Scorned: Book 3 (Valkyrie Academy Dragon Alliance)
Page 5
I glance at Elan, Eingana, and then back at Elan before gazing at Sobek. They have done much for me in the last few days. The blood pouring off of Elan’s wings catches my attention. I meet Eingana’s eyes. “Is there anything here to help Elan heal better? I can only imagine those dragon bites will become infected over time if not treated properly.”
Eingana shakes her head. We do not have healers. We have to let our bodies heal on their own. That is part of living in the wilderness.
“Then the decision is made for me. I must take Elan back and take her to the healer to get some proper treatment.”
But what about your safety, Kara? Elan’s scales wrinkle between her horns. I can't go into the academy and protect you.
“I know. I’m willing to take that risk. I will have my weapons with me at all times, and I will hang out with my two friends. I know that they will look out for me too.” I look up into her golden-brown eyes and see worry flooding through them. I stand in front of her and stroke her snout. “Don’t worry, my friend. For you, it’s worth it.”
- CHAPTER NINE -
I dash into the cave and pull out the completed saddle. It took me hours to complete, but I had plenty of time while I was waiting in the dragon wastelands. I thread the leather around Elan’s front legs, loop it around her torso, and pull it tight before adding the strap for around her neck.
I stop, though. “I think I will leave your neck free for the moment. It needs time to heal. I don’t want the straps digging into your injuries. The straps around your front legs and torso should hold the saddle steady enough for now.”
Elan is a fantastic guinea pig. She stands still, letting me thread the straps around her body without showing any signs of a dragon’s arrogance. It’s hard to believe that she challenged another dragon not that long ago. The only telltale sign is her silence and lack of chattiness. She is more sedate while holding the responsibility for my safety within her talons. She watches me as I work, peering over her shoulder and wincing every time the lead squashes one of her wounds.
When I finish securing the saddle, I stand in front of her and hold her snout gently in my hands. Her eyes look tired, and her shoulders sag. “Are you going to have enough strength to fly back?”
She yawns, and her hot breath surrounds me. I’ll be fine. I’ve just lost a little bit of blood. But don’t worry—dragons are tough. It’s not that big of a flight anyway.
I study her a bit more. “If you say so. But I want you to stop anytime you are struggling.” I climb up to the saddle, hook my feet in the stirrups, then pull the reins tight. “Do you promise to do that? I don’t want you passing out on me or anything. The last thing I need is to crash to the ground because my dragon has passed out.”
Oh, thanks for your concern. It just reeks from your voice. She chuckles, glancing over her shoulder.
“You know I mean it.” I give her a stern look.
She chuckles harder. Ow! That hurts. She stops chuckling. Of course I know you mean it. I was just messing with you.
Sobek shakes his head at her. That’s Elan—always joking around. You would never know that she is next in line to be in charge of the dragons.
And a good leader she shall be after much education… if she keeps her mouth shut, Eingana says, and I almost think I see a glint of mischief in her eyes.
I tap Elan’s back. “Did your mom just joke?”
Oh, under there somewhere, she has a sense of humor, Elan says lightheartedly. Occasionally, it comes through.
“Where is your sister?” I ask.
She has gone down to the dragons to make sure there are no more disruptions over what has happened here, Eingana says. She must also train to become the leader in case something happens to Elan, for she is the next in line. She raises her chin proudly, and her voice returns to the usual seriousness that I know.
“Say goodbye to her for me.” I pull tightly on the reins and check the stability of the saddle.
Eingana nods once.
I wrap the cloak around me to maintain the perfect temperature under the scorching sun. It surprises me how it is blocking out the intense heat yet still traps the correct amount of warm air within. With my feet tucked securely in the footholds, I lightly click my feet against Elan’s sides.
I do a last check on the reins again and move my backside around in the saddle. The molded leather is comfortable. “Right. I think we’re good to go, Elan.”
She jumps to her feet, and I hang on tight. The leather rubs against my hands, but it is nothing in comparison to the pointy ends of the scales that were my only security before.
