Shield Maiden (The Lone Valkyrie Book 1)

by Charley Case

  “That seems kind of cold, Victoria. This is a woman's life we’re talking about. One of our sisters.” Mila was horrified.

  “Not exactly.” Victoria sighed as if having to explain the same thing to a child for the hundredth time. “If she did die, she’ll be back in a few decades. That is what it means to be a Valkyrie. There is very little in the universe that can truly kill us, and we vanquished the last of it on Earth thousands of years ago. I know this is your first life and these things must seem a little odd to you, but trust me. Sometimes a good death is all you need to get your life back on track.”

  Mila shook her head in wonder. “I’ll have to trust you on that one. So, what is it Missy wants me to do?” Danica had finished the beer and opened another, and Mila began to worry.

  “We just want you to go check it out. If it’s more than you can handle, give me a call, and the sisterhood can come take care of it. It’s a pretty isolated place, so we don't have to hurry, but the sooner, the better. Do you know anything about northern Idaho?”

  “My father’s from there. Lives in Sandpoint with my mom, almost at the Canadian border. Why? Wait, northern Idaho? Don't tell me it’s near Elk River.”

  There was a moment of silence on the other line. “How did you know?”

  Mila bit her lip, a sudden feeling of dread coming over her. “Preston Meriwether asked me to go check on an elvish settlement there. Said the people have been out of contact for a while.”

  “Hmm.” Victoria considered this new development. “I don't like this. Maybe I’ll head up there myself. We can tell Missy it was too dangerous and send you out on the next one.”

  “No, it’s fine. I’m heading up there anyway to check on the elves. If I’m just doing some scouting, it shouldn’t be too big a deal. Besides, I don't want to be the first time I meet our eldest sister to be after I was too chickenshit to go on a mission she sent me on. I’ll be careful. Plus, I’ll have Penny with me.”

  “Chi?” Penny asked, her eyes wide.

  Mila gave her a dirty look before sticking her tongue out at the dragon. “I’ll call you when I find anything out.”

  “Okay. I’ll email you a picture and what info we have on Heather. Maybe she’s not dead and just badly hurt.” Victoria’s tone softened, and she leaned into her microphone as if she didn't want others around to hear her. “Be careful. I haven't met you in the real world, but I would like to before you get a new body.”

  Mila chuckled. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. I’ll talk to you soon.” She hung up and tossed the phone on the couch as she turned to face Danica, who was almost done with her second beer. “What the hell happened? Why are you freaking out? Is Finn okay?” she asked as a shock of fear for the big dwarf came over her.

  Danica turned to her slowly, her thousand-yard stare still in place. “He’s fine. I just teleported us into a strip club. In the early morning. In Mexico City. It was...intense.”

  Mila started laughing. “Why would you teleport into a strip club?”

  Danica blinked a few times and did a full-body shiver. “Well, I’ve never been to Mexico City, so I didn't have a particular place in mind when I activated the spell. But just before that, I was thinking that I don't know many girls from Mexico except you, but you’re half Mexican and grew up in the States. Then I thought about Maria Gonzalez from undergrad.”

  Mila cocked her head to the side as she tried to place the name. Her eyes lit up when it came to her. “The girl in our Trig classes? Didn't she become an engineer or something?”

  Danica nodded. “Aerospace engineer. She builds rockets for one of Preston’s companies, I think.”

  “What does that have to do with you teleporting into a strip club in Mexico City?”

  Danica swallowed. “How do you think Maria paid for college? Here’s a hint: she didn't take out any loans.”

  Mila's eyes went wide. “She was a dancer? How do you know that?”

  “She asked me if I wanted to dance when I was having money troubles during my sophomore year.”

  “So, you were thinking about strip clubs when you activated the spell.”

  Danica nodded.

  “Okay, but you’ve been to a strip club before. Why the shell shock?”

  “Let’s just say this particular club got pretty inventive to draw in clientele at 8am on a Monday.”

  Mila started laughing. “How did Finn take it?”

  Danica frowned. “He took one look, said it was about as good as a Talurrian Dancing show, and walked out.”

