Renegade Valkyrie (Valhalla's Curse Book 1)

by Stacy Claflin

  It’s hard to stop. I definitely don’t want to. The energy is invigorating. But I close my mouth once I have enough and wait a moment before opening my eyes as the essence runs through me, making every part of me feel new.

  “Did you get what you need?” Gessilyn’s voice brings me back to reality.

  I open my eyes. Everything looks different. Like there’s a brighter hue bouncing off it all.

  Roska steps toward me. “Are you ready to teleport?”

  “Yeah. Let’s hope this works.”

  Killian arches a brow and tilts his head. “What do you mean by that?”

  “It’s a magical world. I’ve never tried teleporting somewhere like that.”

  “It really exists,” Fox interjects. “You should be fine. Or teleport to that rift, then step through. Either way should work.”

  He’s right, of course.

  “You’ve got this.” Titan nods at me.

  “Thanks, everyone.” I put my hand on Roska. “I’m going to try going directly to the house first. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go to the rift.”

  “Do what you need to.”

  My heart races at the thought of Eveline being there. At least my friends will be there with me—even though she only wants me dead. I hold Titan’s gaze. He stands tall, as if to repeat that I’ve got this.

  “You’ve got Alre’s blood, right?” Gessilyn asks.

  “In my pocket.” I turn to Roska. “You might want to close your eyes.”

  She does, then so do I. It takes my mind a moment to settle, then I focus on the mirror in Calla’s bathroom, imagining myself actually there.

  The air swirls around, then stops. I open my eyes.

  We made it. Roska and I are actually standing in the bathroom of Calla’s house in the magical world.

  My stomach lurches.

  It’s a good thing we’re in a bathroom. I lunge for the toilet just in time to throw up. After flushing, I turn to Roska. “Sorry.”

  She’s busy creating a rune, tracing her finger along the glass and whispering in Icelandic.

  I watch in interest until she stops. The rune glows. She chants, until the glow is so bright the rune looks like it could jump off the mirror.

  Roska turns to me. “I’m ready to bring them back. Are you going to be okay?”

  “My stomach is still unstable, but otherwise I’m okay.”

  “Do you need my essence?”

  “It would help.”

  She glances at the rune, then back to me. “Let’s do this.”

  Hopefully this will get rid of my nausea. Then I need to not teleport for a really long time.

  I take her essence, then she disappears into the rune.

  Silence echoes around me. I hadn’t thought about being alone where Eveline could show up at any moment. Or she could already be here. She might be if she figured out I entered the little realm she created.

  My skin tingles, and my stomach is still weak even with Roska’s essence running through me.

  I want to use Alrekur’s blood to break Calla’s spell, but I have no idea what to do with it. Just having it is useless without the other ingredients, which Calla supposedly has somewhere.

  Hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It feels like I’m being watched. I take a deep breath and step out into the hall. Nobody’s there. In fact, the silence still rings. Shouts, would be more accurate.

  I close my eyes and focus on the surroundings. There isn’t any essence that I can sense. For all intents and purposes, I may as well be alone. Calla has been hidden well.

  If she’s actually here. What if Fox has been playing me the whole time? I left him back at the guesthouse with Titan and the witches while I traveled to a magical little world created by the witch who wants me dead. Not only that, but I’m weaker than normal because of all the teleporting. I could drink an entire village’s essence and still not be at the top of my game.

  Thud! Crash!

  My eyes fly open, and I look around, prepared to fight Eveline.

  The witches, Titan, and Fox are all cramped in the bathroom. Relief washes through me, then guilt stings for doubting Fox. He’s proven himself to be a good friend, and he’s given me no reason to distrust him, yet I did. Again.

  Everyone piles out and looks around.

  Titan comes over to me and wraps me in a hug. “Are you okay?”

  I squeeze him back. “Better now that you’re here, but all the teleporting is taking its toll on me.”

  He kisses my cheek. “Now that there’s a rune here, there’s no more teleporting for you.” He holds my gaze. “As a matter of fact, I forbid it.”

  The corners of my mouth twitch. “You forbid it?”

  Titan stands taller and nods. “I do.”

  “Then I guess I’d better listen.”

  “If you know what’s good for you.”

  “Hey, lovebirds!” Fox calls. “Care to join us?”

  Titan cracks a smile. “He’s really not that bad, is he?”

  I shake my head. “Actually, I can see you two becoming friends.”

  He takes my hand, and we go into the bedroom. The witches have set up a bunch of items on the middle of the bed. Some are Calla’s things and the rest are items they typically use in spells—flower petals, spices, and small candles.

  Gessilyn waves us over. “I’m going to run a locator spell to find Calla. We should easily be able to find her now that we’re so close. It’s just a matter of cracking the spell used to hide her. Let’s all join hands.”

  We all form a circle as best we can around the bed. Gessilyn speaks in ancient Icelandic, then Killian and Roska both join her. The room fills with a tangy aromatic fragrance and a breeze moves around.

  All of a sudden, the three of them all stop speaking simultaneously.

  “What?” Fox stares at them, wide-eyed.

  Killian picks up Calla’s stuffed bear. “She’s in the basement. And she’s being tormented.”

