Valkyrie Hunter

I spent the next few hours sewing. For once I was glad the training I’d got from Gudbjorga. Bleary eyed I stumbled into what I would have considered a dining room. At least this time I was fully dressed. With the alterations I had done my clothes fitted better. Ella was already there she nodded thoughtfully on seeing me.

“Good,” she said. “You can help me?”

“Help you with what?” I asked a bit more alert.

“She likes a formal setting when we have guests.”

“And that includes me?”

“Yes and don’t think you are excused from work.” She gestured to a cabinet on one side of the room. “Lay the table, the cutlery is in the second draw on the left.”

In some ways she reminded of Thirika and it hurt to think about it briefly I wondered what she was doing. I set out three places as Ella had directed while she was in the kitchen preparing something. I’d tried to help but she chased me out. The kitchen had been a bit of a surprise the little I’d seen of it. It wouldn’t have looked out of place in a swanky home.

Miranda entered and looked around. “Managed to get some sleep?” she asked me.

“No,” I replied more sharply than I had intended.

She gave me a concerned look. “You must rest Gwen. After breakfast go back to bed.”

“I can’t.” I knew I needed the rest but I was too anxious to do that.

Miranda gestured to the kitchen. “Cinders will give you something to help you sleep. I’m concerned for your welfare?” Miranda hesitated. “She does for me?”

I found myself asking. “What is Ella to you?”

“She’s my keeper and my jailer.”

“You know that’s not true,” Ella said from the doorway. She held two bowls in her hands. “Don’t frighten Gwen.” She walked over placed the bowls on the table and turned back with a toss of her head.

I watched her leave unsure who to believe. I turned my attention to the bowl in front of me. I was surprised to see fruit floating in a yellow cream. This was a T’Arni breakfast they never ate meat at the first meal of the day. Ella returned with her own bowl.

“Please eat,” she said to us.

“Ah, ah yes!” Miranda grunted and then grinned. She put her hand up her back mimicking someone in an arm lock.

Ella gave an exasperated sigh. “Please don’t take this the wrong way Gwen. Triple ‘M’ likes to joke when she is scared.”

“Scared, of me?” I asked Ella probably not the best question to ask a Valkyrie.

“Scared is probably the wrong word here. Over excited at meeting you and fearful for your safety,” Miranda tried to reassure me and failed badly.

“Fearful for my safety?” I said sharply and immediately cussed myself for getting back into the habit of repeating words. I noted bleakly I was clenching and unclenching my hand another habit I was trying to rid myself of.

Miranda changed subjects before things could get heated. “Gwen you wanted to know how I got sucked into this?”

Shocked by her sudden turn around I forgot my own conflicts for a moment to listen to her. “What do you mean by that?”

Miranda turned her attention to Ella. “You should listen as well Cinders it is part of your heritage?” She glanced at me. “Both of your heritages.”

“Miranda?” Ella sounded intrigued and concern at the same time.

“Yep that’s my name,” Miranda joked.

It triggered a memory of me standing in front of the Elder’s for the first time. I said something like that to them. I wondered if I’d also inherited her jokey humour when nervous. I’d finally acknowledged I was related to her in a strange convoluted way. I felt a twinge of homesickness on hearing her New York accent.

“I won’t bore you with the tedious stuff.” Miranda said seriously.

That got my immediate attention.

“Living and working on the ‘Marco’ wasn’t a bed of roses I can tell ya.”

Again I was surprised by her use of idioms I hadn’t heard. Then her words were from at least a century or more ago.

“After five years of travelling I was ready to get the hell out of Dodge.”

Another phrase I wasn’t familiar with but at least this time I got the context. I noticed her turn of phrase had got Ella totally flummoxed.

“Then we landed of Alfheimir it was a total breath of fresh air both literally and metaphorically. After seeing T’Arni. It was a relief to meet people that actually looked human. The Enari as they called themselves then greeted us with enthusiasm. I made a few new friends.” Miranda glanced at Ella briefly. “You know how I saved Ingrida’s life.” She looked directly at Ella this time. “I leave that for you to tell Gwen.”

Ella nodded and turned to me. She spoke her tones low.

“I really don’t know where to start?”

“At the beginning is best I think Cinders,” Miranda told her.

“I can but try.” Ella hesitated swallowed hard and stopped her eyes narrowed. “Gwen?”

It was the first time I’d seen a Valkyrie uncomfortable about something. I decided it was better to wait until she had purged all doubts from her mind.