Valkyrie Blade (Valkyrie Bound #4)

Chapter Four

Malachi

" H ow is she?" Reaper asks as I step off the bottom step into the living room a while later. My brothers and Stephan, the Blooded human warrior who works with us, all turn to look at me where they're cloistered near the front door.

"Sleeping," I say, scrubbing a hand down my face. Already, I feel like I'm too far away from her. Every time I leave her side, I feel the same way. But war won't wait. It's already pounding on our door. "Healing."

It's the same answer I give every time they ask.

Damrion nods, his lips pursed as he glances at our brothers, who are all staring up the stairs. It's a familiar sight. We've already been through this twice now, first with Rissa and then again with Tori.

"Does anyone else feel like we've been here before?" Dax asks wryly, crossing his arms.

"Ja," Reaper groans. "Except this Valkyrie isn't trying to escape through a window."

"Or convince us to let her out," Dax retorts, one brow arched.

"Touche." Reaper grins at him.

"Why isn't she trying to escape?" Stephan asks.

Instead of looking at him, my brothers look to me for answers. Even now, I'm not entirely sure what to tell them. There's far more to my Valkyrie than meets the eye, but unraveling the mystery of her past may be beyond us. The people who held the pieces are dead, killed by the Forsaken the night they kidnapped Marion. And she holds herself responsible for what happened to them. Grief is a powerful thing. Cutting through it to the heart of what she knows may prove impossible. Especially if I've already pushed too far in my quest to protect her.

She needed to let herself feel it…but that doesn't mean she'll easily forgive the fact that I made her face it. She's Valkyrie. No one holds a grudge quite like a Valkyrie.

"Her parents told her about this world," I murmur eventually. "At least they told her enough that the truth wasn't a shock to her like it was to Rissa or Tori."

"That's new." Adriel fixes his single black eye on me. "Exactly how much does she know?"

"Not sure," I admit. "The Forsaken killed her parents when they took her."

"We need to know what she knows." Adriel scowls, his natural state.

"I'm aware." I narrow my eyes on him. "But I just spent hours consoling her after pushing further than I should have. I won't do it again. They've been holding her captive for six weeks. She needs time."

" Faen ," Damrion breathes, rocking back on his heels. "Six weeks?"

"Ja." I exhale a breath, meeting our leader's gaze. "Her parents knew about the Valkyrie. The night she was taken, they told her to find us here and warn us that the Forsaken were coming."

" Helvete ." Reaper gapes at me, shell-shocked.

"Were they Blooded?" Damrion's sharp, assessing gaze rolls over me, probing for answers I don't have.

"Unlikely. Her mother knew the names of the Valkyrie." I hold his gaze, unblinking. "Including the name of the one we haven't yet found. Kara."

My brothers are completely silent as they absorb this news. It's unsettling, both because it's unexpected and because not even Abigail has been able to See the names of the Valkyrie. She's the strongest Seer we've ever met. If there was one stronger than her out there, one whose Sight surpassed even a Valkyrie's…the fact that she's now dead and beyond our reach is a grim thought. Gods only know what knowledge passed with her. Knowledge that might have helped us protect the Valkyrie and win this war.

" Helvete ," Adriel growls, the scar across his face puckering. "If she knew so much, perhaps it's a good thing the Forsaken didn't take her too."

"Ja," I whisper, guilt flickering through me. The thought feels like a betrayal to Marion. We're speaking about her mother. Had they taken her, she might still be alive right now. My Valkyrie might not carry so much guilt. But Adriel is right. That kind of power in the hands of the Forsaken is deadly. Gods only know what they might have done with it.

"Does Marion remember much from her time in their tender mercies?" Dax asks, his head cocked to the side.

"Nei. They kept her drugged for most of it."

He nods as if he expected that answer, something flickering in his gaze. But before I can ask where his thoughts lie, he glances at Damrion. "We need to check the wall."

"Ja." Damrion scrubs a hand down his face, his gaze flickering toward the stairs. "We should hurry before Abigail wakes."

"Or our mates decide to try opening a portal," Reaper mutters, earning a grunt from Dax.

"I almost forgot how exhausting looking after a group of stubborn Valkyrie could be," Adriel mutters, earning chuckles from my brothers.

"I didn't forget," Reaper mutters. "I intentionally blocked it out."

