A few minutes later, Maggie came out of the shack and waved at us.
“It’s all clear!” she yelled just as an arrow flew across the clearing and struck her right in the eye, pinning her against the wall of the shack.
We all froze as we watched in horror as a man climbed over the roof of the shack from behind and over the building, landing in front of a struggling Maggie as she tried to pull the arrow out. She didn’t see the man as he pulled out a sword and decapitated her. Maggie’s body slumped to the ground as her head stayed pinned to the wall.
Lola let out a cry as the valkyries ran out to defend their fallen sister. I was still frozen, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over me.
It was hard to kill one of us. There were only a few ways to do so, and decapitation was one of them. But you had to get real close, and we never let anyone get that close. I couldn’t believe I saw one of us die.
“Hrefna!” Fen shook me. “We have to go!” His obsidian eyes were wild, and he looked like he was ready to carry me out if need be.
I looked over his shoulder and saw a multitude of arrows flying. This wasn’t a singular person. We were under attack.
“We have to get to the boat!” I said, finally shaking myself out of my stupor.
I ran out to the clearing with Fen beside me, and an arrow pierced my back. I winced but kept running. “To the boat!” I yelled at the valkyries. We ran across the field, getting hit multiple times until we reached the last boat. Fen and I jumped in. I looked for keys but couldn’t find any.
“Let me,” Fen said as he moved me out of the way. He hotwired the boat until the engine roared to life.
“Lilja!” I screamed, and the valkyrie turned to look at me. We made eye contact, and I tried to tell her everything I could with a single look. We had to go. I was sorry about her fallen sister, but there was nothing we could do now. Now it was a matter of survival. They killed the guy who butchered Maggie, but there were others, and they were coming. It seemed like my message was received because she gathered the others and ran to the boat. They jumped in, and Fen peeled us out of there as fast as the boat could move.
Arrows still flew in our general direction, but they couldn’t reach us anymore. In the meantime, we were plucking arrows out of our bodies because we’d gotten hit plenty of times.
“I can’t believe we lost Maggie,” Lola cried, her face in her bloodied hands.
“That was an ambush,” Mia said. “They knew exactly where we’d be and how to kill us.”
I hadn’t even realized that—they knew how to kill us. That killing was a little too precise, as if it were planned.
“Fen, who were they?” I asked him as I plucked an arrow from his shoulder.
“They’re not hellhounds, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he said and flinched as I pulled another one out. “Hel wants you alive, so I don’t think they’re associated with her if they’re trying to kill you.”
“Unless,” I drawled, “she found out about the valkyries and I’m no longer a hot commodity.”
Fen shook his head. “Doubt it. There’s no way for her to find out. Unless Verdandi told her, which I doubt.”
I turned to the four valkyries left and crouched before them. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Lilja nodded. “Thank you. We all knew what we signed up for—”
“We didn’t sign up to get killed!” Mia exclaimed.
“No,” Selena said, “but we knew it’d be dangerous. We’re immortal, but we learned with Valdis we’re not indestructible.”
“There’s no turning back now.” Lola sniffed. “We have to get justice for Maggie.”
The others were coming around, but Mia was going to be a tough nut to crack. She was the one with the bigger chip on her shoulder. I wondered why.
Fenrir’s mother—Angrboda—lived a couple of miles down the river. Luckily, we didn’t have any more surprises on our way there. I didn’t think I could handle it.
We docked under a canopy that was well hidden, and I thanked the gods. When we got off the boat, we followed Fen down a beaten path that led us to a massive house, or more like a mansion. It was definitely built for a giant. The house was over a hundred feet high at least, but only two floors with enormous windows and a door the size of a small building.
When we arrived at the front of the house, there was a church bell with a rope attached in the front lawn. Fen rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the rope, and ran as fast as he could with it until it rang. He let it go, and it continued to ring with the momentum until it faded out.
I looked at him with confusion, and he only shrugged. “It’s her doorbell.”
