74. Chapter 74
Chapter 74
I don’t let myself linger on anything. As soon as we’re back at the Academy, I march over to the Main Hall with everyone in tow, sheer determination fueling my otherwise spent body.
It could be that everything is lost anyway, but to hell if I’m not going to at least forge the fucking sword already.
“Nimueh,” I call out even before I see her sitting in her favorite chair.
She gets up, her eyebrows raising. “You’re back.”
“Get the iron ready,” I tell her as I get the bones and the box with the shadow on the table.
She frowns. “Shouldn’t you get some rest?”
“You really should,” Nuala agrees as everyone gathers around the table with me.
I can sense his disapproval, but I don’t even glance at Cain. I can’t deal with my feelings for him right now. I shake my head. “No.” I hesitate for a second, but then I force myself to say it. “We’ve managed to steal the piece of shadow, but now he has a direct line to me.”
No one asks me to clarify who I’m referring to. They freeze in place, then move to help me.
Shaking her head, Nimueh gets the iron from its spot, comes to place it on the table with the other two items and remains standing, fixing her eyes on the material.
There’s no ceremony. We just watch her Runes start glowing at the same moment the iron does. It lifts off the table and slowly starts changing shape, until what I see in the air before me is a long, deadly-looking blade.
Excitement starts taking over me, and I can sense the same happening to everyone else.
Nimueh lowers the blade onto the table and takes one of the bones in her hand. She uses her Runes to carve symbols into its surface then places it next to the blade.
It makes me suck in a breath, when the bone starts vibrating then hugs the end of the metal to create the hilt.
There’s a moment of silence before Nimueh lifts her gaze to me and says, “Get ready.”
I nod. “What do you need me to do?”
She motions at the box with the shadow. “I need you to help me tie the shadow to the iron.”
I take it in my hand, preparing to open it.
“It will hurt,” she tells me.
Staring at the box, I grit my teeth. “I remember.”
But I don’t waste any time. I open the box, letting the piece of shadow fly out.
Nimueh takes a hold of it and we both use our powers to try to push it into the metal.
We fail.
It’s at that moment that his voice booms in my head again. He’s clicking his tongue. “Don’t you know when to quit, Freya darling?”
Gritting my teeth, I just ignore him and the two of us keep trying.
“You can do this, Anna,” I hear Dryden encourage me.
I push harder.
“You’ve already tried killing me, you know?” Baldur keeps trying to distract me.
Trying to shut him out, I clench my jaw so hard, it hurts. And I just keep pushing.
“Well, if you insist…” He chuckles. “At least you could come up with a new, original way to do it.”
The shadow almost kills me, but I shove it in. Nimueh locks it inside, the sword emits a glow and everyone starts cheering.
Everyone except Cain and myself.
I’m trying not to show it, but I’m barely keeping myself upright. And we did manage to forge the thing, but…
“I guess I’ll see you soon then,” I hear Baldur’s voice again. “I mean, you do understand this ruins the element of surprise, don’t you?”
“Shut the fuck up,” I mutter.
But he’s right. I’m going to kill him if it’s the last thing I do, but I might need a second to rethink things first.