Ah, crap. I should have said something more formal.
The Valkyrie nodded, then looked to Cade.
He briefly bowed his head. “I am Cade.”
“Belatucadros,” the Valkyrie said.
He winced at the use of his true, godly name. “Aye.”
She smiled. “I am Sigrún. Come. You must be famished and in need of rest.” Her gaze traveled over our blood-soaked clothes. “And a bath.”
“That would be amazing.” I directed my horse to walk alongside hers. Actually, who was I kidding? My horse did that all on its own.
“Was your journey difficult?” Sigrún asked.
“Moderate,” I said.
“I suppose you have many questions.”
“That’s the truth.” I studied the many longhouses and the women who moved between them. Most had stopped their training for the evening. “This isn’t quite what I expected, given what I read about the Valkyrie. Don’t you live at Valhalla, serving the warriors mead?”
Sigrún threw her head back and laughed. “They would wish it were so.”
I grinned. “Good. That sounded crap to me anyway.”
“I agree. It is male fantasy, spun by the poets of Midgard.” She shook her head, clearly unimpressed. “They would have us strolling the fields of battle amongst the slain, wearing white dresses and choosing the most valiant and serving them mead for eternity. No. We do choose the most valiant—or we did. But we rode our war horses into battle, fighting alongside them. Ensuring that our choices went to Valhalla—no matter what it took.”
“What do you do now that there are no more Viking warriors or wars?”
“We fight on the front lines of Hel, holding back the monsters who would try to escape and incite Ragnarok.”
“The end of the world.” I’d read about it.
“Precisely.” She pointed toward the training field, where the last of the warriors were leaving. “We train the new Valkyrie there. Then they go to fight.”
“New Valkyrie?”
“Of course.” She pointed to a section of houses on the left. I noticed a few men milling about, also dressed in armor and looking battle worn. “That is where the mated Valkyrie live. Sometimes, little Valkyrie are born.” She pointed to the other side of the compound, where more longhouses sat. “The unmated Valkyrie live there.”
As we rode between the buildings, Valkyrie turned to look at us. They smiled, whispering amongst themselves and pointing.
I felt like a celebrity. It was kinda cool, since these women were total badasses, their armor and wings glinting in the light of the setting sun.
“This place is amazing,” I said.
“We like it very much. And we’re very glad that you are here. I know that you have many questions, but you should rest first. Gain your strength for the trial ahead.”
“Trial?”
“It’s not easy to anchor one’s magic. DragonGods bear a heavy load.” She stopped her mount, and mine halted. She turned to me. “But I know you can manage. You are worthy, Bree Blackwood.”
Her dark gaze pinned me, serious. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe. Whether it was the weight of her expectations or the awesome knowledge that this real-life freaking Valkyrie believed in me, I couldn’t tell. But I managed to draw breath.
“Thank you,” I said.
“No, thank you. DragonGods are born for a purpose. You will serve yours, but it won’t be easy.”
All right, that part made me a little nervous, but I shoved it away and focused on our amazing surroundings. I’d only come here once, and I wanted to take it all in.
Sigrún started her mount again. Cade and I followed. She led us to a longhouse on the outskirts of the village, then dismounted.
“You can spend the night here. Recuperate. In the morning, we will convene with the Council of the Valkyrie, and you will have your answers.”
I climbed off—more like slid ungracefully—and followed her into the longhouse. It was warm and cozy inside, a long room with a fire burning in the middle. Wicker walls separated what I assumed to be a sleeping chamber, and a young woman looked up from the hearth.
She smiled. “You’re here!”
Sigrún gestured to her. “Bree and Cade, this is Herja. She will help you get settled.”
“Hi.” I nodded to Herja, then turned to Sigrún. “Thank you again.”
“Of course. Now, I must go get out of this armor. It’s been a long day. Until tomorrow.”
I waved goodbye, then turned to Herja, who was already bustling to the side of the longhouse. Her dress was simple and her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. Though she wasn’t dressed like a warrior, she had the bearing and stride of one. I had a feeling that everyone here was a warrior, no matter what their day job was.
“This is amazing,” Cade said.
“I know, right?” I couldn’t believe I was somehow part of this amazing compound of badass warrior women.
Herja hurried back, her arms loaded with a tray of food. The sight of the roasted meat and bread and wine and some kind of root vegetable made my stomach growl.
“You should eat.” Herja’s dark eyes gleamed happily. “It is a long journey here from Midgard, I know.”
“Thank you.” I sat on the bench by the fire, enjoying the warmth, and dug into the food, filling my bowl with a bit of everything.
“Once you’ve eaten and drunk, you may follow the path out the back door. It will lead you to your private bathing pond.” She grinned. “It’s geothermal, so it’s warm.”
“That sounds amazing.” Every inch of me ached. Now that we were away from threats, I could use the last of my power to heal myself and then recoup overnight. But I also needed a bath like nobody’s business.
“I will leave you.” Herja pointed to the far side of the longhouse. “There is more food and mead over there.”
We repeated our thanks, and she left.
“Mead?” I sipped from my goblet, then nearly gagged at the heavy, sweet taste and pressed my lips together to keep from spitting it out. “Oh, that’s mead. Not wine.”
“Interesting, isn’t it?”
“I’d kill for a cosmo.” Hesitantly, I sipped at the weird liquid, growing used to it.
Okay, this wasn’t so bad. After a day like today, I’d drink pretty much anything.
The sudden quiet and comfort was nice. We ate in companionable silence, both too hungry to talk. The food was savory and delicious, and the mead quickly went to my head. I set down my silver cup and plate, not wanting to overdo it.
“I’m ready for that bath.” I stood.
“You go first.”
“Come on, there may be two places to bathe.”
Cade hesitated for the briefest moment, then nodded and stood. We left the longhouse, stepping into the cool night, and walked down the path. Trees dotted the way, providing shelter from the view of the village.
When I reached the bathing area, I gasped. Moonlight glittered on a steaming natural pool, set right in the middle of the trees. Towels sat on a large rock, along with folded piles of clothes. I inspected them, realizing that they were replicas of what we wore.
I turned to Cade. “This is too cool.”
“Aye.” He nodded to the pool. “You can go first.”