Okay, Okay. So. First of all thank you so much for the feedback on the last chapter, it really spurred me on! Very encouraging. Thank you thank you.

Also – I have officially figured out some important bits of where I'm going with this. Woohoo! So that's good. I started off this chapter as an attempt to get some plotlines laid down. But then I was writing and writing… and long story short (heh) – I accidently wrote 2,000 words more than I meant to. Oops.

So I'm making a deal with you guys – here's the first half of what I wrote. Read it, review it, let me know how you like it. Because I'm stepping a little more into the feelings feelings feelings part of everything with this section and I know that's hard to do right. And sometime tomorrow or the next day, once I'm finished revising and making the second half of what I wrote super perfect, I will release that.

Whew – okay, the last bit. I may or may not be going on vacation soon. Like super soon, like Sunday soon. So… there's going to be a lapse in writing fo sho. But worry not, the next chapter will be a hopefully satisfying mid-season finale of sorts! And then I'll be back in three-ish weeks. I promise.

Okay. Now I think that's it. Here is the first section, then! Keep in mind – it is part one of two, so if it seems like not much is happening, that's why haha. Hope you like it!

xxxxx

For a long time, the only thing Bo hears is her own footsteps, and those of Dyson beside her, and Tamsin just ahead. There is no immediate need to talk, and that denotes silence – anything that would draw attention to them is unquestionably a bad idea. 'Although we did leave the corpses of a small army piled up behind us,' Bo thinks to herself. She then shakes her head, as if to physically erase the thought from her mind. 'Don't think about that. They had to die, if we're going to get out of here.'

If it had not been silent for so long, it is possible Bo might have missed the sound. But she doesn't – as they turn another corner, there it is. A cry of anguish… and deep, desperate pain – it is faint, but the sound of it chills Bo's bones. "Wait," she says in alarm, holding a hand to Dyson's chest. Ahead, Tamsin stops too, and turns slowly, with a knowing, intense expression. "Did you hear that?"

"Absolutely," says Dyson, the vibration of his voice rumbling on Bo's hand. His eyes briefly turn a canine yellow as he sniffs the air. "And I smell it. Fresh blood. Someone has been attacked. Nearby."

Bo grasps the lapel of his black robe. "Where?" she asks urgently. She knows it is not reasonable to go out of their way unnecessarily – but it almost physically sickens her to think of someone who could be innocent, bleeding to death in this godforsaken place. And… she just knows. Somehow, she knows this is someone who should not die.

"They're in that hallway down there." Looking up in surprise, Bo hears the answer come from Tamsin, not Dyson. The valkyrie is pointing to the other fork in the hall, the most recent one they did not take. "And it's not worth it – they're going to die." The blonde says the words simply, matter of fact. Silently, Bo looks into her face – her forehead is furrowed, as if she has a headache. 'She feels the death,' Bo realizes.

Dyson holds his partner in his arresting gaze, and takes a step forwards her. "Whoever it is – we may be able to help. And they need our help." His voice is reasonable, but strong.

Tamsin places a hand on her hip. "We need our help," she counters insistently. "I'm not sure if you noticed where we are or what's after us, but we're not exactly in a comfy situation here."

A low growl comes from Dyson's throat. "So you just want to leave them to die."

The valkyrie's eyes narrow. "You know, that was my exact plan, did you figure that out all by yourself, or…?"

"Enough," says Bo. She can hear the authority in her own voice – quiet but strong. Both blondes turn to look at her instantly, their squabble extinguished. Bo turns her gaze to the valkyrie, whose expression still exudes an argumentative insistence. As soon as their eyes meet, though, Bo sees it weaken just a little. "Tamsin," she murmurs. Somehow, she knows that is all she has to say.

There is only a short moment of silence – Bo tries to convey her suddenly crucial need to save the anonymous dying soul in nothing but her gaze. And with every second they stare at each other, Bo can see the fight in the strong lines of valkyrie's face soften a bit more. The deep green of Tamsin's eyes is so familiar to her now that she can almost see the thoughts flash across the woman's sharp mind. Watching those eyes now, there is a building recognition of how important this is to Bo. And then the blonde sighs heavily, her tense shoulders relaxing. "You people and your bleeding hearts," she mumbles.

Dyson's eyes very quickly move from Bo to Tamsin. His gaze flashes between their faces, taking in every aspect of what just happened. 'Uh oh,' Bo thinks, reading the growing comprehension in the wolf's face.

"This person," Bo says quickly, looking back to the valkyrie. "Where are they?"

There is no more argument. Wordlessly, Tamsin beckons to her companions, and begins walking down the hallway opposite. As they turn to follow, Bo doesn't quite avoid Dyson's eyes quick enough. When their gaze meets, the message is blatant in the wolf's face.

You know she's in love with you, right?

And Bo does know. Unequivocally she knows. She stares into Dyson's eyes for only a second before she has to look away, swallowing the emotion that has welled up in her throat. In the beginning, it was easy to deny. It was easy to think that the feelings Tamsin expressed towards her were just a longing to fit in, just a desire to be freed from the duty that she was enslaved with.

