The Breaker of Curses (Valkyrie Secrets Book 3)

by Rachel Tsoumbakos

  It was moments like tonight that she gave thanks to the gods for her position.

  Another streak of lightning hit, lighting up the surrounding landscape once more and Kara squinted down through the clouds and continued to study the man. Kicking her heels into her grey mare, she descended through the clouds, approaching the figure far below.

  Kara alternated between forcing her horse forward and then pulling back on the animal’s mane to slow it down. Over the years, she had heard the stories, whispered to her behind the backs of Freya and Odin. The Valkyries that had lived long before her told stories of who she really was, of names that had once belonged to her.

  Svafa. Sigrun.

  Both resonated deep within. Kara could believe she was once these women, had served alongside the Valkyries in different lifetimes.

  She knew the names belonged to her.

  The closer she came to the earth of Midgard, the more the wind buffeted her. Kara’s hair whipped around in the blustery air, slapping against her face and stinging her eyes with its ferocity. A chill settled as her mare touched down on the ground and Kara wished she had worn shoes, not because the cold worried her but because she suddenly felt underdressed.

  Kara stepped down from her horse and approached the barrow. It was a place she had visited regularly, a place her sisters had originally told her about many years prior.

  Helgi’s barrow.

  Why was this man here also?

  “Who are you?” Kara asked, storming forward, protective of the place.

  She had spent many days here, sitting and waiting, wondering if she would ever find out the truth about the stories the Valkyries told her. She had also listened to the whispers of her own memories, unsure at how accurate they really were since her memories and dreams seemed to feel the same as they occurred and she was never really entirely sure which was which.

  The man turned quickly, standing and backing away at the sight of her.

  Kara imagined she would be intimidating, her copper hair a mess as it lashed around her in a wild, chaotic flurry. Her dress was grey, as grey as the day around them and normally hung down to her ankles. However, with the wind working so violently around them, it flapped around her legs, flaring out and getting caught in the strong gusts like wings beating to be free. Her feet were muddy from jumping down from her horse. Placing her hands firmly on her hips, Kara jutted out her chin and eyed the man suspiciously.

  “This is the grave of my ancestor,” he replied. The man squared his shoulders and lightning striking far behind him appeared to light up his body. Kara stared, taking in the sight of him. His dark hair was tightly braided so his face was clear to see, unlike the mess of her own. Blue eyes looked back at her. He stroked his beard and even over the whistling of the wind, Kara could hear the clatter of the beads threaded into it. She swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly going dry.

  Kara knew this man.

  Well, not really. She had never seen his face before and she knew she would recognise it if she had because he was so handsome. No, instead, something inside told her that they shared something together. Suddenly, those stories her sisters had told her rang true.

  “You know Helgi?” she asked, stepping forward. She ignored the dampness as she stepped through puddles of dirty rain. Instead of a chill, her body tingled with a growing warmth.

  “I am named after him,” the man replied. “I am Helgi the Valiant, lord of the Haddingjar. I have come here to tell my ancestor that my brother, Hrongvid, is dead.”

  A brief stab of agony crossed his face as he said those words. The anguish disappeared quickly and Helgi bowed low. Kara relaxed slightly. If he was prepared to take his eyes off her, then he had to trust her. She felt the urge to trust him back.

  “He was your father?” Kara asked. Level with the barrow now, she reached out to touch the wet grass. Closing her eyes, she imagined the man who laid below the earth, trying to picture what he would look like. Would he look like this Helgi that was standing before her now?

  “My grandfather,” Helgi replied, also reaching out to touch the grassy mound. “And, how do you know him?”

  What an interesting question. How did she know him? How could she explain that she was once married to him in a different life, that this Helgi in front of her now was also him?

  “You could say I knew him a long time ago,” Kara finally replied. She wasn’t sure he would believe her if she told him the truth.

