^Gunilla^
Oh dear gods, help me.
Hungry warriors swept us up in their stampede for food. Einherjar poured in from every angle, pushing, joking, and laughing as they made their way to their seats.
"Grab onto each other," Samirah ordered us.
"Excuse me?" Magnus asked, not quite understanding. Unlike him, I did what I was told. I wrapped my arms around his neck, make him look at me with wide eyes. Don't blush, don't blush . . .
"Hold on," She told us.
The Valkyrie grabbed Magnus' wrist and flew us into the air Peter Pan-style. I tensed.
Magnus yelped, quickly putting his unoccupied arm around my waist. "A little warning?"
"I said hold on."
We skimmed above the heads of the warriors. I buried my face into Magnus' neck, not wanting to fall. Other Valkyries were flying around, too--some escorting warriors, some carrying platters of food and pitchers of drink.
We head toward what was clearly the main table. A dozen serious-looking men were seating themselves in front of golden plates and jewel-encrusted goblets. At the head of the table was an empty wooden throne with a high back, where two ravens perched, grooming their feathers.
Samirah set us down at the table to the left. When I felt the ground beneath my feet I removed my face from Magnus' neck, feeling his gaze on me as I did. I met his stare and froze. His grey orbs entranced my vision and made me lose focus due to the intensity.
Samirah coughed, making us both come to our senses. I quickly dropped my arms and stepped back, clearing my throat.
I looked around, awkwardly. Two girls and four boys, along with their Valkyries, were just getting seated at the table.
"Other newcomers?" I asked. Quite a few.
She nodded, her eyebrows furrowed. "Seven in one night is a lot."
"Is that good or bad?" Magnus asked.
"More hero's dying means more bad things are stirring in the world. Which means . . ." She pursed her lips. Well, she's not wrong. "Never mind. Let's get seated."
Before we could, a tall Valkyrie stepped in our path. "Samirah al-Abbas, what have you brought us tonight--another half-troll? Perhaps a spy from your father?"
She said the last one looking at me. I decided I didn't like her.
The girl looked about eighteen. She was stocky, with snow-blonde hair in braids down either shoulder. She wore a bandolier of ball-peen hammers over the green dress she was wearing. Around her neck hung a golden amulet shaped like a hammer. Her eyes were a cold pale blue.
"Gunilla"--Samirah's voice tightened--"this is Magnus Chase and Cerise Fierro."
Magnus held out his hand. "Gorilla? Pleased to meet you."
I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from bursting out laughing. Gorilla's nostrils flared. "It is Gunilla, captain of the Valkyries. And you, newcomer--"
The blaring horn from earlier echoed through the hall, making my ears ring painfully once again. This time I could see the source. Close to the base of the tree, two guys held a black-and-white animal horn the size of a canoe while a third guy blew into it. I grimaced.
Thousands of warriors took their seats. Gorilla gave Magnus one last hard glare, then spun on her heel and marched off to the head table.
"Be careful," Samirah warned us. "Gunilla is powerful."
"Also kind of a butt."
I burst out laughing. "How mature of you."
The blonde gave me a sheepish look. Aww...
I quickly looked down to hide my blush. Why does he have to be so adorable?
We sat at the end of the table next to Samirah, away from the other newly-deads. I tapped my nails on the table as I looked around. Valkyries were zipping around, distributing food and drink. Whenever a Valkyrie ran out of mead, she would swoop over the bubbling golden vat which was above a large fire, fill her pitcher, and continue serving. The main course came from a roasting pit at the other end of the room. Rotating on a hundred-foot-long spit was the dead body of a whale-sized animal.
A Valkyrie zoomed past, placing a platter of food and a goblet in front of me. Delicious smelling ribs marinated in barbecue sauce, smooth mashed potatoes on the side, and thick slices of bread. My mouth watered at the sight.
"What kind of animal am I eating?" Magnus asked.
Samirah wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "It's named Saehrimnir."
Excuse me?
"Okay, first of all, who names their dinner? I don't want to know my dinner's name. This potato--is this potato named Steve."
I quirked my eyebrow at him, amused. Samirah rolled her eyes, "No, stupid. That's Phil. The bread is Steve."
Magnus stared at her. I just pursed my lips to prevent my embarrassing giggle.
"Kidding," she said. "Saehrimnir is the magical beast of Valhalla. Every day they kill it and cook it for dinner. Every morning it's resurrected alive and well."
Poor Saehrimnir.
"That must suck for the animal. But is it like a cow or a pig or--"
"It's whatever you want it to be. My portion is beef. Different sections of the animal are chicken or pork. I don't do pork, but some of the guys here love it."
I looked at my dish. Huh, I must have been craving ribs.
"What if I'm a vegetarian? What if I want falafel?"
She froze, her heart rate increased. "Was that some sort of joke?"
"Why would it be a joke? I like falafel."
