With a last forlorn look over my shoulder, I took the first step away from Aeron and his memory. His voice was hoarse with despair as he called out to me, but I didn’t allow myself to stop or to look back again.
“Valkyrie wait! I’m not gone! Please, don’t do this…don’t give up on me yet…please…VALKYRIE!”
Stepping from the thick trunks of the trees that surrounded the ruins of Byron Walker’s long forgotten home, I did the hardest thing. I ignored his pleas, and, unfurling my pair of raven black wings, I lifted into the air, heaving with each stroke of my wings as I fought to keep the feelings inside me at bay. I told myself that it was for the best that his apparition tonight was proof that he couldn’t come back, that he wouldn’t come back. I was terrified of letting everyone down, of being the one who doomed the world, but I was far more terrified that once I let him go, there would be nothing left of me.
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15
The Deception of Others
With a resounding thud, my black leather boots hit the solid dirt floor of our camp. My body felt the impact vibrate through it. I had dropped in, needing to feel the landing, to remind myself of reality. Lifting my face, I peered through my disheveled hair, studying the eyes that stared back at me. Wolves crept closer, eyeing me wearily. Panthers kept their distance, waiting to see what my move would be. Gargoyles showed less fear, but they too held back from me. The Spirits, however, hovered near to me, encircling me, looking me over.
From the back of the crowd, I watched as my brother and Tamyra closed in on me, flanked by the big obsidian Panther. The look on my twin’s face was almost comical, and if my mood hadn’t been so bleak, I might have laughed. He stared at me, as though I were some unusual creature. I didn’t know why he was so surprised, after all, I had come back to life before. His green eyes scanned me.
“Val, you’re alive?”
I sent him an exasperated look. “Surely you know that it’s not the first time this has happened, right?”
Valkyrian tilted his head as he took me in. “Yes, but before you were wearing the amulet. I thought it protected you from actually dying.”
Behind him, a familiar, aged voice that was very dear to me called out. “The amulet didn’t keep her from dying and being reborn. That gift is Valkyrie’s alone. The amulet was meant for other things.”
My eyes sought the old Witch. The gathered Shifters and others parted, and he walked with his carved wooden cane toward me. His eyes were soft as he regarded me. “Valkyrie, welcome back.”
I gave him as much of a smile as I could. There wasn’t much happiness within me at that moment, but I didn’t want those I loved to see the true effect letting go of Aeron was causing. I would keep that hidden from them for as long as I could, as long as it took to gain control.
My eyes moved back to my brother’s face for a moment, and in them, I saw that keeping my feelings hidden was going to be much more difficult than I thought. He was too attuned to me. Walking toward him, I nudged him in the arm, trying to distract his weariness.
“Did you guys manage to catch that tree lady, or did I burn her to a crisp?”
Valkyrian regarded me with ill-concealed annoyance. “Yeah, we caught her, what was left of her, anyway. Did you have to suck her dry first?”
I couldn’t help the grin that came to my lips recalling the deliciousness of the Niamph’s blood. Meeting my brother’s gaze, I shrugged. “I was thirsty.”
Rafael took my arm, trying to hide his smile at my sarcasm. “Come, we need to talk. The council has been awaiting your return. Time runs short.”
Approaching the long tent in which the leaders were convened, I allowed Rafael, Valkyrian, and Tamyra to enter ahead of me. As I followed in their steps, Viren stepped up alongside me. His gaze delved into mine, and he asked, “I would ask if you found what you were searching for, but I can see that perhaps you have. Only, I don’t know if I think it was a good thing or not…”
He left his words hanging heavily in the air, but the meaning was clear. He was worried about me and what good I really would be to our cause. I was worried too.
For nearly an hour, I sat and I listened attentively to those gathered around me. It seemed they had learned from Niada that she and Byron had been working together for a long time, and that she had, indeed corrupted Desmond long ago and turned him to their cause. Beyond that, she had refused to give in, even after increasingly harsh spells, and other methods to gain her cooperation. She was weak, and I knew that was my fault, but according to Rafael, it was best that she not be at full strength.
