by Katrina Cope
Apprehensively, the mistress steps toward the dragon and me. Her sword is still half raised, not far from being ready to defend. She looks at me, then back down at Elan, then back up at me.
Elan sits back on her haunches, and I slip down her back and climb off. Then I approach the mistress.
“And why are you sitting on the most dangerous dragon in all of Asgard?” She lowers her sword as I approach.
“This is my friend. She has chosen to be friends with me because I saved her from the creature I told you about when she was an egg. The creature that distracted Heimdall and allowed me to escape past him to Midgard.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this? This is a dangerous dragon to have in our area,” the mistress barks.
“Yes, she’s dangerous. She killed the frost giant and protected you.” I don’t hold back my spite, even if she is my mistress. “You should treat her with more respect.”
“The only respect to treat dragons with is with distrust. They are dangerous. You will end up getting yourself killed.”
I back up and place my hand on Elan’s broad golden-yellow snout. She leans into it and brushes herself against my hand like she is used to being petted.
“Yeah. She’s extremely dangerous,” I say sarcastically. “I’m keeping her with me, and you’re not going anywhere near her unless you treat her with respect. If you mistreat her, look out. Not that I need to warn you.” I glance over my shoulder. “I’m sure she is more than capable of fending you off better than any dragon you have captured in your caves.”
With that, Elan snarls at the mistress, and my instructor backs away.
“Then you must keep her locked away in the cave,” the mistress commands. “She must be chained.”
“No. She will not be chained. She will sleep where she sees fit, and she will remain free. She came to me of her own free will. I am not going to bind her.”
The mistress of Valkyrie Academy eyes Rota, who is still lying unconscious. “We will finish this later, Valkyrie. We must get her to a healer.”
- CHAPTER TEN -
The darkness of the night has overtaken the sky, broken only by the beauty of the full moon. After saying goodbye to Elan, I wash off the frost giant’s blood in the bathroom and trek toward my dormitory. I am elated over becoming friends with the dragon and managing to take down a frost giant with the help of the dragon. At the same time, my spirits have been knocked down–the mistress still doesn’t see me as a warrior and one that could help in the battles. She treats me like a child, and I am not a child. I am almost a grown woman that has been trained in combat. When I reach my room, I kick off my boots beside my bed and flop face-first onto the soft mattress and bury my head in my pillow for a moment.
A shuffling sounds at the door. “Oh Vanir! There you are. I’ve been so worried about you.” Eir rushes to my bedside.
“We’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Hildr stomps in after her. “Where have you been? There has been so much turmoil around. A frost giant has been just outside the academy. It’s attacked the winged Valkyries.”
I groan, roll onto my side, and prop my head up with my hand as I look at them. “And what would you say if I told you I was there to fight the frost giant?” I study each of them in turn.
Eir clasps her hands and does a little jig. “Were you really?”
Hildr looks at her and shakes her head then nudges her with her elbow. “Of course she wasn’t. She can’t fly. What’s she going to do? Run around and take him out at the knees?” She rolls her eyes.
“Actually, I took him out with a sword straight into his chest. And the dragon that I was riding tore open his throat.”
Hildr makes a guttural noise in her throat in a held-back laugh, but her eyes don’t leave my face. I nod and smirk while her mouth drops open and eyes widen.
“You what?” Hildr sits on the edge of my bed, looking as though she is about to fall off.
This time, Eir nudges Hildr firmly in the ribs with her elbow. “See? I told you. She said she would, and she did. And you doubted me!” She poked Hildr in the arm to emphasize the point.
I nod as Hildr continues to stare at me open-mouthed.
“So what did the mistress say?” Eir raises Hildr’s jaw with her hand, closing her mouth. “She must be bowing down at your feet, asking you to join them.”
“Nope,” I say, shaking my head. I push myself up into a sitting position and rest my head in my hands with my elbows on my knees. “She still wants to give me another talking-to.”
“What?” Hildr squeaks. “She should be begging you to join them. And what about this dragon? Did you free one and go and ride it?”
“No. It was the strangest thing. This dragon decided to be my friend because I saved her when she was an egg.”
“You mean the one you’ve been bragging about for the last couple of years?” Eir asks.
I nod.
“I thought that was just a story,” Hildr says.
“Well, that just shows how much faith you have in me. Do you think I have just been wasting my breath, telling you fibs about my adventures?” I shake my head at her and smirk. I don’t blame her. It did seem like a pretty tall tale.
“But wait—wasn’t that dragon an emperor dragon?” Hildr asks.
“Yes.”
Her jaw slackens.
“Won’t they eat you for breakfast?” Eir asks.
“They could. But they promise not to eat me.”
