Valkyrie Hunter

Mother Nidbjorga flicked a signal and the room seemed suddenly less tense. I noted a number of the Valkyrie had moved their hands away from their weapons I breathed easier.

“Rhosani blood,” she said to me giving me the eye. “What’s this got to do with the Prophetess?” she said as if answering her own question.

“’He’ has Rhosani DNA.” I empathised the word ‘He’.

My statement elicited collective gasps from the assembled Valkyrie.

“You are certain of this?” Nidbjorga enquired.

“It’s Walla’s data,” I replied.

“You have proof?”

“Yes.”

“I need to see it?”

“Could someone lend me a knife. Preferably a sharp one?”

The Valkyrie that had brought me in handed me a combat knife. The blade of which had been honed to a high degree.

“Thanks,” I said to her.

She merely nodded and watched me carefully. I felt around the coat until I located a spot where Anhild had sown a data chip into it. Carefully I cut around the spot. More not to cut my fingers rather than to wreck Arva’s coat although I felt guilty about that.

I handed Nidbjorga the chip. Several Valkyrie shuffled around until one produced a datapad to put the chip into. The holo of Walla’s notes appeared above the datapad.

Nidbjorga stared at it uncomprehending. “What’s this?” She gave me a look.

“Graphs of DNA sequences including that of the so called Prophet,” I told her directly.

“What am I supposed to be seeing?” she said.

None of the other Valkyrie came forward to help her to interpret the data.

“Perhaps a medtech will help you to understand the data?”

Nidbjorga pointed to one of her Valkyrie. “Fetch her?” she ordered.

“Do we want the trouble?” the Valkyrie shot back.

“Just do it!” Nidbjorga commanded.

We waited no one saying a thing. The Valkyrie returned with a much older Valkyrie her grey hair in a long braid curled around her head. She wore a blood stained off white apron over a dirty grey shirt and equally dirty blue pants.

“This better be good,” she growled at Nidbjorga. “I have patients demanding my attention.”

Nidbjorga waved at the holo. “Can you make any sense of this?”

I saw the elderly Valkyrie glance at me and then at the holo. “I see?” she stated unemotionally.

“This Martin says they are graphs of DNA samples including that of the Prophetess.”

The Elderly Valkyrie studied the data. “Young One?” The Elderly Valkyrie gestured to me. “Come here, I don’t bite contrary to what some think?” I saw her give Mother Nidbjorga a look.

I came and stood next to her.

She pointed to the holo. “Enari?”

“Yes,” I replied. “This is mine, Walla didn’t ask my permission but I’m glad she did in a way.”

The elderly Valkyrie stared hard at my graph. “Interesting,” was her comment.

I pointed to the so called Prophet, well my interpretation of what I’d discovered. “That’s the Prophet or whatever he calls himself.”

“Fascinating,” she said then pointed to the last graph.

“Rhosani,” I said promptly.

“Ah yes from our records. Walla is certainly through.”

“Well?” Nidbjorga demanded.

“ This is exactly what the Young One says it is. The Prophetess is Valkyrie but a male Valkyrie.”

A series of gasps echoed around the room. Several Valkyrie looked stunned at the revelation. They hadn’t when I stated it earlier, oh they had gasped but they hadn’t looked shocked. It seemed the elderly Valkyrie was someone they could not ignore. She backed up my statement.

“What I’m more interested in how Gwen Martin got a DNA sample from the impostor?” the Valkyrie leader said the one that I’d labelled so. It had been her combat knife I’d used. “We haven’t been able to get anyone close enough.”

“Because you are dealing with a telepath,” I told her. I explained my capture and being dragged to the Prophet’s anti-grav car. “Mother Sophronia Palkkasir distracted him with her attack. He killed her with a gesture but it allowed me to shoot him.” I shrugged bitterly my mind remembering her sacrifice. Another soul to join Solstrid’s. Another death I’d have to atone for. “I only wounded him and the car drove off before could take another shot.”

“Why would the Palkkasir attack their allies?” One Valkyrie asked in an off hand manner.

My anger flashed hot. “She was betrayed and left to die!” I growled at the Valkyrie. I stepped forward my hands curled into fists. The Valkyrie actually stepped back. “I helped her escape and she pledged her life to mine!” I didn’t want to go into the fact she thought me a Daughter of the Mother’s Messengers. I guess my anger was the guilt I felt at seeing her die and not doing a thing to save her. “Mother Hardgera gave her a sword.”

“Mother Hardgera Thidrikdor. That bitch!” Mother Nidbjorga muttered angrily.

“Mother Hardgera’s forces have withdrawn they’ve abandoned their positions,” The Valkyrie leader said.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Nidbjorga snapped at her.

“I was on my way here with the news when I crossed paths with Gwen Martin.”

Nidbjorga straightened her eyes flashing. “Then we have a chance to act before they regroup.” She gestured to the holo and the elderly Valkyrie. “Is there anyway we can make this data understandable. I want our people to know exactly what they are dealing with.”

“That I can do,” The elderly Valkyrie said. “I want to give the Clan something worth fighting for. This will give us the edge we lacked.”

My mind was on how I was supposed to be getting this data to the TCA and Elders. I felt sick inside knowing the Black Stripes were here and the Prophet was a Rhosani. But he had looked Valkyrie. My mind ran through a list of possibilities. All that would have to wait while I brought myself back to present. “I need to get this data to the TCA and the Elders.”

Nidbjorga stepped closer to the holo her hands hovering over it protectively. “I can’t let you have this. We need it.”

“I have copies,” I replied. “I just need help in getting out of the city. Some of your people put a hole in Arva’s car?”

Nidbjorga started guiltily at the mention of Arva’s name. “Of course,” she said hastily a little too hastily.

I swiftly guessed that she knew something about Arva’s death. “Even if I don’t use it I’d want to get it back to Walla’s it was her niece’s?”

“Captain escort Gwen Martin out of the city and send her on her way.”

The Valkyrie leader placed her hand over her chest and turned to me. “This way Gwen Martin. We’ll see you to the checkpoint. I’m afraid your are on your own after that.” She gave me an apologetic look. “I don’t have enough of the Clan to help you. I wish things could be different. You might have just saved my Clan from extinction.”

She was serious about that I knew it to be true. “Ok I’ll just have to deal with it.”

As I turned to follow the Valkyrie out the elderly Valkyrie called out to me.

“Oh Young One. If we get the chance I need to speak to you about your data.”

“Why?” I asked her worried what she’d find in my DNA. I was trying to keep my improvement in the Keepers secret too many knew about it already.

“That’s what we will discuss. Go with the Mother, Young One.”

I followed the Valkyrie leader up a set of very dirty stairs as I did I heard Nidbjorga say.

“Gather round we need to plan our attacks carefully…”

I didn’t hear anything further. I was out into the lightening sky of an early dawn.