Chapter 63 Danica
Danica
Now wearing Baldr's face like a twisted mask, Loki drags me through the palace halls.
His grip on my arm is iron, starkly contrasting to the benevolent smile he shows passing servants.
My pack bounces against my back with each step, the jars of essence rattling inside, a mocking reminder of the power he wants to exploit.
We reach the gardens, and he pulls me closer, his voice a venomous whisper. "Open a portal to the Elemental Nexus. Now."
I barely suppress a snort. Yeah, because it's just that easy, asshole. I've never even seen the place. But I keep my mouth shut, eyes scanning the palace for any sign of help.
Movement catches my eye—a flash of silver hair on the upper balcony. Erik. His eyes meet mine, confusion flickering across his usually stoic features.
My heart leaps. One word. One fucking word and—
"Ah, Erik!" Baldr's voice rings through the gardens. "Glorious morning for a walk, isn't it?" His grip tightens brutally on my arm as he whispers, "Say a word and I'll paint these gardens with his blood."
The threat hangs heavy in the air. I manage a stiff nod, heart pounding against my ribs.
"Indeed." Erik's eyes narrow slightly, assessing. "Perhaps I could join you?"
"Oh, that won't be necessary." Loki waves a dismissive hand, Baldr's golden hair glinting in the sun. "Just giving our esteemed guest a tour of the grounds. We'll return shortly."
Erik's gaze bores into me, a silent question. I force a smile, praying he can see the desperation in my eyes. "It's fine, Erik. I'll catch up with you later."
"As you wish." He inclines his head, but I can see the suspicion brewing in those silver depths. "Enjoy your... walk."
Loki's fingers dig into my arm as he steers me deeper into the gardens, his smile sharp as a blade. "Clever girl. Now..." Frost coats the leaves around us. "About that portal."
"You know," I drawl, dragging my feet, "portals aren't like Uber. I can't just punch in coordinates and—poof!—we're there."
"Do not test my patience." His fingers dig deeper, frost spreading from where he grips my arm. Despite wearing Baldr's golden features, Loki's rage bleeds through.
"I'm not testing anything, dickhead. I literally can't portal somewhere I've never fucking seen or don't have a clear description of." I yank my arm free, rubbing the icy spots. "What part of that isn't penetrating your thick, godly skull?"
Loki's jaw clenches. For a moment, I think he might strike me. But then he takes a breath, Baldr's smile sliding back into place like a well-worn mask.
"The Elemental Nexus," he begins, voice tight, "is a monumental tower at the heart of Zephyria. It's where the essence of air converges…"
I raise an eyebrow. "Wow, could you be any more vague? Maybe throw in a 'really tall' and 'kind of pointy' for good measure?"
His perfect face twists with barely contained fury.
"Then allow me to paint you a picture, you insolent little—" He catches himself, forcing Baldr's serene smile back into place as a guard passes.
Once we're alone, he continues through gritted teeth.
"The Elemental Nexus. A tower of pure light and wind, rising from Zephyria's heart like a silver blade piercing the heavens.
Ancient runes spiral up its crystalline walls, pulsing with power.
At its peak, the very essence of air converges. .."
"Gee." I cock my hip. "That's pretty. Did you practice that speech in the mirror? Maybe write it down first?"
"You dare—"
"What I dare to point out is that your flowery description sounds like something from a tourist brochure." I cross my arms. "Still can't make a portal from poetry, asshole."
His hand shoots out, grabbing my throat. "I'm done with your games—"
I claw at his fingers, light sparking between us. "Killing me—" I gasp out, "—won't get my fucking powers to work."
He releases me with a snarl, pacing like a caged animal. Baldr's perfect features twist with Loki's rage, the illusion slipping.
"Do it. Now."
I try to focus and picture the Nexus in my mind. But all I can feel is the emptiness where Rhyland should be, the hollow ache of our bond stretched too thin. Tears prick at my eyes, but I blink them back. I won't give this bastard the satisfaction.
"I'm trying," I grit out, pulling away from his touch. "But it's not exactly a two-second process."
"Try harder." His voice is a growl, Baldr's eyes glinting with Loki's malice. "Or perhaps you need a little more motivation." He looks back toward the palace, to where Erik disappeared. "I wonder... how fast do you think your Viking's brother can bleed?"
