It was Athelia's turn to laugh as Thor stumbled backward into the black stoney wall of the Geirjan Pit. He held his face in his hands as he waited for the stars to disappear, but instead of letting him fumble about, Athelia held him tightly by the arm as he stepped around the cavern blindly.
"I know we don't have a lot of time, but I like to show you one of my favorite places." She said to him as he finally began looking around.
The only light in the black hole they found themselves in came from the tip of the tall tunnels that shot into the sky, which made it rather hard to take in his surroundings, but he enjoyed the coolness of the cavern enough to agree.
"Where's Freya?"
Athelia nodded towards a hollowed path in the wet walls. Thor looked at the woman in confusion, knowing he would not be able to fit through it. "Are all Dorian's as small as you and Freya?"
She only smiled. They were indeed small, but only some of them. Athelia was shorter than most, but the people of Dorian were not built like Thor or his brutish warrior friends. Most were tall and lean like her father and her uncle, though they were just as strong, if not stronger in some ways. was not intended to be crawled by anything other than the naejir that stalked these corridors by night.
She held out her hand, and he shook his head - refusing to be sucked through the universe with her again. He could barely stand after the first time, and the bright white light that consumed him when she gripped his hand to bring him here still left him seeing stars.
"You'll never get used to it unless you -"
"I prefer to fly."
"That may be true, but you'll never get to where we are going with your hammer." She smiled as she crept down, running her hand along the edge of the cold, black stone. "Don't be scared, Thor. I would never hurt you."
He contemplated for a moment but gripped her hand. His eyes clenched tight, and he stumbled backward as his feet hit the slick floor of the new corridor.
"You can open your eyes now," she whispered. Her hand brushed against his bicep, and he cleared his throat, opening his eyes to the darkness. "Just be careful where you step."
Thor was at a loss. It was much different from the world above them, and he gazed around in awe as he took in the effervescent glow of his surroundings. The tiny specks of neon covered the walls around him, reflecting from the black waters in the middle, and there was no light other than the glowing green vibrance that cast a small light across Athelia's face. He could see her smile and the twinkle in her eyes as she gazed upon her home, and for a moment, he had almost forgotten who she was and the stories he had heard but never asked about.
"What are they?" He asked, reaching behind him towards a glowing mass.
Athelia grabbed hold of his wrists and shook her head. "Don't touch them."
"Them?"
"The children call them to glow worms," she said as she cupped her hand upward, igniting a flame at her fingertips that let him see the little beings. "But they are actually called catiwons. They may look harmless, but the chemical they secrete will melt the skin off your finger."
Thor nodded, officially creeped out by everything she had told him in the last few minutes. He folded his hands in front of him and smiled sheepishly, desperately wishing to be out of the cavern he had found so breathtaking.
"Wheres Freya?"
"If you're worried she is going to run home, don't be. She may be a bit foolish at times, but she is by no means stupid. She knows better." Athelia said, trying to be his worry. "She is here somewhere. More than likely up at the peak."
A low rumble echoed through the small cavern, and she watched the glow on the water ripple, causing her eyes to widen.
"What was that?"
She trained her eyes on the small burrows that led into the watering hole and backed up towards Thor. "That would be our cue to leave."
Without hesitation, she gripped hold of Thor's hand tightly and told him to close his eyes as she returned them to the ground floor of the cavern. She stepped away from Thor after ensuring he had his footing and called you the high tower for Freya.
"Athelia, you have to see this," Freya shouted loudly from the very top.
"Freya, we have to go now."
"You're really going to want to see this."
Freya looked over at Thor and smiled. "Can your hammer get you up there without breaking through the ceiling?" She asked him, and he nodded. "Good, and if I were you, I would hurry. I wouldn't want to see what a naejir would do to that pretty face of yours."
Thor looked around him, instantly taking a defensive stance. His knuckles whitened around his hammer, and he quickly jumped up, the ledge shaking beneath their feet as he landed.
"Scared?"
Thor laughed. "Never."
Freya quickly took Athelia's hands, desperate for ber and Thor to see what she had found. She pulled them closer to the dripping wall, unphased by the confused expressions they wore.
"Are you ready?"
"It's a wall, Freya?" Thor questioned, glancing back over his shoulder.
Freya ran her fingers through her hair, searching for a golden clip that she removed and waved in their face, insisting that they watch it closely. She turned back to the wall, heaving it at the black stone. Though it didn't drop to the ground as Athelia had expected it to. The ripples of what stood before them sucked it up, leaving them standing in shock.
"Can this planet get any odder?" Thor chuckled, taking a step towards it. He reached out, attempting to run his fingers through the translucent hole in front of them, but Athelia gripped his wrist and stepped in front of him as her dress faded away and Eiri filled the boys in her other hand. "What's wrong, Athelia?"
"That's not supposed to be here," she said calmly and watched as the tip of her blade disappeared in front of her.
"It's amazing," Freya exclaimed, throwing yet another barrette into the nothingness.
Athelia took a deep breath. Amazing was not the word she used to explain the phenomenon before her. It was startling. She had been in these caves many times before, but she had never seen anything quite like this.
She hesitated but took a step forward and slowly reached her hand forward, watching in disbelief as the coolness of the other side chilled her fingers.
"Thor, we have to find my uncle. I need to talk to him."
He shook his head. "Athelia, we can't. We're not supposed to be here."
"Neither is this," she snapped. "Bronen has spoken about an occurrence such as this many times. He'll know what's going on."
"Athelia."
Freya watched as the two of them bickered back and forth, but she desperately wanted to feel it. She cursed herself for not doing it before she told Athelia, but while the two were busy attracting the likes of every naejir within the cavern, she reached forward but found herself on fire.
Thor and Athelia turned to the girl as she let out a yelp. Athelia's eyes widened in horror as she watched Freya disappear into the void.
"Freya!" She screamed, causing a series of blood-curdling growls Thor through the caverns below them. "Thor, we need to go."
"Heimdal-"
"No!" She shouted, her voice echoing through the peak again. Thor went to speak, but she pointed Eiri at him and his brows furrowed. "I'm going after her!"
"For all, we know she could be dead."
"But we don't know that." Athelia shook her head, trying desperately to ignore the low guttural purr running from below them. "No, if my uncle was right about the convergence, then this is just merely a portal between the realms. For all, we know she can be running for her life on Muspelheim. She has no weapons, no defense.
"And if he's wrong?" Athelia ignored the theory and instead hilted Eiri and shook her hands, preparing herself with whatever was on the other side. "Athelia! What if he's wrong?"
She glared up at him. "Then tell Jane she is a lucky girl."
12/13/21 - Grammarly Check. Edits & Updates.