Page 2 of Elf Shot

"The prince finally arrives," an ancient voice crackled. From behind a large root came a crone with a gnarled staff in one hand, carrying an empty bucket. "You took your time, little eagle."

"Apologies for keeping you waiting, Lady Urd," he replied, giving her a deep bow.

"All we have is time in this place, where it doesn't exist at all." Urd pressed the wooden bucket into his hands. "Here, fill this for an old woman."

Arne took the bucket and dipped it into the pool. He shut his eyes as he did it, refusing to look even for this.

Urd cackled. "Still smarter than you look, prince."

Arne pulled the full bucket free from the pool and only opened his eyes again when he had straightened. "What would you like me to do now?" he asked.

"Carry it and follow me." Urd leaned heavily on her staff and hobbled off. Arne swallowed his nerves and hurried after her, knowing better than to dawdle.

Threads of light curved down and around the roots, all tangling together. Arne was careful to step only where Urd stepped and kept his mouth shut. There were few beings in all the Nine Worlds that Arne was afraid of, and he was about to be in the presence of three of them.

A straight-backed, middle-aged female with silver in her black hair sat on cushions in a circle of roots. She had the threads of light twining through her long fingers before they fell to a twisting spindle.

"Ah, a visitor," Verðandi said and smiled in greeting. "And a prince of the Ljosalfr no less."

"One with strong enough muscles to carry a full bucket from Urðanbrunnr without spilling it," Urd added, waggling her thin eyebrows at Arne.

"Where shall you have me place it, Lady Urd?" he asked.

"You will water the roots, and we will see what we see," a new voice called. Arne glanced up higher in the roots, and amongst the glowing stalagmites was Skuld. She sat in a nest of light threads, her flaxen hair tangled with them. Despite that, when she grabbed the nearest root and slid down it like rope, the threads released her.

Skuld glowed softly. She was the future, always shining with the brightness of possibility. She was the one who Arne feared the most. She stared up at him with pale gray eyes.

"Tall. I approve of that. This way, eaglet." Skuld looped her arm through his, and Arne's magic pulsed inside him. She took him through another doorway and into a chamber that was only roots. These ones were pale and tender shoots.

Skuld gestured to them. "Pour, but spread it wide and do it gently, prince."

Arne gripped the bucket and slowly began to water Yggdrasil. He did his best to not disturb the frail roots. Skuld walked behind him, watching the black waterfall.

"Why is it always Daddy issues?" she muttered, and Arne almost dropped the bucket in surprise. He didn't answer her, only kept up his task until the bucket was empty.

Skuld stared at the gleaming wet roots, her light pulsing around them. Finally, she let out a long sigh.

"Vili being loose is going to be problematic," she said.

Arne nodded; this he knew. "How can I kill him?"

"He's a primordial god, eaglet. You can't kill him. You don't want to add patricide to the weight of your soul anyway. Nasty business."

"So Vili wins." Arne gripped the bucket tight enough that the wood creaked.

"No. I said you can't kill him, not that you can't defeat him," Skuld corrected him. "Very different things."

Arne's despair eased, and his breath steadied once more. "Do you see how we can defeat him before he kicks off Ragnarök?"

Skuld's smile went feline. "Oh yes, but as handsome and valiant as you are, you aren't going to be able to defeat him alone. You need to become more than what you are, eaglet."

Arne knew better than to snap at her in frustration, but he wanted to. He had never met a seer who could give him a straight answer. "Can you tell me how?"

"You seem a bit slow and impatient today, so I will spell it out for you, hmm?" Skuld patted his cheek. "You need your mate, Arne. Unless you have her by your side, Midgard will burn and become ashes under Vili's feet."

Arne started to laugh, long and broken and desperate.

"What did you do to him?" Urd asked, appearing through the roots.

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