Becoming Valkyrie

by Brandy L. Cunningham

  Seating myself at the table a half hour later, I glanced at the six Gargoyle men gathered there. They tore into the meat on their plates as though they hadn’t had a meal in over a decade. Hardly sparing me a glance, they grunted and growled like primal animals, eyeing each other for a threat to their feast. Watching them, I smiled. They were wild, monstrous, and I loved it.

  Aeron lifted a haughty brow at me from his place at the table. I sat to his left again. Eyeing the silver goblet, I shuddered.

  “There will come a day when you will crave it, not revolt it. You need to overcome your dislike of it. Blood gives you strength.”

  I smiled brightly. “The sun gives me energy, what more do I need?”

  “Energy, perhaps, but not strength. Also, I have noticed you do not sleep. You realize that Vampires can sleep, right?”

  I gawked at him. Great, another thing I had been ignorant about. “They can? That doesn’t make sense. Why would a Vampire need sleep when they aren’t actually living?”

  Aeron seemed annoyed this morning. Standing with lightning speed, he appeared at my side. I sucked in a huge gulp of air, but I’m not entirely sure it was surprise, and not attraction to him being so close, that caused it. Taking my hand, he placed it on his chest, holding it there.

  “What do you feel, Valkyrie? Do I have no heartbeat? Am I dead? Not everything you think you know is correct, and assuming so is what will bring about your death.”

  I tried to pull my hand away. “Okay, Aeron. I get it. Understood. Now, may I please have my hand back?”

  I had noticed the sound of silence descend upon the room. Glancing behind myself, I studied the six men who looked ready to pounce. Their expressions were ferocious, as though something belonging to them had been threatened. Aeron too noticed them.

  “Stand down. She has nothing to fear from me. I am her protector, as you are. You attack me, and it will be the last moment you ever live. I promise you that.”

  I stared at Aeron. The amount of power that flowed off him was not something easily ignored. When I realized my mouth was gaping, and I probably had a look of adoration plastered across my features, I quickly turned back to my grotesque goblet.

  As he resumed his seat, Aeron muttered under his breath. “I’ve been looking after these fools for over a decade, but in walks one girl, and bam, I am forgotten.”

  Lifting my gaze, I grinned at him. When our eyes met, I could have sworn there was a spark there. Glancing around, I furrowed my brows when I noticed someone missing. “What happened to Desmond?”

  Again, there was that tick in Aeron’s jaw. He really didn’t like anything between Desmond and me. I suppose it was understandable. I lifted my brow in imitation of him when he did not at first answer.

  “He has gone. He and I decided we did not feel comfortable being under the same roof. He needs to get some affairs in order, but he will be back. You and I are going to see the Fiddler today. I only hope he can give you the answers you are looking for. We need you to become much more aware of yourself and what’s around you.”

  “Who is the Fiddler? Why is he the one who supposedly knows the answers to my questions?”

  Aeron ran his fingers through his hair. I found the gesture way too disarming, and had to look away hastily.

  “The Fiddler is a Witch. Believed to be the oldest Witch still living, he is very powerful and very knowledgeable. He is not very receptive to just anyone. I am hoping the sight of that pendant will grant us entry to his lair. It can be somewhat difficult to get past his guards.”

  I remembered Desmond saying the Fiddler had once been his master and had been the one to give Desmond the pendant in the first place. “So, how do you know where to find him?”

  “I didn’t. Desmond told me where I could find him. Apparently, he now sees the folly in believing you would find your way there on your own.”

  ͼ ͼ ͼ ͼ

  Sitting beside Aeron in the old Chevy truck was beyond awkward. Every time we hit a rut, our bodies collided. I grunted, straightening from what must have been the fiftieth pothole. There was no divide in this old-model vehicle to stop us from crashing into one another. I found it curious that with all the apparent wealth the man possessed, he chose to drive a nineteen-fifty Chevrolet thirty-one-hundred pickup. Myself, I would be driving a Ferrari, at least. Granted, the truck was restored, with a lovely cherry red paint job that shone as though he polished it every day, but still, the cab was awkward.

