I wasn’t sure what to think. Why were these so simple?
Footsteps in the outer room of the hall startled me. Hurriedly, I stuffed all the scrolls back in their place, dropping several and making a mess of the once tidy table. I’d just made it to the shadows, five paces from the door, when it creaked open. I flattened against the wall and held my breath.
The opening faced me, and I could see slender fingers as they held the door just wide enough for an eye to peek into the room. The brown hair above it made my stomach clench. Toril. Why wasn’t I surprised she’d followed me? Even if it wasn’t against the rules, I’d rather not explain my reasons for being there to her. The best thing was to stay quiet and hope she left.
The door opened wider, dim light spilling into the room. Toril faced me with her hand on a hip and a crooked grin on her lips.
So much for hope.
I stepped away from the wall. “What brings you here, Toril?”
“I wanted to know what you were up to. You never leave before the fighting is over.”
“Aw, that’s so kind of you to worry about me. Sorry to disappoint you, though, I just need to check on my assignment.”
She was so irritating. I wondered if I ran fast enough, if I could slam the heel of my palm into her nose. I wouldn’t feel guilty for that at all. She’d heal before morning.
“Why is it that you couldn’t wait until morning?” Toril pushed her way inside and tapped her lips with her finger. “You ignore orders and choose the weaklings, yet here you are in the commander’s room. What are you up to, Niasa?”
“Well, we’re such good friends. Let’s sit down and braid each other’s hair while I tell you all about it.”
“I told you Odin would eventually have to admit that he’s wrong about you. Did you learn nothing today? It won’t be long now until no one remembers you.”
“What’s the matter, Toril? Isn’t all that backstabbing and boot-licking working for you? I’m sure Odin will notice one day.”
Her lips tightened into a line, and I knew I’d struck a nerve. I bit my lip to keep from smiling, but I couldn’t help it. Anything that made Toril lose her cool made me happy.
“That pathetic excuse you dragged out of the throne room this morning will face the Gap, you know that, right? That’s just heartless, if you ask me.”
Maybe there were some issues with one or two of the einherjar that I’d brought back, but I knew what I was doing. The results would speak for themselves at some point. There was no way Stuart would end up in the Gap. He’d accepted his fate by the time I’d dropped him off.
For now, all I cared about was getting out of that room without Toril asking more questions.
I saw her hands clench at her sides, and I smirked.
Toril was a great fighter, even I had to admit that. It’s one reason she’d earned her position as a unit leader. Our sparring records were equally matched, but I wouldn’t mind proving I deserved the title more than she did. She projected her moves when she got rattled; all I had to do was push another couple buttons, and she’d read like a child’s tablet.
“Leave now, and maybe I won’t tell anyone you were in here,” she said.
She also liked to talk to calm her nerves. I had her just where I wanted her.
“Go ahead. I’m not doing anything wrong. I just wanted to gather my thoughts and get prepared for tomorrow. Which makes me wonder—how will you explain that you followed me instead of preparing yourself?”
There it was, the little twitch in her eye. Any second now, she’d feint with her left and go for a punch to the right. The space was a little tight, but this wouldn’t take long.
Toril took the bait and charged. I ducked and slammed into her side when she raised her arm. Toppling over a table, we fell into the middle of the room.
I didn’t have my hair tied, so my blasted curls were free to flood over my face. Luckily, they distracted Toril, too. I heard her spitting them out of her mouth. Gross, but whatever worked to trouble her. I’d bathe later.
We grappled on the floor for a few minutes, trying to pin each other. Finally, Toril jumped to her feet, and I followed. I couldn’t see her tells as well now through my hair and the low light, but I knew her style. She was an offensive fighter who liked to jump first and get the upper hand. It worked well most of the time, but I knew that it was defense that won the day. I’d let her wear herself out, and then swoop in and take her down.
Sure enough, she shrieked and lunged straight for me. I saw enough of her to spin and kick, but I didn’t make it all the way around before she slammed into me.
I hit my head on a table as we tumbled to the floor. Sparks floated in my vision, and I couldn’t catch my breath from the cracked ribs I was sure I had. Toril grabbed a handful of my hair and pounded my head into the ground. Good thing for me, I was too stubborn for that to be effective.
I wrapped my legs around her waist and held her, keeping her from gaining leverage. I shoved my thumb under her jawbone, breaking her concentration. It wasn’t effective to cut off her air flow, but it hurt. It was all the distraction I needed to flip myself out from under her and hop back to my feet.
Our scrambling forced another table to fall, crowding our fighting area. Before I could turn around, Toril landed on my back, latching on like a wildcat. Crazy witch was trying to scratch my face and bite me!
I’d had enough.
A quick back step and then falling forward to my knees launched her forward, and she landed against an edge of one of the overturned tables. I rammed my fist into her kidney, and as she slumped to her knees, I snapped her neck.
The remorse I’d felt about using that move against Gertie didn’t register this time. This was Toril, and all I felt was satisfaction. That took care of our even record, though I wouldn’t be able to say so. She’d have a headache in the morning to remind her I’d won.
