Page 90 of Between Broomsticks and Beating Wings
Kari and I descended the steps lit by glowing orbs. They flared and pulsed a deep orange, creating a path of light for us to follow. Eight days after we’d last seen Freyja, Kari and I had received scrolls in our room, one addressed to each of us. Kari’s was a summoning, whereas mine was an invitation.
Kari was due to meet the other councilors in Sessrúmnir’s primary incantation chamber, and I had been formally requested to join Freyja’s ranks and take my test of loyalty. I’d known it was coming, had even expected it a day prior, yet holding that scroll in my hand still felt as if I’d stumbled upon a chest of gold. I kept waiting for someone to come rip it from my hands and tell me it was all but a cruel jest. Though, as we traveled to the chambers beneath Sessrúmnir, it felt more and more like I truly would become a valkyrie once again.
Kari’s words lingered in my mind, and whenever I felt doubt creeping in, I remembered what she’d said to me.
I will not fear change.
The person I’d become after joining the Sessrúmnir sect would be different from who I’d been in Valhalla, but that didn’t need to be a bad thing. I’d stared at myself in mirrors for so long, searching for a change I’d never see, wondering at what point I’d feel like I’d truly know myself. Maybe, after all this time, I would discover who Rune Dragomir was and who I wanted to be.
Once we reached the bottom of the stone steps, Kari wrapped her hand in mine and said, “I wish I could go in there with you.”
“I know, but you have exciting matters of your own to attend to,” I said, tenderly squeezing her hand. “You have the honor of meeting Freyja’s council and claiming your seat among them. Your family is going to be so proud.”
We’d talked a few times about what it meant for Kari now that she’d be able to venture to Helheim once a year to see her family in the underworld. There weren’t many people who could say the same, and visitation rights were just one of the many incredible rewards she received for being the center of a bargain between two goddesses.
Kari blushed, her lips curling up into a smile as she gushed, “I already can’t wait to see my family, but knowing I have forever with them makes the ache a little duller. For now, I’ll simply be happy where I am, here, with you. And listen, I know we spent so much of this past week having fun, exploring, and doing a whole lot of…resting.” She laughed, saying the word as if she meant anything but. I smirked at the thought. “But I want you to know I’m aware we never, um, spoke about what we’d said we would.”
As much as I wanted to hear all she had to say, there was too much hanging in the balance. Once I passed the test of loyalty and we both knew we were in Fólkvangr to stay, we could have that conversation. I too had been holding on to words that wanted to crawl out of me and find a home inside her. Soon enough, I would shout them from the roof of Sessrúmnir for all to hear.
I pressed a kiss to the top of her hand. “We’ve had a lot on our minds, and, well, you’re likely forbidden to be with me until I pass my test,” I said with a smirk.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve broken that rule ten times over, and Freyja knows it. She’s the goddess of love and fertility. I think she’d be the last one to tell anyone who to be with, mortal or not.” Kari laughed and led me further down the hall. She held up her scroll, where a small map had been drawn onto the back, and took the next turn. I’d been following my own map, but we’d been lucky enough to get to travel together this far. This part of our journey would come to an end soon, as the chamber of truth quickly approached.
“It’s a shame I can’t be a witness for your reintroduction into the House of Wings, but I understand why Freyja forbade it,” Kari said, coming to a stop. She glanced down at my map with a hesitant smile. “Just know I’ll be thinking of you. I have no doubt you can accomplish anything she asks of you. You’re Rune Dragomir, and don’t you forget it.”
I pulled her in, taking a deep breath as I did. Her earthy scent of spruce and mugwort had changed since leaving Midgard, though I found myself favoring the new, rich blend of incantation oils that always seemed to linger on her skin and in her hair. We both hesitated for a moment as I began to pull back, our faces so close to each other, I felt the warmth of her cheek near mine. We turned our faces at the same time, and our lips became one. The kiss started sweet, tender, but it quickly turned into a battle of wills, seeing which one of us would fall apart first. I didn’t want it to feel like a goodbye, but somehow, it did.
