Dead Radiance (28 page)

She landed with a thud, splattering mud onto both our armor. Just as a precaution, I slipped my sword beneath her chin as she gasped for breath. Better to have her down and out than trying to cut me off at the legs. A round of applause went up around us, and Fen stepped into the circle. Finally.

"So there you see a lesson on how not to fight. Do not let your emotions control your movements. Channel them into your actions." He patted my shoulder. "Good job, Bryn. Astrid, I expected more from you than getting whipped by a novice."

He turned and left the field. But not before I caught the slight smile that lifted the corner of his mouth. Behind him, a steaming Astrid stared daggers at his departing back as she hauled herself to her feet. Fen had nothing to fear from Astrid though. Me, on the other hand . . . when she turned on me, her eyes glittered, narrowed. She shoved her face close to mine. "Do not get too happy, little novice. You might need to hone those skills before too long. The life of a certain person may just depend on it."

Any doubts that it had been Astrid whom I had seen the previous night dissolved. I swallowed my fear, refusing to let her see me emotionally weak. I just knew she was talking about Aidan. And she confirmed it when she whispered, "You should have chosen a better spot to get cozy with your lover. Hopefully you have said your goodbyes."

She left me as soon as Sigrun arrived. Left me gulping for air as fear drowned all thought and feeling in me. Sigrun gave me a worried look but said nothing. I paid little attention to my friend. I closed my eyes and saw again my embrace with Aidan in the shadow on the carved pillar. And saw the flash of light hair. What bad luck to run into Astrid, of all people. What had she been doing in Valhalla? It was just as forbidden for her to enter the hall as it was for me.

And what did she mean? I wanted to run after her and beat the information out of her. But common sense prevailed. She'd never give in to me, even if I did beat her to a pulp.

But something didn't sit right. Why was Astrid so desperate to get rid of me, to demean me? Could it all be just her own anger and envy toward Brunhilde? Or was there more than just Astrid's personal vendetta working against me?

Whatever she had planned for me right now had everything to do with Aidan.

***

With my mind stuck on Astrid and her intentions, I missed most of the procession. It had been unimpressive to begin with. Nothing like Mardi Gras or the Fourth of July. Just a bunch of Warriors in polished armor leading the procession, with Freya on her mount bringing up the rear. Her dark hair and smoky eyes swept over everyone.

The most impressive thing in the entire procession wasn't Freya's blinding beauty but that of her incredibly beautiful dress, made of finely meshed golden chain armor. I found myself trying hard not to stare, in case she caught me and thought my attention was for her and not the garment she wore. The entire battalion of Valkyries filed in and marched behind Freya. By some fortunate turn of events, I was positioned just to the right of the Sleipnir she rode, the best place to admire her golden robes.

We reached the castle where the new Warriors were led into Odin's Hall along with the Valkyries. Sigrun and I exchanged looks of surprise. The Warriors we'd retrieved just days before were also gathered within the hall. I was relieved to see that though they looked tired they were in good health. From the looks of it, they would commence their training soon.

Freya walked up to the dais where another throne now sat beside Frigga's. She seated herself with sheer grace, her expression so serene and demure it was hard to imagine she was capable of being the passionate Warrior that she was.

"This seems to be all wrong," Sigrun hissed beside me.

"What's wrong?'

"Firstly, Freya is never late. Secondly, the untrained Warriors are never presented to her. She only ever wants to see the trained
einherjar
."

Sigrun's discomfort put me on edge. I scanned the hall for Astrid. She was easy to spot. I glimpsed familiar wings and armor, and her position at Freya's side didn't surprise me. I hadn't yet met the goddess Freya in person, but already I wasn't entirely sure I'd be a fan. Not when she gave privileges to the likes of Astrid.

I waited with the rest of the audience, though not with the same bated breath as the rest of them.

"Goddess Freya, your people are gathered here to welcome you home for the Choosing." Odin's voice boomed around the Hall. He inclined his head to his wife. "The goddess Frigga is ready to aid your choice."