  Penny grasped her chest and let out an “Eep!”

  Mila saw Penny's face flush purple. “That bad?”

  Penny shook her head slowly.

  Mila’s brows went up. “That good?”

  A single ring of smoke shot from Penny's flushed nostril.

  Chapter Six

  When Mila filled Danica in on the two phone calls leading her to Elk River, Idaho and said she and Penny needed a teleport up there, Danica told her she was coming with her. She needed to be outside in nature to unsee what she had witnessed.

  Mila was grateful to have someone to watch her back since Penny did more watching the front, a trait she had picked up from Finn, who always charged into situations headfirst.

  After looking up the town on the internet and finding a surprising number of photos, they picked a spot behind what looked like a bar. After collecting their gear and passing out the in-ear communicators, Danica cast a concealment spell on her bow and quiver since they didn't fold down like Mila's sword Gram and teleported them behind the only bar in Elk River.

  One second they were standing in their condo, and the next, the smell of dumpster and roses filled Mila's nose, sending her into a coughing fit.

  “Oh, man,” she wheezed between coughs. “I did not expect to get a lung full of garbage smell teleporting out into the wilderness.”

  Penny snickered and launched herself off Mila's shoulder to fly over to the dumpster and take a look inside. “Shir shee.”

  “Yeah, rotting pub food wouldn't be all that appetizing,” Mila said, stepping away from the back of the building to get away from the smell of hot garbage. “Careful, Penny. There’s a huge yellowjacket nest above you, and they don't like that you’re so close.” She pointed to the nest in the corner where the roof met the wall.

  Penny looked up and shrugged. “Chi chi, shee.”

  Mila laughed. “I suppose they would have to be pretty badass to get through dragon scales. I didn't think about that.” She looked around to get a better assessment of where they had ended up.

  They were in a town of sorts. The back of the bar had a gravel lot that was empty at this early hour, but beyond the edge of the gravel was grass field for a hundred feet, then nothing but forest. She could see several mountain peaks in the distance, snow still clinging to the tops even in late spring. Mila was surprised that there was only the main drag and two side streets to the whole “downtown” area of Elk River. A single row of buildings lined each side of the main drag, and beyond that, it was basically wilderness in all directions.

  “That’s so weird,” Danica said, cocking her head.

  “What?” Mila turned in a slow circle but didn't see anything.

  “It’s so quiet.”

  Mila hadn't considered how quiet it was, mostly because the coughing fit had set the blood to thudding in her ears. Now that Danica pointed it out, Mila was surprised that there was nothing but the rustling of trees and the occasional animal sound.

  “Whoa.” Mila nodded, a smile on her face. “That’s kinda nice. I’ve lived in Denver for so long I don't even hear the city anymore, but now that it’s not there, it’s kinda spooky.”

  “Chi chi,” Penny said, holding up a finger.

  Mila listened, and after a few seconds, did hear the sound of an engine getting closer. “You should probably stay out of sight, Penny. I don't know how people around here might react to you.”

  Penny nodded and flew back over, landing on Mila's b
ack and crawling under her jean jacket, leaving a noticeable lump near her waist.

  “That’s not what I meant,” Mila said, opening one side of the jacket to reveal Penny's face. “I’m not big enough to hide you.”

  “Chi shir,” she said, pointing to the side of the building where the parking lot let out onto the main road.

  Mila dropped the jacket and glanced up just in time to see a jacked-up truck pull into the gravel lot. A thirty-something man in a red plaid shirt and a baseball cap had an arm out the window and gave them hard look as he parked at the back of the lot—far from the smelly dumpster, Mila noted.

  Mila decided it was time to get this investigation started and approached as the man climbed down out of the truck.

  “Excuse me,” Mila began with a smile as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and opened the email with Heather’s picture in it. “Have you seen this woman? She’s a friend of mine, and we haven't heard from her in a while.”

  The man raised an eyebrow, looking Mila, then Danica, over from head to toe before clearing his throat and glancing at the photo.

  “Might have.” He sniffed. “Who are you guys? Undercover cops?”

