Turning, I fluffed my still damp wings, then waited.
Metal pinched the inside of one wing, and then the other, as a chain wrapped around them and secured them from spreading wide. My legs moved, but I didn’t know how. It felt like I dragged the weight of Thor’s hammer behind me.
I had saved Gus, but I was headed to trial, and I’d never fly again. There was only one way these trials ended.
It took too long and no time at all to arrive in the throne room. The chains rattled and echoed against the marble walls as my wings dragged behind me. The commander left me to kneel alone in front of Odin. He sat tall and commanding on the dais, dressed in full armor, with Munin and Hugin perched on each side of the throne, and his staff held firmly in his right hand.
Though I searched his face for some sign of forgiveness, he was stoic. Standing at the base of the dais, and a more heart-wrenching sight, was Tyr. He was the judge who would decide my guilt or innocence.
“Niasa, chooser of the slain and daughter of the realms, you are accused of treason.” Tyr’s booming voice shook the columns and rattled the golden shields of the ceiling.
‘Daughter of the realms’? What does that mean?
“For weakening the einherjar, shaming your commander and sisterhood, choosing selfish desire over duty, and,” Tyr paused, “disappointing the All-father, you stand in disgrace. The accuser may step forward and present their case.”
Each allegation was an arrow to the heart. My gaze fell to the floor, and I watched my tears splash against the tile. There wasn’t anything more to prove. I wouldn’t win this time.
Someone stepped next to me. I didn’t have to look to know it was Toril.
“On numerous occasions, the apprentice Valkyrie Niasa defied her orders. She left the warrior bound for Valhalla to stagnate on Midgard, and returned with a soul unworthy of such an honor. Each one has languished on the battlefield, creating no challenge or glory for those who slay them. They fall, weeping, before they’re even struck. The Valkyries of the regeneration corps heal them with disgust in their minds and regret in their hearts. It brings them shame to touch such a vile representative, let alone be responsible for returning them to walk among the valorous einherjar.”
Toril’s voice resounded through the room, as if someone standing in the farthest corner near the doors needed to hear. Though eight hundred paces long, the hall held only the five of us. I couldn’t even fault her, though. She’d won.
I’d never bothered to find out if the einherjar I’d chosen had adapted. When I’d dropped off Stuart, they’d tried to tell me, but I hadn’t listened.
The room was eerily quiet as Toril stood next to me. Her accusations complete, she waited to be asked further questions or to be dismissed. My knees groaned against the cold stone, but how could I complain?
“Do you have evidence of the personal gain she received for her actions?” Tyr finally asked.
I heard Toril’s breath catch and knew she weighed her words carefully. Regardless of how she felt about me, a lie to Tyr would reflect on her as much as me.
“I have not been able to ascertain why she has acted in such a manner. On many occasions, I’ve tried to find out, but she has been taciturn.”
I chuffed a laugh. She’d skirted around a falsehood with a pinch of truth.
“Niasa, does this situation amuse you?”
I shivered as if locked in ice by Tyr’s words.
“No, Honored One, I only found Toril’s words a twist on the nature of our conversations.”
“Explain.”
“She is—”
“Do not interrupt, Toril, or you will be removed from the hall, and your testimony will be void. It will also call into question your motives for the accusations you lay at Niasa’s feet.”
Toril stared at the floor. I could hear her teeth grind together as she seethed in silence. I waited to speak until Tyr commanded. His tone was clear, and I didn’t want to provoke him.
“Continue, Niasa.”
“The times we have spoken about my actions have been one-sided. I’ve never heard a question from Toril, only mockery and suspicion.”
“I see.”
Again we waited in silence. Neither Toril nor I moved. I barely breathed.
“You may step aside, Toril.”
She bowed her head and hurried to stand next to the commander once more.
The doors at the front opened and interrupted the silence that had settled over us. Quick footsteps neared as I kept my focus on the floor. Whoever it was halted several paces behind me.
“Seshafi, please step closer. You are late. I thought you had evidence to share?”
Tyr sounded annoyed, and I dared a peek over my shoulder.
Seshafi’s green regenerator aura glowed against the white marble of the hall. Her lips were a tight, white line as she blinked rapidly. My attention snagged on who stood beside her. Gertie kept her head bowed and her hands clasped in front of her.
My stomach clenched.
“Honored Tyr, I tried to bring the einherjar from the regeneration hall to stand before you. However, none of them were well enough to make the journey. They are still healing from their wounds. I can tell you that they require a team of regenerators to help them each day. At this time, all but the final two function only with a daily supplement of tsori.”
“Why is it different for the other two?”
“They are still adjusting, so such measures have not proven necessary as of yet, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.”
Administering the pink liquid could only mean that the men were functioning without thought. While their bodies performed their required tasks, their minds stayed dull.
I couldn’t believe that it had come to that. Had the regenerators even tried to help them adjust? Wasn’t that their duty?
The damage I’d caused to Valhalla stretched beyond what I ever would have believed possible.
“Neither has proven worthy?”
