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The lightning wall dropped, and the charge resumed. The pale ones caught behind it rushed forward.

The last of his Ravens and dragons went through and the last pale ones fell. Hel was surrounded, bodies flew from magical blows, and he fought fiercely but he was alone. The enemy charged for the portal now, for him.

“HEL!” Thane hopped off Phantom and pushed him through the portal and sprinted for him. Starborn trotted up to the portal and went through. “HEL!” He swung at the first soldier to reach him, cutting up the belly and through the throat. One down…

He kept swinging, ten down.

Two giants standing twenty feet tall came up on either side; he dodged a blow and cut the back of the left’s heels. The beast toppled with a screech. He narrowly missed the blow of a club and then hacked at the back of the giant’s knee, buckling him.

He raised his sword to clash with a man when a hand gripped his arm, and he was suddenly pulled into darkness. Pressure crushed every inch of his body, then he stood outside the portal in the unnamed forest. It was quiet here. No charging enemies, no rain or thunder. Only the backs of the last of his soldiers marching toward home.

He bent over, grabbing the tops of his thighs, dragging in breath.

Hel let him go and placed both hands on the stone portal. “Don’t let anyone else come through.”

A moment passed. “There is a goddess requesting access,” it hissed.

“No!” Hel growled. “Do not let her through.”

“I cannot refuse her.”

“You can’t refuse me either!”

Thane pushed his palms against the rough surface. “Do not let her through.”

“She will come through another way,” the voices said.

“That will at least buy us some time,” Hel said. “This is our land, not hers. Do not let her through here.”

The portal went quiet, dormant. They both backed away and waited for movement, but it didn’t come.

Worry gnawing at his gut, Thane turned to Hel. “The next closest portal is the Brightheart Forest. It gives us not even a few hours.”

“Then we better hope Valeen and Katana finished that sword and that it worked.” Hel grabbed Thane’s collar and jerked him closer. “And you fucking idiot, I tried to send Mathekis to tell you that Atlanta wants Katana back. He asked for her in the negotiations. He’s here.”

Chapter 53

KATANA

The swirling waters fell away, and Atlanta loosened his grip on her. A meadow of tall green grass with patches of wildflowers surrounded them. In the distance the mountain peak behind Castle Dredwich was visible. The lip of the Valley of the Sun wasn’t far off. She’d expected to be standing in the middle of the unnamed forest to be dragged through the portal to House of the Seas.

Atlanta strode away from her then suddenly halted as if he hit a wall. He pressed his hands flat against what appeared to be nothing. Then she remembered what Valeen said, “No one is allowed inoroutunless I or the goddess of day wills it.”

Atlanta was trapped inside unless she or Valeen allowed him to leave. She smiled and felt laughter bubbling up in her chest.

He whirled, ferocity taking over his features. “What magic is this?”

“I don’t know.”

His fists crashed into the invisible wall. Then he conjured his trident and stabbed wildly at it. He hit it with a blast of water, with a force that could cut through stone, and it only sprayed back at him. “Did you do this?”

She shook her head but the laughter that had been threatening broke free. Even with her hand over her mouth she couldn’t stop.

Eyes blown wide with rage, Atlanta stalked toward her and backhanded her across the face. The blow knocked her off balance and she fell to one knee.

She rose back up and wiped the bead of blood at the corner of her mouth. “All you are is a boy who never learned to control his temper.” He sneered and raised his hand, but she didn’t flinch, didn’t move. She pushed her shoulders back.

“You’ve been around your sister too long, but you’ll remember your place. Now, let us pass.”