The Valkyrie's Shadow, page 11
Branches rustled overhead, and a winged mare swooped down.
“Sigrid!” Mariam shouted, Aesa’s wings stirring up a swirl of leaves as she landed. “Fisk—”
“I know!” Sigrid cried. “I can’t find him.”
Mariam pointed toward the stables with panic in her eyes. “Your friend, Peter, was talking to General Eira. I think he was trying to convince her to let him stay.”
Sigrid’s heart skipped. “He was?”
Mariam nodded.
Peter never disobeyed General Eira, and she respected him as her top stable hand. But did she respect him enough to change her mind?
“But where’s Fisk?” Sigrid asked.
“I don’t know.”
They looked around desperately, as if searching for a clue.
“Come on. Let’s check the road.” Sigrid nudged Hestur, and he sprang into a gallop.
With Mariam and Aesa at their tail, they raced for the dirt road.
As they emerged from the trees, Sigrid blinked, adjusting her eyes to the bright sunlight. To the right, the road led into the forest. Ahead, it led into the village. To the left, it snaked up to the valkyrie stables and Vanahalla. Hestur turned his head in that direction, hearing something before she did.
Peter strode toward them, talking to—
“Fisk!” Sigrid cried, the word coming out as a squeak.
“There you are,” Peter said, as if Sigrid had been the one to disappear.
“I—General Eira said you’d left!” Sigrid stammered.
“I did,” Fisk said glumly.
“And I caught up before he got too far,” Peter said.
“You talked to General Eira?” Sigrid asked, breathless.
He nodded, his expression unreadable. “She doesn’t want Fisk living in the stable, and she definitely doesn’t want him working with the sorcerers up at Vanahalla—but she agreed that I could hire him as a stable hand and a smith. He’ll be my apprentice.”
There was a moment of shock, and then Sigrid and Mariam shrieked and wrestled Fisk into a hug. He made an indistinct groan of protest.
When they broke apart, he said, “I don’t know. If the scary general lady doesn’t like me, I’m not sure—”
“She doesn’t like me, either,” Sigrid said. “Don’t worry.”
Peter’s mouth twisted into a little smile. “You don’t need her to like you, Fisk. You’ll be reporting to me, not her.”
Fisk hesitated, then nodded.
Sigrid’s heart lifted. She was as grateful as ever to have Peter in her life.
“Do you have somewhere to live, Fisk?” Peter asked. “If not, I can put the word out and find some lodging—”
“I do,” Fisk said, presumably talking about the tree fort. He straightened his mask. “Thank you very much.”
“How did you convince General Eira?” Sigrid asked Peter.
He waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it.”
She scrutinized him, not liking this secrecy. “But—”
“Your friends are allowed to stay. The hiccup getting them here is in the past, and we should move on.” He grinned. “So these are Fisk and Mariam, hey? I’ve heard lots of good things about both of you.”
Sigrid’s cheeks warmed.
“Hi,” Mariam said, distracted as she pulled a leaf out of her braid.
“I still think Fisk should be working with the sorcerers,” Sigrid said, scowling. “We have amazing Night Elf talent right here, and the sorcerers are studying those dangerous iron arrows forged by Night Elves right now, and we’re going to ask Fisk to shovel horse poop!”
“We’ll put his skills to use.” Peter nodded firmly, patting Fisk on the back. “Won’t we?”
“Yes, sir,” Fisk said, seeming bolstered by Peter’s confidence in him.
“Thanks, Peter,” Sigrid said, trying to convey with a look how much this meant to her.
He nodded, giving her an understanding wink. “Fisk, do you want to come with me? We can start with the feed room.”
“Sure.” He shuffled off after Peter, giving Sigrid a little wave.
As they walked back to the valkyrie stables, Peter said, “We have two types of hay. The alfalfa is fed once a day at dinner…”
Sigrid let out a big breath, and for the first time in hours, a real smile tugged at her cheeks. Both of her friends had jobs. They were allowed to stay in Vanaheim. And with them here, she would be able to conquer whatever waited for her in Vanahalla’s towers.
