Time Academy

by Kelly N. Jane

  I put my arm out and stopped him. “Are you just going to leave the dead in the street? Two of those men lying back there are your people.”

  “We know the risks we take when we come out here. We’ve all agreed to them. If we’re sure it’s safe, we’ll bury the bodies, but this area is too dangerous to take time for sentiment.” Jarren glanced back at the bodies, and I saw him linger on one of those we’d fought against.

  It made me sick to my stomach to think that they cared so little for those under their protection. When I’d switched to ethereal form to scout the area, the spirits of their dead had already gone . . . though I wasn’t sure what I would’ve done, had either of them still been there. It would’ve bothered me to watch them float away.

  I missed my life in Valhalla.

  I headed to a different building than the one Georgia Anne had entered, and found salted fish, ham, and several loaves of bread. A small crate held what looked to be knitting supplies. I dumped the contents to the floor and filled the container with my findings.

  When we met back up in the middle of the street, everyone had their arms full. Without wasting time for conversation, we followed Jarren back into the woods.

  Lucia surveyed the group when we returned, then touched her lips, head, chest, and shoulders in a way I’d seen others on Midgard do before. She closed her eyes for a brief moment before she set her shoulders and helped with the supplies.

  After the food was stored in a cool dirt room with a door made from wooden slats wedged with sod, we made our way to the room with the cushions and low tables.

  Several others joined Jarren in the gathering space; Cordelia, Tankerai, and Lucia among them.

  We settled in to hear their tale. Orsika leaned against the far wall, refusing to sit. I didn’t blame her. The cushions were too casual for such a serious interaction, as far as I was concerned, so I perched on one of the tables.

  Georgia Anne sat with her arms crossed over her chest. Her normally affable demeanor replaced by seriousness.

  Jarren steadied himself, took a deep breath, and then started telling us their story.

  Apparently, vampiric activity had grown in recent years. Humans were not only hunted to satiate the creatures’ bloodlust, but also for sport. Most villages had been decimated, but a few, like the one we had just been in, had been able to survive. That was, until other humans banded into factions, looking to take advantage of the vampires’ leftovers.

  Brutal mercenaries, looking to make good on the misfortune of others, had begun to search town after town for anything of value left behind. Whenever they’d find someone alive, they’d kill them to keep their identity a secret, so no one really knew who they were.

  Because of the vampires and the raiders, groups like Jarren’s had hidden in panic wherever they could survive. When they’d discovered caves so close to their home, they’d hoped to entice more of their friends and family to join them.

  “That doesn’t explain why you lied to us. You knew that Orsika was a vampire. She told you she was the dhampir, so why keep the rest of that from us?” I asked.

  “Because of exactly that,” Cordelia answered.

  Jarren sighed and studied us. “Try to look at it from our perspective. You three claimed to be a dhampir and two humans. We could tell Orsika was a vampire, but it was hard to believe she might be the vampire hunter we’d heard stories about.” Jarren turned his focus to Orsika. “Lucia is rarely wrong, and I trust her opinion, so when she said you looked like your mother, well, that made me wonder. The royal family does not have a good reputation.”

  His stare bored directly into Orsika, the two of them locked in mutual understanding regarding her family.

  “Your mother was bad . . . your brothers are worse. The villagers who live within the castle walls are fed and clothed, but they live in fear. I hear tales of torture and lameness. Various diseases and illnesses run rampant within the walls, yet the Nadasdys never grow ill.

  “Those of us who live outside the walls are offered no protection, no food, no help of any kind. Dhampir or not, as a member of the royal family, we couldn’t trust you. I’d rather you had stayed behind in the caves and out of our way. However, I didn’t want to leave you with everyone else, just in case. I was wrong to mistrust you, and for that I’m sorry. But I hope you can understand the reasons.”

  Tankerai growled. “I don’t think we should be trusting them now, either.”

