Dead Wrath (5 page)

"Last night. I think," I said, giving a light shrug as if it weren't important. It wasn't, but I knew Joshua when it came to me taking care of myself. He could behave like an old fishwife sometimes and nag me until I finally gave in.

"Last night?" he repeated, his voice rising a little to reveal his concern. And his annoyance with me. "What's the matter with you? I thought you promised me you'd take care of yourself?"

I had. Before he left, he'd made me swear I'd eat regularly and not get lost in time. "I can't help it if I forgot," I mumbled, keeping my eyes averted and knowing it wouldn't be good enough anyway.

He gave an exaggerated sigh, then entwined his fingers with mine and began to walk down the hallway. "Sometimes I think there is no hope for you." He sounded dead serious.

And of course I had to giggle.

"What's funny?"

"You." I managed to get out the one word amidst choked laughter.

"Mmh," was all he said.

Once we left the palace entrance, Joshua led me along the path that dissected the training fields. I remained silent and walked with him, my eyes traveling along grounds that were now filled with bodies and noise. I noticed the Sleipnir were absent and the Valkyries that were here were busy sparring with Ulfr and warriors alike. There were too many unfamiliar faces. A few glanced at us as we walked by, but nobody paid us more than a second's notice.

Beyond the training fields, on the opposite side of the valley, we came to a halt slowly. The steep mountainside curved around and away from view of the fields. It led gently to the left, guiding us in the direction of the shimmering lake. We walked along the shore for a while, the wave slapping mere feet from my ankles. At last, Joshua stopped and made a sharp right, then pulled me into a small clearing.

I was so surprised by the beautiful sight that I gasped out loud and almost squealed in delight.

We stood beneath the widespread branches of a tree bedecked with little white flowers. "It's so beautiful." I breathed out the words, a part of me afraid that even the slightest sound would disturb the gorgeous white blossoms that covered the tree.

"It's a crabapple tree. We used to have one in our backyard in Craven." Joshua dusted out the white cloth as he spoke, then lay it on the ground and began to unpack the basket.

Bread, cheese, fruit, and pastries as well as a golden liquid that I hoped was Mead. I stared at the feast, and as Joshua straightened and dusted his hands, I threw my arms around his neck and smacked a kiss on his lips. He laughed and held on to my waist. "What is that for?"

"What's it for? It's for this." I waved a hand at the tree and the food. "This is amazing. How did you even find this place?"

Joshua gave me a small smile. Then he looked behind us at the surface of the lake shining like a silver pond. "It was Sigrun's idea actually. She said she and Fen used to take long walks to be together alone and talk. They found this place a long time ago. She told me about it and instructed me to bring you here whenever I could."

I sucked in a long breath, unsure of how I was feeling. I'd expected to burst into tears, but all I did was feel a sense of freedom. As if I'd been carrying a heavy weight and it had disappeared in the breath of an instant. I stared at the lake, then back at the tree, and happiness curved my lips, tears glistening in my eyes.

Joshua came toward me, cupping my cheek with his hand. "Are you okay? Was this a bad idea?" His face was filled with concern and a hint of fear.

But I shook my head and just stared into his eyes. "It's absolutely perfect." I laughed softly through my tears. How lucky was that I'd found such an amazing guy? So kind and so thoughtful, so perfect in every way. I threw my arms around his waist and sank against his warmth.

He'd just succeeded in giving me a slice of peace in the middle of the turmoil that was my life.

CHAPTER FIVE

Our interlude had to end at some point, and we were soon reluctantly heading back to the palace, passing the training fields on our way. The sun was high above us, noon. I would have worked through until the evening without even registering the sunlight if Joshua hadn't brought me out of the palace.

As we followed the muddy path, we were stopped short by a shout. We turned to see Fen standing in the field. A mud-splattered Fen, arms on his hips, staring straight at me. And I sighed. I knew what awaited me.

