Everything went black; to Halfdan’s terror, it remained that way. Worse, he felt himself sinking as the firm ground under his feet disappeared. All the while, a small shape had flung her arms around his neck in between flailing and hitting his face.

  “Sif! Be still!” he roared, and the flailing ended; instead, she tightened her grip around his neck until he began to choke. Treading waters furiously to stay afloat, Halfdan reached up to grab her wrists.

  “I can’t see! I’m blind!”

  However odd it might seem, the statement calmed Halfdan, as he realised the truth. “It’s not our eyes, but a lack of light,” Halfdan told her gruffly, pretending he had not shared her fear. “We’re in some cave or something.”

  “If we’re in a lake, we should get ashore.”

  “Obviously,” Halfdan growled. “I’ve just been a little preoccupied with the unbidden passenger trying to strangle me.” He tried to move forward only to immediately hit solid rock.

  “Not that way.”

  “Yes, thank you, very useful.” Halfdan pushed away from the wall to get momentum, only to immediately hit rock again on the other side. “What in Hel’s name kind of cave is this?”

  “Maybe it’s a well.”

  “Don’t be silly. Why would the gate between worlds be in a well?”

  He felt Sif shrug her shoulders as the movement travelled down her arms. “Why would it be in a pond? You said you had to go to Urd’s Well, right?”

  Halfdan had no immediate retort, and instead, he figured he would spend his attention on something useful. He placed his hands against the wall, probing it for ridges or anything that would allow him to climb up.

  Something fell down, hitting him on the head before it splashed into the water. “When you are done bickering, you can use that to get up,” a woman’s voice declared from above.

  Halfdan reached out to find a bucket, attached to a rope. “See, it’s a well!” Sif declared happily. Grumbling, Halfdan grabbed the rope, hoping it could bear his weight, and began his ascent.

  *

  Once he could climb over the edge of the wall, Halfdan let Sif fall to the ground and shook his limbs like a dog; his clothing was absolutely soaked. “Do not think you are forgiven,” he growled between his teeth at the girl before straightening up to look at their hostess.

  Her face was deeply furrowed, and her hair was entirely white in colour. Halfdan would have called her a crone, except she stood upright without the slightest bend in her back; in fact, she was taller than Halfdan.

  Now that he was out of the way, she began pulling up the bucket with calm, measured movements. She exhibited no curiosity towards her guests or even acknowledgement of their presence.

  “Strange door you got,” Halfdan ventured to say.

  “It keeps unbidden visitors away.”

  “Are you Urd?” Sif asked. Before Halfdan could reproach her for speaking, the girl bent over and emptied her stomach.

  The norn’s stone face cracked into an overbearing smile. “Be careful whom you try to read, little skáld. Especially when your skills are in their infancy.”

  Sif, wiping her mouth and still looking queasy, straightened up. “I was just curious,” she mumbled.

  “And it’ll get you killed,” Halfdan muttered. “Now be quiet.” He turned to Urd. “I’ve been sent to your well.”

  “So I can see.”

  “Great. Do you also know why?”

  Again, the norn allowed a smile displaying her superiority to appear. “You do not?”

  Halfdan realised that he had, presumably, completed the task given him by Odin. He closed his eyes and summoned his tree.

  [Task complete: Travel to Urd’s Well]

  [Task: Find Loki]

  In addition, a new Seed of Power lay beside those he had received after killing Starkad. A reward from the god for doing as told, presumably, like a dog receiving a treat. Still, an easy path to power, and Halfdan could see why some bound themselves into a god’s servitude; at the same time, power so swiftly received could be rescinded with the same ease, he imagined.

  “I search for Loki.” Halfdan hoped that would suffice for explanation. Even as he spoke the words, he could not quite believe it. Loki was a name from stories; what chance did a berserker have of finding this fellow somewhere in all the nine realms?

  Dragging the bucket over the edge of the wall, the norn nodded. “That explains your stave. Though I could guess as much. Why else would a herald of Odin come here?”

  “My stave?”

  “Wide is the sight of the raven god, and far his spies may travel, yet he cannot know all,” Urd spoke, ignoring the question. She began walking, and the others followed her. Only at this point did Halfdan realise they were in a glade. A hut lay by the forest edge; the well was close to the centre, but not quite. In the very middle, an ash tree grew, which Urd approached. “Loki has fled, and he was once deep in Odin’s counsels. If any can hide from far sight and raven eyes, it would be the trickster.”

