“I’m so sorry, your Majesty.” Fiske fluttered around me, trying to make himself useful as he helped me back into my dry cloak. “Are you warm enough? Once we get back to the Citadel, we’ll get you to the healers. They’ll take care of your wing.”
“Dude, she’s going to scratch your face off if you don’t stop fussing over her.” Ben inserted himself between Fiske and me. “Knock it off, Bro.”
“Your Majesty, who does this boy think he is?” Fiske did his best to mimic Ben’s trash talk.
“Boy?” Ben took a menacing step toward Fiske, who ducked behind me for protection.
“Blessed Mother Sigrún, save me from these idiots.” I sighed. “Amara took care of me just as well as any of our healers, Fiske. I’ll be fine. Ben, he’s just worried, leave him be.”
“You really want me to leave you alone with super creep here?” Ben jabbed a thumb over his shoulder.
“Well, I didn’t say that,” I hissed. “Just don’t be a prick.”
“We don’t have time for childish love triangles.” Druan shoved Ben toward Amara and sent Fiske back to Vendela. “Stay together and move fast, but be vigilant. We can’t afford any more delays.”
“Love triangle?” Ben and I shared a sneer. “He has met us, right?” he whispered. “We’d kill each other.”
Druan let out a feral sound I couldn’t place, but it shut Ben up.
Ben looked at me in horror. “That sound he just made … that’s not natural.”
“We have a few hours left,” Vendela said, looking as weary and stressed as I felt. “It can’t be much farther now.”
“It’s not a love triangle.” I pushed past Druan, following Vendela and Fiske, my good wings dragging heavily behind me.
“Could have fooled me.” Druan fell in step with me, casting a wary eye on my injured wing strapped to my side with his belt.
I ignored him, focusing on my breathing. Soon, the only sounds that reached my ears were the huffing and puffing of my companions and the soft whispers from the void. Everyone was feeling the pressure. If we didn’t make it out soon, the madness would begin to set in.
Cold sweat trickled down my back as the shadowy voices grew louder, trickling into my mind, trying to convince me it might not be so bad to sit down and rest for a while.
I focused on the pain. The pain was something real.
The voices and paranoia were not.
My breath had grown shallow, and my lungs were ready to explode, but I kept moving silently at Druan’s side, keeping my eyes trained on my feet as the incline of the pathway spiraled up into oblivion. The voices morphed into phantoms that swirled around me, telling me lies I fought to resist.
Your mother is dead and it's all your fault.
Stay here with us. It’s a just punishment for your selfish acts.
You don’t deserve to rule.
Part of me wanted to step off the pathway and let the void take me, but my people needed me. I might fail. I might make it worse, but I had to try to fix the damage I’d caused. Resisting the voices, I focused on thoughts of home. I needed a plan—I was not prepared for my return.
“Is it getting warmer?” Vendela’s voice cut through the phantom whispering. Her red-rimmed eyes seemed sunken into a ghastly face, like she was becoming a creature of the void. I blinked and her normal features came back into sharp focus. The paranoia told me I couldn’t trust her, that I should push her back into the abyss where she came from, but the logical side of my brain was still active enough to tell me that was ludicrous.
“I thought it was just me.” I pulled my t-shirt away from my sticky skin, scanning my surroundings for familiar landmarks. The blue iridescence of the pathway dimmed behind us, but the light had grown brighter—hotter. Just ahead, the sunlight of my homeland and the sizzling hot boundary where Valsgard borders met the bridge shone like a beacon to welcome us home. Here the stone walls didn’t glow or whisper unsettling things. Here, the walls were just stone.
The others grew excited, eager to leave the oppressive world behind, but I slowed my steps. I had a decision to make before I could do this next part.
Druan’s steps quickened, reaching back for my arm. I refused. Meeting the Berserker’s fathomless eyes, I shook my head. “Not yet,” I whispered, and then called out, “everyone stop.”
They all turned to me with slumped shoulders and travel-weary faces. Already the paranoia was fading.
“I know you’re anxious for this journey to end, but the moment I step through the boundary, Neela will know I’ve returned. If we stand a chance against her, we need the element of surprise on our side … and an army loyal to me. We can’t return to the Citadel. Not yet.”
The bounty hunters stood in a circle, looking to Druan for direction.
“What are you suggesting?” Druan stared down at me, his arms hanging like dead weight beside him. “How can she know you’ve returned?”
I backed away from the group, angling myself toward the craggy stone walls. “The moment I set foot into the Nine Realms, the power of the gods will greet me, as well as my own magic. If I still have their blessing, that is. She will feel it. I can’t allow that.”
“So you’re saying, what? You won’t go back?” Druan’s face twisted in disgust.
I pulled my shoulders back and stood tall, lifting my chin in defiance as I took another step away from the group. “I will not back down from a fight. But I will do this on my terms. We are nearly at our destination. Up ahead, the bridge branches off into three paths—”
“There is only one way out, Princess,” the Berserker corrected me. “And it leads straight into the Citadel where your aunt and sister await your return, and that’s exactly where we’re all going right now.”