Fen had that look in his eye since yesterday, so I knew I might as well resign myself to sparring. He was probably right that I needed to remain limber and strong, be prepared for anything. It wasn't as if I planned to stick my nose in piles of paperwork until the world ended.

"What's the matter?" asked Joshua, stopping in his tracks, his expression worried.

"It's just Fen," I said with a resigned sigh. "He wants me to come and spar. He's been bugging me for days, so I might as well get it over and done with."

"I thought you enjoyed sparring," Joshua said, a strange expression on his face as he watched me.

"I do. Just lately, I haven't been in the mood."

"Maybe this is just the thing to get those good mood vibes going."

I snorted, then walked along the low stone wall and headed for the nearest gate. "You can carry on with the files if you want. I shouldn't be more than an hour or so," I called over my shoulder.

Joshua waved and continued walking, swinging the little straw basket in his hand as he went. He looked happy and cheerful, and I was glad. He was a one-in-a-million kinda guy.

And he was all mine.

Swinging the gate open, I entered a field containing about eight sparring teams. Any more than that would have put everyone's lives in danger, considering all the warriors practiced with real weapons. And sharp ones at that.

I untied my cloak and threw it over the fence, then headed to Fen. I was grinning when I reached his side, but he was glowering. "What did I do now?" I asked, resigned to being the reason for his foul mood.

"Nothing." He bit out the word so sharply it might as well have been the crack of a whip.

"It's not nothing," I comment calmly, keeping a straight face. "The amount of negative energy you're giving off, we could bottle it and use it as a nuclear weapon." I folded my arms and figured he'd know I wasn't going to move unless I got a straight answer.

He grunted. "I'm just a little impatient with this lot." He waved a hand around, and this time I really looked at the mud-stained warriors around me. None familiar, none einherjar. They were shorter and darker than most of the Asgardians and Midgardians, and I pegged them for dwarfs from Swartelfheim. They all stared back at me, impolite sneers on their faces that made me grit my teeth. "See what I mean?" asked Fen, his voice weary.

"I do. Perhaps they need to be taught a lesson," I suggested, unsheathing my sword in one move. "You and me? Or should I take one of them and make his sorry life flash before his eyes."

"Just you and me. We don't want to frighten our army away," he said with a wry smirk. Seemed he was already looking forward to teaching our audience a lesson or two.

"Maybe they need to have a little fear put into them," I asked, extending my sword as I circled Fen. The sun glinted off the blade, and I tilted it this way and that. "And how about a spine or two?"

He glanced around him and said, "The Valkyrie and I will spar. You lot watch and learn." He faced me and we both heard the sniggers from the gathered dwarfs. I smirked, feeling a little malicious. Fen's smile said he couldn't agree more.

I took the lead, lunged, and swiped my sword wide. Fen thrust his sword forward and blocked, then gave me a hard shove. I had to trot backward to save myself from falling. A chorus of laughter rose around us. I steadied myself, then concentrated on Fen. He came again and this time he struck hard, grunting as he went straight for my gut. I moved toward him, then twisted away from his advancing blade, spun full circle, and slammed the hilt of my sword into his armored back. Metal clinked and I heard a whoosh of breath as it left Fen's lungs.

Around me, the warriors were strangely silent.

Again we circled each other, feet slipping through mud, leather sandals squelching in the muck. I ran forward, sword high, then lunged toward Fen. He knew the sword would be coming down on him, but I'd left my midsection open to a blow. So he went there instead. As he thrust his sword forward, I moved faster and made a half turn to slam my sword into his blade. The sound rent the air as the blades connected, scraping against each other and throwing of a shower of sparks. The tension around us began rise.

But I barely felt it with the blood rushing through my veins. I blinked and tried to focus, but something stronger, more powerful than me seemed to be in control. Maybe adrenalin? I couldn't waste time guessing. Instead, I sucked in a breath and watched Fen lunge and thrust, and I spun out of his way each time so fast I was sure I was just a blur. I wasn't sure what came over me, but on the last parry, my sword slipped a little too close to him.