Chapter Seventeen
A Slight
Bedroom Improvement
Sigrid and Mariam led their horses back to the stables on foot, seizing the moment alone.
“Congratulations, then,” Sigrid said, relaxing into a real smile now that Fisk was safe.
Mariam blushed, a cute tinge of red in her round cheeks. “Thanks.”
“I knew you’d be accepted. You’re too good not to be.”
Mariam said nothing, watching her feet. Was she nervous?
“You’re going to be great, Mariam. Your mom raised you on real valkyrie training, so you’re not behind. Not really.”
“It’s not that. I’m not nervous. It’s—” She swallowed hard, looking like everything she said she wasn’t, which made Sigrid smile. “I have to prove them wrong. The valkyries, the queen, everyone who voted to banish my mom. They shouldn’t have done that, and they’re going to see they’ve been missing out on some perfectly good warriors this whole time.”
Sigrid nodded, taking Mariam’s hand as understanding trickled through her. “You will prove them wrong. We’re going bring your parents to Vanaheim. I feel it.”
Mariam leaned over and kissed Sigrid’s cheek with soft, full lips, keeping a hold of her hand as they made it back to the stables. Sigrid vowed to bring Mariam’s family home one day, even if she had to petition Queen Kaia every single day until she agreed.
After they’d put their horses in a field and entered the barn, Mariam squeezed Sigrid’s hand and said coyly, “Want to show me your room?”
The words nearly sent Sigrid through the rafters. Her stammering heart made it hard to reply.
“It’s a bit of a mess—I’m emptying it—it’s right here.”
As she motioned to Hestur’s stall, the reality of her room settled. It was a cube bounded by clay and wood, smelling like a horse. She’d definitely played it up too much when she told Mariam about it.
“We can check with General Eira, but you might take over this stall or an empty one nearby.” She tried to sound casual as she watched for Mariam’s reaction. “I have a hammock for you, and we’ll get some bins for your stuff. You could also buy curtains and…decorations…”
“Oh, it’s perfect!” Mariam walked around the space, studying the rings where the hammock would hang, the buckets for grain and water, and the metal bars separating the stall from the barn aisle. The dim light of the barn cast shadows over her body, drawing Sigrid’s gaze to her strong shoulders, her arms, and the curve of her waist beneath her black tunic.
Mariam met Sigrid’s gaze, and Sigrid blinked, realizing she was staring.
Mariam opened her mouth to speak but closed it when two stable hands walked by holding grain bags. “Not much privacy?”
“Well, it’s pretty quiet at night,” Sigrid said. “But the daytime can be busy.”
Mariam’s mouth twisted in a little smile, a glint in her dark eyes. “Too bad. With Fisk occupied, I was hoping we could find somewhere to be alone for a few minutes.”
Sigrid had to grab the stall door to stay standing. “You’re going to kill me.”
Mariam stepped closer, pulling Sigrid into the bottomless pools of her eyes.
A lull came over the stable—no footsteps, no voices, all of the horses outside. Only chickens clucked in the aisle and birds chirped in the rafters.
“Once I’m settled in Vanahalla,” Sigrid said, her heart pounding faster, “I’m going to ask again if you can live up there with me. I’ll have a real bedroom and—um, a door that locks so we won’t keep getting interrupted.”
Her face heated up as the words came out. She’d never said anything like that before. Was this how flirting worked? Had she said the right thing? She wanted Mariam to know her feelings, but didn’t want to come across too…Roland-ish.
To her relief, Mariam grinned. She caught Sigrid’s hand and backed further into the stall. Their faces were close, Mariam’s sweet breath tickling her lips as she whispered, “Sounds interesting. What would we do behind a bedroom door that locks?”
Sigrid’s mind went wild with all of the possibilities—the places she wanted to kiss and touch Mariam, the things they could do on a real bed…
Footsteps came down the aisle.
Mariam’s face reflected the agony twisting Sigrid’s insides.