“There are three pathways. Trust me—” I felt for the stone wall at my back.
“I’ve traveled this bridge more than anyone here,” Druan argued. “You’re mistaken. The pathway does not branch off anywhere.”
“Blessed Mother save me, will you give it a rest?” I flexed my hands, itching to sink my talons into his flesh. “Just stop browbeating me for two seconds and let me finish.” I gave him my best glare. “The main path leads across the border and directly into the tunnels under the Citadel and Queen Astrid’s protection.” I pointed to the obvious path that led to a stone archway just visible ahead.
“To the left of the archway lies a treacherous path across the Broken Isles and into Manaheim—to the Druids, our fiercest allies. The Broken Isles are a remnant of the bridge that did not fall into the void in the last age. Though the way is difficult, it is not like the scary place we’ve just traversed.
“Only a Valkyrie can access those tunnels. But there is a third way through the queen’s chamber that bypasses the boundary. That is where I must go now, but I must go alone. Fiske, I need you to open the gateway to the Broken Isles for them.” I looked at the others. “He will show you the way to Manaheim. There is a campsite just a few hours in where you can rest comfortably tonight. I will meet you on the border of the Dýre Forest in a few days. Ben, I want you to stay with Fiske no matter what.”
“Uh, no.” Ben came to stand beside me. “I’m going with you.”
“No.” Druan dismissed us both. “We will all return to the Citadel as planned. There we can regroup, and Thea can meet with her superiors to discuss the Neela problem.” He met my gaze. “There, I listened, happy now?” His sing-song cadence almost made me smile. It came out strongest when he was either teasing or irritated.
“Has anyone ever told you you’re impossible to reason with?” I just managed to stop myself from stomping my foot.
“Frequently,” Vendela quipped and Druan turned his death glare on her.
“Stay with Fiske,” I mouthed to Ben. Drawing a knife from my backpack, I sliced open my palm.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Druan grabbed my wrist.
“What I must. This doesn’t concern you.” I tried to shake him off.
“Let her go, you big bully.” Ben kicked him in the shin, but it didn’t faze him.
Druan let out a menacing growl. “I promised your sister and your people I would see you returned and I mean to get the job done.” He held my arm in a bruising grip.
I glanced down at his fingers encircling my arm. “You would do well to remember I am the Queen Heir, not only of Valsgard, but of the Nine Realms, which means however much I may not want it, I will be your High Queen one day. Release me. Now.”
“You aren’t anyone’s queen yet,” he snarled back at me. “I will drag you off of this bridge by your hair before I allow you to shirk your duty one more minute.” His eyes narrowed to slits and he made one of those odd screeching noises in his throat.
“You do not know me or my intentions.” I wrenched my arm out of his grasp. “I’m well aware of my duty and it would be a lot easier if you could stop bossing me around long enough to let me do it. I will not leave this bridge with you. I will not return to Valsgard in a way that will alert Neela to my presence when I am at my weakest. I must go through the queen’s chamber where you cannot follow.” I turned, pressing my bloodied hand against a rudimentary emblem carved into the stone wall. “Only those with the blood of a queen coursing through their veins can enter the Northern Kingdoms this way.” I melted into the stone, leaving the gaping Berserker behind.
Diamonds sparkled in the sunlight behind me. They weren’t really diamonds, but Sylvi always thought they were. She’d been so disappointed to learn they were only crystals. The thought of seeing her soon sent a chill down my spine. I turned to gaze across the chamber. Only a few more steps and I would return full circle.
But my journey wasn’t over yet.
I trembled as I approached the mosaic tiled floor spreading out in a circle to engulf the room. A golden medallion occupied the center of the floor, depicting the rulers of my people. Not just the Valkyries, but all of the Nine Realms—what was left of them anyway. The boundary blazed like a hotwire across the room—except where the medallion swept it aside like a curtain entrance into the queen’s chamber. I studied it for a moment, bracing myself for the return of magic. Magic I had lived without for three years.
With a deep breath, I stepped onto the golden medallion, waiting for lightning to strike.
My own magic hit me first, like a wrecking ball to my chest, stealing my breath. Then the power of the gods raged through me, a punishment for daring to give up what they bestowed upon my family during the last age. Throwing my head back, I screamed, bracing for the agony that would rip me to shreds before I could put myself back together. But it didn’t come. The vessel within me didn’t fill as much as I expected it would. Instead a trickle of the power began to collect within me. Slow and tormenting.
Gasping, I stumbled forward, my palms and knees crashing into the rough floor. My body quaked as I grappled with my magic for control. Bright spots of light interrupted my vision and nausea sent my head spinning just before a surge of filthy, shadowy darkness engulfed me and I slumped to the floor.