  “You look too young to know my grandfather,” Helgi replied. A crash of thunder hit and Helgi looked skyward, apparently not fearful of the treacherous weather. “And, where did you come from? It’s a terrible time to be out, especially without shoes.”

  “I am a Valkyrie,” she admitted, standing taller and staring him down, challenging him not to believe her.

  “Ah, just like my grandfather’s wife, then.”

  She relaxed a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “I guess you could say that.”

  “Did you know her?” Helgi queried. “Helgi’s wife?”

  “No,” Kara replied. Although, even as she spoke the word, she felt a ripple go through her mind. Yes, she did know her. She was her. Kara could remember the woman’s face—her own face. “She died before I was born.”

  “Oh,” Helgi replied quietly like he was thinking about what to talk about next.

  Kara splashed one foot through a puddle, also not sure of what to say next. Looking up, her gaze was caught by Helgi’s and she suddenly didn’t need to speak. Her lips trembled and she felt hot tears welling in her eyes. Helgi smiled hesitantly like he suddenly recognised her.

  “Who are you?” he whispered.

  “Kara,” she replied, not yet ready to give up her secret.

  “You’re her, aren’t you? You’re Sigrun.”

  Helgi reached his hands out to her, clasping her own and drawing her towards him.

  “I am all of them,” she whispered as her tears spilled over. “I am Kara, and Sigrun, and Svafa.”

  The wind whipped at her face and the rain fell in heavy drops, and her tears disappeared into the weather rather than betray her emotion to the man standing in front of her.

  “But you have always been Helgi.”

  Chapter 4: ODIN

  “Would you like another?” the woman asked and Hromundr looked up from his half-filled cup. He held the vessel out towards the woman and nodded.

  Hromundr smiled briefly at the woman once she was done and it was obvious to Odin that she was eager for him. Hromundr’s own smile broadened as he considered his options for the evening.

  “Sir,” Odin said as he interrupted the couple. Hromundr frowned at the intrusion but didn’t seem to identify Odin in his disguise. As far as the man was concerned, Odin was merely one of his messengers and not the All-Father. “A moment?”

  “What is it?” Hromundr grumbled into his drink before throwing his head back and drinking his fill.

  “I have news about Helgi the Valiant.”

  Hromundr laughed at the words. “Please tell me that he is dead.”

  “Sorry, sir,” Odin replied. “I cannot say that. Instead, I must announce that he presently is on his way here.”

  Hromundr sat up quickly and scanned the room. Odin wanted to laugh at the comical response. All men seemed ready to meet their makers in Valhalla, to feast with the gods. However, in the unveiled moments when their true feelings were revealed, in the smallest increments of time between knowledge and their perceived valuation of it, a man’s true beliefs could always be read by the gods.

  Hromundr nervously licked his lips as his eyes tried to focus on the room around him. The ale he had drunk prior seemed to keep his stare unfocused no matter how hard he fought against it.

  There was no way Hromundr could take on Helgi in this state. However, that was not Odin’s reason for meddling, for taking Helgi aside and striking up a conversation that resulted in Helgi knowing Hromundr was present at this place tonight.

  No, Odin needed to know som
ething else. He needed to know it if was the right time for Hromundr to kill Helgi yet.

  “You need to hide me,” Hromundr finally uttered. He said it quietly, as though embarrassed at having to admit he would rather hide from a man than fight him. If Hromundr were to die here, in the midst of a packed room after being found cowering, not even Valhalla would want him.

  And that was the greatest shame of all.

  Odin knew this and suspected that Hromundr might have been hoping to meet Helgi at some other point in time. They had unfinished business, a story that could easily become a saga were it to unfold on the battleground and not here, in a local establishment.

  While Odin suspected that Hromundr would meet Helgi once more in battle and wouldn’t likely die tonight, Odin had another reason for being here. He needed to know whether Hromundr had managed to procure a very special weapon, one that Odin suspected would help himself rather than Hromundr.