We reluctantly file out into the biting cold, cursing as the fierce wind slap us in the face. At this elevation, winter comes early and clings late. Not even the weak rays of the sun do much to beat back the encroaching ice and snow.

The portal spit out us where we were sure to remain hidden. Even after this part of the world became crowded, not many humans ventured to this elevation. It's too high, too cold, too rugged. There's nothing here but snow, ice, and the looming threat of the volcano eclipsing our little stronghold.

Our little town has changed in the last several days. While I've been keeping watch over my Valkyrie, the Fae have been rebuilding and preparing for war.

The walls have been fortified from the inside, with massive trenches dug around them. Giant pits have been carved into the ground, making it hazardous for the Forsaken to open their portals directly in town. If they try, they may very well break their foolish necks as soon as they step out. Pikes are driven into the ground in a maze, ensuring that any varulv who leap from a portal end on the pointy side of a long stick.

Eitr is no longer a haven. It's a fortress, ready for war. And it's not nearly enough. The Forsaken have an army. We sent half of our warriors away weeks ago. There's no chance they'll make it back in time.

"The Valkyrie need to open the portal," I mutter as we pass beyond the gates to examine the wall the Forsaken brought down during their first attack.

Dax, Reaper, and Adriel all turn on me, glowering.

"Nei," Reaper growls, his massive arm slicing through the air. "Absolutely not."

" Helvete ," Dax snaps at the same time, scowling daggers at me. "What are you talking about, Malachi?"

"Have you lost your Gods-damned mind?" Adriel snarls.

My brows furrow as I look at him. "You were on board with this plan last it was broached," I remind the fierce, one-eyed warrior.

"Ja. That was before we knew the risks," he snaps. "Abigail says if she falls, they all fall. It stands to reason the same is true if any of them fall to Darkness. We cannot allow it."

"Ja, we cannot," I agree softly. "But look around, brothers. We're vastly outnumbered with an army on the way. Rhistel, Baelen, and their warriors won't reach us in time without a portal to get them here. We can't protect them. If we're overrun, they'll be trapped. The best thing we can do for them is ensure they have a way out."

"Ja, a way out," Dax snaps. "That doesn't mean we put a bomb in their hands and hope it doesn't explode!"

"How else do you propose we get them out?" I ask, motioning around us. "We're on a mountain, Dax. When the Forsaken attack, a portal may well be their only way to safety." I glance at each of my brothers. "If we want to win this war, we can't afford to think like their mates now. We have to think like their mates when it counts. And someday, it's going to count, brothers. We cannot let them fall. Even if it means going against every instinct we have, we cannot let them fall ."

" Faen ," Adriel snarls, ripping at the short strands of his hair. "He's right."

"Ja," Damrion agrees quietly. "He is."

Dax snarls a vicious curse, his eyes flashing with barely contained fury. " Faen ! You would risk their lives, their very souls, on the chance that they might escape? That portal is a death trap waiting to happen!"

I meet his enraged glare. "And what is the alternative, brother? If the Forsaken breach our walls, if they overwhelm us, do you think they will simply let the Valkyrie go? They will take them, all of them together. And then where will we be?"

Dax's face drains of color, and he staggers back a step as if he hadn't considered the possibility of the Forsaken getting their hands on all of the Valkyrie at once. It's a terrifying proposition, particularly because they're as connected to one another as they are to us. How easily would Abigail turn if she thought it might save her sisters unimaginable torment at the hands of the Forsaken? How easily would Rissa or Tori turn to save her sisters? Each and every one of us would willingly throw down our weapons and walk willingly into the hands of the Forsaken to save our Valkyrie. They would do the same for their sisters. It's who they are.

" Helvete ," Dax whispers, his voice ragged as he works through the same grim realization.

"We cannot win this war if we lose them," I press on relentlessly. "The prophecy is clear—only the five Valkyrie united can restore Valhalla and bring balance to the realms. Without them, everything is lost."

Reaper sighs heavily, his massive shoulders slumping. "I dislike this plan with every fiber of my being. But…Malachi is right, Dax. We must ensure they have an escape, even if it means allowing this."

Dax groans, scrubbing his hands over his face. After a long moment, he drops his arms to his sides and barks out, "Fine. I'll tell Rissa to make her thrice-damned portal when we return."

