Chapter 6 #2
“They told me of a place—,” my voice cracks, and I take a calming breath, still trying to adjust to my surroundings.
“A place that was a paradise for the chosen warriors to come live and train for the Father’s armies.
” My parents’ loving faces appear in my mind before I push on.
“They described a massive hall like the one we were just in, a land that looked identical to this one, and people with wings.” I turn towards her.
“I just thought it was their attempt at explaining an afterlife. I didn’t think it was real. ”
Odessa pats my leg. “It is very real, and that does sum it up quite nicely, but things have changed since your mother was the Queen here.”
“Changed how?”
“Well, originally, we would travel back and forth between the human realm and this one, bringing the warriors Odin had chosen for his army, but we don’t do that anymore.
I mentioned earlier that we heard your mother’s charm and assumed it was her.
That necklace you’re wearing opens the bridges between worlds, but we haven’t been able to travel since the magic started to fade.
I’m really not sure how you managed to reach us at all.
” Her gaze goes distant momentarily before her eyes sharpen, and she clears her throat.
“But it’s changed in more ways than that.
Odin, the Father, has returned to the Gods Realm.
There is no war coming, so there’s nothing to ‘train’ for.
We live as we wish.” She scrunches her nose.
“Well, we did, but with the power in Idirhalla weakening since your mother left, terrible disasters have been occurring. It has brought about some unique challenges.”
I clear my throat. “How is this tied to my mother?”
Odessa stares out at the city before us. “The power is tied to the royal bloodline through your mother in a covenant between her line and Odin. I’ve been the reigning queen in your mother’s absence, but we only share a father and not the maternal bloodline through which power is linked.”
I nod, but it’s difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that I’m the daughter of a queen in a realm that has, or had, magic, and is currently crumbling because of her absence.
“I have a few questions,” I say, my brow furrowing.
Odessa smirks, her eyes flash playfully. “I’d be concerned if you didn’t.”
“First, not to be rude, but what are you? Like, why do you have wings? Second, what kind of magic is this power-fading thing? What does it do?” The questions tumble out of me so quickly I’m worried I might’ve lost her.
Still, she tilts her head. “It’s not rude at all.
I’m a Valkyrie, like you and your mother; that’s why we have white wings.
You will see others with black wings, but they are not Valkyrie, just guards.
” Her wings rustle in the breeze. I open my mouth, but she raises a hand to stop me from cutting her off.
“We call it magic or power, but it’s a blessing we get from the Father, and it’s different for each person.
Some of us have specific powers that are beneficial for battle, like creating invisible shields or moving things without touching them.
But we all have a nearly immortal life span and quick healing capabilities. ”
My body sways on the bench; I feel like I’m on the verge of passing out as every new revelation pelts me like stones. I jolt off the bench. “I need a moment.”
Odessa’s eyes fill with understanding as she murmurs, “Take your time. I know it’s a lot.”
The ground is solid underneath my boots as I pace back and forth by the stone and filigree metal railing that separates the terrace from the garden a small drop below.
I halt beneath the branches of a broad, blossoming tree.
The light pink petals dance in the breeze.
The fragrance of the blossoms is heavenly as it washes over me.
Overcome with the magnitude of emotions coursing through my body, my eyes close, and I attempt a round of mindfulness, but the massive amount of emotions to pick through and set aside is daunting.
Instead, I sink to my knees and focus on the feeling of the ground beneath me.
But my mind continues to race.
This world is in jeopardy because of my mother?
My stomach roils as guilt settles in.
The next thought causes me even more pain. How could she ever let that happen?
I squeeze my hands into fists. I’m trapped here. This is too much. My palms sweat.
I can’t be trapped here; I’ve got to get home.
I force my mind to quiet with a few rounds of counted breathing. I pick myself back up and walk back over to the bench—to my aunt.
I’ve spent my whole life without family other than my parents and Gran, but now I have an aunt. That’s a small silver lining, I suppose. She pats the space I vacated in welcome before I sit beside her.
“Okay, so how do I get back? Because, as happy as I am to meet you, as I said, I have people back home who need me and are probably worried about me.”
She ponders my request for a moment before she replies, “I believe you’ll need your own power to manifest, and you might be able to travel back, but if I’m being honest, I would like you to stay here. You are your mother’s daughter and the rightful heir to the throne.”
I swallow audibly; the daunting responsibility she’s placed on my shoulders threatens to undo me.
“But if I don’t want to stay, then what happens?” I whisper, glancing up at her circlet.
Odessa clasps my hand with hers. “I won’t say that I won’t let you return if we find a way.
I want you to stay because I think you are the only person who could save us.
Magic would be restored if you stayed. But if you leave, then magic will begin to fade again, and with it, our realm will cease to exist.”
I tense at the meaning of her words as they sink in, and the weight of all that responsibility pushed heavily on my shoulders.
She smiles, sadly. “But if you do not wish to stay, I will not force you.”
My shoulders sag a bit in relief, and she studies the change in my expression.
“You have more questions.”
I bite my lip. “Yes. You said I have wings, but I don’t. And my mother definitely didn’t. And maternal line? Does that mean my Gran is from here?”
Odessa’s wings flare a bit as she rolls her shoulders, preparing to answer all of my questions, and it’s mesmerizing; the light sends rainbows reflecting from each glossy feather.
I definitely would’ve remembered if my mother had those.
I’ve dreamed of being able to fly my whole life, and a small part of me hopes she doesn’t have the wrong person.
“Since you weren’t born here, your wings never developed; there’s little to no magic in the human realm.
There’s just enough for the smaller creatures and some shifters.
