by Katrina Cope
WARNED
Valkyrie Academy Dragon Alliance
Katrina Cope
Cosy Burrow Books
Contents
VADA Books
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Acknowledgments
Books by Katrina Cope
Newsletter
About the Author
Valkyrie Academy Dragon Alliance
Books
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Marked
Chosen
Vanished
Scorned
Inflicted
Empowered
Ambushed
Warned
Abducted
Warned
Ebook first published in USA in November 2019 by Cosy Burrow Books
Ebook first published in Great Britain in November 2019 by Cosy Burrow Books
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www.katrinacopebooks.com
Text Copyright © 2019 by Katrina Cope
Cover Design Copyright © art4artists.com.au
The moral right of Katrina Cope to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references or suggestions herein to actual historical events, real people or actual locations are fictitious. All names, characterisations, locations, incidents, and fabrications are solely the product of the author’s imagination, and any, and all, resemblance to actual persons alive or dead or locations or events is entirely coincidental.
Published by Cosy Burrow Books
All rights reserved
ISBN: 978-0-6486613-6-8
ASIN: B07YWGNLBJ
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- Chapter One -
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My heart thumps against my chest, an urgent beat with a touch of desperation, dying to be free. The need to close my eyes is strong, but I don't want to miss out on the thrill of what is happening. The wind catches my hood and blows it off, leaving my head bare and my ears exposed to its force. The gusts squeal against my ears, thrumming against my eardrums. Breaking through the final layer of cloud, we plummet headfirst toward the ground several thousand feet below. My nose is numb, and my cheeks are burning from the cold.
A cry of exhilaration erupts from behind me, and I turn my head away from the progressing view to find Hildr hooking her legs around Drogon’s neck. Hildr flings her arms up in the air as they also nosedive toward the ground. Wearing an invigorated smile, Eir dives not far behind her. Naga's plummet isn’t as direct as Drogon's and is slightly angled for a slower descent.
A few seconds behind is a red streak. Tanda is descending with us but at a slower pace. Britta sits at the base of Tanda's neck. Her face is white, and her eyes hold a strange mixture of excitement and terror.
I smirk. It is Britta's first flight on a dragon, and I’m sure she’s stressing right now. Tanda decided to join us after the fight with the dark elves. It was a strange sight to see, a welcome sight—the red eyes of the dragon burning with friendship instead of hate and anger. I only hope that Tanda's mother will approve. Perhaps if Ness sees that Tanda has settled in well and we are taking care of her, she will not be so reluctant to follow Eingana's rules and give up one of her hatchlings every time she has a clutch. Hopefully, Ness will see that handing over her eggs to the Valkyries to honor the alliance is not all doom and gloom when they bond with a wingless Valkyrie. And possibly, we can work together to make a better alliance.
I face the front again and see that the ground is only a few hundred feet away. It is hard, but I have to place my full trust in Elan. She is an experienced flyer, and I'm sure she won't crash into the ground. Still, the sudden descent gets my heart pumping and the adrenaline rushing through my blood. I shove the black strands of hair out of my face and fling them behind me. I can feel the wind whipping at them. The ground lunges up at us until the last second when Elan tilts slightly with her wings spread and flicks her tail. We change direction and glide along the top of Asgard's surface before ascending again into the sky. My heartbeat slows, almost thanking me for the change of direction as it settles down.
So what do you think about that? Elan's voice pierces through my thoughts. Would you like to do it again?
I puff out a large stream of air. "I think I'm good, Elan."
Does that mean you want to do it again? She asks as she swivels her head around and smirks over her shoulder.
"No, Elan. I think my heart's had enough excitement for today."
It’s nice to spend time like this with Elan. We haven’t had much time lately. There has been so much going on, but I know the other riders must bond with their dragons more, especially Britta and Tanda, seeing as they are newly coupled. Elan, being the dragon leader's daughter, knows this is important in trying to build the bond between dragons and the wingless Valkyries.
As we fly over the plain, the other three dragons line up beside us. They all beat their wings in time, staying on the same level. My ears are burning with cold from the recent descent, and I grab for the hood of my dragon-scale cloak and pull it over my head.
Elan peers over her shoulder. Are you feeling warm?
I can feel her toasty scales underneath my legs, and they are slowly heating me, spreading the cozy temperature through the rest of my body. The dragon-scale cape is also blocking out most of the cold air. "Almost." I tug at the edges of my hood and grip the front of my cloak closed, leaving my face only barely exposed from underneath the hood.
You two dragons stay here for a moment or hover behind us at a distance. Elan telepathically speaks with me and the other dragons, addressing us all at once. I just want to do something first.
