I heaved myself up onto the shore, sputtering and coughing. Beside me, Hearthstone hacked up a mouthful of water into the sand. My body couldn't stop shaking from everything: the fall, the cold, the shock. Slowly, I turn to survey the scene behind us.
Hearthstone and I were inside of a giant, dimly lit cave. The lake we dragged ourselves out of was huge; the water stretched on and on before disappearing into the darkness. To our right, a powerful underwater geyser churned and bubbled from below the surface. To our left, a hole in the cave's ceiling spilled a roaring waterfall into the lake.
I could not stop staring at the waterfall. The hole in the ceiling must have been one hundred feet in the air. It was a miracle we survived the fall.
I turned to Hearthstone, but he was gone. I spun around. He stood at the entrance to the cave, looking out into a clearing. A strange, greenish glow spilled in from outside. Shakily, I got to my feet and made my way to his side.
The two of us stared up, up, up.
"Hammers and ingots..." I said quietly.
The World Tree towered above us.
Leaves the size of skyscrapers fluttered gently in the breeze. Faint light filtered through the translucent blades, like a thousand green umbrellas open on a bright day, dousing the clearing in a soft, green glow. Above our heads, brown branches crisscrossed like a collection of endless highways in the sky. The height of the World Tree was beyond comprehension. No matter how far I tipped my head back, there was no way to see the top.
I started to feel dizzy. We were at the center of the Nine Worlds. The center of the universe. Everything started and ended here. I could almost feel fate running and twisting its way throughout the World Tree, fate that started before the creation of the giant Ymir, and fate that would end with Ragnarök.
The air hummed with power.
An ash tree, Hearthstone signed.
I could only nod.
Beautiful, signed Hearthstone to me.
I know, I replied, looking at him.
Hearthstone stepped into the clearing, then turned around to examine our cave. I joined him.
Do you see? he asked, pointing above the entrance.
My eyes widened.
It's not a cave, I signed. It's a tree...
R-o-o-t, Hearthstone fingerspelled for me.
"Tree root" was an understatement. The root of the World Tree was so large, all of Eddaborg could have sat on top. Helheim, a dozen Eddaborgs could have sat on top. The entrance to our cave was a microscopic hole, like a pinprick near the edge of cotton dress.
Somehow, in the glory and magnificence of the World Tree, I finally registered how Hearthstone looked. His white-blond hair was plastered against his forehead. His waterlogged scarf drooped heavily over his shoulders, like a melting candy cane. Gravel clung to his clothes, little souvenirs from the time he spent heaving water onto the shore.
Wet, I jabbed.
Hearthstone rolled his eyes.
Would you like a mirror?
Despite his snark, I grinned.
We're here! I signed. We made it!
Hearthstone started smiling, too.
YOU ARE READING
The Journey to Find Mimir
Fanfiction*BLITZSTONE ORIGIN STORY NOVEL* Blitzen is alone. All of Nidavellir, the underground world of dwarves, laughs at him as he grieves the death of his father. On the night of his lowest moment the cavern ceiling slices open and spits out a being of lig...
