Chapter 34 – Neve #2
I had nothing to say to that. He seemed touched, not sad, but to me it was all terribly tragic.
“You may pass, lovely Isolde. Those with you too, if you wish for them to go. I follow your lead from here, my lady.” He bowed his head. “Your faithful servant.”
I exhaled, pleased but also disquieted. “Is that the only test I’ll face, Harvadril?”
The draugr shook his head. “Trueborn blood protects our family’s treasures. You will give some of your lifeblood to the leprechaun’s cauldron and enter.”
It must have maddened King Magnus to get this far, to have to touch the undead, only to fail because his father would not legitimize him.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Glad we didn’t have to fight him off,” Luccan murmured when we were out of earshot.
“He’s bones and a little flesh,” I said.
“Don’t be tricked. Some say that draugrs are held together by the magic of the stars and they’re notoriously difficult to kill.”
“Well, thank the stars, we needn’t try.”.
The corridor continued on, a ribbon of darkness before us, illuminated only by the faelights still following Balvor. After what felt like an age, but likely had been no more than five minutes, the leprechaun announced that we’d arrived.
The vault looked much the same as others, though with more space on either side. Larger, I guessed. On the door, a hawk made of gleaming silver spread its wings. Despite the many turns in which the vault had been closed, the silver had not tarnished.
“Let her in,” Bac commanded Balvor, and the leprechaun extended the cauldron to me.
As I’d seen Luccan open his own vault, I knew what to do. I drew blood and allowed it to drip into the cauldron, then the leprechaun did the same. Inhaling, I pressed my hand to the door.
The door to the vault glowed silver. A whirring that had not sounded at Luccan’s vault filled the dank hallway. Clicks followed, a lock disengaging.
The door opened on a groan, a musty scent washed out, and the first sight I got of the inside made my knees buckle. Luccan was rich with gold and gem-filled hills as tall as Vale, filling his vault.
The Falk vault, though, was a different monster. It was at least seven times larger than Luccan’s. And if Luccan had hills of gold and gems, the Falks possessed mountains straining to touch the stars.
“Fates,” Vale laughed with disbelief. “No wonder the king wished to get in here so badly. This vault could fund a lavish court life for many decades.”
“Astounding,” Caelo agreed. “Now how are we to find that crown, if it’s in this one?”
“Split up,” Freyia suggested, tossing her curtain of black hair over her shoulder as if she meant to get down to business. “Bac and Balvor can stay out here in case someone comes down here and asks questions. The rest of us will search.”
“Fine. Remember we’re looking for a silver crown, heavy with amethyst gems and a few larger diamonds.
Many spikes off the top too,” I said, as though they hadn’t seen the drawing that Brynhild had shown us.
“If it’s a Hallow, we should be able to tell the difference between it and other crowns. It will have magic.”
What magic, she was not sure, a smithy had felt the shadow magic in Sassa’s Blade. Though considering I had to spill a lot of blood to activate the powers, I wasn’t so sure they were useful.
I hoped the Fr?r Crown was a more powerful Hallow. Anything to help us in our fight against Magnus.
We entered the vault, Tanziel trailing close behind me. Aside from the mountains of riches, a line of three swords, hilts gleaming and glittering, caught my eyes.
“They no doubt have tales,” Vale said, longing in his tone.
“I’d love to fight with those. They’re beautiful,” Caelo added, his eyes covetous.
If I had my way, I’d let them take the swords.
But we needed to slip out of here without issue and leaving with three swords when we arrived with none was not exactly an inconspicuous exit.
Especially if the Coinmasters recognized these swords as belonging to House Falk and not House Riis.
That seemed a long shot, but I would not put it past the leprechauns and their meticulous accounting.
“Another day.” I smiled at the soldiers. “For now, we search.”
We split up, each taking portions of the enormous vault. Only a few minutes of searching passed when Freyia let out a string of curses.
“What happened?” I asked. We’d not gone so far into the vault that the vampire had disappeared behind all the gold. She appeared unharmed.
“Nothing. But have you noticed that everything in here has a replica?” She gestured at two identical shields, and then two twin goblets.
“Are you sure?” I looked back at Tanziel, as if she’d answer, but she was busy recording me.
“Bleeding skies, I think she’s right!” Caelo shouted from across the room. “I thought I was going crazy, but no, each item has a twin.”
“It’s a common great house trick,” Vale said. “Make identical treasures so thieves won’t know which is real. When the thief leaves, if they’ve taken the wrong one, it becomes ash.”
“You didn’t think to mention that?” I scoffed.
“We planned to show you the Fr?r Crown before leaving anyway, and you’ll be able to tell,” Vale said. “There will be an imprint on the real thing, and you will recognize it.”
