When Darkness Falls - LOKI - Book One (Editing)

19. Geirja ✓

     It was Athelia's turn to laugh as Thor stumbled backward into the black stoney wall of the Geirjan Pit. He held his face in his hands as he waited for the stars to disappear, but instead of letting him fumble about, Athelia held him tightly by the arm as he stepped around the cavern blindly.

     "I know we don't have a lot of time, but I like to show you one of my favorite places." She said to him as he finally began looking around.

    The only light in the black hole they found themselves in came from the tip of the tall tunnels that shot into the sky, which made it rather hard to take in his surroundings, but he enjoyed the coolness of the cavern enough to agree.
     
     "Where's Freya?"

     Athelia nodded towards a hollowed path in the wet walls. Thor looked at the woman in confusion, knowing he would not be able to fit through it. "Are all Dorian's as small as you and Freya?"

     She only smiled. They were indeed small, but only some of them. Athelia was shorter than most, but the people of Dorian were not built like Thor or his brutish warrior friends. Most were tall and lean like her father and her uncle, though they were just as strong, if not stronger in some ways.  was not intended to be crawled by anything other than the naejir that stalked these corridors by night.

      She held out her hand, and he shook his head - refusing to be sucked through the universe with her again. He could barely stand after the first time, and the bright white light that consumed him when she gripped his hand to bring him here still left him seeing stars.

     "You'll never get used to it unless you -"

     "I prefer to fly."

      "That may be true, but you'll never get to where we are going with your hammer." She smiled as she crept down, running her hand along the edge of the cold, black stone. "Don't be scared, Thor. I would never hurt you."

     He contemplated for a moment but gripped her hand. His eyes clenched tight, and he stumbled backward as his feet hit the slick floor of the new corridor.

     "You can open your eyes now," she whispered. Her hand brushed against his bicep, and he cleared his throat, opening his eyes to the darkness. "Just be careful where you step."

     Thor was at a loss. It was much different from the world above them, and he gazed around in awe as he took in the effervescent glow of his surroundings. The tiny specks of neon covered the walls around him, reflecting from the black waters in the middle, and there was no light other than the glowing green vibrance that cast a small light across Athelia's face. He could see her smile and the twinkle in her eyes as she gazed upon her home, and for a moment, he had almost forgotten who she was and the stories he had heard but never asked about.

     "What are they?" He asked, reaching behind him towards a glowing mass.

      Athelia grabbed hold of his wrists and shook her head. "Don't touch them."

     "Them?"

     "The children call them to glow worms," she said as she cupped her hand upward, igniting a flame at her fingertips that let him see the little beings. "But they are actually called catiwons. They may look harmless, but the chemical they secrete will melt the skin off your finger."

     Thor nodded, officially creeped out by everything she had told him in the last few minutes. He folded his hands in front of him and smiled sheepishly, desperately wishing to be out of the cavern he had found so breathtaking.

      "Wheres Freya?"

     "If you're worried she is going to run home, don't be. She may be a bit foolish at times, but she is by no means stupid. She knows better." Athelia said, trying to be his worry. "She is here somewhere. More than likely up at the peak."