[https://img.wattpad.com/story_parts/1377924197/images/177fa97c03880bf54125056956.png]
”We could always find out just by asking,” Sophie said, moving straight between Trom and Elva and walking up to a woman who was standing not too far away. “Excuse me, could you tell me where we are?”
The Jotun woman didn’t answer. In fact, it seemed like she hadn’t even heard Sophie.
”Excuse me. What’s this place called?” Sophie tried again, but still no answer. Sophie tried a third time, speaking as loudly as she could:
”EXCUSE ME! WHERE ARE WE!” At this point, she was more yelling than speaking, but there was still no reaction from the Jotun woman. Sophie turned towards Elva and Trom, who looked just as confused as her.
”She can’t hear me.”
”Not just her,” Trom pointed out. “None of the other Jotuns seemed to hear you either, and you were being pretty loud. In fact…” Trom looked around at the passing Jotuns. ”In fact, no one’s even looked at us since we stepped out of the forest.”
”By the gods, you’re right!” Elva exclaimed, puzzled. ”None of them have reacted at all. You’d think at least the yelling would have earned us a glance…”
”Maybe they can’t see or hear us?” Sophie suggested.
”Ugh, why’s everything gotta be such a hassle,” Trom grumbled. “First we had to solve the riddle, then we had to walk all those stairs, and now we can’t even talk to people. And what’s worse, we have no clue where that dumb padlock is.”
In that moment, the sound of a horn blowing was heard throughout the village. All the Jotuns stopped whatever they were doing and hurried off towards the center of town. Sophie followed them without a moment’s hesitation. Elva and Trom were less confident that the horn was something they should follow, but they hurried after Sophie anyway.
The Jotuns had all gathered in a long row along the main street of the village, like they were getting ready for a parade to pass by, but Sophie couldn’t see what it was they were waiting for. The Jotuns were towering up over her, and since they couldn’t see or hear her, there was no way to make them get out of the way.
Sophie looked around for boxes or anything else she could climb up on, but when she spotted Elva and Trom, who had just caught up with her, she had a better idea.
”Elva, can you make a wood beam from one of the houses lift us up and put us on the roof?”
Elva looked uncertainly at the wooden house that was closest by. “Maybe… I’ve never tried doing that with dead wood, though.” She walked up to the house and put a hand against the large wooden pillar that held up the building’s corner. At first, nothing happened, though both Sophie and Trom could tell that Elva was trying hard. Her face was scrunched up into a grimace, and her whole body was shaking.
“Welp. That didn’t work,” Trom concluded.
”Not yet! I’m not done trying!” Beads of sweat started to form on Elva’s forehead.
Trom shook his head. ”There’s no point in exerting yourself like that. We’ll find some other spot and it’ll be way easier. You’re just wasting your strength.”
Sophie had to agree with Trom. She’d never intended for Elva to spend that much of her energy. “Elva, I didn’t know it’d be this hard for you. We can just-”
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
”If Trom can solve the riddles behind the first two doors, there’s NOTHING that I can’t do! Just wait and see!”
Suddenly the wooden column began to shake as well. Small wooden handles shot out from its side, and the column reshaped itself into a strange climbing ladder going all the way up to the roof. Elva took a step back, exhausted but satisfied.
[https://img.wattpad.com/80e594deac61ad3721377c16695dfdc68defae1c/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f576b616131365257667a547855773d3d2d313337373932343139372e313737666139356561646362323432653633363335323535353933352e6a7067]
”I told you I could do it!”
”Way to go, Elva!” Sohie cheered. Trom chose not to say anything.
They climbed up on the roof of the house. From there they could see the entire village, including the main street. Sophie scanned the main street from one end to the other. Near the furthest end of the street she saw a group of armored Jotuns marching in step. At the opposite end of the street was the biggest house in the entire village – if you could even call it a house. In size it looked more like a castle or a palace, though its design looked very much like all the other houses.
”Long live the king!” yelled the Jotuns standing by the road as the armored Jotuns passed by. Sophie had another look at the marching Jotuns and saw that they were leading four large ox-like creatures that were pulling a wagon ladened with several large treasure chests. Standing on the wagon was a single Jotun who was waving at the on-lookers. He was middle-aged, he had long, wavy hair, a modest beard and…
”Loki!” Sophie exclaimed. Elva and Trom both looked at her with confusion, and she hurriedly pointed him out on top of the wagon.
Trom’s eyes shone with admiration as he stared at Loki. “He really did it! He created his own kingdom!”
”It really IS Loki!” Elva said, sounding surprised. ”But why is he that much older?”
”I mean, we could ask him, I guess…” Trom suggested. “But I don’t see any easy way for us to make him notice us…”
”HIIIIIIII LOKI!!!” Sophie shouted at the absolute top of her lungs. Just as before, none of the Jotuns seemed to hear her. None except a puzzled Loki, who looked around for the source of the yell. Sophie waved both her arms as wildly as she could on top of the roof, and Loki finally spotted them.
[https://img.wattpad.com/c3a73b6d37f316d274164473c52f384ec0df2567/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f34663561343930316f756e7543673d3d2d313337373932343139372e313737666139356134303931306638353330383733353735303633372e6a7067]”Sophie! Trom! Elva!” Loki immediately jumped down from the wagon and approached them. The three of them climbed down from the roof and ran to greet Loki.
”You three keep popping out of nowhere!” Loki said when they reached each other. “And none of you have aged a day, either! What’s your secret? Chowing down on golden apples?”
”But you look so much older! What happened to you? And where are we? Did this really use to be the White Desert? Or is it somewhere else? Did you use the power source like you wanted?” Sophie asked breathlessly.
Loki laughed. ”I may not have found the secret of eternal youth, but I haven’t let old age bring me down either. You’re exactly right – I used the power source and transformed the White Desert into the land you see before you. This is no longer the White Desert, but my very own kingdom in the magical world. We call it The Outyards, or in our tongue: Utgard.”
Around them the people were still cheering. “Long live the king! Utgard-Loki! Utgard-Loki!”
Utgard. And Utgard-Loki. Sophie felt like she’d heard both names before – in fact, she knew that she’d heard them somewhere, but every time she tried to remember where, it was like her mind would just slide off the thought and refuse to return.
”Told you!” Trom declared, looking at Elva. “I told you you didn’t know everything!”
Elva bit her lip. ”It’s impossible, I’m sure that I’d…”
”But why do you look so much older, Loki?” Sophie asked.
”Now, that’s nothing but the sheer passage of time. I haven’t seen you in decades.”
”Decades!?” the three exclaimed in unison.
Loki looked at them with bemusement. “Well, of course. You don’t think anyone could build a kingdom overnight, do you? Well, maybe you did,” he added with a teasing wink. “That’s what I get for hanging out with a bunch of impatient kids. But now follow me to my palace, then I’ll tell you all about what I’ve been doing these past years and show you all the wonderful treasures that I’ve brought home from my travels.”
[https://img.wattpad.com/e229d192e66abff7f943e9c02b81a03eaff74920/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f4d43746759456379596e375256773d3d2d313337373932343139372e313737666139363831363165663763363136313139353137343638312e706e67]