For a moment, Jess didn't think she'd get out. The basement was too dark, and she had scoured the walls multiple times. The door was small, hiding partially behind a short table. The inside was no more welcoming covered in cobwebs, it was either crawling into this dirty dark space or dealing with whatever was happening above ground. Unable to see anything, all she felt was thick webs stretching and breaking across her face, and tough wood under her knees. Reaching the end meant the worst was over until she realized the door opened outwards, and was weighted down by a few feet of snow.

She shook the door as hard as she could. Grains of snow leaked through the boards and formed tiny piles around her. Little by little, she pushed at the snow through the doors until she was able to break through the crust and climb out. She had seconds to spare before the house behind her exploded.

An icy blast of wind sent her face-planting in the powder. Scraps of wood shot out in all directions. One struck Jess in the shoulder, and another barely missed her head. She scrambled to her feet and sprinted as fast as she could towards the trees. The air glittered with frozen crystals. Her brain was filled with a thousand questions, but she was not brave enough to look behind her.

As fast as she ran, the sounds of fighting only got louder. Beneath the typical grunts and shouts was an odd crackling noise, like ice shattering. Weaving through the trees, something clipped her ear. Glancing up, she expected an arrow or another broken piece of the house.

Instead, it was a foot-long icicle embedded deep in the tree.

Another crackling explosion sent her feet in motion. Just as Sigyn said, at the bottom of the hill was a frozen lake.

She stopped before running out onto the ice. Under the blanket of snow, it was impossible to tell how safe it was. Then, from on top of the hill, trees began to quiver. Something big was barreling down, coming straight towards her. She sprinted full speed onto the ice.

Sigyn was never quick to admit defeat, even when she was hopelessly outnumbered [https://img.wattpad.com/73823903bddb469fad06dcc865b10956cd68bc3e/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f4c555746533633367a6264754e673d3d2d313437303530393035302e3137663133643331626633663063303432373038383136323631342e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

Sigyn was never quick to admit defeat, even when she was hopelessly outnumbered. Surrounded by Jotuns twice her size, and her energy fading fast, retreat was the last thought on her mind. Even when she was caught between two with a third about to slice her head off.

Luckily for her, an ice bear came roaring in to plow the attackers to the ground. While the Jotuns were preoccupied, Sigyn pulled herself to her feet, just in time to dodge more attacks. Cutting through the Jotuns who were not busy fighting the bear was Angrboda with a sword. She forced herself as close as possible to Sigyn to be sure she got the full burn of her scowl.

"I thought we agreed you'd lie low!" she said.

Sigyn spread her hands. "Oh, this is my fault? What would you have me do?"

"Run!"

It was a good point - Sigyn had to admit.

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From that point on, the girls stayed back-to-back, slashing at anyone who dared attack. Sigyn waved her hands, forming and shattering walls of ice to shield them from incoming icicles. The bear rampaged in a circle around them, slicing Jotuns open with one swipe of its massive paws.

In the distance, Åsa watched on, measuring her enemy's moves, ensuring she would not make any miscalculations in her own encounter.

A Jotun fight happens fast and furious. It's sometimes impossible to tell what had happened until after the dust settles. Sigyn hadn't noticed the fight had migrated onto the lake until a blast of ice from the attacking Jotuns shattered the surface beneath her feet. A flick of her wrist mended the ice to keep her from falling through.

The violent use of magic had not gone unnoticed. Across the lake, Jess had forgotten to keep running as she watched the brilliant flashes of light create ice from nothing.

One of the Jotuns blasted icicles up from the ground, aimed for the throats of his victims. Sigyn, always fast enough to keep up, shattered the spikes before they made contact. The disruption fractured the lake. Waves lurked as if caught in the crosswinds of a violent storm, breaking the ice from beneath.

The ice cracked and rose, pushing up the flood. By the time Jess recognized the threat, it was too late. The wave's energy stole her balance while the ice broke apart beneath her.

Jess had never known cold the same way she did upon sinking into the water.

The instinct to gasp from the shock fought against the need to seal her mouth from the water. At first, there was the biting cold. It was followed by nothing. A horrible nothingness beyond the grasp of life.

Jess was a strong swimmer, but her skills meant nothing when the cold turned her limbs to noodles. Every movement drove millions of burning needles through her skin. All she could do was sink deeper into the darkness.

Sigyn spotted Jess right before she fell beneath the ice. Her friends covered her as she sprinted across the lake. Her feet skidded to a stop at the edge of the water. Jess was nowhere to be seen, so she jumped in.

Jess was sinking fast into the shadows. Sigyn wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled to the surface. The battle was fading with the last of the jotuns across the lake. Sigyn burst out of the water with Jess tight in her arms. She pushed her limp body onto the ice and kneeled beside her, waiting to see signs of life.

"Jess?" Sigyn tapped her pale cheek. Her lips were blue, which didn't seem normal. She grabbed Jess' shoulder and shook her, trying to wake her. She pressed her palm against her sternum to force her ribs to move, but it wasn't until she put a hand on her stomach and pressed that Jess jolted up, coughing up water.

Sigyn stayed close, reassuring her she was safe as she sputtered and gasped for breath. Even once her breathing steadied, her body shivered violently.

In a quiet, breathy voice, Jess muttered: "Cold."

Understanding, Sigyn pulled her into her body, though she knew she couldn't give her much warmth. "Hold on. I'm gonna get help." She lifted Jess into her arms effortlessly and headed for the shore.

Speeding down the road, Elizabeth kept dialing Jess' number in response to the frantic call she had received. Every ring that went to voicemail had her pressing harder on the gas pedal. When she spotted Sigyn carrying her baby sister onto the road, she skidded the car to a stop.

"She fell in the water," Sigyn said when she jumped out. "She's breathing but her whole body's shaking."

Elizabeth cursed and demanded Jess be laid across the backseat, where she began stripping off her wet clothes and covering her in blankets. Sigyn watched on, waiting for some improvement in her health.

With Jess dry and the vents blowing hot air, Elizabeth slammed the door shut and turned her focus to Sigyn. "The cops are on their way. I told them you're here. You better hope they get here before I lose my temper."

Sigyn narrowed her eyes at the girl who thought stood a chance against her. "I just saved her life!"

"Then how did she end up in the lake? Can you answer that?"

Sigyn could not.

"I don't know what your deal is," Elizabeth continued, "and I don't care, but you need to stay the hell away from my family." Her car tires flung snow as she raced down the road.

Having finished the battle, Angrboda and the bear - who transformed back into his regular form of Kark - met Sigyn as she watched the car disappear.