15. Maddy

Chapter 15

Maddy

I head straight to the washrooms, which are empty because almost all the fae are still at the Silver Springs. I take my time getting cleaned up, washing my long hair thoroughly, and then carefully tying it back. I've come up with a system of knots at the nape of my neck now that does good job of keeping my usually tangled locks straight and out of my way securely.

When I'm done, I lock myself in the room I share with Navi. She didn't make a move to help me at the springs, so I don't feel bad shutting her out. If she comes back, she can wait.

I go to the gallery and store everything that just happened.

Kain is right about at least one thing: the bear is magnificent. She's breathtaking. And she saved my life.

The fact that my bullies have stooped to such levels is worrying, and part of me wonders if I should have let Kain frighten the shit out of them. But all the reasons that made me stop him still stand.

Besides, I have a bear to save my life. That seems to be when she comes—when I'm in danger.

The other Valkyrie will have to believe me now, and Harald told me to talk to him again if she came back, so I will.

When I eventually unlock the door, I find Navi sitting against the corridor wall outside. She pulls herself to her feet, andI tense. She wants to talk to me. I can see it. I look up and down the corridor and there's nobody else around. "Ingra and Orgid shouldn't have done that to you," she says.

"I thought you agreed with the weakest link theory," I say.

"I'm starting to wonder if you're not the weakest link at all."

I tilt my head. "Really?"

"You clearly have power now. You have a val-tivar of some sort, and you're the first of all of us to get it."

"Technically, Branka was the first," I mutter.

Navi scowls. "I don't know what it is about you that has everyone so obsessed, but perhaps they were right. Perhaps there is something about you."

My jaw clenches. It seems I'm going to draw attention whether I want it or not. I guess at least now it's for something better than being shit at everything.

"Perhaps there is," I say, and then turn and head down the stairs.

I don't knock when I enter Sarra's workshop because I'm not expecting her to be there until after dinner, so I'm surprised to see her sitting at her workbench. "Oh, Sarra, am I relieved to see you. You will not believe what has just happened," I say.

When she doesn't turn around, I wonder if she's in a rune-mark trance, so I move around to the side, slowly, not wanting to startle her. I've seen her woodworking before, but when I see her eyes, I know immediately that that's not what she's doing now. Her eyes are open, but they are glowing a weird hue of green. Her hands, which are holding Aldrich's staff, have a strange hue to them too, a dark gray starting at her fingertips and working its way back down her fingers.

"Sarra, are you okay?" I grip her shoulder and she jolts, dropping the staff and turning to me, blinking. The color fades immediately from her eyes, and I look down to see that it also has from her hands. "What are you doing? What's happening? Are you okay?" I barrage her with questions, and she shakes her head.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she says, a little dazedly. "I'm just working on the staff."

"But your eyes were green," I tell her.

She scowls. "Really?"

"Yeah, and your hands were turning gray."

Her frown deepens, and she looks at her fingers."You sure?"

"Yes," I say.She looks thoughtful for a moment and then picks up the staff again. "Have you worked out anything about it yet?" I ask.

"No, but there's definitely magic here I've never come across. I'm making some progress, but it's slow," she says.

"Well, maybe be careful."

She nods. "Okay. Next time I work on it, I'll do it when you're here, and you can tell me if the same thing happens," she offers.

"I think that's a good idea."

"So why are you here before dinner?"

"I've had an eventful day," I say, and sink down into a chair.

"What happened? Did you pass out somewhere embarrassing again?" she asks.

"Oh, no. It was much bigger than that." I start from the beginning, telling her about Henrik asking me to join the swim race, right through to what just happened.

"Maddy, this is amazing," she says when I'm finished. Her eyes are wide and she's crouched down in front of me, gripping the chair.

"I know. A fucking eight-foot bear showed up in front of everybody and saved my life and then froze an entire spring," I say."It's like something from one of our books."

"You need to walk into that feasting hall tonight like you are the one who is eight feet tall!" she exclaims. Her eyes are gleaming and she's grinning at me. "You need to own this. You are, right now, the most powerful fae here, and the closest to being a Valkyrie."

I stare at her. "You think so?"

"Yes," she says. She stands up and barks a laugh. "Yes! You need to rub this in Inga and Orgid's faces as much as you can. You need to show that bitch Brynhild that you can do ice magic, too."

