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My body protested, but I forced myself to my feet. “Let’s go. You must come with me. I need your help and I can’t leave you here.”
She nodded. “My son no longer needs me to protect him. He has gone to his ancestors, I hope. And perhaps, I will redeem myself in the eyes of Thor and Frejya.”
“May I say a few words for him?”
“I would be honored if you did, Priestess.”
Putting her arm around my waist, she helped me over to the cage, and I stared at the slack body, tears running down my face. He’d never had a chance. He was of an age to take a wife now, but he’d never wed, never prove himself in battle, never grow into whatever he might have become. And the fault lay directly at Hyto’s feet.
I reached into the cage, placed my hands on the cool body. Biting my lip, I breathed long and slow, trying to ignore my own pain. And then, lowering myself into trance, I felt for the Moon Mother, sought her presence. She swept over me, for a moment took away my discomfort as I whispered our prayer for the dead.
“What was life has crumbled. What was form, now falls away. Mortal chains unbind and the soul is lifted free. May you find your way to the ancestors. May you find your path to the gods. May your bravery and courage be remembered in song and story. May your parents be proud, and may your children carry your birthright. Sleep, and wander no more.”
Making the sign that signified the Trail of the Dead, I let out another long breath and turned around. Hanna was crying, silently, but she managed a pained smile as she led me over to the table, where we both washed our hands.
She shoved a sturdy crust of bread into my hands, spread with cheese. A thick shard of jerky sat beside the plate, and a bowl of broth. I quickly ate and slurped down the soup while she slathered me in ointments again.
“Thank you,” I said quietly, feeling numb inside.
“You’ll need it. The weather outside is brutal.”
“I know. I’ve been out there before. I also know that life around Hyto is far worse. I’d rather die in the snow. I don’t trust him to keep me alive until his son gets here. He went apeshit on me, but he could have been far worse. And next time . . .”
“Here—put these on.” She shook out the undergarments, trousers, shirt, and robe she’d shoved into my hands earlier. I slid into the clothes, wincing as the rough material brushed against all the bruises and abrasions covering my body.
While I was getting dressed, Hanna yanked out a couple of rucksacks she had filled with food and water and other things I could not see. I finished dressing and looked around for anything that might make a useful weapon. I had my magic, but it would be nice to have something sharp and pointy in my hands. She noticed what I was doing.
“You won’t find any weapons.” She shook her head. “Not here—except for the butchering knives. We’ll take those. Hyto didn’t consider them a threat in my hands, I suppose.” She handed me a clean thick-bladed knife, wicked sharp and heavy. I slid it through the belt holding the fur vest I’d donned together in front.
“We should go. How long does he usually stay out to feed?”
“Sometimes all day; other times he returns faster. I think we’ve got about everything we can handle. Here—drape this around you.” She wrapped a heavy white fur cloak around my shoulders, an animal hide with armholes slit in it. The warmth would help keep me alive. Hanna was similarly dressed.
“What about the collar? Can he track me through it?”
“Probably, but I can’t take it off. His magic is too strong.” She picked up a walking stick and handed it to me, then found another sturdy length of wood for herself. “I think we’re ready. Let us get out of here.”
With one last look at Hyto’s secret lair, I followed her into the maze of tunnels. I’d never come back here alive—even if I had to kill myself to prevent it.
We wound through the stone passages until we came to an exit, which I was surprised to see was not the main entrance. The cave opening overlooked a steep path heading directly down the mountain. I glanced around and caught sight of what I was now positive were the Skirts of Hel—the glacial sheets near Howl’s hideout.
“We have to make for there. I am friends with—”
“Yes, you told me. Lord Howl. If you are telling the truth, then we may actually have a chance, but we have to keep to the shadows as much as we can. The Master . . . Hyto . . .” Her tongue rolled over the name like an unfamiliar cavity, newly discovered and unwelcome. “Hyto will return from the air, flying, and if he should see us in the snow, he’ll fry us to crisps.”
“That’s why the white fur? Camouflage?”
“Easier to hide in the snow, yes. So keep the hood over your hair—it’s dark and shows easily against the white. Dragon eyes are keen. Dragon sight is clear. Even when the dragon is mad. And there are other dangers—”
“Trolls, ice spiders . . . I know.”
“So many creatures up here, and so little food.” Hanna nodded, then stepped out into the snow, sinking to her ankles. “The snow has compacted through the winter, but the fresh fall is atop of it and so going will not be easy.”
I followed her, my muscles protesting every move I made. But anything was better than waiting in that stinking cavern for Hyto to return. The fur boots she’d fashioned for me were actually quite warm, and I thought that if I should get out of this and ever have to return to the Northlands—something I wasn’t planning on—I’d go native with my outfit.
We struggled down the path as fast as we could. Slipping and sliding, we barreled our way away from the cave, leaving a veil of fine powder in our wake. The snow had fallen again during the night and beneath the new inches was hardened crust, so we only sank up to our ankles.
Keeping to the cover of the scrub trees—high-altitude pines and firs that were windblown, growing at a slant—Hanna and I slowed. The grade was growing steeper as we made our way down the mountainside, and the air bone-jarring. Every breath I took hurt my lungs and made my bruises ache, but now that we were out of the cave, I knew I couldn’t go back.
