57. Maddy
Chapter 57
Maddy
T he shimmery ceiling in the last room of the vault turns out to be a portal, and we half crash to the ground when I will us back, Kain moving to catch me, then pulling back.
"I'm sorry. I'm still too weak to freeze my skin," I murmur as Thyrvi uses her massive nose to lift me to my feet.
"I have something that can fix fatigue," comes Sigrun's voice.
We both snap our heads around to the mighty Valkyrie leader standing in the doorway of the final chamber.
"I'll trade you. Featherblade is eager to have its blade reunited with its feather."
Sigrun moves toward me and holds out her hand. When I place the dagger in it, she pulls a hip flask from her belt with her other.
I drink without hesitation, and liquid honey flows through me. My body straightens, and the fog in my mind retreats.
Sigrun carefully places the dagger back on its pedestal, and a voice rings through the vault.
" Fire-fae. The Vanir were wrong."
The Vanir? Aren't they High Fae? I thought the gods punished Kain.
"They were taken in by the lies of the Ice Court royal family and punished an innocent fae. This will be corrected." I hold my breath as the voice continues. "Kain the Ruinous, you will have your wings returned to you. The curse on your skin will be lifted and your incarceration at Featherblade is at an end."
My heart thumps in my chest, my newly restored energy blasting through my veins with excitement.
The curse will be lifted.
He's free.
"I want to keep these wings," Kain says firmly. His eyes are shining, flames dancing in his irises.
"Wings born of a banished god's wayward power?"
"Wings born of love, desperation, and ultimately, the saving of my court."
There's a long pause before Featherblade replies, "As you wish."
The air around him shimmers, and his dark skin glows a fierce amber. He sucks in air, and Skoll flares to life.
I've never seen the wolf like this this, though. He's not baring his teeth, pacing, snarling or hissing.
He's staring at Kain, ears pricked, tail raised, loyal love emanating from him.
With a burst of heat, Skoll's fur bursts into beautiful, rippling flames. Fiery wings burst from Kain's back, more solid than before, and he holds his hands out, chest heaving.
Fire dances across his palms, winding up and over his bare shoulders and shimmering out on swirls of sparking embers.
My eyes fill with tears as he turns to me. "It's gone. The curse is gone."
His eyes are alight with promise. With love.
Skoll comes to a stop a foot from me. I gasp as he lowers his flickering head. I look back to Kain, whose eyes are wide.
"His services are yours now, princess. Everything he gives to me, he gives to you."
With a tug I can't stop, I'm in the gallery.
The wolf statue before me is flaming, just like Skoll. I reach out and touch it, all my fear gone.
All I see is Kain and Skoll. Glorious, fierce, resolute, streaking across battlefields, flying by my side.
This is what has been inside me, waiting to be awoken, all this time. Kain and his fierce val-tivar are as much a part of me now as Thyrvi is. As my wings are.
The realization crashes through me, like a mighty avalanche.
I'm a Valkyrie. I'm an actual fucking Valkyrie.
The statue whizzes on, and there's the eagle. She has melted.
I reach out, and I can see myself, but the image takes my breath away.
I'm wrapped in fur-trimmed leather armor, my bright blue hair filled with honor-won braids. A gleaming bow and my beautiful shield with Thyrvi's face are in my hands, and behind me beat the most beautiful wings I've ever seen.
They're not charred and broken. They are gleaming white, shot with ice-blue streaks, and covered in glittering frost.
With a jolt, I'm back in the vault, and tears of joy are streaming down my cheeks.
Kain steps to me and raises a hand, and my whole body stills as he, ever so gently, wipes a tear from my cheek.
My heart explodes with love, and I see it mirrored straight back at me in his face.
Love. Unconditional, never-ending, soul-deep love.
"Though I hate to interrupt," Sigrun says, and we both whirl, "this is not the time or place. You've waited this long—you can wait a little longer."
There's a playful tone to her otherwise serious voice that makes my cheeks heat.
"Kain, the Vanir owe you an apology, and as such, you may take any artifact you choose from this vault before it is resealed, in recompense."
No artifact in Yggdrasil can compensate for the injustice Kain has lived with. But he doesn't point that out.
He bows his head stiffly instead, and I see his eyes dart to the colossal broadsword just beyond the door.
"I would rather have help rebuilding the Fire Court," he says.
Sigrun nods. "You shall have that regardless. The monarchs of Yggdrasil will mobilize to assist, as will our new team of Valkyrie. Many will have earned their wings in today's battle."
Pride rushes through me, my own wings fluttering.
Featherblade's voice fills the room again. "It is the High Fae who are responsible for your new kind of val-tivar , Madivia. The power in you was obvious when you first touched my runestones, and I knew you would be the perfect fae to try funneling this ancient magic into. You have proven yourself worthy—worthy enough to change an entire generation of Valkyrie. As the High Fae had familiars that roamed the earth beside them, you will have your magnificent val-tivar as companion and ally in battle."
Thyrvi gives a roar from where she stands beside me. Now that I have my wings, I can never lose her. She's mine, here to stay forever.
"Now," Sigrun says, "I will reseal the vault once Kain has selected his artifact." She glances at him. "You will, of course, be publicly pardoned as well. Perhaps we can combine that with your sister's coronation—a mark of peace between the courts," she adds to me.
My throat tightens. "My sister's coronation," I echo quietly. "My mother didn't make it, did she?"
Sigrun shakes her head. "No. The fire from the helm took her while she was unconscious. She felt no pain." Her face tightens, and so does Kain's. I know they're both thinking she deserved to suffer, but…
I take a deep breath.
Maybe it's better this way. She wasn't exactly good for Yggdrasil . But Freydis must be devastated.
"Where is my sister?"
"She has gone to see your father in the cells." Sigrun pauses, lifting one shoulder. "Where he will likely have to stay, Madivia, along with Erik and Ishild."
I let out a long breath. "Did you bring all the artifacts back?"
"Yes."
"I assume they must all be returned?"
"Do you wish to keep any of them?"
Featherblade's voice rings out as I shake my head. "She will keep the chest."
"The one with the little hole in the top?" I ask.
"Correct."
"What is it?"
"It is a coinbox." I hear the smile in the voice, and I can't help wonder what Featherblade is . A god? A High Fae? Or something else entirely?
I make myself focus. "What does it do?"
"With the right coin, it can show you things even your considerable imagination will be astounded by."
My mind whirs, and I think of the coins I've found since I've been here, and that I saw Brynhild take.
I want to ask more, but the voice stops me. "Some puzzles are better solved yourself, curious little ice-fae."
I nod. "Well, thank you, for whatever it is. And I'm sorry—I destroyed a few of the other things I found, fixing the tiara." I bite the inside of my cheek. "And speaking of the tiara… I think we should keep it here in the vault."
Sigrun nods slowly. "If you wish. Speak with your sister—it is an heirloom of your court, after all, and she is about to become queen. That is, assuming you won't be contesting her for the job."
I pull a face. "Queen? No. Gods no. I am a Valkyrie. My place is not ruling a court." The idea honestly horrifies me.
Sigrun laughs. "Well, if you are as in love with this fire-fae as he is with you, then you may end up ruling a different one. You do realize he is the last surviving heir to a court with no king?"
Kain's eyes widen. Then he shakes his head and steps toward me. "After being trapped for two hundred years, there is no way I will tie myself to anywhere, even my home. There will be others better suited to rule than I."
Sigrun's sincere smile transforms her beautiful face. "You both wish to be free to conduct your own adventures?"
"To be warriors of Odin," Kain says firmly.
"To keep Yggdrasil safe." I nod, then add softly, "And to be together."