Valkyrie Hunter

So deep in my own thoughts I’d missed part of what Triple ‘M’ was saying.

“When you are dressed. We can eat.” She waved her hand in front of my face.

“Eat?” I swallowed hard as thoughts of what she said earlier came back to me.

“Proper food,” She said and added hastily. “Not people that was a joke in bad taste. I sorry I was just so pleased to see you here. I’m not a bad person Gwen.”

I looked at her sharply when she called me Gwen. “How do you know my name?” I said suspiciously.

“I’ve known your name since you were born.”

I stared at her shocked and horrified. “That can’t be true!” I protested. Deep down I knew it to be true. Hadn’t the Elders been watching me all of my life.

“It is true. I’m both your great aunt and your great grandmother rolled into one with several more greats tacked on behind.

Suddenly a thought crashed through my confused mind. “It was you that had me kidnapped!” I accused her.

Triple ’M’s eyes flashed annoyance. “Snap out of it Gwen. Use your brain. I didn’t have you kidnapped so dispel that thought from your mind. But I like as hell to know who did and why?” Triple ‘M’ paused. “Someone that wanted us both harmed. I would have been devastated to find you dead on my doorstep?”

What she was saying made logical sense part of my mind informed me. Unfortunately it left a number of questions to answer. I picked the easiest one. “Who are you?”

“I’m Miranda Marsha Martin.”

Ok I was with an insane woman. But the logical part of my mind was telling me otherwise. “Not possible!”

“Oh yes very possible. I am Miranda Martin.”

“No!” a voice called out it wasn’t mine.

I turned to see the Valkyrie standing in the doorway a bundle of clothes clutched to her chest. Her eyes staring shocked at the woman who called herself Miranda Martin. “You’re not supposed to reveal that to anyone. No one is supposed to know mother told you that?”

“Mother?” I turned my attention to the Valkyrie. “Exactly who is your mother?”

“Mother Ronja,” she answered quietly.

Now I was more confused than ever. “Great, this just getting weirder by the minute?”

“Ella give Gwen her clothes.” Miranda gave Ella the eye. “I assume you’ve given her something that will fit. Once Gwen is dressed we can continue this discussion like the adults we are supposed to be?”

I dressed in the clothing Ella supplied. The pants were tight on my hips. The bra, panties and vest top were loose. To top it all were the red high heels. They were more than a bit of a surprise. I’d never seem Valkyrie with high heels I couldn’t see the point they were tall enough without them. We moved to another room at Miranda’s, (if that was her real name) urging? The dining room I guess I could call it that was set out for formal meals. Around the walls were a number of landscapes the Valkyrie so prized. The room itself was large enough for the table, which could seat ten people. The table and chairs although plain had padded seats in red and silver Clan Martin colours. We occupied only a small portion of the table a typical Valkyrie meal in front of us. I noted it contained the usual array of fruits, vegetables and strips of voedi the Valkyrie meat I’d grown to like. What was unusual was the place settings with Earth cutlery. The sight of things from Earth made me a bit homesick. I was far away from my home and I felt it acutely. The last and biggest surprise about the meal was the apple juice. Apples didn’t grow in the Confederacy the only place they did grow was on Earth. I tasted mine savouring the flavour of the pressed apples as fresh as the day they were picked. I ate my food with gusto.

I pushed my empty plate away satisfied at last. I regarded the woman and her Valkyrie companion thinking of the oddness of the situation. “So are you going to persist with the myth that you are Miranda Martin?”

Miranda gave me a half-smile. “It all true. T’Arni can live to be five hundred.”

“You aren’t T’Arni. Miranda was human?”

“The emphasis on ‘was’,” Miranda told me directly.

I winced at her tone.

“What did the Elders do to you?” Ella asked me.

“They altered my DNA,” I replied promptly.

“As they did to me,” Miranda said. I heard the pain in her voice as she said it. “Before you say anything,” she cautioned me. “I wasn’t the only one. Several of my friends from the ‘Marco’ that decided to stay behind when the ship left. Had the same done to them.” Miranda’s voice grew soft sadness filling her words. “I’m the only one that out lived them. It is hard to see friends and family age and die and you not age.”

The bitterness at the last part of her words cut me to the core. “Sorry,” I apologised.

“Don’t be,” Miranda waved my apology away. “I’m just sorry you got mixed up in all this.” She frowned. “Now on to more important matters. We need to find out who took you and why?”

“Yes I’d like to know that?” It didn’t make any logical sense then we were talking about Valkyrie. A lot of what they did never made sense to an outsider like me. “Was it you that insisted that I return to Alfheimir?” I accused Miranda.

She sighed. “I did put in a request to see you the next time you were on Alfheimir. Despite what you may think I can only ask.”

