Valkyrie Rising Page 3

  Lenneth tried not to shudder with her distaste whenever she thought of Brahms and his unhealthy interest towards her younger sister, Silmeria. It was unnatural, this lust he has had for Silmeria. A vampire shouldn't desire a Valkyrie, save for the blood that coursed through her veins. But Brahms wanted more than that, could have and indeed HAD taken blood from any other Valkyrie that had ever crossed his path.

  Brahms alone was such as to be responsible for countless deaths among the Valkyrie ranks. He could and did kill without mercy, without hesitation, only growing his power with every death added to his tally. And yet there had been something about Silmeria that had been different enough to stay his hand. Silmeria had never elaborated on her few chance encounters with the undead king, save to mention how disturbed that the vampire had made her. Lenneth thought she might never pry the true story from Silmeria's lips, she was that closed off when it came to the subject of Brahms.

  That Brahms had allowed his vampires to so savagely attack and injure Silmeria, troubled Lenneth greatly. What sort of monster would allow that to befall the woman he so desired? Lenneth wondered if she'd ever get a chance to ask him about that, or if she would slay him before he could utter out even one word. Of course, Lenneth might be deluding herself in thinking she could take down Brahms. He was after all, the strongest and most ancient of the undead, holding his throne not just with the strength of his powers and keen fighting intellect, but that of his age and the wisdom that came from an eternity of experience.

  With Brahms in her thoughts, Lenneth turned in her saddle, glancing behind her for reassurance. The carriage that was Silmeria's mode of transport continued to roll steadily along the dirt path, it’s two mares plodding along at a steady clip. To the front and behind the carriage was several Valkyries, each one seated on an impressive sized stallion. The horses that the Valkyries rode upon were bred for war, holding a strength and speed that was only rivaled by their hearty endurance. These magnificent steeds could and most often did travel long distances without tiring.

  There was fifteen horses in all, the others being used by high ranking einherjar. The rest of their entourage was on foot, and lagging behind the last of the horses. There was still another contingent of einherjar ahead of this party. They worked to prepare the path Lenneth and Silmeria’s group would travel upon, cutting down low hanging branches, and making sure there was no fallen trees to block the road up ahead. They would even check to make sure that there were no traps or ambushes laid out, and waiting, ready and willing to dispatch any and all attackers that might seek to way lay the main party.

  So far they had done good work. To the point that the entourage hadn't had to stop even one time. Lenneth was satisfied with the progress that they were making, the party fast approaching the Forest of Spirits. Already in the distance she could make out the first of the trees that crowded together to form the forest. It wouldn't take much longer to reach them, though the traveling through them would take at least a day.

  There was an Elven settlement within the forest. Those elves were well prepared to receive Lenneth and her sister, holding fresh horses for the advance party’s few riders. It was also there that the main party would break to camp briefly. Lenneth understood that many in her party needed rest, her sister Silmeria most of all. Her sister was too weak and in pain to ride directly on a horse, the girl having had to take many herbal tonics just to weather the bouncing about her carriage was doing. Silmeria took this all in stride, not offering any complaints though all that jostling had to be causing her much pain.

  Lenneth's hands tightened on the reigns of her horse. That and the tensing of her lips was the only sign that betrayed her upset. She then let her horse fall back from the front of the escort, drawing instead to the right side of Silmeria's carriage. Once they had left behind Asgard and it’s borders, Silmeria had been allowed to draw back the curtains of her carriage's windows. There wasn’t as much reason to fear her being seen in this forest, as much as they had on the golden plains of Idavoll.

  "How are you feeling." Lenneth asked, gazing into the carriage's window. Silmeria eased herself closer to it, giving a weak smile to her sister. Lenneth studied her for any signs of discomfort, noting Silmeria had her golden colored hair tied back with a pale blue ribbon. A dress that was colored in white with a blue trim that matched the ribbon, and made her eyes all the more brighter. But Silmeria looked far too pale for Lenneth's liking, and her eyes were feverish. No doubt from all the pain potions she was needing to take to endure this trip. Lenneth wanted to glare, but it was not to Silmeria who her anger was directed at.

