Chapter Twenty-Two Baldr

T he moment Mist took my hand, I pulled him to his feet and we took off running. The ruins around us groaned and shifted, dust and small debris raining down as the Draugr stirred in their ancient resting places. We had to get out of there before they fully awakened and came after us, which they would inevitably do considering we were the only living creatures in the entire place except for a few rats. I seemed to recall that Draugr had an almost sixth sense for finding living creatures they could destroy.

“I'm sorry,” Mist panted as we ran. “I didn't mean to—”

“I know,” I cut him off. “But we can't worry about that now. We need to focus on getting out of here alive.”

We raced through winding corridors, the glow of the strange fungi our only light. Behind us, I could hear the scraping of stone against stone as the Draugr began to emerge from their tombs. The sound sent chills down my spine. It seemed their vaults weren’t enough to hold them back. Then again, they were said to have inhuman strength and some of them even had their own magic. That made them not only terrifying, but dangerous beyond all reason.

As we ran, I tried to recall everything I'd read about Draugr in my mother's spellbook. They were undead warriors, often ancient Norse chieftains or powerful warriors who refused to truly die. They guarded their treasures fiercely and would attack anyone who disturbed their rest. Some could change size, shape-shift, or even drive people mad just by looking at them. And they were notoriously difficult to kill. Most people agreed that only by chopping off their heads and burning their bodies could you truly kill them. Not only did I not have a weapon, but burning them posed a problem as well with my energy at an all-time low.

When we rounded a corner, I skidded to a halt, nearly causing Mist to crash into me. Ahead of us, the corridor split into three different paths. I cursed under my breath, trying to decide which way to go.

“Which way?” Mist asked, his voice tight with panic.

I closed my eyes for a moment, reaching out with my senses. There was a faint breeze coming from the leftmost corridor.

“That way,” I said, pulling him to the left. “There’s a way out through there!”

We ran as fast as we could down the tight tunnel. To my surprise, it wasn’t widening out or moving upward. In fact, it seemed to be getting smaller. Nearly two minutes passed before we came skidding to a halt once again, the way in front of us blocked by a collapsed room. I didn’t understand how I could still feel a breeze against my skin even with the tunnel blocked. I glanced side to side, searching for its source. But then I finally looked up.

There, above the collapse, was a long shaft leading away on an angle. If I turned my head just right I could catch the faintest hint of sunlight far off. It was only then that it dawned on me that it was a small tunnel specifically dug to let in fresh air far underground. And it was far too tight for either Mist or I to get through. And that left us only one choice.

We had to go back.

Guttural cries echoed up the tunnel from the deep. The Draugr had found their way into the main part of the ruins. Now it was only a matter of time until they found us. And we didn’t have days or hours to escape. We had minutes. At most.

“We're trapped,” Mist whispered, his voice trembling with fear.

I shook my head, trying to stay calm despite the panic rising in my own chest. However, the surge of Mist’s emotions over our bond was making that difficult. “No, we're not. We just need to think.”

I scanned the collapsed tunnel, looking for any weakness or opening we could exploit. The stones were tightly packed, with no obvious way through. But there had to be something we could do. I refused to accept that this was how it would end. Besides, my visions were never wrong, and this wasn’t how I met my fate. So there had to be a way out, right?

“Can you use your magic again?” Mist asked hesitantly. “Maybe to clear the rubble?”

I winced at the suggestion. “I don't think that's a good idea. My energy is already low from the spirit summoning and what just happened with the Draugr. If I push too hard, I could pass out. Or worse.” I paused for a moment, letting out a long sigh. “We have to go back,” I said grimly, turning to face Mist.

His eyes were wide with fear, but he nodded nonetheless because there was no other option.

I took his hand, giving it a squeeze. “Come on.”

We raced back down the narrow corridor, our footsteps echoing off the stone walls. The cries of the Draugr grew louder as we neared the junction where we'd made our choice. My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline coursing through my veins. We had to find another way out, and fast. They were sure to have heard our running and definitely the panting. We had only moments to spare.

As we reached the split in the path, I paused for a moment, straining my senses. The right path seemed to slope slightly upward. It was our best chance.

“This way,” I said, pulling Mist down the right-hand tunnel.