“Someone turned it into a demand. It didn’t come from us.” Ella said. “Mother wanted to induct you formally into our clan. It was turned down we were never given a reason.” She paused and looked directly at me. “When mother accepted your application for Confederacy. She applied for your inclusion into the clan and was refused again.

I hadn’t wanted to be part of a clan let alone becoming a Valkyrie. The Elders had taken that from me with altering my DNA. Then Xenai needed my help in finding and apprehending Vanessa. She told me becoming a Confederacy citizen would allow the Saros Security to arrest her and hold her for forty-eight hours giving us time to investigate what she was searching for. I’d found that out by accident and by doing so released the Keepers from eternal confinement. “Ok let’s move on here,” I said uncomfortably. “Why abduct me and then dump me on a mountain side in the middle of a blizzard to kill me. Surely it would have been easier to kill me on Davenport?”

“I don’t think they factored in the blizzard. The weather is notoriously unpredictable in the mountains around here,” Miranda answered.

“Why go through all that trouble. Davenport is a long way from here. That’s a heck of a lot of effort?” I asked her.

“Good point. It makes no sense,” Miranda assured me.

“I think I might know?” Ella said cautiously.

“Cinders?” Miranda asked her.

“Well it’s only a theory,” she said hesitantly. “You know how it goes.”

I noticed she was looking at me directly. “Gwen is important not just to us. A lot of people have been touched by her actions and she has many friends and allies.”

“Go on?” Miranda sounded intrigued.

I reflected on what she was saying it was starting to make sense. I wanted to hear what else she was saying.

Ella continued. “My theory is Gwen’s abduction is to draw attention to Alfheimir. What happens here will have ripples throughout the Confederacy. The Confederacy and the TCA would be forced to investigate. Someone wants them drawn into a conflict?”

“Black Stripes!” I said. It was obvious they’d tried it before and I had no doubts they’d try it again.” I saw the looks both women were giving me and had to explain. I told them everything I’d learned about the Black Stripes and the Curator’s last words.

“Bull Shitters!” Miranda snorted.

“You don’t believe me?” I snapped at her.

“I do,” she replied softly. “I was calling them Bull Shitters. Unfortunately it makes the current situation here all the more relevant. Alfheimir is in more danger than we have anticipated.”

“How so?” I had to ask.

“There has been an upsurge in violence against those clans with human origins our clan in particular. You were and are a message from the enemy.” Miranda held up her hand. “We all know how you saved the Elder council and this world. But the Isolationists have never liked us.”

“They’ve also targeted the Yaniks and they are definitely do not have human origins,” Ella added.

I remembered a conversation with Thirika a long time ago before the Elders altered me. “Progressives?”

“Yes, exactly what I’m saying!” Ella said enthusiastically.

“You are right,” Miranda said to her. “It’s very suspicious that there’s been a sudden upsurge in isolationist agitation. They want Alfheimir for the pure Valkyrie. What they refuse to realise is that over a third of the population isn’t pure.”

I considered this then asked. “What are the Elder Council doing about it?”

“They’re considering dissolving any clan that disobeys the order to disarm.”

That sounded alarming to me. I understood the Valkyrie like of violence to settle disputes but I’d never heard of them resorting to using weapons “How many clans are we talking about?”

“Twenty-four,” Miranda told me.

“Out of?”

“About three hundred and fifty.”

I was surprised that there were that many clans. Then the Valkyrie hadn’t told me much, even those I considered my friends. “Do the Elders suspect outside influence?”

“Yes and before you object. It’s why the Elders wanted you back so desperately. You seem to have a knack for uncovering plots. Davenport, Saros and here on Alfheimir.”

“And you?” I asked her directly. My thoughts went back to Runa’s inadvertent words about an Old One. I hadn’t assumed the ‘said’ Old One would only look a couple of decades older than I.

“I just wanted the chance to talk to you.”

“I see,” I said ominously.

“You don’t,” Miranda reply was full of hurt.

“What that does that mean?” I spoke sharply, sharply enough for Ella to glare at me.

“I was responsible for letting Jenna form her own clan and letting them leave Alfheimir.” Some expression on my face prompted her to continue. “Jenna Landottir, your Valkyrie great grandfather was my daughter’s son and Jenna’s husband. She was my Bond Sister.”

“Bond Sister?” I had heard about them before but never fully understood.

“You have much to learn about clans,” Ella said.

Miranda interrupted. “This we can talk about later. I suggest we retire for the night. There isn’t much we can do anything about that until the storm abates.”

I stifled a yawn. I was tired I had to admit that to myself. Reluctantly I did as was told. Ella showed me to a room and I was asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.