The Twelve Stars

Chapter 10

I stood before a throne of iron merged with black ice. Stone steps lead up to it and for a moment, I thought I was back at King Starbringer's castle. Until I remembered that his throne wouldn't be as daunting and chilling as this, not that I've ever seen it. Secondly, a woman occupied the throne.

Gargoyles perched on pedestals either side of me, parted by giant-sized furnaces ignited with blue fire. The air was so cold I could see frost forming on each breath. From the pedestals to the domed ceiling of intricate, complex stone patterns, my eyes caught sight of three enormous clerestory arched windows molded together with stone bars. The world remained cold and frozen outside, jagged rocks extruding from its barren surface.

"You disappoint me, Solomon," the Queen spoke. Her dangerously beautiful voice echoed throughout the Imperial Fortress of her Majesties' Court, bouncing off its stone interior. "I fail to understand why you don't yet have the harbinger of Hel in your custody. Especially since you've been watching him since his gift manifested."

Solomon. My eyes locked onto his hide of black silk, recognising him instantly. "I thought I had the right brother," he corrected, and quickly in fear of the Queen's unpredictable nature.

"Thought?" She moved forward on her throne, and when I gained a better view of her, never had I seen a face so terrifying. She was a living nightmare. A splitting image of both the live and the dead. I noticed that her transparent silver gown was not a gown at all, but in fact her body itself where her legs were replaced by billowing swirls of unravelling cloth that coiled around her. My eyes moved up to her face which was when the terror began, for when I said both the live and the dead, I meant it. The left side of her face was torn apart to reveal bone and ripped flesh, leaving the right side of her face intact of unnaturally white skin. I shivered at the sight. Along with her inhuman figure, her hair took on the form of dark swirling clouds. The most captivating feature were her silver eyes. She was the definition of Hel.

"He no longer wields darkness. He doesn't even know who he really is. Maybe the Norns made a mistake-"

"The Norns don't make mistakes, Solomon," the Queen hissed.

"And yet Callyk Strider wields the Light of Odin. How do you explain that, Hel-"

"You will address me as Your Majesty," Hel, the Queen of Helheim snapped. According to my knowledge of the Nine Realms, there was only one realm as dark and foreboding as this realm. Helheim. I was surprised to see Solomon back down in fear, knowing the wrath of a god's power all too well. Especially one who survived Ragnarök. "Do not forget where you stand, Shade." Her teeth gritted together. "Your allegiance is to me. To Surt, you're just a confidant. Remember, in order to overtake Muspelheim, we must not lose the alliance we already have with him and his firegiant army. He may have destroyed Odin, but I am Death. I am inevitable."

Her words cut through my skin like paper, being as cold-hearted as they could get. Full of ambition and desire. "What would you have me to do?" Solomon's voice broke the intense silence that was starting to make me uncomfortable, watching them when I shouldn't even be here. Speaking of, I wasn't even sure how I came here to begin with.

"Keep watching Callyk through the shadows as you have. Strike when the moment is right. And bring him to me. If he is the harbinger of New Midgard's destruction as prophesized, we need him to fulfil our plan," she ordered. I didn't know what that meant. And I don't think I wanted to.

I felt myself backing away, even though there was nowhere to go. Solomon must have sensed it because then he turned at the sound of my shuffling boots. His black lips stretched into a haunting grin and his yellow eyes seemed to widen with glee at my announced arrival.

"As you wish, Your Majesty," he said. He dismissed her with a flick of his hand, turning the environment around us into a dark, mystical void. Before I could register what was happening, the Imperial Fortress including Hel vanished, along with the rest of Helheim; and we were standing in an endless world of shadows and darkness. "How long have you been watching?" he asked. I recovered my confidence quickly, remembering who I was facing.

"Long enough," I said.

He let out a soft chuckle. "And here I was, dreading that I had the wrong brother for all these years. No longer. Your presence here is proof alone that you are him. For only a Dark Wielder can travel through shadows. It's time to stop hiding from who you are, Ragnar Blackwell."

"No," I said. "I'm Callyk Strider. Ragnar Starbringer is dead-"

"Is he?" he asked.

I was at a loss. In my confusion, Solomon used that moment to lure me to him with one pull of his hand. With the ability to manipulate shadows, I was yanked towards him by an invisible force. He put a clawed hand on my shoulder and the other hand under my chin. "Who do you think took your memories?" he spoke lowly into my ear. I was shaken, unable to move. "I've been watching you your whole life, Callyk. If you don't believe me, ask the Norns. But first." He brought his hand away from my chin to pull out something from the depth of his robes. It was a vial of blue liquid. "When you awaken, drink this," he said. "And your past will be revealed." I put out my hand hesitantly. About to take it. "If you're brave enough," he added.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Just say, that if anyone else were to drink this, the memories would consume them and they would be lost, not being theirs. I only say this so that when you drink it, you won't be able to deny what you see. That in my hands, I hold the truth." I found myself taking the vial.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I asked.

"Because we're on the same side," he said. "Because for every question, the Norns require a sacrifice. One that you are going to pay."

I considered his response. "What would I have to sacrifice?"

"You've heard too much to join us willingly. And since your fate has been sealed, I now use force to gain your alliance. You will fulfil your destiny as the harbinger of Death. When the time comes, you will take your rightful place at my side. That will be your sacrifice." I loathed every word that came out of his mouth. But no matter how much I tried to find a loop hole around this, I realised that the only way I was going to escape this nightmare was if I agreed. He had me right where he wanted me, with nowhere to run. Hopefully there was a way to break an oath without consequences. I will find out when I wake up.

"Alright," I agreed reluctantly. "But only for my brother-"

"Look at you," he chastised, eyeing me manically. "Already acknowledging Finn as your brother. Don't be so sure he will feel the same-"

"As if you do," I scoffed.

"The Norns gave me a glimpse into the future," he explained. "I saw everything I needed to see to guide you on the right path. Now to seal the deal."

He held out his hand. I cringed at the dead rotting skin of his arm until time hesitantly forced me to bring up mine. Impatient, he wrapped his arm around my wrist in a grip so tight, the pain woke me up, his chilling smile haunting me to the moment I opened my eyes.

I sat up, overwhelmed with the startling information Solomon had just informed me of. That was, if it had been real at all. Catching my breath, I turned to the window where the sun had just started to rise, flooding the horizon in a vibrant orange. And for a minute, it calmed me. That moment ended as soon as I saw the vial on my cabinet. The vial of Ragnar's memories. My memories.

Then a searing pain shot up my right arm from where Solomon had grasped me in my dream, and I lifted it up, enclosing it with my other hand to cease the pain. When the pain finally ceased, I took it away to reveal a black rune engraved around my wrist, removing any doubts I might have had. It had been real.