  Fox’s face pales, then he clenches his fists.

  I meet his gaze. “You never said anything about a basement.”

  He cracks his knuckles. “There isn’t one.”

  “There is.” Gessilyn blows out the candles. “We need to get down there. I’ll take Alre’s blood now.” She holds out her hand toward me. “We’re definitely going to need that to free the girl.”

  I hand the vial over.

  “How badly is she being tormented?” Fox asks.

  None of the witches reply.

  I give him a sympathetic glance. “We’ll rescue her, then kill the witch who did this to her.”

  “I’ll do it myself.”

  Gessilyn and Killian lead the way downstairs. She turns to Fox. “You don’t know where the entrance is to the basement?”

  He scowls. “I never knew there was one.”

  “It could be new,” Roska says. “This place has the feel of constant change.”

  “Let’s separate and search for it.” Gessilyn glances around. “I’ll check the closets.”

  We each pick something and go in different directions. I take the kitchen and try to imagine where I would hide an entrance if I were to create one. There’s nothing in any of the cabinets or the pantry—the obvious places.

  Where would someone place a door that nobody would think to look? I pull out the stove, only to find dust and crumbs underneath. This bright and cheery place actually has dust?

  After putting the oven back, my mouth is parched. I open the fridge for something cold to drink.

  Then I see it. A latch on the back of the refrigerator. That and a barely-visible line surrounding it. What a place for a door.

  “I think I found something!”

  Thirty

  We all pull the food and shelves from the fridge, then Fox insists on being the one to pull the latch.

  Behind the tiny door is a dark stairway going down.

  “There really is a basement,” he whispers.

  Gessilyn moves between him and the fridg
e. “This is where I insist on going in first.”

  “Not without me.” Killian joins her.

  Gessilyn squeezes into the refrigerator and then through the little door. Killian follows, then Roska and Fox.

  Titan glances at me. “Are you up for this?”

  “Of course. Eveline is behind this—she’s the one who hurt you and will stop at nothing until I’m dead.”

  He frowns. “You just seem pale still. I know you’re tough and want to do this, but I don’t want to see you get hurt. I don’t know what I’d do.”

  I can’t deny not being at the top of my game. “I’m a Valkyrie. Killing is what I was designed to do. I’ve got this.”

  “Are you sure?”

  To show him I mean business, I climb into the fridge and make my way through the little door. A pungent odor assaults my nose as soon as I step foot inside the stairwell.

  Titan follows then covers his mouth. “That’s nasty! What is it?”

  My already-weak stomach twists. “I’m not sure I want to know, but we’re probably going to find out.”

  He gags. “They located that chick, but did they say if she was alive?”

  I shake my head as my eyes water. “You can wait out there if you want. Actually, it might not be a bad idea to have someone make sure Eveline doesn’t show up and try to seal the entrance.”

  “I’m not leaving you.”

  “I love how you want to protect an angel of death. Really, I’d feel better if you stood watch here. I seriously can’t risk having to teleport again, and I don’t want to spend any more time here than I have to.”

  He wipes his eyes. “Can’t blame you. Smells worse than a rotting corpse.”

  “So, you’ll stay?”

  “Yeah, and I’ll kick Eveline into the next millennium if she makes the mistake of showing up.”

  I give Titan a quick kiss before making my way down the rickety stairs. Each one cracks like it wants to split and fall apart.

  Candles line the walls, casting a little light into the dark chilly room. The horrible odor is fifty times worse. I cover my nose and mouth as best I can, then see why it reeks so badly.

  Rows of tall flowers line the back of the basement. They each stand at least twice as high as a person and sport yellow middles coming out from purple petals—carrion flowers, also known as corpse flowers because of their stench. They’re also supposed to be endangered.

  Eveline must have made saving them her other personal mission. Unless she’s using them to hide dead bodies. What if that’s the true source of the smell?

  I see a hallway to the right and take it. The stench fades, though not entirely. Gessilyn, Killian, and Roska are huddled together. Fox has his arms around someone with long black hair, and they’re clinging to each other. I can’t see her face, but it can only be Calla.

  Then it hits me. They’ve broken the spell. Used Alrekur’s blood.

  Eveline has to know. She’s probably on her way here right now. If she isn’t already.

  And I’ve left Titan alone.

  I spin around and race back to the stairs. My eyes water at the odor, and I hurry up the stairs. One step gives way and my foot goes through. I pull it out, scratching my ankle, and keep going.

  At the top, Titan stands where I left him and the entrance is still open. Bright light shines in from the overly happy kitchen.

  He throws his arms around me. “Did you find them?”

  “Yes, and they got Calla. Eveline has to know.”

  “She’s on her way here?”

  “It’s the only thing that makes any sense. She has to be coming, if she isn’t here already.”

  He stands at the top of the stairs and cups his hands around his mouth. “Come on, you guys! We gotta get outta here!”

  Footsteps thunder our way, then grow louder as the others make their way upstairs.

  “Is she here?” Killian asks.

  Titan shakes his head. “We haven’t seen her, but let’s get out of here before she arrives. She’s gonna be furious.”