Go away, she wanted to shout.
Sigrid stepped back and said casually, “We can go get some empty bins from the supply shed.”
Mariam snorted. “For all of my piles of belongings?”
“You’ll earn a good wage as a valkyrie. You’ll be able to afford things in no time.”
Roland poked his head over the stall door. “Hey, Sig. Mariam, nice to meet you. Can you show me what your mare gets for food and supplements?”
Mariam’s shoulder brushed Sigrid on her way past, definitely on purpose. “Sure.”
Sigrid’s insides danced with excitement, and she returned to the chore of packing with a burst of energy.
A world of possibilities had just opened up before her—a future with a girl she cared about, doing a job that was important, living in Vanahalla with her aunt. This was what she’d wanted when she went after Sleipnir. This was a purposeful life she could fight for.
She stuffed the last of her belongings into empty grain bags and fastened everything over Hestur’s back like a pack mule. By the time she cinched the last rope and Mariam fetched her stuff from the tree fort, the sun began to set.
The junior valkyries left with suspicious glares and whispers among themselves.
“Do you think she’s moving in with us?”
“General Eira would have told us.”
“Maybe she rented a place in the village.”
It obviously hadn’t occurred to them that this was Sigrid’s last day doing stable hand duties, and she wasn’t about to correct them and invite a flood of questions.
As Mariam folded her clothes in her new home and Fisk left for Myrkviðr, Sigrid could no longer put off moving to Vanahalla.
Peter and Roland lingered, the only ones left.
“I’ll still be here every day,” Sigrid said, forcing the goodbye to be casual.
Peter pulled her into a hug anyway. “Of course.”
She hugged him back, blinking away a weird burning in her eyes that had no reason to be there. This wasn’t really a goodbye. It was just a change in accommodations.
“Remember, if you find yourself in need of a prince, Your Highness,” Roland said, bowing, “I offer my services.”
“Oh, shut it.”
He scooted away, cackling, before she could smack him.
One day, she’d share that she and Mariam were together—or trying to be. But keeping it between the two of them was so nice and so wonderfully private. The thought of the entire stable gossiping about her love life was mortifying. Besides, she’d worked so hard to let Mariam stay in Vanaheim. If everyone found out they were dating, they’d wonder about her motivations.
She shouted a quick goodbye to the other stable hands on her way out, desperate not to make an ordeal.
As she checked the ropes fastening her entire life on Hestur’s back, she glanced at Mariam, who was in her new stall, stuffing her clothes into a bin while Aesa munched hay beside her. Was there any chance of kissing Mariam goodbye without everybody seeing?
Nope.
With the stable hands finishing the evening chores, they had no privacy.
She could ask Mariam to accompany her somewhere, but she didn’t want to seem desperate. Plus, Mariam was so excited to set up her new home that she might see any distraction as an annoyance.
Sigrid stood outside her old stall and gave Mariam a little wave. “Um, see you tomorrow. I’ll come down to see how your first day of training is going.”
Mariam straightened up and wiped a lock of sweaty hair off her forehead. “Sweet dreams, Princess Sigrid.”
Sigrid returned her smile—but with a twinge of dissatisfaction, like missing out on dessert. Dragging her feet away from the most beautiful girl in Vanaheim, she led Hestur up to Vanahalla.
Chapter Eighteen
That Good
Royal Life
Sleipnir fought Sigrid the whole way up the hill, his energy rising like a brewing thunderstorm. She’d thought she could lead both horses at once, but he was so full of energy that she could barely hold onto his rope. Hestur pinned his ears as if to tell him to stop being so difficult.
“Stop—bucking!” she said through her teeth, letting go of Hestur’s lead rope and holding onto the stallion’s with both hands.
How had she ever managed to ride him? Was she making it worse by delaying the moment she got in the saddle?
Either way, she wasn’t so sure about the promise she’d made to Queen Kaia if war came.
