Valkyrie Hunter
Chapter 23

No one was waiting for me when I came out of the bathroom at least they’d let me keep my boots. I’d had thought the acolyte would have waited but I guess she had other tasks. I walked up the stairs and into the corridor.

“You there!” A voice called out.

I turned to see an older Valkyrie woman gesturing to me She was a typical Valkyrie a Clan Mother by my estimate with her guards. She had her hair bundled upon top of her head and was wearing a leather pantsuit with her Clan sash of blue and purple around her waist. Her guards sported blue and purple capes and were armed with both coil assault guns and those long swords strapped to their backs.

“You talking to me?” I asked her.

“Yes you!”

“What do you want I’m not a servant.”

“Indeed you aren’t!” A new voice intervened.

The new comer was a Yanik I instantly recognised her blue and silver tunic and pants. I looked at her confused. She was a lot younger than Sigrunn but she had guards at her back.

“I’m Bond Sister Freyagrunn Yanik. And you are Gwen Hunter. Mother Sigrunn left me your description and told me to keep an eye out for you.”

“She did?” the other Valkyrie asked.

I was surprised that Mother Sigrunn even bothered. We had met once ever so briefly in this corridor. She had asked me to join her Clan. Then it had been to fight the Rhosani.

“Of course Mother Aesa,” Freyagrunn said. “Don’t you keep an eye out for important people?” I had a feeling she was taking a dig at Mother Aesa.

“Why?” I had to ask.

“Because you are who you are,” Freyagrunn replied in a typical Valkyrie way.

“I’m nobody special?”

“And modest too.” That was a dig at me.

I decided to change subjects. “Has anybody seen Mother Ronja?”

“She was here earlier,” Freyagrunn replied. “Sorry you’ve missed her.”

Just my luck, I tried a different tack. “I came here with two companions but I don’t seem to see them?” I was worried about Miranda and Ella.

Mother Aesa had a vague gesture. “They’re probably somewhere in this chaos.”

“Well as much as I’d like to stay and chat. I have important business to attend to,” Freyagrunn announced. “Are you coming?” she asked me directly.

I shook my head. “Best I wait here.”

“Good luck young sister,” Freyagrunn said with a wave and marched off her guards in tow. Mother Aesa turned away and tried to get the attention of an acolyte. I was on my own again.

I searched for Thirika but couldn’t find her there were just too many people here in the corridors. I took a chance and looked at the mural opposite the benches. I found one that charted the arrival of the ‘Marco’. Which was a surprised they must have considered a big enough of an event to carve it in detail. It also meant the Hall was newer than that event.

“Remarkable isn’t it?” a voice behind me said in USE.

I turned to regard the speaker. A woman twice my age her long grey hair plaited Valkyrie style. Her sun-tanned skin leathery like she’d spent a lot of her time outdoors. She wore brown canvas cargo pants and blue vest top. She had a battered leather coat over the top of her vest.

“What is?” I asked the woman slowly surprised that she had spoken to me in USE.

“This panel.” She pointed directly to the one showing the ‘Marco’.

“The detail in the carving is excellent,” I replied unsure who she was and why she had singled me out.

“No I meant they portrayed the arrival on an alien ship on their world and carved it into their histories.” She held out her hand in a typical human greeting.

A gesture I hadn’t seen in a long time. I grasped her hand a shook it.

She grinned. “Professor Marcella Goodwin.”

“Gwen Hunter,” I said promptly in USE.

“So Gwen what are two humans doing amongst these Enari.”

I noted she said Enari not Valkyrie. “They prefer the term Valkyrie,” I said automatically.

“The name the captain of the ‘Marco’ coined when he first met them.” She pointed to a figure carved into the panel. “Even more remarkable that they carved his image into the panel.” She gestured to the other panels in the mural. “The only place you’ll see a man in any of the panels. I find that quite remarkable.”

I sensed she wanted to say more so I waited for her to continue.

“What is even more remarkable that some of the crew stayed behind.” She pointed at the panel to five figures apart from the others. “Five women from the ‘Marco’ formed clans.”

