Page 36 of Between Broomsticks and Beating Wings
“We’re here,” Rune breathed. I glance up at her, a mix of anticipation and curiosity fighting for space within my body to replace the fear I was trying to banish.
“Well, here goes nothing,” I said, swallowing hard as I took one step under the stone arch. I reached up toward the swirling iron gates, yanking on one, then the other, until there was a space large enough for Apple to walk through. Gripping the cold metal in my clutches, I waited for Rune to enter first. It was so dark here, I could see nothing on the other side of the gate, and I wasn’t so sure about stepping into the unknown first.
“If you want to remain on the ground, take this,” Rune said, handing me Apple’s reins. “Give me Tove. It’s best if we all stay together, and you’re about to lose all your senses. You won’t be able to feel it in your hand, but whatever you do, don’t let go.”
I handed Tove to Rune as I processed what she’d said. She placed the squirming boy between her legs and clipped him to Apple’s armor.
“I’m going to lose my what?” I asked, but Apple stepped forward into the darkness before I got my clarification. I felt a tug on Apple’s reins as she was lost to the abyss, and if I didn’t want to fall behind, I needed to take that final step with her. With a final deep and steadying breath, I submitted to the nothingness of the beyond, getting swallowed by a false night.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
A STEP INTO THE ENDLESS VOID
Rune
There was always something so disturbing about hearing nothing but your own endless stream of consciousness. All sensation was lost to me the moment I stepped through the gate into the void beyond. The contact my ass made with the saddle beneath me was of no consequence, and I could no longer hear Kari’s nervous inhales. The void was much like the mist—a warning, but I’d pushed through it before, and I knew the scariest thing about this place was what you allowed your mind to tell you.
Kari was too stubborn to turn back. She could have been losing her mind to the darkness, but I fully intended to see her beside me, holding Apple’s reins as we emerged on the other end. If she could easily block out Asgard’s whispers, she was more than capable of not letting this illusion dissuade her.
One more step, and I was squinting from the sudden blast of light assaulting my eyes. A flood of sound filled my ears, and the familiar feel of Apple beneath me greeted my body. Before I tookin my surroundings, I glanced down to where Kari should have been standing.
“Seeress?” I asked, tugging on Apple’s reins hanging limply on the left side of her neck. Rustling leaves weren’t the only thing I heard, the sound of my own beating heart growing louder.
“Over here!” Kari said, waving her hands above her head from where she sat on a boulder in the distance. “It took you long enough.” She stood, dusting her black skirts off and stretching her legs as if she’d been sitting upon that rock for ages. She held a stick in her hands, the bark half peeled off.
“Took me long enough?” I asked. “It’s only been a few moments.”
“Moments?” Kari barked. “It’s been far longer. I thought you abandoned me here.”
My blood ran cold.
My brain racked with all the possibilities for why we would’ve travelled at different speeds. The only thing I could think of was her ability to be seemingly immune to the whispers. Maybe Ihadbeen crossing through the gate far longer than I even realized.
“Why did you let go of Epli’s reins?” I asked.
“I hadn’t meant to. When I appeared in the light, I looked down, and they were no longer in my hand. I guess I dropped them when I could no longer feel them on my skin,” she said. “Has it really only been moments for you?”
I gave a slow nod, looking her over as she tried to swallow her annoyance. She’d thought I’d abandoned her, and she’d been here for who knew how long, waiting for me to arrive, not sure if I ever would. We were both lucky she hadn’t given up on me and decided to take this path alone.
“I didn’t abandon you.” She knew this already, but I wanted her to hear it from my lips in case seeing me wasn’t enough. She blew out a breath, and her shoulders relaxed as she dropped the twig in her hands.
“Alright then.” She straightened her posture and wrapped herself tighter in her shawl, the ends oddly tucked into her leather belt. “We should get going. I’m not sure what time it is anymore, but I’d imagine the sun will be setting soon, and we have a gate to get to.”
I glanced up; no sun or moon hung in the lavender sky of the path between realms.
“This way,” I said, pointing with my chin to the flattened ground littered with crispy brown samaras. Kari scooped up a handful of the seeds, tossing them into the air and watching as they all twirled toward the ground like a disoriented flock of finches. The laugh that slipped through her defenses reminded me so much of the woman I’d thought I’d known. I always loved her fascination with nature's simple treasures that I often overlooked. Over the years of death-filled nights on Midgard, I’d begun to lose connection to anything that wasn’t strapped in armor.
As we walked, I couldn’t help but watch her. She knew nothing of this place, but she looked at home within this path carved through Yggdrasil. I wasn’t sure if it was because of her curse, or because being in a forest again reminded her of Stormheim. Either way, I had to keep my eye on her to ensure she wasn’t getting too comfortable in this place.
We walked in relative silence for what felt like half the day, but it was hard to say without the sun to indicate how much time had passed. A yawn tugged at Kari’s lips, and Apple’s strides began to slow. I was growing weary too, and my stomach screamed at me for food. We’d never stopped for lunch, though I’d seen Kari chewing on something after digging around her pockets. She’d either been taking a chance on something she found along the path, or Áma had given her something for the road. I hoped it was the latter.
Up ahead, I spotted a freshly fallen branch thick enough for us both to sit on. It looked like Tove had the same idea, sprinting forward to claim a spot before we could. I swear to the gods, if Kari banished me to the forest floor because of him, I wouldn’t give him fresh fish for a week.
“I guess we’re stopping for a bit,” Kari said as she watched Tove claim the very end of the branch where it split off into smaller ones.
“We need to eat and make a camp for the night,” I said.
Kari looked around. “Here?”
