Queens of the Wyrd by Timandra Whitecastle

Author:Timandra Whitecastle [Whitecastle, Timandra]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Timandra Whitecastle
Published: 2019-11-25T08:00:00+00:00

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.

—Sophia Loren

Chapter 25

“Nidhoggr!” Eira shouted gleefully as though she were greeting one of her best friends. “Wow! Look how you’ve grown! Last time I saw you, you were barely as big as the cherry tree in my garden!”

The monster moved its colossal head downwards, one reptilian eye, the size of a wagon wheel stared at them with amber malevolence, its pupil narrowed into a thin line. The curve of Nidhoggr’s snout gave him the appearance of a perpetual snigger, and intelligence seemed to light up the eye that peered at them.

Lovis couldn’t shake the feeling that she could see right into his mind, his thoughts, as gazed at them. He seemed to be considering whether to smash them underfoot quickly and continue his pursuit of the dead souls or take his time and play with these new toys.

One swipe from that massive clawed foot, and all five of them would be splashed about in a smear of blood and gore, Lovis thought glumly.

Instinctively the women huddled even closer together in the shadow of the great lizard. Lovis felt Birke’s little face pressed into her back and thought maybe the Grimming hags weren’t so bad after all. They could not even dream of fighting this creature and surviving, let alone winning. This was a dragon who had spent lifetimes with an entire world at his command. If he managed to break through to Midgard, he would fill his world with countless more dead souls … and nothing could stand in his way. No armies. No civilization.

You didn’t fight something this big. You didn’t even consider trying to fight it. You simply ran the hell out of its way and let the gods deal with its huge mess.

Lovis groaned.

None of them wore armor.

None of their weapons were very good. Sol had her sword, yes, and Lovis an axe, but both blades weren’t sharp enough to pierce scales as thick as her furywood shield. And what good would that shield do for her against those teeth or those claws? Even if Torune could freeze the monster, could she do it before they were all just grit between its teeth?

“Hey Nidhoggr!” Eira waved cheerfully at the golden eye sizing them up. “I made you a new tree to chew on, look!”

The eye shifted slightly to take in the green-leafed tree next to Eira. A stream of saliva ran down Nidhoggr’s bearded snout and dropped into the mud with a hiss. The water around it started to boil and a mist arose.

“Maybe, if we all hold Birke tight,” Sol whispered into Lovis ear, “she can take us back to Helheim before that thing kills us.”

“Say that again, but slowly and really listen this time,” Lovis whispered back.

“You know what I mean!”

“I’m not taking Birke back to Helheim. If we run, we run to Midgard.”

“Agreed,” Sol whispered. “What was

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