The sun was just over the horizon when we left the sparse stone hut. Steadily climbing the mountain, it took another four hours before we reached the gates to Thrymheim. The stronghold had been built where a river came off a glacier and pooled before draining over a massive waterfall. Built into the mountainside, it wasn't particularly easy to see as it blended in with the surrounding stone. The location gave the stronghold the strategic advantage of steep cliffs at its back and again at its front and right sides, as well as a ready source of water for the inhabitants.

Hulking guards, camouflaged against the granite mountainside until they stepped away from the stronghold gate, escorted us to Thiazi, Lord of Thrymheim, and mountain giants dwelling within its protection. He was in his great hall, eating an early lunch, when we arrived.

"Prince Thor, Prince Loki, to what purpose do you come to Thrymheim?" he demanded in his deep, gravelly voice. Like most Bergrisar, he was on the shorter side for a giant but extremely heavyset. His dark hair and penetrating black eyes were a striking contrast to silver, almost translucent marbled skin that resembled the stone of his home.

"Good Lord Thiazi, we are seeking the giant Suttung. We understand he is one of your Bergrisar and so come to ask for your assistance in locating him," I replied in my best diplomatic tone.

"I may or may not have a giant of that name in my region. What is your purpose for finding Suttung?" Thiazi's eyes narrowed.

"Suttung may have information to help locate my consort, Princess Shannon. She was kidnapped just over a month ago," I answered.

His eyes widened in surprise and he thumped the table in front of him with a palm. "Some idiot was bold enough to kidnap a Princess of Asgard? Do you suspect Suttung?"

Clearly, the news hadn't yet reached this part of Jotunheim. I needed to proceed carefully and without giving away too much information. But I knew Thiazi was our best chance of finding Suttung quickly.

"No, Lord Thiazi. We have the initial perpetrators in the dungeons of Asgard where they will regret that decision for the rest of their lives. However, Princess Shannon was taken from the kidnappers by unknown individuals. Suttung has been boasting of a source of unusual divine mead he has acquired. We want to know his source, as we believe they may be the secondary kidnappers," I explained. I wasn't about to tell him that if Suttung had the mead, kidnapper or not, he was dead.

"I have heard of the claims Suttung has made," Thiazi answered thoughtfully, and he took a bite of food, chewing slowly.

He was quiet for a few minutes, continuing to eat while staring off with an unfocused gaze, and I started to wonder if he was going to reply when he finally spoke again. "I don't want to stand in the way of your quest or fight with Asgard. However, I cannot be seen giving up information on one of my giants. You will have to win the knowledge by competing in three trials. After each successful win, I will give you one of the three clues you will need to find Suttung. If you fail to win one of the trials, you will not get that clue."

I looked at Thor and he nodded. It was the best deal we were going to get.

"Very well, we agree," I told Thiazi. "What are the trials?"

"Each one will test something different. You may choose any one of you to complete a trial, but only one gets to attempt it. The first trial will test strength. Which of you will take on the challenge?" Thiazi asked, looking at each of us.

As if it was even a question. I turned to my brother, knowing he'd volunteer himself.

"I will," Thor stated. "What do I need to do?"

"Hrungnir is the strongest of my giants. Outside our gates, up the left side of the mountain, each of you will have the chance to use your weapons to see who can create the largest break in the ground with one blow," explained Thiazi as he led the way from the great hall and out into the courtyard.

In a booming voice, he summoned Hrungnir, a giant who was twice the size of Thor in both height and girth. Hrungnir had long grey hair and skin that appeared to be grey, white and black granite. He held a large shield and thick, black metallic club with spikes.

After following Thor and Hrungnir out the gates and to the side of the mountain, we stood well back as Hrungnir walked quite a distance from us. With a roar, he swung his club and slammed it into the ground.

A huge boom shook the mountain and dust flew up into the air. As the wind blew the dust away, a large crater, a good fifty metres across and ten metres deep, stood where the giant had impacted the ground.

Backing away with a satisfied smirk, he gestured for Thor to try.

"Yeah, that's a nice little pothole," Thor taunted, as he walked even farther away from us. Spinning Mjolnir, he rose into the air, then yelled a battle cry as he descended to smash the ground with a thunderous crack. Massive chunks of rock, smaller debris, and dust flew up into the air.

It took a while for it all the fall back down. Mist and Roskva shielded and diverted the larger chunks away from us. Thor walked back to us with a pleased expression. But when the air finally cleared, only a small crevice appeared in the ground, partially hidden by the displaced chunks of rock.

Thiazi smirked. "It doesn't appear that you caused a very large break in the ground, Thor."

I frowned in disbelief. There is no way my brother had dislodged that much debris to cause only a small crevice. I was about to intervene, but Ros beat me to it.

"Excuse me, Lord Thiazi," Roskva interrupted. "I believe you are mistaken."

She sent a wave of energy over the ground and the illusion of the rock chunks disappeared, showing a large ravine now in its place. At its widest, it was at least two hundred metres across and a depth of fifty metres.