During the conversation, Rafael tapped his chin with a finger repeatedly, and I heard him mutter, “Something isn’t adding up with their stories…”
I wondered what he suspected, but I didn’t get my chance to ask. I was too distracted by the frown on my brother’s face, and the looks he cast occasionally to certain others gathered in the tent, as though he knew something, and he wasn’t sharing.
Viren gave us the details about the scouts he had sent out to some of the Lost Cities, hoping to gain more insights, or to uncover some hint as to Byron’s plan and movements. So far, the cities had been quiet, and that worried me a lot. As muttering broke out around the table, I could tell that it bothered everyone here. After several more lengthy diatribes, I was losing patience, and I was growing restless. I needed to hunt. I needed to lose myself into oblivion and forget what I had just seen and done.
Across the table, Rafael’s blue eyes strayed to my face many times, and I found myself looking away, not wanting to meet his gaze. I knew the old Witch knew me better than anyone, except my brother and sister, and his interest in me now left me feeling uneasy. Why it was that he could see past my mask and into my true self, I would never understand. When the meeting was finally over, I made a bee-line to my tent, seeking the peace I hoped to find there away from the prying eyes.
I hadn’t lain there for more than a few minutes when my tent flap rustled and the Fiddler said my name. I sighed, realizing there would be no respite for me after all. He peered down at me, his eyes now displaying the concern he had kept hidden in front of the others.
“Valkyrie, you are deeply troubled. Perhaps it would be best if you talked about it. Sometimes it’s best not to keep things bottled up, you know.”
I turned my head on my cot, looking at him for a long moment. “I don’t think you want to hear this, Rafael.”
His thin mouth drew into a small smile and he walked fully into my tent, taking a seat near my crossed ankles. “I’m not sure there is anything you could tell me that would shock me at this point Val.”
I laughed softly. In my heart, I thought perhaps it would help to talk things over. “All right. How do I begin? Should I tell you of the darkness inside of me first, or the voice of the dead Vampire I love that I hear in my head? Shall I tell you of my trip back to my childhood home, or the Ghosts I encountered there? Would you like to know about the affair between Byron and Niada, or perhaps you want me to talk about how hard it’s become to fight my cravings?”
Watching his face, I realized I had been right to feel that he could see straight to my soul. His face showed curiosity, but not surprise or shock. He reached out a thin, aged hand, and patted my booted ankle. “My dearest Valkyrie, you are such a mystery, so full of layers, but you know that I love all of you, right?”
I smiled. Rafael sobered, clearing his throat, he said, “All right, then. Why don’t we start with this voice you say you’ve been hearing?”
I had been afraid he would want to start there, but as much as I might baulk at speaking of the one I’d lost, I acquiesced. “I’ve been hearing his voice in my head for a while now, only, he calls himself the Fenix. It took me a while to figure out it was really his voice I was hearing…” I delved into the telling, and laid out all the details for Rafael. I even told him about the heat I could feel when having these conversations with Aeron. After I had finished, I told him about everything else as well. I exp
lained about the dark cravings I felt for both human blood, and the blood of my own kind.
I told him about the memories that were still missing, and the ones that I’d recently experienced. He was surprised when I told him about my confrontation with Niada and the memories I had seen of her with Byron. When I got to the part about seeing the Ghost of my mother, his head snapped up, his eyes widening. He asked many questions about her, and about what she’d said to me. My retellings ended with me walking away from the vision of Aeron, and Rafael sat there in the silence that followed with a deep frown on his forehead.
Waiting in the stillness and quiet of the tent, I listened to the noises that were drifting from our allies outside my small tent. Occasionally, I glanced at the Fiddler, taking in his deep frown, and the concentration in his face as he stared at the ground. I knew he was considering everything I had said, so I gave him time, being as patient as I could.
