After seven days, the ship finally arrived at the port of Horsens, south of Aarhus on the Jutland Peninsula.
Horsens was a small Danish town with a cluster of two-story wooden houses, similar to the ones they had seen in Caen but more rustic. There were several cows and sheep on the streets of the small town, and most of the people there were farmers and fishermen, so there were some seafood markets.
It was late, so Rodrigo and the goddesses decided to stay at an inn before continuing the next day. The inn was right in front of the pier and far from the center of the small town. It was tiny, much smaller than the ones they had visited even in the Iberian Peninsula. It was evident that very few people visited this part of the world or that, due to the prolonged civil war, it had been somewhat abandoned.
No one understood Occitan, Galician, Anglo-Saxon, Irish, or even Epona's "Norwegian." Using gestures, they were able to rent a room for their stay.
There were cobwebs in the inn, and even chickens ran through the hallways. It smelled like horse manure, and since it was raining a little, there were leaks in the ceiling as well. The cold inside was terrifying, and most people were in the front part of the inn where there was a lit fireplace, but there wouldn't be as much luck inside the rooms. Rodrigo trembled from the cold as they advanced.
Once in the room, Epona decided to spy on the enemies' movements.
—How will you do it, Ep?— Rodrigo asked, interested.
The blonde goddess then sat on the only bed in the room and rolled her eyes, saying, —Ép amarch—, and she remained in that motionless position.
—What's happening to her?— Rodrigo continued asking.
—She is using the eyes of all the horses around her. If one horse looks at another, she can transport her sight to that one. If necessary, she can make the horse move until it finds its target. She can see through dozens of horses at the same time, so she needs to concentrate— Ana replied.
Hours passed, and Epona remained in the same position, completely motionless with her eyes rolled back. Tania had ordered not to fall asleep until the equine goddess returned from the trance.
Ana looked out the window with a faint hope that Anpiel would appear, but there were no traces of him. Almost fifteen days had passed.
At that moment, Epona vomited blood and fell to her knees on the floor. Tania quickly approached to check on her and saw that she was shivering in chills.
—They found me!— she said as a large wound appeared next to her body.
—Run, run, he's here!— Epona shouted as she continued to bleed and vomit blood.
—Those spy horses should have been killed with tremendous force!— Ana shouted.
—No, I won't leave here! I'll fight!— Rodrigo yelled as he approached Epona to tend to her wounds with water.
At that moment, a massive flash of light appeared, and everything exploded into thousands of pieces.
The inn had been destroyed, and a rain of fire fell upon the ruins in a sea of flames and smoke. In the distance, a man could be seen carrying what looked like a sword of fire, with a horse's head in his left arm.
The man threw it and shouted, —Where are you, bitches? Show yourselves!—
—Rodrigo, take care of Epona!— Tania shouted as she took a combat position.
—No! I have to fight too!— Rodrigo said when he felt Ana's hand on his shoulder. She already had a sword in her hand, and her blue eyes were burning.
—Rui, do you trust me, right?— she asked.
—So, it's you? The legendary Tannit and the fearsome Morrigan before me— the individual said as he approached.
He was a gigantic man, easily exceeding two meters. His hair was reddish, tied in a large ponytail; he had a beard also tied in a braid and was wearing only brown pants. His eyes were blue, and on his left arm, he had a tattoo representing the world of Muspelheim.
—Don't call me with that name, bastard— Ana said.
—Sorry, sorry Rodrigo— Epona pleaded to Rodrigo while trying to touch his face.
—It's not your fault, Ep. Let's trust them— Rodrigo replied.
—My name is Surtr, and I am the commander of Loki's forces, the leader of Muspelheim and the fire giants. And this flaming sword will be your doom— the giant said as he raised his weapon.
—He doesn't use a totema, Ana. We can defeat him. Quickly, prepare an alternate dimension to fight this monster!— Tania ordered the freckled goddess.