Right, let's do it, Elan says, uncoiling her wings and pushing off into the sky, heading in the opposite direction of the valley filled with dragons. Her strokes are labored until we rise above the clouds.
The flight home isn’t long, but it seems to drag. I don’t know what I’m going to face when I get there. I don’t know if they’re going to send me to Odin to be imprisoned. The fact that Odin won’t guarantee my safety proves that he will not help or stand up for me. But thinking it over, I know it’s asking too much to expect a god to admit that he was wrong. It would be a massive blow to his pride if the god of wisdom were to be publicly proven incorrect. I have no sympathy for him.
Elan flies higher, and the icy winds push up against my face, numbing my skin, yet my arms and body are warm. Despite my worries, I am elated that the cloak is working against the icy chill.
Elan descends below the cloud cover, and her body disappears from underneath me, leaving me sitting in the air on a saddle, holding the reins as I float closer to the ground.
When I spot the academy in the distance, my stomach churns wildly inside of me. Physically, my ride home was easy, but emotionally, not so much.
Elan lands firmly, and she stomps forward a few steps before halting. I dip as I feel her front legs bend so she’s lower to the ground, allowing me to slide off. I swing my feet over her neck and slide to the earth below.
“Can you turn visible for a moment? It will be easier to get the saddle off you without aggravating your wounds.”
Her golden scales form in front of me as she turns visible, and I unhook the saddle and tuck it under my arm. I stroke her side. “Wait here. I’m going to find the healer to get you some ointment.”
Elan nods then turns invisible before I run inside with my saddle. I dash to my room.
Hildr sits on her bed. Her face is pale and filled with uneasiness, and her hair is exceptionally spikey, as though she has been rubbing it enough that it stands completely on end. Eir sits not far from her. Her usually peaceful face is also worried. I remove my golden cloak and throw it on my bed with the saddle. I’m surprised they haven’t seen me yet.
“Who died?”
Both of them spring up to look at me. Eir squeals with excitement, and Hildr embraces me into a rough hug, her sword hilt hitting me in the process. “You’re whole,” Hildr whispers in my ear.
I reach down and move her sword to the side then return the hug. “What’s going on here? Have you gone soft on me all of a sudden?” I laugh and pull myself away.
Hildr’s eyes look at me in disapproval. “When do I go soft? I can’t help it if I get upset because you’ve disappeared. I thought you might have been eaten by a dragon, for goodness sake.”
“Nearly. Elan did protect me. Which reminds me, I have to go and get some ointment off Anita.” I turn to leave the room.
“We’re coming, of course.” Eir charges after me, followed by Hildr.
“I didn’t expect anything else,” I call back to them. “On the way there, you can tell me everything that has gone on since I’ve been gone.”
“Oh.” Eir sounds stressed. “Mistress Sigrun really has it in for you.”
I roll my eyes and shake my head. “Oh, please. When doesn’t she have it in for me?”
“She’s pretty peeved,” Hildr agrees.
“Like that’s something new! I’ll deal with her in a bit.”
“Not you too,” I say. “Don’t worry. I’ll deal with her soon.”
We run out to Elan, and I smother her wounds in the salve then kiss her on the nose.
The moment I set foot inside the academy walls, I hear the screech of mistress’s voice, “Valkyrie! My office, this instant!”
- CHAPTER TEN -
I stop and look at my friends. “I’ll see you guys later, okay? Only I can deal with this one.”
“Good luck,” Hildr says.
I follow the stomping mistress down the corridors and into her office. Medals and trophies line every wall, accompanied by statues of winged Valkyries—it’s almost like a shrine for them. Candles burn in little circles in front of the figurines. I roll my eyes and enter the room, closing the door behind me. “Yes, Mistress.” I use the most bored voice I can muster.
