Page 35 of Hallowed & Haunted

“You can learn to block it out, I guess. We can find anoaidior maybe a Norse witch willing to teach you.”

“No. If I know something’s there, it feels less scary to see it coming.”

“That’s my brave captain,” Niillas praises. The words are out before he can overthink that he might sound ridiculous, but Sander seems reassured. “We can research your assignments for connections to the hidden world. If you don’t feel safe, I’ll accompany you.”

“Niillas, come on, I can’t ask you to babysit me every time I go on an excursion.”

But Niillas quickly warms up to the idea.

“Why not? I could bring Karo, maybe even earn some credit points for my own studies. And I’d be spending time with you. Sounds like a good time to me.”

Sander’s smile is like spring sunshine over melting ice.

“I’d like that,” he says, leaning toward Niillas and letting his hand rest on his thigh.

Karo snores softly in his little nest on the backseat, and Niillas knows that the terrors of the night are finally over when the farmhouse disappears from view. Slowly, they drive down the forest road toward the outskirts of Tromsø.

Chapter 9

Sander

The Defender’s heater is running at full blast, and Sander curls up in the passenger seat, his muscles finally relaxing. The farm and the lake are no longer visible between the trees, and it feels as if a lead weight has been lifted from his shoulders.

He fishes his mobile from his pocket, grateful that Niillas was quick-witted enough to retrieve it from the upper floor when he got Sander. Because Sander isn’t sure if he’d have the guts to go up there even in broad daylight. He checks the display. Still no reception. When they take another turn, the forest clears around them, and the display lights up.

“Oh shit. Seven missed calls from Jonas, and almost as many texts from Emma.” He scrolls rapidly. “They’re really worried.”

Niillas chuckles.

“Does that surprise you?”

“Yes. No. Kinda?”

In the warmth of the car, with the sunlight filtering through the tall trees and with Niillas’ calming presence by his side, it feels almost ridiculous that they’d worried. Because in the world of ordinary people like Sander, a farmhouse isn’t a place where you can get lost and eaten by a troll, no matter how spooky and abandoned it might seem.

“Do you think I should call Jonas?”

Niillas hums his approval.

“Why don’t you tell him we got super cold and that you almost crashed through some floorboards while exploring, but that we stayed until dawn?”

Sander exhales a deep breath of relief because Niillas seems to know exactly what he needs. The reassurance. The shared story, so Sander wouldn’t trip over his words trying to explain what happened. Because, for all his charm, he’s a terrible liar.

“Yeah, sounds good,” Sander mumbles, already dialing Jonas’ number. “Thanks.”

Niillas lets go of the stick and puts a grounding hand on Sander’s thigh instead.

The call connects after the first ring, and Sander hurriedly puts Jonas on speaker.

“Sander! Thank god! Are you okay? We were about to call the police—”

“We’re fine,” Sander interrupts quickly. “Really. It’s just… that there was no signal at the farm—”

“We were sick with worry, you idiots,” Emma cuts in, anger and relief evident in her strained voice. “How’s Niillas?”

“I’m good,” Niillas says. “Currently driving.”

“We’re going to have breakfast at my place.”