No one moved.
Jemma was here. She had to be—unless she was meeting her contact.
“What if she’s meeting Donovan?” I whispered.
Odin stared ahead, but Gus snapped his face to me, the icy blue of his eyes even brighter as the dark rings around them seemed to pulse.
“Jemma, come forward and answer the allegations leveled against you.” This time, Odin spoke in a quiet voice.
I wouldn’t have expected it to reach ten paces, let alone the back of the hall, but halfway down the right side, a figure stood. Blonde. Curvy. Guilty.
Like a hawk, I stared her down.
I heard a chair scrape on the tile floor behind me. From the corner of my eye, I watched as Gertie made her way closer to my left. Jemma would not get away with this.
Jemma tipped her head to me. I took the gesture for an admission of guilt and permission to grind her into the ground. She must have noticed that last part because she spun and ran.
“Bring her back,” Odin whispered in my direction.
I ran the three steps it took to unfurl my wings, and then flew over the heads of the sitting einherjar and out the door. Heavy footsteps thundered behind me, down the center aisle. I didn’t have time to wait for anyone.
Once outside, I looked right and then left. Jemma couldn’t have gotten far. A glint of bright blonde flashed in the torchlight against the dark night, and I realized she had flown across the battlefield.
Darting around the side of the command building was the traitor who’d tried to destroy Valhalla and everything important to me.
“Don’t even think you’re getting away!”
I flew straight for the structure. As soon as I rounded the hall, night closed in on me. The torches didn’t shine back here, and my eyes needed time to adjust. Before that could happen, though, a large object smacked against the side of my temple.
I slammed against the building and slumped to the ground. I’d charged right into her hands.
Ugh, I know better.
I tried to stand and follow her as if nothing happened, but as soon as I made it to my feet, I fell back to the ground.
Battle shrieks rang out from where I’d come. I had to get back into the light and find Jemma.
Using the rough stone of the building to pull myself up, I scraped my palms, and my feet slid in the mud. The rain had started again, heavier. Once I managed to stand, I inhaled twice to reset myself. Then I ran.
Around the corner, Gus, Gertie, and Toril surrounded Jemma. She darted and flapped her wings in their faces, but they held their ground. I slowed and sauntered up to the circle.
“We held her for you,” Toril said. A grin played on her face.
I was going to miss the friendship she and I could have had, but right then, I had bigger things to deal with.
I walked into the center of the ring my friends formed, and stood in front of Jemma. She crossed her arms over her ample chest and popped her hip.
No way could this girl beat me—I’d pummeled her in minutes every time we’d fought in the sparring ring. Overconfidence would be her undoing.
Faster than I could think of something witty to say, Jemma flew forward and smashed both feet into my chest. Without any warning, I slammed into someone, and we both landed in the mud twenty paces away.
A waft of cedar and a masculine growl rumbled against my back, confirming I’d fallen on Gus. After a quick squeeze to my shoulders for encouragement, he shoved me to my feet and nearly back into Jemma.
Somebody has new muscles.
I turned my attention from that observation to see Toril and Gertie both fighting Jemma. The mud squished under my boots as I stomped closer. Thankfully, the string I’d put in my hair earlier held tight.
The traitor was holding her own against two fighters I knew well—each a skilled and worthy opponent. The Jemma all of us had known was a lie.
However, the deception was over, and I would show her no mercy.
“Jemma!”
She didn’t hear me as she kneed Gertie in the stomach, then elbowed Toril in the jaw.
“Jemma!” I yelled louder.
That time, she turned. The smug glare she leveled at me shored my resolve. She would not be getting away.
“One-on-one, you and me. Winner decides the fate of the loser.”
“You don’t want to do that.” She smiled, wicked and cruel. “But I won’t stop you.”
Toril backed away. The einherjar spilled out of the feast hall to cross the battlefield and surround us. Gertie pulled herself up from the mud and joined the others. News of our battle must have made it inside—there’s no way all the warriors drinking, feasting, and singing songs of victory could have heard us that far away through the rain on the roof.
