It became much harder than I had thought!
That little hole Eir had peeked up through was just that, little!
Now, I paced back and forth, unable to stay calm or even let my frustration lay thick on my skin. My hair was filled with dirt and gravel after I stupidly dived after her and got stuck. It was too dark to see much down there, but I saw the tower of rocks belove, and I heard the raucous further down into the darkness. Now, I just watched as three wolves literally tore the ground to pieces, digging the opening wider. But it was easier said than done; not even werewolves have the ability to scoop solid rock and mountain foundations out like dirt.
The group had split up. We waited here while some brave souls tried to force the opening in the mountain bigger, and the rest went searching for the entrance to this cave-like room. From the brief look I got, I recognized the ring around her neck. A piece of cursed silver I thought I would never see again. With a deep sigh, I sat down and watched as Igor wobbled towards the wolves and claimed the space, and with both paws literally clawed out pieces of the mountain. I know the silver collar around Eir`s neck was part of a set, a set I spent decades destroying with some of my former sisters. It should never have been made and was a mistake from the beginning.
A silver collar, two bracelets, and two ankle rings, Loki's cursed giftset. He claimed they were supposed to be a gift set for Medusa, a token of love from the trickster god himself. Nobody believed him, of course, especially since what he made was an abomination. Jewelry with the ability to lock a mythical being in his or her beast form. In the beginning, it was nothing but annoyance, but quickly, the power of the set sent shivers down the god's back. One of my warrior sisters managed to ruin one of the bracelets, and an ankle piece was later destroyed. For a long time, we hoped that the missing pieces meant the set would not work; we had been wrong. Very wrong.
The set was supposed to lock Medusa's curse away, giving her the ability to be somehow normal. Or at least to be around living beings without killing them, especially Loki. Instead, the set didn't do anything, not at first glance at least. Her snakes were unaffected and filled with disappointment, and Medusa let her anger out. However, that is when it all changed. The second her powers, or her snakes, used their cursed powers, the set began working. Not locking her snakes inside, but the human. Slowly, as the days went by, the poor woman turned into one massive snake. Fading away right in front of Loki, who desperately tried to take the set off her but locked with magic, it would not budge.
On the 7th day, there was nothing left of the woman he loved; the forbidden union between a cursed beauty and a trickster god never again became a problem for the God's or heartspirit. When every trace of her was gone, the set opened itself and fell to the ground as the snake slithered away towards the dense forest. If Eir shifted with that set on, there was no turning back. She would be swallowed by her wolf, and eventually, the wolf would forget who she was or had been, letting the beast back to her instincts, roaming the earth as a regular wolf. That can't happen!
It is time for the lost Valkyrie to come back, but first, I need to save Eir. Then, it is time to have a little chat with Thor. The set was supposed to be thrown into the ever-burning Vulcan hidden beneath Walhalla- Hall. There is no excuse for letting this cursed piece of elf-silver get into the hands of regular humans or shifters, something that was even more dangerous. We never found out where the human faded too; not even the soul or aura did we ever manage to find. For over ten years, I had traveled between realms with a handful of sisters searching. Death realm, Alfheim, Nilfheim, Vanaheim, all the nine realms; we even spent a year in Midgard despite the fact it was only a place for lesser beings like humans and animals with no powers. I paused myself, lesser beings. It felt bitter in my mouth. I lived my life as a human for so many years this time, but I never felt lesser. Come to think of it, living as a human gave me things and feelings I never had before. Teach me lessons, let me evolve, experience pain inside and out, let me grow as a being, and give my soul the opportunity to expand.
Igor's round and fluffy butt disappeared, and I jumped to my feet, realizing he just fell through! If that massive teddy bear can get down, we all could! Without thinking, I ran over and, jumped in, and landed on my feet. The tunnel was deep, cold, and wet. Arcane shifted back after Igor had grabbed the chance to rub his snout against me. The room was too narrow and the roof too low for him. He looked like a massive piece of cotton stuffed into a tiny straw the way he tried to fit.
With a nod and a couple of thuds as the rest jumped in, we started jogging deeper into the net of tunnels beneath the mountain. Nobody spoke a word, and we didn't need to; we all knew what we were doing. I began to lead, following the direction I heard the beast drag Eir as she disappeared. It felt like an eternity jogging silently down the claustrophobic hallways, avoiding loose rocks and small puddles so as not to make too much sound. My wings began to itch on my back, a sign they wanted to be let loose, but there was no place for them here, and without thinking about why, I did my best to keep them away.
Yet again, the tunnel split, and this time, there were no obvious signs of where they went. Trying to catch my breath, I watched as Tew and Arcane's eyes flickered, shifted colors, and started sniffing around. Looks really strange when they are in human form, but whatever works! Again, my wings itched, pressed against my skin, and pearls of sweat appeared on my skin forcing them back.
"Her scent is everywhere! Even on the roof and walls!"
Tew huffed in annoyance while Arcane walked a little deeper in one direction, smelling the walls, before trying the other direction.
"She's been everywhere!"
Arcane shipped in, frustration and irritation clear in his tone before they both looked at me.
"What? "
I stared back, but none of them said a word, and I could feel the irrational rage brew inside of my chest.
"WHAT!? You are the ones with an incredible smell! What do you expect me to do?"
"Calm down, little human"
Arcane tried with a soft voice, and my eyes darted to him. Anger. Rage. I felt it burning in my eyes as I followed every single move his body made, slowly walking over to me.
"Maya, my little wasp, look at your sword."
Wasp!? I nearly jumped him, but with a sheepish grin, he nodded down toward my hand, and I followed his gaze. My sword, it was shining. The white light glimmered in my palm, and a slight pull told me where to go. Of course! How stupid! The sword knows the cursed set it would seek for it, strive to destroy the dark aura; all we had to do was follow!
And just like that, we ran further into the darkness, letting a sword light up with a white light like a couple of dungeon and dragons explorers in the final boss's cave! If it were not for the gravity of the situation, it would have been a funny experience. My sword had l control and knew exactly where we should be going all the time, almost like it talked to my subconsciousness. Deeper and deeper into the dark, running through small puddles, slippery dirt, and rolling rocks. Spiders, dripping groundwater from the roof, and I swear I saw frost stars in some places along the ceiling and wall.
It was a new turn, a new direction, and we kept on going like this for a long time. Not a word was said, and I knew both Tew and Arcane listened and had all senses stretching out to pick up everything that could tell us we were closing in. I saw the reaction on both of them only seconds before I heard it myself. Feet moving amongst stones on a hard surface, mumbling, growling, and hissing. Occasionally, a loud sound, maybe a word, shouting, or just a sound, but it was clear we were almost there. So, we stopped. Slowed down and started walking on the tip of our toes, sneaking closer.
Arcane's hand shoots out in front of me, blocking my way. They were here, just there around the corner. My heart started pounding, raging, increasing my pulse, building up anxiety and excitement. Despite Arcane trying to hold me back, I snuck up to the corner, looking around, and the only reason we were not spotted was Tew's incredibly fast reaction. His massive hand smacked over my mouth as I gasped. Quickly, I ripped it off and sprinted out in the room.
Everyone froze, and all eyes snapped to me.
"Eir! Stop! Don't do it!"
Eri's eyes glowed as her beast looked directly at me; the pointy canines bared as her lips rolled up. She still had her human form, but the beast shared her body, fully visible with her animal features. The silver collar was tight around her neck, shining as the light from my sword reflected on it, and there was even a bracelet! Oh no! No, no, no!!
"DON'T! !"