Page 119 of A Curse Carved in Bone
The offer of Valhalla.
Hel shrieked in fury, but Odin only cast a dark look in her direction, and she scrambled back, cowering.
Meeting Odin’s eye, I shook my head. “Not yet. I’m not finished. I have to try to get back to him.”
Turning to Hlin, the goddess who had shaped the light part of my soul but also the one who had caused me the most pain, I asked, “Will you help me climb, Mother?”
Hlin nodded. “I will bring you to the base of Yggdrasil, Freya. But you must win yourself free of this place.”
Putting her shoulder beneath mine, Hlin lifted, and then it was as though I were flying. She leaped from root to root, climbing with a speed I could scarcely comprehend, everything around her illuminated by silver light. The scent of damp earth filled my nose, and Hlin arrested her momentum before steadying me on a thick root.
“I cannot see your future,” she said. “I do not know what will happen next, Freya. Show me.”
Then she was gone.
I reached for the earth above me only for my strength to falter. Suddenly, I was certain that Hlin had not seen my future because I had none. That Harald had struck the final blow, his venom the death ofme.
“If I cannot have your soul today, then I do not wish for Odin to have it either.” Hel’s voice filtered up through the tree’s roots. “You have power over death, daughter. Power over the dead. And the Unfated never lose their magic just as they never lose the power to choose the weave of destiny. Use that knowledge to save yourself.”
“How?” I tried to shout but it came out as a whisper. And Hel did not respond, the only sound the thud of the gates to Helheim closing behind her.
Power over the dead.
My eyes squeezed shut.Think.
And the answer came.
“Hel,” I whispered. “Grant me your power.”
Heat roiled through me, and though I knew not his name, I knew his face. Knew the feel of every soul I’d sent to her, and I called. The roots of the tree shook, and the leader of the Islunders that I’d cursed climbed next to me, still wearing his bear helm.
“We underestimated you, shield maiden,” he said. “And paid a heavy price. Though, judging from the corpse below, not as heavy as Harald of Nordeland.”
“I need you to do something for me,” I whispered.
“Why should I?” he asked. “You cursed me to Helheim. Denied me Valhalla.”
It was tempting to remind him that those who turned children into thralls did not deserve glory, but for once, I held my tongue. He met my gaze for a long moment, then gave a resigned sigh.
“My brother was one of those whose name Harald stole, bound, and forced to serve. One of his Nameless,” the Islunder said. “In killing Harald, you killed the volva whose magic imprisoned him. In killingHarald, you freed my brother, and if he yet lives, he is free. For that, I will grant you one favor, shield maiden.”
“I need you to find me someone.” And with what was near to the last of my strength, I whispered a name.
Seconds passed. Or a lifetime. I didn’t know. Only that when I opened my eyes again, Liv perched next to me on a root, the healer’s familiar smile tearing a sob of relief from my throat. “This is what you get for allowing yourself to be won over by good looks and a charming smile, Freya,” Liv said. “I hope you’ve learned your lesson.”
“One would think,” I whispered. “But wisdom has never been my strength.”
Liv laughed and then took hold of my hands. “Eir, give me the strength to help my friend.”
Her hands glowed, warmth filling me, and Liv smiled. “If you can fight your way free of this place, you will leave behind his poison.” She let go of my hands. “Climb!”
I punched my fist into the dirt above me and heaved. A groan of pain tore from my lips because the venom Harald had put into my veins was like a leash holding me back. Yet as I heaved upward, a glance down revealed strands of black ichor stretching between my body and Liv’s hands.
Tensing my muscles, I dug my other fist into the dirt and pulled. The pain was like nothing I’d ever felt before and I screamed.
I could not do this.
I could not.
