Page 32 of The Ruins of the Heartless Fae

“Everyone, remember to be on your guard. We have no idea what’s in there.” Mímir’s voice echoed and his back straightened as he glanced around himself with an uneasy expression. “There, um, might be magic beasts we’ve never encountered, or powerful bandits—”

Mímir continued talking, his voice bouncing around the walls of the mountain in softer tones over and over, but Kolfinna could barely pay attention to what he was saying as she peered up at the tall walls and towers of the ruins. It didn’t look like a ruin with crumbling foundations or broken pieces. In fact, it shouldn’t have even been called a “ruin” since it didn’t look ruined at all. Just abandoned.

Moss, creeping vegetation, and vines wrapped around the domes on the tips of the towers and over the walls like splayed fingers. Something about the ruins made the hairs on her body stand stiff.

Mímir led them up the stairs and Kolfinna tentatively followed close behind; she didn’t know what it was, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off the set of double doors leading to the ruins. They stood tall and proud, embellished with gold and with carvings of trees over each door, the branches stretching out to the corners of the frame. Ancient writing was sprawled across the doors in a mixture of gold and silver. Kolfinna’s breath caught in her throat as the words lulled her forward like a lost tune that sounded impossibly familiar.

“That’s the writing we told you about. The runes, I mean.” Mímir came to stand beside her. “It was on the paper I—hey, are you okay?”

“Huh?” Kolfinna brought a hand to her face and touched her damp cheeks. She hadn’t even realized she was crying. She rubbed her eyes vigorously, heat creeping up her face as she felt the various eyes on her. “It’s just so beautiful,” Kolfinna murmured without thinking.

She knew almost instantly these were runes. They pulled at something dormant within her and her chest ached as she stared at them. She had never seen runes, had never interacted with them, or even knew much about them. All she knew was what everyone else knew: runes were a lost fae magic. But they were so much more now that she stood in front them.

The meaning formed in her mind without a second thought. As if she had always known what it said.

“We send our greetings to our fellow fae.” Kolfinna’s voice echoed and the others fell silent.

“What?” Mímir asked.

“That’s what it says.” Kolfinna yanked out the piece of paper from her pocket and held it up against the runes on the door. The designs on the crumpled paper were similar but different. It was like a child trying to draw an intricate painting of a tree; the essence was there, a tree, but it was nowhere near as fleshed out or correct. “This is incorrect. You guys incorrectly transcribed it.”

Relief washed over her so powerfully she sank to her knees and could finally breathe without feeling like she was inhaling nails. The tightness in her chest fell away and she didn’t know if she should jump with joy or cry. She was useful to the party and wouldlive.

“Kolfinna!” Mímir kneeled beside her, concern making his forehead pucker. “What’s wrong? Did something—Did the runes attack you? Or … um …?”

“I just—” A blush stained her cheeks as she pulled herself to her feet. “My legs are still sore. Sorry.”

“Oh.” He tilted his head as if he didn’t believe her completely, but then turned to the door. Everyone remained silent as they stared at him. “It’s wonderful news that you can read it. I knew you had it in you.”

Mímir clapped his hands together. “All right, everyone. We’ll be heading inside now. If you have anything to say, say it now.” When no one said anything, he motioned to the door. “Let’s go. And everyone, remember to stay on guard. We have no idea what’s beyond these doors.”

Mímir and Magni pushed open the doors of the ruins, and they creaked open slowly, before everyone filed inside. Beyond the door, Kolfinna couldn’t believe her eyes. The ceilings were tall, and a majestic power filled the air. She still couldn’t pinpoint what was powerful about it, but all her senses screamed that this was a place of great magic.

Kolfinna stepped forward, almost in a trance as she took in the ruined insides. Light spilled from giant windows and holes in the walls. Moss covered the walls and dusty, threadbare rugs half-covered the floors, the marbled floor peeking from torn sections of the rugs. Debris, pebbles, and cracked tiles ran all throughout the entry room.Beyond the foyer, a giant lobby that must’ve been a quarter of a mile, lay out in front of them with arched doorways leading to different areas of the castle along the walls. At the end of the lobby, a staircase led deeper into the castle. Halfway up the staircase, it split into two, one going to the right and the other going to the left.

“It’s so old,” Truda murmured as they walked deeper into the castle.

After the last person entered, the doors slammed shut with finality. Kolfinna jumped and whirled around.

“W-What the—”One of the soldiers stared at the door, dumbstruck.

“Hey!” Another soldier pounded on the door and wrestled with the doorknob. “It won’t open!”

“Who locked it shut?” Magni demanded, and Kolfinna didn’t miss the way his glare fixed on her, even though she had been one of the first to enter.

Thyra paled as the soldiers tried yanking the door open. “This is creepy as hell.”

An uneasiness ate away at Kolfinna’s stomach and she threw a glance at the lobby. Was it the castle that closed the door? Or was someone messing with them?

A murmur of unrest filtered the air and Mímir raised his hands. “Calm down,” he said. Kolfinna had to hand it to him. He didn’t look the least bit worried. “We knew there were magical properties in this ruin. If it was that easy to leave, there would be some survivors at least. But there aren’t any. We expected this. Please calm down.”

All the noise died down until the only sound reverberating in the lobby was shuffling feet as they stepped deeper into the building. Cracks formed along the walls and pillars in some areas, but everything still held its form. Kolfinna walked toward one of the pillars and brushed her fingers over the cool stone. How many fae walked through this hall? How many centuries old was this place?

“What isthat?” Torsten’s voice boomed like thunder.

Kolfinna followed his gaze to where an enormous gray statue sat at the center of the lobby. A stone beast stretched across its monstrous four legs on the floor, mouth open in a half-roar position. Even from their distance across the room, she could see a set of jagged teeth overflowing from its mouth. A tail curled around its spiky body and skeletal wings spanned across its back.

Kolfinna reeled back, her body tensing as if she should run, but her legs were leaden. The sudden deep fear she felt when seeing it didn’t seem to affect anyone else.

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