Page 29 of Between Broomsticks and Beating Wings (Love X Magic #3)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
DWARVES OF THE NEW MOON
Rune
W e all stood in front of the gate to Nidavellir.
There were no serpents, fire giants, or a creepy black nothingness threatening to swallow us whole, because unlike the first few gates we encountered, the entrance to the realm of dwarves was quite discreet.
Kari had walked right past it, thinking nothing of a large, curved branch from which vines cascaded.
Pulling the curtain of foliage to the side to show the iron gate hidden behind it, I held them in place and said, “After you.”
Rayna took it upon herself to stalk in front of Kari, Gunhild right behind her, muttering something about how insufferable I was being.
Kari offered me a sheepish smile as she and Tove snuck under the branch next.
Apple and I followed shortly after, and I took one last glance into the dimming sky before stepping through the gate, pulling it closed behind me and securing it with a click.
There was no use spending another night in a pile of hay when there were perfectly good inns in Nidavellir, even if you had to push two of the beds together.
I hadn’t visited in a few years, but Rayna, a couple of other sisters, and I had taken the Bifrost on our respective pegasuses more times than I could count over the centuries.
Once we walked through the gate, we weren’t met with unnatural whispers or man-eating snakes or demons. What we were met with was music, sweet, earthy music. It was dull and rhythmic, emanating from somewhere underground. It’d been a long time since I’d come through the Nidavellir gate.
I glanced around at the mountainous region to get my bearings, pretending I didn’t see Rayna and Kari watching me out of the corner of my eye.
Striding forward, I followed the music, something scratching at my brain, telling me to remember.
I let my feet take me, as if the muscles held memory.
The others followed me, glancing up at the new moon as they went.
Kari was in for quite a treat tonight, and anticipation crept up my spine at the prospect of what may come out of our time here.
Nidavellir wasn’t named after the new moon for nothing.
When we approached the base of the first mountain, I said, “This is as far as the pegasuses can come.” My gaze locked on Apple, then on Gunhild. Kari turned to find Tove, and when she did, a shriek escaped her lips, her hands flying to her mouth.
“What happened to him?” she asked, motioning to her once orange cat, who was now incorporeal and tinted blue.
I placed my hand on her shaking arm. “It’s okay, seeress.
Nidavellir is not of the heavens or the underworld, much like Midgard.
Once we leave, he’ll be his orange, solid self again, I promise.
While you’ve been getting used to him seeming like he’s living once more, you have to remember, Tove is still a spirit. ”
Kari stared at her companion and then nodded her head.
“He’ll be safe here with Epli and Gunhild. If he tries to run off to find you or get into trouble, they’ll know what to do.”
Kari let her head tilt to the side, then let out a sigh. She blew a kiss to Tove as he released a loud meow, seemingly unbothered by his slip back into ghosthood.
I left more than enough food and water behind for the pegasuses so there would be no battles over resources.
It wouldn’t be the first time. When the second half of our traveling party was secured and comfortable, I led the rest of us through a passage of rock until we came upon a granite slab jutting from the soil.
I placed my palm upon it and ushered Kari and Rayna to do the same.
Once we did, the granite sank into the soft ground, swallowed up by the realm itself.
I hopped over the mud from where it disappeared and landed on the start of a stone path.
The path was a staircase that descended into the depths of Nidavellir, and as we descended, the music grew louder.
There was nothing to guide our way but the eternal flames mounted upon the stone walls every few paces, casting shadows across rock.
“What’s going on?” Kari asked as we were funneled into a large cavern.
Dwarves were everywhere, dancing, singing, and drinking horns of ale.
Lanterns were strung up from stone wall to stone wall, bathing the dwarves in an orange glow.
Someone bumped into Kari, spilling frothy ale down the front of her.
She let out a shocked hiss in return, but the dwarf who’d bumped into her didn’t seem to notice over the flutes and lyres and the people cheering around us.
Light typically filtered into the cavern, designed specifically for the moonbeams to reach the depths of the cave.
On a night like tonight, when the moon was hidden, the lanterns had to work double time.
In the center of the high stone ceiling, there was a large gap where the moon would be shown only during a precise time of the night.
When the new moon morphed into the faintest crescent, beginning the lunar cycle over once more, the joyous occasion turned wild.
