41. Maddy

Chapter 41

Maddy

I t doesn't take long to reach the vault door, and my nerves and excitement grow as we approach.

Featherblade wouldn't show me the way if it didn't want me in there. And it wouldn't reveal the earthy tunnel leading there if I had Kain with me and I was supposed to be alone.

I try to draw certainty from my logic, even though I know there are holes. Kain might be Yggdrasil 's best actor, and this tunnel is always here. He might have lied when he said Featherblade had only just revealed it to me, and he might have always known what the riddle sealing the vault door was.

There is the map, though. The map showed me the vault, and Kain had nothing to do with that.

I let out a long breath as the storeroom comes into view, the crates still overflowing.

I'm doing this. There's no going back now.

We move together to the metal vault door .

Beyond these walls lies the sacred Vault of the Valkyrie,

Filled with treasures, it will reward your entrance lavishly,

But to pass this first door you must prove that your knowledge is sound,

List every Guardian and the beast to which they were bound.

Make one mistake and it will be your last,

The door will ensure you exist only in the past.

"Here goes," I whisper, then let myself go to the gallery. I recall the spear statue, and when I return to reality, the long list of Valkyrie and their val-tivars is in my hand. I read, slowly and clearly.

"Lastly, Harald the Strong and a bear," I finish, and there is a resounding clunking sound. The vault door swings open an inch, and I look excitedly at Kain.

I'm expecting a smile, or some sort of urgency. But he's staring at me like he did in the records room.

"Your power… You were reading from something."

"Yes. The paper I memorized, I have a ghost version of it. Come on, you've wanted to get in here for ages, and the door is open."

"How many memories can you access? "

Nerves skitter though me. I don't want to talk to him about this. "Lots," I say evasively.

Once more, I see the thoughts playing out behind those piercing eyes. "Your family… They kept you hidden away because of this, not because of your lack of magic or your fainting." I tense. "They used you to keep secrets."

It was only a matter of time before he put it together. He already worked out what I could do from spying on me all over Featherblade, but watching me use my memory magic so blatantly has obviously triggered his realization.

Is he going to demand his secret? The one he thinks my father owes him?

If he does, you'll find out what it is. I shut down the curious voice in my mind as fast as I can.

"So what if they did? The vault is open, Kain."

His lips part, his brows drawn together.

Before he can speak, I move, pushing the heavy door open.

I get a foot inside before I halt in my tracks. "Wow."

It's another tunnel, as earthy as the ones leading here, but the ground is polished stone and the roof overhead is made up of purple, flower-covered vines. At twenty-foot intervals, as far as my eyes can see, are pedestals. At least five of them are clear from where I am standing: a necklace on a stone bust, a shield bigger than I am, a small chest that looks to be made from solid gold, a simple wooden sword, and a tiara on a smaller bust. There are more, stretching all the way along the tunnel, and tapestries with gold threads that shine in the light from the magically lit sconces that dot the walls.

I move to the first pedestal and see writing on a small plaque beneath the necklace.

"The first Gold Court Queen's choker," I read aloud.

Kain moves into the room behind me, his ash eyes widening a little as he takes it all in.

I move along the corridor, taking my time, reading every plate we pass.

When I see a starstone bracelet from the Shadow Court, I almost reach out and take it. Freydis always said that the hardest stone to get would be starstone; it is incredibly rare.

"Don't touch anything," Kain rumbles, and I pause. He's staring at a tapestry, and I look closer at it.

It's a battle scene, which is no surprise, but a lot of the fae are fighting beside huge animals. Bears, wolves, giant serpents, and birds large enough to ride are all depicted, but there are others—foxes, stoats, massive cats, even oversized insects.

"Not all these fae have wings," Kain says, his voice thoughtful.

"So, they're not all Valkyrie?"

"I think some are High Fae. The Vanir . The first race the gods ever created, and still the most powerful. They were given animal familiars to channel their magic and fight alongside them."

"How do you know about Vanir ?"

"I had a rich education." He turns away from the tapestry and carries on down the hallway. I stare after him.

I knew he was smart and well read. But is he from a noble background?

"Who were you before you were a Valkyrie?" I ask, moving after him.

"None of your business."

I pull a face, then I'm distracted by a massive sword standing a foot taller than most of the other displayed items.

"Unlikely," Kain mutters, without looking. "There's another door."

The tunnel bends a little at its end, and when I move to stand beside him, I see he's right. A second round metal door is closed, sealing the end of the corridor.

"Do you think your helm is in there?"

"Maybe. And whatever you're supposed to find."

I look over my shoulder at the long line of priceless artifacts. "Erm, I'm pretty sure any of that could help me."

My insides are fizzing with excitement at the thought of looking up each and every thing in here and finding out where it came from and what it does.

Kain steps closer to the door, and runes made of light flare to life, spinning until they stop in order, straight across the center of the door.

Five courts, five ships, hidden from sight,

Earth, Ice, Fire, Gold, and Shadow's might.

Vessels of royalty, names unknown,

Each a key to secrets grown.

The Talekeeper's Vault, a trove untold,

Its treasures locked, both new and old.

But heed this warning, clear and true:

No prize is yours till all doors undo.

Seek the names of longships grand,

To unlock the vault and understand.

Only when all five you've found,

Can the riches within be unbound.

As soon as Kain finishes reading the runes aloud, five ships appear in the metal below, each with the symbol of their court beside them, and there is a clinking sound as a chain materializes, a feather quill at its end.

"Well," I breathe. "There go my looting plans." The riddle is pretty clear: we can't take anything until all the doors are unlocked.

Kain looks at me, his eyes shining. "Do you have any of the ship names inside your head?"

"I know the name of the Ice Court ship," I say. " Fjardviggr ."

He leans forward, takes the quill, and etches the name into the door. There's a flare of light, and then the name disappears.

We both frown at it.

"Do you know what the Fire Court royals named their ship?" I ask tentatively. It's not like he's been forthcoming with information about where he's from or his life before Featherblade, so I'm not expecting him to answer. But he leans forward and writes a name next to the Fire Court ship. Ognabrandur .

This time, when the light flares, it's gold in color, and when it fades, the name is still there, carved into the metal.

"So, the Ice Court ship must have been called something else when this door was made," he breathes.

"How do you know what the Fire Court ship was called?" I ask.

"I told you. I had an expansive education." He straightens and turns to me. "Search your information. See if you can find any others."

I nod. "Fine. It might take me a minute."

"I'm not going anywhere, princess."

I abandon reality and go to the gallery. I'm thinking about the Ice Court royal longship, which I've been on many times before, but when the icy corridor whizzes along and then stops, it's not a memory of a ship that it has deposited before me.

It's the wolf. The one that has been here my whole life and has been melting since I met Kain.

There's barely any ice left. A flaming gray wolf is snarling before me, still as a statue, but no longer frozen.

It's Kain's wolf. I'm certain.

I reach out slowly, my heart pounding in my ears .

When my fingers touch the fur, I'm transported.

An image plays out before me, clear and vivid as though I was there.

Kain is alight. His whole body is on fire, flames licking up and over his shoulders, jumping a foot in the air above him. His eyes are red, they're so filled with fire. He's moving in slow motion before me, plunging a dagger down into the heart of another fae. Her face is warped in terror, and my world shudders to a standstill.

It's Freydis.