  I felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. We had left the hills behind and entered a forest thick with tall skinny trees. The sunlight was blocked by the thick foliage above us, and the splashes of color, contrasting between the red leaves of the maples and the variations of green from the birch, pine and oak, were dazzling. Along the road, I stared out the window, taking in the smooth white and gray bark of the birch, and the rough deep-umber colored bark of the tall pines that rose above the rest. The effect of the contrast between the different plant life I could see was magical.

  In many ways, it made sense to me that an Ancient Witch would choose this place to reside. The farther we drove, the more it took my breath away. Golden grasses met the pale skinny trunks of the birch, and then again, the gold of their leaves against the pale-blue back drop of the sky. What was left of their leaves in the late autumn, that is. Then, I would catch sight of a sudden drop of bright red against the paleness of the birch. The red maples seemed dwarfed in some places, struggling to rise through the overpowering birch and pine.

  Even though I had grown up in Oregon where the forests were thick with pine, redwoods and firs, there was something about these woods, I felt it deep within my bones, as though the trees themselves whispered to me. I had fallen silent, and I could feel Aeron’s eyes on me. I was well aware he watched me, and when I glanced back at him, there was a difference in his features, almost as though some emotion within him were trying to break free.

  “You feel connected to this place, don’t you?” He waited for me to answer, his gaze shifting between me and the road.

  Swallowing, I wasn’t sure if I should tell him the truth or not. “It makes me want to cry, the absolute beauty of it, but more than that, I keep thinking I’ve seen this place before.”

  Aeron’s lips twitched in a small smile. “That’s because the woods where you grew up were very similar to these. Your mother was from here, you know.”

  My interest sparked, and I sat up a little straighter. “My mother? You mean, my Vampire mother, right?”

  Aeron gave a low chuckle. “Yes. Your real mother, Valkyrie. She was not only Vampire, however.”

  I wanted to argue with him that Serena was my real mother, but I knew it would be futile to try and argue with an incredibly old soul like Aeron who thought he knew everything.

  “Is she still here? Will I meet my mother from so long ago?” Watching his face, I noticed his smile fall, and his eyes become shuttered once again.

  “I’m afraid not, Valkyrie. You mother, Corentine, died giving birth to you and your brother, Valkyrian.”

  I slumped back into my seat. I had grown up motherless? That seemed like such a strange thing. It sparked new questions. “I thought Vampires didn’t die.”

  Aeron’s gaze remained on the road. “Usually, no they do not. They can be killed, of course, but only with significant effort. I am not fully aware of all the details surrounding your birth or her death, but I have never heard of a Vampire giving life to twins before, and I suspect that was the cause.”

  As I studied him, I noticed a slight twitch at the corner of one eye, and I had the suspicion that Aeron wasn’t telling me all of it. He was keeping things from me, and that worried me. In the short time I had known him I had come to care for him. Whether I wanted to or not, it had happened, and I knew it probably sprouted from our past. It made me realize that some things the soul might remember more than we realize. I had been thrown into a world of monsters and memories I knew very little about, yet these two men seemed to be deeply ingr
ained in my life, and tethered to my soul.

  The probability that I would ever truly escape either one of them was slim. I was not very spiritual, and I knew zip about the soul, but I felt pretty sure that a link between two people, or beings, that had lasted over four hundred years, and at least one death, was a profound thing. I had recognized Desmond by his voice alone, and Aeron I had felt a familiarity toward the second I looked into his eyes. Because of this, it unsettled me that Aeron was keeping things from me. He told me ignorance would get me killed, yet here he was, withholding information from me. I didn’t bring it up. This was one Vampire I knew I would not win an argument with.

  “Where are we, anyway? The last place I remember, before waking up in your house was New Orleans.”

  Aeron glanced at me before returning his gaze to the road. “Well, we are definitely not in Louisiana anymore. We are currently in Maine, entering the Acadia National Park. The Fiddler prefers the life of a recluse. Many of us do, since the up-rise of your father and his followers.”

