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“You descend from the Valkyrie, Astrid. It makes sense that this place speaks to you.”
He has a strange, unreadable look in his eyes as he watches me. I nod and take another step forward, more steadily this time. The dagger we’re looking for is forged from magic and imbued with the power of twelve moon cycles. It should have a powerful aura about it. I let my gaze slip from a focus on the physical details of the room to a focus on the magical elements of the room. I look with my magic instead of my eyes.
And just like that, a dagger on the far wall lights up like a glowstick.
I stride across the room and carefully lift it from where it hangs against the cold stone. The handle is a dark gray but the blade is pale, almost white in color. It looks almost like it’s made of crystal rather than metal. Otherwise, it’s unremarkable except for a few runes running down the side of the blade. The handle is completely unadorned. It feels warm in my hand.
“This is it,” I say, smiling up at Erik. “It’s so strange that you know this place, that you remember it so well. I can’t even wrap my head around that.”
A shadow moves over Erik’s face, a look of torment in his eyes.
“What is it?” I ask softly, reaching out and resting a hand on his arm.
He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “Kára died here,” he finally says. “In a battle against a rival clan of Vikings and Völva.”
Shock runs through me. This is where my ancestor died? And now fate has brought me back here? It feels like there are forces at work here, touching my life, and Erik’s. Threads of destiny weaving around us, binding us together.
“I’m so sorry,” I say with a shiver.
“It’s okay. It was a very long time ago,” he says. “We got what we came for. Let’s go take care of the Night Guild once and for all.”
I tuck the dagger into my jeans. As we make our way back down to the courtyard, I feel an uncomfortable quiver in my stomach. Does Erik only want me because I remind him of Kára? It’s not fair of me to think that—after all, I lost Lilli’s dad. We’ve both lost people we loved. But it’s just so strange that my life now seems wrapped up in this ancient spell, and now we’re here in this Valkyrie fortress…it’s like there’s this bridge across the centuries, connecting me to those who came before.
We’ve just reached the far side of the courtyard when I feel the ground beneath us shake. Just a fine tremor, like the beginning of an avalanche. But we’re at the top of a mountain—perhaps it’s below us? Erik freezes, and he cocks his head at a strange angle as if he’s sniffing the air.
A moment later, he lets out a low growl, and he shoves me behind him. “Go back inside, Astrid. Now!”
“What—”
The question falls dead from my lips as a huge shadow materializes just beyond the fortress gate, and then another, and another.
Three winged demons step into view, blocking our escape.
