“We can’t beat the larger one,” Michael said. We stood, unarmed, staring through the door, out into the night. The howling outside grew louder.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“I think my arm’s broken. And I cut my back. How about you?”
“I should be hurting everywhere, but I just feel numb.”
Onni was now writhing around and whimpering in front of us. Moonlight flooded through the broken door, outlining him with silver. Bubbles of saliva frothed at his mouth and he opened and closed his jaws like a fish out of water. His hands were still clasped around the shaft of the spear, but he couldn’t budge it. The occasional spark appeared in his wound, making him wince.
A shadow fell across him. A hulking figure stood there, eyes glowing red. Skoll had returned.
“Simple-minded humans.” The voice was so hoarse it took me a moment to understand the words. “Know nothing, understand nothing. You never change.”
The shadow took another step, eyes not moving from us. Skoll’s face was in shadows. He stepped into the barn.
The moonlight revealed long, gray, shoulder-length hair. And female features.
“It’s Gunnvor,” I whispered, shocked.
There was an odd look to her face, like it had been pulled forward and stretched. It was coated with thick hair. Her open mouth revealed long, sharp teeth behind thick lips. She knelt, placed her hand on Onni’s forehead and he turned to her. “He’s just a child.” Her words were still hoarse, but somehow softer. “He doesn’t know any better. He can’t control himself.”
“He was trying to kill us,” Michael said.
“You are on our land,” Gunnvor said, matter-of-factly. “We have been here much longer than any of you interlopers. And now you come right to my home and attack my child. We should have slain you all years ago.”
“We didn’t want to come here,” I pleaded. “He dragged one of our friends up here.”
Her eyes moved from me to Mordur. “Ah, Mordur. Thordy’s little helper. Onni didn’t touch him.” She paused. Sniffed. Looked over at the bags of internal organs. “Lamb livers. Chicken hearts You wanted to lure my son here and kill him with your little weapon.”
“Those were already here,” Michael said.
Gunnvor ignored him and bent down and scooped up her son like he was a baby. He had changed slightly; his hair had shortened, making his face look younger but still wolflike. Without giving him any warning she yanked out the spearhead. He shrieked.
Gunnvor threw the spear down so that it stuck into the stone floor. Sparks arced through the air. “You came to murder my child. It has been four hundred years since I last killed one of your kind, but I will not hesitate to start again tonight.” She gently set Onni down in a pile of old straw. He reached out to her, but she turned and stepped towards us.