The front of the ship began to turn orange as it entered the atmosphere.
“Uh oh,” Sivaha sighed.
“We need to catch them,” I said as I watched the ship descend. We had been a fraction of a second too late, and now the Sunlight Lute’s engines were destroyed and it was in danger of burning up on entry.
“Pursuing,” Nikki said, and the g-forces suddenly kicked me in the chest as Persephone accelerated toward the falling corvette. We almost reached it, but before Nikki could drop the landing gear to grapple with the other craft, four escape pods popped out of the side.
“Damn,” Sivaha growled, and I saw Madalena’s shoulders slump.
“Nikki slow down,” I said, and the pilot complied as the four escape pods spun thruster-side down so that they could enter the atmosphere. There were too small for us to grab with our landing gear, and shooting them down defeated the purpose of chasing them in the first place.
Aasne had escaped.
For now.
“My calculations were off,” Nikki said. “I am sorry, my lord.”
“It’s fine,” I said as I watched the escape pods drift away from them.
“It is not fine,” Sivaha spat. “Now you will need to deal with The Six.”
“I made the decision to stay here for Mikhael and Josefinna,” I said loud enough for the bridge crew to hear. “Our mission is important, but so are the lives of everyone onboard Persephone. This is another setback, but it does not mean our mission has failed. I will deal with these valkyries, I will unite the clans, and together we will defeat the Draugr. Nikki, set a course for the valkyrie training complex.”
“Yes, Adam,” Nikki said, and our connection through Madalena allowed me to sense her pride.
I turned to Madalena and stared into her gray eyes. Her emotions were a hurricane of love, fear, pride, and disappointment. I knew she didn’t want me to face her sisters, but I also knew that she would support my decisions.
“Communicate with them and let them know what I want,” I said.
“Yes, my lord,” she said as she bowed her head.
Chapter 7
Ten minutes later we were making our approach to the Valkyrie training complex. It was practically a city in itself, but instead of tall skyscrapers and artery like roads, the city was made of structures that looked like ancient Viking longhouses, and roads of cobblestone connected the three-kilometer-wide city like spokes of a wagon wheel.
Madalena had been speaking in Nordar to another woman, so I couldn’t quite understand what they were saying, but the look on Sivaha’s face gave me plenty of hints.
The landing was probably going to be the first of many challenges.
The four escape pods landed at the city’s spaceport a few moments before we got there, and Nikki held Persephone’s position a good kilometer away from the walls when the sensors picked up dozens of missile arrays.
Sivaha finally spoke into the transponder, and I heard her speak her name after an angry huff of what I guessed was Nordar cursing. There was a pause for ten seconds, and then the woman my queens were speaking to said another sentence, and the communication beeped to a close.
“We are cleared to land,” Madalena said. “But they want us on the other side of the airfield from where the pods landed, and they wish to speak with us at our exit ramp.”
“I imagine you argued that point,” I said as I saw a crowd of armored warriors pouring out of the gate toward the escape pods and the landing pad where Nikki was putting Persephone.
“Yes,” Madalena said, and I could feel her annoyance. “This will be a delicate matter, my lord. Will you let me handle it?”
“Of course,” I said as Nikki set Persephone down.
“Would you like me to come, Prime Valkyrie?” Nikki asked.
“Yes,” Madalena said, and then her voice raised higher. “All hands armed and to the hold.”
“Yes Prime Valkyrie,” they replied, and the fifteen of us all crammed into the elevator.
As soon as the doors opened on the bottom floor, the crew sprinted to the armory while Madalena, Sivaha and I walked to the hold. Both of them were still carrying their sidearms from when we met with Toriton, but Lux seemed to guess that my wives needed long guns, and she presented each of them with a pulse rifle when she returned from the armory.
“Tiger,” Kuroda spoke from behind, and I turned toward him as the man handed me the armor piercing flechette shotgun that I had taken originally from his private armory.
“Thanks,” I said as I took the weapon from him. He hadn’t brought an extra cube magazine, but that might not have been necessary. The weapon didn’t need many shots to propagate a massacre.
