Outside, the air felt warm and crisp, and the beautiful mountainside city around me was eerily silent. Carts were left unattended in the dirt roads, and front doors left open on empty houses.

The air turned cold and dark clouds rolled in, and I knew that a dense fog would follow behind it.

“What am I to do?” I shouted into the still air. “You told me to stop it, but how do I do it? What am I even stopping?”

“You’re stopping the end of everything you know,” she said, and I whirled around to see her standing there as the fog thickened around her.

“How do I stop it?” I asked, and as the harsh air burned my throat, I realized it was smoke, not fog.

She came closer to me, and sadly she said, “You will give your heart and your blood. That is the only way you will kill the wyrm.”

“What?” I asked incredulously, and the ground shook beneath my bare feet. “How could I possibly do all that?”

“When the time comes, follow the lone white elk.” She was nearly shouting to be heard over the rumbling. Stone buildings crumbled all around us, but she didn’t move, so neither did I.

“What are you talking about?”

“When the time comes, follow the lone white elk. If you don’t, the whole world will burn,” she warned me, and suddenly, everything erupted in screams.

The city that had a moment ago been devoid of life was abruptly filled with running, terrified men, women, and children. Some were bloodied, some singed, all of them screaming and shouting in a language I couldn’t understand.

My lungs and throat burned and flashes of green lit up the smoke. The woman in her gossamer gown was gone, and I was dodging strangers and collapsing buildings. I ran around a burning barn, narrowly avoiding a panicked crowd rushing toward me.

I heard a guttural growl, and the last thing I saw was a burst of green before an inferno engulfed me.

47

A Journey Back

Tove and his husband, Bain, lived in a surprisingly luxe townhouse at the peak of the bluffs. It was the end unit in a row of six, and they had panoramic views of the vibrant green forest and deep blue Mississippi River cutting sharply through the land.

Honestly, their house looked like something out of one of those home-decorating shows I sometimes watched with Hanna, Mia, and Finn. Soft gray walls like downy clouds, white marble tiles around the fireplace, wood floors so dark they were nearly black, and elegant crystal light fixtures. There were also a few chic rustic pieces, like a silver moose head made of mercury glass mounted on the wall and a chunky knit mohair blanket on the back of the sofa.