Chapter 67

VALKYRIE

I’m standing here, staring at the creature before me. His gaze is locked on mine.

“Valkyrie?” Damian’s voice breaks the silence. He stops mid-sentence when he sees the creature, his face twisting in discomfort.

“Why the grimace?” I ask, moving closer. The red dragon behind me lets out a low growl, a warning. I glance back at him and shake my head.

“That’s why,” Damian says, pointing.

“You’re a dragon too, Damian,” I remind him, a smile playing on my lips. He hands me a water bottle and I take a long sip. After the commotion an hour ago, I noticed a small cut on my left arm.

Damian wants to heal it, but before he can, the wound starts to close up on its own. Even Calandra looks surprised.

“Yeah, I know I’m a dragon,” Damian says, “but that,” he points again, “that’s something else.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, puzzled.

“He seems...attached to you. Protective, even. Like he’d attack us if he had to. But remember, he doesn’t have a human side.

“He’s all beast, Valkyrie. You need to be careful,” Damian warns, sighing. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I won’t,” I assure him, patting his shoulder. “How are things going?” I ask, changing the subject. We still have some time before we leave. Battle preparations are underway.

Leo says Dimitri is safe, but something feels off.

“We’re getting everything ready. We should be good to go by dawn,” Damian tells me. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, I can’t leave Dimitri alone,” I say, my voice firm. “This is my fight, Damian. I’m the chosen one, the one who’s going to take down Gabriel.”

Damian doesn’t say anything. Leo walks over to us, stopping to smirk at the dragon behind me.

“Amazing, he’s so still,” Leo comments. “That dragon is huge. Have you named him yet?”

“Name?” I echo, confused.

“Yeah, give him a name. He’s yours, after all,” Leo suggests, grinning. “You should be proud, queen. You’ve got your own dragon.”

I turn to look at the dragon, his eyes still on me. I walk up to him, cautiously. He lowers his head and sniffs me. It’s a strange feeling, being this close to such a creature.

His size, color, and demeanor are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. He’s a beast, and I need to be careful.

I reach out to touch him, and he lowers his head. I feel so small next to him. Looking into his eyes, a warm sensation spreads from my hand to my chest.

I frown, puzzled by the strange yet comforting feeling. Then, looking deeper into his eyes, I notice one of them glowing a hazel color. Intrigued, I tilt my head, and a sudden pain hits me.

I double over, clutching my head. It’s the same pain I felt before.

“Valkyrie?” Damian calls out.

A buzzing sound fills my ears and I let out a small cry. What’s happening? Damian and Leo try to get to me, but the dragon shields me with one of his wings.

Then, panting heavily, I open my eyes to complete darkness.

“Valkyrie, are you okay?” Damian’s worried voice reaches me. Trying to calm down, I move, but freeze when I see a glowing eye staring back at me.

“What’s going on?” I whisper. The dragon nudges me with his head, pushing me. I’m confused by his behavior.

Finally, when I touch my head, the dragon stops. I hold my breath as he sniffs my head. Is he going to attack me? I close my eyes, swallowing hard.

I feel the same warmth as before. I let out a breath, opening my eyes to see the dragon with his eyes closed. I decide to do the same.

A powerful energy starts coursing through my body. It feels like I’m engulfed in flames, but it doesn’t hurt.

Focusing, I start seeing visions. Images of a woman and Gabriel. The scenes are heartbreaking; tears prick my eyes as I realize who the woman is.

“Mother?” I whisper, my eyes still closed. I don’t understand. I frown, trying to keep up with the rapid images flashing through my mind.

It’s suffocating, experiencing her life, from the moment she left her mate to the moment she died. I feel sick, and I scream, backing away.

Then, clutching my stomach, I start to vomit. To my horror, it’s blood. The dragon growls and backs away as I feel a stinging sensation on my chest. I quickly pull down my dress.

“VALKYRIE!” Damian shouts. He rushes to my side. The dragon just watches us. “What’s happening?” Damian asks, his voice filled with worry.

Shaking, I touch my mark. It’s glowing black.

“Your mating mark,” Damian whispers as he notices the changes.

The mark has spread from my breast to my neck. It looks like armor. I try to examine the details, but another wave of nausea hits me. “Valkyrie, let me take you to Calandra.”

“No,” I say, stopping him. “I’ll be okay.”

Breathing heavily, I lift my head. Then, remembering what I saw, I scowl. I can’t believe I’m that monster’s daughter. My mother suffered because of him.

“I need you to tell the men to speed things up,” I tell Damian. He looks confused.

“Why?” Damian asks.

“Because I want to kill that bastard of a father,” I say, anger seeping into my voice.

