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His hand collides with my chest, knocking me back. “Not a chance.” He makes quick work of them, then sits near my head. “So, one braid or two?”
Rising my brows, I careen my neck to stare at him. “You’re going to braid my hair?”
“Of course. Every Valkyrie wears a braid. My mother did. She didn’t fight along with us, but she was always present should a military force be needed. It’s a symbol. Now, you’ll be that for our people.”
“A symbol of what?”
“Hope. Inspiration.” His fingers work, French braiding my hair down the middle. It’s a skill I never knew he had. “My mother used to ask me to braid hers, and over the years, I got pretty decent. She was a descendant of the original twelve and though she wasn’t a warrior, she fought for her kingdom in other ways. If she could see you, though, and how hard you’ve worked to learn how to wield that sword, she’d be very proud.”
I didn’t know her, but from what I’ve been told, it’s likely the most meaningful compliment Kai could’ve ever given me. Tears well as I glance up at him, and he smiles with his eyes, weaving chunk after chunk of my hair together. Finally pulling the elastic off my wrist, he secures it and taps the plating on my shoulder.
“Come on. It’s time,” he says, standing and holding a hand out to me. I take it and he pulls me up. “Time to show the kingdom what you’re made of. Safely, of course. Finn will be with you at all times, and if not him, then me. If at any moment something takes a turn for the worst, you’re to leave and head back to the castle.”
I nod and take his outstretched hand once more. “Here we go.”
22
Alice
Light pours in around us until I find myself standing in the field near the barrier. Phantom horses and men line up for at least a mile, if not more, all strutting our kingdom’s colors—gold and black. All clad in armor and impatiently waiting for the signal or command.
A black horse rides in front of the lot, and obsidian smoke wafts through the air, making up its ghostly mane and tail. What a beautiful creature…. Even its striking green eyes can be seen from a distance. A horse fit for a king and rightfully so, seeing as Lucifer sits on top, leisurely making his way through the ranks.
A Valkyrie…I repeat the word in my mind.Me?A Valkyrie?
I don’t know much about them, nor what is truth versus legend, but I do know, they were a league of twelve ladies who served the god of lightning. They were warriors through and through, but ultimately, they watched over the battlefield and handpicked which warriors would be given passage into Valhalla or Heaven.
Pulling my sword from the sheath, gasps float around me from the men we pass. I shoot a look to my left. Are they surprised to see me here? A woman in general? Or maybe because the prince is in their presence…
I inspect the smooth, shiny surface of the blade, putting my thoughts out of my mind. Nordic ruins are engraved along the inner, indented edge that slips down the middle, all the way to the tip. The groove has a gory purpose, allowing blood to exit the wound of its victim, and to break the suction, allowing the one holding it to remove it from the dead with ease. But those ruins…. They mean something far more sinister,yetholy.
This washersword. Herancestor’ssword. Lucifer didn’t just give this to me because I was learning how to use one. But why give me something so sacred? I could barely hold it out when he gifted it to me. I mean, when I took this puppy out of its holder for the first time, Lucifer clapped his hands together and let out a loud ‘HAH,’ then grinned like a bandit watching my arm wobble.It amused him.
Slipping the sword back into the sheath, I look to my right, finding Kai watching me.
“Putting the pieces together, are we?” he asks, pulling me toward him long enough to place a kiss against my temple.
“You knew this belonged to your mother, didn’t you?”
“Of course, I did. She was my mother, and it’s fitting.” We continue moving along the line of warriors, closing the distance between us and the guard holding out horses.
“Fitting? You’ve dressed me in shoes that are way too big. Sure, I’m competent now—mostly. But—” Kai pushes the braid over my shoulder, looping his arm around my waist.
“No buts. My father gave it to you as a test. That sword won’t let someone who isn’t worthy of its power pull it from the sheath. My mother was never capable of it even though she was a direct descendant of the Valkyries, but like I said, she wasn’t a warrior. She didn’t have the heart for it. You, though…” he trails off, bouncing his dark eyebrows. “I didn’t want to believe it, either. I’d much rather know you’re safe beneath the castle than have you battle it out beside me, but after seeing the way you use it… There’s no one more fit to hold that sword.”
I snort, trying to push down the emotion rising in my throat. Says the man who has refused to let me leave the castle without a chaperone… Though he did leave me on the steps, which is progress.
“You say that now, my once and future king.” Surely, he won’t know what I mean by that, but I couldn’t miss the opportunity. I grew up reading stories of King Arthur and Excalibur, wishing I could be whisked away to a world so simple, where only love caused wars. Not politics or agendas. Not people hating each other for merely existing and being different.
Only, at some point, that dream became a reality.
We stand on this battlefield because gods like Lucifer and angels, like my father, wanted the freedom to make their own choices and love. Now, here I am, wielding a bloody sword that can only be pulled from its sheath by someone worthy? All this time, my wish was granted, and I didn’t even know it.
“I’m not sure about power,” I say, dropping my gaze and watching my feet as we tread through tall grass. “All it’s ever been is pointy, but I suppose it’s a metaphor, right? Power is the symbol of hope or some cryptic jazz?”
Kai chuckles, shaking his head. “I see you haven’t gotten to that book, yet.”
I squint up at him. “What?”
