He fled the valley, with the handful of others who had stood apart from the rest of the Lucina. Looking out over the large gathering before me, I sighed. I hated when others kneeled before me.
“Please, rise, all of you. I am not your queen, and I do not want to see such powerful beings as yourselves on your knees. We bow to no one! We fight for our world.”
The others rose in a cheer, and to my surprise, Usela and Thane moved to stand beside me. There was an unmistakable look of gratitude in the woman’s eyes as she bowed her head to me.
“Huszo and his followers will join with those who plot evil, but more have stayed than I would have imagined.” Usela held my gaze for a long moment. “We will fight to keep this city safe, and we will join your army when the time comes.”
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24
Letting Go
Standing atop the ten-story building, I watched as the large gathering of Vampires descended upon the city. Behind me, over two hundred Gargoyles hunkered down, already in their winged form. Stationed throughout the vicinity, the powerful winged descendants of angels stood sentinel, waiting for the cue. I alone was visible atop the building, and as I watched the hoard of evil-seekers below, I saw him.
It was the first time I had laid eyes upon him since the day I killed Dominque. Inside of me, anger and hatred raged. The darkness clawed at me to gain release. It, too, wanted to tear this betrayer to shreds. I clamped down on all the feelings warring within me. I needed calm, precise actions. I needed control.
Unfortunately, I was never very good at control. The longer I stared down at him, the more my hatred bubbled up to the surface. Giving Chandler the signal to wait, I swooped down to land in front of the advancing group. I saw the surprise cross Desmond’s face. I also saw lust there. He still wanted me. I made a note of that for later, to file away in the recesses of my mind. As much as I wanted to kill him right then and there, I needed him alive.
I waited as he slowly ran his eyes over every curve of my body. The tight leather Usela had provided me with hugged my form, and the low-cut top did little to hide my attributes. When his eyes finally met mine, there was a fire burning in his golden gaze.
“Valkyrie, I see you have gained some new…attributes. Nice wings. A little soft for you though, don’t you think?”
I ran my hand slowly over the obsidian feathers of my wings. I had chosen to keep my reaper form a surprise for another time. Sending him a seductive smile, I replied, “You used to enjoy the softer parts of me, Desmond.”
The muscle in his jaw twitched. I could see I had struck a chord. He nodded as his mouth formed a grin. “Indeed, I did. Tell me, Valkyrie, how does it feel to know you killed your own lover? I had begun to think Aeron was as hard to kill as you.”
It took all of my self-control to keep my face neutral. I wanted to rip his head off his shoulders, to bathe in his blood. Tonight, however, I could not give myself the satisfaction. I smiled wider.
“Never really liked him anyway. He was too uptight. Now, Desmond, I want you to give my dear father a message for me.”
Desmond’s expression hardened. “Your dear father, eh? What would make you think I’m in league with that bastard?”
I laughed. “If you were not working with him, he would have snuffed your existence already. Now, be a good boy, and tell my father he cannot have the Lost City of Lucina or any other Lost City. Tell him, I will be coming for him soon. It is time he had his judgment day.”
Desmond was quiet for a long moment. Lifting a brow, he motioned to the savage looking Vampires behind him.
“I am afraid that just isn’t going to happen. What do you plan to do against all of us? Did you forget so easily how weak you were last time we found you alone?”
My smile widened, and I allowed him a glimpse of my fangs. Fluttering my wings, I gave the signal. All at once, two hundred Gargoyles took to the air, and nearly as many Lucina dropped to the ground behind me. Thane stood on one side of me while Chandler dropped to my other.
Desmond’s face registered his shock. He studied the growing number in the sky and the large angelic beings behind me. Stepping back, he nodded.
“All right, Valkyrie. You have made your point today, but I warn you, next time we meet, you had better expect death.”
I watched him turn and walk away. Every cell in my body screamed to attack him, but I held fast. In my mind, I laughed. No, Desmond, it is you who should expect death. Soon, I would avenge the betrayal he had reaped. Soon, I would become the reaper I was born to be.
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Chandler grunted next to me. “Valkyrie, I do not think this a wise decision. I know you feel the need to have closure, but perhaps it is best if you leave some things in the past.”