Drogon nods once, and Elan flaps her wings, increasing her speed. At first, I wonder what she's doing, but I trust her, and I push any concern out of my head, enjoying the ride. As she flaps her wings some more, two white dots appear on the horizon on either side of her head. My eyes fix on them, and I continue to watch them as we approach. After we devour the space between us, I realize that they are the white wings of the winged Valkyries from the academy. They are probably the guards doing their rounds and checking on everything. Elan progresses toward them at a rapid rate.
"What are you doing, Elan?" I ask.
Not much. I'm just checking on the Valkyries.
She flaps her wings harder, and the gap between the Valkyries and us decreases. Her scales disappear from underneath me until I feel like I'm flying on air, with nothing holding me up. Before I know it, Elan is flying between the two Valkyries. She slows down and travels next to them for a stretch, and we sit in silence, listening to their conversation.
I know with my cape on and Elan being invisible, I am also invisible except for my face. But if I keep it hidden under my cloa
k, they will not be able to see me. Even Elan's saddle straps are invisible when she is. It was only the other day that I sewed scales on them for moments like this.
“Did you see that warrior in the halls of Valhalla last night? He is so handsome, and I swear he was checking me out.”
The second Valkyrie giggles. “Those einherjar can be so flirtatious. But who can blame them? We are so gorgeous.”
The first one slightly squeals when she chuckles. “Well, I don’t mind having to wait on them if they treat us like that. It gets me all flittery inside.”
As we fly next to them, I wonder what they are talking about. I know the einherjar are the warriors that they reap in preparation for Ragnarok, but it’s the way they are talking about them that I don’t understand. Then I remember how Harut makes me feel at times, and I feel my cheeks warming. My thoughts vanish when the Valkyrie on the right looks around then peers at the Valkyrie on the left.
"There's some kind of strange breeze in the air today. Can you feel it?" the first one asks the other.
"Yeah. I can feel some weird wind. It comes from that way." The left Valkyrie points in the direction of the one on the right.
The Valkyrie on the right frowns. "I thought it was coming from that way." She points in the direction of the left Valkyrie.
The left Valkyrie’s forehead furrows. They fly some more and slowly close the gap between them as they talk. Elan rises slightly above them.
"Do you feel the breeze coming from above now?" the Valkyrie on the right asks.
"Yes. That's strange. Since when does the breeze blow downwards?”
I continue to rise and fall slightly with the beat of Elan’s wings, and after a few more wingbeats, she suddenly she appears underneath me. She twists her head around and drops it, descending in front of the two Valkyries’ faces as they fly toward her.
Boo! Elan says telepathically while showing off her vicious smile.
The two Valkyries’ faces lose all color just before they dart to either side, separating themselves, then dive to the ground. Elan's laughter echoes through the valley, her head jerking up and down with the movement.
"Oh, Elan. That was nasty." I throw a hand over my smile.
My legs jerk sideways a few times as her chuckles rattle her torso. Yeah, but fun. Besides, the winged Valkyries deserve it. They've been nothing but nasty to you and your friends and all the dragons.
"Don't push it, though, Elan. I think we’re starting to make some progress with some of them. You don't want to undo all the hard work we've been doing.”
She shrugs. They'll get over it. I have many years to catch up on, and that’s just to pay them back for the way they have treated the dragons. It won't surprise me if the Valkyries are behind stealing the eggs.
"What makes you think that, Elan?"
I can't imagine what the zmey creature would want with our eggs. It must be working for someone or some organization. Unless it is starving and only lives off dragon eggs.
At the mention of the zmey, my guilt slurs in a sludgy well within my stomach. I still haven't managed to speak to Loki. I saw him on that hill after the fight with the dark elves, but I couldn't get up to him before he disappeared. It is so frustrating. I am dying for some answers that I can't get from anyone but Loki. Not only that, I hear that it is Loki who turns into the zmey creature, the one that steals the eggs. Yet at the same time, he represents the dragons in front of Odin, making out like he’s their friend. I need to know for sure if the zmey is him because I need to sort this out. I don't like keeping secrets from the dragons.
You're awfully quiet, Elan says.
“Hmm. I have a lot on my mind."
- Chapter Two -
* * *
Elan lands at the site, and I climb off her back. She nudges me with her shoulder. Well, I hope you soon share with me what's on your mind. It’s so boring when you’re quiet like this.
A deep twinge of guilt circulates through my torso. I’m still not sure what to do with the Loki and dragon debacle. At the same time, I don’t want to hold anything back from Elan. It’s tearing me up.
Three loud thumping sounds synchronize around us. Drogon, Naga, and Tanda have landed with their passengers on their backs.