Dripping in sweat, she somehow made it up to Vanahalla, where everyone in the courtyard stared open-mouthed, pointing and whispering. More people came rushing outside as Sleipnir’s snorts and clattering hooves ricocheted off the gold towers.
Sigrid’s cheeks warmed. Yes, this is the actual Sleipnir. Now finish gawking and go about your business.
The stable hand from before stood out front of the royal stable along with two others. Their eyes were wide, a mixture of awe and fear in their expressions, as she put the muzzle on Sleipnir and handed over the lead rope.
“You’ll thank me for the muzzle,” she said, clutching her side as she struggled for breath.
The boys took Sleipnir and Hestur—who was being extra polite as if to show everyone how a good horse was supposed to behave—and led them through the barn’s golden doors, where the polished white aisle was more pristine than a stable had any right to be.
Sigrid’s insides fluttered. Calling a new barn home after nearly seventeen years in the valkyrie stables felt unreal.
Twilight darkened the sky, and when she entered the hall as before, lanterns cast a warm glow over the marble and gold.
Queen Kaia came to meet her with a smile in a shimmering blue gown. “Sigrid.”
In the distance, there was a bang, a crack, and a whinny that was definitely Sleipnir.
Sigrid winced. “Uh, maybe I should help get the horses settled,” she said, motioning back out the door.
Queen Kaia smiled and began crossing the vast lobby to one of the staircases. “You don’t have to do anything. You’ve been promoted. Stable hands work for you now, and they’ll take care of your horses and bring your belongings to your quarters.”
Sigrid contemplated insisting she go anyway, but she was so tired after that long day and the trek up the hill that she couldn’t find an argument. She ran to catch up. “Does this mean I won’t have to clean stalls?”
Queen Kaia climbed a spiral staircase, one hand on the gold railing and the other holding her gown off the floor. “You’ll never have to touch a pitchfork.”
“Wow. I still want to brush Hestur myself, though.”
“If you’d like.”
No stable hand duties at all. Would it feel strange and empty? Or would it be a relief to have time for other things?
“Hestur and Sleipnir will settle in nicely,” Queen Kaia said, and although Sleipnir and settle didn’t fit in the same sentence, Sigrid tried to be optimistic. “We’ll put Hestur next to a sweet little mare named Disa.”
“Is Disa yours?” Sigrid asked.
“No.” Her aunt looked down as she climbed the stairs, a flush in her cheeks. “During a riding lesson when I was six, my pony tripped in a fox hole and fell. She was fine, but I hit the ground hard enough that I lost my nerve for riding. I haven’t been on a horse since.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Sigrid said, sad to hear Queen Kaia had been scared away from horses. That was one of the first rules of riding: if you fall off, get right back in the saddle.
Something twisted in her gut. Was she doing just that with Sleipnir—sitting on the ground, too afraid to get up? Or did she have legitimate cause to be afraid of him?
Queen Kaia waved off the apology, her gold bands jangling. “I have no need to ride.”
“You don’t?” Sigrid asked, taken aback. “What about traveling? I thought princesses got to visit other worlds.” The promise of traveling was one of the things that drew her to becoming a valkyrie.
Queen Kaia cast her a knowing smile. She seemed happier today, her expression soft and youthful. “You can travel if you wish. We’ll talk about cosmic relations in time. We have a council and entire libraries for you to reference.”
“Will you show me where the libraries are?” The sudden urgency to learn everything she could about Svartalfheim and Loki made her chest tight. Finally, she could catch up on the education she’d missed out on growing up as a stable hand, and so much more. “And will you show me where the sorcerers work? And seeing maps of the nine worlds would help—”
Queen Kaia laughed, taking Sigrid along a fifth-floor corridor. “You have the enthusiasm this hall needs, Sigrid. It’s too late for all of that now, but I promise to give you a tour in the morning.”
Sigrid didn’t correct her that it was less enthusiasm and more worry about the future with the god of chaos on the loose.
It would be hard to sleep tonight, but a fresh start in the morning would be better to tackle her princess duties and figure out how to stop Loki.