"Oh, fates, I don't want to be anywhere near Brynhild," I groan.

Sarra's smile falters. "You froze a whole spring, right?"

"Well, either the bear or I did, yeah."

"The thing is, Maddy, you really do need to learn more control." We both look toward a bookcase that I accidentally drenched, ruining half the books on it, and a smashed vase on the mantelpiece that I broke with some wayward shards of ice.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. And Harald will believe me now. He didn't when I tried to tell him in the forge yesterday, but now he'll have no choice."

The entire feast hall falls quiet when I walk in. I deliberately go in late, at Sarra's encouragement. She said I had to own it, so I will.

Within two minutes of moving into the room, I'm surrounded.

"How did you do it?"

"What was it like?"

"Why did she act independently of you?"

"When did it first happen?"

They are throwing questions at me so fast I can't even work out what all of them are saying.

"Give her some space," calls Harald, and everybody falls silent as he pushes his way through the group. He claps me hard on the shoulder, and I only just stop myself from stumbling. "Sorry I doubted you, rook," he says to me with a cheerful grin. "Tomorrow, you and I are having a conversation about val-tivars ."

"Really?" I say.

"Really, hersir ," he corrects me.

"Do you know why she acted independently of me?" I ask. I know that there are at least ten other rooks around me, and I've just admitted that I don't actually know as much as they think I do, but the question slips out before I can stop it.

"Nope. No idea." He beams at me. "But I'm excited to find out." His enthusiasm and lack of concern for the things he doesn't understand settles me, and I smile back. Erik comes up behind him, and he gives me an equally interested smile.

"As am I. I knew you were here for a reason, rook."

"Thank you, hersir ," I mutter. I go up to the food table, pushing my way through the crowd, and load up my plate with food. Eldith smiles at me from where she is already seated at a table, and I hurry to sit with her. Within another few moments, the table's full. Everybody is asking me questions.

After thirty minutes,I'm sick of saying, "I don't know."

"Do you think it's going to overtake you like Branka?" one of the fae asks.

"No. None of us saw Branka's wolf," I say. "So, no, I don't think so."

I don't tell any of them that I can see other people's val-tivars , but I do admit that I don't know why she keeps leaving. I know Inga and Orgid are listening. I can see them on the next table over with Dimec and Thira, but there's no point pretending I can call the bear at will—at some point that lie would surely be exposed—so I add loudly, "but she's saved my life every time it's been in danger."

The questions slow down when most of the rooks realize I'm not going to be able to help them, and by the time I've finished my stew they are all talking amongst themselves, mostly about what kind of val-tivar they hope to get.

"She really was something," Eldith says to me.

I smile at her. "I wish I knew how to make her stay. I want to know her name."

"I told Erik about Inga and Orgid."

I raise my brows. "Why? Do you think the Valkyrie will care?"

"Yes. You're not supposed to try to kill the other rooks."

"What did he say?"

"That they would be punished accordingly."

"Oh. Thanks." Punishment from the other Valkyrie will likely not be what Kain had in mind. I think of the catacomb cells, and then the post in the middle of the Battleyard. They are the only demonstrations of punishment I've seen here, so far reserved for the disobedient fire-fae.

My eyes find Kain when I think of him.

He's staring at me across the room, and his lips twitch when our gazes meet. His wolf flares to life beside him, and I gasp, dropping my metal spoon with a clang. Kain chuckles.

"Bastard!"

Eldith frowns at me. "Who? Orgid?"

"No, Kain! He did that on purpose, just to—" I catch myself and stop speaking.

Eldith is now frowning over at the fire-fae, who is ignoring us both and languidly spooning stew into his mouth.

"Never mind." I shake my head.

When I drift off to sleep that night, I have a dream.

The Frost Giants are back. There are more of them this time, and they are ravaging Featherblade. Tears streak down my cheeks as they smash apart the ancient, magical wood of Odin's High Hall and freeze all of the surrounding water. One of the leaders, a monstrously beautiful female just like the one I saw dead in the water, but with violet eyes, has strung each of the winged Valkyrie up on posts, like they did to Kain.

"Which one of you let us in?" She laughs and runs a massive finger along each of their cheeks. "I would like to thank you personally."