for a moment, straining my senses. The right path seemed to slope slightly upward. It was our best chance.

“This way,” I said, pulling Mist down the right-hand tunnel.

We'd barely made it twenty feet when a figure lurched out of the shadows ahead of us. It was a Draugr, the tight grey mummified flesh screeching as it kept shambling bones in place. Loose black hair hung down around its face, making it look like something out of a horror movie. In one hand it held a half-rotted wooden shield and in the other a sword that was almost entirely made of rust. However, the most unsettling thing was its eyes. Bright blue orbs of flame sat in the hollow skull, wisps of magic leaking out the sides. But it wasn’t the look of them that scared me. It was the way they made me feel. Not cold or terrified, but warm and fuzzy, like I should follow them. Like I should listen to them and just stand still so they could get closer… and closer.

shook my head violently, trying to break free of the Draugr's hypnotic gaze. Its power was intense, threatening to overwhelm my senses. But I couldn't let it win. I had to protect Mist.

“Don't look in its eyes!” I shouted, shoving Mist behind me.

The Draugr let out an inhuman shriek and lunged forward with surprising speed. I barely managed to dodge its rusted sword, the blade whistling past my ear. The creature's strength was incredible - I could feel the force of the bloweven though it hadn't connected. It made my very bones ache, knowing that it would’ve sliced clean through me had my heightened werewolf reflexes not kicked in.

We were in serious trouble. Unarmed and exhausted, we stood little chance against even one of these ancient warriors, let alone however many were now roaming the ruins. But I refused to give up.

When the Draugr let out another teeth-clenching shriek, I knew the attack was coming. I ducked, the blade singing as it streaked over my head. In that moment, instinct took over. I shifted partially into my Alpha form, my claws extending as I swiped at the creature’s legs. My claws tore through the desiccated flesh and snapped bone, but the Draugr barely seemed to notice. It swung its sword again, this time forcing me to roll to the side.

Mist scrambled backward, pressing himself against the wall.

“Run!” I yelled to him, pushing myself back to my feet. “Back to the junction! Take the middle path! I’ll catch up!”

“Baldr—”

“I said RUN!”

Mist could feel the force of my words not only in my voice, but over the bond as well. Without argument, he turned on his heel and sprinted down the hallway leaving just myself and the Draugr standing there, staring one another down.

“Now that he’s gone,” I uttered, sharp fangs extending into my mouth from both sides. “I can send you back to hell where you belong.”

It was only when Mist was too far to stop me from being foolish that I stepped forward. Spreading my arms out wide, I stared at the creature, my golden eyes flashing with power. And, just as I expected, the Draugr cried out in an unearthly rage,raising his sword high. Instead of trying to dodge, I deliberately closed my eyes.

There was a whoosh of air and a white-hot pain in my right shoulder as the blade made contact. However, only a split second later, golden light burst in the room, nearly blinding me even with my eyes closed. Just as I’d expected, my mother’s protection spell held true. I figured if she’d gone out of her way to secure a promise from the living, why would she not secure one from the dead as well?

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