The two women conferred, and so began the Choosing. The gathered Warriors were inspected and discussed, with Frigga frequently leaning over to comment. Soon Freya had amassed her half of the Warriors, who stood ready and proud before the dais.

Then Freya rose and walked off the dais toward her regiment. In a well-orchestrated move, the Warriors lowered themselves onto their left knees and awaited their leader's blessing. Once done, she moved toward the Valkyries assembled on the other side, giving us the once over.

When she paused before me, the amber pendent at my neck grew warm. So warm that it burned a cold fire against my skin. Freya stared, her eyes drawn to pendant. When her gaze rose to meet mine, I shivered. Her eyes were now the same amber shade as the gem around my neck.

"What is your name, child?" Her voice was soft and gentle, with no trace of menace or anger behind it.

"Bryn Halbrook." I felt slightly off balance, unsure if I should curse or bow or refer to her as Majesty or ma'am.

"Well, Brynhildr, it seems you possess something that belongs to me." Freya's eyes sparkled, glimmerings of gold gathered at the corners.

"I'm not sure what you mean." I was more shocked than defensive.

"We will discuss this later, my dear. I will call for you." I met her cold eyes and tamped down a shudder. Somewhere within the depths of her eyes lay a frigid soul. Those glowing golden teardrops in her eyes were nothing but cold gold. With those words, she swept away, back to the dais.

She remained standing, clearly not done with her speech.

"It would be remiss of me not to thank those who have helped to care for and train my Warriors," she said. "To the Valkyries, my strong women warriors. And to Fenrir and his remarkable team, for honing them into powerful and strong soldiers who can help defend the House of Odin." A resounding cheer went up, from Warriors old and new, Freya's and Odin's. And from the Valkyries too.

"And this brings me to a decision that I have made just this morning. I usually only make the Choosing from the trained Warriors. But sometimes, I see a Warrior who is so worthy that it really does not matter if he is not fully healed or fully trained. It does not happen often, but today there is one Warrior whom I want. With the All-Father's blessing, of course."

Odin nodded, forehead creased, no doubt curious about what Freya was up to. He didn't seem to think anything untoward was going on as he granted her request. Freya turned to the audience, silencing the whispered questions buzzing around like a little swarm of curious bees. "The Warrior I have chosen is so new to Valhalla that he is still recovering, so I will go to him."

Sigrun shuffled beside me. Was this another one of Freya's departures? I met Sigrun's eyes and raised a questioning brow. She gave a slight shrug, but her eyes held concern. Sigrun suspected something was amiss. And I couldn't deny that my own heart was slamming against my breastbone.

Freya didn't walk. She glided. The trailing ends of her long gilded dress glittered in the torchlight. Her cheeks shimmered where golden dust covered the skin, and her face remained regal, untouched. She paused before the small rank of Warriors, looking straight at Joshua, who didn't flinch. He just held his ground with his chin confidently forward. But the little vein at his temple, hidden by a curl of his hair, told me he would not be fainting from excitement if she chose him.

She didn't. Freya moved on to Aimee. I hadn't realized until then how tall Aimee actually was. In fact, she was taller than Joshua, standing upright and strong. Stronger that I'd ever known her to be. Aimee had been sick since before I arrived in Craven. I honestly didn't think I'd ever seen Aimee's complexion as anything but a pale and pasty white, or her eyes anything besides huge and almost popping out of her head.

She'd always been weak and incredibly thin, the cancer virtually eating her from inside out. But now she stood strong, her eyes like a smoldering fire, her stance saying don't-mess-with-me. She too remained calm during Freya's inspection, no indication at all of how she felt about being taken so soon. When Freya nodded and moved on, Aimee released a pent up breath. So she had been stressing after all.

When Freya stopped before Aidan, a familiar creeping sensation trailed down my back. I turned to Astrid, still standing beside Freya's empty seat in mute silence. Just in time catch a venomous, yet triumphant, sneer from her before she masked her emotions.

