Chapter 196
One week later
Valkyrie laid exhausted and drained in her cot bed. She knew she was dehydrated and hadn't eaten enough, but the food sat badly with her stomach and the water was starting to make her nauseous every time she had so much as a sip. Solomon had explained that the change in culture and environment made that all fairly normal and the more she drank and ate, the more used to it she'd get, but was hard when everything she put in her mouth made her feel ill. The added headaches from dehydration and the effort of working on her traumas didn't help the situation. To make her life even worse, she also started her period and was getting pains from that.
The one nice thing about the Necromancer Sect was that anyone on their period did not have to work, get up or do literally anything. In fact, it was forbidden. Some of the Sect members had caught Solomon trying to talk to her to continue her therapy side of the preparation and gotten told off. He wasn't allowed to see her for another few hours as both punishment and as a precaution.
Valkyrie didn't feel any better mentally whatsoever, nor any closer to being ready to start the Ritual. She couldn't have any type of pain medication for her head, stomach or uterus, she missed Nadia and the worst part of it all, talking about her mother and her past made her cry a lot. All she wanted to do was cry herself to sleep every day. She had woken the day before and burst out crying immediately. It wasn't hormones, she was just so emotionally drained from talking and releasing her feelings. She was glad her body was letting her have a break, in its own twisted way.
She felt a tap and lifted her arm from her eyes to see Norma and Helena smiling kindly.
"Hey," she groaned, feeling the pressure behind her eyes. She'd never had migraines before, but she was beginning to suspect that was what the throbbing pain in her head was. She'd heard people could grow into them later in life. "Do you think I'm getting migraines?"
"Migraines? I mean, maybe," Norma said, obviously thrown by the question. "It's probably just stress induced, whatever it is."
"We brought you some food," Helena said, putting the bowl of whatever nastiness on the small table that had been dragged next to her. "It's fish."
"Thanks," she sighed. "Is Solomon in confinement still?"
"No, but he has been forbidden from seeing you," Helena told her. "Are you in pain?"
"Yes. My head mostly, but my stomach is sick too. And period pain. Joy." She sighed again. "I'm always in pain now. I don't get it."
"As I said, it's likely the stress. You've been working hard and going through a lot," Norma said quietly. "We'll leave you to eat and rest. Do you want us to bring you some tea? You have to drink."
Valkyrie nodded, knowing the nasty tea was at least better than the nasty water. She pulled herself up and scarfed down her disgusting, unseasoned fish puree, fought the urge to throw it all up immediately, downed the almost boiling tea, almost threw up again, and then put the little leaf of mint in her mouth when Helena gave it to her.
It helped with the gaging a little.
.*****.
Nadia's POV
One week later
"I'm really sorry," Aine repeated.
"It's not your fault, seriously," Nadia smiled, trying to keep Aine calm. "You did all you could, it's really not your fault."
"I know, but I feel so awful! I can't believe Mum and Dad would do this," Aine fretted. "Valkyrie isn't even here!"
"It's just an excuse to have two parties, that's all," Nadia said reasonably. "When Val gets back, she'll try organising another for the two of us, just you watch."
"I know, but it is kind of weird. I mean, if your family organised an engagement party for just you it would make some sense, but my family organising an engagement party for you when Valkyrie isn't here is just weird," Aine said. "We can leave if anyone says anything bad."
"I'm sure your family will be very welcoming. They know it's a wedding between two women anyway, so if anyone has an issue they just won't come."
"Oh no, I mean like if they get drunk and say gross stuff. Not homophobic things. Or well, anything too homophobic. Our family has a bunch of gay and transgender people in it," Aine shrugged. "It's almost strange how much of the family is trans. It's, like, a weirdly significant amount. We don't even blink when family comes out anymore, it's so normal. They say it isn't inheritable because of the gay gene controversy, but our family doesn't exactly help promote that."
Nadia nodded, not entirely sure what to do with that information. "It's nice you are so open about these things. I remember Gordon telling me something like that at your reunion party a few years ago. My family is also very accepting so the ability to choose gender and sexuality so I can relate."
Aine shrugged. "It's how it should be. I mean, it was still scary when I started liking girls, but I was never scared of being kicked out I suppose."
"I'm glad."
"Anyway. They're going to get really, really drunk and they're going to tell you old stories and most of them will be made up. And it's at a golf course so they're probably going to go putting after they get wasted and then throw up everywhere."
"It won't be that bad," Nadia rolled her eyes.
"That happened at the last party. In fact, it was the groom-to-be that threw up on the bride-to-be. In her hair. The time before that it was some Great-Uncle on some kids."
Nadia grimaced. "Great. Well, I'll be staying clear of any of that. I just want to have a nice time and get to know your family before we have to disappear of the face of the earth."
Aine paused. "What do you mean?"
"Well, because we don't age. Because we have magic," she said, looking at Aine strangely. "Your family doesn't know you have magic so they'll have to be tricked into thinking you're dead at some point."
Aine sagged and sat on her bed heavily. "Oh."
.*****.
Valkyrie's POV
Six days later
Valkyrie looked around the room in shock. She was in the air. Just… hovering. Her legs were shrouded in white light, almost like a fog, and she was in the air.
