Page 33 of Valkyrie Song

Or, perhaps, it merely senses that we are. And there's no denying that we are. Every day, Stephan, Ing, and the warriors fan out across Valhalla, searching for the varulv. They've killed no less than a dozen, but the shadow only seems to grow over Valhalla a little more every day.

The one bright spot has been the twelve unharmedvargúlfrStephan, Ing, and the Fae have found. They're all that remain of Odin's wolves now. The rest belong to the Dark, turned while we were oblivious.

But for the first time in millennia, raven, wolf, and Fae hunt together, all that stands between Valhalla and the Dark. For the second time in memory, Asgard has fallen. We're cut off, completely on our own. The Portal is our only hope. And we're no closer to figuring out how to use it than we were weeks ago.

If that weren't bad enough…the Forsaken have taken to tormenting Abigail at every turn. She wakes screaming in the middle of the night from horrible nightmares, unsure if what she's seen is truth or simply another false trail laid by our enemies. It's wearing on her. And because it's wearing on her, it's wearing on the rest of us too.

Our backs are against a wall. And our only way out is forward.

But the damn Bifröst refuses to give up its secrets.

We're failing.

I'm sure the Forsaken are cackling in their cowls and hoods, reveling in their impending victory.

I glance at my sisters, see the defeat and anxiety stamped across their faces…and frustration boils through me.

The Forsaken can't win. I won't let them. They've taken enough from us. They've taken enough from the Fae and from thevargúlfr.

Valhalla is ours.

The souls on the other side of the Veils belong to the Light.

I stride closer to the Portal, purpose in my steps.

"Where are you going, Kara?" Rissa asks.

I ignore her, striding right up to the only remaining piece of the Bifröst still left.

"Careful, Valkyrie," Reaper cautions, shifting nervously, as if he'd prefer that I fall back in line with my sisters behind the line of warriors sent to keep us safe should the varulv and Forsaken on the other side of the Portal decide today is the day they attack.

I reach deep into the well of Light in my soul, letting it pour through me, but I don't send it out toward the Bifröst. Instead, I simply let it flow through me as I reach out with my hand, placing it right up against the shining surface. Energy crackles and hums against my palm, the magic of the Bifröst tingling.

"I know you're listening," I murmur to it. "I know you hear us."

The Bifröst flickers, the hum beneath my hand growing.

"What is she doing?" Abigail whispers behind me.

"Shh," Tori whispers back. "Let her."

"The Forsaken have overtaken Asgard. Soon, they'll pour into Valhalla, and it'll fall to the Dark forever," I murmur to the Bifröst. "We'll fall to the Dark, and so will every soul we're meant to free."

The Bifröst flickers rapidly, a distressed pattern.

"I know you don't want that," I whisper. "The Gods didn't create you to let you be corrupted and used for evil. Help us stop it."

The tingling beneath my palm intensifies. I'm too afraid to hope, but I ask anyway…

"How do we use your power to save the realms?"

For long moments, nothing happens. I receive the same answer we've received every time we've come here. Silence.

So I let more Light flood through me, let it fill every space inside of me.

"Kara…" Marion murmurs nervously.

I tune her out. Tune out everyone. And throw everything at the Portal. Not Light, but memory. Emotion. Images of my sisters and the Fae. Of my mother and little sister, Kaydence, and my grandmother. Of Rand and Simek. Of Ing and Rider. Of the rabbits cowering in their nests, too afraid to venture out.

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