Page 7 of The Last Valkyrie

It was strange, but I wasgladthe Whisperer was with us. After all we’d been through together—something I had never expected in a million years—the “dad” of our group was turning out to be someone I admired. Sort of. He was still scary as hell. Dour, surly, prone to a vacant look on his face that made him seem like a psychopath and murderer. But he wasourpsychopath and murderer.

After scouts returned and told the Hersirs there was no sign of enemy encampments or trouble ahead to the end of the tree line, Hersir Kelvar excused himself from Axel’s side and lingered back to join our little group.

“Well?” Magnus asked his father—a notion that still baffled me to this day. “Any news, pops?”

“Don’t call me that,” Kelvar grunted. His straight black hair blew in the wind, making the shorter man regal. “The rest of the academy doesn’t know our relation.”

Magnus quirked a brow. He had become more animated and lively—much less sociopath-adjacent—ever since learning the truth of his heritage and the lengths Kelvar went to rescue and protect him as a babe.

“Do the Hersirs know?” Magnus asked.

I scooted a little closer to hear them better, unashamed to eavesdrop on this juicy info.

Kelvar lowered his head and gave it a quick shake.

“What!” Magnus snapped.

Cadets glanced over from the back ranks, and Kelvar scowled at his bloodrender son, hissing, “Quiet, foolish boy.”

“If Sigmund finds out without you telling him, don’t you think he’ll have your head?”

Kelvar snorted. “He can try.”

There it was again, something I’d noticed during our debriefing: Kelvar disagreeing, eveninsulting, the Gothi. Like he thought Sigmund incompetent or not as powerful and mighty as he appeared to the rest of us students.

I recognized even though the Whisperer was Sigmund’s spymaster and right-hand man in many things, they disliked each other.I wonder why. Could I have something to do with it? Kelvar helping me, when Gothi Sigmund would rather see me fail? Or perhaps Magnus for the same reason? Maybe they don’t despise each other, but just don’t trust each other.

I didn’t know the ins and outs of Vikingrune politics, and I didn’t care to learn. I knew enough. Sigmund, and his Hersirs by association, had propagated a lie about the academy for generations. None of them could be trusted because of that fact alone. Even Hersir Kelvar fell into that camp.

I can only hope Kelvar’s experience in Alfheim with us, where the light elves tended his wounds and showed him respect, was enough to change his mind about them. Because up until then, he regularly argued with us and showed naked hatred toward the elves.

I knew I’d find out sooner or later, when push came to shove and I made my move to try and unite the elves and humans together.Hel, this situation right now, if we’d had more timeto prepare, seems like the perfect opportunity to form such an alliance.

As we continued to march, my legs became sluggish from traveling for nearly five hours, all afternoon, without a break.

Hersir Osfen finally called camp when the sun was beginning to set and we neared the edge of where the forest ended and the plains began. The trees thinned where we were, yet we still had enough foliage and cover to hide us from any spying eyes in the distance.

We rested among the trees, breaking out hardtack and drinking skins. I stayed near my guys, with Randi and Dagny joining us. Randi excused herself before long, and I saw her heading toward the Torfen and Lanfen packs, a group nearly ten strong, beelining for her beau Ulf.

Sven snarled as he watched her go, shaking his head, and I put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, my surly wolf, she might be able to help us.”

“You really are a little menace.” He leaned against a tree to bite into his food. “Using your best friend as a spy’s tool?”

Dagny perked her head up. I put a hand out to assuage the worried look on her face. “I’m doing no such thing. You’ve been incommunicado with your kin for weeks now. Randi’s the only lifeline you have toward some kind of reconciliation with them.”

Sven rolled his neck and barked a humorless laugh. “Reconciliation? I would never. Do you forget they ambushed me and put me in the infirmary? My own flesh and blood?”

I frowned, noticing the glint of pain and regret behind his eyes.Is it regret because they betrayed him by following their father’s cruel orders, or regret he didn’t take them out when he had the chance?

I rubbed his forearm lightly. “Of course I haven’t forgotten, Sven.”

Far off in another section of the woods, Eirik and his group loitered. Damon and his buddies were in the initiate regiment with Hersirs Kardeen and Selken. From this distance, I could see the worry stretched across Eirik’s face, knowing his younger brother wasn’t with him.

Been a while since I’ve had any talks of reconciliation with my own kin, too. Don’t suppose that’ll change anytime soon.

I hated that it was like this. Damon had poisoned my older brother Eirik. Now they both loathed me. For the life of me, I didn’t know why.

Where’smylifeline to reconnect with my family?Eirik was supposed to have been that lifeline. The man who could bridge the differences between me and my younger half-brother—the one who could be the adult in the room and settle the dispute once Damon arrived.

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