As my heart rate slowed and I could breathe normally again, I noticed the room. Tables were upturned, and the scrolls were loose on the floor. Worst of all, scattered everywhere were the herbs, staves, and broken pottery of the seiðr supplies.
My first thought was to hurry from the room and leave Toril to explain herself in the morning. But no one could blame her if they found her before her neck healed—one can’t twist their own neck to death—so I’d have to hurry and do the best I could to make it right.
I righted the tables that were intact, and rearranged the scrolls into their original placement the best I remembered. However, looking around, there wasn’t any place to put the broken things. Two of the tables had busted legs and couldn’t stay upright, and there were shards of pottery, trampled herbs, and smashed berries everywhere.
I studied the room more closely and finally breathed a sigh of relief. A curtain hung in the back, hiding a small chamber used for storage. I could stash all the broken things in there.
After what felt like forever, I was finally crossing the short pathway toward the barracks. I’d slung Toril over my shoulder, letting her head swing as I walked. It wasn’t funny, it shouldn’t have been, anyway, but I still chuckled as her head bounced against my backside.
I’d seen people in Midgard use an item to capture images of themselves, and I wished I had one of those devices right then. I would never tire of showing it to her.
Voices and cheering still rang through the quiet night from the feast hall, but I could tell it wasn’t as loud as before. Many had headed to their beds.
I nodded to a group of einherjar as they passed and made some rude jokes about “helping” me and my friend. They didn’t think twice about why I was carrying her—they didn’t even care. That was fine by me, even though I had a good excuse lined up about how she’d drunk too much. I was such a good friend, escorting her home and all.
Surprisingly, the hall outside of Toril’s room was empty when I arrived. I’d expected to find at least one of her fans hanging around, wondering where she went. Besides being empty, the room was also immaculate. She’d hung
her leathers with precision, her extra boots lined the wall facing the same direction, the bedcovers were so tight there wasn’t a single wrinkle . . . No wonder she seemed wound up, the girl needed to relax.
With no regard for her carefully arranged pillows, I flopped her off my shoulder. She landed in a heap. Because I had a small amount of what I guessed could be remorse, I straightened her arms and legs. Then, shaking my head, I left the room.
Not before I moved two of her boots out of position, though.
When I finally lay down on my own bed, exhausted and ready to put the day behind me, I realized that I was no closer to having answers about Donovan. In fact, I had more questions than when I’d started. I decided that, if I had time, I’d do more searching the next day. Maybe even talk to Stuart again.
I twisted my mouth at the thought.
I’d rather eat gravy.
8
The morning sparring session went like it always did; half the room attended to by the healers, and the rest of us heading toward harvester hall or breakfast, depending on our schedule.
I was to report for my assignment, and walked to the hall with Gertie.
“Are you excited to start your new position this morning?” I nudged her shoulder with a grin. She’d won her battle in record time.
“Stop.” She side-eyed me and then shook her head. “I am excited. I think it’ll be fun to see behind the scenes. Find out how the senior commanders make their choices.”
“That’s good,” Toril said as she strode past us. “You’ll be able to tell Niasa the stories, since she’ll never graduate to find out for herself.”
“None of your little acolytes able to keep up this morning? I’m surprised you were feeling up to it,” I called out to her. I smiled so big my teeth showed when she turned and glared at me.
“What was that about?” Gertie asked.
“I had to help Toril back to her room last night. A little too much fun at the feast.” I tipped my hand in a drinking motion. “I guess she couldn’t handle as much as she thought.”
“And you helped her?”
I stopped walking and put my hand to my chest. “You wound me. Of course I helped. I’m not a monster.” I winked, and we continued to the harvester hall.
Gertie remained confused until we reached the doors. Then we were both confused.
When we entered, we stopped short and looked around. The lounge was full of commanders and other Valkyries waiting for their assignments. Regin glanced at us as we came in.
“Was there anyone behind you, or are you two the last?” She loaded the question with implications that even I caught. But then, it wasn’t subtle either.
“There are a few more coming,” Gertie answered. Her voice proved that she wanted to be quick to hand that disapproving stare off to someone else.
Not long after the poor fools that had to admit to being last slunk their way to a corner in the back, the commander called for silence.
“There was a disturbance in the seiðr room last night. Someone left the room in shambles.”
That was uncalled for, I had done a great job cleaning up.
“Does anyone have any information they’d like to share about what might have happened?” Regin’s eyes found mine, which I thought was a little too presumptuous, even if valid.
I raised my shoulders and shook my head. Nope, I didn’t know a thing.
Toril caught my attention, and I lifted a brow, daring her to say something. There was no way she could explain my part without implicating herself as well. For once, she’d have to keep her mouth shut or tarnish her perfect reputation.
When the room remained silent for an uncomfortable amount of time, Regin finally spoke again. “From now on, we allow no one into the back room unless accompanied by a senior commander. Is that clear? We’ll hand out assignments from here until everything is back in order.”
She turned, picked up a scroll, and called out names. Each apprentice leader went to the front and received the name and location of her assignment, then hurried from the room, followed by her unit. No one wanted to stand under Regin’s scrutiny for long.