The crew who wore aegis had the armor up over their body, and the crew that didn’t have an aegis were armored with Persephone’s suits. Including the bridge crew, Mikhael, Josefinna, and our thirteen maintenance members, we had an even thirty, and everyone was armed and ready. I knew that my crew could deal with any shit that came at us, but as Persephone’s hatch spun open and her ramp lowered, I wished that Eve, Zea, Paula, and Kasta were here.
The valkyries were waiting for us at the bottom of the ramp. There were forty of them, and their armor was a light plate array that seemed built for mobility over durability. Each of their helmets had a small pair of wings extending from the back sides, and the boots, knees, gloves, and shoulder areas of the armor were etched with matching wing designs. They almost looked like Vaish armor, but the wings were more stylized and less organic feeling that what decorated my crew’s aegis armor.
Madalena walked down the ramp with her rifle held casually at her side and her aegis removed from her face. The armored women at the bottom of the ramp all held their rifles pointed up toward us, but as soon as they saw Madalena, the group lowered their guns and bowed low before my wife.
The helmet melted away from the face of a woman in the middle of the group, and she moved up Persephone’s ramp so that she met Madalena about a quarter of the way. This woman’s sharp nose, cheekbones, and eyes looked similar to my wife’s features, but her face was creased with extra decades of hard living, and her gray hair was chopped short at the nape of her neck.
“That is Skuld,” Sivaha whispered to me as Madalena and the other woman clasped arms. “She was Prime Valkyrie for five years before she abdicated the position to Madalena’s predecessor. Skuld was once Vaish.”
“They do share some resemblance,” I whispered as Madalena and Skuld began speaking in Nordar.
“I believe they share a great-grandparent,” Sivaha said, “but I am not well versed in Madalena’s family tree. The only reason I know as much as I do is that she is the Prime Valkyrie, and Madalena is known and respected across all the Nordar.”
Madalena nodded up the ramp, and Lux and Calisto descended the ramp to speak with Skuld. The older woman’s face actually split into a smile when she saw the other two women, and I guessed that they were probably catching up.
“Dana?” I heard Skuld ask as she looked up the ramp, but Madalena shook her head and then I heard her say a bunch of words in Nordar followed by “Jotnar.” I knew Madalena was missing four crew members that had been onboard Dance to the Dirge when the Jotnar attacked Epsilon Tauri - b, and Dana Fabto had been one of the Valkyries that was on the crew.
“This is good,” Sivaha whispered. “Skuld is very happy to see the three of them, and the conversation has not turned to you yet.”
“Alright,” I said, and I hoped that the rapport building would allow the valkyries to let me speak with Aasne before she was admitted to the testing facilities.
Skuld, Madalena, Lux, and Calisto continued their conversation for another five minutes. From the angle of the view out of Persephone’s hold, I couldn’t see where the escape pods had landed, so I had to fight against my growing frustration. Just a few seconds before I was about to ask Sivaha what the four women were speaking about, Skuld gestured down to the group of valkyries below us, and the women all came to att
ention.
Madalena shook her head and said a few words that sounded stern, and the older woman’s eyes narrowed a bit. They studied each other for a few moments, but then Skuld slowly nodded her head, and turned to face me.
“She will meet you here,” Sivaha whispered, and she tugged on my bicep so that I walked with her toward the ramp. “I will not use my abilities for fear that the woman catches my game and decides to end the conversation with us.”
“That’s probably smart,” I replied to Sivaha.
Skuld fixed her eyes on me as I walked down toward her, and I’d seen the look hundreds of times before. The woman was sizing me up, and she didn’t care to be discreet about it.
“You are the new king of the Vaish?” she asked as she raised an eyebrow. The woman turned to Madalena and then asked something in Nordar.
“He is Nordar,” Madalena answered.
“Did he pass his rite?” Skuld asked.
“He wears the aegis,” Madalena said, and Skuld turned her eyes to the amulet on my chest.
“It is Freyja’s blessing,” Sivaha said.