“Destroy her, Niasa,” Toril called out.
“Show her to the Gap,” someone else yelled.
“You can do this!” Gertie’s familiar voice sounded through the din.
Though hers was the only support I’d counted on in the past, Gus stood next to her, a smile on his face and his arms folded over his chest.
He really was comfortable in his new existence.
Everything was different now. I didn’t need to prove myself, but I did need to protect those I cared for. My family.
I stalked forward to the center of the circle. Jemma met me, and we took up positions like we would if it were any other morning in the sparring ring.
Crouched and ready with my arms in front, I grinned. “What are you waiting for? I’m hungry, and the feast is getting cold,” I said.
I’d ignored Jemma before, but now she had my full attention.
28
Everything that had happened with the trial, and being stuck on Midgard, growing weak, had rattled me. I hated that feeling. Watching Jemma as we circled each other gave me a sense of normalcy. The familiarity of the mud squelching over my boots and the drizzle falling from the skies comforted me. A fight I understood.
“Are you sure you’re ready? You look a little tired,” Jemma taunted. “Maybe you should concede and rest.”
A grin tilted my lips. “Consider my weariness as a gift to you. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a fair fight.”
It was pointless to deny that I looked like a dung heap, and I wasn’t at my peak . . . That wasn’t going to stop me from defeating this traitor, though.
The next moment, Jemma rushed forward. A rush of adrenaline surged through my veins as I met her halfway. The din of onlooking einherjar shouting faded into the background as we clashed.
I landed a blow to Jemma’s side at the same time that her fist hit my jaw. Falling into the mud, we quickly jumped back to our feet. It didn’t escape my notice that she was faster than me.
This might be harder than I expected.
Jemma’s glare glistened with a malice that I’d never seen in her before. This wasn’t the same girl I knew. Whoever she really was had been hiding all this time. It was a good act, one I needed to end quickly.
With a lunge, I wrapped my arms around her waist and shouldered her to the ground. My wings spread at the same time, pinning against hers to keep them from slashing at my face.
This may be a different version of the Valkyrie I knew, but she couldn’t hide her inability to block body shots. It was the best move I’d learned to use against her in the past.
I punched three quick jabs to her kidneys, relishing her grunts. Then she managed to get her hand on my face. She shoved my chin in the air and twisted, making it difficult for me to get the power I needed to continue.
Breaking away, I tried to roll clear, but she rolled with me. Mud splattered into my face, and I spit out the grainy sludge. Wriggling one knee free, I slammed it between Jemma’s legs—not as effective a move on a girl, but it still hurt.
She paused, and I used her long braid to yank her off of me.
Before I could reset myself, a sharp talon sliced across my chest, ripping through my corslet, down to my skin. I hissed at the sting.
/> Normally, the single, sharp claw at the apex of our wings stayed retracted; like a cat’s claw, we could extend it when necessary. But there were unspoken rules in the sparring circle. No talons was one of them.
If that’s the way she wanted it, I could play that way, too.
I shook my wings, flinging water and mud into the air. My own four-inch razors extended from my wings, dark and glittering.
Jemma’s golden-hued wings, matching her fair complexion and blonde hair, were caked in mud. It made her look bedraggled. But her relaxed stance and slight smirk told me she was far from defeated.
Going on the offensive, I shrieked and charged. When I got close, ready to spin and send a kick to her gut, she dropped to the ground. She stretched her leg out and caught me on the side of my knee.
I tumbled sideways. A rock pounded into my side, and the air whooshed out of me. Before I could right myself, Jemma had me by the back of the neck.
She dragged me to my feet and stared into my eyes. Right before she slammed her head into my nose, I saw her lips curve into a wicked grin.
My eyes blurred, and I wobbled on my feet when she let go. A shift in the air to my left was the only hint I had at Jemma’s location. I ducked just in time to avoid the punch she’d aimed at my temple.