As for your mother, she was a very powerful Valkyrie and, like me, had the ability to vanish her wings.
” Odessa’s wings vanish, and my face twists in utter disbelief.
She chuckles at my expression. “And if your Gran is your mother’s mother, then yes, that would make her Queen Skadi. ”
The thought of my Gran ruling as queen here makes perfect sense; she always seemed more suited for a throne than her favorite wingback chair at the Hall.
“My Gran is really sick; that’s why I need to go home,” I mumble.
Odessa pats my thigh consolingly. “There’s not enough magic in the human realm to sustain her immortal body, so she would have begun to age and fall victim to many human ailments. I’m sorry, Helena.”
A question begins forming in my mind, but the more I focus on it, the more it slips through my fingers.
Odessa stands and pulls me up with her, interlocking our elbows. “You can ask me more questions on the way, but let me show you to your room so you can rest and come to terms with all this. I need to fill everyone in on your presence here.”
My nod is barely noticeable and doesn’t seem satisfactory enough for her.
“Unless you don’t want to be alone?” she asks.
Remembering she told the man from before, Julius, she’d be late to the council meeting, and that she is the Queen after all, I reply, “No, it’s fine, I’ll be okay to sort through this on my own for a bit.”
“Okay, good. I’ll be right back after the meeting, and we’ll get you a proper dinner. I’ll have someone bring up some refreshments in the meantime, though; there’s no telling how long this meeting will last.” She rolls her eyes as she finishes.
The action is so normal and endearing, I find myself leaning into her, hoping to absorb some of her strength.
We walk arm in arm into the Great Hall, the entire palace sparkling white marble from floor to ceiling.
The place I materialized from is marked with a gold rune, consisting of a long main vertical line bisected by a short line at a slanted horizontal angle and a small triangle on its side at the beginning of the main line.
Odessa glides us over the rune that’s positioned in front of a large, glittering chair surrounded by peaks of glass. A pale-green light radiates from within the hazy, clear stone, which resembles quartz.
The chair is large enough to seat four grown men, and my jaw drops. She notices my stare and shocked expression and nods towards it.
“My throne.” She smirks.
But we keep walking across the room and down one of the open-air hallways.
“The Great Hall consists of a single throne room with four entrances, two on each side. The hallway we’re in now is on the north side of the Great Hall.
It has two levels of sleeping quarters, bathrooms, private entertaining chambers, and a library.
If we had taken the hallway to the right of this one, it would have led us to the dining hall, kitchen, and meeting chambers for councilors.
The entrances on the south side of the Great Hall are the ones we just came from that connect to the gardens and the training ground.
While the other passageway on the south side has a stairway that leads down to the capital,” Odessa explains as she leads me down the hall.
The soaring ceiling has large gaps throughout, allowing sunlight to shine through and reflect off the polished marble floors.
Our feet echo as we continue walking past open stone doors.
I catch glimpses of large rooms with couches in neat rows and floor pillows strewn about haphazardly, and they look cozy and inviting.
There are smaller wooden doors along the hallway, each with intricate carvings of knots framing them.
Most are shut, but the open ones reveal bedrooms with towering windows overlooking spectacular views, canopy beds covered in various rich earth-toned colors, and plush-looking rugs.
Idirhalla really is a paradise.
A question forms in my mind, and I clear my throat. “You said the magic was fading. How do you know?”
She tilts her head to the side, thinking.
“It was a slow progression at first, but our powers began to decrease noticeably, and then our healing capabilities began to slow. There were several unfortunate accidents before we realized what was happening.” Sadness dims her eyes, and my stomach sinks, recognizing the grief that mirrors my own.
“Then the weather became volatile. Devastating winds ripped through the city, damaging buildings and trees. The usually mild winter in the mountain regions has lasted three years now and decimated many crops. By the second year, we began relocating many farmers to the southern parts of the mountain so that it wouldn’t continue to impact our food supply. ”
My mouth drops open. That sounds terrible.
She takes in my expression and pats my hand. “Not to worry, you’re here now, and it should all return to normal.”
I grimace at her assumption. I need to get back home.
We stop at a door at the very end of the hall.
There’s a poppy carved into the wood parallel to my eye line.
That’ll help me remember which room is mine.
We passed more than a dozen rooms on our walk here, and I was so busy thinking everything through that I hadn’t even bothered to count the doors.
She pushes open the door, and I’m speechless at the wondrous room in front of me.
Floor-to-ceiling windows make up the adjacent wall, but there’s no glass separating the room from the outside; only gauzy curtains fluttering in the breeze.
The bed is like the others I glimpsed on the way here, a large carved wood four-poster with a white canopy stretched across the top.
The mattress is draped in varying shades of white and cream, with plush-looking pillows.
A circular rug depicting mountains, birds, flowers, and grassy hills lies beneath the bed and stretches out into the middle of the room.
Odessa walks to an armoire across from the bed and opens it up.
“The climate stays mild here in the Capital, so you might want to change into something cooler.” She gestures to my jeans and ripped sweater.
Then pulls out a long skirt and matching top, before placing them on the bed.
“There’s also a bathing room attached if you need to use the toilet or splash water on your face.
” She points to a doorway I hadn’t noticed on the other side of the armoire.
I’m frozen at the threshold, trying to keep up with her instructions.
Odessa walks to me but hesitates. “I’ll be right back, and I’ll have some refreshments sent up, okay?” I nod, and she gazes into my eyes as she cups my cheek. “I know you’re probably in shock, but I am really happy you’re here. Eat something, and I’ll return as soon as I can.”
She walks past me and pulls the door closed behind her, leaving me alone facing the room.