The Unleashing
Page 88
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I swear to God, Kera snarled out, dont make me come over there.
Sorry, Annalisa said, hands raised. Habit.
Erins right, Betty noted with a smile. Youre not weak. She stretched out her arms. So lets see what the gods have to show you. Give me your hands, sweetie.
Id rather not.
Betty tossed her short black hair off her face with a twitch of her head and smirked. First thing youve gotta learn . . . you can always trust a fellow Crow. She winked at her. Go on. Take my hands.
Kera looked down at the womans hands. She had a diamond-studded wedding band on her left ring finger and three other rings on her right hand that included diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. Not knowing much about jewelry, Kera would still guess the woman had about half-a-million dollars on her hands at the moment. What was it like to be so wealthy?
Kera didnt think shed ever find out. She wasnt really a ring person.
Come on, Betty pushed. I promise not to bite.
Kera let out a breath. Fuck it, she said before placing her hands in Bettys.
The older woman laughed softly. Now, do you know how to meditate?
Yeah. I do.
Excellent. Then just close your eyes and begin deep breathing. Ill handle everything else.
Kera did what she was told and, at the very least, her meditation helped her calm down a bit.
She breathed in. She breathed out. Then she was off . . .
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
She, who had no name here in this land but slave, stood by her body and wondered what would happen next.
Maybe she shouldnt have fought so. But after six moons of these people, shed grown tired of . . . everything. So shed fought. As had the other five. Fellow women with no names who were also only called Slave. Theyd fought, too, and theyd also died. Two wept over their bodies and the other three had wandered away, unable to look at what remained.
How good her life had been before the Northmen had come with their long boats and their steel. Theyd ripped apart her village in seconds. At least it had felt that way. Even as the village men fought back, the warriors trying their best, the Northmen had simply decimated them . . . then theyd turned their attention to the women and children.
She closed her eyes. She wouldnt think about that again. She couldnt. Life was hard enough without remembering that.
Well . . . her life had been hard enough. Now that life no longer existed. But where were her ancestors? Why werent they here to lead her to her place of glory at their side? Or had being a slave ruined that for her?
She looked at the other five. Theyd suffered along with her but they hadnt been from her village. Shedidnt know where they were from, but she could guess how they got here. Just as she had. Thrown over the shoulders of Northmen like so much chattel.
Unable to stare at her body a moment longer, she looked out over the field where the battle had taken place. So much death, but these people lived for death. All the men wanted to die with honor in battle so they could meet their precious gods and feast at their table. Would her short life have been different if shed been born a man? Probably. But if shed been born in the same village that would have meant shed only have died sooner.
Moving among the dead she could see the ones the old women of the village called the Valkyries. They would choose which of the dead would go with them to their special gods hall. They were so tall, with long blond hair and bright shiny armor. Their helmets had wings on them but it was their horses that could fly. They waited for the Valkyries at the end of the battlefield, eating grass and nuzzling each other, their wings occasionally fluttering from time to time.
A veiled woman walked onto the field of death from the woods nearby. She was tall like the Valkyries but there was nothing to tell about her except her eyes. They were so dark and cold. Very cold.
One of the Valkyries left the dead to go to the womans side and despite the distance between them, all could be heard between the two.
Why are you here, Skuld? the Valkyrie demanded. You did not ride with us this day.
I know. The human who caused this battle, she sneered, still has my property. I want it back. The only reason he won this battle and the others these last three moons is because he holds what is mine. His advantage is unfair.
Whatever you lost is your problem. You cannot deal directly with the living on these kinds of issues. You know that. Father will have a
Your father is not my problem.
He is father to us all. The Valkyrie caught the Skuld womans arm and stopped her forward momentum. I know you like balance, but that is not always possible. Power is always there to be claimed. Someone will take what is yours from the Jarl and defeat him.
And then become a monster themselves? I do not like that . . .
Unless Odin changes the rules he has setwhich we both know he will never dothere is nothing you can do about it.
The Skuld woman said nothing for a very long moment, her cold black eyes moving over the field of death as if she searched for some answer that never came.
As she wondered what would happen next between the Valkyrie and the Skuld woman, a crow landed on the back of her bodys head. Horrified, she who was once called Slave, dropped to her knees and tried to shoo the animal away. But her hand went through the bird. She was no longer living. She was nothing but air. Worthless air.
