Chapter 57 Danica
Danica
Skadi rises from her frozen throne, vast wings unfurling like shattered obsidian.
Half her face gleams with frost, the other twisted in a cruel smirk.
Her Valkyrie armor, once golden, now dulled and corroded, hangs in tatters from her towering frame.
One eye glows that sickly blue while the other remains pure shadow.
"Look at the little savior," she croons, voice like cracking ice. "Tell me, do you still hear your parents' screams? The sound of wolves tearing them apart because of what you are?"
The memory slams into me—my parents' bloody, torn up bodies. All because Rhyland killed that pack protecting me, and Azrael wanted revenge.
"Shut up," I snarl, summoning angel fire as the first wave of frozen warriors lurch forward.
"Such spirit." Skadi's wings create hurricane winds. "Like John had, before that wolf snapped his neck. Another death on your conscience."
Sweet, protective John. My heart aches as memories of my former boss at Playful Pint flood back—his kind smile, his dad jokes, the way he looked out for all of us like we were family.
But those warm memories shatter against the horror of his final moments—his terrified eyes meeting mine as he tried to save me, that awful sound I'll never forget, my own screams echoing uselessly in my ears as I watched him fall. ..
A dead Viking's blade snaps me back. I bend backwards, time slowing as I arch under his swing. My daggers find gaps in ancient armor, shattering frozen flesh—the Aquanite stone pulses, connecting me to every frozen particle in the chamber.
I reach out with my power, feeling the crystalline structure of the frozen warriors. With a twist of my will, their icy forms crack and splinter from within.
"Dance for me, little savior." Skadi's laughter echoes as more warriors emerge. "Like Adrian danced when his heart was ripped out. Another lost protecting you."
Adrian's death hits my heart like shrapnel. But I channel the pain, letting the Aquanite's power flow through me. The chamber walls respond, ice spears erupting to impale approaching warriors while others dissolve into water at my command, their frozen forms melting and reforming as deadly weapons.
Across the chamber, Rhyland is raw power incarnate. His telekinesis sends corpses shattering against walls, their frozen bodies exploding into crystalline shards. But more keep coming.
"Even your brother," Skadi taunts. "Forced into darkness because of your blood. How many more will fall protecting the precious savior?"
"ENOUGH!" My scream releases a wave of pure light, disintegrating a dozen warriors.
Time bends to my will as I flow between the remaining attackers.
My daggers sing, finding killing blows while angel fire consumes anything that gets too close.
Ice walls rise and fall at my command, crushing enemies while frozen spikes erupt from the ground to skewer others.
"Poor cursed girl," Skadi sighs dramatically. "Death follows you like a shadow. How long before your Viking joins the list?"
"DANI!" Rhyland's voice thunders through the chamber, that alpha-male command that usually makes me want to roll my eyes. But right now, as he slams two warriors into the wall with bone-crushing force, that voice is my anchor. "Block her out and focus on me. Feel our bond."
The sound of ice shattering follows another warrior's demise under his fist. His power pulses through our bond, fierce and protective as he roars, "You're stronger than her games, Angel. Now fight!"
And damn if that voice doesn't light a fire in my blood.
Ice and fire spiral around me as rage ignites in my chest. The chamber becomes a blur of spinning blades and exploding corpses.
Each taunt fuels my fury, not because I'm helpless—I've never been helpless.
But every death, every loss, every sacrifice made in my name weighs on my soul like a mountain of guilt.
"You want to play mind games?" I snarl, power crackling around me like a storm. "Game fucking on."
A horrific crack splinters the air. My heart stops as Rhyland's agonized scream tears through me. Time slows as I spin to see him—a giant wooden beam protruding from his chest, blood darkening his shirt. His ocean eyes meet mine, wide with shock.
"RHYLAND!"
I lunge toward him but Skadi appears in a blur of frost and shadow. Her wing catches me in the ribs, sending me flying into the ice wall. Pain explodes through my back.
"Poor little girl," she purrs, hovering between us. "Always watching the ones you love suffer."
A familiar figure emerges from the shadows. My heart clenches—John, whole and alive, that same protective smile on his face. But his eyes... wrong. Empty.
"You let me die, Dani." His voice echoes. "I trusted you."
"Not real," I gasp, but hesitate a half-second too long. His blade finds my shoulder, hot pain blooming as steel parts flesh. I roll with the blow, coming up with daggers crossed just as John lunges.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, angel fire consuming his form. The sound of his screams—even fake ones—tear at my soul.