Enough of my vision cleared to see her form, and I reached for her. Grappling, we managed to stay on our feet. I leaned into her, not because I needed a break, but to use my body weight to throw her off balance. It didn’t work, though, and she shoved me aside.
“Getting tired?” Jemma called to me, her mocking pout an exclamation point to her harassment.
“Not a chance,” I called back.
Inside, I could feel my lungs restricting. The swelling in my nose had spread into my eyes. I would heal, but not fast enough. It seemed like as good a time as any to get a confession from her. If she wanted to talk, I’d let her.
“How did you find out where I’d be?”
Jemma cocked her brow as we circled. I couldn’t let her get behind me.
“What are you talking about?” she scoffed.
“I was set up. Someone knew who my assignment was. You had to be the one to tell them, so how did you know?” I wanted to make sure that every einherjar within hearing understood what she’d done.
“Because your little secret missions were in writing, you thought that meant they were safe? You aren’t the only one who can read. And I didn’t need Odin to teach me.” Jemma gave a giant flap of her wings, and shot toward me.
She can read?
It all clicked together. She’d read my scrolls and relayed where I’d be. No one would suspect the chatty airhead. But who did she tell?
My blood boiled.
I curled my wing forward and slashed my talon across her cheek. It took some of the force out of her, but the momentum carried me off my feet, and a heavy boot kicked me into the bodies crowded around the circle.
Strong arms pulled me up and shoved me back into the center. Rising to one knee, I wrapped my arm around my stomach. Coppery blood rose into my mouth and I leaned forward to spit.
This wasn’t what I’d planned. I didn’t lose fights.
Everything slowed down. My chest heaved with quick, shallow breaths. Somewhere in the distance, I heard Gus shouting. It sounded as if he was in a fight of his own. Raindrops plopped on my head.
Jemma chuckled as she squatted down next to me.
“In the Legion, the weak are culled. Real power is nurtured.” She spoke in a quiet, almost sensual voice. Darkness flowed from her as she pulled my hair to tip my head back. I met her gaze with a glare. “You’ve helped us weaken Odin’s army with your self-righteousness. I should thank you for my promotion. You were so easy to fool, it almost seems unfair.”
“What is the Legion?” I cringed as the muscles in my core clenched with the effort of speech.
“Power. It’s where the real truth is told, not the lies here that trap us and keep us in bondage.” Jemma stood and kicked me in the shoulder so that I landed on my butt in the mud. “The Legion will win, and then we’ll all rise as gods. Everyone equal in power.”
I tried to stand, but my hands slipped, and I fell back. Jemma turned her back on me and walked a few steps away. The insult made it clear she no longer found me a threat.
“I’ll find Donovan, and you’ll lose your contact,” I threatened.
Jemma twisted slowly to face me. Her brows scrunched together as if she didn’t recognize the name. Then she chuckled as a swirling vortex opened above the center of our fighting space. It was like an inverted cyclone, with its cone disappearing into the dark. Long black limbs of mist reached out from the center. Wavering as if waiting to wrap around anyone who dared come near.
I’d seen mist like that before but couldn’t place it. Then I remembered with a jolt.
The man we fought in the restaurant—the assignment I’d left behind in favor of Gus!
“You are naïve, Niasa.” She turned away again and jogged toward the vortex.
A body flew in from the side of the ring and slammed into Jemma. Creamy-white wings contrasted against Jemma’s muddy ones as the duo grappled on the ground.
Toril! What was she doing?
They stayed locked together as they made their way to their feet, flapping and slashing each other. As they wrestled, they stumbled closer to the area under the swirling skies.
I rolled to the side and rested on my hands and knees for two short breaths. Leaning back, I sat on my heels with my shoulders slumped. Toril was strong and fresh. She’d be able to stop Jemma.