“Thea. Wake up.” Calloused hands slapped my face and I jerked awake, gasping for breath.
“Something’s wrong.” I forced the words out, my throat raw from screaming. For years, I’d dreaded this part. I expected a tidal wave of the power of the gods to wreak havoc on my body—I got a weaker version of that, but something dark had accompanied the return of my magic. A rush of tainted fury washed over me, leaving me violently ill and full of shame.
“Where does it hurt? What’s happening?” Druan’s rough hands searched me for injury. “Talk to me, Thea.”
“It’s my Valkyrie magic …” I gasped, shaking my head. “It’s all wrong.” My body shook and my eyes rolled back into my head. “The pain … should be worse. So much worse.”
“Worse than this?” He pulled me back against his chest, sitting with me on the cold tiled floor.
I sucked in a deep breath. A feverish sweat left my hair and wings limp and damp. I was going to puke any minute. “The pain from the return of my magic should have come faster, harder and blessedly quick. It’s not as intense, but it should be a memory by now.”
“We need to get you to the healers.” Druan tried to help me up, but I refused to move.
“No. We have to get moving.” I sat up, putting a little distance between us. “How are you here?” My brow furrowed in confusion. “This is the queen’s chamber.”
“Well, you didn’t say it had to be any specific sort of queen, so I took a chance my mother’s blood would get me inside.”
“That doesn’t make sense. You’d have to be … the child of a queen.” I frowned up at him, searching his Berserker eyes for answers. “And Berserkers don't have queens.”
“What about nephews of queens? My mother is the Druid high priestess, identical twin sister to Queen Orlagh of Manaheim. I figured her blood would be close enough.”
“But your father is…?”
“A Berserker Jarl hardly worth mentioning.” He swept a hand through my damp hair, smoothing it away from my face. “Are you okay?”
“No.” I wanted to have a good cry and then curl into a ball to sleep for a week. “Not at all. Something went wrong.” My hands shook and I didn’t have the strength to sit up. But the pain was finally abating.
“This chamber is like a back door into the Nine Realms?” Druan glanced around the room.
I nodded. “If I crossed the boundary directly, the power of the gods would return to me in full, alerting not only Neela of my return, but my people as well. We’re all connected by the power. The high queen and her heir are vessels that funnel that power to those that need it to survive. It is because of us that you are able to bond with your kindred and tap into your Berserker magic. Without a proper vessel, we would all lose our magic.”
“And right now, as much as we might not like it, Neela is that vessel.” Druan nodded in understanding.
“And I am not ready to announce my return. Entering through the chamber gives me access to the power so I can begin to siphon again—to refill the vessel within me,” I added at his look of confusion. “It also gives me access to my own Valkyrie magic, which I need to become reacquainted with if I’m going to fight Neela anytime soon. Right now, I need a little time, and a lot of information before I can act. For the moment, everyone inside the Citadel is safe and no one will know I am here. But my people all across Valsgard are hurting; I must help them first.”
“You don’t look so good, Thea. I think you need to help yourself right now.” His voice was softer and his eyes filled with worry. His hard edge seemed to have temporarily vanished. I expected it would return with my strength.
“My own magic has returned, but it feels strange. Diminished somehow.” I sat up awkwardly and climbed to my feet with Druan’s help. For a moment, I swayed like a tower of bricks about to topple over.
Druan kept a hand on my back to steady me.
“It feels tainted by her touch.” I shivered, stumbling across the room, looking for the stone panel that would take us to the Broken Isles from this side of the boundary. “Maybe because for the first time ever, my magic is being fueled by another vessel and not my own.”
“What is your plan?” Druan followed me, keeping a wary eye on me lest I fall apart again.
“Oh gosh, you’re asking? I’m so used to you charging like a bull through everyone else’s plans. I’m not sure my little lady brain can handle making a decision.”
Druan’s lips pressed into a thin line. “You’re not funny, Valkyrie.”
I winced at his tone. “And I take it you’re more Druid than Berserker?” I dropped my head, feeling like the worst sort of judgmental person. “I’m sorry I made assumptions. The Berserkers and Valkyries have so much bad blood, but I shouldn’t have taken that out on you. Clearly my sister trusts you and that should be all that matters.”
“My Druid half pleases you?” Druan shook his head in confusion.
“It does because the Druids and Valkyries are allies. And any cousin of my best friend is okay in my book.”
“You mean little Morgana? She’s several years younger than you, isn’t she?”
“The Druid princess was my best friend growing up despite our age difference, and I imagine she’s not so little anymore. There is no one I trust more in all the realms other than my own sister. I need to speak with Morgana as soon as possible.” I hoped he would see the sense in my plan. I didn’t need his approval, but it would be so much easier if he stopped working against me.
“If I know Morgana, she’ll already know we’re coming.”
“That’s what I’m counting on.” I ran my knife over my thumb and slapped my bloodied hand against the wall to reveal the icy tunnels to the Broken Isles.