That had to be a joke, but I didn’t say anything. This wasn’t the time to be funny. I was going to meet his mom. My palms were a bit sweaty, and I didn’t understand why I was somewhat nervous. I’d met his father, and it was no big deal.
The six of us waited out front until the door screeched open and a woman stomped out, making the ground beneath us quake.
“Mum!” Fen yelled at the dark-haired giantess who peered down at us with those same dark eyes. She wore a cloak made out of fur, and I wondered what animal was big enough to make that.
“Fenrir?” Her voice traveled in the vastness.
“Come down!” he said.
Suddenly, she began to slowly shrink until she was our size. My jaw hung open as I watched, because as long as I’d been alive, I never knew giants could do that.
“My son!” She hurried over to Fen and wrapped him in a hug. “What are you doing here? Is this about your sister?” She pulled away to look at him, and I couldn’t get a read whether she was upset with Hel or not.
“Have you seen her?” he asked cautiously, and I was glad he was being careful.
“She has not come to see me,” she said and stepped back.
“Are you aware of what’s been going on in your world?” Fen asked her. “She’s enslaved it.”
Angrboda scoffed. “Nonsense, Fenrir.”
“It’s a ghost town out there, Mother. Have you not been outside your home?” He frowned as he watched her with concern. “She has your leader captive and is using him to hold your people prisoner. We were just attacked trying to get here.”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Fenrir,” a male voice said from inside the house. We all turned to see who it was, and then Loki stepped outside. “A little scuffle can hardly be considered an attack.”
The valkyries tensed, and Mia’s fists clenched. “Our sister lost her life in that so-called scuffle!” she shouted.
I stepped up to stand beside Fen who was still in front of his mother, but I wasn’t liking where this was going.
“What’s going on here?” I asked as I looked between Angrboda and Loki.
“Ah, the beautiful Hrefna. Why am I not surprised to see you?” Loki walked closer to us, and my whole body locked up. Every reservation Fen ever had about his father was now transferred to me.
“Oddly enough, you do seem surprised,” I said. “Hoping I died already?”
Loki’s dark features turned sinister as he smirked. “You think so low of me, hm?”
“Of course she doesn’t, Father,” Fen cut in. “But you still haven’t answered her original question. What is going on? Why are you here?”
“I came to visit your mother.” Loki smiled, and it didn’t reach his eyes.
I observed how close Loki stood next to Angrboda; it was almost intimate. After she was banished and had her kids taken away from her, Loki had found a new wife, so this was a development. He also called our attack a scuffle as if he already knew about it. Maybe I was reading too much into it, but something just felt out of place.
“Then I’m sure you’re here to warn her about all the horrible things Hel is doing,” I said snidely. “Especially here in Jötunheimr, if you’re visiting and all.”
Angrboda looked between Fen and me and then crossed her arms over her chest. “And you are?” she asked me. Yeah, we hadn’t don
e formal introductions.
“Raven Romero, formally known as Hrefna.” I stood taller and held my head high. “I’m the last valkyrie.” I said the last part on a hunch, and I prayed the others would follow my lead. When there was no huffing and puffing, I was relieved.
“A valkyrie?” Her eyes widened. “Well, that’s rare.” She looked at Fen. “And she’s your friend?”
“More than friends,” I said, and I grabbed Fen’s hand. I didn’t know why I suddenly got territorial. I mean, it was his parents for God’s sake, but I felt like I had to stake my claim before Loki got his claws in him.
Fen peered over at me in confusion but didn’t deny my claims. Technically, I was admitting to what he’d wanted for quite some time, so he better take it while I was giving it.
“Yes, Mother, we’re, uh … we’re a ‘we,’” he said so eloquently. “But none of this matters right now except for the fact that Hel is out to destroy—”
Fen didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence because Lilja screamed, and I whirled around to see an arrow had struck her.
“Shit,” I breathed. “They found us!” I turned to Angrboda. “May we enter your home?” An arrow stabbed me in the arm, and I flinched and gritted my teeth.