The wind had picked up, the power of it turning the rain into stinging pellets, and imprinting swirls into the mud below the disturbance. There was a keening coming from the center of the vortex above as the mist lashed out seeming agitated.
My heart pounded, and I suddenly needed Toril to separate from Jemma. Something wasn’t right.
I tried to call out, but there wasn’t enough air in my lungs to form more than a squeak. Pushing with my hands, I got my feet under me and stood. I had to help Toril.
The mud sucked my feet down, making each step a double effort. Not more than three steps later, several things happened at once.
Toril and Jemma lowered their wings and stood staring into the swirling skies above them. A body slammed into me from my right, and another from my left. As I went sprawling face-first into the mud, Toril and I locked gazes.
I can only imagine my eyes were as wide as hers, as the last thing I saw from her was panic.
In the blink of an eye, Jemma and Toril shot straight up. The tendrils of mist enveloped them and dragged them into the dark center of the cyclone, before it disappeared. I ended up facedown with two large bodies squashing me. Then all the torches in Valhalla blinked out.
Everything became eerily dark and silent. No one moved. No one even breathed.
With the same abruptness, the torches flared back to life. Whether it was a mere heartbeat later or longer, it was impossible to know.
I elbowed the first body I could get to, pushing it off me, and we all rose to our feet. As I wiped the mud from my eyes, I wished I’d stayed on the ground.
Before me stood both Odin and Tyr. Radiant and larger than normal. Suddenly, I was back in the throne room, being judged and sentenced all over again.
I knew the results wouldn’t be the same this time. I couldn’t go free twice.
29
“The traitor has been discovered,” Odin boomed. The power of his voice resounded through me like a drum inside my chest. “Niasa, you have agreed to leave Valhalla in exchange for the einherjar, and the time for you to go is now.”
How could this be happening? Hadn’t they seen it was Jemma who was the traitor? I couldn’t breathe.
A pressure slipped around my elbow and held me tight. Any second, my wings would be clipped again.
“The evil that showed itself here today is but one face. There are many more working in concert to destroy the innocents
in this battle. The godly realms of the Vergence must unite to put an end to this tragedy. As our chosen representative, you must join others gathered on the Isle of Breasal.” Odin stared straight into my eyes as he spoke.
I heard a whimpering sound, and I was pretty sure it was me. This was the task he’d spoken of . . . not punishment, but an opportunity to serve Valhalla as I’d wanted.
That feeling I’d always had that I was meant for something more, that I didn’t fit in, somehow was true. I had been made for this moment. Whatever I needed to do, wherever I needed to go, I would.
“This will not be easy. Sacrifices will need to be made,” Tyr said. His voice was soft, yet echoed off the buildings. While he held my stare, he raised his arm slightly.
I bowed my head.
The einherjar still formed a circle around us, but no one made a sound. The two bodies that had slammed me to the ground stood behind each of my shoulders, and without looking, I knew they were Gertie and Gus.
Odin spoke again, this time addressing everyone else. “We have our champion, and a traitor has left our midst. Though we lost a brave warrior, we should celebrate our victories!”
The einherjar erupted in cheers and shouts. Weapons rattled and banged against each other. As one, they turned and headed back to the feasting hall.
Though I hadn’t heard or felt him move, Odin lifted my chin as he stood in front of me, his radiance almost more than I could bear.
“It’s time you learned who you really are.”
30
My mouth was filled with grit. A mixture of blood and slime oozed from my broken nose. Half my curls were loose and sticking out in all directions.
But I’d never felt more beautiful or loved as I stared into Odin’s eyes.
Then I realized what he’d said. Who I really am?
“I don’t understand.”
“I chose your mother for Valhalla because of the fierce warrior she was on Midgard. The same as all of your sisterhood.” Odin glanced to my left, smiling, and I knew it was Gertie back there. “But there was another reason. She had discovered a plot by the Shadow King, leader of the Legion, to disrupt the human world. Though she didn’t understand the plan, she knew it involved the medallion you now wear.
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