2 | 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 ▹ LOKI LAUFEYSON

xxviii. the gates

"Aron, I bid you take your place in the halls of Valhalla where the brave shall live forever. Nor shall we mourn but rejoice for those that have died the glorious death."

As the words left her mouth, Amora felt a strange lightness—as though she were being lifted—and then she felt herself fall. Gasping, her eyes shot open and she moved to catch herself.

She stumbled forward, standing on a smooth, marble floor. However, Amora was soon distracted by the gasp that sounded beside her. There he stood; the boy—Aron—looked about them with a look of awe.

Amora gawked and scanned him for his injuries. But there were none.

Suddenly, Aron pulled away from her and stood stiffly at attention, his eyes trained ahead. Amora followed his gaze and found two tall women standing before her, guarding an enormous gate. It was comparable to the doors that one passed through on the Bifrost bridge to get to Asgard.

The women stood resolutely, their gray and gold armor glimmering in the bright sun. But when Amora looked around, she could only see startlingly white clouds.

The two guards were staring at Amora, the dark-skinned guard looked on in open shock and the other—with her brown hair cut short—in suspicion. The wary guard reluctantly tore her gaze from Amora and turned to the soldier.

"Welcome, Aron," she said, motioning to the great gates behind her, "Enter and feast on you and your ancestor's victories."

Amora watched in awe as the Gates of Valhalla were opened before her. A fresh gust of wind hit Amora's face, carrying music and the delicious smell of food. The boy glanced at her, but stepped quickly through the gates, giving the guards an awkward bow.

As soon as he passed through, the doors closed with an even louder sound. The suspicious woman turned back to Amora; her fellow guard had never stopped staring.

"You're the Valkyrie," Amora breathed in awe. She had only heard legends about these women.

"And you are not," the brunette guard said shortly, gripping the sword at her waist, "You are not dead either so explain yourself or I will fix that."

Amora blinked, her wonder fading to be replaced with bewilderment. "I-I don't know," she began slowly, "I was on the battlefield..."

"You don't look like a soldier," the dark-skinned valkyrie said skeptically.

"I'm a healer, a sorceress."

"Sorceress?" the brunette guard bristled, "What dark magic are you using, witch?"

"I'm not!" Amora insisted, "I don't know how I'm here. I don't know why I'm here."

"What's the commotion out here?"

The three women turned to see a blonde standing in the now open doorway, accompanied by two other valkyrie. Amora could have sworn that she had not heard the door make a sound.

The two guards straightened to attention. "Brunnhilde," the brunette valkyrie said, "this sorceress has found a way to compromise the Gate."

"I don't know how I got here," Amora stepped forward, "The last thing I remember is being at that dying boy's side on the battlefield."

Despite her adamancy, Amora was hesitant to approach the woman before her. Brunnhilde—the youngest general of the Valkyrie in Asgard's history—was a legend. While the Valkyries' last battle was shrouded in vague stories and legends, everyone spoke of Brunnhilde's unwavering leadership and determination through the end.

But this woman was not the great general that Amora had imagined. Even though she tried to stand tall, Brunnhilde appeared small and frail.

Her skin that usually appeared glowing in paintings was now pale. Instead of the heavy armor of the Valkyrie, she wore a light tunic with her blue cape pinned around her soldiers and a small dagger at her waist.

What happened to her?

The woman's battle-worn gaze bored into Amora, regarding her carefully. Brunnhilde moved closer, and as soon as she was only a few feet away, something strange happened.

Amora's necklace glowed hotly on her chest. Her hand instinctively grabbed the stone, and its light shone through her fingers.

Brunnhilde looked down at it. "What is that?"

"It's..." Amora hesitated. This is not going to look good.

"It's a soul-keeper," she answered.

The Valkyrie around her shifted, grabbing the hilts of their swords and eyeing her warily.

"I told you," the short-haired guard shouted, pointing a finger at Amora, "She is a witch, trying to use trickery to get into our halls."

"Calm yourself, Inga," Brunnhilde said, without removing her eyes from the necklace. She slowly stepped forward and reached a hand out.

Amora reluctantly unwrapped her fingers from around it. As soon as the general's hand touched the stone, both women jerked as though they had been shocked. With the way that the stone brightened, they actually might have been.

Brunnhilde remained silent, her gaze distant until she looked back at Amora. She observed the sorceress as though she recognized her, like she knew her well.

"What happened?" the dark-skinned guard asked, "Whose soul is kept in the stone?"

The general blinked and a faint smile came across her face.

"Mine," she breathed, "a piece of it."

A murmur ran through the group of women. Ignoring them, Brunnhilde ordered over her shoulder, "Open the gates."

She reached out a grasped Amora's hand, her eyes shining with a brighter light.

"We have much to talk about."

* * *

Wow, this chapter was longer than I had planned. But some important things happened so...

There are a lot of new revelations and new questions! Let me know what your thoughts are!

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