  “I do not think there is anywhere you can go,” Odin replied, hoping Hromundr would draw his sword and reveal that he had the magical weapon, that he had secured Odin’s only hope against Kara and Helgi’s wretched cycle. “The room is filled with people.”

  Hromundr scoped the establishment again. People were everywhere. Some were drinking like Hromundr was, others working late into the evening. It was harvest time, so there was always work to be done at this time of year by the farmers of the village. Bodies were packed in, jostling together in a sea of people. It would be impossible for Hromundr to make a hasty retreat. Or any sort of retreat, for that matter.

  “How far away is Helgi?” Hromundr finally asked.

  “I passed him not long ago,” Odin replied “So, he should be here very soon. Perhaps you should draw your sword and meet the man head on?”

  Hromundr spat at the ground in disgust. “I do not have my sword with me, nor would I draw it here. I know my chances are not good in such a place as this against someone known as Helgi the Valiant. Half the people, or more, in this room could be on his side.”

  Hromundr was correct in his assumption. Many of the people here would fight alongside Helgi. But that was to be expected when one travelled through territory belonging to Helgi’s family.

  “I heard you had a special sword,” Odin pressed.

  Hromundr shot him a strange look and Odin worried that he had revealed too much knowledge, that Hromundr would suspect something was different with his messenger. After all, Odin only had the briefest of looks at the poor messenger boy before he knocked him out and stole his identity.

  However, Hromundr seemed too preoccupied with an escape route to seriously consider his own messenger with any clarity. His head whipped from side to side as though trying to find a way in which he could conceal himself.

  His gaze finally settled on a maiden working away nearby. “I have not found that sword yet. However, I need you to tell that girl over there that I require her clothes.”

  Odin nodded before scuttling off, glad that Hromundr had not focused on his query.

  A quick glance behind showed Hromundr following. He was keeping up with Odin but also taking the time to glance behind occasionally, his eyes searching out the door, always on the lookout for Helgi. Hromundr was doing this when he finally reached Odin and bumped into him.

  “You want what?” the maiden squawked at them. “I am not giving over my clothes.”

  “You’re a slave,” Hromundr said with bluster. “You have no choice in the matter. Quick, I will give you mine in return but you need to hurry.”

  Hromundr hurried in behind the woman, both hiding behind a room divider. It gave her no option but to move into the cramped quarters. Odin witnessed their bodies squashed together as Hromundr pulled off his shirt and dragged down his pants. The woman had given up arguing and untied her apron instead.

  “Hurry, hurry!” Hromundr hissed at her as Odin turned, blocking the line of vision from the rest of the room. If Hromundr didn’t yet have the mythical sword now known as Mistletoe then he had to protect the man from Helgi.

  Looking across the room, Odin could see that Helgi was now present in the longhouse.

  “Hromundr!” The voice roared across the room and Hromundr nearly gave himself away as he let out a startled yelp. Odin coughed in order to cover up the sound. Pushing Hromundr down, the man sat quickly onto the maiden’s stool.

  “Pound the grain,” Odin said into his ear before leading away the maiden who was dressed in men’s clothing.

  Hromundr looked down at the grain and started to work on it. Odin wanted to laugh at how ridiculous Hromundr looked as he attempted to perform the task.

  “Where are you?” came the roar of Helgi from across the room. He jostled between bodies, pushing them abruptly out of his way as he continued further into the crowded room.

  Hromundr kept pounding, his head downturned, trying to look demure, trying to hide his beard. If Helgi came this way, his facial hair would be a giveaway. Odin levelled his shoulders, his arm reached out and swung across the shoulders of the maiden next to him, hoping to hide Hromundr further.

  “I know you’re here!” Helgi shouted as he approached.

  “He was here,” Odin finally called out.

  There was a pause. The room lulled as everyone watched the confrontation. Hromundr faltered as he beat at the grain. The missed beat seemed to echo loudly, the lack of noise engulfing the room and Odin fought against the urge to look back at Hromundr.

  “Of course, he was,” Helgi replied. “And, when I find him, I will kill him.”

