Page 12 of Valkyrie Restored

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I stretched my arms over my head towards the bright sunlight. Every muscle in my body loosened. The bath and a good night’s sleep not only refreshed my body, but also lifted the melancholy I’d felt the night before about all my lies. Standing out in the woods with the birds singing, the flowers blooming, the sun shining, and the warm heat caressing my skin, it was impossible to wallow in my guilt. Somehow the lies didn’t seem quite so damaging in the light of day.

Besides could it really be considered lying if I didn’t even believe that anything was truly wrong or a weird encounter with wildlife? Not in my books. And not when my world was so full of happiness at the moment.

I picked up my basket and continued deeper into the woods excited to see what the day would bring.

When I entered the clearing where I had the encounter with the bear, I stopped in amazement. One of the trees on the far side was surrounded by the prettiest flowers I’d ever seen. Their petals a soft pink centred that deepened into a vibrant purple towards the ends. I’d never seen anything like them. They appeared almost otherworldly.

Without conscious thought, my feet carried me across the circle until I stood at the base of the tree. The soft, spicy scent of the flower perfumed the air, giving me a heady feeling. The world swayed.Woah.A feeling of euphoria and desire washed over me. Suddenly I didn’t have a care in the world except for the need to find Arran and Hurrit. My skin tingled, wanting to feel their heat against me. My core throbbed.

Something didn’t feel right.

I stepped back until I could barely smell the flower and the world righted itself. The desire and euphoria continued to linger, but it wasn’t the overpowering feeling it had been.

I bit my lip as I wondered about the flower. If I could decrease the potency of scent, it would make the most amazing perfume. A natural aphrodisiac that didn’t seem to have any side effects. Although I’d need to do a lot more research before I would even consider using it.

Not wanting to be overcome by the smell, I started to squat before leaning towards the flowers as a loud crack filled the air. The leaves on the tree whooshed as if something heavy passed through them. Before I could look up, something grazed the back of my head with enough force to push me face first into the ground. Then I felt it… a sudden, searing pain that engulfed my leg.

Fire streaked up my nerves, overwhelming my body, my brain. A scream left my mouth.

And then I knew no more.

9

Hurrit

I shookthe water from my mane the moment my hooves stepped out onto the rocky shore of the lake before transforming back into my human self. The small pile of plants at my feet were freshly picked for Elin. As much as I didn’t want to, I couldn’t stop the smile that formed on my lips when I thought of her.

I’d tried to keep my distance since that supper but couldn’t.

Much to my dismay, after not seeing her for a few days, my body became antsy. And moody. Which was saying something if I felt myself become moody. So when Arran shoved the plate full of food into my hands and told me to take some supper to Elin because she’d been working the last few days in her workshop, I found myself obeying.

That first look at her, seeing her safe and sound, calmed all the restless energy that lit up my nervous system. For the first time in days, I was able to draw in a full breath with ease.

So I learned my lesson. As much as I may have wanted to ignore her, to keep my distance, I couldn’t. The occasional sighting in the woods as she foraged wasn’t enough. I needed to smell her sweet scent, to feel the heat from her body, to have enough uninterrupted time to allow my eyes to feast on her. Only then was my body, mind, and soul satisfied.

After redressing in my shorts and t-shirt, a smile toyed with the corner of my lips as I bent over to pick up the plants. Something that seemed to be happening more and more. Even Arran mentioned how happy it made him to see my infrequent dimples more in the past couple of months than he had in the previous decade. I couldn’t wait for Elin to see them. Maybe we’d get to spend the day in her workshop preparing them together, talking, spending that time together where I could soak up all the good feelings that came with being in her presence.

A loud scream ripped through the air. One filled with pain before cutting off, leaving the woods in an unnatural silence. My heart clenched. I knew that voice. Elin.

The plants dropped to the ground. Forgotten. Every cell in my body went into overdrive. I needed to find to. To protect her.

It took seconds to flit into the clearing. The same clearing where I first saved Elin from the bear. I glanced around, not seeing the bear or any other wildlife. Nor could I see Elin even though my body told me she was near.

Relax. Centre. Breathe.I followed the directions my mind shouted at me. I didn’t know how or why, but my body knew her, knew her like she was a part of me. It was like Elin was imprinted in my soul. Something I didn’t want to think about, so I pushed it away but used that connection to find.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I focused on seeing her, feeling for her essence.

There.

My eyes popped open. My feet moved, not waiting for me to tell them to. I crossed the expanse of nearly thigh-high wildflowers in three bounds to find Elin unconscious, nestled amongst the flowers at the base of the tree with a giant branch over her lower leg and knee. A soft, spicy scent cloyed with my nose.

The world spun.

I fell to my knees. The scent grew stronger the closer I was to them, to the flowers. Magic hummed in the air. Thoughts became fuzzy, but I wasn’t some young thing. I wasn’t a magic virgin. And even though I’d stayed away from it for years, I kept up my warding. And since that first bear encounter, I’d brushed up, pulling out some of my old teachings. If I was going to protect Elin from whatever god was toying with her, I wanted to be at my peak. It was why I’d recently placed a new order for more spelled blades from Zeke. We always kept a few minor ones around to ensure that none of our clients were injured by wildlife and that we didn’t injure the wildlife in return—we just wanted it to seem that way—but with some god after her, we’d needed stronger one for fighting the magic and any possible magical creatures that may have been cloaked in an animal disguise.

But a blade wouldn’t help me now. Instead, I pulled on some of my newly remembered spells, reciting them out loud to push the scent away. They were different than the words I’d used to scare off the bear. Those had come from my past, from my ancestors, but these ones came from Arran, from Scotland.

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