Page 51 of Valkyrie Unknown

Davyn?

No. Enid’s name was on the screen. Did I want to talk to her? I couldn’t take more bad news, but I couldn’t ignore her. Answering was taking action. “Hey.”

“Hey. How are you holding up?”

My laugh came out more manically than I intended. “Oh, you know.” I hoped she did, because I didn’t want to put these thoughts into words.

“I’m sorry.”

Yeah, well… “What’s up?”Did you hear from Davyn?

“I found you a blacksmith.” The lilt in her voice sounded likethat’s good, isn’t it?

It wasn’tNumber Oneon my list of things I wanted to hear, but it was pretty close to the top. I blanketed my disappointment about Davyn. “Cool. Can they see me? Will someone introduce me? How do I get in?” There was always a rule. A codeword. A phrase.

A price.

Enid’s silence made unease crawl over me.

“This is going to sound weird, but I promise I verified it through multiple sources,” she finally said.

“Okay?”

“There’s a diner in Shamrock Lakes, Indiana. One of those that look kind of like an old train car. You head there early in the afternoon, ask for him.”

I waited for her to give me the rest of the details. There was silence. What was I missing? “Do I need a special phrase? To go on a certain day? What do I bring in return?”

“It’s my understanding that any day works. You pay in cash. If you were to go now, you’d probably find him.”

That wasn’t right. “And he works on enchanted blades.”

“Forges metal with magic. Any metal. Most enchantments.”

I didn’t get it. “What’s the catch?”

“I told you it sounded weird.”

“What’s his name?” This was too easy.

“I don’t have that. I had to piece together the details for finding him, and no one will give up a name. The details for dealing with him are consistent, though. Everyone likes him because he doesn’t deal in bullshit.”

Super, super odd. “Shamrock Lakes, Indiana,” I repeated.

“Yup.”

It was something to do. If it led to a fight, that was fine as long as it was just me. If I could get laid while I was there, that was better. Taking any action at this point was better than what I was doing. “I’ll call you after.” The idea of checking in was weird. It wasn’t as if she was an anxious friend or relative waiting for me to confirm I was safe.

It was so Davyn could find me.

“Good luck,” Enid said, and we disconnected.

I grabbed my bag—everything was already in it—told the host I was leaving, and walked out of the hostel. Stepping into the open air made me breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn’t as if I’d been stuck inside for the last two days, but not knowing where I was going next had been suffocating. Not being able to act.

There was no need to extend my senses and search for a gate, since I’d arrived through one. Good thing, too. I didn’t think I could find what I needed with only one blade enchanted. This entrance looked like a graffiti doorway painted into a mural on the side of a tattoo parlor.

I stepped through the painted opening.Eat your heart out, Wil E. Coyote.When I exited the other side, the faint scent of charcoal greeted me. As if someone had been burning something, but hours ago. Either that was my blacksmith, or I was walking into the tail end of trouble.

In a way I itched for the latter. Ireallyneeded to burn off this excess energy.

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