  The sound of pounding returned and Odin puffed out a breath of relief.

  “He is gone now,” Odin replied. “Wandered outside to take a piss.”

  “Thank you, sir!” Helgi said and turned to force himself back out of the establishment.

  “He is gone, sir,” Odin eventually hissed under his breath and Hromundr let out such a long sigh of relief that the god thought the man would deflate completely.

  Chapter 5: KARA

  It had been a long day. A fierce battle had erupted and Kara and her sisters spent a full day on the battlefield claiming new warriors. As she stepped away from the great hall, she wiped her hand across her forehead, pushing back the wisps of hair that always seemed to escape from her ponytail. Her sisters had long straight hair that always seemed to do what it was told. Kara’s hair, on the other hand, was wild, kinking up and curling around her face.

  She turned, looking at her other sisters. Mist had hair similar to hers, although it was much finer. Yet, as she looked at her now, her hair was still pulled tightly back from her face and nothing escaped at the front. Kara wondered if she should try braiding it like she saw the shieldmaidens do. It would certainly help to contain her hair, she reasoned. But it was a lot of extra work and there was no one here except for her sisters and she knew they wouldn’t want to braid her hair every day.

  “Where are you going?” Hildr asked. Kara turned towards the woman, noting the suggestion in her tone.

  “You know exactly where I am going, sister,” Kara said with a wink. “So, you can wipe that smirk off your face.”

  “Well, make sure you get some rest,” she replied. “We have another battle brewing for tomorrow and you will need at least some sleep beforehand.”

  Kara waved off the comment as she turned and mounted her steed. Her sisters cheered her on as she left and Kara really did wish she would get no sleep tonight. However, Helgi was more reserved than she was when it came to getting to know each other fully. Kara had wanted to take advantage of him at the barrow but he held her away, telling her that there was plenty of time, that they could get to know each other first.

  It was not what she expected. Neither was it what she wanted.

  And, as she rode away, Kara was determined to rectify the situation, even if it meant approaching the battle tomorrow without a decent night’s rest.

  “Kara!”

  The sound of his voice was like the finest music to her ears and a smile lit her face
immediately. She pulled her horse to a halt and jumped down from its back. Running towards Helgi, she allowed him to scoop her up and spin her around.

  “It has been the longest day,” Kara said as he set her down. “There has been an enormous battle, once we weren’t expecting.”

  “Anyone I should be concerned about?” Helgi asked. He held her hand and Kara felt the sizzle of their touch. Distracted, she had to think about his words before answering him.

  “I’m not sure,” she finally answered. “Some king. Olaf was his name.”

  Helgi pulled her to a stop and she turned to look at him, seeing the concern on his face.

  “I know of Olaf. I have recently had a run in with one of his men.” There was that shot of grief again and Kara suspected what his next words would be. “Hromundr serves under Olaf and he was the one who killed my brother.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Kara said. “If it is any consolation, Olaf lost a lot of men in the battle. Perhaps this Hromundr will be among them.”

  Helgi smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. Kara tugged him down to sit on the grass. They were near a stream and the ground was soft underneath as the grass gave way to moss towards the water’s edge.

  “Somehow, I don’t think so,” Helgi replied. “I feel like my fate is all tangled up in his. If that makes any sense.”

  Kara nodded. She knew all about knowing about her destiny. “Of course, like we are fated to be together.”

  Helgi looked at her, his eyes wide as he studied her. “Yes, like us. Although, with Hromundr, there is a feeling of dread whenever I think of him, not like when we are together and I know that it is the most perfect moment in time.”

  Kara smiled and leaned forward to kiss Helgi. They had parted the first time they met with a kiss. However, that one had been chaste. Kara would not allow a second kiss like that. Instead, she reached up and cradled Helgi’s face with her hands, her fingers feeling the roughness of his beard as their lips met. She kept her eyes open, controlling the situation, and was pleased to see Helgi closing his eyes as he became caught up in the moment.