Chapter 11
COUNCIL MEETING
Tomorrow is not better.
My body feels like I’ve been hit by a truck. Every single muscle aches and throbs. Even after a large meal, a long soak in the tub sprinkled with salts and floating petals, and a good night’s rest, I still wake feeling like death.
I rise earlier than I did the day before. The sun is starting to peek above the mountains in the distance that are visible from my windows. The brief stabbing pain between my shoulder blades has become constant. The pain increased suddenly and dragged me from bed bright and early.
On my walk to the dining hall, I think through ways to bring up Julius’ abuse towards me to Odessa without seeming weak or stirring up too much trouble.
My fingers tug on my lilac skirt as I worry over what to say.
My eyes are on my feet as my mind works through different scenarios, each one ending disastrously.
As I turn the corner, my eyes fleetingly rise, and I catch a glimpse of Evander.
He’s walking beside someone, his body and wings blocking most of the stranger.
His longer, dark hair is a sharp contrast to Evander’s copper as it gleams in the sunlight.
I’m assuming it’s a male since he, too, has raven-colored wings like Evander’s.
But this man is a whole head taller, and his wings are enormous.
Their feathers ruffle as they briskly exit the throne room onto the terrace.
They’re gone in an instant, but a desire to follow to see the stranger’s face causes me to halt. However, when my stomach growls, its hollowness threatening, I shove away the urge and keep trudging to the dining hall.
Odessa is already seated and biting into her breakfast, a thick slab of rye bread smothered in lingonberry jam, when I plop down in the chair next to her.
“Good morning, darling, how’re you feeling today?” She takes a sip from her tea and looks at me expectantly.
Darling? She certainly is in a great mood this morning. Maybe now would be the perfect time to voice my concerns.
“Um, alright, but I need to—” I roll my shoulders back, trying to work out the words, but I flinch. The movement sends shooting pain down my spine and up my neck.
“What is it?” she asks, reaching a hand towards me; her face is full of concern.
“I woke up with a sharp pain in my back,” I reply.
I tilt my neck from side to side, trying to ease the aching muscles. I need to tell her about Julius, but the pain is crippling.
“Do you mind if I take a look?” She stands abruptly.
“Not at all,” I reply, worry immediately replacing my hunger.
Odessa pulls at a strand of my leather top, moving the weaves of leather across my back to take a peek at my skin.
A small gasp escapes her, and my muscles lock into place, fear slicing through me. But she happily squeals, “Your wings are budding!”
“You’re joking,” I accuse, whipping around to face her, sending more sparks of pain throughout my back. I ignore the pain as my mouth parts in surprise or shock. I’m not really sure which one. Perhaps I really do belong here. With that thought, a small smile begins to bloom across my face.
Odessa claps her hands together and shakes her head. “Oh, how exciting! I had hoped you would grow wings, but I didn’t know if it was possible since you had been with the humans for so long. Then I thought, even if you did grow them, it would take ages. But my goodness, how exciting!”
Her words come out in a rush, and her smile is genuine. But there’s something off about her eyes; they seem darker than yesterday, the gray fully eclipsing the blue.
She notices my lack of enthusiasm. “Are you not thrilled?” Her excitement sputters out as she sits back down.
I’m beyond excited. It has been a dream of mine since I was a child to be able to fly. But the pain of a dream coming true and then having to leave it behind when I return to Gran causes guilt to crash upon me like waves.
“Yes! I am. It’s just another shock, I guess,” I mumble, trying to work through the guilt.
Her eyes darken further. Is it the light in here?
The candles are lit along the walls, and light streams through the ceiling opening.
It’s the same light as yesterday, and I don’t remember her eyes looking so dark.
Could it be the periwinkle dress that leans towards gray, bringing out the darker hues in her eyes?
She gently squeezes my arm, and I glance down to where her hand is gripping me before meeting her gaze. Exhaustion suddenly weighs heavily on me.
“You’ll love this, though. I promise it’s not a responsibility, but a gift.”
Before I can respond, a servant places my food in front of me with a small bow. “Thank you,” I reply, and a tentative smile blooms on the girl’s face.