Skadi's laughter rings out as two more figures materialize—Mom and Dad, but twisted, bloody. Wolf bites mar their flesh.
"Sweetheart," Mom reaches for me with mangled hands. "Why didn't you save us?"
"You brought those monsters to our door," Dad's voice grates like broken glass.
I try to dodge but Dad's fist catches my jaw. Mom's nails rake down my back. Real blood flows—illusions shouldn't be able to...
"They're real enough," Skadi calls. "I pulled their memories from your mind. Every detail. Every wound."
Through our bond, I feel Rhyland's pain, his desperate struggle to reach the wooden beam. Each movement drives it deeper.
I summon the Aquanite's power, trying to clear my mind. Ice responds, spearing through Mom's chest. Her blood is so red against the frost. Dad's neck snaps under my kick, that same sickening crack as the real thing.
I gag, as bile churns in my stomach, burning my throat.
"Not done yet, Dani."
Adrian steps from the shadows, that wicked look in his eye. But his chest... a gaping hole where his heart should be.
"You did this," he gestures to the wound. "I died for you."
"No," I choke out, but his fist connects with my ribs. Something cracks. I stumble back, vision blurring from tears or blood loss or both.
Skadi appears behind me, her armored knee driving into my spine. I hit the ground hard, rolling just as her blade embeds in the ice where my head was.
"You're right," she sneers. "You're not helpless. You're worse—you're poison. Everything you touch dies."
Adrian's boot finds my stomach. I curl around the pain, eyes locked on Rhyland. Still struggling, still bleeding. Our bond pulses with agony.
No.
Not again.
Not one more person I love.
Something snaps inside me—not breaking, but awakening. The pain, the guilt, the rage... it all melds into something new. Something dangerous.
"You want to play with memories?" My voice sounds foreign, echoing with something ancient. "Let's play."
I reach deep into the ice chamber, feeling every frozen molecule. Adrian lunges but I'm done playing defense. Water rips from the ice walls, solidifying into razor-sharp spears that pierce his form. He dissolves into shadow with a scream that sounds too real.
"Impressive," Skadi materializes behind me. "But can you fight your demons and save your mate?"
Her wing slams into my back, sending me sprawling. The taste of copper fills my mouth. Through our bond, Rhyland's presence grows weaker.
Mom and Dad appear again, weapons raised. But this time I see through the illusion to the magic animating them. Time slows as I drop into a crouch, my daggers finding the weak points in the spell. They shatter like glass.
"He's dying," Skadi taunts. "I can smell his death. Better hurry, Lightborn."
She hurls another ice spear but I'm already moving. The Aquanite's power flows through me as I redirect her weapon, sending it screaming back at her. She dodges, but not fast enough—the ice shard slices through one wing.
"Bitch!" She snarls, all pretense of amusement gone. Her fist connects with my jaw, stars exploding behind my eyes. I taste more blood.
John appears next to her, but I'm done with ghosts. Angel fire erupts from my hands, incinerating the illusion before it fully forms. The flames catch Skadi's remaining wing, earning a shriek of rage.
She retaliates with a brutal combination—knee to ribs, elbow to face. Each blow feels like being hit by a truck. But I let the pain fuel me, catching her arm on the third strike.
Ice crawls up her limb as I unleash everything the Aquanite has taught me. She tries to pull away but I hold on, feeling the frost spread through her corrupted form.
"You think pain makes me weak?" Blood drips from my lips as I speak. "Pain is what made me who I am."
Her other fist cracks against my temple. The world spins but I don't let go. Ice continues to spread.
"Every person I've lost," I drive my knee into her stomach. "Every sacrifice made in my name," My elbow finds her throat. "They're not my weakness."
Through blurring vision, I see Rhyland slump forward.
"They're the reason I'll never stop fighting."
Every heartbeat sends fire through my broken ribs. Blood runs into my eyes from a gash on my forehead, but I can't spare a hand to wipe it away. Through our bond, Rhyland's agony threatens to bring me to my knees.
Skadi breaks free of the ice with a roar, her partially frozen wing shattering. She moves like liquid shadow, her fist connecting with my already cracked ribs. Something gives way inside me. I taste more blood.
"He's fading," she hisses, catching my hair and slamming my head into the wall. "Can you feel it? The way his life drains away?"
I can. God's help me, I can feel every second of his pain, every weakening breath. The wooden stake is killing him slowly, and our bond carries each moment of his suffering straight to my soul.