Chapter Ten Baldr

“D idn’t you hear me calling, boy?!” Tyr spat. It sounded like he was just outside the tent. “I taught you better than to ignore me.” I heard his knuckles crack loudly. “Maybe you need another lesson though.”

My blood boiled as I heard the threat in his voice. If Tyr so much as laid a finger on Mist in my presence, I’d fucking kill him. To hell with my visions, I’d get the job done one way or another. The future wasn’t set in stone after all.

“I was asleep,” Mist replied, keeping his voice low and quiet. “I apologize. I didn’t hear you at first.”

“Asleep?” Tyr scoffed. “It's barely past nightfall. You should be listening for me no matter what.”

I could hear the fear in Mist's voice as he replied, “I'm sorry. I didn't know you were coming tonight. Usually you let me know when you’re going to be coming by…”

“I don't need your permission to visit my own property,” Tyr snapped.

There was a sharp sound, like flesh striking flesh, followed by a pained gasp from Mist. My fists clenched at my sides as I fought the urge to leap out and attack Tyr with every ounce of strength I had left. But I knew I had to stay hidden, at least for now. Mist was right - I needed to find a way to get us both out of here.

With shaking hands, I opened my mother's spellbook again, desperately flipping through the pages. There had to be something in there that would take us away from that awful place. Away from Tyr. Preferably forever. I took the pages in one hand, flipping through as fast as I could, reading titles as they flipped by. Witches Glass, Finding the Path, Drawing Energy from the Earth, Realm Gates, Calling a Guide, Drawing Down the Moon…

I stopped, turning back a few pages. Realm Gates… that could be useful!

I quickly flipped back to the page on Realm Gates, my eyes scanning the text as fast as I could. The spell seemed complex, requiring several ingredients I didn't have on hand. But at the bottom was a simpler version scrawled in familiar loopy handwriting, meant for emergency escapes. It would only work once and wouldn't be very stable, but it was our best shot.

Thank you, Mother.

Outside, I could hear Tyr's angry voice getting louder. “Where is he? I can smell another wolf has been here! How did he kill my witch?!”

“I-I don't know what you're talking about,” Mist stammered. “No one else has been here.”

There was another sharp sound of impact, followed by Mist crying out in pain. My hands shook as I tried to focus on the spell, knowing time was running out. The instructions called for drawing a circular gate with specific runes around the edge. I'd need to use my own blood as ink.

Gritting my teeth, I called up the wolf inside me, forcing only my teeth to shift. Sharp fangs dropped down from my upper jaw and I used one to slice open my palm. As blood welled up, I began tracing the circular gate on the dirt floor of the hut, adding the runes as precisely as I could manage. My heart pounded in my ears as I worked, straining to hear what was happening outside. I just hoped I wasn’t too late.

“If he’s not here, why do you smell like him?!” Tyr roared accompanied by the sound of tearing fabric. “I know you let him in! I know you used your power to break through the barrier! How long have you been able to do this?!”

“I swear,” Mist cried, his voice full of anguish. “I didn’t do anything!”

Tyr cried out in rage. It was quickly followed by a yelp and a thud as a body collided with the hut. I knew it had to be Mist. Branches snapped and fabric toppled down around me. Thankfully my little section near the back was still standing. It was just enough room to finish my ritual, but not before smoke had filled the tiny pocket around me. A quick glance back showed the bonfire setting the fabric and branches ablaze immediately. We were running out of time. Thankfully I only had two more runes to go.

I squeezed blood from my palm, the warm liquid running down my fingers as I drew the last two runes to complete the circle. The moment it was done, they began to glow a vibrant blue. Instead of a hole in the center of the circle like I expected, the ground welled up around it, the dirt becoming and almost liquid like substance as it filled the space. It pushed up against the crumbling hut, forcing the fabric upward.

“What the fuck is that?!” Tyr roared.

As the fabric shifted, Mist’s hand came into view. I grabbed it, pulling him toward me. However, the moment I did, I felt resistance.

“Oh no you fucking don’t,” Tyr cried.

Mist’s body was yanked away, but I wasn’t about to give up. Letting the wolf take over me once more, strength flowed through my body and I managed to tear Mist from Tyr’s grasp. I lifted him to his feet the moment the realm gate began to solidify. The arch hardened in place, a portal opening in the center. Through it I could see a grassy field full of green. Wherever it led, it looked to be summer on the other side. I could already smell the wildflowers in bloom as a warm breeze blew through.

Before I could take a step, Tyr’s face came into view as he tore away the burning fabric, smoke and snow flying in all directions. His crazed eyes locked on mine and a cruel smile curled over his lips.

“I knew I smelled a fucking traitor,” he growled. He looked even more insane than the last time I’d seen him. “And I know exactly how to deal with you now.”