  Frowning, I looked out the window at the stunning display of colors. Reds, gold’s, and violets played together amongst the evergreens, and deep green bled into the forest the deeper we drove into their mighty canopy. I was blown away.

  “Looks pretty amazing. I’ve always wanted to visit Maine.” I trailed off, lost in my own thoughts for a moment.

  Aeron smiled. “Four hundred years hasn’t changed that. Even back then you dreamed of traveling and seeing the world.”

  I studied Aeron’s profile as he maneuvered the truck through the winding roads. He really was handsome. He had such a timelessness about him, it made me want to know all his history, and the millions of secrets I was sure he kept. His strong profile seemed cold, but I had already seen another side to this ancient man, and I had the feeling the aloof persona he put on was due to my former-self choosing another.

  I wondered what he and Desmond had done for the last four hundred years since I had died the first time. Didn’t they move on with their own lives? Had they fallen in love again, thought of having a family? Surely, they had. Four hundred years was far too long to have spent alone. Looking away, I tried not to allow the sadness of the past that connected us to bring my spirits down. In truth, the thought of Aeron with a woman in his arms unsettled me in ways I really didn’t want to think about. I was losing my mind.

  As dusk began to fall over the beautiful forest, shadows played tricks on my mind. Several times, I thought I had seen dark figures looming in the distance. Like gnarled and twisted fingers, the branches of ancient oaks stretched across the road, mingling with the eerie sweeping boughs of firs. Their daunting appearances chilled me. Within the trees, I kept seeing dark forms moving, stalking silently and stealthily. My mind seemed amused by playing tricks on me, and it was difficult not to recall every horror movie I’d ever seen. Glancing up, I noticed only a sliver of the moon flickering through the thick trees. When Aeron pulled the car to the side of the road and cut the engine, I sat bolt upright.

  “Uh, Aeron, what are you doing? Why did you pull over? We are not going out there, are we?” I hated the quiver I heard in my own voice.

  Aeron glanced my way with an amused expression on his face. “Why, Valkyrie, you are not afraid of the dark, are you?” His tone was mocking, and it made me want to hit him.

  “Of course not, but neither am I a Nyctophiliac. You hold that title all to yourself, Lord of darkness, with your dark curtains, and your gloomy mansion.” I would never admit to him how much I loved his house.

  Laughing, Aeron stepped from the car. “Valkyrie, we can see in the dark. What is not to love about that? We are creatures of the night, you and me. Instilled in our genetic make-up, we are stalkers of the dark. If you were your full Vampire self, you would embrace it as I do. Come, we must walk from here.”

  I swallowed. That was what I had been afraid he might say. I sucked up my courage and stepped from the car. Glancing wildly around myself at every shadow, and every noise, I was worse than a flighty deer. I had grown up around the mountains and forests similar to this one, but there was something unnerving about these woods. I felt like there were eyes everywhere, watching me always.

  Glancing at Aeron’s stoic profile, I tried to hide the scared child within myself. Aeron glanced down at me as we set off down the road. “You have nothing to be afraid of. Trust me, you are a creature far more frightening than anything lurking out there. The sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll be”

  I rolled my eyes at him. I highly doubted that. “So, what is it out there? I feel like there is something…sinister in the shadows.”

  Aeron smiled at me as though he were indulging a child. “These woods were once known as the Graveyard of Wolves. Many centuries this place has been ruled by a very large, very strong pack of Wolves. They are reclusive, preferring to stay in their animal state most of the time, and they avoid humans and other Casts as much as possible.

  However, long ago that wasn’t so. Man went on a Wolf-killing-spree after one of them witnessed a Wolf shifting. It was too much for the human mind to take, so the man became crazed. He convinced himself that what he had seen was actually a Wolf devouring a man whole. You can imagine the terror that struck the early settlers. The town's men came here one night, torches lit, and rifles loaded.

  It was a massacre. Both humans and Wolves were slaughtered. For many years after that, the Wolves killed any who entered their territory after dark. Now, things have quieted. Their lust for revenge has been satiated, and they say the Spirits of both man and Wolf who died during that time still roam this forest once the sun has set over the woods and darkness descends.”