"Touch him, and I swear to every god in this realm and the next, I will end you."
"Then open the portal." He steps back, arms spread wide. "Prove yourself worthy of the savior's mantle."
I close my eyes, picturing the Nexus as he described it—the runes, the swirling energy, the sheer power of it. I reach for my light, feeling it build beneath my skin, crackling in the air around me.
And then, with a rush of wind and a blaze of blinding radiance, the portal tears open before us—a swirling scene of wind and snow, leading to the very heart of Zephyria.
Loki's laugh is a razor's edge, cruel and cutting. "Wonderful. After you, little savior." He gestures to the portal, Baldr's face alight with twisted glee. "Let's go retrieve my stone."
A familiar whinny splits the air. Through the trees, golden hooves flash as Gullfax emerges, his mane catching sunlight like spun gold.
Hope surges in my chest as I reach through our mental connection. "Gullfax, listen carefully. This isn't Baldr—it's Loki. Get Erik and Bryn to the Elemental Nexus. Now."
The stallion's eyes flash with divine fury. "I will tear him apart if he dares harm you."
"Off with you, you glittering nuisance!" Loki flicks his wrist like he's shooing away a common stable pony.
"He has Rhyland—my mental voice cracks. "I can't feel him anymore. Please, try to find—"
"Enough stalling." Loki's hand clamps on my shoulder, frost spreading across my jacket. "Through the portal. Now."
The last thing I hear before he shoves me through the shimmering gateway is Gullfax's battle cry—a sound of pure, golden rage that promises vengeance. The portal snaps shut behind us, cutting off that promise of help, but hope burns brighter in my chest.
Cavalry's coming, you lying piece of shit. And they're bringing hell with them.
Arctic winds howl around us, cutting through my parka like it's made of tissue paper.
Before us stretches a bridge of pure light, impossibly thin and delicate, leading to the Elemental Nexus.
The tower pierces the heavens like a silver needle threading through star-studded fabric, isolated in its magnificent solitude.
Loki steps forward first, still wearing Baldr's face, and the winds surge with sudden fury. They slam into him with physical force, sending him staggering back. Ice crystals form in his golden hair as he snarls in frustration.
"Get to it," he growls, shoving me forward.
I approach the bridge's edge, heart thundering against my ribs.
The winds whip my hair into my face, but as I take that first step onto the light bridge, something.
.. shifts. The raging tempest gentles, becoming a soft caress against my skin.
The bridge glows brighter beneath my feet, responding to my presence.
"Well, well..." I glance back at Loki's thunderstruck expression. "Looks like the winds know who's worthy and who's wearing a borrowed face."
He grabs my arm, using me as a shield against the winds that seem determined to reject him. "Move," he hisses through clenched teeth. "Unless you want your mate to suffer for your insolence."
Together we cross the bridge, me walking steadily while Loki clings to my jacket.
The winds part around us like a curtain, recognizing the savior's touch even as they try to tear the false god from my side. With each step, the Nexus looms, its crystalline walls reflecting the starlight above and the auroras dancing in the eternal twilight of Zephyria’s sky.
"Even the winds reject your lies," I snarl as he uses me like a human shield, the void below us stretching into infinite darkness. Stars glitter in that endless abyss, like diamonds scattered across black velvet, making my head spin with the sheer depth of nothingness beneath our feet.
We reach the Nexus's entrance—a towering door of glass-like material that pulses with ancient power. Two circular depressions mark its surface, perfectly symmetrical and waiting.
Frost spreads across the crystal as Loki's glamour melts away, Baldr's golden perfection replaced by his true form. His black hair whips in the wind as he shoves me forward.
"The essences." His voice carries the bite of winter. "Now."
My pack feels heavier, the two vials of champion essence burning like cold fire against my back. Each one collected through blood and sacrifice was meant to unlock this door—but not like this. Not with this twisted god's knife at my back.
"Two champions," he continues, fingers tracing the depressions with almost loving reverence. "Two essences. The Aesir did love their symmetry." His smile turns cruel. "Though I doubt they expected them to be delivered by such... unwilling hands."
I reach for my pack slowly, mind racing. The door needs both essences to open, but once it does... The thought hangs unfinished as Loki's impatient snarl cuts through the howling wind.
"Don't even think about playing hero," he hisses. "Your mate's suffering grows stronger with every moment you waste."
