Battle Of The Valkyrie

Chapter 4

4

The only thing truly left unchanged in the Academy was the third floor of the Valkyrie dorm. Even Commander Folk was wise enough not to mess with the third-years, especially Flavia.

I knocked on the door, expecting to wait for a moment. Instead, it swung open immediately and a hand pulled me in.

“Get in!” Astrid hissed.

“Oh. You.”

“Did you think Flavia only left a message for you?”

I shrugged and lied. “No.”

“Yeah, whatever.” She made sure to check the hallway before closing the door and locking it. “Flavia!”

I followed my classmate into the room. “So, what’s going on?”

“Don’t know. She hasn’t said.” She sat down in one of the three big couches and folded her arms. “So… What rank did you get earlier?”

Ugh…

“B,” I admitted softly. “You?”

She scoffed. “Same. I can’t believe they think we’re on the same level.”

“Exactly.”

Someone behind me chuckled. “You’re both being silly. Those ranks mean nothing. It’s just to distract us from what’s really going on.”

“Flavia!” I shot her a smile. “Easy for you to say. You got an S rank! That’s even better than an A. S is for… Special? Super? Wait, what does the S stand for?”

She shrugged. “They didn’t say. Not important, there’s something I want to discuss.”

“Yeah?”

Astrid and I both perked up, eager to find out why she called us here.

Flavia flicked her blonde braids over her shoulder before she sat down with us. “I think I’ve found a way to free our dusk wolves.”

My eyes widened. “You have?”

“Maybe. It’s a long shot, but I’m done playing their hostage. They think they can just take over the Academy, close the borders, and keep us all here? I don’t think so. We free our wolves, use them to communicate with my father, and get the military involved. We fight back.”

Astrid raised her hand. “Why doesn’t Ylva just do her Shadow Walking thing and alert your father that way? Or we do what we did in the bunker and create a bond so we can all get out of here.”

“Too risky to gather the materials for a bond and you know the legends… Crazy things will turn even crazier if they found out about her powers and we can’t just leave all the others behind. No, we’ll do it this way.”

I shot her a grateful look and rubbed my hands together. “So what’s the plan?”

“There’s a rumour going around. They’re bringing in a very important shipment. I don’t know what’s in it, everyone’s been vague on the exact time, but it’s happening in a couple of days. They’re putting extra guards on the entrance and they’re pulling them from the Barn.”

“Right…” I stared at my friend, trying to figure out her plan. “So how are we bypassing that weird… chain or whatever it is that’s keeping them from coming to us?”

“Well…” Flavia leaned back, her eyebrows threaded together. “That’s the tricky part. First, we’d have to get rid of the guards though, which is another problem altogether. I know that Ormslang will be guarding the wolves on that particular shift.”

“Ormslang?” Astrid echoed.

“Commander Folk’s left hand,” I reminded her. “He’s the thin guy that looks a bit like a snake.”

“Oh, him.” She shuddered. “He gives me the creeps.”

“Major creeps,” I agreed with her. “He might be scarier than Folk.”

“Well, he’s in charge” Flavia unfolded a piece of paper on the coffee table. “I’ve done lots of digging around and I think what they’ve created is a shade lock.”

Astrid frowned. “A what?”

“A shade lock. It’s not widely used anymore, but I found some information on it in a library book. Here.”

I stared at the piece of paper, examining the drawing. “What am I looking at?”

“I believe it’s ancient Elven magic. They’re notorious for being able to manipulate nature to their bidding. Wood Elves used shade locks to keep various shadow creatures living in the forests away. I think they’ve taken that and somehow implemented it on the Barn. I don’t know where they’d learned it though.”

“Dagwood,” I reasoned. “He’s a Wood Elf. He might’ve known how to do it.”

Flavia hummed. “Hmmm… Maybe.”

“It doesn’t really matter who cast it, does it?” my classmate interjected. “We just have to find a way to undo it.”

“Well, that’s what makes this whole thing so clever. You need a Wood Elf to unlock it. Before you ask, I’ve already asked Sim and he doesn’t know anything about it, so it has to be a Wood Elf” A smile tugged on her lips. “It’s really quite smart. The Afterlife Academy is notorious for segregating races and courses. The likelihood of knowing a friendly Wood Elf to help us free our wolves is incredibly slim. But fortunately for us, we’re in luck.”

“We are?” Astrid asked.

“Yes. Isn’t there a Wood Elf in your class?”

I perked up. “Aellyn?”

Flavia snapped her fingers. “Right, that’s her name. What do you think? Is she trustworthy?”

“Yes, we’re friends.”

“Right. Bring her tomorrow. We’ll figure out a plan.”

Before I could reply, Flavia’s bedroom door swung open and a sleepy figure in his boxers wandered out. “Hey, is there any coffee? ‘Sup, Ylva. Astrid.”

It took me a moment to understand what I was seeing.

“In the kitchen,” Flavia replied, not surprised or startled in the slightest. Then again, she had probably been aware Sim was asleep in her bedroom.

She noticed Astrid and me staring at her and shrugged noncommittally. “Just casual. Ylva, you bring Aellyn by. Astrid, I’ve got the names of the two other guards that’ll be left at the Barn that night. I need you to find out as much as you can about them, but don’t draw suspicion on yourself.”

My classmate nodded. “Will do. I’ll ask around.”

“Hey! Are there any more crackers?” Sim called from the kitchen.

“Cupboard!” Flavia shouted back.

“Great!” With a box of crackers and a steaming mug of coffee, the Reaper returned to the bedroom. The door thudded shut and it was like he’d never been there, except the image of him in his boxers and his pale chest were burned in my mind. Gross.

“So… You and Sim?” Astrid inquired carefully.

“Yeah, we all got needs,” Flavia answered. She rose from the couch, a clear indicator the conversation was done. “It’s a long shot, but if we all work together, we can do it. Let’s get to it.”

“Hey.” I bounced up, chasing after her. “So if you’re doing an Elf… Am I alright to involve Ryoko?”

“Hmm…” The blonde patted her chin. “We’ll need all the help we can get and she’s trustworthy.”

“Is that a yes?”

She hesitated another moment before nodding. “Alright. But don’t bring her along when you come with the Wood Elf. It’s better if Aellyn doesn’t know everyone that is involved, in case we can’t trust her.”

“I know Aellyn, she’s a good person.”

“Maybe.” Flavia turned away. “But it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

She was right. At least I wouldn’t have to blow Aellyn off tomorrow. I still felt bad about that, but this meeting had been worth it. Just the thought of seeing Hyde...

I couldn’t believe that after everything, my poor dusk wolf was locked up again and I had to figure out a way to rescue him again. The symmetry was ironic.

Still. It didn’t matter how many times I’d have to do that, I’d do it over and over. My familiar was worth it. And this time, I didn’t have to do it alone. This time, I had friends to rely on and just like the first time, I would succeed.

When I got Hyde back, The Midnight Ravens had better not have hurt him. If they’d even laid one finger on Hyde, I would send them into the Afterlife myself.