"Trying to cheat, Lord Thiazi?" I asked in a mild tone, an eyebrow raised. He wouldn't find us easy prey.

Thiazi scowled, apparently not expecting us to see through his illusion. "Very well. Your first clue is Gunnlod, Suttung's daughter, guards his divine mead in a chamber in the centre of his mountain home."

"What is the second trial?" I asked, maintaining my polite tone.

"A test of speed. Pick your fastest runner and they will run against my swiftest messenger to the base of the waterfall and back here again," Thiazi said.

"I can do it," Thjalfi offered. "My leg is healed."

"Are you sure?" Mist asked.

"Yes, it's completely healed," he said confidently.

"Okay, you are the fastest of us," I agreed.

"Who will I be racing?" Thjalfi asked.

"Hugi! Come here!" Thiazi shouted and a surprisingly lean giant jogged out into the courtyard, joining us at the gates.

Hugi and Thjalfi lined up at the gates, and Thiazi gave them the signal to race.

Off they went, neck and neck, speeding down the trail, over the bridge and to the base of the waterfall. Turning at the bottom, they headed back up the trail towards us, still within a step of each other. Thjalfi's hair was blowing straight back, but Hugi's long hair didn't seem to be affected by a breeze.

Mist frowned, and the wind disappeared. Pleased that she'd also noticed the deception and intervened, I nodded to her.

Thjalfi pulled ahead of Hugi for a few steps, then stumbled. Crying out in pain and grabbing his calf, Thjalfi fell behind and Hugi pulled over the line first, smiling.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Loki," Thjalfi said as blood streamed down his calf.

Kara bent down beside him to pull up his pant leg. It was the same calf the antlion had pierced. The punctures must not have been as healed as Thjalfi had thought. My fists clenched, and I acknowledged his apology with a nod. None of the rest of us would have come close to beating Hugi, even without Thiazi's attempt to cheat.

Thiazi smiled and bared his teeth. "You lost that clue."

My teeth ground together as I fought with my temper. I could just take the information from the damn giant if I didn't care about diplomacy. Fucking politics.

"What is the last trial?" Mist asked, her hand on my arm.

"It is a test of intelligence," Thiazi smirked.

"I'll do it. What do I have to do?" I asked, eyes narrowing on him.

"You must correctly answer these three riddles. For the first riddle, what day comes three days after the day, which comes two days after the day, which comes immediately after the day, which comes two days after Monday?"

I considered my answer. Jotunheim used the same days we did in Asgard. It was a simple matter of counting backwards and I didn't see any trick in it. Still, I took the time to figure it out twice, as my thoughts were somewhat sluggish with the lack of sleep. We couldn't afford to lose the last clue.

"Tuesday, or Tirsday."

He frowned and gave a disgruntled grunt. "Yes, fine. That's correct. The second riddle is I disappear if you say my name. What am I?"

I grinned at him, taking but moments for the answer to come to me. Even with my exhaustion, I was enjoying this trial. "Silence," I said.

He huffed. "Fine! The third riddle is what comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?"

Although I'd expected something more difficult, I wasn't about to tell him that. "The letter 'm'," I answered, trying not to smile.

Thiazi grumbled and then gave a frustrated sigh. "Very well. Suttung's home is located halfway up a mountain, with his farm in the narrow valley between the two peaks."

I nodded my appreciation for the information. "Thank you, Lord Thiazi. We won't impinge on your hospitality any longer."

He waved us off as he stomped back through his courtyard, grumbling in an undertone, and disappeared into his great hall.

Turning, we walked back down until we reached the trail.

"Do we head through the mountains towards Gastropnir or in the other direction towards Suttgard?" Thor wondered aloud, looking back and forth between the opposite directions.

I rubbed my head and considered what we knew of Thiazi's territory. "Thiazi's territory only extends another day's walk in this direction before the trail descends to the forest and eventually to rejoin the plains, whereas it extends a good five days' travel towards Gastropnir. Without the other clue, we'll have to check this way first, then if it doesn't pan out, try towards Gastropnir."

Thjalfi hung his head, hands clasped on the back of his neck as he looked down, kicking a rock on the trail. "I'm so sorry, Loki. It's my fault we don't have that third clue."

I patted him on the back as I started out leading our group, setting out a brisk pace. Anxiety had me pushing them to make the best speed we could, eating our meals as we walked. Not stopping when night fell, we continued to push onward. Despite his injury, Thjalfi continued to insist on scouting ahead. As dawn rose the next morning, Thjalfi came back to tell us that he'd spotted where the trail entered the forest, yet there was still no farm in a valley between two mountain peaks.

"Damn it!" Thor growled as we spun to retrace our steps back in the opposite direction.

I wanted to join him in shouting my frustration at the mountainside, but drawing attention would only bring predators down upon us. A headache pounded in my temples and my jaw ached from clenched teeth.

