hand.
Jess
gasped, letting me know that the ancient metal glowed a ghostly blue now. I opened my eyes, and the stainless steel door shimmered.
Flashes of blue and red glinted in the molten metal like distant galaxies.
"Oh my
God," Jess said, and stepped back.
A wave
undulated through the glimmering steel before the wavering mirage dropped away
completely.
An expanse
of black nothingness yawned before us where the door had been just moments
before.
"You
have to go first."
"But
there's nothing here," Jess said, tentatively leaning his head forward,
careful to stay well back from the precipice. "There's just empty space
here, Sabrina."
"I
know, Jess. This is the way. You have to go first. The seeker must enter
first."
Jess
stepped back, pulling me with him. "Have you ever done this before? I
mean, have you ever brought a ... a mortal here?"
Sweat
coated the top of his upper lip, and I resisted the urge to kiss it away.
Instead I wiped it away with my finger. He didn't flinch.
"No,"
I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I haven't done this before, but
I've heard stories. You'll be safe. Skuld won't do
harm to a mortal."
Jess
reached for my hand. It was such a human gesture that my breath caught in my
throat. I'd clasped men's hands before, in battle. Holding
them while they moaned for their mothers. Even the most courageous hero
cries out for his mother at the end.
This was
different. Jesse's hand was strong, warm and completely enveloped my own.
He took a shaky breath, puffed out
his chest, and with the same courage I'd seen on that dusty street in Kandahar,
he stepped out and into the void.
I jumped
with him, hoping that I could save him as well as myself.
We fell,
and I released my wings, shredding my blouse in the process. The pea coat hung
across my shoulders in tatters.
We fell for
what seemed an eternity. The darkness was utter and complete. I clung to
Jesse's hand like a lifeline. We coasted down and landed onto a rocky pathway.
The tunnel was
cold and damp, water trickling over the rock face like fresh tears. A pale
yellow light flickered in the distance.
"Look!"
Jess said.
"I see
it."
Without
another word, Jess moved toward it. I followed close behind. There was no room
for us to walk side by side, and I tucked my wings back into my shoulder
blades.
“ Wait, ” Jess said, stopping. He slipped out of his trench coat and
handed it to me, then pulled off his t-shirt. “ Put
this on. I won ’ t be able to concentrate with you topless. ”
“ Oh,
Jess, ” I said, laughing and shaking my head. I dropped the remnants
of the pea coat to the ground and pulled the t-shirt over my head. Jess wrapped
his arm around my waist and pulled me close. I felt his lips in my hair.
“ Okay,
I ’ m ready. ”
We walked
toward the light. Fear cut through me, fear that made my insides feel unhinged,
as if my very organs were dropping to earth. Sweat broke out along the back of
my neck, and I put a hand on Jesse's back.
He stopped.
"Are
you okay?"
"I
don't know," I said, shocked by my own trembling, wavering voice.
"Sabrina."
Jess put his arms around me. I clutched at him, the sound of his voice a salve
on my twisted nerves. "Sabrina, let's go back."
"No,"
I said, pulling away from his warm embrace. "Let's move."
He
hesitated, his eyes trying to find mine in the darkness. He cupped my cheek and
bent toward me. I tried to pull away, but he held me firmly in his arms. When
he kissed my forehead, I thought I might weep.
Laughing, I
sucked in a deep breath, pulling myself together. I'd never wept in my life.
"I'm ready. Let's go."
"Okay."
He turned, but kept my left hand firmly in his right.
The light
grew brighter as we moved toward it, and by the time we came to the end of the
tunnel, I was as blinded by the light as I'd been by the darkness.
When my
eyes adjusted, I saw Skuld .
The goddess
sat on a throne of entwined tree limbs. Four torches were placed around her and
threw the room into a wavering,
Jess
gasped, letting me know that the ancient metal glowed a ghostly blue now. I opened my eyes, and the stainless steel door shimmered.
Flashes of blue and red glinted in the molten metal like distant galaxies.
"Oh my
God," Jess said, and stepped back.
A wave
undulated through the glimmering steel before the wavering mirage dropped away
completely.
An expanse
of black nothingness yawned before us where the door had been just moments
before.
"You
have to go first."
"But
there's nothing here," Jess said, tentatively leaning his head forward,
careful to stay well back from the precipice. "There's just empty space
here, Sabrina."
"I
know, Jess. This is the way. You have to go first. The seeker must enter
first."
Jess
stepped back, pulling me with him. "Have you ever done this before? I
mean, have you ever brought a ... a mortal here?"
Sweat
coated the top of his upper lip, and I resisted the urge to kiss it away.
Instead I wiped it away with my finger. He didn't flinch.
"No,"
I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I haven't done this before, but
I've heard stories. You'll be safe. Skuld won't do
harm to a mortal."
Jess
reached for my hand. It was such a human gesture that my breath caught in my
throat. I'd clasped men's hands before, in battle. Holding
them while they moaned for their mothers. Even the most courageous hero
cries out for his mother at the end.
This was
different. Jesse's hand was strong, warm and completely enveloped my own.
He took a shaky breath, puffed out
his chest, and with the same courage I'd seen on that dusty street in Kandahar,
he stepped out and into the void.
I jumped
with him, hoping that I could save him as well as myself.
We fell,
and I released my wings, shredding my blouse in the process. The pea coat hung
across my shoulders in tatters.
We fell for
what seemed an eternity. The darkness was utter and complete. I clung to
Jesse's hand like a lifeline. We coasted down and landed onto a rocky pathway.
The tunnel was
cold and damp, water trickling over the rock face like fresh tears. A pale
yellow light flickered in the distance.
"Look!"
Jess said.
"I see
it."
Without
another word, Jess moved toward it. I followed close behind. There was no room
for us to walk side by side, and I tucked my wings back into my shoulder
blades.
“ Wait, ” Jess said, stopping. He slipped out of his trench coat and
handed it to me, then pulled off his t-shirt. “ Put
this on. I won ’ t be able to concentrate with you topless. ”
“ Oh,
Jess, ” I said, laughing and shaking my head. I dropped the remnants
of the pea coat to the ground and pulled the t-shirt over my head. Jess wrapped
his arm around my waist and pulled me close. I felt his lips in my hair.
“ Okay,
I ’ m ready. ”
We walked
toward the light. Fear cut through me, fear that made my insides feel unhinged,
as if my very organs were dropping to earth. Sweat broke out along the back of
my neck, and I put a hand on Jesse's back.
He stopped.
"Are
you okay?"
"I
don't know," I said, shocked by my own trembling, wavering voice.
"Sabrina."
Jess put his arms around me. I clutched at him, the sound of his voice a salve
on my twisted nerves. "Sabrina, let's go back."
"No,"
I said, pulling away from his warm embrace. "Let's move."
He
hesitated, his eyes trying to find mine in the darkness. He cupped my cheek and
bent toward me. I tried to pull away, but he held me firmly in his arms. When
he kissed my forehead, I thought I might weep.
Laughing, I
sucked in a deep breath, pulling myself together. I'd never wept in my life.
"I'm ready. Let's go."
"Okay."
He turned, but kept my left hand firmly in his right.
The light
grew brighter as we moved toward it, and by the time we came to the end of the
tunnel, I was as blinded by the light as I'd been by the darkness.
When my
eyes adjusted, I saw Skuld .
The goddess
sat on a throne of entwined tree limbs. Four torches were placed around her and
threw the room into a wavering,
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