Page 11 of Between Broomsticks and Beating Wings (Love X Magic #3)

CHAPTER SEVEN

JUST A GIRL AND HER CAT

Kari

I shot up in bed, gripping my wounded shoulder.

I’d been struck; I remember it so clearly.

I’d seen it coming, unable to do anything about it, as my vision was locked on my reflection in Hilda’s sword.

I’d screamed at myself to move, but my body had betrayed me.

All I remember after that was a beautiful mix of darkness and light, and then, for the first time in my life, a dreamless slumber.

My fingers found the quilt I laid upon, feeling unfamiliar under my touch, as if my fingertips were healing from a burn, not quite able to recognize familiar textures.

I still wore my nightgown, but now, one of my sleeves was gone, and my aching shoulder was wrapped in what felt like damp linen.

I could see nothing but vague shapes in the dark and wondered at what point my longhouse had ever shielded so much light.

“Tove?” I called out, not seeing his light blue glow on the pillow next to mine. When there was no response, I slid out from under the covers and stumbled to the crack of light coming from behind thick cloth.

What is this?

Pulling the cloth back revealed a sheet of glass separating me from a view I didn’t recognize. It was then I realized I was very, very far from home.

Am I dead? I thought to myself as I stared out at the mountainous view, then to the glass embedded in the beautiful stone wall. Glass inside a wall? I’d never seen anything like it. I pressed my hand against it, then spun around to get a look at the rest of the room.

Gold. There was gold everywhere. The precious metal dripped from the ceiling, drops of crystal at the end. It wrapped itself around the edges of paintings, on the cup that sat upon the nightstand.

I’m dead, surely.

Everything is so…shiny.

I pulled my chin down so my eyes couldn’t lock onto my reflection. Even in death, I feared my curse would stay true. The reflection in that damned sword had gotten me killed, after all. What would happen if I glanced at any of these reflective surfaces now?

A woman appeared in the doorway opposite me, her knuckles rapping on the wooden door as she walked in.

I didn’t give her time to speak before I asked, “Am I dead?” Pressing my palm against my fluttering belly, I waited for a response that took far too long to come.

Her hair was white as sun-bleached bone, stripped clean of any color.

Her olive skin creased between her brows upon my question, that subtle reaction sending a wave of chills up my arms.

“No,” she finally said with a slow shake of her head. Her grey-blue eyes watched me like I was her prey, and I didn’t find relief in her answer.

“Where am I then?” I was desperate to glance around, wondering how a place could be so full of riches, but fear kept me frozen in place. Instead, I analyzed the tiny fractures in the woman’s calm, stoic demeanor.

“I’ve brought you to Valhalla.”

Everything in me stilled.

It made sense, yes, but she’d explicitly told me I wasn’t dead. How could these truths exist at once?

“And I can only assume you’re a valkyrie?” I spoke slowly, taking in her leathers and the way they molded perfectly to her sculpted body. She nodded in agreement, so I continued. “And you brought me to Valhalla?”

She nodded again, and that slight movement of her head made my lips twist. I stole a deep breath, trying to collect myself to avoid showing her my growing frustration.

“So, I’m dead then.”

“You’re not dead,” she said with a sigh.

“I don’t understand!” I finally let loose, my hand flying up in between us. “How did I get shot by an arrow during battle and brought to the heavens by a valkyrie, yet I’m still alive? I simply don't believe you.”

“There’s a lot…to understand, to explain, but you shouldn’t worry about all of that now. You’re still healing, and?—”

“Where’s my cat?” I interrupted, daring to glance around the room, my eyes scanning the floor for my orange fur ball.

“Your what?” She stared at me as if she’d never heard of such a thing. One of her brows had a scar running through it, and it slowly pulled toward its no-so-matching partner.

“My cat. Where is he?” I’d almost forgotten about the throbbing in my shoulder, but her flicking gaze toward the wound demanded I remember.

“Safe. Let me draw you a bath, and then I’ll bring him to you,” she said. “Alright?”

“Bring him now, and then I will bathe.” I didn’t know who this valkyrie was, or why she insisted I bathed before seeing Tove. Did residents of the heavens even need to bathe?

“Fine, but I must warn you…” she said, trailing off as her hand clenched and released at her side.

“Warn me of what?” I stepped forward, a pang of unease rattling me. My eyes shot to the bench in the corner, and I’d wondered if I could lean on the back of it without causing any suspicion.

“Nothing. You’ll see for yourself soon enough.” When she left, her words sat in my gut and festered.

What was she going to warn me of? What had happened to Tove?

She said he was safe. I played those words over and over, pacing the stone floors until she came back into the room. In trotted a little orange cat, chubby and perfect. Chubby, perfect, and…not blue?

I stared at him, and he at me.

“Tove…” I whispered, my fingers over my lips. The cat let out the loudest meow I’d ever heard, and then he launched himself right at me. I didn’t scream, I didn’t move. All I could do, for the first time, was beg the gods he wouldn’t pass through me like he had every day for the past two years.

When claws sank into my nightgown, I dropped to my knees.

“Tove!” I wrapped my arms around him, feeling his soft fur on my cheek and along the nape of my neck. I buried my face into him, feeling the vibrations of his purrs as tears fell freely from my eyes.

“How?” I asked. “Please, I know you said you’d explain everything, but how can I not be dead?

I need answers… Please. ” I begged, tears rolling down my sodden cheeks.