She looked at Loki hesitantly before nodding.
I whistled for the others to follow me as it started to rain arrows, and we all ran inside the house. Angrboda grew in size until she was a giant again and shut the door behind us. We were temporarily safe inside, but that also meant we were sitting ducks. The minute we stepped out there, they’d be gunning for us. We needed a plan.
“Who the hell are they?” Mia shouted as she started to pace and plucked an arrow from her thigh.
“I don’t know, but we’re trapped in here,” I said and ran a hand through my short hair. “How do we get out?”
“Aren’t you an almighty valkyrie?” Loki said sarcastically. “I’m sure you can fight your way out.”
My jaw clenched. “And aren’t you a god? Why don’t you just smite them all?”
“Father!” Fen growled, and he grabbed my hand, pulling me behind him. I didn’t need protecting; I needed to find out what Loki was up to, because he was definitely up to something. It was too coincidental that he just so happened to be here when we arrived. And I didn’t believe in coincidences.
The shooting of arrows striking the panels of the house sounded loudly, and I wondered what our attackers thought that would do. We were safely inside, and nothing would get to us unless they came in. Maybe it was to strike fear, but that’s all it could be. Something just wasn’t sitting well with me.
Fen and Loki were talking off to the side, and I should have been paying attention, but instead I went to Lilja.
“When I give you the signal, run for the boat and head back to the realm entrance,” I whispered in her ear.
She tensed. “Without you?”
I nodded. “I know you can do it. You can get through the door to Limbo.” I looked at her with as much confidence as possible. She didn’t believe in herself, but I did. “Do you remember the way back to Midgard?”
“Yes,” she breathed.
“Good. Get the others and get there safely. Don’t look back. Understand?”
Those crystal blue eyes stared at me with a million questions until she nodded in understanding. There was a plan forming in my mind, and I needed her to trust me. It looked like she did.
I turned back to Fen and Loki who appeared to be in a heated argument. Angrboda was still a giantess and was too high up to hear anything being said.
When I approached, their voices became murmurs, and then they were silent.
“Oh, don’t be quiet on my account. Please continue.” I waved them on.
“It’s none of your business, valkyrie,” Loki sneered and got a glare from Fen.
I smirked. “Here’s the thing, Loki.” I started to pace. “I got this funny feeling in my gut.” I motioned to my abdomen. “And it just won’t go away. You see, I have it on good authority that Hel wants me alive, and I just find it so odd that someone sent assassins out for me. Because, let’s be real, Fen, those were killers sent to do one thing: kill a valkyrie. It was too specific. Maggie had short hair like me, anyone could have easily gotten confused. So who would want to kill me?” I raised a brow toward Loki.
“You’re paranoid,” he spat with a glower.
“Am I though?” I stepped closer to him. “Or are you trying to derail Hel’s plans?”
Loki’s nostrils flared as those dark eyes threw daggers at me. He tilted his head up and looked at his wife. “Angrboda! Now!” he yelled.
Angrboda looked down at us, lifted her massive foot, hovering it over my head, and then it dropped. I had only but seconds to roll out of the way before her foot smashed the ground and the ground shuttered from the force.
I rolled on my side to see the floor had cracked. Fen was standing on the other side of her, his eyes wide in horror. Loki was being lifted up to Angrboda’s shoulder, and she was ready to attack me again. I scrambled to my feet and bolted for the door, slamming both my hands on the wood.
“Lilja! Go!” I screamed with wild eyes. She grabbed Mia, Selena, and Lola, and they bolted through the transparent door. It had been a long shot, but I figured I could open any door in the realm like I could in Limbo. The valkyries passed through with ease, and they were gone. I released the door just in time to dodge Angrboda’s meaty hand as she tried to swipe for me.
“Mother! Father! Stop!” Fen shouted, but no one was listening.
