By Peter Harrison
YA
First 200 words
Höd was no longer detained at Hel’s pleasure within the realm of Helheim. Loki’s daughter hadn’t ordered or approved his release from her domain; nonetheless, Höd was gone.
*
It was the night of All Hallows' Eve on Midgard, and a conjuring was in full flow on Pendle Hill, England. The coven, made up of Witches and Warlocks from all corners of Midgard, had chosen this specific night and location as the boundaries between the nine realms were at their weakest, and their dark magic was at its strongest.
Mistletoe had been scattered onto the autumnal ground in the shape of a large pentagram. As the conjuring reached its peak, a thick supernatural frost seized the mistletoe, crushing out any remaining life from the parasitic plant. The ceremony concluded, and in the centre of the pentagram knelt Höd, the blind god of winter and darkness. He wore a crimson hooded smock, and his eyes and mouth were stitched shut with eternally burning thread.
Mischief was due to return to Northern England in four nights’ time. The blind god would have his vengeance, and the coven would finally be rid of Loki’s torment. A new lord would reign, a lord of darkness.