That appeased me, but only slightly. I now had double the amount of objects to sift through. So far, we’d been lucky. But what if another Coinmaster ventured down here to check on Luccan and Balvor? Luccan was an elite client. What would they do if we weren’t at the Riis vault?
With vigor, I walked deeper down the narrow paths between mountains of gold, searching up and down. Luccan flew above, searching for the diadem.
My hopes were plunging into valleys when I neared the back of the vault and spied a cabinet. It was familiar, much like the one my mother had in her room to display crowns, though this one was all wood.
Was this used for the same purpose?
I darted over and opened the first door of three. My heart leapt.
Many crowns stared back at me, glimmering and lovely despite being underground for at least two decades.
None resembled the Fr?r Crown, though, so I shut the first door and opened the second.
A quick glance yielded the same results.
Praying to the stars that the third time would be a charm, I opened the third door.
All my breath left me in one go.
In the center sat two silver crowns, heavy with amethyst gems. Like the hawk on the door, neither piece was tarnished. I scanned the others, all beautiful but not the ones we were risking our lives to find.
“I have them!” I announced.
“Thank the Fates!” Caelo shouted. “Do you need help?”
“I don’t think so. You can go to the front. I’ll figure out which is the true Hallow and meet you.” With trembling hands, I reached for one crown, and upon the first touch a spark ran down my arm.
Daughter of Winter. A male voice whispered. Don the crown.
I pulled my hand back. This crown possessed magic, and had belonged to my family, but was it wise to do as it wished? Maybe this was another spell to protect the contents of the vault?
And yet, we’d come here for the Fr?r Crown. I’d do all I could to not leave without it. So slowly, I reached out and touched the headdress again.
Will you hurt me? I hoped the Fr?r Crown could hear me like I could hear it.
I will not. Don the crown, Daughter of Winter.
Throat tightening, I lifted the headpiece. With a trembling hand, I placed it upon my head, and the world exploded.
Snow swirled, disorienting me further, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust and see that I stood in a forest before a Drassil tree. A male fae with a sharp nose and strong square jawline was captured within the tree, just under the bark somehow.
“Are you here to make good on your bargain?” he asked.
“I—I don’t know,” a voice that did not belong to me replied, making me jump. I twisted, looking for another, but found no one else in the vision.
The male cocked his head, clearly shocked by the answer. Being trapped in a tree, it was the most movement he could make. Or at least I thought so until shadows began to spool around him.
A Shadow Fae! In a Drassil? Was I in Winter’s Realm like the snow indicated, or was I seeing the Shadow Fae Isles?
“You used me. I allowed it because I loved you,” he growled. “And for my love, you took my power and trapped me. But you promised one day I’d be free. Are you here to deliver?”
My fingers and toes felt like ice. Danger rippled from the fae in the tree. I didn’t like being here, in front of him.
“It is not that time,” the feminine voice replied.
He roared, the sound loud enough to rattle the stars, and his darkness expanded menacingly.
I ripped the Hallow off my head and stared down at the sparkling amethysts, chest heaving. Who were those fae?
“Neve! Everything is fine?” Vale called from the front of the vault, ripping me fully into the moment.
We were still in danger, deep within the coinary and about to take something from my family vault. While it wasn’t thieving, I was a wanted fae.
And I was wasting time. I glanced down at the Fr?r crown again, sure that I held the Fr?r Crown, but unsure if I should bring it with me. The vision had scared me and taking an object when we did not know its full scope of powers did not seem wise.
Someone shifted behind me, the faint noise indicating that I was being watched. I twisted to find Tanziel watching. Recording me, as was her task.
Bleeding skies.
Now I had to bring it. If I didn’t, Thyra would never trust me. I needed that trust now more than ever. She, my blood, out of anyone in this world, might understand what I’d seen.
“This is it.” I tucked the Fr?r Crown in the inner pocket of my cloak. “Let’s go.”
We wound back through the mountains of treasure, and all the way, I did my best to hide my shaking hands.
Vale and the others waited for us just inside the mouth of the vault.
At the sight of me, their shoulders loosened, relief washing over their faces.
Everyone, that is, save for Vale whose eyes widened.
Try as I might, I could not hide my fear from him.
“Neve, are you well?” Vale asked as the group stepped over the vault’s threshold, back into the corridor to join Bac and Balvor. “You look—”
Bells rang, and the roars of ogres filled the hall.
“Thieves!” One ogre barked, and I thought I heard rock fall. Perhaps they were pounding the walls? “Let us out! We want blood!”
Metal clanged, and my stomach plummeted as footsteps fell loudly and clumsily and the ground shook beneath my feet. The ogres were free. The leprechauns knew we were here.