He reached down toward a bandolier strapped across his chest. It was the same one he’d been wearing the night the resort was attacked. However, now it was replenished with grenades and the bottom holster was now home to a handgun. My heart leapt in my chest. I wouldn’t put it past Tyr to have gotten his hands on some silver bullets. And if he had, I was a fucking goner.

So, as he reached for the gun, I did the only sensible thing I could think of. I snapped my mother’s spellbook shut, grabbed it with both hands, and swung it as hard as I could. In his fury, Tyr didn’t notice the book until the last second before it collided with his jaw. There was a sickening crunch, and I swore I saw a tooth fly through the air and land in the snow a few feet away. Tyr’s body lurched to the side and when he finally drew himself upright a moment later, there was a thick stream of blood trickling out of the corner of his smiling mouth.

“That felt good,” he growled. “You’ve got some fight in you after all. Much more than your weak piece of shit father.”

He was trying to bait me, and while I felt my hackles go up, I wasn’t going to fall into his trap. I stood my ground with Mist held tight at my side. Tyr’s eyes darted to the side, noticing the realm gate at last.

“And I see you’ve learned some new tricks.” He gave me another unsettling smile. “It was you who killed the witch, wasn’t it?”

“She killed herself,” I shot back. “She forgot the promise she made to a witch much more powerful than her.”

“Your meddling mother has been a thorn in my side for long enough. It’s about time I brought an end to her and her magic.”

He reached down, grabbing the gun from his holster. As he took a step back and leveled it at me I felt Mist force himself in front of me. He held his arms out wide, shielding me from Tyr.

“No!” he shouted. “You’re not going to hurt him!”

“What the fuck do you care?” Tyr snapped. “You don’t even know him!”

Mist glanced back at me. “I…”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Tyr grinned. Then he began to laugh louder and louder until it reached a pitch that made my brain rattle. “This is so fucking pathetic.”

I pulled Mist backward another step closer to the portal.

“You love him don’t you?”

I froze in place, feeling Mist stiffen in my grasp as well. There was a burst of electricity through my body starting where my skin touched his. Was there some truth in what Tyr said? Did Mist really care for me as more than just his friend? I couldn’t deny that my heart greatly desired it to be the truth. I just wished the timing was a little better.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Try growled, keeping the gun trained on us both. “And maybe when I shoot him, you’ll finally show your power and stop being such a useless piece of shit.”

My wolf senses caught a faint sound above the crackling of flames and the faint hum of the realm gate behind us. It was the squeak of tension building in the spring behind the trigger. Tyr was going to shoot whether Mist was in the way or not. In a split second I made the only decision I could. Forcing Mist to the side I heard the pin snap and the gun fire. A blazing white hot pain filled my right shoulder as the bullet tore clean through me.

I gasped in surprise, nearly crumpling to the ground. The realm gate behind me shivered, the magic nearly severed by the pain that coursed through my body. Mist tightened his grip on me, stopping me from hitting the ground.

“No!” he screamed. “Baldr!”

My mother’s magic welled up inside me, looking for a target to inflict pain on. However, with Tyr several feet away, Mist was the only target close by. I saw the gold magic shimmer in the air around me and it took nearly every last drop of strength I had to stop it from destroying the wrong person. Even so, I heard Mist cry out in pain as the golden dust clung to his skin, blisters rising up in its place as if it were burning him.

However, there was no turning back now. As Tyr lifted the gun once more, I knew our only chance of survival was through the gate. Grabbing Mist around the middle I drug him backward toward the portal, all the while keeping my gaze fixed on Tyr.

As soon as realized what was about to happen, his eyes grew wide. He dropped the gun and lunged forward, trying to grab us and stop his decade long project from being stolen. But even injured, I was too quick for him. I turned to the side, pulling Mist out of his reach and tossing him through the portal. At the same time I felt Tyr’s hand wrap around mine that was still holding the spellbook. His grip didn’t find flesh, but paper. The book swung open as Tyr held tight to the back cover.

But I was already falling. There was a loud tearing sound as Tyr ripped the back third of book clean off. With no more tension holding me in the mortal realm, I rocketed through the portal ass first. The second my body cleared the gate, it collapsed. A moment later I hit hard earth, a shockwave rippling through my body.

I tried to open my eyes, but the second the gate closed and the magic severed, I felt a deep exhaustion wash over me. It was a familiar feeling considering this wasn’t the first time I’d drained myself past the point of no return. My fingers twitched as I tried to find Mist, and I swore I heard a voice, but the darkness was coming in too quickly. Before I could utter a single syllable, I slipped into unconsciousness. My last thought was simple, but worrisome.

Where had the gate taken us?