Red fire flickered in his eyes. A crow screeched and the village burned against the dark backdrop of night.

  “Land o'hoi!”

  Johan gasped, tearing the cloth from his eyes - only to cover them with his forearm as the sun burned down at him.

  “You ok?” Note asked and Johan squinted up at him.

  Johan cleared his throat, sitting up. “Yeah.”

  He looked around, hands quivering. They were still on the boat, the ocean stretching on as far as the eye could see. A dream. It was a dream. They had just left the village, everything was fine. He took a shuddering breath and avoided Note’s concerned eyes.

  “We’re here!” Frey yelled and only then did Johan notice nobody was rowing.

  “Huh?” Johan turned around to see a large forest towered behind him. Wow, they must have moved quickly, he felt like he had barely slept.

  Frey cheered and jumped over the side of the boat, landing in knee deep water, wading the rest of the way with a rope in his hand.

  “Wait.” Note said slowly as they got up.

  “Something wrong?” Johan asked.

  “This is the wrong place.” Note said lowly, meeting Johan’s eyes with a frown. “This isn’t where you enter the kingdom.”

  “That’s weird.” Signe commented.

  “You’re right!” Frey interrupted, finishing tying the rope around a nearby tree and spread his arms to them proudly. “This is a more secretive and hidden route! We can’t be seen entering the normal way, of course.”

  The boat swayed in the water and Johan eyed the forest. They were right at the edge, on a small area similar to a beach leading straight to a steep uphill.

  Johan grimaced. They were going hiking weren’t they. Signe seemed to have realized the same thing and started balling up the skirt of her dress up in one hand.

  “Come on!” Frey yelled and pulled the boat closer to land.

  “Here.” Vero jumped off the boat into the water and grabbed Signe, carrying her over to dry land. Johan grimaced as they kissed but jumped down next to them anyways. He glanced up at the hill. Not even a footpath.

  “Are you sure about this?” He asked.

  “Don’t worry. I go to the city all the time and I always go this way!” Frey reassured them as they walked.

  Fair enough.

  -

  After an hour Johan was regretting believing Frey at all.

  Johan had been right, he breathed hard. It was hiking!

  It turned out the little top he had seen earlier was only the first of many. So, so many. Everytime they passed one top, another came into view! How long did Frey expect them to walk?!

  The blonde man was now leading them around a top, hundreds of meters over the water, but at least they didn’t have to walk over this top. It was a small blessing. Maybe they would reach the city soon.

  They were walking in silence, except for harsh breathing coming from everyone. Somehow Frey still managed to look chipper and excited, even as he panted for air. It was weird, he would usually be the one to complain the most, even if this was his choice. He was probably still feeling bad from letting Emil go to the gallery in the first place.

  Suddenly Frey turned to them, walking backwards.

  “A little music on the way?” Frey grinned and reached for his fele. Johan felt his eye twitch as a very familiar chord was played. Frey quickly seemed to realize his mistake and let out a nervous laugh before starting a different song.

  “How much longer?” Note asked.

  “Oh, not too long.” Frey said along to his music. “It’s right up this hill.”

  “The city is right up this hill?” Note asked incredulously. Johan watched the exchange curiously and raised an eyebrow, sharing a look with Signe.

  “No, the cave is.” Frey said and for a second the music paused, hands frozen in the middle of playing.

  “And the cave leads to the city?” Note asked.

  “Exactly!” Frey exclaimed and the music resumed. Note glanced back at Johan and Signe with furrowed brows. “You got it!”

  “We’re here!” Frey yelled suddenly and started shoving aside bushes, a cave appearing behind it. Johan blinked into the darkness. It seemed to go directly into the mountain.

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  “Let’s go.” Frey said and started herding them inside from the back. Was he done leading them now?

  Johan tok the first steps. The cave was chilly but not humid like the ones on the island. It was weird not hearing the sound of dripping water. Instead the only sound was their echoing footsteps. The light was disappearing quickly as they continued inside. Johan turned back. “We don’t have a torch, can’t we just walk outside?”

  “No, no it’s fine.” Frey said from somewhere and suddenly the cave lit up. Johan jumped as torches on the wall suddenly started burning one by one. He turned in surprise.

  “Dwarf technology...” Johan muttered under his breath and Frey turned to him with wide eyes.

  “Woah.” Vero wondered.

  “How did you know that?” Frey asked, a funny smile on his face and Johan opened his mouth to answer when suddenly the floor moved.

  Signe let out a startled yelp in as they started descending downwards. A platform, just like the one in Viddi’s old cave. Johan looked around in alarm as they sank further down and the place they were just standing covered itself with a new floor, trapping them on the slowly moving platform.

  His hair stood on end.

  Johan shared a look with Note. Nothing about this seemed right.

  “What is going on?” Signe asked lowly, body tense and eyes narrow. Nobody answered.