They weren't. They aren't. That fact becomes more incredibly obvious with everything Tamsin does, with every hidden emotion buried in those age old green eyes that Bo is starting to be able to see. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck,' Bo thinks fervently. Eventually, she will have to face the true significance of the valkyrie's feelings. But she can't now – she knows it is not the time.

It is all so endlessly confusing. Bo has no idea if Tamsin's feelings are something she can return. She watches the blonde walk before her and takes in every fluid movement, every flash of green eyes, every piece of soft, exposed skin. Bo frowns, frustrated, unable to evaluate her own feelings. It's just… there is something about Tamsin that she cannot put her finger on. Some mystical presence that goes past the simple knowledge that she is a valkyrie. And that presence, good or bad, is something Bo needs to figure out. She swallows uncomfortably. Preferably soon. Before these feelings blow up in both of their faces.

Ahead, Tamsin stops walking. She looks to her right, and as Bo and Dyson reach her, it becomes apparent she is staring at a door – a white door, which blends in almost perfectly with the walls. "In there," says the valkyrie. Her voice is just a little bit too quiet.

Quickly glancing over, Bo sees Tamsin's brow is furrowed uncomfortably again – the blatant sense of death coming from the room is affecting her. A twinge of guilt stabs in her stomach and she places a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "We won't be long," she says gently. "It just feels… wrong to leave this person alone and dying when we could help."

All physical signs of discomfort almost immediately disappear from Tamsin's face. "I can handle it," she says, and her voice does not betray any weakness. Green eyes stare encouragingly into Bo's. "Go on – the quicker we're done with this, the better."

Bo fights the urge to continue to hold onto the valkyrie's shoulder, and she drops her hand. Exchanging a quick glance with Dyson, she places a hand on the knob of the door and turns.

The room is blindingly white. It shouldn't come as a surprise but Bo blinks twice, the brightness throwing off her vision as her eyes search the area, wary of an attack. The room is small, but lived in. There is a bed in one corner, and a basin of water in another. She feels Dyson appear at her shoulder, his body tense. "There," rumbles his voice.

Looking in the direction of his outstretched hand, Bo sees he is right. There is a crumpled figure lying face down in the far right hand corner of the room. The figure is female, with a head of blonde hair, the same colour as Tamsin's, fanned out all around her. Her limbs are haphazardly draped across the floor, at odd angles with each other. She wears a white robe.

The white of the robe is stained shockingly around her middle by the pool of blood she lies in.

Bo runs to the woman's side. "Shit, shit, shit," she murmurs under her breath, kneeling, her kneecaps striking stone, her shins soaking in the still warm blood. She flips the motionless body over. The woman looks to be around thirty or forty, but Bo doubts very much that is the case. Her eyes are closed, her mouth lolling open, a trickle of blood spilling out. Grasping desperately for the woman's throat, Bo feels a ragged, faint pulse. On her stomach there is a gigantic gash – probably from a knife, or a spear. It spans from her ribs across her belly, and it is so deep and gruesome Bo is amazed the woman is even still alive.

She doesn't waste any time. Lowering her head, she closes her eyes, concentrating on her core, on the pit of chi that sits in the very centre of her – it is full, thank god, brimming with the lives of the Einherjar. Bo concentrates, and breathes out with something other than her lungs – a flow of orange light moves from her mouth, snaking through the air, into the mouth of the unconscious woman.

Bo remains like that for a long time. There is a lot of damage to undo – she watches as slowly, the skin of the wound moves back together, scabbing over and eventually turning into a faded scar. It is more than the sheer amount of damage though. 'This woman is powerful,' realizes Bo. 'So powerful that the normal amount of energy is just not enough.'

But eventually it is done. Feeling that she has accomplished all she can, Bo leans back, disconnecting the flow of chi. She feels a large hand on her shoulder. "You did well," murmurs Dyson.

"I hope so," she replies. She leans forward again, peering into the face of the motionless woman. "Why isn't she waking up?"

"Maybe its better she isn't," comes another voice. Turning her head slightly, Bo sees Tamsin standing in the room's doorway, leaning on the frame. Her eyes focus sharply on Bo's. "She's alive – we can get out of here without more delay."

Bo is about to grudgingly concede Tamsin's point – it is a good one – but as she starts to get to her feet, the valkyrie's voice speaks up again. "Wait." Looking back to the doorway, Bo sees Tamsin's green eyes are wide with disbelief. She is now staring at the body on the floor – she pushes herself off the doorframe and quickly crosses the room. Now level with Bo and Dyson, she too drops to her knees next to the fallen woman. "This… this is a dís."

Bo raises an eyebrow. "A what?"

Tamsin's face twists, a strange expression in her eyes. "They're… like a predecessor. Of valkyries." She moves her hand slowly down close to the woman, hovering over her shoulder, her neck, her face. "I've never seen one alive." And then she lowers her hand, to touch the woman's cheek.

It happens the moment Tamsin's fingers brush the skin. It is electric – with a clear cry like a bell, the woman is awake.

Blue eyes flash open, and aggressive ferocity is the only thing that Bo can see in the woman's face. She bolts upright, and her teeth are bared. "Not now!" she hisses, her words carving like knives through the air. Her own blood stains her lips as her eyes lock violently with Tamsin's. "It is not my time yet!"

xxxxx

Part two coming soon!