Page 94 of The Ruins of the Heartless Fae

“Mímir was the one to free you.” Kolfinna’s movements were stiff as she motioned to him. “He used the dagger.”

Revna’s gaze lingered on Mímir, her violet eyes flashing. “Oh, really? Thank you.”

“Err, yes! Of course.” He wiped the palms of his hands on his thighs and lowered his head. “My name is Mímir. I’m just … I’m honored to be in your presence.”

Revna swung her legs over the coffin and jumped onto the cool, cracked tiles. “Is this your whole party?” But even as she asked, she turned to the other coffins sadly. “My dear sisters are still trapped.”

“Yes, this is our whole party,” Mímir said after clearing his throat. “This is Eyfura, Truda, Magni, and you already know Blár.”

“Ah, yes, how could I forget?” Sarcasm dripped from her words as she cast him a frosty look. Her feet padded across the floor lightly and she stopped in front of the runes arching over the doorway. “You can read this, correct, Kolfinna?”

“Yes, I can.”

“Have you been using runes here?”

“A little,” Kolfinna said. “I’m better at reading them, to be honest. I was able to get everyone out of the dimension by writing ‘void,’ so I did learn how to use it a bit.”

“Splendid.” Revna brushed her hands on the wall beside the door, mana sifting into the air before she spun around to face them. She pointed at the blade in Mímir’s hand. “How did you get theGenfødsel Kniv?”

He lowered his head again, and Kolfinna had to wonder why he was showing her so much respect. He didn’t even do that when Fenris walked into a room, and Fenris was the leader of the entire Royal Guards.

“It’s been passed down in my Order,” Mímir said with a hand over his heart. “My mentor gave it to me in order to free you.”

“Your … Order?” Revna’s eyes lit with an unreadable emotion, while everyone else shifted on their feet—Kolfinna wasn’t the only one confused by his words.

Eyfura eyed the exit and asked quietly, “What do you mean Order? Did Captain Asulf give it to you?”

“Yes, the Order.” Mímir ignored Eyfura. “The Order of Queen Aesileif. We’ve been waiting for this for years.”

Understanding dawned on Revna and her tone lightened. “Ah. You’re one of us.”

Blár stilled and asked slowly, “What are you talking about?”

“Perfect.” Revna clapped her hands in delight. The sound echoed in the silent room. “You’ll tell me everything, child. You’ll also help me free my sisters now, won’t you?”

“It would be my pleasure.” Mímir bowed low for the third time.

“Mímir—” Truda said.

Mana pervaded the air as Revna held her hands up and flicked her wrists. Everything happened so fast that by the time Kolfinna finished blinking, stones had ripped from the wall and slammed into Truda, Eyfura, Magni, and Blár, pinning them into the wall so only their heads and tangled limbs stuck out. They gasped and struggled behind the weight of stones, their faces panicked.

“You bitch!” Blár growled.

“Now, now.” Revna clucked her tongue as she approached him. “Language, dear. I don’t know how much society has regressed since my time, but where I’m from, you speak to your elders with respect.”

“Kiss my ass,” he snarled.

“You really are dreadful to be around.” Revna waved her hand and covered his mouth with stones, along with the other three. “There, better now. We won’t have to deal with your useless drivel.” She turned to Kolfinna, an apologetic smile gracing her lips. She no longer looked like a helpless, sweet, old damsel, but like a fierce, unforgiving force of nature. Like a title rising up to unleash its fury. “Do forgive me, dear. I know he’s your lover, but he’s human, and you really should be with another fae.”

The words barely clicked in Kolfinna’s mind and all the hairs on her body rose, telling her to run. She snapped her attention to the space above the doorway that read:no magic. But beside the doorway, it read:clause: except for Revna.Kolfinna’s stomach dropped. Revna had never taught her about clauses, but she now remembered seeing them in Revna’s house.

What else had Revna kept from her?

“Revna, what are you doing?” Kolfinna wanted to bolt, but she remained fixed where she was, as if the stones in the room had also reined her in place. Mímir remained bowed, his lips twitching into a borderline leer. “Mímir? Why are you bowing?”

Mímir sighed. “Kolfinna, have you never heard of Queen Aesileif? I’m shocked you don’t know your history.”

“She was the last fae queen,” Kolfinna said as she tried to remember the history of the last queen. She was the most hated person in Rosain history, since she was the biggest oppressor of humans. There were thousands of tales of her cruelty—how she used to eat the flesh of human babies, how she loved drinking wine from the skulls of her human enemies, that she killed a human slave every day for entertainment, and various other wicked tales. How much of that was true, and how much of it was anti-fae propaganda, Kolfinna wasn’t entirely sure.

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