Prologue: The Reckoning
The transformation began in her eyes. The warm brown color that she’d loved began to cloud, and then it was as if a flame ignited. Burning away all cloudiness, the woman’s eyes were sharp and her irises now a striking silver. Horrifyingly, the fire that had begun didn’t burn out; instead, it spread to the edges of her eyes. As it reached her skin, the flame sputtered and I could feel the heat grow as I watched it change to a deep blue. It created veins of fire that made her face look like cracked stone, the veins were fast moving and as the woman reached her hand out to me I saw the flame lick her fingertips. My jaw dropped, my hands shook, my eyes widened, and the woman must have noticed because when I looked at her face she was mouthing something to me, but I was too distracted by the fire licking her body to follow the movements of her mouth. And she reached closer, this time taking a step. It was as if that one step forced time forward. The flames roared up again, singeing the edges of her skin that were touched by the flame. The first piece fell. It came from her cheek, and it drifted away like ash -disbursing in the wind that whipped around us. In its place there was darkness, and as more parts of her fell away the woman’s body looked incomplete. the woman took another step towards me. I wish I had been more courageous and less terrified, but instead of standing my ground, I jolted back and fell -then I scrambled to get a few more feet away.
That was the moment I realized what she had said to me.
“Good.”
The darkness began filling in, pale flesh appearing in the voids on her body. As the woman’s skin fell away, ever more of her began to look like a ghost. However, the soft parts of her -the parts that were extra, her hips, thighs, her waist, and even her chest, when they fell away the darkness simply disappeared. Those parts of her were never replaced, not in the same way. When all of what was left was gone, pale skin stretched over bone was all that remained, she was barely more than a skeleton. Her hair straightened and flowed out of her head, leaving her hair long and white. And her body, somehow the darkness had lingered over her skin, becoming dense armor that molded to her. The darkness wrapped around her arms, her torso, her legs, it even seemed to form boots over her feet. But it was the ash that I couldn’t take my eyes off. It looked as if the cloud was folding in on itself. When I looked closer, I saw that parts of the ash were reflective now. The woman reached her hand into the ash cloud and took hold of the solid matter that had formed.
As she pulled her arm out of the cloud I saw her gripping the hilt of a sword, and I knew who I was seeing. The woman I had known was burned from my memory.
“A sword of diamond,” I barely got the words out, my voice hoarse. I began to turn toward the ground and rise.
“Armor of creation,” I whispered, pushing my chest up off the ground, facing the woman. I was unsteady, my weight shifted from foot to foot as I tried to balance myself.
“Eyes of burning ice,” I turned back to her, the woman whose name I finally knew, it took everything I had to stop my voice from shaking, “I know who you are.”
She looked briefly at me and placed the sword on her hip. The darkness created a scabbard, and even when the sword was sheathed a faint glow outlined the scabbard.
“I know your name.” A smile, small but sure. She was still focused on her sword, but I knew she was listening.
“Tell me, what name do you think you know?” Her honeyed voice threw me off kilter, and her whole body had shifted. Her arms were crossed and she was leaning backward on her heels, that small smile still there.
“I know many of your names, that of the Valkyrie princess born to Bruten Mark, the name only those worlds away could ever know, a name given out of love and kindness,” I paused, gritting my and steadying my voice, for what I said next could have very well gotten me killed, “But your true name, and title, those I know very well.”
Another pause, but this time she shifted forward, her hand at the hilt of her sword, the smile replaced with a grimace. I forced myself to breathe before I let myself recognize the danger of being in the presence of death incarnate while she was in a fighting stance.
“Ursula of the 5th Perception, Heir of Bruten Mark, Chooser of the Slain, why have you come to Archonia?”
It was at that moment I realized I should have just ran away. I should have kept my mouth shut and bolted the moment I knew what was happening.
Because by the time I finished talking, Ursula had the point of her blade pressed into my abdomen. My clothes felt hot against my skin, and a crimson stain spread quickly across by tunis. I put my hand against the sword, making an effort to push it away; the attack happened so fast. I tried to fight the pain but in the end I couldn’t even stay standing.
“You died in battle today, albeit not the most flamboyant battle but a battle nonetheless.” Ursula withdrew her sword and wiped it across the armor on her leg in a mild attempt to remove the blood.
“I- I’m not dead yet,” It was all I could say, it was all I was thinking, “I am still here.”
Ursula nodded solemnly, “You’re not wrong, but you will be soon. And then we shall head to Folkvangr.” She decided her blade wasn’t clean enough so she took her arm and used the deep black cloth to shine her sword.
I tried to put pressure on my wound, but the pain was becoming too much for me. I wanted something to say, something to convince Ursula to change her mind about me. Yet all I could think of was a question.
“Fine,” I took a heavy breath, smothering my desire to scream from pain, “but why?”
Ursula looked down, and to this day I still believe the glint I saw in her eyes was mischief, as if she was making a joke only she understood, “Why what?”
“Why come back?”
Ursula sheathed her sword and kneeled next to me, her voice sounding sweet, “Now, now, why would I tell a dying man my secret?” Placing her hand on my neck, she began to sing:
“Valkryie, Valkryie,
Choose whoever you wish.”
If I could have spoken, I would have said, ‘Because dead men tell no tales.’ But I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t even whisper. The pressure on my throat made it impossible.
“Valkryie, Valkryie,
Remember who you are.”
Her voice was soft, almost compassionate, as if she was trying to ease a baby to sleep. No matter how sweet her song, I had no intention of dying, and I gripped her wrist and tried to rip myself free..
“Women of a dying breed,
Swords released from captivity,”
The pressure in my head built up, my lungs growing heavier the harder I tried to breathe. I raked my nails across her skin as I tried to rip her hand from my neck -I couldn’t even draw blood.
“Armor forged in the dead of night.
Valkryie, Valkryie,
Flying through the sky.”
My vision grew dark and soon there was nothing I could see, but still I could hear the dark song as it welcomed me to my death.
“Valkryie, Valkryie,
To the halls you’ll herd.”
I couldn’t hear her sing the last line, but I knew that after I was gone Ursula didn’t let go.
“I am the one who calls,” Ursula dug her nails harder into the boy’s neck as she spoke, “Hear my voice, and rise.”
His body remained limp, save for a jolt as Ursula placed her free hand to his forehead. She closed her eyes and made one final command.
“Rise from your grave and follow me, for today I was your judge and jury, and now I am your ferryman.”
AlloraLee Writes 