  Jarren shot the other man a glare. “The food we gathered is very important, but killing that group who came after us may be even more so.”

  His story made sense. I couldn’t blame them for their distrust of us after everything they’d faced.

  But their fight wasn’t ours. It wasn’t my purpose for leaving Valhalla. All I wanted was to find a way back to Breasal, help Gus, and stop the Legion.

  The conversation with Jarren and his group continued for another couple of hours. It turned out that discussing strategy caused my mind to wander helplessly.

  I thought about the time that I’d made it into Gus’s ripple; I’d picked up more speed than usual when I’d broken through the barrier. Maybe I could do it again.

  Maybe that would get me back to Breasal?

  “Niasa!”

  I startled and looked in Georgia Anne’s direction. She was staring at me with her brows raised as if she’d been trying to get my attention for a while.

  “What?”

  “What do you think? Should we join ‘em or not?” Georgia Anne asked.

  I moved my gaze between Georgia Anne and Orsika, then back again. “What?”

  “Help ‘em move back to their village and protect ‘em from the raiders,” Georgia Anne said.

  I shook my head. “I came to Breasal for a reason. That hasn’t changed, and I need to find a way back there. They’ll have to protect themselves.”

  “Where’s Breasal?” Lucia asked.

  I snapped my attention to her. I’d been distracted by my thoughts, and forgot that I shouldn’t say so much in front of everyone.

  “It’s a kingdom outside your area.”

  I hated lying to the woman. She’d been nothing but helpful. Though, since we’d fought off the raiders, they had better options than they did before. So we’d already helped them.

  “We can’t go back, and you know it,” Orsika said to me. She pushed herself off the wall and came to stand closer.

  “We were only here to hide,” I reminded her. “Besides, I don’t think we were actually supposed to be here.” I emphasized the last word, and she knew what I meant. “I don’t think anyone traveled like we were supposed to. Georgia Anne was touching me when she came through. How did you get here?”

  It had danced in the back of my mind when I first saw Orsika, but so much had happened that I hadn’t had the chance to ask her. The fact that we had gone to a strange time and didn’t know where we were made sense for me—it happened all the time. And since Georgia Anne had grabbed hold of me, that made sense too. But how did Orsika get here? She hadn’t touched me, she’d come through the portal after me.

  I let my hand drift to my medallion, which rested comfortably under my tunic. As I rubbed my fingers over the bumps of the runes, the quartz gave a sharp jolt in my pocket. I’d completely forgotten that I’d stuffed it in there.

  “Maybe everyone is here, and we just haven’t found ‘em yet,” Georgia Anne said, breaking into my thoughts.

  I growled and rolled my eyes. It was confirmed in my mind that I’d caused the quake in Breasal when I’d tried to contact Gertie. I’d probably also tainted the portal when I went through with the medallion. Whatever connection the quartz had to it, I still didn’t know, but the problem seemed obvious. Our messed-up travel was all my fault.

  Why can’t I just be a normal Valkyrie?

  “There’s something you don’t know about me. About the reason I came to Breasal.” I met Georgia Anne’s stare and watched as confusion floated over her features.

  “None of us w
ent there on purpose. It’s not your fault,” she answered.

  “Some of us did, actually,” Orsika cut in.

  Georgia Anne stared at each of us in turn, as did several of the others sitting around the room. The concentrated attention made me itch.

  “If you going through the portal somehow changed it, do you think everyone else that went through after us might be here also, like that one thinks?” Orsika asked with a nod to our friend. “If that’s the case, you can’t leave until we find everyone.” She must have guessed what I was thinking of doing.

  She was right . . . I was not happy about it, but she was right. Though, there was also the possibility that the others hadn’t made it to this time, but were scattered elsewhere. Could they get back without someone to guide them to a portal?

  “Maybe Danú or Aurora might be able to find them,” I suggested. If they’ll even try.

  I didn’t think they would.

