Chapter 64 Erik
Erik
The wrongness of Baldr's touch on Dani's skin sears into my mind, the image branding itself behind my eyelids. His fingers linger, proprietary and possessive. Every instinct screams danger, the warning ringing as I search for Rhyland through the palace—no sign of my brother.
I reach out through our mental link, searching for my brother's familiar presence.
Silence greets me, the connection dead and empty.
Fear coils in my stomach as I race through the palace corridors, bursting into Rhyland's chambers.
The bed is a tangle of sheets, the room bearing the signs of a hasty exit.
The flash of raw terror in Dani's eyes haunts me now—that split-second when our gazes locked in the garden. I'd seen it then, that silent plea beneath her forced smile. My instincts had screamed warning, but something in her look told me to hold off.
I forced my shoulders to relax, a casual nod masking the alarms blaring in my skull—it all paints a picture that's about as far from a pleasant morning stroll as you can fucking get.
My steps quicken as I head for our chambers. The door slams open under my hands, the force rattling the hinges. Bryn's head snaps up from where she sits on the bed, lacing her boots with quick, precise movements.
"Did it work?" Bryn's eyes search mine, her question hanging in the air between us.
The warmth still tingles across my skin—proof that Bryn's blood carries the same angelic power as Dani's.
Three days without Dani's blood had given us the perfect window to test my theory, and sure enough, Bryn's heritage grants the same gift.
But the triumph of that discovery evaporates as Dani's haunted eyes flash through my mind.
"Yes, but something's wrong." My fists clench at my sides. "Baldr was all over Dani, and Rhyland's missing. I can't reach him mentally." The words taste bitter on my tongue.
Bryn's eyes narrow, her fingers stilling. "Missing?"
I nod, my jaw tightening. "I checked his chambers. The bed's a mess, but he's gone."
A figure materializes in the doorway, the air shimmering around him. Heimdall's usually vibrant eyes are dull, his face drawn with exhaustion. "Loki." The name falls like a curse from his lips. "He's here."
Bryn's breath catches sharply as she lunges for the door, her sword already singing free from its sheath. "What?! How—"
"I saw him." Heimdall's voice is flat, the words heavy with dread. "He's shown his true form."
Bryn's eyes flash with fierce determination, her knuckles whitening around her sword hilt. "Standing here won't kill a trickster god." She's already moving, a blur of purpose and steel. "Move. Now."
Our boots pound against stone as we race to the gardens.
Empty. The space where I last saw Dani now holds nothing but scattered petals and trampled grass.
A thundering of hooves splits the silence as Gullfax charges toward us, his golden coat blazing in the fading light.
He rears back, muscles rippling beneath his gleaming hide, hooves striking sparks against stone as he screams his urgency to the sky.
"By the Norns!" Bryn's fingers fly to her daggers. "What in helvíti is it, Gullfax?"
The stallion's answering whinny pierces the air like a battle cry. His golden eyes lock onto mine, and somehow I know—he knows where they've gone. The beast drops to his knees, sides heaving, head turned toward us in silent command.
"He knows where they are," I mutter, the certainty settling in my gut like a stone.
"Move your ass!" Bryn barks, already running. I follow behind, grab her waist, launching her into the saddle before vaulting up behind her. Gullfax surges upward before I'm fully seated, the force nearly throwing me backward.
The bond pulses with Bryn's wild energy as I grip her waist. Below, Heimdall swings onto Sleipnir's back, both horses leaving light trails in their wake.
Gullfax rockets through the clouds, faster than I've ever known him to run.
The wind tears at my clothes, my stomach lurching as we slice through the clouds at impossible speeds.
"Holy shit," Bryn's curse is lost to the howling wind. The beast beneath us is no longer just a horse—he's become pure fury given form, and he's carrying us straight into chaos.
My thighs clamp around Gullfax's sides, fingers digging into Bryn's waist as the beast tears through the skies. Wind screams past us, the ground below nothing but a distant blur. Each thunderous beat of his hooves against the sky sends shockwaves through my bones.
"Gullfax!" Bryn's voice barely pierces the gale. Her fingers wrestle with the reins, knuckles white with effort. "Slow down, you stubborn ass!"
The stallion's ears flatten against his head, his golden mane whipping our faces. Her command only seems to fuel his determination as he surges forward with renewed vigor, the air around us crackling with energy.
"Hold on!" I press my mouth to Bryn's ear, feeling her body jolt against mine as Gullfax banks sharply.
My grip tightens, one hand splayed across her stomach, the other fisted in the stallion's mane.
The bond between us pulses with adrenaline and fear, but I pour my certainty through it.
She won't fall—not while I have breath in my body.
The icy winds claw at my face, tears streaming from my stinging eyes. I swipe them away, blinking to clear my vision. A towering structure pierces the horizon through the swirling clouds—a silver needle threading through the sky's fabric.
"The Elemental Nexus!" Bryn's words battle against the heavy winds, fragments reaching me. "Should've... known! Loki, you... bastard!" Her curse carries on the wind as she leans forward, her body tensing against mine. "With my wings... been there... already."
Gullfax's muscles bunch beneath us, his answering whinny vibrating through my chest. The cocky stallion lunges forward with renewed determination, the sudden acceleration sliding my ass dangerously close to the edge.
"Maybe don't insult the horse that's carrying us!" I tighten my grip on her waist, pulling myself forward. "Especially when we're this high up!"
The wastelands of Valhalla's Veil unfold beneath us, a graveyard of titans.
Ancient bones pierce the earth like jagged monuments, the remains of fallen gods and giants reaching toward the sky.
Memory strikes—Gullfax turning back at this point the last time we were here, the winds too fierce even for this great steed.
"Gullfax, stop!" I shout as we hurtle toward the barrier. "The winds will tear us apart!"
The stallion's only response is a defiant snort, his golden form streaking toward the light bridge like a meteor. My fingers dig into Bryn's leather armor.
"Fucking hell!" Bryn curses. "The stubborn bastard's going to get us killed!"