“Dimitri will handle that, Valkyrie,” Damian whispers, helping me up.

“No,” I shake my head, “he dies by my hand. Isn’t that right, Alarik?”

“What?” Damian asks, taken aback. “What did you just call him?”

“Alarik, our noble leader,” I say, a smile playing on my lips. “Alarik will be the one to bring an end to all this.”

***

I stand at the mouth of the cave, gazing out at the mountains. Despite the snowfall, the morning sun is visible as it begins to rise from the horizon. Dawn has arrived, and it’s time.

“We’re ready, Your Majesty,” Leo announces, bowing respectfully.

“Good,” I respond, turning to face the cave filled with warriors. “Today, we go into battle. Remember, we end this without any excuses. Our mission is to kill King Gabriel and his followers and bring back our king. That’s all I ask of you,” I say, my tone firm.

Every dragon present grins. “Everyone, start preparing to leave.”

I expect them to start moving, but instead, they all continue to smile. My brow furrows as I see Damian approaching me. His tall figure towers over me.

“Before we leave, there’s something we need to do,” Damian says.

“What is it?” I ask. He glances to the side and calls Leo over. Leo carries a black chest in his hands. Damian stops and unlocks it. I stare at it, puzzled. What could be inside?

“Last night, we all agreed on something,” Damian says, a smile on his face. “We all thought that if we’re going into battle with you, we should do the right thing.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, looking around.

“That is to make you queen,” a familiar voice says. I look past Damian and see his grandfather and some of the other elders following him. He stops a few feet away and looks at me.

“We can’t let you go into battle without being crowned,” Damian’s grandfather says.

“So, before you leave,” he continues, approaching Damian, “we shall name you the queen of the horde.” He pulls a black crown from the chest.

“This crown was specially made from Dimitri’s scales,” Damian explains, smiling. I whip my head around to look at him.

“His scales?” I ask, surprised.

“Yes. We shed some scales occasionally.” Damian winks. As Damian’s grandfather gets closer, he lifts the crown. Everyone present kneels and bows their heads.

“This will be different, but once you and my grandson return, we’ll hold the ceremony the proper way,” Damian’s grandfather says. “Now, please kneel.”

Taken aback by his request, I do as he says, keeping my head down.

“In front of all the horde, today we name a new queen. As my witnesses, you shall see this grand day, the one our king has wished for.

“I, Elder Jerium of this horde, name you Valkyrie, the new queen of Mount Errigal, our new Onyx queen,” he announces as he places the crown on my head.

Stepping back, I raise my head, and everyone starts cheering. I smile wryly as I think of my babies.

“Are you okay?” Damian asks, noticing my smile.

“Yes,” I respond.

“I know this isn’t the proper way, but it’s something. So don’t worry, once we return, we’ll throw a huge banquet for you,” Damian says, trying to cheer me up.

“Now before we go,” Damian says, whistling. I see some of the other men carrying something heavy in their arms. “Here, this is for you. You should wear proper armor.”

“Armor?” I ask, my eyes wide.

“Yes!” Leo exclaims, grinning. “Our queen should go into battle the right way.” He pulls the covers off, revealing black armor and a silver sword.

“Your hair will look stunning with that armor,” a familiar voice says. Surprised, I push Leo out of the way.

“Irene?” I whisper, shocked. She’s standing next to Michael. I rush over and hug her. She gently pats my back.

“How did you turn back?” I ask as I look at Michael.

“Cian’s heart,” Irene mumbles. “It was thanks to him.”

I can see the pain in her eyes as she mentions Prince Cian’s name. I smile at her and hug her back. She doesn’t need to say anything for me to understand the pain she’s feeling.

“I’m sorry for what happened,” Irene whispers in my ear. I give her a weak smile as a sudden pang in my chest makes me want to cry. Then, finally, I nod and step back.

“I’ll get ready,” I whisper, and walk away with the armor. After changing, I return to the cave. I look up to find everyone in complete silence.

Frowning, I stop when I notice Alarik inside the cave.

“Is everyone ready?” I ask loudly.

A resounding ~yes!~ echoes as everyone keeps their eyes on the beast. Then, smiling, I walk up to it.

“You look good,” Damian says, coming up to me.

“Thanks,” I smile. The armor is heavy against my body, but it feels right. I roll my neck and stand in front of Alarik. “Ready, my friend,” I whisper.

He lowers his head, and I climb onto the beast. Damian lends me a hand as it’s a bit too high.

“You good?” Damian asks.

“Yes!” I respond, smiling. Looking back at everyone, I say, “It’s time for battle, my people.” With that, I take off with Alarik. “I’ll be there soon, Dimitri.”