  Mila chuckled. “Do we look like cops?”

  “Well, if you’re undercover, you do. You’re obviously city folks, and I’m thinking you don't know this woman all that well. Makes me think you’re cops.” He adjusted his cap and looked down at Mila with an unflinching sureness.

  Mila swallowed. “What makes you think I don't know her?”

  The corner of his mouth went up in a half-grin. “Because you’re not freaking out. If your good friend was lost in the woods and you had to come up here to find her, I expect you’d be pretty frantic. But you two are cool as a cucumber salad. Makes a guy wonder.” He glanced around the empty parking lot. “Where’s your car? Long way from Boise to not have a car.”

  “We’re not from Boise,” Danica corrected with a little more force than Mila thought necessary.

  “What’s wrong with Boise?” Mila said, looking over her shoulder at Danica.

  The elf shrugged. “Nothing. We’re just not from there.”

  “I’ll have you know I spent many weekends in Boise growing up. It’s a pretty cool city.” Mila frowned.

  Danica held her hands up in surrender. “I’m not saying there’s anything bad about Boise. I’m sure it’s wonderful, but it’s no Denver.”

  “So, y’all are from Denver, then?” the man asked with a smile.

  Mila turned back to him, her face red with embarrassment. “Yes. We are from Denver. Look, we’re not cops, undercover or otherwise. This is a...work associate who’s gone missing, and I was sent to find her, or find out what happened to her. Do you think you could help a girl out?”

  The man gave her a long appraising look, sucking his teeth and glancing around as if to see if there was anyone within earshot. “Tell you what, I’ll answer your questions if you answer mine first. I just have two.”

  Mila nodded, not seeing what it could hurt. If she didn't like the questions, she was sure she could find someone else in this tiny town who wouldn't make them jump through hoops. “Okay, deal.”

  “First question: who do you work for?”

  Mila made a pained face as she thought about how to explain her situation. “I don't work for anyone. Well, technically, I work for the Denver Museum of Science and Nature, but I’m on sabbatical, so right now, I guess you could say I’m freelance.”

  The man raised an eyebrow considering her answer. “Okay, but someone sent you. Was it Meriwether?”

  Mila’s eyes went wide at the mention of Preston.

  He cracked a smile. “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. My second question is this: what are you?”

  “Excuse me?” Mila blurted, caught off-guard, still reeling from the Meriwether comment.

  “Well, your tall and rather attractive friend over there is an elf, and I’m pretty sure you have a baby wyvern under your jacket. Either that or you have a tail,” he said, pointing his chin at her waist.

  Mila glanced down and saw that Penny's tail was hanging out from under the hem of her jean jacket. As she watched, the tail was slowly retracted and a muffled, apologetic “Chi” could be heard coming from her back.

  With a mighty sigh, Mila looked up into the smiling face of the good ol’ boy as he smugly adjusted his cap again. He had them and was obviously a magical in his own right. She decided she needed to figure out how to spot magicals when they were using concealment spells in the future.

  “I’m a Peabrain,” Mila said, unable to admit the truth.

  He sniffed again. “No, you’re not, but that’s okay. You’re close enough, whatever you are. You don't know much about this town, do you?”

  “Not particularly. Should I?” Mila asked.

  “I guess not.” He spread his arms in a wide arc that took in the whole town. “This is Elk River, one of the few towns that is completely populated by magicals. I’m Harvey, Elk River’s mayor and one of only two bartenders.” He held out a hand for Mila to shake.

  She took the offered hand. “Mila Winters. It’s nice to meet you, Harvey. I had no idea there were towns that were only for magicals.”

  He shrugged, reaching out to shake Danica's hand. “It happens. Hi, I’m Harvey.”

  “Danica,” she said, shaking the offered hand.

  “To answer your questions, yes, I saw your friend two nights ago. She was chatting up a lady at the bar until about ten o’clock, then left. Haven't seen her since,” Harvey said, closing his truck’s door and stuffing the keys in his tight jeans’ pocket.

  “Chatting up, like hitting on her?” Mila asked.