Britta's face is ecstatic with excitement. "That was awesome!” She is almost yelling. "Never in my life did I think that would happen to me." She turns around and grins at Tanda with eyes full of adoration. The red dragon’s eyes are wary, yet there is no harshness in them. The bond has not yet been established, although I can see improvement and all signs of encouragement that they will bond shortly. "Can I pet your nose?" Britta raises her hand toward Tanda but doesn’t move forward.
For a moment, Tanda’s eyes open wide and focus on Britta’s hand without saying anything. After a while, she nods once.
Britta approaches slowly, not wanting to startle the dragon. Gradually, she runs her hand up the dragon’s scaly nose. There are still some signs of the big gashes inflicted by the winged Valkyries the other day. But they have healed well with the help of Anita’s ointments.
As Britta approaches, she says, "I'm so sorry that the winged Valkyries have maltreated you. I would never do that. Please believe me. Hopefully, something will be worked out between the dragons and the winged Valkyries to stop this barbarity."
I'm knocked aside, and I turn to see that Eir has lost her balance and landed on me. On her other side, I spot a large blue object. Naga has tilted his head and nudged Eir’s side. His big eyes are staring at her affectionately.
She cackles. "Sorry, Kara. He's just so excitable."
I chuckle with her. Those two have completely bonded, and Naga is such a sweet dragon.
Elan interrupts our chuckle. I have to be off.
The smile disappears from my face. "That’s sudden. Where are you going?"
I'm going to see Mother. Elan looks at Tanda. I have to report back about Tanda’s progression and the bonds between Drogon and Hildr, and Naga and Eir. I'm sure my mother would be very interested to know that certain young dragons have been happy to adjust and bond with the wingless Valkyries and that they share a kindness. Hopefully, this will give her insight on what to do about the whole alliance.
"I hope she succeeds in negotiating something better," I say. “Although she may have a challenge because Odin and Mistress Sigrun don't have any faith in the wingless Valkyries."
She nods once. We shall see. Drogon, Naga, and Tanda, you need to return to your stalls while I’m gone to make it appear that you are honoring the alliance. I don’t want Odin to have any reason to make it worse.
The three dragons nod their acknowledgment in unison.
Elan looks at each one of us in turn. Bye for now. She pushes off into the air, her golden scales disappearing under the sun.
Hildr climbs down from Drogon’s back, clasping his horns as she slides to the side. Her feet hit the ground with a thud.
It reminds me of how awkward her ride would have been without something to grab on to. I look at my three friends. "I know what we need to do. We need to make some saddles."
Hildr scowls at me. "Why would I need a saddle?"
My jaw drops as I look at Hildr in disbelief. "You definitely need a saddle. I don't know how you hold on to Drogon with the way his wings are attached to his front legs."
Drogon huffs and shakes his horny head, looking displeased.
I hold up my hand in defense toward him. "It’s nothing against you, Drogon. I like your unique build. It just means she's got less to hang on to without a saddle. She can't hook her legs behind your shoulder blades because your wings are in the road. Besides wrapping her legs around your neck, the only thing she can hold on to is your horns if she manages not to get jabbed in the face by all the other horns."
"I don't mind," Hildr says. “We just had an exhilarating flight with my legs wrapped around Drogon’s neck and without a saddle."
"I know, Hildr. And you're very clever with that, but I prefer to know that y
ou have a saddle because it’s easier to hang on to, especially if we have to go into battle again and ride the dragons. The dragons may be too distracted to catch us or have less opportunity to drop everything to rescue us."
Hildr turns around and embraces Drogon’s nose then touches her forehead to his snout before looking up. "All right. I guess we’ll do it. I would rather partake in a fight. It’s much more exciting than learning how to thread a needle through some leather."
"I certainly want to sit on a saddle," Britta says. "It's hard to hang on to Tanda’s large camel lump in the middle of her back. Don’t get me wrong—I love her unusual look. It’s just harder to hook my legs around her neck. And I have to yank at her fur. It probably hurts, but she won’t let me know."
Tanda’s eyes dart to Britta, and she huffs slightly, releasing billows of smoke from her nostrils. Britta touches Tanda tenderly on the nose. At first, Tanda seems apprehensive, but she puts up with it.
Eir gives Naga one last cuddle. "See you soon, Naga. Hopefully, you will only be up in the stalls for a little while longer. In any case, I’ll come and visit you soon to brighten it up for you." She runs her hand down the side of his face.
The three dragons push up in unison and flap their wings as they head toward the dragon stalls. It reminds me of how there are so many more dragons within the stalls. The majority of them are vicious and upset, especially with the Valkyries because of the way the winged ones have treated them. Many have been persecuted over the years by the winged Valkyries. The Valkyries claim that they need to practice fighting against those kinds of beasts.