Fatal Sight (Harbingers Of Death Book 2) by LeAnn Mason (universal ebook reader txt) 📗

as to influence which predicted deaths actually occur. A valkyrie is only permitted to hold her position by the results of her missions.”

“What does that mean? You can choose to not be a valkyrie?” I wondered if maybe I could use a Viking trick to not be a banshee…

“It’s not really a choice. The only time you truly have a choice is when your mortal life is cut. That is when you can choose to become a valkyrie or continue into Valhalla as Einherjar. Either way, your remaining existence is filled with fighting, pain, and much, much bloodshed.”

Oh, damn.

“So how were you and—” I indicated the sentinel again “—a flying horse able to swoop in and steal me off the street in the middle of the day… with plenty of thuggish onlookers?”

“We work for Odin, the allfather. That comes with power. Being servants of Asgard allows us the ability to be cloaked to the non-supernatural. Only those reaped for Valhalla or fellow supernatural beings can see us, though standing out in the open, especially with Torgny in equine form is something we try to avoid. Every once in a while, a human has been known to glimpse a ghostly outline of something through the glamor, not to mention that we are still solid and can very much be felt.”

Gunhilde pointed at the bed opposite mine. “Torgny, come. Sit. You will sense danger whether you stand or not. I think you’re making Aria jumpy.” She eyed me as she made the request of her companion. He didn’t move, though I thought maybe, just maybe, his muscles were a little looser, his stance less rigid.

“So, what are you doing here? How did you know where I was?”

“Seke asked me to come. He said you had some questions and that you needed support. And… that you wouldn’t accept it from him right now.”

“Try ‘never again,’” I muttered with indignation. He’d burned me too many times.

“I believe, in time, you will forgive him,” Gunhilde replied, flicking her chestnut mane from where it spilled over her engraved chest plate.

I rolled my eyes at her tone. She appeared confident that there would be a reason to forgive him. Right now, I couldn’t see it. He was trying his damndest to give me reasons to turn away from him. Yes, he kept me out of jail — this time — but he’d sent me away and kept a lot of vital information from me.

Thinking about Seke was pissing me off again. I focused on Gunhilde to distract myself, my eyes catching on the swirling lines as I took in her battle-ready exoskeleton. Looking closely, I noted several rudimentary characters — runes — shimmering on the metal. The source of her enchanting power possibly? It looked a little like my rune but not quite. Would she know about that?

I had been about to refute the idea that I needed any support, but if she knew about the binding rune, she might have potential.

“You were having a vision when we found you, were you not?” she asked, bright eyes searching my own as her question pulled my attention.

I nodded.

“What did you see?”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because I want to help you understand and ultimately control your banshee powers,” Gunhilde said with infinite patience.

“Why? How?” I tried to remember what abilities valkyries had. They were warriors — I remembered that much. I didn’t see how she could teach me to control my abilities if she didn’t have experience with them herself.

“Your mother. I was around when your mother took up her role with the Harbingers of Death, and on occasion, she told me about her training. We’d become… good friends.” She paused, turning away to dab at her eyes before composing herself and returning to face me with a plastic smile affixed.

She knew my mom, better than Seke, it seemed. Help controlling my powers was a start. Not quite at the level of my druid plan, but it could help.

Information is the most important asset. Collect it like you would treasure.

Seke’s stupid voice piped up in my head, unwelcome. But it had a point. Okay, so I wouldn’t kick out the authoritative intervention Seke sent me right away. This was also the first person I’d met who knew mom — really knew mom — besides dad. “I miss her too.”

“Enid was a good woman.” Both Gunhilde and I turned at the deep-timbred declaration.

“Oh, my gods… he speaks,” I quipped, earning me a droll look from the otherworldly shifter.

“So. Let’s talk about the vision you had and why you had it.”

“Why I had it?” I blinked at the valkyrie. “I’m a banshee. Isn’t that the whole deal? That and the screaming death thing?” It didn’t seem like the best start if that was her first question.

“What were you doing? What were you thinking about?”

“Well, I had found a ring Seke left here.” I pointed to the nightstand wedged neatly between the two queen beds. I was still able to vividly picture the platinum-and-diamond piece as if it continued glinting under the halo of the accompanying affixed lamp. Pity, really, that I had to let it go.

“A ring? Did it look like a man’s ring? Like something Seke would wear?”

“Huh.” Now that she mentioned it… “No. It was very feminine. Thin silver bands and sparkly diamonds. It looked like a Celtic knot. Seke is much more of a gold wearer, I’d think. His skin tone is too warm for silver, wouldn’t you say? What?” My guests were looking at me with smirks and quirked eyebrows that insisted they knew some secret.

“Firstly, you’re right. Seke wears gold, probably a by-product of the Egyptian era. I knew there had to be a reason he asked me to step in,” Gunhilde muttered as an aside, leaving it at that and making my mind leap to guess at the rest of her thoughts.

What reason? I barely restrained myself from prying further.

Composure is the key to success. Do not let yourself be waylaid by unimportant details. If