  I stared at him. I wasn’t completely sure if he was serious, or trying to scare me. “Uh, so by Wolves, you mean Werewolves, right?”

  He nodded as though it were no big deal. I grabbed his arm. “Aeron! I’m serious! You expect me to go into a dark forest filled with Werewolves?” Damned if I didn’t shriek at him like a frightened child.

  He glanced down to where my hand held his arm. The orange liquid in my veins had flared to life. Gently prying my hand from his arm, he said, “I may not burn to death, but that does not mean I enjoy being burned, Valkyrie. You have nothing to fear. Wolves are not flame resistant.” Giving me an exaggerated wink, he continued off the road and into the murky darkness beneath the trees.

  I crept slowly after him, cautious and fully aware of my surroundings at all times. Every noise, every snapping twig or night sound sent me scurrying closer to Aeron. I gained another notch in my rising admiration for Aeron. He seemed so fearless, so unafraid of everything.

  Ahead of us, I heard a noise from my nightmares. A low growl pierced the quiet of the night. “Blood Suckers are not welcome in these woods. Turn back now, and I will let you live.”

  Aeron laughed darkly. “I do not remember there being any feud between the Wolves of Acadia and the Vampires. I have not come here to bother you. I have come to see the Fiddler.”

  The growl deepened. “There is no Fiddler here. Turn back, or face your death. Do not forget that it is Wolves who are the greatest threat to your kind.”

  Aeron showed no sign of fear, no hesitation whatsoever. I grabbed his arm as dozens of yellow eyes appeared in the trees around us. “Aeron, no. Please, if they kill you…”

  For just a moment, Aeron hesitated. He looked down at me, and I saw a shifting in his eyes. There was a heavy emotion reflected there for just a second before the coldness slipped back into place. He gave me a cool smile, and then he was gone from my grasp. I sucked in a breath, sure he would get ripped to shreds. I heard angry growls, snarls, and yelps. Sounds of bone-crunching made me wince, but I didn’t have long to focus on that.

  Three Wolves emerged from the woods on either side of me. They were no ordinary Wolves. Much larger than any Wolf I had ever heard of, they circled me. I sighed. I really liked my outfit, but seeing as how I couldn’t fight worth a damn, I had only one defense. Clearing my m
ind, I released the anger and fear that fed my flames the quickest. My body burst into flames, rapidly consuming every inch of me.

  The Wolves leaped away from me as I advanced upon them. I had to be fearless. I could not back down. I didn’t know if these Wolves could kill me or not. The Wolves stayed well back from me, watching wearily. I became aware of complete silence around me, and then Aeron stepped from the trees. His clothes were torn, blood rand down his neck and his arm was twisted at an unnatural angle. He grinned at me, baring his long-pointed fangs.

  Something stirred within me. A sensation I could not name. It flared to life within me and spread over me with warmth. Staring at him, seeing those wicked fangs, I felt…intense sexual need. That was the only way to describe it. I didn’t understand why I would be so attracted to this wild animalistic side of the perfectly poised, controlled Aeron, but apparently, I was. I didn’t want to think about that, about what that said about me. I turned my attention back toward the Wolves.

  “I am Valkyrie Walker, and I am here to see the Fiddler. Will you cooperate, or will you burn?”

  Several of the Wolves growled, but others began to turn. I watched, albeit slightly embarrassed as the Wolves become men and women again. They were all nude, and as they shifted, they did something I had not expected. They crouched down before me, as though I was royalty. I frowned deeply, not understanding why they did such a thing.

  “Aeron, why are they kneeling before me?” It made me uncomfortable. I didn’t think these majestic creatures should bow to anyone.

  Shaking his head, Aeron indicated he did not know. I glanced at the bite wound on his neck, and his irregular looking arm. “Are you going to be all right?”

  Lifting his eyes to mine, he gave me a weak smile. He nodded his head, just before he fell to the ground before me. I gasped, fear pooling in the pit of my stomach. I needed to help him, but I didn’t want to harm him. I was stuck between withdrawing my flames to help him and keeping my flames alive to ward off the Wolves.