She relaxed her shoulders. "Well, if you want falafel, just ask for the left flank. That part is tofu and bean curd. They can spice it to taste like just about anything."
I raised my brow. "You have a magic animal whose left flank is made of tofu."
"This is Valhalla, a paradise for warriors in the service of Odin. Your food will taste perfect, whatever you choose."
My stomach grumbled, not wanting to wait anymore. I picked up my ribs and bit into the meat. Flavor exploded in my mouth. The meat was juicy and had the right amount of seasoning. It was reduced to only the bones in seconds.
I moved on to the bread which was like a warm cloud. When I got to the mashed potatoes, I wolfed them down.
After I was done, I looked over a Magnus. He was gulping down his drink like it was his lifeline. He finished in seconds.
"This stuff is good," he admitted. "You should try it, Cerise."
I was about to then a Valkyrie swooped in, refilled his cup, and flew away. I quickly set the goblet on the table, realizing it was the mead. I cringed, alcohol. "I'm good."
Magnus shrugged and glanced at Samirah, who was cleaning her scarf of bread crumbs. "Do you ever do serving duty?"
"Yeah, sure. We take turns. It's an honor to serve the einherjar." She didn't even sound sarcastic.
"How many Valkyries are there?" I asked.
"Several thousand?"
How many einherjar?"
Samirah puffed out her cheeks. "Tens of thousands? As I said, this is just the first dinner. There are two other shifts for the older warriors. Valhalla has five hundred and forty doors. Each one is supposed to accommodate eight hundred warriors exciting battle at once. That would mean four hundred and thirty-two thousand einherjar."
"That's a lot of tofu," Magnus noted.
She shrugged. "Personally, I think the number is exaggerated, but only Odin knows for sure. We'll need a big army when Ragnarok rolls around."
"Ragnarok," Magnus said. A distant memory poked at the back of my brain. Why does that sound familiar?
"Doomsday," she answered. "When the Nine Worlds are destroyed in a great conflagration and the armies of the gods and giants meet in battle for the last time."
"Oh, that Ragnarok."
I scanned the sea of teenage fighters. All these people are going to fight in a war that will end the world? What about the Greeks and Romans? Will they fight, too?
Magnus pointed to the head table. "What about the fancy dudes? Most of them look older."
"I wouldn't call them fancy dudes," Samirah said. "Those are the thanes, the lords of Valhalla. Each one was personally invited by Odin to sit at his table."
"So the empty throne--"
"Is for Odin. Yes. He . . . well, it's been a while since he's shown up for dinner, but his ravens watch everything and report back to him."
I noticed they were looking at us with their beady black eyes, particularly interested in me and Magnus.
Samirah pointed to the right of the throne. "There's Erik Bloodax. And that's Erik the Red."
"A lot of Eriks."
I nodded, agreeing.
"There's Leif Erickson."
"Whoa . . . but he's not wearing a metal bra."
I gave him a weird look.
"I'm going to ignore that comment. Over there is Snorri. Then our charming friend Gunilla. Then Lord Nelson and Davy Crockett."
My jaw dropped in disbelief. "That's Davy Crockett?"
Wow!
"Davy . . . wait, seriously?"
"At the end is Helgi the hotel manager. You probably met him."
The guy in question looked like he was having a great time, laughing with Mr. Crockett and chugging mead. Behind his chair stood a miserable-looking Hunding, carefully peeling grapes and handing them to Helgi one at a time. I gave him a kind smile and waved at him when he looked my way. His mouth turned up at the corners a bit before he went back to what he was doing before.
I turned back to Samirah when a question popped up in my head. "What's the deal with the manager and Hunding?"
Samirah's face soured. "Ancestral feud when they were alive. When they died, both made it Valhalla, but Odin honored Helgi more. He put Helgi in charge of the hotel. Helgi's first order was that his enemy Hunding would be his servant and do his menial tasks for all of the time."
I put a hand on my chest. "That's awful."
"Yeah, that doesn't seem like much of a paradise for Hunding."
Sam hesitated, then whispered, "Even in Valhalla, there's a pecking order. You don't want to be at the bottom. Remember, when the ceremony begins--"
At the high table, the thanes began banging their goblets on the table in unison. All around the hall, the einherjar joined in until my ears were ringing with the sound of a thundering heartbeat.
Helgi stood and raised his drink. The noise down. Thank the gods.
"Warriors!" His voice filled the hall. He made himself look important. "Seven new-fallen have joined us today! That would be reason enough to celebrate, but we also have a special treat for you. Thanks to Valkyrie Captain Gunilla, today, for the first time, we will not just hear about our newcomers' worthy deeds, we will be able to see them!"
Samirah made a choking sound. "No," she muttered. "No, no, no . . ."
"Let the presentation of the dead commence!" The manager bellowed.
Ten thousand warriors turned and stared expectantly in our direction.
I have a feeling this won't end well.