“That’s a plus. So what now?” Eir secures a lock of her hair behind her ear.
I shrug. “I don’t know. The mistress is still determined to keep me in the bad corner. I would have thought my defeating the frost giant with the help of the dragon would have boosted her confidence in me. I hoped that it would show that we are more than just scrubbers and cleaners, more than ones to pick up after the winged Valkyries, but she seems stuck in that mindset. I am still planning on changing this.”
Kara! Elan’s voice calls clearly.
“What is it?” I ask, and I stare at the wall as I concentrate on her voice.
It looks like you have a problem.
“What do you mean?”
“Who are you talking to?” Hildr’s voice breaks through my thoughts.
My eyes focus on the room, and I remember that Hildr and Eir are with me. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m not going mad. I’m just talking to Elan, my dragon.”
“It talks to you?” Eir asks.
“She,” I correct her. “And yes.”
“Where is she?” Hildr searches everywhere in the room, and tension stiffens her body.
“Not in here. Shh. She is trying to tell me something important.” I hold my index finger up to my lips. “What’s the problem, Elan?”
Odin is coming your way, and boy, he looks cranky.
My shoulders slump, and my dormitory door flies open. The mistress and Odin block the entrance. My eyes land on Odin. Elan was not exaggerating.
The End
Stay Tuned:
Vanished: Book 2 of Valkyrie Academy Dragon Alliance is up for Pre-order! Release Date: 20th August, 2019
You can find more of Katrina Cope’s books here:
KATRINA COPE’S BOOKS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am touched by the enormous amount of support I have received from my immediate family. My husband has been a helpful first reader and at times been a wonderful motivator, with hints of ideas to help me through the blanks. The support from my three sons has also been overwhelming. They have put up with my head being in the clouds, thinking about the next plot twist or story for several years. Along with many hours spent working on my books and keeping in touch with my readers.
I would also like to thank my good friend and book enthusiast, Julie Hickson for becoming a beta reader and part editor. With her enthusiasm to continue being a beta reader for the next book in the series, and watching her excitedly trying to work out the future plot, was inspiring for a first time author. And a big thank you to
my extended family who support me being a book enthusiast.
A huge thank you to my editor, Susannah Driver, her editing and writing tips, and my Proofreader, Kristina B, for picking up the things we missed.
Thank you to all of my readers who have loved my work, and continue to read my stories. I would love for you to share your thoughts in a review on one or all of the following:
Amazon.com
Goodreads
Barnes & Noble
You can follow Katrina Cope at:
https://www.facebook.com/Author.Katrina.Cope
https://twitter.com/Katrina_R_Cope
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7265107.Katrina_Cope
https://www.katrinacopebooks.com
http://www.amazon.com/Katrina-Cope/e/B00F00JF9M/
Book 2 of Valkyrie Academy Dragon Alliance Series ‘Vanished’ released August 2019.
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Books by Katrina Cope
~~~~~
Pre-Teen Books
The Sanctum Series
JAYDEN’S CYBERMOUNTAIN
SCARLET’S ESCAPE
TAYLOR’S PLIGHT
ERIC & THE BLACK AXES
ADRIANNA’S SURGE
~~~~~
Young Adult Urban Fantasy
Afterlife Series
FLEDGLING
THE TAKING
ANGELIC RETRIBUTION
DIVIDED PATHS
Afterlife Novelette
THE GATEKEEPER
~~~~~
Young Adult Urban Paranormal Fantasy
Supernatural Evolvement Series
(Associated with the Afterlife Series)
WITCH’S LEGACY (Prequel)
AALIYAH
~~~~~
Young Adult Nordic Myth Fantasy
Valkyrie Academy Dragon Alliance
MARKED (Prequel-Newsletter Exclusive)
CHOSEN
VANISHED
SCORNED
INFLICTED
EMPOWERED
Katrina is an author of several Young Adult and Preteen/Middle Grade novels. Each of her released books reaching the top 100 in certain categories on the Amazon’s Best Sellers Rank – a few even as high as number one.
She resides in Queensland, Australia. Her three teenage boys and husband for over nineteen years treat her like a princess. Unfortunately though, this princess still has to do domestic chores.
From a very young age, she has been a very creative person and has spent many years travelling the world and observing many different personalities and cultures. Her favourite personalities have been the strange ones, yet the ones under the radar also hold a place in her heart.
During her last extensive travels, she spent 16 nights in a bomb shelter on a Kibbutz 8 kilometers off the Lebanese border. It was to avoid Katyusha bombs that the resident volunteers decided to name her after (she is still trying to work out why).
Katrina’s online home is at www.katrinacopebooks.com
You can connect with Katrina on:
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Email [email protected]