Page 81 of Between Broomsticks and Beating Wings
A few days later, Kari and I found ourselves in a lavish lounging area, surrounded by visitors, one expected, the other a pleasant surprise.
“I come bearing gifts!” a low, feminine voice called out. I swung to see Nori in the hall, holding a large hemp sack in front of her. I could barely make out the dwarf’s face, the sack so large in front of her small body.
“Nori!” I rushed over to greet her, Kari following shortly behind. “What are you doing here?” I tried to take the sack before realizing the contents were far heavier than I anticipated. “Are you lugging around rocks? What’s in this thing?” I huffed as I set it down on the floor next to me. The veins in her strong arms bulged, but she seemed otherwise unaffected by the weight of what she’d held.
“Oh, that? It’s nothing you aren’t used to carrying,” she said with a brilliant smile. She waved over my shoulder to whereRayna and Alvion made themselves comfortable on a chaise lounge. They echoed their hellos but didn’t move from where they sat, leaned against each other.
I took a step back so Kari stood next to me. Nori’s eyes caught on her, and her face lit up.
“Ah, the seeress I’ve heard much about!” she called out before bending over her sack and pulling it open. “I brought something for you.”
“For me?” Kari said, no doubt wondering why the smith she’d met while on Nidavellir had brought her something. I turned to look at Rayna over my shoulder, but she simply sat in silence with a smug grin on her face. Alvion looked quite pleased as well, and I wondered what they’d cooked up. As it was, Rayna had used one of her limited, and quite costly, spell scrolls to write to Alvion. She’d burned her note in a fire, knowing the summoning scroll would appear in Alvion’s hand in Nidavellir. He showed up a day later, offerings in hand.
What are you up to now?
The sound of clinking metal caught my attention as Nori pulled a wooden box from her sack, not letting me see what else she’d brought with her. She handed the box to Kari and ushered her to open it. Kari looked almost as surprised as I felt, but she thanked Nori and pulled off the lid. Sitting inside the box were four metal rings, all carved with varying runes.
Kari gasped and plucked the first one out, inspecting it, reading the inscribed runes. She did the same with the three others, slipping them onto her stained fingers, two on each hand. She held up her hands for the two of us to see, and slowly but surely, the pinky cream color of her skin began creeping down her palms, into her fingers, under her nails. No trace of the charcoal staining remained, all gone except for the residue around her new rings.
“Nori…” I trailed off, not quite sure what to say. “What did those rings just do?”
“Ask the one who’s actually wand-wed!” Nori said with a proud smile and a stroke of her thin beard, not willing to take this moment from Kari.
“They’re divination bands inscribed with runes to allow the excess seidr to flow into them instead of seeping under my skin,” Kari said in amazement, her words slow and measuring.
“They will protect her against the seidr of the underworld, seeing as, well…” Nori trailed off. “It takes a toll on the human body. I’m sure you’ll need more bands with the tasks Freyja ought to be giving you as her future attendant, but these were all I could make on such short notice. Once you’re admitted into her council and made an official attendant, your body will rid itself of its mortality over time. These are just to help in the meantime.”
Before Kari said anything, she threw her arms around Nori and let out a relieved laugh. “Thank you, Nori!” She pulled back, analyzing her hands and the rings looped around them. “As badass as my hands looked, I’m more than happy to rid myself of the stains left behind from my seidr. I've had enough of Hel’s little gifts.”
“You’re very welcome. Rayna told me of your curse, and I figured the death rot spreading on your hands would be the last thing you’d want to see after living with such a horrid reflection.” Nori shook her head, and then her eyes went wide. “From the rot, of course. You poor thing. I hope you’re enjoying your very beautiful reflection here in Asgard.” She emphasized “very” and “beautiful” to make up for the fact that she’d almost called my mortal horrid looking.
Kari laughed, and the sound did something odd to my chest, a warmth spreading down into my skin and around my heart.
“I am, thank you,” Kari said. “These will certainly come in handy over the next several days. I assume Rayna caught you up on my task?”
“She has, and not just your task, but a test for Rune as well. Which is why,” she dove back into her hemp sack, “those rings aren’t the only thing I brought. Rune, I know it’s nothing you’re used to, but it was the closest thing to your measurements as I could find, taking into account that your muscles would be a bit, uh, smaller.”
Nori smiled awkwardly as she took in my form.
Apparently, I'm not the only one who's noticed a difference in my body.
Before I could give the smith a hard time, she pulled out brown leathers and threw them at me. I gripped them, thankful for the familiar feel in my hands. They were slightly worn, just how I liked them. The best part was, they weren’t the color that any of the House of Wings valkyries wore across any of the sects. They were safe to wear without causing offense, and I was already itching to put them on.
A smile crept onto my face, but Nori kept going. The next gift was a chest piece of pure silver. It gleamed in the torchlight, and while it was reminiscent of the armor worn in Helheim, it was simple enough that I surely wouldn’t be mistaken for one of their sisters.
“Nori—” I started as she showed off the other pieces of armor she’d brought.
“Oh shush. Go put those leathers on. You look far too lady-like in whatever it is you’re wearing,” she said, peering at my clothing disapprovingly. “I’m sure you’re dying to climb into something familiar, even if it might not be the best fit.”
“It’s all perfect, thank you. I truly mean it,” I said, my face as hard as stone to keep the prickling in my eyes from turning into something much more vulnerable. I wouldn’t cry over armor.
I won’t cry over armor,I repeated to convince myself it was true. I turned away from Nori and Kari as I began losing my battle, but I inadvertently caught Rayna’s gaze. She offered me a nod and knowing smile, and gods, my heart couldn’t take this.
I cleared my throat and said, “I’m going to go try these on.” I turned from the group and hightailed it toward the closest bathing chamber. I found one a hall down and slipped out of the clothing I’d been offered by some unknown attendant who’d placed them in our room. The brown leather was cool against my skin, but it quickly warmed to match my body heat. They were a little loose in the thighs and biceps, but I was expecting as much. Whoever these came from surely had more strength than what I had to offer.
For now,I tried to tell myself, because wallowing on these changes was far too pointless when they were as temporary as they were. I would be a valkyrie again soon enough, and as I looked down at myself, I knew this to be true.
When I walked back into the lounge room, something brushed against my leg, and I almost kicked it before realizing the furry creature was Tove, and he was being friendly for once. My muscles relaxed, and I stooped down to run three gentle fingers over his spine. The feline allowed for the touch, and I swear, I heard the slightest of purrs before the little gremlin darted off as if his tail were aflame.
