“Good thing Rose and I are here, then. We can split the duty so we don’t get overly tired with you leaning against us,” Seppo said.

Soren sighed as his dignity and pride fought against the feelings of uselessness. I tasted it on my tongue as we spoke. So far the link to each other hadn’t been severed, at least emotionally, since I could feel his pain.

Focusing on the bond, I tried to send him waves of comfort, waves of peace, but if they worked, he didn’t seem to react at all. There was a certain dullness in his eyes—eye—that lay heavy in his face, and it made my heart hurt to see it.

When we had a moment together, we would need to speak, alone.

With Rose and Seppo helping Soren stay steady, and with Diaval close to my side, we braced ourselves for the unthinkable—being led by Lydian. My stomach clenched at the thought of it, and I forced myself to think of something else because otherwise I was sure I’d get sick.

“We need to leave,” Seppo said, “before Hel catches up to us.”

Diaval snorted by my side. “Hel won’t dirty herself with hunting us; she will send something. It will be horrible but it won’t be her.”

“The witch is right,” Lydian said. “But so is the jester. We need to leave as fast as we can. Remember that the mists of Niflheim will mess with your head eventually. Don’t, for Odin’s sake, leave the path that I create. If there’s one thing I ask of you, it is to please trust me about this. Niflheim is dangerous.”

And so, with no other choice, we trudged along after Lydian. Icy wind sprayed on our faces from all directions, and we huddled in our parkas the best we could to hide against the blasts. I pulled my hood up immediately and pulled the mask up that covered the bottom half of my face, so only my eyes peeked out from underneath. Even then, the blasts of cold and mist made me squint.

One by one, everyone copied me, feeling the cold as well as I had. Even Lydian pulled up his hood, despite showing no signs of being bothered by the weather. I’d been sympathetic enough to pack him clothes before we journeyed to Hel, knowing that his were most likely ragged and full of gore. Other than the practical reasons why I did it, I hadn’t wanted to smell that rotten stink for days. When he originally appeared in Hel, I was glad of my decision.