“What power could he possibly have over a Valkyrie?” Cindy asked in horror.
“I have no idea. He won't tell me. Peter knew. Peter was the golden child, the warrior, willing to do anything for the cause. I'm not.” He sulked, discontent with his lot in life.
She closed the portal, fear on her face.
I turned to Elias and Anthony, who were staring at the spot the portal had been in shock. “What's a Valkyrie? I mean, I know they're from Norse mythology, but what's true about them?” Everyone was freaking out for a reason.
“Not much is known about them,” Ross said. “She can do magic, I think. But it's said they can bend fate.”
“They're powerful. I actually wasn't sure they really existed,” Anthony said. “After learning about the other worlds and portals and stuff, I wondered if maybe they were some of the creatures considered to be old gods. I didn't think there were any on Earth.”
“Well, she doesn't work for him willingly?”
Ross nodded.
“Good. We'll use that to our advantage.” I walked to the kitchen and peeled the top of my suit down, pulling the hand pumps out of my bag. I grabbed a blanket off the couch on the way. I wasn't shy, but I'd just met Ross, and had no desire to show him my boobs.
Settling down at the table, I pumped while the guys consulted maps. “Where is he most likely to be?” I asked.
“The same temple he kept you in.”
“How far is it from here?” Axoular asked. He'd been quiet, brooding. He didn't know how to react to his daughter being kidnapped. I smiled at him with false bravado. I had no doubt we would get her back; it was just a matter of time.
“Can't you guys make one of those portals?” Ross asked.
“It doesn't work that way. The witch has to have been in the location before,” Anthony said wearily.
“So, we'll, what, take a cab?” he asked, smirking.
It did sound ridiculous, pulling up to battle in a bright yellow cab. I snorted. “What's it to you?” I asked him.
“Please listen to me. Let me go to him. I can distract him, grab the baby, and come back here. It will be much safer for everyone.” He ran his fingers through his hair, causing it to stick straight up.
“Are you still trying to protect him?” I asked. He had to die. I would not leave him alive to terrorize my family anymore. I didn't give him time to answer. “How many of your people believe the way he does? That the Sárkány are evil and need to die?”
“Is that what Peter told you?” He laughed. “He was so unreasonable.”
“Then what’s the truth?” I continued pumping milk under the blanket, and Ross’s eyes kept straying to the movement of the blanket covering me.
Axoular noticed and slapped him in the back of the head. “Mind your eyes, Leyak.”
I winced. “Well?”
“The Leyak want to find a home. We were happy on our planet. We were advanced and prospered. Not here. Here we hide, and sneak.”
“You want access to a portal. And he thinks the baby will be able to open or create portals for him,” I said.
Ross nodded. “He's said as much. We found a portal here and had it under constant surveillance. When you activated the one in Bolivia, the one here activated too.”
“Did you go through it?” I finished with the bottles and covered myself back up under the blanket. Once I was covered, I moved over to the counter to seal the bags and put them in the freezer. We'd grab them on the way home and might need them for Linna. Michael had plenty stored that Tammy had taken with her. I hoped Dumadi had bought formula for Linna and didn't try to give her regular milk.
“We sent a volunteer and waited as the portal went dark and came back to life every time you sent someone through to the dragon world. He never returned.”
“You're not from another realm. You're from this one, albeit another planet, yet still in this realm,” Axoular said. “From what we know of the magic of the portals, they transport you to your home realm or here. That's it. Your friend is probably dead.”
He shrugged. “We want to try.”
“Why didn't he just ask me for some blood while I was there?”