“Unusual,” Skuld said as her eyes flashed to my wife. “You are Queen Sivaha?”
“Yes, Valkyrie,” Sivaha nodded.
“I am in the presence of a king, two queens, and the Prime Valkyrie,” Skuld grunted as her lips upturned into a smile. “It is almost enough to make me forget our rules about men not being allowed on Oskmay.”
“I have not set foot on your planet yet,” I said, and the warrior woman let out a light laugh.
“No, king, you have not. Explain why you are here again. I heard something about Aasne Toriton, and our guards hold her beside her escape pod.”
“The Draugr have awoken, and will soon attack our galaxy. They will leave nothing alive in their passing. My mission is to stop them, and I met the Prime Valkyrie during my quest and found she had also devoted her life to that mission. She submitted to me, her father didn’t like it, so he attempted to murder me during my first attempt at Odin’s rite. I hunted him down and killed him, then I took Sivaha as my wife and absorbed the Skyad into the Vaish. My intent is to unite the clans so that we can face the Draugr as one people. King Toriton is dead by my hand, and his daughter is next in line for the throne. I intend to ask her to submit to me so that I can continue on with my mission.”
“So, Aasne is now the ruler of the Idonan Blood Overlord Clan?” Skuld asked, and the surprise was clear on her face.
“Yes,” I said. “She probably does not know this, but I will tell her when I speak to her.”
“You put us in a difficult position,” Skuld sighed.
“It doesn’t have to be difficult for you,” I said.
“But it is,” she said with a shrug. “This planet is a sanctuary for those wishing to join our order. If we turn her over to you, then we violate our commitment to the gods.”
“She has not been accepted into your halls yet,” Madalena pointed out.
“I am surprised to hear you argue against your sisterhood,” Skuld said as she turned to the Prime Valkyrie.
“This is more important than our order,” Madalena said. “This is more important than the clans. This is more important than the Nordar people. This is a threat to every living being in the Milky Way. Odin and Freyja have delivered Adam into our arms as a beacon of light to follow. They have given him powerful magic beyond anything that our people have ever seen, and he will use that power to defeat our enemies. Bring us Aasne, Skuld, and then we will continue with our mission.”
The older woman stared at Madalena for a few moments, and then she turned to Lux and Calisto. “I suppose you both agree with your queen.”
“Yes, Skuld,” Lux said, and Calisto nodded.
“And you?” the Valkyrie asked Sivaha. “I am not well versed in Skyad politics, but did you not have a husband by the name of Nar? Was he not the king of your people?”
“Adam killed him and took me as his wife,” Sivaha said. “I am happy with the outcome.”
“You are submitted to him,” Skuld sighed. “Of course, you would say that.”
“I was never submitted to Nar. He was submitted to me.” Sivaha’s words came out of her beautiful mouth with an angry hiss, and I could tell she was trying to control her temper. “Adam is the king of kings. He is chosen by Odin and Freyja. He wears her mark on his aegis, and the Vaish change to match his soul. Observe.” Sivaha’s aegis pooled down her arms, legs, and up her neck as if she was slowly sinking in a tub of mercury. It only took a moment for the armor to cover her completely, but then it was apparent that the metal was striped like a tiger, and her helmet looked like a snarling cat.
“This is not a trick?” Skuld’s face did a poor job of hiding her surprise, and then Madalena’s armor flowed down her body. The Prime Valkyrie didn’t speak, but she didn’t need to. A few gestures with her hands showed where the stripes were beginning to replace the feathers on her armor, and it was kind of starting to look like the screaming skull banshee on her helmet had cat whiskers and ears.
“A new clan has not come into existence since we were originally fractured,” Skuld said as she shook her head.
“Our need is urgent,” I said as the armor pulled away from my two wives. “I do not wish to set foot on your planet, but I will not let anything stand in the way of my goals. The Draugr are coming, and your gods have given me the tools to defend us all.”
The Valkyrie stared at me for a dozen seconds, and then she slowly nodded.