I was on my knees begging this woman, this valkyrie, for information, because what other choice did I have?

My mind was spiraling, trying to make sense of everything that had occurred since I first opened my eyes.

Everything I’d ever been taught about the gods, about the heavens and underworld, was spinning around my mind—unstable as ever.

All this time, had it been a lie?

“Please, sit.” She motioned to the padded bench. She pulled over a small table, on it a cup of tea I hadn’t noticed before. “You like tea, don’t you? Mugwort?”

I stared at the cup, then at her. The back of my hand found my cheek, and I wiped at the dampness lingering there, now embarrassed this stranger had seen me break, all while maintaining an even disposition herself. I cleared my throat, holding Tove tight to my chest as I rose.

I approached the seat, my eyes locked on the tea cup, more even and smooth than I’d ever seen a clay creation.

The scent of mugwort wafted into the air, and while it should have eased me, I couldn’t help but wonder how she knew I drank tea, specifically this tea.

It wasn’t the most common brew, definitely not for pleasure, as the flavor was quite bitter. It was a strange guess indeed.

“I drink Mugwort at night, yes.” I eyed her as I stiffly sat, more questions swirling in my mind now than when I was splayed out on the floor.

“Good,” she said with a pleased nod of her head before joining me on the padded seat.

Her vision trailed down my ruined nightgown splattered in blood and mud, and then she motioned toward the tea.

I guessed I had no need to fear poison, as poison had very little use on the dead.

I took a sip of the warm drink, letting it wet my dry lips and mouth.

“Why am I here and not with my family? I assume they are in Helheim?”

“You’re not with your family because you’re not dead.

I’m not quite sure how many times I need to tell you this.

” She smoothed her hand down her leathers, almost as if sensing her cold tone.

“I understand this is all very confusing, and for that, I’m sorry.

As for your feline, well, spirits are all corporeal across the heavens and the underworld. ”

I set the teacup down on the tiny plate resting upon the golden table, my shoulder aching with the movement.

The incision site was more tender than any wound I’d ever had, but I tried not to show how much pain I was truly in.

“Okay, that makes sense when it comes to Tove, but how is it that a living mortal is in Valhalla?”

“You were dying. You would have, had I left you on the steps of your neighbor’s longhouse. I wasn’t expecting a raid last night. I was simply in a nearby village collecting souls. I saw your act of heroism, and I couldn’t let you die. I brought you here to heal, nothing more.”

“You interfered? Why? I’m sure you see horrors every day; it’s your job not to interfere, is it not?” I asked, racking my mind for some tale of a valkyrie saving a mortal. I only needed a moment to realize this situation was, in fact, unheard of.

She straightened her posture, staring off for a moment into the room before she focused back on me and said, “I know you have questions, but I’m not at liberty to answer them all. There are some things mortals simply cannot know.”

Stubborn, self-important valkyrie.

I swallowed my frustration so as not to anger the woman who’d kept me alive. “So you saved my life from the raiders, and I’m not allowed to know why?”

“Precisely,” she said with a swift nod. “I will return you to Stormheim when you’re healed and ready to travel once more. These trips can be quite?—”

“And Tove?” I interrupted, holding him up so she could see who I was referring to.

The woman sighed and tugged at her ear, as if my mere presence exhausted her. “The cat will remain here.”

My head jerked back, and my grip on him tightened. “He will not.”

“Once a spirit passes on, they may not return to Midgard without permission from the gods, and I’ve never heard of them granting permission to a feline,” she said, her curious gaze flicking to my cat.

“Well then, I will stay too.”

“You may not.”

“I will.”

“You can’t.”

“Then take me to a god! I will ask for permission,” I said, my teeth grinding as I spoke to avoid raising my voice.

The woman gawked at me for far longer than what was comfortable. It wasn’t until I took another sip of tea that she cleared her throat.

“Not until you’re healed. You need food, and you look and smell horrid, quite frankly. Do you really think I’d let you step in front of even the weakest of gods in this state?”

I slowly rose, Tove content in my arms. I took in a deep breath—not just to steady my nerves, but also to take a whiff of myself. “Fine. We will do it your way, but let it be known, I won’t leave him.”

“I’ve taken note of this, yes,” she said, standing with a stifled groan. “Now, seeress, what should I call you?”

My blood ran cold. “Seeress?” I looked down at the tea. The mugwort tea.

Her grey-blue eyes flared before settling into their relaxed state once more. It was so subtle, I would have missed it had I not been devouring her every move. “I can sense it in you, your power.”

I let her words settle in, taking my time before making my next move. “Please, direct me to the wash bucket. I imagine I have a list of tasks I need to accomplish before meeting with the god of your choosing.”

The valkyrie nodded with satisfaction, beginning to lead me out of the bedchamber. When her back faced me, I stared at her stunning hair looped with gold bands and beads, her position truly hitting me. One of Odin’s valkyries had saved my life. Tove was corporeal. I was in Valhalla.

Sudden awareness washed over me, and I began to wonder if she’d been the light in my visions that my mind had been unable to process, despite all the mugwort I’d consumed. I certainly knew now what all the gold had meant.

I watched the way she walked, confident and demanding. She could end my life before I took my next breath. She could fly me to the darkest depths of the realms if she saw fit—drop me in a land of ice, giants, and soulless creatures.

Tove and I exchanged a look, and I decided then that my sass would have to be tamed. My feet began to slow, and I awkwardly uttered, “And my name… It’s Kari.”