I exhale a breath, unsure if this is the right path or not. Unsure of everything except for the fact that they must survive.

"Looks like it'll hold for now," Adriel says fifteen minutes later, scanning the wall with narrowed eyes.

He's right. It isn't perfect, but it'll hold. Particularly with the landmines and hidden trenches now stretched across the forest surrounding Eitr.

Damrion nods in agreement, his gold eyes scouring the wall, looking for any areas of weakness. When he finds none, he glances at each of us. "We need to finish them quickly without exhausting our strength. We need every warrior rested and ready for war. When they decide to strike, they won't hesitate."

"We'll be ready, Damrion," I murmur. "We know what's at risk."

"Ja," Dax agrees. "Even the Blooded know."

"I want it finished quickly," Damrion orders, his jaw clenched. "Now, back to Eitr. We have other business to attend."

"Ja," I mutter as a ripple goes through me. Marion is awake. She's afraid. I feel it. Because I'm not there? Because of me? I don't know, but I don't like it. "I have a Valkyrie who thinks I'm the devil."

"If the shoe fits…" Reaper says with a smirk as we all turn away from the wall, heading toward the gates.

" Saurigr skitkarl ," I growl.

The giant warrior rumbles laughter, his smile growing. I tune him out as he taunts me, focusing on the sensations drifting from my bond with Marion. Something feels…off. They're muted, duller than they have been at any time since I found her. Almost as if she's blocking me out.

But she doesn't know how to do that…does she?

Faen . She wielded a blade like a Fae warrior. She pushed me away with her Light. Clearly, she knows more about her power than expected, more than Rissa or Tori knew.

Why didn't I tell my brothers about the blade?

Tell them what…exactly? That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? She was upset and overwhelmed. She could have been acting on pure emotion, as her sisters did when they first came into their power.

That scalding Light didn't feel instinctive.

"When I brought up the Forsaken keeping Marion drugged, you thought of something," I murmur to Dax as we walk.

He glances at me from the corner of his eye. "Ja, I did."

"What?"

"If her mother is as powerful as you suspect, perhaps they were concerned about what she might be capable of doing if kept awake," he says, his tone level. "The Forsaken kept her asleep for as long as they did for a reason."

"Ja," I whisper. "I thought of that." It's bounced around endlessly in the back of my mind since she told me how long she was with them. They tormented Tori and Abigail, torturing them. But they kept Marion unconscious. Why? What were they so afraid she might do?

Abigail is supposed to be the key to this puzzle. She's the one they want. And yet…Marion may be the one who holds the answers we need to using that key. I'm not even sure she knows it. But she wields Light like a Fae. The Forsaken fear her. And her parents knew about all of this—about the Valkyrie—long before anyone should have. The pieces fit. I'm just unsure how.

Who is the mysterious little Valkyrie I carried out of that cabin? Whoever she is…she's one of the brightest Lights I've ever seen. Her soul is pure, singing to mine like an aria.

A familiar scent, like death and decay, floats through the air as I try to slot the pieces into place, trying to make them fit. I stop walking, the hair at the nape of my neck standing on end as soon as I smell it. It's so familiar it's sickening.

All around me, my brothers react the same way, going rigid, stopping midstep.

"Varulv," Dax snarls.

" Helvete ," Damrion growls, Magn flowing through his veins as his lystst?l blazes to life in his hands.

A second later, Adriel's appears in his hands. One by one, my brothers reach for their lystst?l, growls rumbling from our lips.

Stephan pulls his sword, snarling.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," I call into the forest. "We smell you, you filthy mutt."

One varulv doesn't come. Dozens do, pouring out of the forest in a monstrous horde. They don't come alone. All around us, black voids appear in thin air, growing before our eyes.

"Portals," Damrion growls. " Faen . They're opening portals."

We stare in shock as dozens of them open, spilling our enemies into the forest around Eitr in a plague of death. Everywhere we look, more open, more enemies appear.

Gods. They're everywhere.

War has come for us, come for our Valkyrie. It's a wall of Darkness, standing between us and our mates. Cutting us off from them.

Nei. Not Marion. The fucking realms will freeze over before it ends here for her today.

" Beskytt Valkyrie!" Adriel roars, his voice echoing through the frigid air, calling us forward to protect the only thing that matters—our mates.

" Beskytt Valkyrie!" we roar back, charging into war as one.