“Wait until you see her, Thrym. The Aesir won’t let this one go.”
The side opposite to where she crouched swung open on squealing hinges, and Ailsa was met by two Frost Giants. One of them eyed her closely, then turned to the giant with a striking resemblance. “Freya is as good as mine.”
“All in good time, brother. Let’s see howValireacts when he realizes I have his little mortal.”
Thrym grunted. “Get the human inside before she catches her death. What did you say her name was?”
“Does it matter? Get out here, girl!”
Ailsa could only glare at them both as she unfolded her limbs and stepped out the cage tentatively. A large hall stood behind them, but this one was different. The flags marking the entrance to the hall were colored crimson and grey, and the giant Thrym was dressed in similar colors, clashing with Drieger’s mossy tunic.
“Where am I?” she shuddered, trying to hide the cold tremble in her bones that resembled fear. She glanced around but the landscape was barren. This place was nestled deep into the valley where even the trees did not have a place to root themselves.
“Let’s get her inside and chain her to the whipping post. If you are right about this Aesir, it won’t take him long to get here. Gather the surrounding Jotun.”
“What do you want with him?” she asked. The giants considered her as they moved to grab her. She darted from their advances. “What do you want from the elfin?”
Thrym snatched her forearm in his massive hand and squeezed until the pain made her knees buckle. “Don’t worry, little human,” he sang in her ear. “Vali the Heartless is just going to do a little job for me across the rainbow bridge.”
“And if he refuses?” she hissed.
“If he refuses?” Thyrm cocked a dark green brow at her. “I will make you both suffer.”
Vali pulled his cowl high over his ears, just enough to block the freezing wind tearing around his body as he rode deeper into the valley. Drieger’s prints were still marked in the fresh snow that must have fallen as they slept, guiding him through Thrym’s territory.
The pale mare flew down the winding path. The farmlands bordering the giant’s hall were a blur as he stood in the saddle to aid their swiftness. He dropped from the horse as it neared the mouth of the hall, where a similar steed was pulling a metal cage.
He saw the world in a bloody filter, his rage dominating his inclinations. The scent of iron curbed the taste of copper against his palate; his fingers ached with a desire to hurt. Guards waited for him outside the open hall doors, but he threw them aside with his magic, not giving them a chance to lift their own.
“Vali!”
Ailsa was chained by her wrists to a beam in the center of the room, surrounded by giants who had seemingly just arrived judging by the icy slush melting from their boots. Her braids were snagged, and her gown was stained with wet spots like she had been drug through the snow, but she otherwise appeared untouched. The look in her eyes wrecked him, and he was grateful he didn’t have a heart to feel it break.
“Ailsa, are you hurt?” he asked, approaching her. He was immediately stopped by an invisible wall.
“Not too close,Vali.”
He forced himself to take a steadying breath. “What is the meaning of this, Drieger?”
The giant appeared from distant shadowed corner, his fist occupying a large ale. “Did you really think I wouldn’t know the kin of my most hated enemy when it showed up on my door? You may look like a fae but you hold yourself like a god. Though, I am curious as to why you are traveling with a mortal.”
“I told you why,” Vali spat.
“Yes, you also told me your name was Dane. An obvious lie that forces me to question all your other claims. Do you even care about her at all? Or is this another crafty Aesir trick?”
The room filled with judgmental whispers, but he ignored them. “Of course I care about her. I would not have sought help from mymost hated enemyunless I was truly desperate.”
Thrym stepped from his place on the dais on the opposite side of the room, forming a triangle between him and the giants, and Ailsa sat in the middle. “I wonder if she is even with child. Maybe we should give her a check, just to be sure—”
“Touch a thread on her dress and it will be the last time you use that hand,” Vali warned as he unsheathed his blade. A strange urge beckoned him to protect Ailsa as if she were a selfish acquisition. His anger spread through the metal, an extension of his body, setting it on fire as he pointed the blazing sword at the giant.
Thrym shot his hands up in defense as he chuckled. “All right, I think we learned the answer tothatquestion. Though she is pretty, I have no interest in your human, Vali.”
“Then why is she in your hall?”
“Because I want something from the Aesir, and I need your help to get it. Our dear Ailsa here is just providing you with some necessary motivation.”
Vali lowered the weapon and the flames died. “If you want something from the Aesir, I’m afraid you threatened the wrong one. The gods of Asgard do not recognize me as one of them, nor do they care if I require their assistance.”