"I'm flying," she gasped.
Like her strings had been severed, the light cut out and she fell to the floor with a shriek that echoed through the hall and tunnels.
Norma and Helena clapped and Solomon offered her a hand up after softening her landing with a bed of shadows.
"That was very well done," he grinned. "And a massive breakthrough."
"The first of many, I'm sure," Norma encouraged.
"I can actually fly," she gaped. "I mean, not very well, but I can fly."
"It seems that way. Hopefully this line of magic will lead to more breakthroughs and we'll have your magic sorted in no time at all," Solomon smiled. "Now, try to do it again."
.*****.
Nadia's POV
Same time
"Nadia, darling," China smiled at her. Sun filtered through the large glass windows of her apartment to illuminate her.
"Good afternoon, Miss Sorrows," she said politely, fighting the urge to curtsy.
China laughed. "No need for that, just call me China. Are you well?"
"Yes, I'm well, thank you. And yourself?"
"As well as I can be, considering the circumstances," she smiled. "Have you finished the books I gave you?"
Nadia hurriedly put them on the coffee table and nodded. "Yes, they were really interesting. Especially Anabella Token on the variations of tools on different surfaces. I'm not sure I remember everything she said but I made a graph to start trying to memorise," Nadia told her quickly.
"I'm glad you enjoyed them. Tell me, have you heard from Valkyrie? No need to panic, the Dead Men already informed me she and Solomon Wreath had a private mission elsewhere."
"Um, I haven't, no," she stuttered out, entirely unsure what to say.
"Where are you staying?"
Nadia went to answer and then shut her mouth and looked at the ground. "I can't tell you."
"That's quite alright," she said, standing and moving to her desk. "I merely wanted to check you are safe. I have been given some information. The Torment has sent his mercenary group, the Wild Brothers, to find Valkyrie and bring her to them. I tried to get a hold of the Dead Men but I can't get through to them. I assumed Valkyrie would have spoken to you."
"No, she can't contact anyone until the end of her mission. I don't even know where in the world she is," Nadia answered honestly.
"It's to do with her magic, I presume?"
Nadia hesitated.
"And she is working with the Necromancers on it also? I only believe so as someone Solomon Wreath is spending rather a lot of time with just applied for a name change of the 'Toute la capacité de puissance' to become the Magicae Furem Device. I rather agree with the change, but it makes me think that there is a link. Would I be correct?"
Nadia closed her mouth and didn't dare say anything. She put her hands under her legs and couldn't tell if her face was drained or flushed.
"No need to be so frightened dear, I just wanted to point out that their trace is being followed. I know a fair bit about the Magicae Furem Device, at least as much as anyone can possibly know, but I cannot work out why The Torment is suddenly sending out his best to find Valkyrie when news of this Device is published? Why does he want Valkyrie, Nadia?"
She made the mistake of glancing up and saw China's perfect face frowning at her critically. "Because her magic might be Pure Magic," she burst without meaning to. China raised her eyebrows. "Please don't tell anyone. If the – if this thing is used on her, it could give The Torment or any of his people Valkyrie's magic, and if it is Pure Magic it could mean he has unlimited power to take. Valkyrie is getting a Ritual called Magic Keeping so no one can take her magic. It's to protect people."
China sat back in her chair, seemingly in shock. Some time went by and Nadia resisted the urge to scratch her arms, instead digging her nails into the back on her hand. "Silly girl," she heard China whisper before sitting up and addressing her again. "I assume we won't be able to find her, which is the most important thing right now. If we cannot find her, no one can. I imagine this is why The Torment has kept Craven around."
It wasn't a question but Nadia answered anyway. "I think so. They have people working on it too, we think. To enhance it. But they shouldn't know Valkyrie has Pure Magic, there's no way they could unless someone betrayed them, so why would they send out mercenaries to get to Valkyrie if they don't know?"
"They may just want to capture her for bait," China said. "And it would work. I expect they also know about Solomon being close to Miss Normandie Gwydion, and with her having just submitted a work on the Device… I cannot be sure, but he may think Gwydion and Wreath are working on a countermeasure."
"So why send mercenaries out for Valkyrie if they're looking for other people?"
China shrugged a delicate shoulder. "Not all rumours and information is totally accurate. It does seem unlikely that The Torment knows of Valkyrie's potential powers, but if he is going to stop Wreath and Gwydion, he may as well take Valkyrie hostage at the same time. Strategically, it makes sense."
"Can we find them first? Tell them to hide?" Nadia asked with wide eyes.
"Unlikely. Solomon Wreath is an expert fighter, specialising in running away and disappearing. Valkyrie is safest with him right now, completing the Magic Keeping Ritual. We simply have to wait."
The anxiety in Nadia's stomach doubled.
w
Remus Crux: Yeah, I really fucked up Valkyrie's life. Every time I think I'm done I just add something to the mix. A part of me hopes it's an accurate account of the trauma and lifelong issues it gives a person, but another part of me doesn't want to make it too real so it doesn't hurt people that read it such as yourself, plus I don't want to suddenly have something so heavy in a fanfiction of this nature. It's not exactly an easy line to toe. I can't say much else without going into plot details and stuff for what I want to do with her on a character development level! At least I checked discord ;)
