The Valkyrie by Finny Dread (10 best books of all time .TXT) 📕

I ran past the trees shadowing the forest floor, hoping it wouldn’t catch me. My legs ached, begging me to stop, but this is what I’ve been training for all of these 10 years. I couldn’t stop, I had to run or it meant eternal darkness, a death so fantastical it would shake the trees.

My heart raced faster than my body, pumping blood throughout my exhausted self, giving me fake energy. I can’t stop. Stopping means death. And death means mourning. And means more death. It’s a cycle. If I stop, the cycle will start. I ran faster, suddenly breaking into a clearing. I’m not out of the woods yet. I heard a blood-curdling screech, obviously coming from it.

I jumped over a ravine, praying to the gods I wouldn’t fall into the dark depths. I collided with the rocky surface, breathing heavy. I turned around to see it falling over the edge of the ravine, screeching for help. I collapsed to the ground, pain coursing through my entire body.

I looked up at the gray sky, clouds blocking my view from the sun. To imagine this is the same sky of yesterday’s sky, yesterday being bright and blue, happy and delightful. I held my enormous hand up against it, imagining a sort of tranquility I have been wishing for since I was a child.

A pain pierced through my stomach, shattering my vision. I grabbed my abdomen, rolling on my side. I screamed a curse to the gods, the pain rising to its highest point. I wanted to scream again, but hid it. Valkyries aren’t meant to show pain. I already broke that vow, but no one would know, right?

If one did, it wouldn’t be a bad consequence but it would harm my ego, and that’s just as disgraceful. I resisted the urge to cry, yet the betrayal of tears welled in my eyes. I slowly stood, examining the wound on my stomach. It had ripped my lower chest to shreds, bits of flesh missing. The pain hadn’t reached me until now, earlier it had only been a small wound I didn’t care of, but now…

I walked, typically to nowhere. I hadn’t the faintest idea where I was, but did that matter? The only thing I knew was the direction of north. And north always eventually leads to Norse, or at least that’s what the lore said.

I saw some healing moss and hastily grabbed for it, applying it to my wound. It stung to an extent, but it would be worth it. I continued walking, hoping that a pack of them wouldn’t be seeking vengeance.

As I walked I thought back on my actions and how absolutely arrogant they were. I was planning to take her egg and please the King with a feast, yet I ended up nearly killing myself. She ended up being awake and alert, ready to attack anything that moved in it’s presence. And I was stupid enough to just keep going as if she was weak.

The monster was called a Shigaga, but they have different names for different genders, and I’m pretty sure that was a female, which are much bigger and faster. The males, believe it or not, are mousy creatures that wouldn’t hurt a fly. I had one as a companion, even.

Oh, but the females. Females will rip your heart out with no hesitation. They have a certain ‘power’ to lure any animal to its appearance. I don’t understand that, since they are scary looking creatures that wouldn’t be able to get a man without its ‘power’. As you can infer already, this doesn’t work on most Valkyries.

I walked on, getting closer to the end of the trees. A rodent skidded across the leaves in front of me, causing me to jump back. As I did so, a pain shot through my stomach, making me wince.

I was suddenly on the ground, the world slowly fading away. What’s happening? Am I blacking out? I tried to get back up, but I couldn’t see anything. The world was dark.

This can’t be happening. I have to get back up. I could be a free meal if I don’t.. I grit my teeth together, pushing myself up, but suddenly my body was being lifted. It doesn’t hurt, so it’s probably not some sort of carnivorous animal. I still was paranoid, trying to escape, until I realized I was being held by two...Human hands?

I fell limp once more, praying this person was of an ill manner. Then I heard her voice.

“Sigrid! Wake up, you bumbling idiot!”

It was Turid, one of my pure friends, someone I trusted deeply. But she had an obscure way of showing she trusted me, yet I knew she did with all of my heart.

“Turid, the Shigaga..”

“Yeah, I know. I noticed the note you left, and let me say once more, YOU BUMBLING IDIOT! Why would go off and attempt to do something so self-centered as taking an egg from one of those foul creatures?! It practically ripped your entire chest off, idiot girl!”

“Woman. Not girl.”

“Yet you point out that you are a woman and not a girl. Very classy, Sigrid.”

“Shut up and get me a healer.”

“Whatever you say, my lord.”

I could hear the sarcasm in her voice, but I could tell she cared and actually wanted to get a healer as fast as possible. Turid was a half-god, being the daughter of Odin and Lagertha.

I could feel Turid running as fast as she could, which made me sick.

Publication Date: 05-09-2018

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