  Fox scowls. “Why don’t we wait for her? I, for one, want to dish out some justice.”

  Gessilyn steps toward the fridge entrance. “Titan’s right. We want to draw her out somewhere else. This is her turf. She’ll have the advantage.”

  Fox grumbles but agrees. Then we all go through the little doorway.

  Once in the kitchen, Titan looks around. “Can anyone sense her?” He turns to me. “Can you detect her essence?”

  “Nope.”

  “Come on.” Killian gestures toward the living room. “Maybe we’ll be lucky and Eveline will find us at home, where we have all of our ingredients and spell books.”

  We all race upstairs to the bathroom to where the rune is.

  I stop just outside and look into Titan’s eyes. “If this doesn’t go the way we hope, I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me these last few years. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend or roommate.”

  He shakes his head, his expression tight. “Don’t do this. We’re going to defeat that witch. She’s going down, not you.”

  Fox pokes his head out. “What are you two doing? We’re leaving!”

  “We’re coming.” Titan grabs my hand and pulls me into the bathroom.

  “Everybody put your hands on me and close your eyes.” Gessilyn speaks in Icelandic and the rune lights up.

  We all reach for her. My stomach lurches and a wave of weakness rolls through me. Instead of touching Gessilyn, I put my hand on Titan. Then I close my eyes.

  Someone grabs my arm from outside the bathroom and yanks me out.

  My eyes fly open just in time to see my friends all disappear into the rune.

  “Finally, we’re alone.” Eveline glares at me.

  I leap into the bathroom. The rune is still glowing. I jump toward it.

  Eveline shoves me, knocking me to the floor. My head hits the toilet. Before I can scramble to my feet, she holds out her hands toward the mirror and shouts in Gaelic.

  The rune spins around then disappears.

  I rise. My mind races and my stomach heaves. I’m stuck here in the world she created.

  She has the advantage.

  I could try to teleport, but that would do me in. I’m already in bad shape. If she managed to follow me, there would be no way I could face her and stand a chance.

  Eveline turns to me. “I finally have you where I want you.”

  “You lured me here?” I lean against the counter. “All of this is a trap for me?”

  “Don’t let your head get so big. I did create this little place for Calla. But once you and her beefcake met up, I knew he’d lead you here.” She rubs her hands together. “I barely had to do a thing.”

  My pulse pounds throughout my body as I stare her down, determined not to let her get a whiff of my weakness. “Let’s do this. I’m glad, actually.”

  She lifts an eyebrow. “Are you?”

  “Yeah. Everyone I care about is safely away. We can work this out between the two of us.”

  Eveline laughs and pulls some dark locks behind her shoulder. “There’s nothing to work out, Valkyrie. I’m going to kill you.”

  “Are you? I assume you’ve killed others, so you know what you’re doing?”

  She rolls her eyes and pulls her long hair into a ponytail. “I’ve done my homework. I know what to do.”

  I stare into her eyes. She has to be lying. Killing Valkyries isn’t common knowledge. It isn’t impossible, but it’s close enough.

  “Oh, don’t try to intimidate me with those dark eyes.” She rolls up her sleeves and fixes the collar of her long teal dress. “All you’re doing is making yourself ugly.”

  Fury tears through me, but it saps my already limited energy. I take a deep breath to calm myself. I need to save all my resources for killing her.

  She looks me over. “I like your gown, by the way. Finally starting to dress feminine? Too bad you won’t be able to keep your sudden
fashion sense up after today.”

  My wings press against my back. If they expand here, they’ll hit the bathroom walls, possibly breaking and definitely getting injured.

  I open my mouth to drink her essence.

  “I’m not falling for that again!” Eveline jumps out of the bathroom and spreads out her hands as far as they will go.

  Color pulls from the walls and swirls toward her hands, leaving black grime in its place. Her skin grows brighter as the walls darken.

  She cackles. “This entire realm is filled with magic for me to draw upon. What do you have?”

  My heart drops to my stomach. I’m growing weaker by the moment because of her, and she has a seemingly endless supply of strength.

  I glance over at the mirror. Why aren’t the others coming back for me? Don’t they notice I’m not with them?

  “Looking for the rune?” Eveline flips her ponytail. “I demolished it. Your friends will have to use typical means of travel—and they’re two states away!”

  Why didn’t I guess that? Looks like I’m on my own against Eveline in this place where she has all the power, mine is waning, and she has me blocked in a tiny bathroom.

  Thirty-One

  Eveline is still pulling magic from the walls, leaving them as black and ugly as her soul. The brightness swirls around, entering into her hands, arms, and everything else it can find.

  Meanwhile, my stomach is still lurching and my insides are aching. I look around for anything I can draw strength from, and the walls aren’t going to help me like they do her.

  I could try her essence. It’s the only thing I have, even though the risk is that it’ll make me even more sick than I already am. Perhaps I can pull some from the faeries outside, although they could be as dark as Eveline—in fact, that might explain why I’m feeling so sick from essence. Drinking too much evil will wreak more havoc on me than teleporting all over the place.

  She’s still watching me as she pulls magic. I can’t attack her without her noticing. She would use all that energy against me.