of this before.”
“I haven’t studied it. But some of the words are familiar. I’m trying to learn. There’s just a lot of it.”
She snorted. “I guess you’re right. There is a lot of history. Anyway, over time, our pack came to use the word to refer to special females in our pack. Among the Lycernians, the Valkyries are the females who excel at everything. They are the most gifted warriors.”
“Really?”
She pushed a limb aside that hung low across the path and held it for me to catch so I could get past. “Yes, really. And if you keep doing well, you could be one.”
“You think so?”
She sighed. “I know it.”
“Don’t you want to be one?”
She turned back to face me. “Are you kidding? Of course I do. But I doubt I can be. I’m only good with the swords, and I’m good with the lab stuff, collecting blood samples. Occasionally they take on people like that. But you, you’re good at everything. I mean, look at today. I’ve been training for years, and I’m good with the swords. It was your first class, and you tossed me. That’s not training. That’s talent.”
It almost sounded like Brynna was giving me a compliment, except for the hint of anger in her voice.
“If you’d told me who they were, I wouldn’t have tossed you.”
“That’s not the point. You have a lot of natural ability, and the things I’ve worked to learn are easy for you. I’m not sure you appreciate it.”
I shrugged. “It’s still really new to me.”
She was quiet for a minute. “I guess that’s true. Come on, and I’ll show you their house.” She started walking again, and I followed closely behind her.
“Whose house?”
“The Valkyries.”
“They don’t stay in the dorm?”
“No, they have their own place when they come here.”
The path opened onto a grassy clearing with two large houses in the middle. They were built on stilts about ten feet high with wide steps that led to a wraparound porch.
“This is where the Valkyries stay when they’re here.” Brynna continued along the edge of the clearing.
“It’s nice.”
“Very.” She stopped for a moment, never taking her eyes off the house.
“I like the dorm, too,” I added. This house was like a vacation retreat, but really, the dorms were more like a big hotel. It wasn’t like we were living in a dump.
She shook her head at me. “It’s an honor to stay here. The Valkyries are very special, and they are the front line in the battle against the Fenryrians.”
“So they’re killers.”
“No, fighters.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re saying they never kill anyone.”
“I’m sure they do, but mostly they’re strong fighters.”
“Do they live here all the time?”
“No, they have a home base at one of the schools, but they travel all over to different schools. They’ll teach some of the classes next week.”
I studied the two large homes that were connected by a raised, covered walkway.
“There were only a few of them. Do they have both houses?”
“Each house will sleep up to ten people. One house is for the guys. They’re known as the Einherjar.”
“Why does that name sound so familiar?”
“Because it’s taken from our ancient history, too.”
“But that’s not just werewolf history. Now I remember. I took a mythology class back home. It was mostly about Greek and Roman myths, but there was one class spent on Nordic history. That’s where I heard the word Valkyrie before. Both the Einherjar and Valkyries were warriors or warrior spirits, something like that.”
Brynna nodded. “You’re right, and you’ll hear more in your history class. It’s where we came from, our history as well.”
“So the stories about the wolves in relation to that history were really the Fenryrians or the Lycernians?”
“Probably. I mean, stories in books are just that—stories. But they’re usually based in reality.”
She motioned for me to follow her, and we turned along another path I
“I haven’t studied it. But some of the words are familiar. I’m trying to learn. There’s just a lot of it.”
She snorted. “I guess you’re right. There is a lot of history. Anyway, over time, our pack came to use the word to refer to special females in our pack. Among the Lycernians, the Valkyries are the females who excel at everything. They are the most gifted warriors.”
“Really?”
She pushed a limb aside that hung low across the path and held it for me to catch so I could get past. “Yes, really. And if you keep doing well, you could be one.”
“You think so?”
She sighed. “I know it.”
“Don’t you want to be one?”
She turned back to face me. “Are you kidding? Of course I do. But I doubt I can be. I’m only good with the swords, and I’m good with the lab stuff, collecting blood samples. Occasionally they take on people like that. But you, you’re good at everything. I mean, look at today. I’ve been training for years, and I’m good with the swords. It was your first class, and you tossed me. That’s not training. That’s talent.”
It almost sounded like Brynna was giving me a compliment, except for the hint of anger in her voice.
“If you’d told me who they were, I wouldn’t have tossed you.”
“That’s not the point. You have a lot of natural ability, and the things I’ve worked to learn are easy for you. I’m not sure you appreciate it.”
I shrugged. “It’s still really new to me.”
She was quiet for a minute. “I guess that’s true. Come on, and I’ll show you their house.” She started walking again, and I followed closely behind her.
“Whose house?”
“The Valkyries.”
“They don’t stay in the dorm?”
“No, they have their own place when they come here.”
The path opened onto a grassy clearing with two large houses in the middle. They were built on stilts about ten feet high with wide steps that led to a wraparound porch.
“This is where the Valkyries stay when they’re here.” Brynna continued along the edge of the clearing.
“It’s nice.”
“Very.” She stopped for a moment, never taking her eyes off the house.
“I like the dorm, too,” I added. This house was like a vacation retreat, but really, the dorms were more like a big hotel. It wasn’t like we were living in a dump.
She shook her head at me. “It’s an honor to stay here. The Valkyries are very special, and they are the front line in the battle against the Fenryrians.”
“So they’re killers.”
“No, fighters.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re saying they never kill anyone.”
“I’m sure they do, but mostly they’re strong fighters.”
“Do they live here all the time?”
“No, they have a home base at one of the schools, but they travel all over to different schools. They’ll teach some of the classes next week.”
I studied the two large homes that were connected by a raised, covered walkway.
“There were only a few of them. Do they have both houses?”
“Each house will sleep up to ten people. One house is for the guys. They’re known as the Einherjar.”
“Why does that name sound so familiar?”
“Because it’s taken from our ancient history, too.”
“But that’s not just werewolf history. Now I remember. I took a mythology class back home. It was mostly about Greek and Roman myths, but there was one class spent on Nordic history. That’s where I heard the word Valkyrie before. Both the Einherjar and Valkyries were warriors or warrior spirits, something like that.”
Brynna nodded. “You’re right, and you’ll hear more in your history class. It’s where we came from, our history as well.”
“So the stories about the wolves in relation to that history were really the Fenryrians or the Lycernians?”
“Probably. I mean, stories in books are just that—stories. But they’re usually based in reality.”
She motioned for me to follow her, and we turned along another path I
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