Keeper Hunter

There was no need of gunner stations since we were in hyperspace. I left to the sounds of argument behind me glad to be out of it. I returned to my quarters there wasn’t much else I could do until everyone calmed down. Marcella had tidied up in my absence all the junk she had piled on my bed was gone, along with the stuff I’d put in the locker. My holdall had been stacked neatly on my bed I was sure I’d stuffed in the storage in the bed. I looked there to find it empty. I placed my holdall back in the under bed storage. With no one to disturb me I lay on the bed and closed my eyes. I woke to find Marcella sitting on the bed opposite staring at me a hand scanner in her hands.

“Fascinating,” she said mysteriously.

I sat and looked over to her. “What is?” I asked.

“You,” Marcella stated.

I saw her glance at her scanner. “Did you scan me while I was asleep?” I felt annoyed she’s done that without my say.

Marcella shrugged. “I was indulging in some research.” She glanced at her scanner again. “Your circadian rhythm is different from most Humans.”

I noted she hadn’t included herself in that. “What do you mean by that?” I know I sounded defensive but I had every right she did scan me without my permission.

“Curiosity mostly I did wonder why you were given a bangle of kovettunut?”

“And?” my curiosity getting the better of me despite my annoyance.

“I’m still confused?” She waved her scanner in the air. “You walk and talk like a Terran but this says otherwise. You have more Valkyrie blood than I have.”

That explained why she was in the Hall of Elders when I’d first met her. Marcella had enough Valkyrie blood to satisfy the strict entry to Alfheimir criteria.

She gave me an odd look. “Who are you really?”

“Gwen Hunter,” I responded automatically. As to the rest I wasn’t sure who I was anymore. The thought seemed to be bothering me less than it once did.

“You said your great grandfather was Valkyrie. What was his Clan?”

“Martin but…” I wasn’t sure that I wanted to tell her more.

“Oh not that, I was certain he’d be from one of the sub Clans.”

“Sub Clans?” I hadn’t heard that then there was a lot I hadn’t been told.

“Yes one of those formed by a Bond Sister.”

That was more information than I’d ever got from the Valkyrie they seemed delighted to keep me in the dark. I wasn’t sure if I should tell her the Clan name but I wanted to know. I wanted that knowledge if I ever went back to Alfheimir, which wasn’t my intention. To present Miranda with the truth and lay her ghosts to rest.

“Great grandfather Theo’s Clan was a Landottir.” There I told Marcella I hoped it wouldn’t blow up in my face.

“Landottir went to Demeros and got destroyed in surprise attack?” Marcella mused thoughtfully.

“There were a few survivors but they got reabsorbed into the Martin Clan.”

“But not your great grandfather?” Marcella leaned forward her eyes afire with curiosity. “Odd that.”

I’d never thought of it that way. “The Elders decided he would be safer on Earth amongst the Humans. Somehow they wiped his memories and hid his Valkyrie blood so he couldn’t be detected.” I looked at Marcella. “I’m not sure how they did that?”

“Blood, the Valkyrie excel at genetics that part I can understand.” Marcella sounded glum about that. “As too the other that sounds harsh even by Valkyrie standards. I’ve heard there are tepes that can do that wipe minds.”

I was glad I hadn’t told her about Miranda I wasn’t sure she knew the implications of what she had asked the Elders to do. It sent a cold shiver down my back. “Telepaths can do that?” It was one of the things the Empire feared about telepaths.

“There are only a few with that ability and they are closely monitored by the government. I know of less than the fingers on one hand where this was done and only in exceptional circumstances. The T’Arni call it death of the soul, Thantos Gilanos.” She made a clearing sound in her throat. “Enough of that, technically you are the last of the Landottir.” She pointed to the bracelet on my arm. “That explains why you have one made of kovettunut. You are the Clan Mother of the Landottir Clan and it’s Elder.”

