Valkyrie Rising (17 page)

At first I wasn’t sure what she meant. But then I thought about what we’d learned in history class. About what the world was like a thousand years ago. When the strong took whatever they could. When justice was subject to interpretation. And minor thefts were punishable with death.

My eyes widened.

“I’ll deal with Odin,” she said as we reached the kitchen and she pulled a sword and three small daggers out from underneath the sink. “But I need to leave now, and I need to know you and Graham will be safe.”

I knew what I had to do next, just as clearly as if she’d said it out loud.

“I’ll protect Graham and Tuck,” I said. “I won’t fail you.”

“It’s Graham they’re coming for.” She held my gaze so firmly that it was impossible to look away. “It’s revenge. Tucker is too young to interest Astrid. I should have told you the other day, but you’re still so young yourself—you won’t reach your true strength until you turn eighteen. I’d hoped this summer could be about teaching you these things slowly, but fate pushed my hand. I can’t protect you from this any longer.”

“I understand,” I said. “We’re stronger together.” I knew it on instinct, remembering the way I’d felt in Astrid’s presence, an ache that we were opposed, even though she terrified me. “Where are you going?” I asked.

“Hunting.”

Her grin should have made my blood run cold.

Instead:
“Seire,”
I said, the phrase bubbling up from someplace deep inside my heart.
Be victorious
. Another word, a phrase I’d never learned, that had magically planted itself in my brain.

“I always am,” she replied without turning back. “Go. You have a job to do.”

I’d already wasted far too much time. I had to get to town.

While my logical self told me to take the car, something primal within me howled that I’d be faster and safer on foot. Invisible. Once the night air filled my lungs, my instincts were honed to a razor-sharp clarity. I could see each leaf on every tree. The wind whispered secrets, carrying to my ears the footfalls of the squirrels and deer in the forest. I could smell the salt in the air and feel the slightest shift in the wind’s direction. Something was happening to me. It was as electrifying as plunging headfirst into ice-cold water—every molecule of my body was alert, awake, and screaming for action.

I lowered my head and ran, sprinting toward town at a speed I would never have dreamed possible. I was as fast and sleek as an antelope; power rippled through me.

Within minutes, I reached the outskirts of Main Street and passed silently by the shuttered doors of the hardware store and flower shop. There was a palpable tension in the town. I felt danger against my skin.

Graham wasn’t at the restaurant we’d been frequenting all week—he was in the bar. I could feel his presence, feel the signature heat of each and every human in that building. Fire raged in my veins. No one would get in my way that night.

Not even the bouncer, who was the size of Graham. His eyes widened when he saw me jogging down the sidewalk toward the bar. Without hesitating, he pulled something out of his pocket. A cell phone. I couldn’t afford to have him call in the cavalry.

“You don’t want to do that,” I said. The voice came from my mouth, but it wasn’t my own. It was laced with power and poison. I was speaking Norwegian—a language I’d never bothered to learn came to the tip of my tongue with ease.

As soon as the words reached his ears, the bouncer’s eyes turned milky as opals and his arm fell slack, letting me pass. I felt a twinge of confused guilt, but Graham’s safety was on the line. I’d save my regret for another day, when I could afford that luxury.

Inside, the bar smelled like stale cigarettes and even staler beer. It hadn’t been remodeled since the early eighties and hadn’t been mopped in substantially longer.

I did a careful survey of the room, searching for Graham but also keeping alert for any signs of Astrid and her sidekick. My heart lurched when my eyes finally landed on a pale golden head, instantly recognizable even in that sea of blonds.

Graham.

He was in a booth at the very back of the bar, laughing with some other boys. Tuck was nowhere to be seen, but that was to be expected—there were lots of girls in the bar that night. No doubt he was off carousing with one of those gorgeous Norwegian girls who rolled out of bed camera ready.

