Page 125 of Valkyrie Unknown

Was Finn hurt?

If that was what I saw, his expression was a mask again in a blink. “Fine. Let’s go. I assume I’m taking the whole family.”

“What do you think?” I looked at Zeke. “Do you want to hang out and see Australia while I have my psyche scrubbed?”

“Sure. Why the hell not?” Zeke took my hand and Finn’s.

I grabbed Davyn’s as well, and then we were standing on a street outside instead of in Zeke’s house.

We stepped inside a bakery, and the warm fresh scents of bread and pastries wrapped around us. This entire space radiated comfort. The woman behind the counter looked to be my age, but if it weren’t for the stark white hair, Finn would too. She gave us a bright smile. “G’day lovelies. How ya goin’?”

This was nothing like what I expected. Not that I’d played the scenario out in my head, but most beings who offered to test or train me were aggressive from the start, similar to my encounter with Ulf. They all wanted to ensure I knewtheywere the experts.

Maybe we were in the wrong place?

“We should go.” Finn turned away.

Davyn stuck out an arm to stop him, and Zeke glared at him.

“You spoke with a friend of mine a short while ago, about a test?” There was no reason for me to be anything but polite. If this was the right place, it was expected, and if it wasn’t, this woman was kind. “She told me you were expecting me.”

“Yes, of course lovely.” The feeling floating from her grew even more welcoming. “You must be Azzie?”

“I am.”

“Then this is Davyn,” she pointed, “Zeke, and Fionn. It’s been too long.”

“Not long enough.” Finn spoke through clenched teeth, and Zeke smacked him in the arm.

If he was going to be like this the entire time, I was grateful I got to leave him outside the test. “I apologize on his behalf.”

“She doesn’t,” Finn said. “I don’t give her permission to do that.”

The woman let out a light laugh that reminded me of the sweetest bells. “It’s fine, lovelies. I’m Tania. Come on in. Take a seat.” She gestured to a table near the wall that had four chairs, and ushered us in that direction. “I’ve been expecting you. I made lunch.”

This was so odd. “You spoke with Enid, correct? About me going through a trial meant to unlock who I am?” Sometimes blunt was the only way to get answers.

“Of course. Sit.” Tania gestured again. “You can’t go into a test on an empty stomach. You need your strength.”

Davyn sniffed the air, then pulled out a chair and sat.

Zeke brushed past me as well, and I gave them both a questioning look. Were we being this casual now?

“What?” Zeke asked as he picked a spot. “You only participate in the conversation if the master is rude or dismissive?”

“I… They’re never anything but.” I wanted to relax the way they were. Nearly every bit of me was singing and content. This felt as much like home as home did.

It was the tiny part of me that remembered the rest of my life that kept me on my feet.

“I’m a siren,” Tania said. “You’re supposed to feel good in my presence.”

“How…?” Did she read my mind?

Tania shook her head. “You don’t have to trust me. You don’t even have to eat. But I like to cook for people, and this gives me an excuse.”

I didn’t know how to deal with that.

Finn sighed and sat as well. “You wanted to come, Azzie. If she was asking you to slam your head into a wall repeatedly, you’d do that without argument.”

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