Page 61 of Between Broomsticks and Beating Wings
The view from the sky was beautiful, and the two of us soon fell silent. It hadn’t been the first time I’d flown upon Apple’s back while in Helheim, but it’d been the first time we’d traveled in this direction. From way up in the sky, we could see ice bridges curving from one onyx building to another in a delicate network that reminded me of the crystalline structure of a snowflake. It was easy to remain silent when there were so many incredible details to feast my eyes on.
It took us an hour on Apple’s back to make it to the Cave of Whispers, and every so often, she would swoop down to get a better look at something interesting we’d come across. Not even pegasus’ were immune to beauty, and one could argue that they appreciated it far more than even we did.
Apple landed upon a cliffside, her hooves slipping on ice for a moment before righting herself. When Rune felt we were stable, she dismounted and then offered me a hand. The stone of this place was unsurprisingly black, though it didn’t look as deep and endless as Hel’s Hall. It was matte, had charcoal grey hues, and was lightly dusted in snow.
Rune asked with her eyes if I was ready, and I gave her a swift nod of my head. She gave Apple a pat, a bucket of warm water, oats, and a pile of hay to stand upon to protect her hooves from the rough stone. I swear Apple was the most spoiled pegasus in all nine realms.
When our companion was content, the two of us strode toward the opening in the mountainside. I couldn't help but imagine it like a hungry mouth ready to devour the knowledge of its prey. But even so, I was hoping I’d come away from this trip with more knowledge than I ever could have imagined, and my pack was full of charcoal and journals made of thin hides. I had one chance at consuming as much information as I could, with an entire day to do it. I only wished I hadn’t tapped myself out practicing spells this morning.
If I had known I was coming here, I would have reserved every last drop of my seidr. While Rune could simply fly through the air on Apple’s back to rejuvenate, I wasn’t sure how my stores were refilled, or if I simply needed rest and time like my mother and most seeresses had.
“Up ahead,” Rune said, pointing her chin to where faint lights light up the entrance to the cave where the sun had been unable to shine. I didn’t hesitate to enter the cave, taking onelong stride after the other. Once inside, I felt the nip of the breeze go still, and I instantly felt much warmer. I hoped that once I was in the belly of the cave that my fingers would be warm enough to cast.
Sconces with fake flames were mounted to the walls, and we followed them as we went. “I’m so close to being able to make a flame illusion,” I admitted, feeling the burn under my nails as my body itched to try my new spell. I’d never needed to create false fire before seeing as I could simply light a torch, but here in Helheim, the bitter cold of the realm wouldn’t allow for flame to exist outside of an illusion.
I passed my hand through one of the orange lights, and I felt no heat, only a slight tingling where my skin passed through.
“That’s good, seeress. You’ll want that skill if you get caught out here in the dark,” she said, gazing at one of the torches as we walked by it. So far, there wasn’t much else to look at. “Not that I ever suggest exploring Helheim at night.”
I suppressed a chuckle because even I would never do something so stupid. I didn’t want her to mistake my laugh for an admission to her humor though, so I hummed in response, and carried on.
The long tunnel opened up into a broad cavern, and we funneled into it, me first, and Rune following shortly behind. As we walked deeper into the empty cavern, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that she’d place her palm on the butt of her sword.
“Hello?” she called out into the echoing chamber. We walked along the outskirts of the cavern, but saw no additional tunnels to the one we’d come in through. “It’s a dead end. That can't be.”
I stopped in my tracks, this whole place feeling utterly wrong.
Is it?I asked myself, because something about her words rang false. I swear I could feel the vibrations of other beings in this place.
“Rune… summon a strawberry.”
Rune cocked a brow at me. “Hungry seeress? Didn’t I feed you before we left?”
“Just do it!” I tried to hold back the edge in my voice, but I was too anxious to uncover the secrets of this place. Rune rolled her eyes and held her hand out, muttering to herself.
A red berry fell into her palm, and she sliced it between her front teeth in a dramatic effort to show me that I couldn’t have it after my snarky remark. But that was fine, because I had little appetite for food. My only craving was the secrets this place held, and I had a feeling I knew just what I needed to unlock them.
“Again, but more this time. An entire basket full.” I said. Something clicked in Rune’s mind, and she bobbed her head in understanding. This time, when she summoned the berries, my hair began to swirl around me, and my vision went dark. When light flooded my vision once more, the air went dead still, and I no longer found myself in an empty cavern.
“The key is seidr,” Rune whispered, peering down at the ornamental rug we now stood on. “Of course.”
My lips parted as my eyes darted all around the room. There were people, tall shelves, and tables with stacks of journals. Where there was once immovable stone, were now gaps in the walls that led into additional tunnels. I wondered how many of them there were and how many hidden chambers full of secrets we could uncover in one day. There was little time to waste.
“Let’s go!” I said, already walking to the closest living being, hoping for a skald. They were the next best thing to Mim, the god of knowledge, who was beheaded to be carried by Odin as his personal source of wisdom.
Skalds kept our memory and history alive by reciting stories. We had one in Stormheim too, but the skald in my village wasn’t an expert wielder in seidr. And while they spoke stories of our gods, they weren’t tasked by the gods themselves. Theskalds in the Cave of Whispers held infinite knowledge and were considered attendants to the gods, their age preserved through the millennia, as long as they upheld their duties.
Being in their presence was a blessing, and I was beginning to realize that Hel had indeed given me a valuable gift, it just wasn’t the one she’d originally claimed.
“Hello?” I whispered as I rounded a shelf and caught a glimpse of grey, wiry hair. The being stopped abruptly and turned to face me.
“Ah, so youcansee me now. Come along then, and bring your shy friend with you,” the skald said. I glanced over my shoulder at Rune, flashing her a smile and lipping the word “shy” at her. She just shook her head and followed even closer than before. If there was one thing Rune wasn’t, it was shy. She wasn’t shy when she betrayed Odin, and she certainly hadn’t been when she’d talked about my mouth as if it was her favorite toy.
“You’re not a goddess, or even a demi-goddess, so I assume Hel sent you?” The skald asked, their tone neither feminine or masculine.
“That’s right. She’s obviously a valkyrie,” I motioned to Rune, “Odin’s sect. And I’m a seeress.”
“A mortal one at that,” they said, arching a thick brow at me. “Why did Hel send you to us?” The skald led us out of the main cavern and through a tunnel hidden behind one of the shelves. With one wave of their hand, the entire wooden structure slid to the side, revealing a corridor lit by false flames. I didn’t hesitate to follow them through it, too excited about the prospect of what was on the other side. That, and skalds were known to be peaceful people, unless they got an unwanted visitor, that is. And seeing as Rune and I were sent by Hel herself, I had very little reason to believe we would get into trouble within this cave system.