Weird European pop music burned my ears. It felt like the entire room was moving to its odd, disjointed rhythm. As I took a hurried step forward, toward Graham, a hand grabbed my arm and yanked me back so hard my teeth rattled. Someone—a big someone—moved in front of me, blocking my view of Graham completely.

For one dread-filled moment, I thought it was Astrid and that I was too late. But it was a boy’s voice that spoke. “You’re either very brave or very stupid to come here.”

I looked up into the face of the boy who’d accused me of having something to do with Kjell’s disappearance earlier that day. My courage faltered—but only for an instant.

“There’s a third option,” I retorted. “Maybe I’m smart enough not to be afraid of little boys running around playing commando.”

The boy lowered his face a few inches to my level; his voice oozed contempt. “Actually, smart ass,
that
would make you stupid. You should be afraid of me. I know what you are.” Fear clung to him, sticking to his skin, twisting through his hair.

“And I know what you are,” I said. “A coward. Now get out of my way.”

His fingers dug into my arm. “I don’t think so,” he said. “I think we should step outside.”

My stomach seized up. I wasn’t prepared for this particular turn of events. “It’s a bit chilly out there for my tastes,” I said. I tried to summon that strange voice that had worked so well on the bouncer, but it came out more like a squeak.

The boy pushed my shoulder, knocking me toward the door. I took a step back to steady myself as Margit and another boy stepped into place behind him. My route to Graham was narrowing by the second. And even though that vicious voice in my head told me exactly which bones to break to get them out of my way, I knew hurting them would just make me every bit the monster they expected me to be.

Then Tuck stepped right into the middle of that mess, shielding me completely. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He shoved the ringleader in the chest. While Tuck definitely had a temper, it always came out sideways, through jokes. It took me a second to recognize the look on his face as absolute fury. “I don’t know what happens in this hick town, but where I come from, we don’t push girls around.” He knocked the boy back one more time, driving his point home.

“She’s not a girl,” Margit said, glaring at me with so much hatred that it almost hurt. “Filthy
Valkyrie
.” Her tone turned the word into the worst kind of slander. “Don’t look all innocent. I saw what you did to that bouncer.”

The words ached. She was right and I knew it. But it didn’t necessarily follow that I was evil.

“Tuck,” I said, “I can handle this myself. It’s okay.” Even though I wasn’t entirely sure I could, anything was better than having Tuck get into a fight.

“Right,” he said. “I’ll just step aside and let you face three psycho Vikings alone.”

“They won’t hurt me,” I said, and this time the edge of power crept back into my voice. “We’re taking Graham and leaving, and they won’t do anything to stop us.”

The ringleader looked at me, and the anger drained from his face. His pupils had that filmy, distant quality I was beginning to know far too well. He took a step back, and his friends and Margit followed suit.

By that time, with all the jostling and shoving, Graham had seen us. His forehead creased. Then his eyes narrowed. He was sharp enough to read the situation—Tuck’s arms were extended, blocking anyone from coming near me. He was guarding me like a pit bull.

Graham’s hands were resting on the table, but now they curled into fists the size of bricks as he pushed his way out of the booth. The guy sitting at the end couldn’t get up fast enough, and Graham sent him tumbling to the floor. Once he was on his feet, Graham’s entire posture shifted, stiffening until it was like every molecule in his body was aligned to one singular purpose—unleashing hell on those Norwegian boys. I needed to contain the situation—and fast. There wasn’t time to get into a fight—I had to get Graham and Tuck back to Grandmother’s house. I had to make sure both of them were safe.

And it was only a matter of time until Astrid found us. I could almost taste her presence drawing near. The same electric current that seemed to flow between us was licking at the edges of my consciousness. I didn’t have a moment to spare.

Graham set aside his usually flawless manners as he shoved his way through the crowd. His eyes locked on me. I knew I’d been forgiven, no matter how much my words had hurt him, because there was a connection between the two of us, an affection born of a common childhood, the roots of our lives inextricably tangled. No matter how much either of us grew or changed, he’d always be my painfully perfect big brother.

