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That was one thing that was abundant in the ruins: bones. Whether human bones, animal bones, or indistinguishable magic beast bones—they cluttered the corners of the halls and rooms.

The hallway ended and they walked through an open archway into a spacious, brightly lit hall. One of the walls opened up to the outside. Pillars were erected at that wall and the only thing stopping anyone from falling was a rusty, peeling, metal railing. Cool air breezed across ten raised stone coffins at the opposite end of the room.

“What is this place?” Eyfura walked deeper inside.

“I can’t use my powers,” Magni growled, staring down at his hands. “Great. This is one ofthoserooms.”

An ominous chill hung in the air and the shadows in the corners of the room seemed to darken, contrasting with the shimmering runes hanging on top of the archway that readno magic.

Something didn’t feel right about the place. Like she shouldn’t have been there. Like none of them should’ve been there.

Across the room, the railing creaked as Blár leaned onto it, trying to see into the ravine below. Eyfura gasped audibly. “How can you trust that rusty railing not to break? You’ll die if you fall!”

He froze, blue eyes switching between her and the railing before he released it like it was on fire. He stepped away and held his hands up. “Ah, right. I forgot my powers don’t work.” He stared uneasily at the ravine. “And I’m not too fond of goingsplatthat quickly.”

Kolfinna remained rooted near the entrance, her instincts telling her to turn around and run. There was definitely something off about this room. Unlike the other rooms, it didn’t lead anywhere, and the focus seemed to be on the coffins.

“Guys, help me here, would you?” Mímir voice was urgent as he tried pushing off the lid to one of the coffins.

“What are you doing?” Kolfinna asked slowly.

“What does it look like?” Mímir gritted his teeth and despite his injuries, he seemed adamant to push. “Come and help.”

The wind ruffled Blár’s hair, making his face appear even more still. “You shouldn’t disturb the dead.”

“There might be artifacts in here,” he said impatiently, waving to the others. “Come on.”

Magni muttered a curse under his breath but joined him. Truda shifted on her feet and stood near the entrance beside Kolfinna. She, too, seemed like she wanted to leave. “Is that really necessary? I don’t really want to look at a decayed thousand-year-old body.”

“Can you all stop complaining and just get over here? Is that really so much to ask for?” Mímir stopped pushing and looked at them with a twisted expression. He turned back and shoved the lid off the coffin. It crashed to the floor, snapping in half. He peered into the coffin, his eyes lighting up. “She’s … preserved.”

That caught Kolfinna’s attention and she rushed to his side to find a woman inside the coffin. Brown, wavy hair shot with gray streaks framed her face and long lashes brushed against her cheeks. A drab, ratted beige dress clung to her thin frame.

Kolfinna touched the woman’s hand and yanked it back when she felt the familiar spark of mana. “She’s alive,” she whispered. “This must be one of the fae whose magic runs this place.”

“This one looks the same,” Magni called from another coffin.

Maybe Revna was in one of them? Kolfinna went to the next coffin and pushed the lid. It budged slowly and she was able to crack it open just enough to peek inside. Another woman lay dormant, but she was far older and frailer looking than Revna.

Blár shoved the lid off one of the coffins. “Hey, it’s the hag!”

Kolfinna rushed to his side and grabbed the edge of the coffin. It was cool to the touch and sent a shiver down her spine. Like Blár had said, Revna’s sleeping body was nestled in the coffin. Mana buzzed in the air.

Kolfinna was torn at the sight of Revna’s peaceful face; on one hand, Revna had betrayed her and didn’t deserve any sympathy. But on the other hand, she had healed Kolfinna’s leg and taught her about runes.

“She’s alive.” She turned to the rest of the party. Eyfura and Truda stood near the entrance, not appearing keen to inspect the coffins. “They’re all alive, but … It seems like they have some sort of spell on them. Revna had mentioned that even if her soul escapes the dimension, it doesn’t necessarily mean her physical body will be released as well.”

“What should we—” But Magni froze when Mímir suddenly reached into his pocket and produced a dagger with a blade the size of his palm. He flipped the dagger in his hand and jammed it into the chest of the woman with wavy brown hair.

“What are you doing?” Kolfinna shouted, as he pulled the dagger out and frowned.

“Mímir!” Eyfura said, just as shocked. “What was that for?”

“Strange,” Mímir murmured with furrowed brows.Mímir pushed Kolfinna out of the way to look at Revna.

“What are you doing?” Kolfinna grabbed his wrist. He tried to push away from her, but she held him firmly. She stole a glance at the fae he had just stabbed. Surprisingly, no blood pooled around her chest like she thought it would, and no blood stained the blade either.

Mímir wrenched his hand back with a glare. “Stop, Kolfinna.”