  "I will be better when our journey is ended." It was as close to an admission of pain as Silmeria would give her, Lenneth's knuckles turning white from how tight she then gripped the reins in response.

  "We'll rest once we're within the forest's confines." Promised Lenneth.

  "Are you sure that is wise? We should at least push to reach the village first." Silmeria suggested.

  "We are making good progress. An earlier rest won't hurt us much." Lenneth countered. Silmeria looked like she doubted that, but was too weak to properly argue with her sister. Indeed she was already closing her eyes, seeming to sag in her seat. Lenneth thought to move on, to give her the rest she so desperately needed when Silmeria spoke again.

  "Will you be staying for the ceremony?"

  That question gave Lenneth pause, the Valkyrie not having thought much to what would happen after she delivered Silmeria to Rufus. "Would you like me to?"

  Silmeria opened her eyes then, her lips seeming to tremble with the effort of smiling. "You're my sister, and one of my dearest friends. Of course I want you there."

  "Then my return to Asgard can wait." Lenneth told her, offering a smile back that was just as weak in strength. She couldn't feign real cheer at the thought of watching Silmeria be given to a man to possess, even if that man was rumored to be as kind hearted as Lord Rufus was said to be. Nor was she ready or eager to abandon Silmeria so completely to her new life as a bride. And if it would help the young woman to have Lenneth attend the wedding ceremony, than nothing on earth or in the heavens would keep the Valkyrie from her sister's side.

  "Thank you." Her sister's gratitude was worth a million smiles to Lenneth. The Valkyrie thought Odin could be damned if he would begrudge her the chance to say a long good-bye to Silmeria. Lenneth would just have to make him understand how she had had to remain in Alfheim long enough to see Silmeria married. If Lenneth could have, she would have remained even longer, all to make sure her sister was settling into her new life with ease.

  "There is no need to thank me." Lenneth replied. "I am glad to do this for you."

  "You have my thanks all the same." Silmeria told her.

  It was enough to make Lenneth flustered, the Valkyrie giving a shake of her head. "Rest if you can." She told Silmeria, and then snapped the reins so that her horse trotted fast once more. No one commented on Lenneth's return to the head of the entourage, indeed there was little talk going on at all. The three Valkyries that rode with Lenneth and Silmeria were in somber moods, privately lamenting the fate that befell nearly all battle maidens eventually.

  The einherjar were also relatively quiet, focusing more on walking rather than chatting with their fellow comrades in arms. The quiet was good, for it drew less notice to the party, and what noise they did make was hidden by the constant rumble of thunder. The storm wasn't that far off now, the only question was of how severe the rain would actually be. One Valkyrie kept glancing up at the sky, a frown on her face. Lenneth wasn't the only one to think manipulative magic had to do with the storm.

  "It's a bad omen Lenneth." She muttered, and another Valkyrie called out.

  "It's just a storm, Gwendolyn."

  "It's more than that. Can't you feel it?" Gwendolyn demanded. Lenneth found herself nodding in agreement, and was chilled by Gwendolyn's next words. "There's death on the horizon...I am sure of it…"

  "What do you sense?" Lenneth ask
ed, but Gwendolyn shook her head no.

  "It's just a feeling...we should have never tried to make this journey."

  "Come now, Gwendolyn. You'll spook our troops if you continue to speak such nonsense!" Gwendolyn shot a poisoned filled look at the Valkyrie who had said that, her lips thinning as she pressed them together in a disapproving frown.

  "It'll be fine." Lenneth tried to sound reassuring, knowing as leader of this entourage, she couldn't let such doubts fill her people's minds. Gwendolyn let out a sigh, but was otherwise quiet. The other Valkyries followed suit, silence reigning once more. In the distant they could see the forest's edge, trees crowded in close, but not so close as to keep the horses and carriage from being able to fit in between them.