When Graham was halfway across the room, he slowed. Confusion rippled across his features. His eyebrows drew together, and his lips pressed into a thin, firm line. Slowly, deliberately, he turned. His face was reverent, as if the entire universe centered on whatever he’d just seen.

My blood ran cold when I followed his gaze. The crowd parted just enough to give me an unobstructed view of exactly who was perched on the stools lining the bar. Waiting for him.

Astrid looked even more beautiful than before, which shouldn’t have been possible. She and three other stunning girls were sitting in a row, shielded by a group of catatonic admirers. It was like a candy shop window—a display of glossy, blissful temptation.

There was no mistaking the malicious gleam in Astrid’s eyes as she flashed me an ultra-white, ultra-wide grin.

This was personal.

“No!” I shouted, lunging forward as Graham took two long strides toward Astrid.

Tuck grabbed me around the waist and spun me to face him. “What’s going on, Ells?” he demanded. “What just happened? What was with those guys?”

“Never mind,” I hissed, wiggling my way free. In the mirror behind the bar, I saw Astrid lean forward, curling her manicured fingers around the back of Graham’s neck. She tousled his hair playfully, as if he were her favorite new pet. Graham’s eyes changed instantly, turning from baby blue to pearly white. It was as if she’d drained his very soul, sucked it out through her fingertips.

Graham’s jaw fell slack, his easygoing smile fading into a grim scowl.

“Damn it, Tuck!” I screamed, still fighting against his restraining hands. “We’ve got to save Graham.”

That got his attention. Tucker’s arm went limp, and I surged toward the bar. I don’t know where the strength came from, but I hit the nearest Valkyrie with the full force of a high-speed train. She was thrown off balance, but only for an instant. In the end, I was the one who tumbled to the ground. It was like hurtling into a brick wall.

Astrid reached down and pulled me up by the shoulder. Then she wrenched my arm hard, pinning it behind my back.

“I told you next time I wouldn’t play nice.” Her voice was an animal snarl. She shoved me hard, and my forehead smacked against the edge of the bar as I crumpled onto the floor. Hot blood dribbled down my cheek, but I managed to pull myself back to my feet. I wiped my face with my sleeve and squared my shoulders, turning to face her. It was exactly what Grandmother had warned me not to do, but did she really expect me to turn and run, leaving Graham and Tuck behind?

Astrid had Tuck’s chin firmly in one hand. His eyes were distant, vacant. Long red fingernails pressed against his jaw, leaving crescent marks of blood in their wake.

“Too young,” she said flatly. “A shame. This one’s clever. And there’s something unusual about him.” She narrowed her eyes, scanning him more carefully. “Something unsettling.” But it couldn’t have been that interesting, because she turned away, leaving Tuck frozen in place like a statue. “Take the blond one,” she ordered. “We were lucky to find him before Hilda could interfere.”

“No,” I said. The entire bar was watching, but as I glanced around, I saw milky pupils and pale zombie faces. I was the only one who understood what was happening. I was completely and utterly alone.

I felt for the short dagger tucked into the back of my jeans. “You can’t hurt my brother,” I said. “You’ll have to kill me first.”

“Hurt?” Astrid arched one sculpted eyebrow. “I’d never hurt him. I have high hopes for this young hero.” She examined Graham with the cold, efficient eyes of a Formula One mechanic. “It’s been centuries since I’ve found quarry with this much promise.”

One of the nameless Valkyries nodded at me as if this news should make everything all right. “He’ll make you proud,” she told me.

“You’re not taking him anywhere,” I told them, impressed that I could growl just like Astrid had.

“You forget your rank, Elsa. You have no right to question me.”

Astrid was right. The truth behind her words was etched deep in my soul, right next to the knowledge that I should obey Grandmother. I had to actively fight the urge to slip into my proper place at Astrid’s side.

Astrid pointed at Tuck. “We’ll take this one too, just to keep Hilda and the girl in line.”