  I rubbed my temples and plopped down into one of the cushions. If I was right and they had left Gus to his fate with the demons, then there was nothing for me to go back for anyway.

  I was stuck in an area full of vampires, with a cave full of foolish humans. Sounded like my life.

  25

  The possibility that everyone who had gone through the portal after me, including Sabra, might be scattered to who knew where, ate at my insides.

  Georgia Anne didn’t seem to have the same problem. She had slowly calmed down enough to forgive everyone. Including me when I’d pulled her aside and explained how I thought we’d come to the wrong time-frame. She’d nodded and seemed contemplative, then shrugged and decided that one time was as good as the next considering we didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how she could do it. I’d only agreed to stay—forgiveness was another issue. She’d even agreed to play a game with Mihai, so apparently, the two of them were companionable again. While, Orsika had continued discussing strategy with Jarren on how to defeat vampires, or at least have a chance against them.

  I needed time by myself. So much activity, and so many others around me, had my nerves on edge and my temper ready to flare.

  I lay on the mattress that Georgia Anne and I were supposed to share in a room they’d assigned us. It was cozy, with a rug on the floor, and the mattress sitting on top of it was wrapped with furs and actually quite comfortable. There was a ring sticking into the wall that I had to assume was for a torch, but in such close quarters, I wasn’t sure an open flame was a good idea.

  Though I’d be sharing the space with a woman who turned into one, apparently.

  For the time being, I left the door open and let light come in from the hall. After my experience of wriggling through the boulders, I wasn’t keen on small, tight quarters yet.

  As I stared at the dark charcoal rocks of the ceiling, I tried to think about how we could gather everyone who might be scattered after following me through the portal. Even if I could fly fast enough to create a portal like I had done before, which I believed really was what I had done when I went to Gus’s ripple, how would we know where to go? And could I even take anyone with me?

  For that matter, I didn’t even remember how many people had still been in the courtyard when I left. Luca’s group left before us, as had Jacob’s, from what I remembered.

  I wasn’t concerned about Aurora or any of the other members of the High Council—they were likely safe. As druids, they had more magic than anyone. If they’d landed in the wrong spot, they could adapt. So the potential trouble would just be to those behind us; regular novitiates and maybe some masters.

  A horrible scream jolted me to my feet and into a fighting stance. I held my breath, trying to determine where it had come from. It also had sounded familiar.

  Footsteps rushed through the cave in my direction. Georgia Anne and Orsika both stopped in the opening.

  “Did you hear that?” Georgia Anne asked.

  “Everyone for miles had to. Who was it?”

  “What is a better question,” Orsika answered, while Georgia Anne nodded so fast she was going to give herself a headache.

  Sabra! “She made it through,” I gasped.

  “And she’s still in her leopard form, but why’d she scream like that?” Georgia Anne was flicking the fingers of both of her hands.

  I couldn’t blame her, though—the scream had been blood-curdling. We needed to go find her.

  “Let’s go,” Orsika said and headed back to the main room. We’d need to leave through there to get outside.

  Maybe we can recruit a couple others to help us. Sabra wouldn’t hurt anyone who was with us . . . I hoped.

  “What was that?” Cordelia asked as soon as we entered the room. She and all those still in the room were on their feet, wide-eyed.

  “We think it’s our friend, and we need to go help her,” Georgia Anne said and headed to the door, but she spun suddenly around to face the others. “We need weapons this time.”

  Good girl.

  Regardless of Orsika and I being trained fighters, weapons would help. Plus, I was proud of how she’d asserted herself.

  “We’ll come with you,” Jarren said as he opened a trunk and started passing out axes and clubs.

  “Speak for yourself,” Tankerai said. “I’m not facing whatever made that sound to help their kind.” He nodded toward Orsika and I, and I wanted to smash his face.

  But he was no one, and our friend could be in trouble.

  Sabra had been in her leopard form in the courtyard, last I’d seen her. I didn’t know if that meant she couldn’t shift here, but that wasn’t important. All that mattered was getting to her and bringing her to safety.