  Lenneth had mixed feelings to see the forest. And all because she knew that would be an ideal place for a vampire's ambush. Between the mist, clouds, and now the covering of the tree's foliage, it would be optimal conditions for the vampires to emerge. Now more than ever, Lenneth wished for the clouds to part, for the sun to shine through, and cast down it's devastating light. Only then would she have peace of mind, this uneasy feeling lost to the bright rays of the sun light that meant a fiery death to any and all vampires who might dare venture out at this time.

  But her wish would go unanswered, and soon the path led into the forest. They could see the work of the advance party of einherjar, the path clear, and marks engraved into the trunks of trees that lined either side of it. The marks spoke of a dozen things, keeping the Valkyries apprised of the advance party's progress. The einherjar were at least thirty minutes ahead of Silmeria and her escort, and Lenneth didn't expect to encounter them until they reached the Elven village.

  Which is why it was so unexpected to see one of the einherjar standing in the middle of the path a scant ten minutes later. The man was clad in gray chainmail, an iron mask pulled down over the front of his face. The mask hid all details from them, including the color of the man's eyes. Lenneth guided her horse towards the man, instantly suspicious. There was something off about this situation, and she found herself drawing her sword long before she had reached the einherjar.

  "What's going on?" Lenneth demanded. "Why are you just standing here? Where is the rest of the advance party?" He said nothing, which angered another Valkyrie, the woman drawing up besides Lenneth's horse.

  "What are you doing?! Answer her!" She snarled, her own sword already drawn. It was then that it happened, the man teleporting away just as a spear went flying through the space he had once occupied. Lenneth reacted on instinct, realizing that was no man but a vampire dressed in the armor of an einherjar. She jerked on the reigns of her horse, the stallion rearing up on it’s hind legs. It was that that saved the horse, though the Valkyrie besides her wasn't so lucky. The spear slammed into her ride's side, the horse letting out an unnatural scream, a sound that spoke of it’s pain and it’s encroaching death as it went down hard to the ground.

  The Valkyrie cursed, then cried out in pain, her one leg trapped under the horse's side where it had landed from it’s toppling over. She was effectively pinned, and trying not to panic at the vulnerable state that it left her in. Einherjar were swarming about the path, some staying with Gwendolyn to guard Silmeria's carriage, others running towards Lenneth and the trapped Valkyrie.

  "It's an ambush!" A man cried out the obvious, an arrow embedding itself deep in his throat a mere second later. Lights flashed, vampires teleporting onto the path, Lenneth then losing herself to the battle. She dismounted from her horse, and charge the closest vampire. Behind her, a trio of male einherjar were trying to defend the pinned Valkyrie. From the Valkyrie's screams, she knew they had not succeeded, Lenneth shuddering. There was no time to see what the vampires were doing to her comrade, Lenneth too busy attacking any and all vampires she could get in reach of.

  More lights flashed about the enclosed woods, the vampires coming in waves, overwhelming the entourage’s much smaller numbers. They hadn't been able to take as large a contingent of einherjar as Lenneth would have liked, not without drawing attention to who they were transporting. It now worked in the vampires’ favor, almost ninety on the battlefield to the thirty einherjar that had accompanied the four Valkyies.

  It didn't mean the einherjar fought any less valiantly. They gave it their all, willing to toss aside their lives for the chance to defend their precious cargo. Lenneth was often seen stepping over the vampires she had dispatched, all the while trying not to lose herself completely to her anger and panicked emotions. It took real concentration to keep the worst of her fears at bay, the Valkyrie having to expand real effort to focus on her next opponent without being driven to distraction by her worried thoughts

  Her worry wasn’t eased by the fact that not all the vampires were that of the elder variety, Certainly her latest victim was that of a lesser vampire, one that barely registered on the power scales. It was not difficult to get her blade inside the man's chest, splitting his heart into pieces in the process.

  She would then barely get her sword free, Lenneth locking eyes with yet another vampire, a female, when she heard the sound of Silmeria scream. It was an ear piercing shriek, the former Valkyrie alerting all to her trouble. Lenneth wanted to turn and see, but the vampire woman rushed her, sword aimed to take the Valkyrie's neck. Lenneth knew the vampire was just another in a long line of distractions, and that the woman was one she couldn't afford when her sister was in need of help. Lenneth put up her sword, defending against the coming blow, and kicked out with her right leg.