When he did speak, his voice was quiet. “The amulet was never meant to keep you from dying or being reborn. It was never meant to protect you. The sole purpose of that pendant was to keep the darkness inside of you asleep until you were strong enough to confront it alone.”
I looked at him, thinking about what he said. “So you knew it was there all along? You knew centuries ago what would happen when I was reborn?”
Rafael smiled weakly. Reaching out a hand, he touched my cheek in a fond caress. “My darling Valkyrie,” shaking his head, he looked deep into my eyes as he continued. “The darkness has always been there. I didn’t know the truth of your father back then, but I could sense the darker side of your soul even from the beginning. That part of you was mostly dormant then, but I knew that should you arise again, it would not be so amiable. Battling evil within ourselves is not an easy thing to do. You have been through so much, lost so many. Each time you are hurt, the darkness within you gets stronger. Aeron’s death was the ultimate blow, and I knew that it would be the event that caused a split within you.”
I blinked. “So the amulet wasn’t meant to protect me, it was meant to protect everyone else from me.”
His nod was slow but final. I let out a long breath. This news was both disturbing, and somehow understandable. I wasn’t all that surprised. “What do you think about the Fenix, and Aeron’s voice in my head?”
Now, Rafael removed his gaze from mine, looking away from me so I couldn’t read his expression. I didn’t like that.
“I’m not certain what to make of it just yet. It is possible that you conjured his voice to ease the loneliness you felt, it is also possible that it is his voice…Ghost’s and souls wander our world when they are lost, when they have unresolved burdens. Perhaps his soul has attached itself to you, and haunts you.”
Staring at the dirt floor, I tried to consider his words. “So, if I’m being haunted by his Ghost, it may not be so easy to just walk away from him?”
“I’m afraid not. As the daughter of Death, there are many possibilities about you that we cannot begin to know. Ghosts and Spirits seem to hover around you, drawn to you for whatever reason. The ability to see them when they do not show themselves is unusual, and only few of us have been given this gift.”
Laughing, I said, “I’m not sure I would classify it as a gift, Rafael. Sometimes, it seems more like a curse.”
Rafael smiled in amusement. “Perhaps it does, but remember, Spirits can be incredibly useful. They can go where others cannot, see what we ourselves sometimes can’t.”
“I suppose that’s true. So, tell me what I’m going to do about this darker half of myself. Do you think I’m going to doom us all?”
Rafael’s face became instantly pensive. “Valkyrie, you have always been a wild card. You know it, I know it, and the others know it. However, it’s the goodness within you that keeps us all at your side. We all have hope for you. We all understand the battle you fight on the inside, and we do not cast judgment. Do not forget, there was a time when Werewolves hunted mankind with a vengeance. Not long ago, a Vampire would never fight beside a Werewolf, a Gargoyle, or any other Cast. Years ago, to bring these Casts together would be asking for a bloodbath, yet here they stand, united, because of you.”
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Long after Rafael had said goodnight, I sat alone, thinking about my life, and his words. I understood that the gathering of different Casts together was something never before done, but I also understood how tenuous this alliance really was. During the night, I became restless. My body refused to rest, and in truth, I was too afraid of what I might see there to sleep. The camp around me had grown quiet as others rested, and I peeked my head from the tent, my grid locking down all heartbeats around me. It was only the Spirits that I couldn’t pinpoint, for their hearts had no rhythm, and they didn’t rest.
Slipping from my tent silently, I allowed my powers to infuse my skin until I was as dark as the sky above me. Pausing, I cast my eyes upward, studying the dark sky. There was no light there whatsoever. No moon, no eclipse, not even a star sparkled in the blackness that blanketed everything. I was momentarily dumbfounded. Where had the eclipse gone? Where were the moon and sun? Unable to answer these peculiar questions, I moved away from the camp. I had heard whispers but I wasn’t sure they came from here in the camp. It was almost like an internal radar of mine was picking up sounds from somewhere else.