  Harvey chuckled. “It seemed like it, but she was god-awful at it. I think she was trying to get info out of her.”

  “Who was the lady she was talking to? Did you know her?” Danica asked.

  Harvey nodded. “Yeah, she’s new in town. Been here a few weeks, but I only met her twice before that night. I think her name’s Selina, or maybe Seline; I can't remember. Anyway, she bought the old logging camp north of town, and supposedly is going to turn it into a camp or something.”

  “That’s at least a start,” Mila said, biting her lip, not sure how much she wanted to involve this guy. “What about a settlement of elves outside of town? Do you know anything about them?”

  “Sure, bunch of hippies even for elves, no offense,” he said with a tip of his hat at Danica, who just snorted a laugh. “They keep to themselves. Come into town every once in a while, but I haven't seen ‘em for a few weeks now. Mind you, that’s not unusual for them.”

  “Where is their camp?”

  “Is that why Meriwether sent you up here? Did something happen to them?” Harvey asked suspiciously.

  Mila gave a shrug. “Not sure. That’s why he wants me to go check it out.”

  Harvey nodded. “They’re good folks, so I hope they’re all right. Yeah, their place is about ten miles up the main road, then there’s a dirt road with the sharp left that goes up the mountain. They’re about two miles up into the woods.” He looked around the parking lot again. “I’m guessing you teleported up here and don't have a car. Do either of you know how to drive a bike?”

  “Like a bicycle?” Mila asked hopefully.

  He chuckled. “Like a dirt bike. I have one here I’ll lend you, but you gotta promise to bring it back in one piece.”

  “I don't know how to drive a bike,” Mila admitted. “I mean, I do, but not very well.”

  “I do,” Danica said with a smile.

  Mila gave her a disbelieving look. “I’ve never seen you drive a motorcycle.”

  Danica smirked at her. “You know I did had a life before I met you, right?”

  “We met freshman year of undergrad. We were basically still kids.”

  “Elves are ‘kids’ for a long time. I did a lot of things before college.”

  Harvey gave her an appraising look. “Tall, beautiful, a college girl, and know
s how to ride a motorcycle? Where have you been all my life, darlin’?”

  “Easy, cowboy, she has a boyfriend,” Mila said, dryly. “Besides, she would spend you out of house and home with her leggings budget alone.”

  “Are you saying I’m high maintenance?” Danica asked, her mouth hanging open in mock offense.

  Mila put her hand on Danica's shoulder and gave her a serious look as if breaking bad news to her. “Danica, we’re in the middle of Idaho, about to ride into the woods on a dirt bike, and you put on eyeliner before we left the condo.”

  Danica stuck her nose into the air. “There’s no reason we can't look good while kicking ass.”

  Chapter Seven

  “This is my nightmare,” Mila shouted over the wind and the buzzing of the dirt bike’s engine.

  When the only response was Danica's shoulders shaking with mirth, Mila gritted her teeth and tightened her grip around the elf’s torso.

  Harvey didn't have any helmets to go with the bike, which made Mila nervous, but Danica assured her she could protect the both of them if they crashed. So now Mila was feeling the full force of sixty-mile-an-hour wind in her face, and she had to occasionally spit out Danica's long hair that got stuck in her mouth when it was blown back.

  Mila glanced at Penny with jealousy as she kept pace with the bike, wishing she could do the same just so she didn't have to be on the death machine. Danica was having far too much fun, taking turns faster than Mila thought prudent.

  Penny glanced over and gave Mila a thumbs-up and a big grin. Mila just stared at her with a dark look she hoped said everything she was feeling.

  “I think this is the road Harvey was talking about,” Danica shouted with her head turned slightly and pointing at the upcoming dirt road with one hand.

  Danica only had one hand on the handlebars, which made Mila want to scream, but she nodded instead, not wanting to sound like a wimp.

  Danica took the turn fast enough that they skidded a few feet when they hit the gravel, eliciting a squeak of fear form Mila. Danica expertly drifted the bike and laid on the gas. They shot up the gravel road, spraying rocks and dust behind them in a rooster tail.