I glanced at Chandler. He had become my closest friend in the time since my world had crashed and burned around me. In one month, it would be Halloween again, my birthday, a year from the day I had discovered the truth of myself, and the truth of our world. The final eclipse that would decide the fate of the world would occur on that day. We had made a lot of progress toward stopping Byron’s evil plans and acquired many new allies.
Chandler, however, remained my truest and most loyal friend. I loved him. Once, I had thought I would be stronger and better off if I cared for no one. Now, I saw how wrong I had been. Even one such as I needed friends and love in my life to keep the darkness at bay. Chandler had been the one to track me to the mine shaft deep in the mountains where Desmond had hidden me. I owed much to him. I would not turn my back on him and this world, but first, I needed closure. I had lost someone dear to me in the inferno of my fires. I had killed the one who had been there for me always. I wanted to say a final farewell before I moved on with my life.
“Chandler, I know why you worry. I promise I am not going to lose control and burn the world down. I just want to say goodbye. Let me do this, and then we will attempt to find my brother and sister. I promise.”
He harrumphed behind me but made no more protests. I looked ahead of us once more. The mountain before me was singed black, and I realized this was my doing. The fire that had engulfed me that day had scorched this entire mountain peak, and for that, I felt remorse.
Walking through the soot and ashes of this once beautiful forest, I felt my heart ache for the damage I had created. It reminded me again why control was so important for me. I had made huge strides in learning to control myself, and my fire. Yet, I had no idea what awaited us in the near future. Already the crime rates were rising, and the death toll of humans was growing by the day.
Our army was ready, and our spies were everywhere. I did not completely understand what I was, or what I was meant to do, but I knew I would do everything I could to stop the world from descending into darkness and evil from taking over. The dark dreams I had begun having made me uneasy, but I kept the hope alive that we would be able to stop the prophecy from being fulfilled.
As I crested the top of the mountain, Chandler came up beside me. Placing his hand on my arm, he asked, “Are you sure this is what you need, Valkyrie?”
I nodded. “I want to see him. I want to see the ashes that remain of my friend. Only then will I be able to rest and move forward. I need this final goodbye.”
Chandler nodded. He pointed forward. “He is there beneath the boulder that stands alone. Rafael insisted we bury his remains.”
Nodding, I walked the twenty or so feet to the boulder. It sat atop the burnt mountain; its only company, the blackened remains of the few trees left standing. The wind whipped at my hair and coat. Taking a deep breath, I swallowed down my hesitation and shoved the boulder aside. The wooden coffin beneath it was small, much smaller than the man. I knew why. It had not been the man they had buried, but his pile of ashes I had left behind.
Unable to shed the tears I felt threatening was like torture. I wanted to weep for my friend, for the man I had felt so many emotions for. He had been more than a friend. In my soul, I knew now that it had never bee
n Desmond I had been meant for.
Shoving the wooden lid aside, I stared into the wooden coffin as the wind rustled the barren and blackened branches of the skeletal trees that remained here. For several long minutes, I could only stare into the coffin. Then, after the reality of what I saw hit me, a smile graced my lips. The wood was barren, empty. Not a single ash lay within its dark recesses.
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Turning, I felt again the wind as it rustled my hair and brushed against my skin. Looking out over the world below me, I stood alone atop the peak of the charred mountain. I felt many emotions rise up inside of me. Surprise, disbelief, hope. All of them mingled there, but doubt was a weed not so easily uprooted. Its roots wiggled themselves deep into the core of my being and held tight. I was not sure I was strong enough to keep fighting the darker side of my soul, and I was not sure what awaited our world.
The emptiness of the coffin brought me hope, but with it doubt. Chandler and Rafael had both watched him burn. The possibility that he would return was but a tiny ember in a mountain of snow. Blinking away my emotion, I sucked in a fortifying breath. I needed to be strong. I needed to be focused. I needed to become the Valkyrie everyone thought I was. I needed to fight the dark chaos whirling inside of me, and choose a path of good. I was becoming stronger. I was becoming wiser. I was becoming Valkyrie.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brandy L Cunningham lives in California with her husband and two children. She is an animal lover and has spent her life working with horses. She has an Associate Degree in Animal Science and has five published novels. To learn more, visit her at Facebook.com/blc.author or Twitter.com/Blc_Author
Becoming Valkyrie Page 27