It was the first time I’d really paid attention to where the others went. Granted, I usually received my scroll first, which gave me a reason to ignore everyone else. From where I stood I could hear their locations. Just like I’d read in the scrolls the night before, they were all going to similar battles. Areas where humanity still fought with sword and shield on foot or horseback. Why didn’t they spread out over the years? It didn’t make any sense.
“Niasa, wait off to the side for a minute, and I’ll speak to you privately.” Regin barely glanced at me as she spoke, then went on with calling out orders to the others.
Okay, that was odd. Why couldn’t she just give me the scroll? Then I wouldn’t have to wait.
I moved to the side and leaned up against the wall while I watched the others leave.
The junior commanders were next. Some worked in Midgard, but didn’t receive specific assignments. They split up into squadrons to cover certain geographical grids, helping the apprentices when necessary. I had to wait for them to arrange themselves and leave as well.
“Niasa, come over here.” Regin finally acknowledged me once we were alone.
“The scroll with your assignment is damaged. We can only assume it’s because of the trouble last night. We have coordinates, but not a specific target, so you must keep an eye out and look for the correctly marked individual.” She handed me a torn piece of vellum.
It took a good deal of self-control not to roll my eyes. I understood why she needed to be so clear, but it still irritated me.
I studied the three coordinates marking an area near where I’d found Stuart. The fourth coordinate was missing, but that was probably because it was the same place as the day before.
“Will there be multiple targets, or is it a specific man like it has been?”
“We can’t be sure. You may come across others marked for the future. Their aura will be lighter, between foggy gray and a stormy raincloud. Choose only the one you find with the deepest charcoal black. Any other colors are not your concern. Can you do that?”
“Yes.” I recoiled slightly.
I may have made some less than stellar choices, but I knew what to look for.
“I would not send you out today if the choice was mine,” Regin continued. “Or at least, I’d send you with a partner, but Odin insists that you go alone. Don’t disappoint his trust in you.”
That he had any left was enough motivation. I spun to leave without a word, but the commander stopped me.
“I need not remind you that you are being monitored. If I were you, I’d be very careful and do exactly as I was told.”
I had no idea how they’d monitor me, but the implications were clear: if I screwed up, I would face trial and the Gap.
I nodded and again turned to leave. Gertie stood off to the side and smiled at me with the worst case of “try not to screw up, but you probably will” written all over her face.
So much for a vote of confidence from my friend.
On the far side of the harvester hall, out of view of everyone else, I brought to mind the three coordinates I had. The location seemed near enough to where I’d found Stuart that I filled in the missing fourth from memory. Perhaps I’d get a second chance to find the big brute I should have claimed.
I stretched my wings, allowing the luxurious sensation of freedom to fill me as I rolled my neck in preparation to fly. With ease, I burst into the air, gaining speed as I approached the barrier to Midgard. As always, the invisible shield was charged with an energy similar to when the air readied for lightning. I broke through in the same way I did every time, but a shift unlike any I’d ever experienced rattled against me.
Suddenly, I lost my bearings. My wings sizzled, and I fell into a spin, unable to right myself. I couldn’t breathe, my lungs squeezed against the pressure. Everything turned black, and an eerie silence settled over m
e. Then, with a loud pop that made me grab the sides of my head, the sky lightened, the air became fresh, and my wings caught a draft, allowing me to resolve my whirling nosedive.
I hovered in the air a moment to catch my breath before landing near a coffee shop similar to the one I’d been to the day before. My hands were clammy, my pulse rapid. Whatever had just happened added to my distress at being in the same place so soon after an assignment.
I scanned the street. It wasn’t exactly the same as before, but it seemed close enough to keep me on edge.
It must have been a glitch from gaining so much speed. I was acting ridiculous. There wasn’t anything to worry about. I had a duty to perform, and I needed to focus. I’d watch for the darkest aura I could find, then be on my way back home. Everything would go off without a hitch.
Exhaling, I ducked behind a dumpster and changed to my corporeal form. Then, as if I was any other human on the sidewalk, I strode into the nearest coffee shop.
When I ordered a mocha, the serving girl pinched her brow as if I’d asked for poison. She informed me they didn’t serve Frankish drinks, but I could order tea if I wanted. I didn’t understand what she meant, but I’d never developed a taste for the herbal concoction. Her attitude also left something to be desired. However, I needed something to hold in my hands.
I ordered, then paid for the floral drink with crinkly paper money that was unlike any I’d seen before. It was odd because from what I understood New York didn’t have royalty and this had an image of a king. But, since my purse always created the right form of payment, I shrugged it off. Then I took a seat, as usual, by the front window so I could observe.
Regin never sent the same Valkyrie to the same battlefield twice in a row. It helped us stay objective. If we got attached or overly familiar with a certain battle, it could interfere with our judgment. Or so I’d been told after I’d started going on missions alone.
This was already too close. I certainly didn’t need any kind of complication. It added another layer of confusion to my already stressful day.
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