Gods, I wish I could stay in her arms forever.
Freyja was waiting for me, as was my new future, a future I hoped with everything I had included Kari.
“I have to go,” I said, slowly pulling away. When I dropped her hand, my palm felt cool without her touch. Before I coulddo anything foolish, I turned away from her and headed for the door of the chamber of truth.
The door creaked as I opened it, and I didn’t look over my shoulder at the woman I was leaving on the other side, even if my tongue burned to say the words in my heart. I shut the door behind me, closing myself into the dimly lit room.
An unfamiliar man stood next to a stone altar. His moss green robe trailed the floor behind him, and I wondered if he was a council member trusted to lead such an untraditional ceremony. I’d never heard of a valkyrie getting stripped of her title, only to be inducted by another god. Usually, the women were discarded, never to be heard from by the sisters again, yet, here I stood, standing silently before the stone of truth, about to get a second chance.
The robed man pointed toward the stone and motioned for me to lay upon it. When I did, resting my unbraided hair upon the cool marble, he disappeared into the shadows. I closed my eyes and focused on my breath, trying not to think about the first time I laid upon a stone much like this one. I’d been nineteen, scared of what my life would become, but today, I held none of those same fears.
Moments later, I was being handed a chalice of honey wine, which I now knew was laced with seidr. I also knew there was no option here, so I took the chalice, draining it in three gulps. My vision began to blur, but just before I lost my hold on this reality, Freyja came into focus. She stared down at me with a smile on her face, and the way the orbs glowed behind her made her golden hair look as though it’d caught flame.
She was the last thing I saw before my vision went white.
White turned to rustling leaves and the sound of nesting birds. I stood in a forest, pine and spruce trees surrounding me, all dusted with snow. I took my first step forward, the white powder crunching under my boots, reminding me of mytime in Hel. When Helheim crossed my mind, I looked over my shoulder, a prickling feeling that I was far closer to the realm of ice and death than I ought to be snaking across my limbs. I walked forward several paces until I heard a sickening snap of wood. I found myself creeping toward the sound, the ice melting under my boots as I did.
Kneeling, I peered between two trees. Ahead, there was a forest of brown, gnarled roots with bite and claw marks taken out of them. I’d never seen Yggdrasil this way before, and it was as if I were floating above it instead of walking within its dimension.
Another snap of wood, though this time, I saw a red-scaled tail leading to the thick body of the world tree dragon.
Nídhöggr.
The root munching dragon let out a bellowing roar, splinters of wood spraying from his scarlet, toothy mouth. I scrambled back, and then I ran and ran and ran until the world was on fire. Flames licked my arms, singeing my leathers, and my head swung in all directions until I spotted a sliver of white light in this world of red.
As I stumbled toward the light, I felt the love of the moon wash over my skin. I threw my head back in relief, closing my eyes and feeling the moment the sky went dark and the new moon had arrived. I wanted to stay here where it was safe, away from fire, ice, and dragons. Something in the back of my mind called to me, though, warning me this place was not for me.
Reluctantly, I opened my eyes. The moon was gone, replaced by glowing trees and a backdrop of the sunset sky. I found myself in awe of the beauty of the whispering trees. I felt them calling to me, though what spoke in my mind was far louder. I knew there was somewhere I needed to be, someone I needed to find, but every time I thought I was getting closer to figuring it out,I found myself stumbling into another unwanted destination. Some had more of a pull on me than others, but none weremine.
“Rune!” a voice finally called out. I saw a figure standing on the edge of a fjord, and the crystalline water glistened, inviting me in. I dove into the water to get to the other side, but my boots quickly filled, dragging me down into the depths faster than I could fight against it. It grew colder and darker as I went, until I saw a beam of light shine through the water, then another. They continued to light up the space around me until I felt an unnatural salt on my tongue, and I saw a palace gleaming below me. All I had to do was give in, take the sea water into my lungs, and allow myself to sink, but was this hall my home? I didn’t think so.