My hands shake around the vials, not from fear but from pure rage. Rhyland's face flashes through my mind—his ocean eyes, rare smile, and how his arms feel wrapped around me.
Is he already dead, and this lying bastard is just stringing me along? Or worse—
The essence pulse brighter, responding to my fury.
The thought of Rhyland suffering, calling for me, while I'm trapped here with this monster... it's a white-hot knife twisting in my gut.
"I swear to God…when I get free," my voice comes out like crushed glass, "I'm going to personally ensure you suffer for every second you've kept him from me.
And then—" I meet Loki's frost-blue eyes, letting him see the promise of violence in mine, "I'm going to watch my man tear you apart, piece by fucking piece. "
"Oh, you precious thing. You still cling to your delusions of power." He leans in close, frost crackling along my jacket where he grips my arm. "Your God isn't here, little savior. No divine intervention coming to save you."
I meet his gaze, refusing to flinch even as his cold seeps into my bones. "I don't need divine intervention, asshole. I have something better." I bare my teeth in a savage smile. "I have a promise to keep. And I always keep my fucking promises."
"Cute," Loki sneers, shoving me toward the door.
I draw a shaky breath, forcing my trembling hands to steady as I pull out the essences. The jars pulse with ancient power—one swirling with storm-gray light, the other gleaming like fresh snow.
First, I press Vidar's essence into the right slot. The gray light surges from its container, filling the depression with swirling power. Then Skadi's essence on the left, its winter-white glow spreading like frost across glass.
The door responds instantly. Light races through previously invisible runes, creating a spiderweb of brilliant lines across its surface. The essences pulse in sync, their combined power building until the air vibrates.
Then—a sound like ancient ice breaking, like mountains shifting in their sleep. The massive door swings inward with the groan of millennia, revealing the darkness beyond.
"Ladies first," Loki purrs.
My feet drag as we enter the Nexus, every step calculated and slow. Each second counts—each moment bringing Gullfax closer with reinforcements. The cold stone beneath my feet seems to pulse with ancient power, but right now, I couldn't give less of a shit about magical architecture.
The hollow space in my chest where Rhyland should be throbs like an open wound. It's wrong, so fucking wrong, like someone carved out a vital organ and left me bleeding. Is he suffering somewhere in the dark? Fighting? Calling for me?
Bile burns the back of my throat as memories of this morning flash unbidden—his touch, his kiss, all while wearing Rhyland's face like a mask.
My skin crawls, and phantom sensations make me want to scrub myself raw.
Each step feels contaminated, violated, knowing this monster wore my mate's identity like a costume while he. ..
I swallow hard against another wave of nausea. Focus. Channel the disgust into rage. Store it away with all the other reasons I'm going to make this bastard suffer.
But god, the violation of it all—having something so intimate, so sacred between Rhyland and me, twisted into this perverse mockery—it makes me want to scream until my throat bleeds.
My nails dig crescents into my palms, the pain keeping me focused, keeping me from completely losing my shit, because that's precisely what this frost-fingered bastard wants.
"Having trouble walking?" Loki's voice drips with false concern. "Perhaps thoughts of your precious mate are... distracting you?"
"No, actually I'm having trouble looking at your ugly fucking face."
Loki's laugh rings hollow against the stone walls. "Cute. Though—" his glacial eyes darkening, "—you weren't complaining about my face this morning when it wore a more appealing form."
Before I can unleash the scream building in my throat, an otherworldly howl cuts through the air—the wind shifts, carrying ancient whispers that seem to seep from the very stones around us.
Above, through the spiraling staircase that stretches endlessly upward, voices chant in a language that makes my bones ache.
Steps materialize before us, beginning to shift and writhe like living things. The stone ripples, transforming into a treacherous path where each step appears and vanishes in rhythm with the chanting—a deadly dance of solid ground and empty air.
"Ah," Loki's breath mists in the cold. "The Trial of Faith. To reach the Nexus's peak, trust the winds to guide your steps." He shoves me forward, his touch burning cold through my jacket. "Move. Your mate's time grows shorter with each breath you waste."
I stare at the shifting steps, watching as they materialize and disappear in a hypnotic pattern. The winds whip around us, their whispers growing stronger, almost like they're trying to tell me something. Like they're calling to the savior's blood in my veins.
Time to find out if these winds really do know their chosen one.