  “But you know where he is?” Halfdan asked. Next to him, Sif stood with her lips pressed together, tripping in place. The berserker gave her an angry glare.

  Urd emptied the bucket to water the ash tree. “We do not carve the fates of immortals. If Loki has fled his prison, I have no knowledge of his whereabouts. But I do know where you must go on your search to find him.”

  “Where?”

  She returned the bucket to the well. As the norn turned around to face her guests, she placed her hand behind her back; when she held it out in front of her, it contained a wooden stave the length of an arm, marked with runes. “Together we carved these lines to know the fate of Halfdan. I made the first, Verdandi the second, Skuld the third. What was, is, will be.” Her voice had become deep all of sudden, and the light in the glade seemed bleak.

  “Those are the other nornir,” Sif whispered.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Ignoring her, Halfdan stared at the piece of wood. “That’s my fate? My life? Written with a few cuts on beechwood?” It seemed hard to believe, yet standing in front of the tall woman, he found it difficult to voice his disbelief.

  “These are the greatest moments of your fate. Where you have been, where you are, where you must go.” Urd held a finger to the first rune. “Your birth.” She moved to the next symbol. “The heart of the bear.” The third. “Odin’s blessing.” The fourth. “Urd’s Well.” The fifth. “Loki’s cave.”

  Halfdan noticed two runes beyond that, but he could not read their meaning. “And the sixth and the seventh?”

  Urd smiled like an adult being asked a foolish question by a child. “You wish to know your fate?”

  For a long moment, the berserker wavered. Finally, he spoke. “Yes.”

  Urd pointed at the sixth symbol. “Sindri’s forge.”

  “And the last?”

  The norn’s bony finger rested upon the seventh rune. “Hel’s hall, the home of the dead, where mortals end their journey.”

  “Is this certain?” Halfdan found himself asking. He had always imagined that like Ylva, like any berserker, he would die in battle eventually and be taken to Valh?ll. Surely someone blessed by Odin deserved a seat at the Alfather’s table. Not doomed to an eternity of despair in Hel.

  Urd smiled yet again, and without warning, she broke the stave in half. A start went through the berserker, who half expected his heart to cease beating. The norn laughed. “It’s just a piece of wood, boy.” Her demeanour grew serious. “Death is a powerful force, and it may find you sooner than expected.”

  “How encouraging,” Halfdan mumbled.

  “Take care, Odin-blessed berserker. The gods meddle incessantly with destiny. Perhaps one of them will promise that you are spared this fate. But in my experience, the staves never lie.”

  Halfdan did not see that he had much choice. He had begun this journey; he could not simply return to Midgard and Randaros, ignoring Odin’s demands. And while he had never given much thought to the future, figuring it would arrive in its own time, the thought of eternity in Hel’s gloomed halls gave him pause. He was not sure what exactly Odin expected of him, but if he performed this task, surely he would be entitled to a reward; not to mention, what better way to prove himself a warrior worthy of Valh?ll?

  “So, I’m going to Loki’s cave, you tell me. And then what? You said he’s fled. How do I find him?”

  Urd shrugged. “I cannot say. But if you seek a prisoner, tracking his trail from his prison seems a reasonable place to start. You must go to J?tunheim.”

  “Alright… wait, how do I get there?” Halfdan glanced in the direction of the well. “Don’t tell me.” His clothes had barely begun to dry.

  “I will open the gate for you.”

  “Thanks. I guess. You’ve been… helpful.” Despite his hesitation, Halfdan meant it. He did not know what relations these nornir had with the gods, but she had given him the next step on his journey. Given Sif’s reaction when she had tried to read Urd’s gift, Halfdan doubted he could have forced the norn to do anything.

  “My sisters and I carve the fates of all. After watching them for so many years, we are fond of the worlds,” Urd spoke softly. “However deceitful the one-eyed god can be, we are not at odds with his purposes. Now go. I will not keep the gate open for long.”

  From within the well, a glow appeared, same as when the goei in Odinsvi had transformed the pond. Sighing, Halfdan prepared himself to get soaked again. “What about her? Can you send her back to Midgard?”

  Urd shook her head. “Her fate is to travel with you. For now.”