Mistress Sigrun yanks her tan leather jacket closed over her white T-shirt then dusts off her medium-blue-leather pants. She is wearing the winged Valkyrie uniform, causing me to think that she must have just finished leading one of their training sessions. Her stunning pale face is set in a frown, as it so often is when she looks at the wingless Valkyries. She lifts her chin and shakes her head, tossing her perfect golden locks over her shoulder. Her majestic white wings pull in close to her body before she plunks her bottom down in the chair and glares at me from across her stone desktop. “You have caused too much mischief in the academy.”
“That’s what you keep telling me, Mistress.” I study my fingernails, noticing the dirt underneath them.
“You have stolen something from under Odin’s nose, and he is peeved.” Her tone rises as she observes my actions.
I pick out some of the dirt and let it fall to the floor. “Actually Mistress, I didn’t steal the dragon. Odin stole her, and I rescued her.” I sit back in the chair and cross my legs. “And Odin knows this.” I know I am being much more defiant than normal. I can’t help it. It is hard to respect someone who rules with discrimination.
“Young Valkyrie, you will be respectful with me and when you are discussing a god. Your lack of respect for authority is appalling.”
“No, Mistress. I don’t lack respect for authority. I lack respect for stupidity.” I know I’ve done it this time, but they have taken it too far.
“Is that right? You’re calling Odin and me stupid?” She stares at me, waiting for an answer that doesn’t come. “That’s it. You’re on cleaning duty.”
“Oh, the change.” I roll my eyes. “What is it this time? Dragon cell cleaning again?”
“No.” She rises to her feet and stomps around the other side the table, towering aggressively over me. “It’s worse. You’re on toilet cleaning duty.”
My shoulders sag. She’s right—it is worse. I would much rather clean up after dragons than clean up after Valkyries. “Really, Mistress? Can’t it be dragon stalls again?”
“You deserve the worst punishment.” She shoves a key across the desktop then turns and dusts off a statue. “You will find the cleaning cupboard just down the hall. Go! You are to start now.”
“But Mistress, I have only just come back from an extremely tiring ordeal. Can’t it wait till tomorrow?”
“No. It can’t. You have a lot of work to do to make up for your stupidity and defiance.”
I exhale loudly, grab the key, and turn to leave. “Whatever!”
I trudge down the hallway and find the cupboard and all the bathroom cleaning equipment. I collect the cleaning items labeled “bathrooms” and close the door. Searing pain shoots through my shoulder, so strongly that I almost drop the equipment. I pull back my sleeve. The pain is in precisely the same spot as the scar that the creature gave me a couple of years ago. I haven’t seen the creature in days. Surely, it can’t be lurking around the academy—it wouldn’t fit within its walls. I cover the scar and rub it through the material. I’ll have to ask Anita if there is a cure. The old woman I ran into in the wilderness comes to mind. What did she say about the scar again? It was really strange. I frown when it doesn’t come back to memory. With a shake of my head, I trudge down to the first bathroom I find.
Slowly, I push the door open and peer inside. It looks like it hasn’t been cleaned for a while. The room stinks.
Cautiously, I enter, and the urge to tiptoe is strong. I push back the door of the first stall and screw up my nose. I can’t believe that this is an all-girls academy—the stench is lethal. It’s even worse than cleaning the dragon stalls. Something dark lies on the ground. I don’t even want to know what that is. This is disgusting!
I block my nose and hold my breath. I don’t want to smell this. After slipping on the rubber gloves, it takes a while to gather the courage to begin the cleaning process. I bend my knees, ready to stoop to pick up whatever it is when I hear something behind me. I straighten and exit the stall only to come to face-to-face with Rota, Prima, and Mist. Great! My archnemesis and her buddies. They have hassled me since my first year. I have not missed their faces while stuck in the dragon wilderness. I roll my eyes. “What do you guys want?”
“I heard you were coming back today,” Prima says with a sneer. “So we made sure that this was a suitable job for you. We may have nominated you for this job to Mistress Sigrun then set to work making sure you had a little extra to clean up.” She indicates the several suspect dark patches in the room. “I hope you like our decorating.”
Studying the dark patches and taking in the stench, I am sure that it is not chocolate. My mouth straightens into a thin line as I look at Prima. “If that’s yours, you can pick it up.”
