“This better work,” I murmured. I reached for the helm, but as my fingers touched the gold, a bolt of searing heat cracked open my mind. I doubled over, gripping the table, and a voice rang in my skull.
“I pledge my life, my ambitions, my desires, and my soul to Gorm, King of the High Elves.”
The words of my oath.
Disappointment tore me apart. The spell had failed. I remained under my father’s thumb, trapped within the walls of the Citadel. And that meant I could not get to Ali. Would she imagine I’d abandoned her?
When the pain subsided, I straightened. There had to be another way.
I was not going to give up. This was only a minor setback. I’d given Ali my word. I’d promised her that I’d come for her, and so I would do whatever it took to get to her.
For a thousand years, as a lich, my past had been erased from my mind. But now that my soul was returned, my memories had come roaring back. And, I now remembered what I’d once been: the most terrifying warrior of the High Elves. With magic and my sword, I’d served the gods by cutting down my enemies one by one, following my fate. In my vision of the future, it looked as if I would become a fearsome warrior once again—a king, even.
I’d seen the vision—the crown on my head, the royal scepter in my hand. I would take the throne of the High Elves, the throne that was rightfully mine. I’d foreseen it.
The only thing that twisted my heart was that Ali hadn’t been in the vision.
There must be a way to change my fate, to make it so that she ruled by my side as my queen. A loophole of some sort. Anything to have her with me again.
Whatever it took, I would do it.
Six hours later, I peered blearily at a manuscript. My head still throbbed from the Helm of Awe’s magical attack. More than anything, I wanted to sleep, but I had to keep working. I had to convince Gorm that nothing was amiss, that I was willingly doing his bidding. That I had no plans to end his long life.
The morning sun was rising, staining the sapphire sky with rosy gold. I looked up from my writing desk. Spread out below me were the ruins of Boston, entombed in a thousand years of ice and snow. The sight pierced my heart; the icy light was enough to remind me that the ravages of Ragnarok endured. I’d been dead and imprisoned for a thousand years, which meant it felt like only yesterday that the world had been alive and the gods had still ruled.
Only yesterday the world had had meaning. Now, we had to make our own.
I refocused on the page, staring at the beige vellum as I carefully inscribed a rune on the paper. It was a tricky fortification spell. A thousand interlocking symbols that together created a powerful barrier.
After I finished inking the rune, I put down my quill and rubbed my eyes. It took all my mental capacity to see how the runes connected, building and supporting one another like the stones of a castle wall. Each had to be carefully placed, taking into account their strengths and weaknesses. Together, they became unbreakable.
As I lifted my quill to begin the next rune, a loud knock on my door interrupted me.
“Odin’s arse,” I cursed under my breath as I crossed to the door. Opening it revealed the smirking face of my sister, Revna. Her shimmering platinum hair cascaded over a green gown that probably cost more than the entire Night Elf economy.
“Galin, are you almost finished with the spell father ordered?” she asked as she slipped past me, into my room.
“How lovely to see you, dear sister. Always a pleasure.” My voice dripped with sarcasm.
She ignored me, plopping herself onto my sofa. She had brought an orange with her and began to peel it. “This sofa is comfy. Where did you get it?”
“As much as I always enjoy our chit-chats, I’m afraid I have work to do.”
“I’ll be quiet as a mouse,” Revna flicked a piece of peel onto my floor. “I like watching you work.” She cocked her head. “Particularly without your shirt on, with the candlelight sculpting those fine muscles.
I said nothing.
“We’re only half-siblings,” she ventured after a moment. “It’s been a thousand years, so we hardly feel like brother and sister