One of the carvings although small in size looked like Miranda. I dismissed it as idle fantasy. “And your interest in this?” I took a defensive posture I had to protect Miranda.

“I’m a historian,” Marcella said. “Well I was until the crisis.”

“Crisis?” It was too late to take back the words.

“The rebels?” Marcella gave me an odd look. “Where have you been?”

“Off world.” I made it as generalised as I could. “I’ve only just arrived.” Which was the truth as far as I was concerned.

“You got through the blockade?” Marcella seemed surprised by that.

“Blockade.” I cursed myself for sounding so stupid. “What blockade?”

“The one that prevents ships from leaving or arriving on Alfheimir?”

I felt confused and a little heart sick. “Surely they’ll let through Valkyrie ships?”

“A complete and utter block to all ships?”

Which begged the question as to how the one that carried me here from Davenport made it through. “What about comms.” I had a bad feeling she was going me bad news.

“No comms either.”

I swallowed hard my thoughts spiralling out of control. “Damn it I had friends who were supposed to meet me here?”

“I’m afraid you are stranded here like the rest of us.”

I bleakly noted she hadn’t asked me how I’d got through the blockade. I didn’t know myself. I changed subjects in an effort to stop the bleakness of my thoughts. I didn’t like feeling trapped like this. “You say you are a historian?”

“That’s what I am,” Marcella said with a smile clearly glad to get on a topic she felt comfortable about.

“So are you studying Valkyrie history?”

A fascinating subject or it was.”

I took a gamble. “What do you know about the Landottir?”

Marcella sucked in a breath. “Nasty business that.”

I saw her take a quick glance around. “A whole clan virtually wiped out. I know it was a fledgling clan but still so many unnecessary deaths.”

That I could agree with. “The survivors?”

“Taken back by the parent Clan.” Marcella regard me carefully. “Why the interest?”

“I heard it in passing.” Which was a partial truth. “And I was curious.”

Marcella nodded thoughtfully. “I don’t know what you’ve heard. I can’t speculate on the unknown but it seems odd that the Orsini would target a world outside the Disputed Territories and a Valkyrie colony in particular. It’s odd to the highest level. There must be a reason?”

“Professor Goodwin?” A voice asked.

We turned to see a hooded black robed acolyte gesturing to Marcella. She was short almost too short even for a human but I couldn’t tell what race she was. She was covered from head to foot in her cowled hood, robes and gloves.

“If you’ll be so kind and come with me?”

“Of course,” Marcella replied looking a bit confused. I saw her wink out of the corner of her eye. “Later Gwen.”

I watched her go frustrated that I’d been unable to get to the nub of my question. I could see Miranda’s despair in not getting closure. There seemed to be a big mystery here dying to be solved. I felt I was seeing the pieces of the puzzle and not the pattern. Before I could draw any conclusions another short black robed acolyte appeared.

“Please follow me,” she said with a gesture.

I had no choice but to follow her. I was led back down under the Hall. The acolyte halted at door.

“You can change in here. You clothes have been cleaned.” She opened the door and ushered me in.

It was a small plain room with a table pushed against one wall. The room was devoid of any decoration. On the table were my clothes freshly laundered. I changed clothes folding the robes and underwear and placing them onto the table. I felt better being in my own clothes or the ones Thirika had left me in the chalet. I exited the room to find the acolyte waiting.

We went back up to the corridor where I was left on my own again. I was hoping to see Marcella but she wasn’t there. I suspected that they we keeping her away from me. I expect that sounded a bit paranoid but it seemed that way to me.

“Gwen?”

I turned to see Thirika standing behind me. “Moi?” My reply had a bit of an edge to it. I guess I was being paranoid. I had been shot at so I was justified in being so. “Where have you been?”

“Looking into the matter you proposed.”

I was a bit confused by her words. I hadn’t expected her to be that obscure. It wasn‘t her way.

“And?” I said cautiously.

“Not here?”

I saw her flick me a signal at least she wasn’t standing on my toes. I followed her watching to see if we were noticed. That was paranoid.

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