I stared at her shocked my mind in a whirl that couldn’t be true. “That can’t be true!” I protested with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. “I can’t be both of those?”

“A lot of Elders are former Clan Mothers,” Marcella stated. “Yours isn’t a first a six year old girl was both when her Clan was wiped out she was the only survivor.”

Something about what she was saying didn’t sit well with me. “Wait my mother’s still alive wouldn’t she the Clan Mother she gave birth to me?”

Marcella’s gaze was intense I felt like I’d asked the wrong question.

“Has you mother been to Alfheimir?”

“No.” Nor would I have been had I not promised to return Solstrid’s bracelet. Even if I had known my fate I still would have.

“Has your mother gone through the rebirth ceremony?”

“Rebirth?” I shuddered at the words I’d long ago given up trying not to repeat others words. I vividly remembered what I had done to me when I ’d accepted the training. It was hard to forget being stripped naked and having a bucket of blood poured over my head to the sound of a slow beat in the dark.

“The rebirth ceremony where those not born on Alfheimir get reborn.”

“I don’t understand.” I was certain there was more.

Marcella’s gaze intensified. “Were you stripped naked and dosed in blood in the Hall of the Elders?”

“It wasn’t my choice to have that done to me I only agreed to take the training because they threatened that I’d never leave Alfheimir if I didn’t.”

Marcella tapped her lips thoughtfully. “They must have known you were coming to have the blood ready. It must have taken them ages to collect enough menstrual and birthing blood to bath you in?”

I nearly puked at the thought that was disgusting. “Oh my God that’s gross!” I protested feeling sick. “Why that’s so sick.”

“Not to the Valkyrie it’s part of their traditions. They must have really wanted to keep you there.”

“I’m no one special.” The mantra I kept telling myself unfortunately no one was taking any notice of that.

“That not true, rebirthing isn’t a common occurrence.” Marcella tried assure me.

“Did they do that to you?”

“No I got a bucket of common blood before I even touched the surface of Alfheimir.”

“So why do you say I’m different?”

Marcella pointed to my bracelet. “That says you are different. The Elders wanted you bound tight to them.”

Which made me wonder if the Clan Mothers knew about this. Mother Ronja didn’t otherwise she’d not have insisted I join her Clan. I think Miranda would have said something if she had known this. Then I wasn’t sure if Marcella was telling the truth or just speculating on what she had guessed at. I decided to change subjects and find the reason she was on Alfheimir in the first place.

“Why were you on Alfheimir in the first place?” I asked her directly. I hadn’t meant to be harsh but I just came out sounding like an accusation.

“I was recommended, the Elders wanted someone not of the Clans to do some historical research,” she said simply ignoring my outburst.

I sensed it wasn’t the full truth. “And they asked an outsider, a vaihdokas?”

“Aren’t you vaihdokas as well?” she said softly.

“Which makes me illegible to be a Clan Mother.”

“Ask Clara Pandi, Debbie Hollow or Marsha Martin had they still been alive. All of them were Human but they formed Clans and became Clan Mothers of their Clans.”

“I thought there were five in total?” I queried.

“The other two were absorbed into existing Clans becoming Bond Sisters.”

Marcella got off the bed and rummaged in the locker beneath her bed pulling out a cloth bound rectangular object I guessed was a book. Carefully she unwrapped it pulling the cloth off to reveal a worn and battered book.

“This isn’t the original only one of half a dozen copies. I sort of borrowed it.”

I looked at her surprised. I got the feeling she had taken it without permission. “Sort of borrowed it?”

Marcella shrugged. “I wasn’t supposed to remove it from the archives.” Marcella handed the book to me.

What I had thought was a leather bound book was actually made of some flexible wood. I opened it carefully the writing inside wasn’t the cuniformic Galactic that I’d become used to or even USE the standard of the Empire. The text was some sort cursive script unfamiliar to me and yet it had been written by hand. The door slid open and Marcella had the book out of my hand and under the bed before I could react.