We'd barely made it twenty feet when a figure lurched out of the shadows ahead of us. It was a Draugr, the tight grey mummified flesh screeching as it kept shambling bones in place. Loose black hair hung down around its face, making it look like something out of a horror movie. In one hand it held a half-rotted wooden shield and in the other a sword that was almost entirely made of rust. However, the most unsettling thing was its eyes. Bright blue orbs of flame sat in the hollow skull, wisps of magic leaking out the sides. But it wasn’t the look of them that scared me. It was the way they made me feel. Not cold or terrified, but warm and fuzzy, like I should follow them. Like I should listen to them and just stand still so they could get closer… and closer.

shook my head violently, trying to break free of the Draugr's hypnotic gaze. Its power was intense, threatening to overwhelm my senses. But I couldn't let it win. I had to protect Mist.

“Don't look in its eyes!” I shouted, shoving Mist behind me.

The Draugr let out an inhuman shriek and lunged forward with surprising speed. I barely managed to dodge its rusted sword, the blade whistling past my ear. The creature's strength was incredible - I could feel the force of the blow even though it hadn't connected. It made my very bones ache, knowing that it would’ve sliced clean through me had my heightened werewolf reflexes not kicked in.

We were in serious trouble. Unarmed and exhausted, we stood little chance against even one of these ancient warriors, let alone however many were now roaming the ruins. But I refused to give up.

When the Draugr let out another teeth-clenching shriek, I knew the attack was coming. I ducked, the blade singing as it streaked over my head. In that moment, instinct took over. I shifted partially into my Alpha form, my claws extending as I swiped at the creature’s legs. My claws tore through the desiccated flesh and snapped bone, but the Draugr barely seemed to notice. It swung its sword again, this time forcing me to roll to the side.

Mist scrambled backward, pressing himself against the wall.

“Run!” I yelled to him, pushing myself back to my feet. “Back to the junction! Take the middle path! I’ll catch up!”

“Baldr—”

“I said RUN!”

Mist could feel the force of my words not only in my voice, but over the bond as well. Without argument, he turned on his heel and sprinted down the hallway leaving just myself and the Draugr standing there, staring one another down.

“Now that he’s gone,” I uttered, sharp fangs extending into my mouth from both sides. “I can send you back to hell where you belong.”

It was only when Mist was too far to stop me from being foolish that I stepped forward. Spreading my arms out wide, I stared at the creature, my golden eyes flashing with power. And, just as I expected, the Draugr cried out in an unearthly rage, raising his sword high. Instead of trying to dodge, I deliberately closed my eyes.

There was a whoosh of air and a white-hot pain in my right shoulder as the blade made contact. However, only a split second later, golden light burst in the room, nearly blinding me even with my eyes closed. Just as I’d expected, my mother’s protection spell held true. I figured if she’d gone out of her way to secure a promise from the living, why would she not secure one from the dead as well?

When the light finally faded, I opened my eyes to find nothing but a smoldering pile of grave dust in front of me. A shield and sword laid on either side of it, scorched by the intensity of my mother’s magic. I glanced down at my shoulder to see the last remnants of golden magic fusing my muscle and bone back together. In a matter of seconds the pain was gone, my arm was mended, and there was no more Draugr to do me further damage.

However, I could hear more coming. And fast. Unless I wanted to put myself through unimaginable torture letting them all slice me to ribbons, I knew I should get out as fast as possible. And, judging by the panic surging through the bond, Mist was already racing back toward me.

Digging my feet into the dirt and stone, I sprinted down the hallway. When Mist came into view, he cried out like he’d seen a ghost.

“Baldr! I thought—”

“I’m fine,” I said, grabbing his hand and yanking him back down the hall. “Let’s go!”

We sprinted back toward the junction, the other Draugr's heavy footsteps echoing behind us. As we reached the split in the path, I heard the shambling figures coming down the left tunnel. We were being surrounded. The middle path was our only option. So, without a second thought, I sprang forward.

The corridor sloped downward, taking us deeper into the ruins. It wasn't ideal, but what other choice did we have? The sounds of pursuit grew louder behind us as we ran. The air grew colder and damper the further we descended too. I caught the scent of minerals and cold water. If my wolf nose wasn’t mistaken, we were headed toward an underground lake of some sort.