Still, she tilts her head. “It’s not rude at all. I’m a Valkyrie, like you and your mother; that’s why we have white wings. You will see others with black wings, but they are not Valkyrie, just guards.” Her wings rustle in the breeze. I open my mouth, but she raises a hand to stop me from cutting her off. “We call it magic or power, but it’s a blessing we get from the Father, and it’s different for each person. Some of us have specific powers that are beneficial for battle, like creating invisible shields or moving things without touching them. But we all have a nearly immortal life span and quick healing capabilities.”
My body sways on the bench; I feel like I’m on the verge of passing out as every new revelation pelts me like stones. I jolt off the bench. “I need a moment.”
Odessa’s eyes fill with understanding as she murmurs, “Take your time. I know it’s a lot.”
The ground is solid underneath my boots as I pace back and forth by the stone and filigree metal railing that separates the terrace from the garden a small drop below.
I halt beneath the branches of a broad, blossoming tree.
The light pink petals dance in the breeze. The fragrance of the blossoms is heavenly as it washes over me. Overcome with the magnitude of emotions coursing through my body, my eyes close, and I attempt a round of mindfulness, but the massive amount of emotions to pick through and set aside is daunting.Instead, I sink to my knees and focus on the feeling of the ground beneath me.
But my mind continues to race.
This world is in jeopardy because of my mother?
My stomach roils as guilt settles in.
The next thought causes me even more pain.How could she ever let that happen?
I squeeze my hands into fists. I’m trapped here. This is too much. My palms sweat.
I can’t be trapped here; I’ve got to get home.
I force my mind to quiet with a few rounds of counted breathing. I pick myself back up and walk back over to the bench—to my aunt.
I’ve spent my whole life without family other than my parents and Gran, but now I have an aunt. That’s a small silver lining, I suppose. She pats the space I vacated in welcome before I sit beside her.
“Okay, so how do I get back? Because, as happy as I am to meet you, as I said, I have people back home who need me and are probably worried about me.”
She ponders my request for a moment before she replies, “I believe you’ll need your own power to manifest, and you might be able to travel back, but if I’m being honest, I would like you to stay here. You are your mother’s daughter and the rightful heir to the throne.”
I swallow audibly; the daunting responsibility she’s placed on my shoulders threatens to undo me.
“But if I don’t want to stay, then what happens?” I whisper, glancing up at her circlet.
Odessa clasps my hand with hers. “I won’t say that I won’t let you return if we find a way. I want you to stay because I think you are the only person who could save us. Magic would be restored if you stayed. But if you leave, then magic will begin to fade again, and with it, our realm will cease to exist.”
I tense at the meaning of her words as they sink in, and the weight of all that responsibility pushed heavily on my shoulders.
She smiles, sadly. “But if you do not wish to stay, I will not force you.”
My shoulders sag a bit in relief, and she studies the change in my expression.
“You have more questions.”
I bite my lip. “Yes. You said I have wings, but I don’t. And my mother definitely didn’t. And maternal line? Does that mean my Gran is from here?”
Odessa’s wings flare a bit as she rolls her shoulders, preparing to answer all of my questions, and it’s mesmerizing; the light sends rainbows reflecting from each glossy feather. I definitely would’ve remembered if my mother had those. I’ve dreamed of being able to fly my whole life, and a small part of me hopes she doesn’t have the wrong person.
“Since you weren’t born here, your wings never developed; there’s little to no magic in the human realm. There’s just enough for the smaller creatures and some shifters. As for your mother, she was a very powerful Valkyrie and, like me, had the ability to vanish her wings.” Odessa’s wings vanish, and my face twists in utter disbelief. She chuckles at my expression. “And if your Gran is your mother’s mother, then yes, that would make her Queen Skadi.”
The thought of my Gran ruling as queen here makes perfect sense; she always seemed more suited for a throne than her favorite wingback chair at the Hall.
“My Gran is really sick; that’s why I need to go home,” I mumble.
Odessa pats my thigh consolingly. “There’s not enough magic in the human realm to sustain her immortal body, so she would have begun to age and fall victim to many human ailments. I’m sorry, Helena.”
A question begins forming in my mind, but the more I focus on it, the more it slips through my fingers.
