Page 49 of The Last Valkyrie (Vikingrune Academy #4)

Chapter 49

Ravinica

AS WE LEFT TYR MEADOW , Corym limping along with a slow, measured gait, my hackles were rising. Danger was all around us, and so were bodies.

At any moment, I felt those bodies would reanimate. We were on borrowed time here and had to hurry to the front lines.

Eirik walked behind us, apparently still too ashamed to call himself our equal. I flapped a hand at him. “Come on, soldier. We’ve got a war to fight and we’re going to need you.”

With a sad smile, my brother nodded and hurried up alongside us.

“Tell me everything that’s happened since I left,” I said to Dagny, Randi, and Corym.

Corym narrowed his eyes on me. His beautiful face was tattered with purple bruises and it looked like he’d gotten in a fight with a brick wall and lost. “We need to have a conversation about you leaving, too, lunis’ai . Me and the others aren’t happy about—”

“I know,” I said with a sinking feeling. My brow arched. “Later, I promise. When we’re all together.”

He grunted and nodded, continuing on.

Randi twirled her hair nervously. “The draug came out of nowhere. Burst right through the ground in Mimir Tomes, killed a bunch of acolytes before we even realized what was going on. It was horrible, Vini.”

I wrapped an arm around her thin middle. “I’m so sorry. That sounds awful.”

“We managed to run to Eir Wing. It didn’t look as bad over there.”

Dagny nodded, sighing. “The nurses and I locked away our supplies, knowing we’d be needing them soon based on the mayhem breaking out on campus. We put our backs against the wall and waited with weapons out. Randi and the acolytes showed up shortly after.”

“And you?” I asked Eirik over my shoulder. “How did you end up here with the Dokkalfar?”

My brother bowed his head in embarrassment. “I . . . don’t know, sis. I wasn’t in control of my mind. I think the elves used shadow portals to bring us closer to you—I could feel your energy even from the other side of the wall.”

I grunted. Probably some type of ephemeral connection my father shares with me—maybe all dragonkin share it. But if that was the case, why can’t I feel him ?

In any event, maybe it was possible for Korvan to send that signal through Eirik, since he had been in control of E until I severed the connection. Plus, we were related through my mother.

When I glanced at Randi to continue the flow, she picked up where Dagny had left off. “Before leaving Mimir, we were looking around desperately for Dahlia for some direction. But she was gone. I even barged into her office, wondering if she was holed up there. She wasn’t, so I ransacked the place. Found a bunch of books open on her desk but nothing else.”

Alarm bells went off in my head. I slowed my walk to a crawl, and the others paused to wait for me.

“Rav, what’s wrong?” Dagny asked.

I tilted my head. “Did you happen to see what the books were about, Rand?”

Randi tapped her chin and twirled the ends of her hair some more. With her tongue slipping past her lip, she thought back and then shrugged. “Yeah, actually. They stuck out to me because they were ancient tomes with brittle bindings. Two of them. One was about closing gateways, I think. Or maybe opening them? I dunno, but the pages where the book was open were clearly talking about portals, with illustrations and all.”

I put that away for later. “And the other book?”

“The Runesphere, bestie. It was a history on the elves since they’d had the artifact, written hundreds of years ago. Probably hearsay, since the human who wrote the book couldn’t have known too much about it. Seemed like third-hand accounts and assumptions. But there were some rune writings and spells on the page. Didn’t get a chance to see what they were for.”

“Hmm.” I hummed and let out a sigh. Portals and the Runesphere. And Dahlia has the Sphere. This isn’t looking good.

We continued walking toward the cloud of smoke and ash ahead, my nerves starting to fray at the battle I knew was to come.

“ Hmm what, Vini?” Dagny asked. “Think those are clues of some kind? I know we all hate Dahlia and she’s a total bitch, but she always struck me as someone who wouldn’t be a coward and flee at the first sign of trouble.”

“Tomekeeper Dahlia is not our ally, friends.” I scoffed. “Big surprise, I know.” My eyes glanced over to Corym. “I left to confront Korvan. To try and rescue my mom. He spoke to me in a dream, a vision—I know what it sounds like, don’t look at me like that, guys. Anyway, he wasn’t there. Dahlia was.”

The two girls gasped in unison, high and tight from Randi, low and raspy from Dagny.

I faced them fully. “She’s trying to find Korvan to give him the Runesphere. She’s betrayed Vikingrune Academy and is in cahoots with the Swordbaron. My . . . father. She thinks allying with Korvan is the only way to save the academy from destruction, or some bullshit.”

“Gods, that fucking fool ,” Corym growled. “She has the Runesphere? Deitryce told me it went missing shortly before the draug outbreak. That her entire troop was laid low by a sleeping spell or poison.”