I stopped breathing and the thumping in my chest threatened to break a rib. Freya smiled at Aidan and raised her hand. Which he took and bowed over to kiss. Great, where did he learn gallantry? Freya smiled at his tousled head bowed over her hand.

When he rose, she grasped his arm and said, "You, Aidan Lee, are my chosen Warrior."

Chapter 30

I wanted to faint and cry and scream all at the same time. I didn't understand exactly what Freya's Warriors did, where they went or what interaction they would have with their fellows in Asgard. But the moment she stood before him and smiled that smile of pure seduction, I knew Aidan was doomed.

The ceremony drew to a close as Freya and her Warriors, including Aidan, left the Hall in what should have been a pretty upbeat procession. To me it was nothing more than a death march.

"Well, at least he didn't much look like he was disturbed by her choice. In fact, he looked pretty entranced by her," I said to Sigrun, unable to hide my bitterness.

She patted my shoulder. "That is the power of Freya. She entrances men with her eyes, seduces them with their own dreams."

"Take it you don't have much love for her?"

"Well, she is my
boss
, as you say. But she always has her own agenda."

"So what's her agenda now? Why'd she take Aidan?"

"From the looks of it Aidan has nothing that Freya needs. Except you."

I looked up from nervously picking at a cuticle. "Me? She's using Aidan against me?"

"So it appears." Sigrun frowned. "But how would she even have known there was any connection between you two?"

"Er . . . I should have told you, but I didn't want to worry you. Don't look so suspicious. When you left me with Aidan in Valhalla, he kissed me."

"He kissed you, so what? Did you kiss him back?" She leaned closer. I couldn't believe she wanted details at a time like this.

"Of course I did," I said. "It's not like we haven't kissed before. He's my boyfriend. Was. My boyfriend. Sort of. I mean, we were together, in love. Anyway, I think someone saw us?"

"What? But we were so careful. Who saw you?"

"I can't be entirely certain, but it looked like Astrid. Or rather, my gut tells me it was her. It was just a suspicion until Freya chose Aidan. That's just way too coincidental." Not to mention the look of supreme satisfaction on Astrid's face.

"So that is what she meant on the field this morning."

"You heard that?"

"Yes, I heard, but I did not understand. You know what it is like to only hear part of the conversation."

"Yup." I sure did; I sighed inwardly, thinking of the time I'd eavesdropped on Aidan and Ms. Custer. "So, what now? What are we supposed to do?"

Worry crept into Sigrun's eyes. "Freya told you she wanted to talk to you. She will call you to her before she leaves."

"So I'm just supposed to sit around and wait?"

"Yes. You can try to order a goddess around if you wish. Personally I would look out for my own neck first. Then my heart."

***

I didn't have too long to wait. Just a night of tossing and turning. When Turi brought breakfast the next morning, it came with a little message. A small scroll lay next to a goblet of Mead. At my questioning look Turi said, "The Mead is for your injuries from your training yesterday, and the message is from the goddess Freya."

"But I wasn't hurt. . . ." Turi was bustling about pretending not to hear me at all.

I downed the Mead. Not only for its rejuvenating sweetness, but for the little rush of peace that came with each swallow. Who would have thought of peace and tranquility as a drug? Just imagine what would happen if some Earthly genius figured out how to make Mead. Instant euphoria. All medical cures would be incidental and gratis. Sure.

I stared at the roll of paper. Did I truly want to read her message? I wasn't sure what Freya was up to. At last, I steeled myself and grasped the scroll with two fingers, my blood thrumming in my head. I smoothed the paper open and read a request for my attendance, after breakfast, in Odin's Hall. That was it. Not even a signature. Only the golden edges of the paper implied that Freya might be the sender.

Right. Still no idea what Her Haughtiness wanted. Guess I'd find out soon enough. I finished breakfast and dressed alone. Turi had snuck out quietly before I'd opened the note. Perhaps it was better I was alone anyway. I wasn't the best company right now. Filled with anger and frustration. I wasn't sure what I'd do or say.