By early evening, we had passed the hut we'd stayed at the night before last and continued on past the scree slope with the antlion burrows. In the dark, we continued along the trail with the meager light I cast. Once the first of Jotunheim's moons rose, reflecting off the snow and pale rock, it was even easier to see.

The second moon was rising when we stopped at another traveller's hut. Thor and Thjalfi sliced up a loaf of bread and cheese, while Mist dug out fruit and nuts from the packs. After a cold meal, I conjured a blanket and curled up in a corner, resigned to another sleepless night, with my imagination haunting me.

Up a few short hours later with the sunrise, we were walking down the trail as the light rose over the mountain peaks. An uneventful day of travelling while covering a considerable distance, it made for a pleasant change compared to the challenges of the previous three days. Pushing onward, we were walking through the night again with no one complaining when I asked to keep going.

The pale light of both moons reflected off the rocky surface of the trail when Roskva collapsed. Thjalfi caught her before she hit the ground.

"Ros? What's wrong?" he demanded as he held her waist.

"Nothing. I'm fine. Why are you holding me?" she slurred.

When I caught up to them from my position further down the trail, a suspicious, wet viscous gel fell from Ros' back as Thjalfi held her up.

"Kara! Thor! Check everyone for Hirudo worms!" I shouted back to them. Kneeling beside Thjalfi and Ros, I tugged up the back of her tunic.

"What is it? What's wrong with her?" Thjalfi asked, eyes wide. Ros had lost consciousness, head lolling to the side as he held her up.

I swore when I got the tunic up above her hips to see her lower back. Six of the flesh-eating worms were latched on, their fifteen centimetre long flat grey-brown undulating bodies engorged a dark red from feasting on Roskva's body. The clear viscous fluid they secreted from their serrated, sucker-like mouths to keep the host desensitized and unaware dripped down in thick streams, soaking the waistband of her trousers and turning the leather a dark black. If left unchecked, they would continue to feed until they reached their full half metre length, killing her in the process.

"We're all clear. We just need to check you and Thjalfi," Kara said, as they caught up with us.

"Yggdrasil's twisty roots! Those things are gross!" exclaimed Mist. She bent down to look at Ros's back. "How do we get them off?"

"Fire or ice work, but don't touch them. Their skin contains a nerve agent that paralyzes, leaving you vulnerable to them if you try to take them off," Thor warned.

"Fortunately, we don't need to touch them." Drawing Laevateinn and using my quarter frost giant heritage, I channelled ice down its length. Careful to avoid Ros' skin, I pressed the frozen tip of my sword to the side of one worm's circular mouth. It flinched, drawing back. I pressed further, and the worm detached its mouth hooks. Before it could re-attach itself to her body, I flicked my wrist, flinging it to the trail. Channelling flames inherited from the other quarter fire giant nature down the blade, I incinerated the squirming worm.

"Nasty. They stink." Mist crinkled her nose at the repulsive dead carrion smell as it burned.

I turned back to Roskva's back, working on removing and incinerating the next one. Thor tugged up the back of my tunic.

"You and Thjalfi are clear as well. It's just Ros that has them," he said as he let the fabric and leather of my tunic and coat fall back into place.

"That's good. We're going to need to stop to treat her wounds. They fed deeply on her," I said as I removed and incinerated the third worm.

Thor bent to look at her back. "Damn. They sure did. Do we have poultices for that?"

"I've got some that Healer Moja gave me," Kara said.

I removed and incinerated the last three worms. "If the poultice doesn't work for her, I have some healing salves we can try." Conjuring a cloth, I wiped the worms' thick excretions from Ros' back, then dropped the cloth to incinerate it on the trail. With the thick fluid gone and the worms no longer feeding, the deep wounds wept dark rivers of blood. The air stunk of burnt flesh mingled with the copper scent of blood.

"Tip her onto her stomach," Kara instructed.

Thor and Thjalfi moved to turn Ros and Kara applied poultices, packing the wounds and covering them with bandages. In the meantime, I cleaned my sword, heating the blade to get rid of any taint from the worms.

"Where would she pick them up?" asked Mist.

"Most likely the stream and waterfall area we stopped at for lunch," I told her. "They nest around moist areas and wait for animals to stop to drink. They tend to go for hard to reach areas where they can stay out of sight since that allows them to latch on without notice. Nasty bastards."

"I'll say! Getting eaten alive by those things is horrible." Mist shuddered in revulsion.

With Thor carrying Roskva's upper body and Thjalfi carrying her legs to avoid the wounds on her back, we made our way to the next traveller's hut to stop for the remainder of the night.

Anxious to reach Suttung and find out what the giant knew about Shannon, I couldn't help but wonder how far we still had to travel. We'd come across several cottages and farms, but none like Thiazi had described. As my companions fell asleep around me, I sat with my back against the wall, head on my knees and hands at the back of my neck, trying to avoid imagining what tortures Shannon might be enduring at the hands of those who would turn her blood to mead. Every second stretched into eons.