With careful steps, I left the camp and entered the woods that surrounded us. Inside the coniferous trees, it was even darker, but that was no hindrance to me. Running a hand along the roughened bark of one tree, I looked upward along its tall pole-like trunk as it climbed high. Inhaling, I took in the scent of pines and other evergreens, of damp earth, and ferns. There was another scent, however, and it tickled my senses, piquing me. The scent was unusual, and unknown to me. It reminded me of dust and decay, of dark places and childhood fears. My powers purred to life inside me, awakened by the possibility of a threat.
Slowly, I went deeper into the heavily wooded forest, walking silently as I had learned to do during my time with the Wolves of Acadia. The deeper into the woods I went, the stronger the scent became. It wafted to me in the still air, and still, I couldn’t place it. Miles away from camp, I stopped, using my grid, I was able to discern the heartbeats around me. There were four of them. One in the tree just above me, another behind me, and two spaced out ahead of me, to my left and right.
I smiled, calling out, “I know you’re there. You might as well show yourselves.”
For a second there was no reply, but then, I heard one of them closing in from the front left. The way the twigs snapped and the leaves rustled, I could tell the creature, whatever it was, would not be small. I was correct. When its shape materialized in my line of vision, I sucked in a breath. Spiders? Really? With a grimace, I struggled not to react. I had never liked spiders, but this spider was easily five feet tall. Its long thick legs were only as wide around as my arm, but the gruesome fangs facing me with the array of eyes watching me caused me to shiver.
“Who sent you this close to our camp? Are you spies for Byron?”
The spider’s eyes blinked, all eight of them, and it was an effort not to cringe. In a hiss of a voice, it replied, “Byron did not send us.” Its S’s were long and drawn out, almost like a snake.
“All right, then tell me who sent you.”
“We came to seek help…our home has been overrun by Vampires and Witches. Many escaped, many have died. The others…they do terrible things to them…”
Frowning, I was weary. This could be a trap and I needed to tread carefully. “How do I know you speak the truth?”
As I awaited an answer, the spider-creature began to tremble and twitch. Its leg shrank and some began to disappear altogether. The dark color of its body remained, but it was changing, drastically. When the trembling resided, an ebony skinned woman stood before me, tall and thin, her dark eyes had become two. If I didn’t know any better, she would have looked like any other human woman. The truth of her transformation didn’t surprise
me as it would have a year ago. I had learned to expect the strange and unexplained. Rafael had mentioned a tribe of spider Shifters called the Arannea, and I assumed that’s what she was.
“I am Vittoria, a member of the Arannea tribe. Our matriarch was killed in the invasion that drove many of us from our home in Hysham. Now, we are leaderless. The choice to gather as many as possible and flee was not an easy one. We had to make the choice to abandon the others to their fates.” She bowed her head for a moment. Lifting her gaze again, she continued, “We heard whispers of an uprising, of a group of others who had put aside their differences and come together to fight those who were overtaking our homes. We came to find them in the hopes of seeking refuge.”
I studied her as she spoke, and nothing about her warned me of treachery. In truth, she looked exhausted, sad, and forlorn. “I am Valkyrie. You have come to the right place. Come, I will take you to the Allies camp, but I warn you, should you try to betray us, you will pay dearly.”
Behind her, the other three spiders approached, shifting into their human forms. Two were males, and the fourth was another female. All of them were very thin, and despite their varying looks, they all had a common characteristic. Each of them watched me from dark rounded eyes. Leading them toward the camp, I wasn’t at all surprised by the rustle of wings in the air above me, or the mighty screech that echoed in the silent night. The Gargoyles had once again become formidable, and they made the best guards.
Behind me, the Arannea were nervous. They kept close to one another, and I could imagine this would be an experience they weren’t likely to forget. “The Gargoyles are our allies.”
Hearing the intake of surprise behind me, I glanced over my shoulder to see the shock and wonder of Vittoria’s face.
“Gargoyles? I thought they were extinct. My father told me of them as a child, but I thought those were only tales of times past.”
Valkyrie Divided (Pyralis Book 2) Page 16