The Hall of Nowhere
Linnea stood, frozen and shaking, before a wall of rock. She still had nightmares about being Varg's prisoner and the time she spent as a slave. She had been dreaming of this place long before Varg had kidnapped her, and the dreams hadn't stopped since she had been freed.
Ancient magic was threaded and woven deep into the rough stone, but she had also dreamed of how to open it.
"Please work," she whispered before slicing the palm of her hand with a knife. "Please, still be asleep."
She placed her bloody hand onto the stone. Runes lit up with golden light, and the rock parted to reveal a set of stairs. Crystals of light pulsed as she stepped inside, and the door shut behind her.
Linnea tried to keep her breath slow and deep as she wound down further into the cold darkness. This was a void space. A prison cut into the very fabric of the Ginnungagap.
The last time she had been there, deranged shamans had believed the blood of an unshifted adult wolf would be powerful enough to awaken the Great Wolf that would destroy the world. It had been years, and though Linnea could feel her inner wolf, she still hadn't shifted.
The air grew colder, and Linnea knew something was wrong. She had a wolf's sense of smell, and she couldn't scent anything but the clinging darkness.
"No, no, it can't be. I sang as Freya told me. I kept the spell from breaking," she whispered.
She was running down the stairs now, taking two at a time.
She reached the polished stone floor and ran toward the far side of it.
Last time, a black wolf the size of a bus had been sleeping in that darkness, wrapped in silvery ribbons forged by magic.
They had glowed with power, holding the beast down and unconscious.
Linnea went to her knees, breathing heavily, trying to hold her panic back. She twisted her hands into a pile of silvery, torn fabric. No magic was held in them anymore. They crumbled in her hands, brittle with age.
Among the silver were long strands of dark fur. Linnea lifted them to her nose. Her inner wolf growled as the scent of darkness, magic, and male musk filled her lungs.
She clutched the fur and ribbons to her, tears streaking down her face. "No, no, no. It wasn't meant to happen this way."
Fenris Lokison was gone forever, and Linnea didn't even get to say goodbye.
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What's next for 'The Fae Universe'? Don't worry, I'll be back in 2026 with the next installment that will deal with Fenris and Ragnarok!
Need something to read now? If you are in the mood for more fae and necromancy, check out Temple of Magic and Bone or keep turning for a sample!