She arches an eyebrow at me before she rises to her feet, the baby remaining snugly held against her chest.
“Vandawolf, I appreciate your sincerity, but you are the one who should be afraid.”
As soon as she finishes speaking, silver wings shoot out from her shoulders, wide and strong.
Every feather catches the firelight in dazzling rays before she wraps her wings around herself, cocooning the child at her chest, along with most of her body below her neck.
“It’s lucky we are friends.” She gives me a relaxed smile before she settles herself back down on the rug, adjusting her wings like a blanket. “Join us for a meal. You must be hungry.”
Hungry?I’m certain my hunger has now given way to my need to survive an encounter with a Valkyrie.
She eyes me when I hesitate. “Or do you intend to reject the offer of a meal as dramatically as you rejected the place I chose for you in the Hall of Warriors?”
Her question tells me she isn’t just any Valkyrie, but their Queen herself.
Her forehead crinkles in the beat that I hesitate, but the smile remains on her lips as she continues. “Most Einherjar drop to their knees when they find out who I am.”
The chieftain steps past me with a laugh. “I didn’t.”
Her cheeks flush. “Yes, well, I made it clear I wasn’t there to kill you.”
“I’m glad you didn’t kill me,” he rumbles, reaching her side and settling down on the rug to stir the pot steaming over the fire.
Within moments, he’s ladled out three bowls of stew, one of which he holds out to me.
I reach for a cloth hanging beside the door and wipe my hands and face. I broke bones cleanly. There isn’t much blood on me, but it could be disrespectful to bring it near her baby.
She gives me a smile, as if she approves, before I approach the hearth and accept the bowl of food.
I settle on the other side of the hearth, keeping it between us. Of course, we’re all capable of leaping over it if we want to, but it provides a barrier that gives the illusion of peace.
We eat quietly.
The baby fusses a little but settles back down quickly.
“Maybe we should call herFojan,” the chieftain murmurs, serving himself some more stew. “Since she has a strong voice.”
The Queen wrinkles her nose. “It meansloud, notstrong. My daughter will not have to shout to be heard.”
He makes a humming sound in the back of his throat. “Then what aboutPlacida? Since it meansquiet.”
The Queen snorts. “She will not be that, either.”
I listen quietly and bide my time, taking small mouthfuls so I can swallow them quickly. I need to respect the chieftain’s position and allow him to direct the conversation. I’m certain he will draw us back to why I’m here, but only on his terms.
Halfway through the meal, and without even a hint of a change in his tone of voice, he says, “When Bjarne left, I lost a man I considered my brother.”
I swallow my mouthful, but still, I remain silent, waiting for him to go on.
“I didn’t blame him,” the chieftain says. “He thought our clan could not change. Our former chieftain had no honor, and by the time Bjarne finally killed him, his brutality had festered. But the change Bjarne set into motion allowed me to continue his work after he left. This clan operates under different rules now.”
As much as I should probably accept his claim without question if I want to achieve my goal here, I can’t resist testing it. “The heads on spikes tell a different story.”
The chieftain’s blue eyes gleam. “Don’t get me wrong, Erik. We love a good slaughter. But only of those who come looking for trouble.” He casually stirs the pot again before he asks, “Areyouhere looking for trouble?”
Now we get to it.
I step through the opening he’s given me, choosing to respond as frankly as I can. “The fae are pushing west. They will soon push north, too. The human Queen seeks an alliance with you for the purpose of protecting both her land and yours.”