“Oh, wingless! That is not going to happen.” Rota moves closer. “That’s what you second-class Valkyries are for. In fact, you should be cleaning that with your face, not a rubber glove.”
She approaches me, and my arms move up instinctively, ready to fight. She looks at them and sneers. “You forget who we are.”
Mist moves forward, and I reach out and slap her with a gloved hand.
“Eww!” She groans. “That’s disgusting!”
As Mist distracts me from the front, Prima scoots forward and grabs my arms from behind. “It’s swirly time.”
Mist’s pretty face screws up in disgust. “Getting your head flushed is gross.”
Rota grabs one side of me and helps Prima drag me to the toilet. I twist and lash out with my feet, kicking them in the thighs. They cringe yet somehow manage to secure their grasp.
Mist cheers them on, “Let’s make her ugly black hair wet and sloppy.” She giggles.
With bared teeth, I stretch my neck to try and bite Rota’s shoulder. She notices what I am doing before I can make contact. I try to do the same to Prima until someone clears their throat. It sounds too old to be Mist. Rota glances behind us then stops. Confusion flickers over her face.
I twist around, still in their grasp, and my jaw drops with disbelief. The old woman from the wilderness stands at the entrance of the bathroom. “Young Valkyries! What do you think you are doing?”
Prima and Rota drop my arms at the same time, and I shake free.
When no one answers her, the old woman approaches us. “This is not the way to treat each other. I know this young Valkyrie. I have met her before, and I consider her a friend.”
I should be grateful that she has stopped my archenemies from dunking my head, but I am too caught up in confusion. “What are you doing here?” My scar starts to ache again, and out of habit, I rub the spot.
The old woman raises an eyebrow. “Ah, it is giving you trouble again, I see. Here, let me have a look.” Her old feet move surprisingly quickly across the floor, and she yanks my uniform down from my shoulder, revealing my scar. She runs her hand over it, and a strange tingling sensation runs the entire length of the scar and down my arm. My body convulses
briefly.
“What did you do?” I ask.
“Time will tell.” She smirks. Her faded eyes land on the three winged Valkyries, one at a time. “Now, Valkyries. I would be leaving Kara alone if I were you.” Without waiting for a response, she spins on a heel and leaves.
My mouth drops open. What just happened?
“Crazy old bat!” Prima spits then grabs my arms again, assisted by Rota.
“She is one crazy old lady. I hope I’m never like that,” Mist says with a tone that is so vague that it can’t be taken seriously. She twirls a strand of her blond hair in her fingers while staring at the empty entrance.
My attention is yanked away as they start to drag me in the direction of the toilet. No matter what I do, I can’t break free. After all, they’re both warriors with much more training than what we have been given. Strange sensations stir in my scarred arm. It doesn’t stop, and it feels different than it did when the creature was around. What did the old lady do?
Rota yanks my scarred arm forward, and the toilet bowl seems to leer up at me. Twisting my arm in a final attempt, I manage to grasp hold of her, with my hand bracing myself from being shoved farther. Something wells within the scar tissue then shoots down my arm, out my hand, and into Rota.
My eyes widen. What was that?
Rota squeals and drops to the ground.
Prima drops my other arm, and her wide eyes stare at the unconscious Rota. “What did you do?” Her voice is barely a whisper.
For a moment, my feet feel glued to the spot. I glance at Prima, then at Mist, then finally down at Rota’s still form. My jaw drops, and I bolt out the door.
The End
Stay Tuned:
Inflicted: Book 4 of Valkyrie Academy Dragon Alliance is up for Pre-order! Release Date: 24th September, 2019
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am touched by the enormous amount of support I have received from my immediate family. My husband has been a helpful first reader and at times been a wonderful motivator, with hints of ideas to help me through the blanks. The support from my three sons has also been overwhelming. They have put up with my head being in the clouds, thinking about the next plot twist or story for several years. Along with many hours spent working on my books and keeping in touch with my readers.