Something about the tone of Tyr’s question gave me pause. I held my breath as we both waited for Seshafi’s answer. She seemed reluctant to give it.
“The latest one may adjust in time,” she admitted.
A wave of relief washed over me. I knew Gus was different. He probably commanded his own unit already, but she didn’t want to admit it.
“Yet he was unavailable to stand before me due to his injuries from today’s battle?”
I didn’t have to look at her to know she spoke the next through her teeth.
“He is still fighting.”
“I see. You are dismissed to tend to your duties. Gertrude, come forward.”
Instead of staying behind me, Gertie came to stand at my side. For a brief moment, I thought it was for my defense.
“You monitored Niasa on her last mission, did you not?”
“I did.” Gertie’s voice quivered.
“What happened?”
“My seiðr skills are new, so I could only connect with her physiology. I didn’t see or hear the environment around her.”
“I am aware of your command experience, continue.”
I wanted to tell her it was okay. This was my fault, not hers, and she shouldn’t risk skirting the truth to the god of justice. I also wanted to wrap my arms around her and thank her for everything she’d done for me.
I hoped they gave me the chance before I left.
Gertie explained everything she knew about my time with Gus, including incriminating herself by confessing she’d helped bring us both back to Valhalla. I cringed at that. No matter what, I’d do everything I could to see that she didn’t suffer consequences for helping me.
When Tyr dismissed her, she hesitated at my side, but then spun and ran out of the hall.
As soon as the doors slammed closed, Tyr spoke once more.
“I will deliberate, and announce my verdict before the feast. Niasa will be incarcerated until that time.”
24
The Valkyrie commander used a portal to
whisk me away. Her expression was sympathetic, but she didn’t say a word. We arrived in a long, dark corridor outside the door to a cell. There was no indication of where I was. I’d never seen anywhere in Valhalla like the inside of this building.
As soon as I’d stepped into the small chamber, the door latched behind me. I hadn’t heard the lock click into place, so I tried it, but the solid steel door didn’t budge, not even a wiggle.
“It was worth a try,” I said out loud just to feel a little less alone.
The rough stone floor cooled my bare feet as I felt my way around the room. Three paces across and four paces deep. No window, and no noise, other than the thoughts in my head and the rattle of my chains. A cot lined one wall, with a somewhat comfortable woolen blanket laid on top. From the smell of the space, a chamber pot must be stored beneath. Other than that, there was only a bucket of water with a cup tied to the side.
I lowered myself to the edge of the cot. There was just enough chain to keep from sitting on my wings. The silence enveloped me, and I allowed myself to cry.
My last hours before eternal torture would be spent as a coward, but who would know?
The shock of light from a torch in the hall made me gasp and hide my eyes when the door opened. I had no way of knowing how long I’d spent in the dark cell, but it was enough that when I stood, my shoulders ached from the confinement of my wings.
“It’s time, come with me.”
The commander was back.
I sat up and rubbed my face with both hands. My hair was everywhere and, I was pretty sure, smashed in odd directions in the back, from where I’d lain on the cot.
I’d used the time to go over every mission I’d had in the last few months. There wasn’t any way I could determine when I’d been influenced and when I’d made the decision myself. I’d been eager to prove myself each time. No matter what happened, I deserved what was coming.
The floor had grown even colder, and I shivered as I stood. I could make out the open door, but we didn’t bother using it. The commander used a portal again.
The next thing I knew, I was standing in the piercing light of the throne room, exactly where I’d been before . . . only this time, there were considerably more than five bodies.
The excited hum of chatter rolled to a low murmur, as those in the front noticed my arrival. By the sound of shuffling bodies, every einherjar in Valhalla was in attendance, eager to see the moment I was sentenced to the Gap.
I probably should have kneeled again, but I decided that I’d wallowed in pity long enough. My cowardice was spent, and I was ready to face my judgment—though I wasn’t brave enough to stare at the two gods in front of me. Instead, I trained my puffy eyes on a line between the tiles of the floor. My hair hung over half my face, one side matted down from the cot.
“Silence.”
The commanding sound of Tyr’s voice sliced through me. It must have done the same to the others, because no one made a sound. The occasional shuffle of feet or low cough from the back was all the noise made by thousands of warriors.
“Niasa, raise your eyes and accept my judgment.”
“For the allegations of weakening our army, I find you guilty.” Tyr captivated my attention, and I couldn’t look away, even as my heart shattered. “For the offense of shaming your sisterhood, I find you guilty.” He spoke gently, yet the words carried to the farthest reaches of the hall.
My limbs turned to stone, the weight of the chains on my wings forgotten. Shame overpowered my will to remain strong.
“However, the motive of personal gain has not been proven, and therefore, I find you not guilty of treason.”
What? He believed me?
He believes me!
I thought myself a brave warrior. Combat came natural, and I fought to win. But at that moment, everything inside of me broke. To know that Tyr had heard my heart meant everything.
“For the final charge, I find that it is not mine to judge. Therefore, I will defer to Odin as he determines your sentence.” Tyr’s eyes were full of compassion as he gave me a nod. Then he set his gaze on the crowd once more before he stepped to the side.