Odessa notices the exchange and looks down her nose at it. “You know you don’t have to thank them every time, right? It’s a highly coveted position to serve in the Great Hall.”
I shrug, but her words have me bristling. “It’s just polite. They’re doing something nice for me. The least I can do is acknowledge it.”
Odessa’s brows raise at my response, clearly assuming I would agree.
She clears her throat and swirls the juice in her glass. “Helena, before your training today, you are to join me for a council meeting.”
That certainly sounds like something I have no business partaking in, but I nod while I begin devouring my breakfast. The edge of hunger ebbs away.
When Julius joins us for breakfast, my window for bringing up his abuse slams shut. He slumps into his usual carved fox chair and leans over to place a kiss on Odessa’s temple.
My stomach roils at the gesture. I couldn’t stand having him that close to me, but he is her mate. Julius doesn’t acknowledge my presence, and I don’t say a word to him either. A servant quickly deposits his plate and scurries away, leaving us alone.
“Where is everyone else?” I ask. There are rows and rows of empty tables.
Odessa’s brow lowers. “Usually, the other Valkyries have breakfast elsewhere. Their schedules are quite full with their continued training, checking on their districts for complaints, meetings, and various other activities.”
“Oh,” I murmur. I miss breakfast at the Hall.
Odessa interrupts my thoughts. “Speaking of training, I’ve changed the schedule for the use of the grounds. Julius said they were a bit crowded yesterday, and that he was worried you’d be embarrassed by your lack of skill in front of the others,” she adds, looking over at him adoringly.
I purse my lips and study the food on my plate. I weigh the merits of correcting that statement. But I have no rapport with her. Yes, she’s my aunt, but we’ve only recently met, and this is her mate. Unfortunately, I don’t think she would ever believe me over him.
I mumble, “That’s so considerate of him.”
My tone is not as convincing as I would have liked it to be, and she studies my profile for a moment. I meet her eyes and plaster on my best smile.
Odessa and Julius spend the rest of our breakfast chatting between themselves, and I do my best to ignore them.
My thoughts flip between my new wings and home.
Such a strange set of events, and if it wasn’t for the pain I was subjected to yesterday and its aftermath today, I’d think it was still a dream.
After breakfast is finished, I dutifully follow behind them to the council room.
It’s exactly what I expected after touring the rest of the Great Hall. White marble constructs the walls and floor, the marble shimmering from the light streaming in from the skylight above the room. The marble floor is covered by several large, rectangular rugs, each with hand-woven patterns.
One entire wall is painted as a map of the realm. Idirhalla is an archipelago spanning four islands: the Capital Island, Ishtar, Olundy, and Scota.
Another wall is covered in several gorgeous oil paintings of battles and colorful lakes, with elegant swans and Valkyries in flight. But the one in the middle, the largest, immediately demands my attention.
The artwork is a depiction of a story my mother used to tell me as we snuggled around a campfire in the winter: The Wild Hunt.
I study it closer, noting how the artist perfectly captured the tumultuous procession of Odin astride Sleipnir, his eight-legged stallion with glowing eyes.
They fly along the storm winds and through the lands with his wolves, Geri and Freki.
Her words echo in my mind: “The hunt begins with a howl cleaving the silence of the land.”
I examine the rest of the hunting party: spectral hunters, warriors, Valkyries, and many other mythical creatures. All so vividly rendered, it makes my skin pebble in goosebumps as if I can hear the howl now.
My mom’s tale plays through my mind, and the meaning behind the folklore is a reminder of the cycles of life and death. Her final words of the story ring in my mind. “To see the Wild Hunt is a harbinger of war.”
I shake off the sense of dread and turn away from the painting.
A massive round table sits in the center of the spacious stone room, taking up a good portion of the space.
It’s large enough for at least twenty people, the top lined with black rings swirling around and around.
Admiring it closer, I realize the entire tabletop is made up of a single cutting from the trunk of an enormous tree.
Odessa pulls up a chair, the red velvet cushion harsh against the white background that makes up most of the room. She gestures for me to take the chair on her right. Once we’re seated in our chairs, the rest of the council members take their seats.
Every chair is the same, not a single one indicating a place of power.