My head bobbed, and I seethed at just how devious and cunning Dahlia had been behind the scenes, under the noses of everyone.

“Korvan will enslave your people and mine,” Corym bellowed.

“I know, love. I don’t think Dahlia is working alone, either. Salos, Ingvus—Hel, any of the Hersirs—could be colluding with her to give our school away.”

“Diabolical bitch,” Dagny said.

“What a total see-you-next-Tuesday,” Randi added, a scrunch to her cute button nose.

“We need to find Korvan before she does,” I said, “and defeat him. Has anyone spotted the bastard?”

They all gave me a round of headshakes.

“Great. Well, I’m sure he’ll—”

As if on cue, a whistling in the air brought my attention to the sky, neck craning. There, silhouetted against the backdrop of a red and purple sky, dragon wings leisurely beat over us, headed in the direction we were going, south.

“. . . turn up.” I gaped as my words ended on a whisper.

The figure became smaller in seconds, hurrying over the wall above our gathered army near the southern wall and hole.

Energy sizzled inside me, ready to unchain and summon my wings.

Corym’s hand fell on my elbow. “Not yet, love. Not again. Look.” When I fixed him with a scowl, he gestured with his chin past the end of the meadow, toward the gates.

Tightness gripped around my heart and squeezed.

Grim, Magnus, Arne, and Sven were headed our way.

All four of them, and the elf beside me, alive .

The angry energy of my wings fizzled out in a single breath. Warmth spread through me at the sight of my mates, all of them looking beautiful, deadly, and like they’d been through Hel to get here.

I ran at them and they huddled around me to wrap me up in their strong arms. So many limbs, so many hugs, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

Over my shoulder, Grim spoke in a low timbre, “Eirik Halldan.”

My brother raised his hands in surrender. “It’s me, Kollbjorn. Not the . . . shadow me, or whatever that was.”

My huge mate grunted. “Still don’t like either one of you. But as long as you’re safe around Ravinica . . .”

“I am. I swear it.” My brother pounded a fist to his heart. “I just want to help any way I can.”

The guys’ attention fell back on me, doting and smiling.

Guilt flooded me. “Guys, I’m so sorry. I know I hurt you leaving like that—”

“Just shut up and come here.” Sven was the first to kiss me, curling a hand around the back of my neck before slanting his lips over mine.

My heart pitter-pattered as we pulled back, our gazes locked.

Magnus said, “Your autonomy is your own, silvermoon. We would never try to take that from you. We were only worried is all.”

Arne let out a wry chuckle. “As always.”

I nodded diligently, enjoying the soft touches of my men’s hands on my shoulders, face, and body, but knowing we had no time to bask in our reunion.

I fought down a lump in my throat. “I’m sure you all saw Korvan overhead just now. We need to find him, guys. He’s the only hope we have of ending this.”

“What do you have in mind, little sneak?” Grim asked.

“I left here to exchange myself for my mother.” I raised a hand before they could argue. “I did it in secrecy because I knew you’d never agree to it. But it’s my Ma , guys, and I had to do something.”

“We understand, fox,” Arne said for the group.

Sven looked hesitant. “Do you . . . still have that idea swirling around your pretty head, menace?”

I bit my lip, apprehensive but finally nodding. “Unless we can find a way to distract him long enough to kill him. Even then, I worry we might put Ma in jeopardy.”

Magnus said, “We’ll do what we can to help Lindi, but our objective is on you . We’ll burn the world down to keep you safe, you know that.”

His connotation was clear. Only for me.

I knew what I suggested was the exact opposite of keeping me “safe.” I could see by the tight lines on my guys’ faces, the tautness of their shoulders, that they hated this idea and the danger it entailed.

But they would do it. Because I had asked. Only for me.

They would stuff down their resentments, their doubts, and do everything they could to help me defeat Korvan and rescue my mother.

Hopefully before Dahlia could aid him.

We continued walking toward the south wall, the jagged, crumbled piles of stone where the hole had been blown open finally coming into view.

“Guys, there’s something else,” I said to my four reunited mates who hadn’t heard my spiel about Dahlia, the Runesphere, and Korvan on Tyr Meadow. “The Hersirs can’t be trusted either. Ingvus—”

“Is dead,” Grim interjected.

All eyes swiveled to him, eyebrows raised.

He said nothing more.

Sven said, “So is Salos.”

With shock turning my eyes into saucers, I looked at my wolf shifter. He seemed unaffected, unashamed, about his father’s death.

I would tackle that issue later.

“Doesn’t seem most of the Hersirs are going to be a problem then,” Magnus quipped. “We know Kelvar won’t. If Ingvus and Salos are dead, and Dahlia is in the wind, that answers that.”