“I will bring her to this ramp, King of the Vaish,” she said.
“Thank you,” I said.
“However,” she continued. “She will have the choice to go with you or to continue her training and testing. If she chooses to stay with us, then she will fall under our protection.”
“Then I will challenge The Six,” I said.
“Then you will die,” she growled as her eyes narrowed. “Your two queens will die, and your mission will fail. No, you will not challenge us.”
“You have me confused with someone who doesn’t win when the chips are down,” I said. “I am uniting the clans, or everyone in the galaxy will die. Aasne’s decision will not change the outcome, it will just delay me until I defeat all of you.”
“He is brazen,” Skuld seethed as she turned to Madalena.
“He is my husband,” the Prime Valkyrie said, “and he grows stronger each day to meet the challenges of our people.”
“I will bring her,” Skuld sighed and threw up her hands. “Let us hope that the young woman chooses the least violent course of action.” The woman turned and then walked down the ramp with smooth steps.
“I am surprised she doesn’t want any violence,” Sivaha whispered once Skuld had walked away from the group of armed valkyries at the bottom of our ramp. “The look in her eyes made it apparent she wanted to fight Adam to the death.”
“Age brings wisdom,” Madalena said. “The valkyries are the pinnacle of Nordar fighting abilities, but we are still Nordar, and we serve our clans in aspects of war unless it conflicts with what the gods wish. We have presented solid proof that Adam has been chosen.”
“Sivaha,” I said. “You said fight to the death?”
“Yes,” she said as she tilted her head toward me so that her long hair fell over her neck. “That is how all of the Nordar challenges work.”
“Wait,” I said as I turned to Madalena. “I thought the idea was that I just had to defeat them, then they would be forced to submit to me since I would prove to be the better warrior. Isn’t that how it worked with your suitors?”
“The fight is to your death, not hers,” Madalena said with a shrug. “The challenger has to be good enough to beat the Valkyrie without killing her.”
“So, I would have to fight six of these badass warrior women, and take them out without killing them even though they would try to kill me?”
“Yes,” Madalena said, “but you get to choose the weapon so it won’t be as difficult as it sounds.”
“Ahh,” I said.
“But it will still be difficult,” she quickly followed up. “We will hope that Aasne will agree to submit to you.”
“Well, put on your best smiles,” Sivaha said, “Skuld brings the woman now.”
The woman with the Valkyrie wore brown plate armor with deer, trees, and flowers etched into the flat surfaces. It was midday on Oskmay, and the light from above caught the etching and reflected a gold hue. On her hips, she wore a double bladed axe, a short sword, and a pulse pistol. She cradled her helmet in her left arm, and her long auburn hair trailed behind her like a war banner. Her eyes were green like the forest, and she had a drizzle of freckles across her cheeks and nose.
Aasne was beautiful, but it was a different kind of beauty than the seductive smolder that came from Eve and Sivaha or the perfected poise of Madalena. Aasne reminded me of Zea. It could have been because they both looked to be about the same age, but neither seemed to realize how beautiful they were.
“You shot down my corvette,” Aasne growled as she stood at the bottom of Persephone’s ramp. She opened her mouth to speak again, but then her eyes seemed to settle on Madalena, and her mouth remained open with shock.
“Prime Valkyrie,” the auburn-haired woman said as she sank to one knee. “Forgive me for my outburst. I did not know you were on the vessel that--”
“Did the communication not indicate that I was onboard?” Madalena asked.
“Well, yes, but it also indicated that King Vaish was on it. I assumed it was a lie, to ensure my ship--”
“Our transponder has our clan’s unique code,” the Prime Valkyrie sighed.
“Yes, of course,” Aasne said without looking up from the ramp. “Forgive me, but Oskmay was within my sights, and we feared a trap. Then I felt vindicated with my decision when you shot me down.”
“We would have preferred to speak with you before you made it to Oskmay,” Madalena said. “But we will speak now. This is my husband. He is King of the Vaish.”
Teeth & Claws_A Paranormal Space Opera Adventure Page 11