Kari’s hand on my arm brought my attention to her, her forehead creasing.
I realized I’d ignored her. “Sorry, seeress. It’s hard not to get distracted on Nidavellir.
As you’ll soon understand, there’s never a dull moment in this realm,” I explained as I began maneuvering us around the outskirts of the cavern to avoid the crowd and stay out of ale-spilling range.
“Tonight is the new moon, and the dwarves worship said moon. Each lunar cycle, sometimes even twice, the dwarves will celebrate the presence of their source of power. When they bask in the darkness of the new moon, it refuels their seidr levels, like how I need to ride upon Apple. Seeing as the new moon is the start of the lunar cycle, it represents new beginnings, and the dwarves believe that’s something to be celebrated. ”
“And they celebrate…hard,” Rayna added, her lips tilting up at the corners.
I swore, if Rayna had to reside anywhere in the nine realms, throwing away her life as a valkyrie, she would settle here.
She left the drinking to me most of the time, but the woman knew how to indulge when the weight of her Asgardian duties lifted from her shoulders.
Between the ale and the world’s finest smiths, she’d get on here no problem.
I caught Kari watching Rayna as if she’d noticed she was a person with actual emotions for the first time.
Her attention then shifted to me and the hand that still held my metal-coated arm as I directed her to a network of underground tunnels.
Only when we crossed the threshold into the first tunnel did she let me go.
I didn’t bring any attention to her desire for guidance, hoping if I acted as if it hadn’t filled my stomach with butterflies, she might do it again upon reaching another crowd. And tonight, we surely would.
Rayna’s favorite tavern was up ahead, lanterns mounted onto either side of the stone facade.
Dwarves funneled in and out, a drink in each hand, some freshly topped up with an amber-colored ale and others drained, leaving nothing but foam to tell you what it once held.
My younger sister pushed her way to the front of the tavern, where a granite bar top glistened with sticky substances, and I found myself hoping it was all ale and nothing more potent.
When I noticed Kari trapped behind a group of drunk dwarves who’d decided they’d start an arm-wrestling challenge right in front of her, I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward me.
One of the dwarves shot me an irritated glance when they were shoved to the side to make room for her, but when they spotted my armor, their bearded jaw fell slack, and all they could do was admire the craftsmanship.
That tended to happen here, which gave my sisters and I a little leg up around these parts.
Quality metalwork would never cease to catch the attention of a dwarf.
“What was that about?” Kari asked, glancing at the dwarf, who now was gathering the attention of their companions.
I gave her a shrug and said, “They can’t help themselves.”
“What, you think you’re just that attractive?” she asked, holding back an eye roll.
I snorted, giving her a once over to understand the harsh edge in her tone. I couldn’t tell if she disagreed with that logic or simply didn’t love the idea that a group of people were fawning over me. “You jealous, seeress?”
“Hardly.” Her jaw was set, and she stared after Rayna, where she secured our spot in line.
“Well good, because it’s not me they like. It’s what I wear.”
Understanding flashed in Kari’s eyes, and maybe I was imaging it, but I swore, an embarrassed blush crept over her cheeks. “Your armor. Of course. I presume a dwarf seeing what you have on your body is the equivalent of a viking running into a battle.”
I chuckled and nodded my head in agreement.
Kari smoothed a hand down her skirts until she remembered she was covered in some strangers' abandoned beverage. She grimaced, but Rayna waving her arms above her head to catch our attention quickly stole Kari’s annoyance.
I hadn’t realized Rayna was no longer standing next to us; somehow, she’d managed to secure a table for three amongst the chaos.
“How did you get so lucky?” I asked once we got close enough.
“A couple dwarves asked if they could touch my armor, and well…” Rayna glanced at the table. “I told them I’d do a trade.”
“Nice work,” I chuckled, and even Kari seemed quite happy with my younger sister.
The three of us took our seats and, shortly after, a dwarf with deep, brown eyes and braided auburn beard greeted us. “Ah ha! Many happy greetings, valkyries! Why do I have the pleasure of seeing you again so soon?”
“Alvion,” Rayna said, clapping the back of our old friend. “I was hoping you’d be joining in on the celebrations tonight, not working.”