King Gorm had risen, still clutching his cutlery. “Why in Hel did you bring this revolting creature into my hall?”
“I’m terribly sorry, King Gorm,” said the Regent, gently patting the giant boar on its cheek. “When Eofor is well fed, he’s really a fine fellow and very well-behaved, but unfortunately, he digests his food very fast and gets hungry again. All this breakfast will come out the other end soon enough.”
The boar leaned forward, snuffling loudly as he tried to reach a plate of sausages.
“Which is why we will be hosting the final contest this evening. We will be releasing Eofor and five of his brothers and sisters onto the grounds of Mount Auburn Cemetery. I haven’t fed Eofor’s siblings for nearly two weeks, and even after he gobbles up these crumbs, he will still be quite hungry. The goal of our contest is simple: don’t leave the confines of the cemetery, and don’t get eaten. When half of the remaining are dead—one hundred and thirteen elves—the contest ends.”
The hall fell silent, interrupted only by the sound of Eofor’s chewing.
Revna raised her hand. “Will we be able to bring weapons?”
“Of course, anything you like. But I should warn you that the hide of a Vanaheim boar is exceptionally thick. I don’t think you’ll succeed in piercing it.” The Regent paused for a second. “But that does remind me. We won’t be allowing any magic. None whatsoever.”
Chapter 33
Ali
Alone, I crouched in the back of a tomb. Ancient marble blocks surrounded me, encrusted in sheets of dirty ice. A moldering skeleton lay in a nearby alcove. I hugged myself tight, teeth chattering, still trying to block out the pain in my leg. And trying to block out my memory of what had just happened.
Two of the Shadow Lords lay dead. I’d barely escaped as the boar had charged Thyra and Ilvis, goring them to death. The images kept flickering in my mind—the ivory tusk piercing Thyra’s chest, Ilvis trying to save her. Blood on the snow, the Shadow Lords screaming. I’d felt like the world had dropped out from under my feet as I’d watched the boar tear Ilvis to pieces. Two of my leaders were dead, and I hadn’t been able to stop it.
I thought I’d been here for an hour, maybe—biding my time in Mount Auburn Cemetery while waiting for another boar to appear.
Situated in Boston’s suburbs, Mount Auburn Cemetery had remained untouched for hundreds of years. Over the past hour, the setting sun had cast lengthening, eerie shadows on tombstones frozen in ice. Now, moonlight streamed onto the icy floor of the tomb. I tried not to think of Ilvis’s screams …
The plan had been for all the Night Elves to stick together, but that had all gone to shit when the first boar attacked. We’d been ambushed out in the open. The Shadow Lords had been the first in the line of attack.
The Regent had been right; the boar hides were virtually impenetrable. Even Skalei hadn’t been able to do much more than scratch it.
And now, I found myself alone in a tomb, surrounded by broken marble and skeletons. It was dark and cave-like, which I liked, but it was also a dead end. If a boar found me inside, I’d be cornered. Still, my bad leg was a major impediment to moving around, and I didn’t want to be caught limping around in the snow.
The scream of a boar ripped through the air, making my muscles tense. It was a caterwauling cry that prickled the hair on my arms. I gripped Skalei tighter, ready to fight if I had to.
As I steadied my breath, a shadow fell over the entrance of the tomb, and my heart skipped a beat. “Ali?”
Galin. Quietly, I crept to the doorway of the tomb and peeked out. Galin stood on the path not twenty feet away, looking for me.
“Over here,” I whispered.
He spun around to face me, then hurried over. “Thank the gods you’re still okay.”
He’d been disarmed. “Where’s your sword?” I asked.
“Broke it on a boar. Those things have hides of steel.”
“Thyra and Ilvis are dead. I couldn’t—” A boar screamed again, and my stomach flipped. My Night Elf eyes strained, staring into the darkness, until I saw movement along the crest of the hillside opposite us. The silhouette of an enormous creature, its heavy footfalls shaking the ground.
My stomach clenched as a new pair of shadows came running along the path, closer to us. The boar was charging two people, and it took me a moment to realize who they were—Revna and Sune. The dumbasses’ shrieking was drawing the attention of the boar, and they were rushing down the hill for our hiding spot.
“Galin! I know you’re near! I can feel your power. You have to help us!” Revna cried. To my horror, she and Sune were running right for our tomb. My future tomb, if she didn’t fuck off.
From the top of the ridge, the boar bellowed, charging for Revna as she led it to us. I heard Galin growl as she and Sune ran inside.
The entire tomb shook as the boar slammed into the entrance. Bits of ice and marble rained down on us from the ceiling. I coughed as rock-dust filled the interior.
The boar howled and screamed like a banshee. Its massive head filled the doorframe, tusks jutting into the empty space. Grunting and twisting its shoulders, it tried desperately to squeeze inside, but its body was too big. It snorted loudly, filling the tiny room with the stench of its breath. By now, I was pressed up against the wall, Galin standing in front of me like a shield.
Then, the boar stepped back and disappeared into the wintery darkness.
The sound of heavy breathing filled the tomb, each of us gasping for breath.
“Did it leave?” asked Sune.
Before I could say, “I doubt it,” the boar barreled into the marble doorway like a wrecking ball. Again, the rock shook and dust rained down on us. This stupid beast wasn’t going to stop until it got us.
“We can’t stay in here,” I said quickly.
Revna stared at me like I was a complete idiot. “If we go outside, the boar will kill us.”
I pointed to the ceiling, which had cracked open from the force of the attack. Great chunks of marble threatened to rain down on us. “The roof is going to collapse. If we stay, we’ll be buried alive. Not to mention that that thing is absolutely strong enough to break in here and eat us.”
The boar had disappeared into the darkness, quiet again. In the moonlight, I could just about make out the shape of the beast turning around, steam rising from its back and snout. In seconds, it would be charging us again, and we’d be buried under marble.
I had to do something. As a Night Elf, I’d have the best chance of seeing the boar in the darkness of the tomb. I recalled Skalei and crouched, readying myself, praying for the roof to hold.
The boar charged again, smashing itself into the entrance like a freight train. Dust rained down, and stone shifted above us, but the ceiling didn’t collapse. As the boar thrashed in the doorway, I leapt forward, trying to plunge Skalei into its cheek. Despite the ferocity of my attack, I hardly made a dent. Boar hide, it turned out, was the one thing a shadow blade couldn’t slice.
The boar screamed, so loud and close it felt like it was ripping my brain open. Then, its tongue lashed out, twisting around my ankle like the coils of a snake.
Galin lunged toward me, grabbing for my arm. But the boar was too fast, ripping me out of the tomb, dragging me into the wintery night. Snow filled my mouth and eyes. Frantically, I wiped it away only to smell the stench of the boar and to see the blood of the elves it had already eaten dripping from the ends of its tusks. I knew that in moments, it would begin to eat me alive.