  Halfdan narrowed his eyes. That sounded like the norn definitely could send Sif home, but chose not to. Yet he had no leverage nor power to issue threats; all he would accomplish was squandering any goodwill from someone who quite literally held his fate in her hands. If he angered her, he might end up stuck in this place.

  “Wait, I have so many questions!” Even as Sif spoke, Halfdan grabbed the girl and threw her onto his back. “Is this the same well that Odin drank from to gain wisdom? Is his eye at the bottom? Where are your sisters? Can you show me my stave?” The questions continued to flow as Halfdan began climbing down the rope; Urd simply smiled. Just as his foot reached the surface of the water, the light increased in luminosity, enveloping them, and they disappeared.

  *

  This time, Halfdan’s feet found solid ground immediately, and the darkness disappeared quickly to be replaced by sunlight. The gate was a pond similar to back in Odinsvi; without difficulty, Halfdan walked ashore and put Sif on the ground.

  “That was amazing! And I already have new Seeds!”

  Halfdan glowered at the child. “Why?”

  “I’m a skáld.” She shrugged. “I get rewarded for my curiosity.”

  The berserker considered how he had to risk his life in battle every time he gained a Seed of Power. “How nice.” He shook his legs one after the other; water had seeped in to make his socks wet. “Now that the situation is less pressing, I do have a question for you.”

  “Yes?” The girl wrung water from her hair and looked up at him expectantly.

  “What in Hel’s name were you thinking?” he roared at her. “Do you have any idea the dangers ahead? I certainly don’t! Why would you follow me?”

  “I thought you might need my help,” she replied with a quiver in her voice, and her bottom lip trembled.

  “Help? With what, choking me out as I drown inside a well?”

  “You didn’t know that other berserker was J?tun-blooded!” Sif responded, her voice rising in volume as she seemed to find her courage. “I told you that! I can read people’s gifts on sight, I don’t need to do gross things like lick their blood!”

  “Great. When Loki uses his sorcery on me, you can puke your guts out in the corner meanwhile.”

  “I’ll get better! I already have several Seeds because I’m a natural, Master Egil told me so! I’ll increase my skills in no time, especially travelling with you.”

  She did have a point; simply meeting the norn had rewarded her. Clearly, her gift approved of her choices, even though Halfdan did not. “Whenever we encounter others, you stay quiet. Preferably out of sight as well. And if there’s a fight…”

  She nodded eagerly. “I know. Don’t let you see me in case you go all angry and kill everyone in sight.”

  Halfdan exhaled. “Alright. Now to find out where we are, and where we go. Not to mention, I’m exhausted. I haven’t slept in so long.”

  “Urd said she sent us to J?tunheim. That must be where Loki was imprisoned,” Sif considered. “Maybe it’s a famous place, and we can just ask people for directions.”

  “What people even live here? What is this world?” Halfdan knew little about the gods and even less about the nine realms; while he would not admit it out loud just yet, perhaps having Sif along was not the worst idea.

  “The J?tnar! They’re… well, they’re not people like you and me. They look like us? But they can change shape into animals, and they’re really strong.”

  “Strength that passes to any of their bloodline,” Halfdan mumbled, thinking about J?tun-blooded Starkad. “Are they friendly? Hostile?”

  “Well, they don’t like the Aesir.” Sif coughed. “Let’s hope they don’t know about your gift.”

  Her words reminded Halfdan that with everything going on, he had not examined his new options. Closing his eyes, he looked at his tree, specifically the new branch [Blessing of the One-eyed]. It had three leaves; a surprise, considering Halfdan’s other branches only had two each. But until Halfdan unlocked the supporting skill, he would not know what those leaves might be. Not that he knew what it did either; focusing on it, he got a vague sense that it helped him hide, which seemed a doubtful advantage. Berserkers were not exactly known for employing stealth, especially not in combat. All the same…

  Well, I need to know now what my options are, not in the midst of battle. Halfdan spent one Seed to unlock [Blessing of the One-Eyed], revealing its three lower skills. [Laugh at Fire], [Know Your Runes], and [Scorn the Steel].

  “Halfdan?”

  “One moment.” Two skills seemed straightforward, helping him to resist fire and steel. But the other one… Halfdan knew to write and read runes, but only as letters. Odin was a god of sorcery among other things. Could this give him the ability to use the magic of runes?

  “Halfdan! I don’t think we’re alone.”

  The berserker opened his eyes only to watch an enormous bear crash through the undergrowth, barrelling straight at him.