A cold wind swept Maeve's hair into her face as she walked through a place known as the Dead Forest. The name was fitting. Everything living had been frozen over and grayed with time. Trees stood dormant and frost coated. Vines hung from branches, swinging harshly in the wind. She stepped carefully over icy puddles and her heart broke each time someone crushed a frostbitten flower under their heels.

The princess could feel her magic and spirit lessening the longer she remained in the Jotunheim. Just as plants couldn't survive well in cold temperatures, neither could she. Exhaustion had set in almost immediately after she woke up even with hours of sleep in her system. She kept quiet about it, though, not wanting to worry any of the princes. After all, they were all suffering, and Loki alone seemed unbothered by the wintry weather.

"Here," Corey said, pointing to a large gorge. "We need a way over it. This is the only way."

Maeve bit her lip and considered her surroundings. Sinking to the ground, she let her fingers run down a mass of vines, ignoring the cold. She carefully manipulated and instructed them in her mind and when she opened her eyes, a sturdy bridge made of vines had reached its way over the ravine.

Loki offered her a hand and pulled her up. She swayed in her spot, momentarily off balance due to the amount of magic she'd just exerted, and he kept her steady. "Well done, love," he whispered. They crossed the bridge carefully, making sure not to let it snap, but Maeve had done her job to the best of her abilities and it did not snap. A rock dislodged from the ground and fell into the abyss. No one could view the bottom, so they hastened to the other side as quickly as they could. Once safe, Maeve glanced around to see how everyone was holding up.

Corey led the way, gripping the map tightly to hide his shaking fingers. He and Thor both held weapons at the ready. Loki stayed by her side, his green eyes constantly sweeping around the forest for potential danger. She could tell he didn't trust anything in this place. Asmund walked on, but he'd been silent all morning, choosing to nod or shake his head unless words were necessary.

With nimble steps, she sidled up next to Asmund. "I know Corey has the map, but are we actually going the right way?" She knew his empathetic abilities allowed him to sense others better than Corey's navigational skills could.

He nodded. "He's here, Maeve. I can feel it."

"Are you okay? You really don't look good."

"I suppose it was just a lack of sleep. I'm fine." Her face fell and he gave her a small smile, trying to comfort her. Subconsciously, he brushed his right hand against the fingers of his left, but there was nothing there. "There are bigger problems to worry about than me."

"I don't like it here."

"Me either. We'll find him and leave, cause as little trouble as possible."

As they walked, a tall stone came into view. It stood alone in the middle of the forest. Maeve wondered if it was a monument, and if it was, what it celebrated. Words had been etched onto its surface in a language she'd never seen before, full of archaic symbols.

"What is it?" Corey asked, staring up at the massive stone.

"I don't know," Maeve replied. "I've never seen that language before, have you?"

The others stepped forward to examine the text. Thor immediately shook his head and retreated, tossing his hammer from one hand to the other. Corey moved back next, and even Asmund had to admit that he couldn't decipher the language.

Loki, however, carefully traced the carved symbols with his fingers. A shadow of recognition crossed his face.

"I know this," he said quietly. "Probably from reading. I have no idea what language it is, but I know it."

"What does it say?" Asmund asked, crossing his arms. A faint crease of confusion appeared between his eyebrows and he watched Loki.

The raven-haired prince silently read the text for a moment, trying to understand the strange phrasing of the sentences. "Beware to the one that does not belong. Turn back or face the wrath of the Jotunheim with as much power as a common mortal."

"They sound a bit presumptuous, don't they?" chuckled Corey.

Maeve's attention remained on the stone, certain that it held more secrets than they realized. She reached out to touch the stone, but the moment her skin made contact with its cold surface, she hastily withdrew it, hissing in pain. A red burn formed on the palm of her hand.

Asmund took her hand gently and examined the burn before healing it. "No one touches the stone," he instructed the group. Once again, his eyes fell on Loki, who ignored his sharp gaze and felt the confusion inside of him grow.

The forest on the other side seemed just as dead and dangerous as the first half, but something caused Maeve to hesitate. It didn't seem safe, especially because of the words on the stone.

"I'll go first," Thor volunteered. He gripped Mjilonir in his strong hands and started forward. Everyone held their breath as he walked five, ten, twenty feet forward before turning around, a big grin on his face. "Seems okay to me!"

While the god of thunder seemed perfectly fine, the rest of the princes hesitated. Maeve, however, decided to take the chance and walk to him. At first, nothing happened. Slowly, though, her breath grew shallow and her senses dulled. She stopped halfway to Thor and closed her eyes, fighting the feeling of silence in her heart in a last-ditch attempt to connect with her powers.

Where are you? She asked a dark abyss, praying that the familiar sky blue light would appear, the illustration of her abilities, but it never did. Her magic had faded away into nothingness.

"Maeve?" Thor jogged next to her and put his hands on her shoulders. The comforting weight and light pressure brought her back to the real world.

"I can't feel my magic," she mumbled. "It's gone."

"'Face the wrath of the Jotunheim with as much power as a common mortal'," Asmund quoted from the stone. He and Loki exchanged uneasy glances. Neither of them wanted to go through the ordeal of losing their magic, even temporarily. "That's what the stone meant."

"We'll be doing this with no magic?" Corey asked. In response, Maeve ran her hand down a straggly pine tree. No life sprung into its branches and she shot him a dirty look. "Okay, I get it."

"Cross the stone and you're no better off than a mortal," Maeve told the group. Loki let a swirl of emerald magic twist around his fingers before taking a careful step forward. As he walked, the swirl faded until it was completely gone. Asmund followed not far behind him.

"This is suffocating," Asmund muttered as he joined the group. "We're not far off, are we?"

Corey shook his head. "No. We're close, but we need to be on guard. The three of you don't have magic to keep us safe anymore. Don't do anything stupid." He took a place leading the group and Thor moved to the back. Bookending us, Maeve realized. To protect us. The three gifted with sorcery were not helpless, but those left without magic always fell into moments of vulnerability. The princess's hand brushed the dagger in her belt. Luckily she'd brought it. She never enjoyed fighting, but when she did, plants tended to be her weapon of choice. 

As they continued on, Maeve slipped her hand into Loki's and held it tightly. She knew the most dangerous part of their journey had just begun.

New chapter! Leave your thoughts, I'd love to hear your opinions/predictions/hopes/random thoughts!