Fen hissed as my sword slid against his arm as I passed him. A rustling in the crowd confirmed they'd seen the blood spill. Something they were not used to seeing, the blood of the general of the Ulfr army spilled by a mere Valkyrie.

But I was pumped, my blood screaming in my veins, fiery heat flooding taut muscles. My body was in control, my limbs knew more what to do than I did, so I let go, gave in to the pull, and almost drove my sword across Fen's throat. The only thing that stopped it was the flesh of Fen's palm, square on the flat of my blade. I blinked and refocused on Fen's thickly callused, fur-covered limb. I froze as I stared at his face, his forehead high, his nose flatter and nostrils wide, his lips raised to reveal deadly sharp canines.

I gasped for breath, and the feeling began to dissipate, leaving nothing in its place. I felt my knees buckle, and Fen moved deftly toward me. "Don't pass out. Not now. We have them. Look." I listened, steeled myself against fainting, and glanced around me at the watching dwarfs. They stared in morbid fascination at the half-transformed werewolf and the bloodthirsty Valkyrie. "Speak to them now. Or you will lose them."

I wanted to nod, but I held the movement in check as I turned to face the crowd.

I glared at them, drawing an expression of strength and almost arrogance into my bearing. "What you just saw here was nothing. You will see worse in battle." My voice rang out across the field, clear and harsh. I had no intention of being nice. The wind lifted my hair and I found my braid had come undone. Dark red locks now hung to my waist, framing my face, setting off my bright-green eyes. I must look a sight, especially framed as I was by my wings. But I didn't care. "The Jotunn will not hold back. They will hound you until they kill you, and when they have no spears left, no ammunition left, they will merely thrust their fingers of icicles into your flesh as if you are a slab of meat. They have no feelings. They have no fear."

As I spoke I strode before the gathered dwarfs, my bloodstained sword swinging in my hand, catching the light and reflecting on the worried faces that surrounded me. "There will be no time to think. You need to learn how to fight, learn how to make every move automatic so you can thrust without thinking, block without thinking. Kill without thinking. Or else you
will
die. If you do not want to fight, leave now." My voice carried on the wind and I barely recognized it.

Silence hung over the field.

"What in Hel are you slobs waiting for? Start practicing," yelled Fen, glaring the dwarfs down until they scrambled into pairs. Then he glanced at me, a grin faint at the corner of his wolf lips, before shouting loudly, "Fight or die."

Only when the swords began clashing against each other did I move slowly to the wall closest to me. I was finally able to get off my shivering limbs, and now I truly felt I'd never be able to stand again. My muscles were mush, my bones rubber. I struggled to breathe as I sat and watched the warriors fight, now reinvigorated by a battle that had almost killed Fen.

Ice stilled the blood in my veins as flashes of the fight returned to me, fresh and clear. I'd lost all control. I'd fought and I'd wanted blood. I'd craved death. That was the reason I hadn't held back, the reason I'd fought harder and faster than ever before. The reason Fen now had a cut across his palm instead of being freed of the head on his shoulders. A shudder rippled through me.

"Stay calm. It will pass." Fen's voice was soft beside me. Whether to ensure we weren't overheard or whether it was meant to calm me, I didn't know.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, my voice breaking on a soft squeak.

"It is called the Berserker Rage."

"What's that?" I asked, frowning. I'd never heard of such a thing.

"It's when the battle rage becomes almost a living thing, when it takes control of your body and your mind, when the bloodlust consumes you and all you need, all you desire is the kill to satisfy it."

I shook my head, unable to understand what that had to do with me. "But why is that happening to me?"

Fen put a hand on my shoulder and the mere warmth of his now human palm served to calm me down a little. "It happens to many warriors. All the true warriors will feel the grip of the rage at least once in their lives. But only the most powerful, the most fearsome of warriors will sit on the knife's edge the rage presents."