Page 8 of The Last Valkyrie

Instead, Damon wormed his devious words into Eirik’s mind, and now I’d lostbothof them.

Snarling with a hateful glare aimed at Eirik, which he didn’t see, I turned away and crossed my arms.

Magnus said, “We should be planning our battle strategy.”

Kelvar said, “It’s not your plan to make, boy.”

Magnus frowned at his father.

Kelvar glanced at me, something shining in his eyes, as if he was concerned at the look of anger and hatred toward my brothers that lingered across my features. He pointed a warning finger at me. “Don’t go letting your anger get the best of you, girl.”

“I wasn’t planning on it, guy.” If he thought I’d call him “Hersir” or “sir” after calling me “girl,” he was sorely mistaken.

“Good. This fight will be no place to show your wings.”

I cocked my head, surprised he would mention my dragon wings.What does it matter to him?“Why?” I asked. “A pitched battle across the plains seems like it would be the best time touse them. I could take to the sky and get a better understanding of the field. They could be useful for strategizing.”

A warning look crossed Kelvar’s gaunt, emotionless face. It unnerved me, making me want to glance away. The pause became awkward and stifling the longer it dragged on.

With a heavy sigh, he said, “You don’t know a thing about Sigmund Calladan, do you?”

I blinked.Where didthatcome from?

“Must not have been paying attention during your history classes with Thorvi,” he added, shaking his head and taking a seat on a stump next to my mates.

I leaned forward on my stump, eager to hear what Kelvar had to say when his voice lowered—especially if it pertained to my dragonkin lineage.

“Sigmund is a descendant of King Dannon.”

My head reeled. I couldn’t remember if I had learned that or not. If I had, it didn’t seem important at the time. Now, after learning my own origins, it certainly did. “Sigmund Calladan is from the same line as the man whobuiltthe academy and betrayed the elves?”

Kelvar flared his nostrils, glancing over at Corym. “Betrayal is a heavy-handed word. Depends who you ask.”

My elf and the Whisperer were always at odds. I had come to accept it. Kelvar wasn’t one of my mates, so I didn’t give a shit what his disposition toward my men was. Did Iwanthim to get along with everyone? Of course. But that clearly wasn’t in the cards.

“Why does that matter?” My eyes snapped left and right to my mates. They stayed on Corym, whose perfect thin brow threaded together.

“Because it means Sigmund Calladan is from the line of Vamys,” Corym muttered.

It meant nothing to me. I vaguely recognized the name from Thorvi’s class in my first term. “Vam-who?”

“Vamys,lunis’ai.The third child and sole male heir of King Dannon and Queen Amisara. While the two daughters Elayina and Syndriel took their mother’s side and embraced their elven roots, Vamys sided with his father after Dannon was slain by Azerot the Wrathseeker.”

Wheels spun in my head, trying to find the history lesson Lady Elayina, my great-aunt to the umpteenth degree, told me.Azerot killed King Dannon. He married Dannon’s daughter, Syndriel. They had Solzena, the progenitor of my bloodline: part-dragon, part-elf, part-human.

“What did Vamys do?” I asked.

Kelvar took over for Corym. “He killed Azerot for killing his father.”

“Continuing the cycle of generational violence between the elven and human sides of that family,” Corym added.

“Continuing?” Kelvar said. “You meanstarting. If Vamys hadn’t killed Azerot, the violence would have stopped. Dannon was already dead.”

Anger flared in Corym’s face. “Of course, Whisperer, blame the elf in the argument. Not the human, King Dannon, whostartedthe whole fucking mess with his abduction and rape of—”

“Enough, you two,” I cut in, waving a hand between them. “People will hear you if you get any louder. What in Hel does this have to do with my new power, Hersir?”

Kelvar gave one more narrow-eyed glare at Corym. He faced me with his palms on his knees. “Vamys sought revenge for his father’s death. After killing Azerot he didn’t stop there. Azerot had many children—twelve, the legends say. Solzena was simply the only one who lived, and the last line to remain intact up until now.”

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