  Cordelia grabbed a club and stood by Jarren’s side. “I’ll go, too. You helped us, so we’ll return the favor. It’s what’s right.”

  Lucia hurried to her side. “Be careful out there.” She wrapped her arms around Cordelia’s shoulders and pulled her close.

  “I will, Mama.”

  There were tears in both women’s eyes as they parted. I could see their resemblance as they stood close. I hadn’t recognized it before, but my focus had been on other matters.

  “This way,” Jarren said and headed for the way out of the cave.

  We all followed. Once we were outside and away from the cave entrance, we stopped behind some dense brush to regroup.

  “I can track a big cat. I’ve hunted one before that kept attackin’ our pigs,” Georgia Anne said.

  She was more resourceful than I’d ever have given her credit for before this experience.

  We all nodded and trailed in a line as she took the lead. Not long after, we heard the chill-inducing scream once more. It was close, and this time, we could tell that it was a cry of distress and anger. Sabra was fighting someone—or something.

  I didn’t think a vampire would go after a leopard. Animal blood didn’t appeal to them, from what I knew, unless maybe they could tell she was a shifter. Regardless, Sabra was in danger.

  Georgia Anne picked up her pace, jogging toward the sound. We hurried behind, keeping low and watching in all directions.

  Movement from the right made Orsika spin just in time to swing her club into the face of a raider. He was dressed like the ones we’d fought earlier, and I realized there must have been more than just those we’d encountered in the village. Seconds later, we were swarmed on all sides.

  I fought against two, and, from the flashes in my peripheral vision, I could see that everyone else did, as well. I’d snatched an axe from Jarren’s trunk and was wielding it well, considering I didn’t normally use weapons when I fought. I usually had my wings to keep the high ground.

  One of the men came in close and grabbed my arm, making a swing impossible. He smiled into my face, nearly knocking me out with breath that reeked of onions and pipe smoke. I headbutted him, and he stumbled backward. That gave me enough room to embed my axe into the side of his neck.

  I didn’t have time to relish my accomplishment, though, because I was bludgeone
d in the side with a club and went flying to the ground. It became hard to breathe. The metalic taste of blood filled my mouth as I retched. Pain splintered my vision. A rib jutted against my arm as I pressed it against my side.

  With one hand on the ground, I dug my fingers into the dirt. I couldn’t feel the same vibrations of the plants around me as I had on Breasal, but there was a smaller amount of energy. I called it into me and felt the nudge of a tree root that ran under where we fought.

  My attacker was running toward me. Just as he came within range to kick me in the side, I rolled away, crying out from the effort. The tree root broke through the ground and impaled the man through the stomach. His eyes popped open wide, and he gasped, staring first at his middle, then at me.

  For a few seconds, he struggled, then the root ripped out of his body. Blood poured from the man as he crumpled to the ground.

  I sighed and rested on one elbow and tried to catch my breath. If I was healing, I couldn’t feel it.

  The root receded back under the dirt, and I said a mental thank you.

  Cordelia rushed over and knelt by my side. “Where are you hurt?”

  “My ribs. Help me up, I’ll be fine after a little while.” At least I hoped I would.

  Cordelia hurried around behind me and pulled me up by grabbing me under my arms. She was as gentle as she could be, I could tell, but the movement still made me scream. I’d always healed so quickly before that pain didn’t usually register.

  My vision blurred and darkened in a way that it had only done when I was on Midgard with Gus. That had been different, though. He’d also carried me when I’d weakened. Tears threatened my resolved as I fought off the memory.

  Sabra roared again, closer this time.

  I grit my teeth to stand on my own. Cordelia would need both of her hands. I gave her a grateful nod, and we followed through the bushes after the others as fast as I could manage. They must have dispatched their attackers also. I noticed blood on Georgia Anne’s shoulder and the back of her thigh, but it didn’t seem to affect her movement.