  Frey stayed silent, staring in the air with no emotion on his face. Johan turned, putting the wall directly behind him. “Frey-” Johan started.

  “Johan.” Frey interrupted lowly, voice chilling. “Before we arrive I have to tell you something.”

  His heart skipped and subconsciously he took a step back, feeling for his ribbons. A bad feeling was growing in his stomach. A very bad feeling. He felt cornered.

  Frey turned to him, face stone cold. “I need you to listen to what I have to say. Pay attention and don’t interrupt me. Don’t do anything rash.” Frey paused for a second. “That goes for all of you.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?!” Note raged, taking a threatening step forward.

  “I wish there was a better way to do this,” Frey muttered, more to himself than to them. He shook his head. Eyes passing Note and setting directly on him. Johan swallowed. “Down there are the rest of the sins, as well as about half the population of Heaven.”

  …what?

  “You-!” Signe screamed, a light flashed and she charged, axe lifting behind her, only an arm length away.

  But she didn’t hit him. Instead the axe hit something else, something hard, and the axe bounced off it. She felt around in front of her. “What-” Her breath hitched.

  Johan could only watch as she slowly turned to Vero with eyes wide in horror. Her voice was cold when she spoke up again. “A shield.”

  Vero flinched.

  A shield, Johan repeated to himself.

  They had been caught.

  “You can’t kill Frey.” Vero told her. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Not any of you. Nothing will change.”

  “Oh, something will.” Signe sneered, axe back in her hands.

  The walls opened up around them and a huge room revealed itself below, the platform slowly descending into it. Johan clenched his clammy fists, trying to control his breathing. Straight ahead of them, on a terrace of some sort, were dozens - if not more - dwarfs.

  Like in a fog Johan barely noticed the cheering. Loud and excited. Their names and titles screamed over and over.

  He swallowed and looked down.

  It was exactly like Frey had said.

  There they were. More deities than Johan could even count, all gathered up in a huge crowd, stuffed even in this huge room. To his horror he recognized a lot of them.

  They reached the floor. The platform came to a creaking stop. Johan’s hands shook, wide eyes on the floor. Footsteps surrounded them.

  Johan tok a shuddering breath. And looked up.

  They had been betrayed.

  Surrounding them were the sins. All of them except one. He forced his clenched fists open just enough to grab his ribbons.

  “Welcome.” A familiar voice spoke. Envy. Note shifted to cover Johan, his back tense.

  Johan glared at the woman and straightened up. Silence fell over the room as he looked around. “And Greed? He didn’t want to watch the show?”

  Deities shifted in the crowd, glancing at each other.

  “Johan.” Frey started with a gentle voice.

  “Shut up.” Johan said, voice stronger than he felt. The ground felt heavy under his feet. “If you think this is all it takes, you’re wrong.”

  “Listen to me!” Frey yelled, acting all offended. Johan cocked his head at him. “Everything is fine, just don’t jump to conclusions!”

  Johan didn’t say anything. He glanced at Signe where she stood, still by Vero. She shook her head just barely. Ok, so the shield was still up. As much as he wanted to attack right then, they couldn’t. Johan eyed Frey.

  Gluttony wringed her hands from the other side of Johan and he watched her out of the corner of his eye.

  “We heard you got married.” She told Signe silently, a hesitant smile on her lips. She glanced uncertainly at Vero and then at Sloth beside her. “To…Vero.”

  “For now.” Signe spoke loud and clear, and Vero flinched, her eyes widening in shock. Johan laughed darkly. A day long marriage. Johan should have killed her when he had the chance.

  “Damn you guys.” Note hissed, hands clenching and unclenching. He couldn’t summon his sword yet, not even for his own comfort. He knew just as well as Johan that fighting was off the table.

  Johan still stared at Frey and gritted his teeth. The guy seemed nervous, eyes shifting between the sins. As if it was really him that was cornered and not them.

  Finally Frey met his eyes. Johan raised an eyebrow to signal he was listening.

  “Greed isn’t the one that killed Note and Signe.”

  Johan closed his eyes with a sigh. Did he really think Frey would speak truthfully?

  “I don’t believe you.” Johan said.

  “It’s true.” Johan turned his head just enough to see Lust speaking from behind them. Johan waited for a moment but nobody offered an explanation.

  “Yeah, ok. And I’m just supposed to believe you?” Johan asked incredulously. Did they think he was an idiot? Frey opened his mouth but before he could say anything, something flickered across his face and he stayed silent.

  “Of course not.”

  Johan froze, a deep chill going down his spine.

  He hadn’t heard that voice in years.

  He slowly turned around to see the crowd splitting. A black-haired man walking towards them. Red eyes met sharp brown.

  The man came to a stop just outside the ring of sins.

  “I will explain everything.” Greed smiled softly. “It’s good to see you, nephew.”