“Here.” Galin reappeared beside him. Harald spun, but not before Galin’s fist slammed into his jaw. Harald crumpled to the floor, and his knife spun across the stone.
My muscles tensed; I was quickly losing control of this situation. “May I remind you—”
My lecture was drowned out by a shriek from Sigre as she yanked the hair pin from her platinum hair. Hefting it like a throwing knife, she flung it at Galin. This time the blade found its mark. The hairpin quivered in Galin’s shoulder.
Galin yanked it out and stared at it. “Poisoned with eitr?”
“Now you die,” said Sigre, her eyes wild. “As you should.”
“I am the King of the Hel. Eitr cannot hurt me.” His deep voice boomed over the room. “You’ll need more than that to keep me down.”
“You died twice,” said Sigre. “You no longer have the right to rule the High Elves. You are an abomination, and you will not have our throne.”
“Is that what this is about?” Galin’s voice was ice. “You’re concerned about who sits on the High Elf throne?”
“You wish to steal it back,” said Sigre, though she now sounded less sure of herself. “You abdicated the throne when you fell into the Well of Wyrd. The rightful claim now lies with the house of Scylfing.”
“The Scylfings?” Galin spat. “Is that who rules the High Elves now?”
She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Yes.”
“Then they deserve you.”
Sigre stared, caught completely off guard. “What?”
Galin straightened. “The High Elves chose poorly.”
At Galin’s feet, Prince Harald stirred. “Is the abomination dead?”
“Unfortunately for you, I am very much alive.” Galin peered down at him. “Do not try to kill me again. Understood?”
The prince made a groaning noise.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Sigre glared at Galin, but she didn’t speak.
“Are you quite finished?” I asked. “We are, after all, here to discuss the draugr.”
Galin cut me a sharp look. “Assuming there are no more attempts on my life.”
“Then let us discuss our plans. You’re working against your lovely queen in secret.” I pinned him with my gaze. “Why, exactly?”
His dark eyes locked on mine. “As I said privately, I was the one who raised the goddess from the dead. I will not allow the draugr to overrun the realms that I love. I am and always will be a protector of Midgard and the nine realms from the forces of darkness, as I was before Ragnarok. Even if it means defying a goddess.”
I breathed out, relieved to learn he really wasn’t blindingly loyal to the goddess. “Okay. So as a protector of the nine realms, now would be a great time to fulfill your end of the bargain.” I bit my lip. “But if you return to Hel after defying her, what will she do to you?”
“Don’t worry about me. I will find a way out.” The shadows drifting around Galin thickened. “Right now, our goal is to defeat the draugr. Let’s stay focused on that.”
Swegde stepped forward. “All right, sorcerer, then it’s time you started building a wall to keep them out.”
Galin shook his head. “That won’t work.”
“Why not?” Bo glared at Galin from his place at the table. “You seemed to have no trouble keeping my people imprisoned for a thousand years.”
“Draugr are not elves. And besides, Hela has closed the gates to Hel.”
My stomach flipped. “She what?”
“She’s shut the gate in the iron wall,” said Galin. “No souls may enter. This is why the dead now roam the lands of the living.”
“But, why?” I asked.
“Because she wants to take over the nine realms. She wants to unleash the draugr and shades and rule over a world of the dead. Closing the gates to Hel is her first step. But she plans total domination of all nine realms.”
I glanced at the writhing tattoos on his chest. “If she can control you, what will stop her from bringing you back to Hel right now? She has the wand, and once she has you, she can just break free from Hel with your help. And she can mind control you or whatever to do it.”
He shook his head. “Fortunately, her persuasive powers don’t work from this far. And the runes around the iron walls of Hel were inscribed by the gods. They will stop her from breaking out—even with me there. Even with the wand. But she is searching for a way out.”
A terrible understanding dawned on me. “So if we kill the draugr …”
“They will not disappear,” said Galin grimly. “And in a war, their numbers will only grow, no matter what you do. The more elves die, the more draugr we have on earth. That’s what it means that the Gates of Hel are closed.”
“So what can we do?” asked Bo.
Galin cocked his head. “You can start by not dying.”
Frustration simmered. “How do you plan to help, then? Can you just spit it out, Galin, so we can get Barthol back?”
Galin’s expression softened. “We need to visit Mimisbrunnr.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know what that is.”
Candlelight danced in Galin’s eyes. “When Odin was young, before he became the King of Asgard and leader of the gods, he wished to learn all that there was to know. So he traveled to Mimisbrunnr, the Well of Knowledge. Mimir, the well keeper, allowed him to drink from the waters, but only if he gave up his eye. Odin immediately drew a knife and carved out his right eye. This is how he learned more than any man could learn in a thousand lifetimes. This is how he learned of the runes and the rules of magic. This is how he was able to convince the gods to name him as their leader.”
“I know the story of Odin’s sacrifice,” interrupted Bo. “What is the plan?”
“Like Odin, I will drink from Mimisbrunnr. The waters of the well will show me how to defeat the draugr.”
“This is your plan?” I asked. “Drink from a magic well?” Clearly, I was still feeling salty with Galin.
His dark gaze rooted me in place, taking me apart. “You wanted me to help because of my knowledge of sorcery. And now it seems you don’t trust that same knowledge. Why?”
Because you are breaking my heart.
“Because you’re consort to the person who caused all this, and clearly she has influence over you,” I said quietly. “But I suppose we don’t have a lot of options. How do we get there?”
“Mimisbrunnr is somewhere in Asgard. Unfortunately, I never visited the home of the gods.”
“So no portal then?” I said.
Galin shook his head. “We’ll have to go the old way. Over the Bifrost bridge.”
Swegde looked confused. “The Bifrost was destroyed during Ragnarok.”
Galin shook his head. “For the gods it was, but we’re elves. I believe it will still support my weight. I will go alone.”
I stared at him, certain there was something he wasn’t telling me. Something important, and I didn’t like it. What if he was still working for Hela?
“No, you won’t go alone,” I said. “This is supposed to be a joint effort. We’ll join you.”