I released my wings from my back and flew around Angrboda, grabbing my daggers from my boots. I dug them into her back, and she wailed, making the whole house shake. I retracted my wings and climbed her back using my daggers as handles. Each stab brought on a cry louder than the one before. Her hands tried to reach behind her, but she couldn’t reach. She dropped to a knee, and everything trembled. I had to hold steady not to fall, but I kept climbing until I made it to her shoulder where Loki was perched.
I could have flown up here, but I wanted to inflict a little pain on my way. They had double-crossed us, and they needed to know what it felt like.
“You have a deal with Hel, don’t you?” I asked Loki once I was situated on Angrboda’s shoulder. “What was your price?”
“What did you expect? We’re family. Fenrir knows what that means.” Loki grinned.
My stomach plummeted. No, Fen wouldn’t join up with them. He couldn’t.
“I can see it in your face, Hrefna, you doubt him,” he said slyly. “You know deep down he will always be one of us.”
My expression turned to stone, and I narrowed my eyes. “How wrong you are, Loki. And that’s what upsets you. Why you want me dead. Because he’ll never be like you.”
I took one of my daggers and jammed it deep into Angrboda’s eardrum. She screamed bloody murder, tipping from side to side until we were falling to the ground. Loki grabbed on to her shirt while my wings burst out and I flew out of the way, landing swiftly near Fen.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said, grabbing his hand and leading him out the door.
15
Flashback
My hands, face, and neck were bloodied, and I had some in my eyes, blurring my vision. I’d just beheaded a horse Odin had gifted me from Midgard with the sword he’d given me. It was a special sword—named the Sword of Souls. I was to guard it with my life and, even in death, take it with me.
I was trying to get to the rainbow bridge to get back to Valhalla when I ran into a body. I rubbed my eyes to clear my vision and see who it was I bumped into. Valkyries didn’t apologize, so the words didn’t slip from my lips.
“And who might you be covered in animal’s blood?” a sly voice said.
I blinked a few times until I saw who stood before me—Loki. My hand came to the hilt of my new sword that was at my waist, and I tensed.
“I was with my father.”
He tilted his head to the side to get a b
etter look and then grinned. “A valkyrie. Fascinating. And what might you be doing here in Asgard?” Loki strolled toward me. I itched to step back, but I didn’t want to show any fear. I was not afraid of the trickster god.
“As I said, I was with my father.”
He smiled toothily. “Always so serious. And what do we have here? That is no regular sword. May I see it?”
Now I took a step back, clutching the hilt tighter. “You may not.”
His dark eyes followed my every move, never leaving my gaze.
“Father!” someone yelled from across the gardens and ran in our direction. I didn’t want to look away from Loki first, so I kept staring at him until the stranger approached us. “Father, are you bothering the lovely, Hrefna?”
Loki chuckled. “Fenrir, you know this valkyrie?”
“Yes, Father. She is absolutely immune to my charms.” I imagined the wolf grinning.
“Interesting,” Loki mused. “They’re so many of you, yet my son knows you by name. Odin lets you roam Asgard, and he gifts you new toys.” He nodded to the sword. “A toy you are very protective of. You intrigue me, the lovely Hrefna.”
“You are entertained too easily, Loki,” I said. “I am but one of thousands.”
With that, I sidestepped them and hurried down the path toward the rainbow bridge. I could feel their gazes on my back, but I didn’t dare look back. The last thing anyone ever wanted was the attention of Loki. That would only bring bad news.
16
Present Day
We made it back to Midgard where Lilja, Mia, Selena, and Lola were anxiously waiting by the Yggdrasil for us. It’d taken us much longer than expected to get to the realm entrance since we didn’t have a boat to cross the river. We also had to dodge the arrow-wielding assassins hired by Loki, and it was quite the process to get out of there. Nonetheless, we made it, not having accomplished anything we went there to do, but learning Loki was working with Hel after all. I wanted to be surprised, but honestly I wasn’t. The most important thing was informing Asgard of this new piece of information.
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