VALKYRIE

Chapter 9: Juno's POV

Anda rolled her eyes, her hands on her hips. "Whatever. Faun's waiting for you in the house," she said, and flew off.

My cheeks grew warm and I could feel myself blushing. Did I really say Eric was mine? I'm such an idiot, I thought.

But there was just something about the way Eric smiled, with his eyes sparkling and one corner of his mouth pointed higher than the other. The way his hair would drift over his forehead. The way his head would tilt back when he laughed.

Snap out of it, I told myself. This is no time to be fantasizing about a boy who wouldn't like you anyways.

I shook my head and told Eric to follow me. I briskly walked to the house, not daring to look back at Eric.

I was just so embarrassed. As I walked, I closed my eyes and thought, Idiot.

My eyes opened as I promptly crashed face first into a tree.

Ouch.

"Are... Are you okay?" Eric asked. His voice sounded just as embarrassed as I felt. Good.

He wasn't laughing or anything.

"Yes, I'm fine," I called back. I turned to the right and started walking again. "This way."

I could hear Eric's footsteps behind me. "You know, about what you said... It's not actually that embarrassing. I kind of liked it," Eric confessed.

I stopped in my tracks and whirled around. "You did?" I asked.

He nodded. "I kind of like you," he finished. Eric smiled his crooked smile again.

"Me, too," I replied. Wait, what? Did I just tell Eric that I like him? And he likes me?

I silently screamed. To distract myself, I kept walking, my sights set on the old house a few yards away.

A few seconds later, we arrived at the cobblestone building.

"This is the house," I told Eric, beet red.

He replied, "Cool." We walked inside, and Faun stood there, her arms outstretched, with every other Valkyrie next to her.

I hugged Faun tightly. "My darling, I missed you. I am glad you got my message," she murmured in my ear. "I also heard about the man you seem to like, as you brought him here with you. He must like you a lot and want to protect you, if he came here to fight the Dark Soldiers with you," she whispered even quieter.

My faced flushed. "How did you know that?" I asked.

Faun smiled, and answered, "Old Valkyries like me know many things, many things indeed."

I laughed. "Wow!" I exclaimed, "Well, you know about Eric, then."

I turned back to Eric and gestured to Faun.

"Eric, this is Faun. The one who sent the message," I told him.

"Wow! I've heard a lot about you, ma'am. You really do seem to be such a wonderful woman," he nodded.

Faun turned back to me and said,"I like this man." I laughed.

Faun's voice turned back to her serious voice. "The Dark Soldiers will invade all realms soon, including the human realm. We must do everything in our power to stop them. The Dark Leader has devised a plan so big, and so powerful, that no one will be spared. He has stolen the Light Leader's necklace. That necklace is the very thing that keeps balance and harmony in the realms. Without it, everything will be discordant and chaotic. He is ruthless. The Dark Leader will not hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way, so we must find a way to stop him without losing everyone. So, does anyone have an idea?"

Every other Valkyrie in the room looked at each other blankly.

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. It was a crazy idea, so dangerous and terrifying, that if I got caught, I could kill everyone in all the realms combined.

I blurted out,"I'll dress like a dark soldier and sneak in to the fortress. I'll steal back the necklace and return it to the Light Leader."