  "Lenneth!" It was Silmeria's voice, the young woman sounding desperate. Lenneth could hear the cursing, for somehow Silmeria was making it difficult for the vampires to take her. Lenneth was as proud as she was worried, knowing in Silmeria's pain filled condition, she'd be no match for even one vampire. But before she could rush to Silmeria's side to help, Lenneth had to dispatch the threat in front of her.

  The vampire female had been momentarily staggered by Lenneth's kick. The metal greaves that Lenneth wore on her feet gave the kick an added jump to the pain it could inflict. But the vampire pushed past the pain, to swing her sword again and again, Lenneth hastily twirled her sword to the left and then the right, to block each thrust as it came for her. The exchange continued like this for several excruciatingly long moments, the vampire thrusting, and Lenneth defending against each of the blows. There was little opening to do more than defend, and Lenneth was growing desperate.

  "I don't have time to play with the likes of you!" Lenneth snarled, still parrying every thrust. She kept looking for her chance, but the woman was moving with the near blinding speed of an elder vampire. Her snarled out comment just earned a laugh from the female, the woman beginning to back Lenneth up. Lenneth couldn't afford such a move, not knowing where the vampire was trying to herd her to, or towards who.

  To that end, Lenneth purposefully let herself fall, her sword still moving to defend. The instant that she hit the ground, her free hand closed around dirt. The dirt was flung up and into the vampire's eyes, the female screaming as she went blind. The sword continued to thrust, and Lenneth rolled to the left, the sword being shoved deep into the ground where she had just been. Lenneth quickly did a kick out with her legs, jumping upright and turning. Her sword caught the vampire in her side, the dress splitting, and blood spurting out. Lenneth immediately pulled back her arm, this time aiming for the injured vampire's neck.

  The vampire's head went flying, the fiend’s blood splattering everywhere, even on Lenneth's front. But Lenneth didn't care, turning to seek out Silmeria's carriage. She caught a brief glimpse of her sister, being dragged free of the carriage window. Silmeria had formed fists, and was beating them against the vampire's chest. He had a harassed look on his face, even as he effortlessly pulled her free.

  "Silmeria!" Lenneth was rushing towards the pair, shoving friend and foe aside. But a light flashed, the vampire teleporting away with his prize. Lenneth screamed out a no, and spun on her heel. She was running f
or her horse now, and Gwendolyn had joined her.

  "Where are you going?!" Gwendolyn demanded, but Lenneth didn't pause.

  "The vampires have to have made camp near by..." She was already reaching for the saddle of her stallion, hauling herself upright in one smooth movement.

  "You can't go alone!" Gwendolyn protested. Lenneth didn't pause, not even when hoof beats sounded behind her. It was two horses that joined hers, Gwendolyn and a third Valkyrie following her. Lenneth felt admiration for their courage, knowing they were risking a lot in following her to the vampire's camp. The einherjar that were still alive were fighting desperately against the vampires, but clearly losing. It was a brutal massacre, one that would end soon enough. Lenneth knew she couldn't make a difference here, but she could at least attempt to save her sister from Brahms.

  "Thank you." Lenneth shouted to the two Valkyries that had chosen to accompany her. She barely registered what they said in return, Lenneth riding her horse hard. The stallion had yet to be winded, hooves tearing up clods of dirt as he ran faster than the wind. Her braided hair steamed out behind her, Lenneth still gripping her sword in one hand. She was almost careless in her haste, and all she could think of was that she had to get to Silmeria and fast.

  The horses broke into a clearing, jumping over bodies that lay strewn haphazardly on the path. Lenneth could hear the Valkyries behind her gasping in horror, for it was their advance party of einherjar that had been so recently slaughtered. Blood was everywhere, splattered on the trees, puddles of it on the ground. The vampires hadn't had time to feed, just killing indiscriminately. It was a horrible sight, and yet Lenneth could do nothing save to ride past the bodies.