Arne lifted a finger. “Axel Osfen and Thane Canute were aiding in the fight against the dark elves. Hel, Canute was fending off the jotnar by his fucking self. Unless they’re expert shapeshifters, I don’t think we have to worry about those two.”

Sven added, “Canute was there when I fought my father, helped me get out of Fort Woden before it could get overrun by draug. He stood by and watched. His honor was too great, apparently, to raise a hand against warring father and son when he knew what the father was planning. I might dislike the surly, one-eyed asshole, but he’s not our enemy.”

Dagny chimed in. “Gudleif Selken was over in the eastern section near Eir Wing a while back. She was putting up barriers and wards to protect people and buildings. I think she’s still on our side also.”

I nodded, taking in the rush of information. “Good. Then we still have allies.”

Corym cleared his throat. “ Maltor Vaalnath, Deitryce, Jhaeros . . . we have plenty of allies, lunis’ai. It’s not them Korvan is after, though. It’s you.”

Their eyes drilled into me.

I so wished it was other parts of them drilling into me right now.

Instead of shrugging my mission aside and shrinking at their brilliant gazes, I forced confidence and swagger to fill me, to show them I wasn’t weak and wouldn’t wilt under pressure.

“It has to be done,” I said. “Gods only know what Korvan will do if he has the Runesphere. Like, seriously, we have no fucking idea what he’s capable of with the relic.”

“Then let’s get to it, love,” Arne said, clapping me lightly on the shoulder. “We won’t let you down.”

I smiled sadly at him. “I know. You guys never do.”

Magnus wrapped his cloak tight around him, swishing his crimson hair off his shoulders. “The dark elves are regrouping. Fighting has died down, somewhat, at the gate. Now is our chance to get over there.”

With nods all around the huddle, we hurried over to the southern wall at a brisk pace. We couldn’t go too fast because Corym was still lagging, Grim was grimacing from his bleeding thigh and fucked-up arm, and my other three mates looked exhausted. But we made it.

Past the hole in the wall, which was about the width of ten men across, Thane Canute stood as a single beacon with his shield raised in defiance.

The two jotnar—a giant hulk of a man with a loincloth and club, and a monolithic monster of black obsidian with fiery veins—had backed off from him. The dark elves weren’t attacking.

It seemed Swordbaron Korvan’s arrival had put a ceasefire to the Dokkalfar’s efforts. Temporarily, I assumed.

On our side of the wall, Axel was barking orders as our tired troops regrouped and prepared for a second assault.

We’ve lived through the first wave of the draug and second wave of the elves and jotnar. I have to make sure there isn’t a third wave, or we might not last.

I drew my wings out, earning a few wary glances from my mates. I put on an innocent yet guilty pout. “I need to get up high to see what’s going on down there. Can’t see into the passageway from here past all the bodies.”

Arne said, “Oh, I forgot to mention. There are three other jotnar down there. Huscarl Grant pointed it out before getting an arrow in the neck. Poor bastard. One of the giants is a big-titted crone-looking bitch who I think is responsible for raising the draug.”

I looked askance at him at his description of the female jotun.

His shoulders lifted to his ears. “What? I don’t know her name. I’m sure she’s lovely.”

“She’s a fucking necromancer if what you’re saying is true,” Eirik pointed out with a grimace. “And likely more dangerous than all the others.”

“True.” Arne stepped aside so he wouldn’t be the center of attention. “Just thought I’d mention it.”

When my guys returned their looks to me, I gave them a weak smile. “I promise not to do anything stupid . . .” I took to the sky, kicking up dust and grime as my wings expanded and launched me into the air.

Once I was safely away from their groping hands, I yelled down. “. . . Yet!”

The grumbling of my mates billowed up to my ears, telling me not to be a dumbass or put myself in danger. Only scouting, as I’d promised.

My smile and gooey feeling of having my mates with me quickly dispersed when I got a look over the wall.

From this high, this angle, I could see the three jotnar in question. They were stationed down the mountainside, at the far end of the hilly incline leading up Academy Hill. Between the wall and the army of Dokkalfar and fire- and earth-jotun, the trio seemed to be speaking to each other.

No, not each other, I realized with a sinking heart.

Korvan’s black wings came into view. They were furled against his sides, his arms gesticulating like he was in an argument with the Jotunheim natives.

The jotnar, for their part, seemed unaffected by whatever Korvan was shouting at them about.

Then, from further south and east toward the tree line of Delaveer Forest, behind the entire evil army and the quartet at their backs, a voice boomed above everything, as if magically enhanced.

“Korvan, I am here !”

Nightbirds squawked and took to the sky from the canopies of the thick trees, scared from the powerful voice.

My teeth clenched together, my hands knotted into fists—

As Tomekeeper Dahlia stepped out of the trees.