Sorry, Annalisa said, hands raised. Habit.
Erins right, Betty noted with a smile. Youre not weak. She stretched out her arms. So lets see what the gods have to show you. Give me your hands, sweetie.
Id rather not.
Betty tossed her short black hair off her face with a twitch of her head and smirked. First thing youve gotta learn . . . you can always trust a fellow Crow. She winked at her. Go on. Take my hands.
Kera looked down at the womans hands. She had a diamond-studded wedding band on her left ring finger and three other rings on her right hand that included diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. Not knowing much about jewelry, Kera would still guess the woman had about half-a-million dollars on her hands at the moment. What was it like to be so wealthy?
Kera didnt think shed ever find out. She wasnt really a ring person.
Come on, Betty pushed. I promise not to bite.
Kera let out a breath. Fuck it, she said before placing her hands in Bettys.
The older woman laughed softly. Now, do you know how to meditate?
Yeah. I do.
Excellent. Then just close your eyes and begin deep breathing. Ill handle everything else.
Kera did what she was told and, at the very least, her meditation helped her calm down a bit.
She breathed in. She breathed out. Then she was off . . .
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
She, who had no name here in this land but slave, stood by her body and wondered what would happen next.
Maybe she shouldnt have fought so. But after six moons of these people, shed grown tired of . . . everything. So shed fought. As had the other five. Fellow women with no names who were also only called Slave. Theyd fought, too, and theyd also died. Two wept over their bodies and the other three had wandered away, unable to look at what remained.
How good her life had been before the Northmen had come with their long boats and their steel. Theyd ripped apart her village in seconds. At least it had felt that way. Even as the village men fought back, the warriors trying their best, the Northmen had simply decimated them . . . then theyd turned their attention to the women and children.
She closed her eyes. She wouldnt think about that again. She couldnt. Life was hard enough without remembering that.
Well . . . her life had been hard enough. Now that life no longer existed. But where were her ancestors? Why werent they here to lead her to her place of glory at their side? Or had being a slave ruined that for her?
She looked at the other five. Theyd suffered along with her but they hadnt been from her village. Shedidnt know where they were from, but she could guess how they got here. Just as she had. Thrown over the shoulders of Northmen like so much chattel.
Unable to stare at her body a moment longer, she looked out over the field where the battle had taken place. So much death, but these people lived for death. All the men wanted to die with honor in battle so they could meet their precious gods and feast at their table. Would her short life have been different if shed been born a man? Probably. But if shed been born in the same village that would have meant shed only have died sooner.
Moving among the dead she could see the ones the old women of the village called the Valkyries. They would choose which of the dead would go with them to their special gods hall. They were so tall, with long blond hair and bright shiny armor. Their helmets had wings on them but it was their horses that could fly. They waited for the Valkyries at the end of the battlefield, eating grass and nuzzling each other, their wings occasionally fluttering from time to time.
A veiled woman walked onto the field of death from the woods nearby. She was tall like the Valkyries but there was nothing to tell about her except her eyes. They were so dark and cold. Very cold.
One of the Valkyries left the dead to go to the womans side and despite the distance between them, all could be heard between the two.
Why are you here, Skuld? the Valkyrie demanded. You did not ride with us this day.
I know. The human who caused this battle, she sneered, still has my property. I want it back. The only reason he won this battle and the others these last three moons is because he holds what is mine. His advantage is unfair.
Whatever you lost is your problem. You cannot deal directly with the living on these kinds of issues. You know that. Father will have a
Your father is not my problem.
He is father to us all. The Valkyrie caught the Skuld womans arm and stopped her forward momentum. I know you like balance, but that is not always possible. Power is always there to be claimed. Someone will take what is yours from the Jarl and defeat him.
And then become a monster themselves? I do not like that . . .
Unless Odin changes the rules he has setwhich we both know he will never dothere is nothing you can do about it.
The Skuld woman said nothing for a very long moment, her cold black eyes moving over the field of death as if she searched for some answer that never came.
As she wondered what would happen next between the Valkyrie and the Skuld woman, a crow landed on the back of her bodys head. Horrified, she who was once called Slave, dropped to her knees and tried to shoo the animal away. But her hand went through the bird. She was no longer living. She was nothing but air. Worthless air.