Odin rose from his throne, and I gulped. It was intimidating enough to stand before him when he was sitting down. My chest heaved, but I set my shoulders to accept my punishment. If I still faced the Gap, I’d do it with dignity, knowing that my purpose had been understood.
A momentary clamor of armor and a compression of air washed over me from behind. The entire hall had fallen to its knees as Odin stood.
I bowed and did the same.
“Rise, child.”
On shaky legs, I hoisted myself up and met the loving gaze of Odin.
“You have not disappointed me. You have done wrong, but only to show your love and desire to build my army. For those actions, I forgive you.”
At that moment, I stopped breathing. Tears surged down my face, and I didn’t know whether to fall back to my knees, or sing, or dance. In the span of a heartbeat, I chose to stand in awe. Silent, forgiven . . . content. Nothing else mattered.
“I offer you a pardon from your guilt, but you must answer for your actions. Against me, I need no more than a pledge to follow my commands from this day forward. Can you do this?”
I nodded. “I’m so sorry.”
It was all I could squeak out. I hoped it was enough.
“Then it is done, never to be remembered. As to the guilt against your sisterhood, there is a different course to take. You have caused difficulty to the work of the regenerators, as well as distress to another. For that, you must be held accountable. There will be a trial by combat between yourself and your sister, Toril. The winner will concede to the other and forgive the motives behind their actions.”
I stared, waiting. Would that be all? Would I be allowed to stay . . . to live?
“Do you accept this offer?”
Yes! Oh, yes!
“I do,” I whispered, my voice again failing me.
Odin turned to Toril, who stood off to the side. For the first time, I dared a glance at the rest of the hall. All the Valkyries stood to my left, Toril and the commander in front, with Gertie smiling at me over their shoulders with tears glistening on her cheeks. Behind me and crowded around to the right were thousands of einherjar warriors.
But it was Stuart and Gus, standing in the front, who drew my attention. I was so focused on those two that I didn’t hear what Odin said to Toril, or what she replied.
“Then it is done,” Odin’s voice boomed. I snapped my attention back to him. “Let it be known this day that Niasa, chooser of the slain and daughter of the realms, has been judged and sentenced. From hereafter, this matter is settled.”
A cacophony of cheers rang out, deafening me, as the crowd began to empty out of the hall. I scanned to my right to see that both Gus and Stuart were gone.
Someone touched my elbow, and I spun to face Jemma.
“I was rooting for you the whole time. And I know you’ll win against Toril.”
There was a gleam in her eye that made me pause. This intensity from the jabber-jaw butterfly that I’d always considered Jemma to be made no sense.
“Thank you.”
I didn’t know what else to say. My body was numb, and I still couldn’t fathom that I’d escaped an eternity of reliving all my wrongs.
The commander approached us and smiled at me. Smiled at me. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, and nothing made sense.
She moved behind me. The next moment, a euphonic jingle cascaded to the floor like a waterfall as my chains were removed. I inhaled.
I was free.
The commander interrupted my bliss. “The sparring area is too small for the einherjar to witness the combat, and it would not be fair to exclude them. Therefore, it will take place on the battlefield. Let’s go.”
Jemma slipped away and melted into the crowd with the other Valkyries heading toward the doors. I nodded and followed, thankful that muscle memory moved my le
gs.
Everyone else had already arrived and formed an arena of sorts. Hills rose up on two sides of a flat plain. The einherjar filled the grassy knolls, with the Valkyries forming a circle at the base. In the center stood Toril.
Even from my distance of over forty paces, and the low visibility afforded by the early stage of twilight, I could see the determination in her features. She wore her full battle armor, with an axe in one hand and a short sword in the other. No need for a shield, she was all offense.
The damp grass under my feet reminded me that I still wore only my tunic and trousers—I had no armor or weapons. For a single blink, I was concerned. Then I couldn’t help the curl of my lips.
All I needed was a tie for my hair.
A hand touched my arm, and I spun, ready to attack.
Gus raised his hands. “I’m not in this battle,” he said with a grin. “But I thought you might like these.” In his arms were my boots and my corslet.
How did he find those?
I bit my lip and quickly donned the offering.
“And, maybe this will help as well.”
Gus raised his arm and withdrew a sword from a scabbard along his spine. When he handed it to me, I noticed a long string of leather tied to the handle.
He leaned forward, keeping hold of the sword as I grabbed it. “I thought you might need something for your curls.” He winked and let go of the handle.
“Thank you.”
Gus left to find his spot on the grassy embankment. He seemed broader, even taller.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts of him, and turned to face the Valkyrie who had accused me of treason. Holding the sword between my knees, I wrapped the string around my hair several times, making sure it was secure. Nothing would hinder me in this fight.
I spread my wings wide and rolled my neck.
Someone had betrayed Odin. I hadn’t gotten the chance to explain anything about what Gus and I had found on Midgard, but it didn’t matter . . . Toril would confess before I was finished.
25
Time Magic Page 17