The Afterlife Academy Saga

Chapter 28

28

Filled with utter disappointment, I stared at the heavy, locked doors. What was I supposed to do now? I had a key, I painstakingly made it myself with blood, tears, and sweat. If this wasn’t enough, then what was wrong with it? Or was it not the key that was the problem? Was it… Me?

I pocketed the brass key, the weight of failure heavy in my pocket and in my heart. I really thought I was going to do it…

“Ylva?” A familiar voice drew my attention and tore me out of my sombre thoughts.

I looked at the source of the voice, my eyes widening. “Mamma?”

Stately as ever, she climbed the last of the steps and approached the Gates. A second figure appeared behind her, a woman with a faint glow and an innocent smile. A soul.

“What are you doing here?” my mother asked, confusion knitted between her thin eyebrows.

“I…” I stared at her, taken aback. I hadn’t seen her for months now and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. “I was trying out my key.”

“Really?” Surprise elevated her tone and made some of the Wind Child markings on her arm glow.

“Yes, but…” I gestured to the door, not able to contain my bitterness. “It didn’t work. You must be disappointed in me.”

Mamma smiled stiffly. “No.”

“What?”

She held up her hand. “Ylva, this will have to wait. I’m working.”

“Of course…” I nodded, stepping aside so she and the human soul could approach.

The Golden Gates clicked and clacked, the gears turning to reveal a silver lock. Mamma’s key was smaller than mine, but hers worked.

With a dull thud and hiss, the doors slowly swung open and introduced a golden glow into the dark Veil. The warm light contoured my mother’s features and the sound of birds filled the emptiness.

“Welcome to the afterlife,” Mamma said and for a moment, I thought she was inviting me to join her. It wasn’t until the human soul stepped forward, that I realised she didn’t mean me.

Without a second look, she accompanied the soul through the Gates and as they passed through, the metal shrieked and the doors swung shut again.

My heartbeat quickened as I caught a glimpse of the land behind the Golden Gates. The grass was greener than anything I’d ever seen and the sky bluer than the brightest azure. Trees framed the small streams and soft hills, forming a picture-perfect view more beautiful than any painting. And in the distance, beyond the trees and greenery, the sun reflected on a golden dome, the home of Odin and his fallen warriors. Valhalla.

The doors thudded shut, but the sight was burned on my mind. This was everything I ever wanted and so much more. It was beautiful beyond words, beyond thoughts. It was perfection.

With renewed motivation, I turned away from the Gates. Maybe I hadn’t managed to open them this time, maybe my key wasn’t good enough yet, but I would work hard until it was my turn.

One day, I would open the doors and Odin would welcome me into his hall. Personally.

I wouldn’t settle for less.

It was hard to tear myself away, but I had no other choice. I descended the stairs and was greeted with an excited yip.

“Hyde!” I sank to the ground and the dusk wolf jumped into my arms. “Awww, I haven’t seen you in so long. How’ve you been? How’ve you been?”

“Awroo!” He was so pleased to see me, his tail was a blur.

“I missed you.” I buried my face into his fur, inhaling the dry smell of wolf and hay. “So much.”

He curled into me, his red eyes sparkling with affection. “Awrr.”

“Have you been in the Veil this entire time?” I rubbed his belly, overloading him with pats, scratches, and kisses. As bonded as we were, dusk wolves weren’t pets. They were companions and they went and came as they pleased.

I’d feared Hyde was mad at me after I got us into a dangerous situation, but from his greeting, maybe not. I hoped not.

“Who is the bestest boy?” I coed, tickling his chin. “You are. Yes, you are.”

He whined softly as he pushed his head against my hand, begging for more petting. His wet snout tickled and his soft baby fluff was slowly transforming into harder hairs, but he was still as adorable as the first time we met.

Well, maybe the second time, when he hadn’t bit me.

“Such a good boy.” I ran my hands down his fur, smoothing them together. “Are you coming with me?”

Hyde tilted his head to the side, his red eyes flickering. “Awrr?”

“It’s good to leave the Veil every now and then.”

He jumped away, his tail tucked between his legs. His ears flattened against his head and a low snarl emitted from his chest.

“Woah.” I held up my hands, hoping to calm him down. “What’s the matter?”

“Grrr…”

“You don’t want to leave?”

He flicked his head to the side, which I took as a no.

Guilt bubbled up in my stomach and turned my mood. “You’re scared, aren’t you? It’s my fault.”

“Awrrr,” he whimpered. He curled into the smallest ball possible and tucked his snout between his legs.

“You’re scared to leave the Veil because it’s dangerous out there. I’m… I’m sorry.” I shuffled closer to him, making sure to stay low to the ground so I didn’t spook him further. “I know it’s scary, but you can’t hide here forever. I promise I’ll be better, okay? I won’t let anything happen to you again. Ever.”

Hyde whimpered softly, but his ears were perked up. He pressed his snout against my hand and I scratched the top of his head.

“It’ll be okay.”

With a soft whine, he unfurled and rose to his feet. He didn’t look too confident, but I appreciated his willingness to try.

“You have the spirit of a warrior,” I said, tapping my thigh. “Heel.”

The familiar command seemed to put him a bit more at ease and he straightened his back. His tail curled around my leg and with my dusk wolf by my side, I unfolded my wings.

The Veil hissed and the darkness clouded me, erasing the stairs and the Golden Gates. The pillars turned to smoke that whirled around me, faster and faster until I was dizzy and didn’t know what was up or under.

As quickly as the smoke appeared, it cleared away to reveal the features of the world. The crackling sound of fire burning in furnaces and hammers thudding onto steel. The smell of coal and ashes and a crowd of people.

“She’s back. Make some room,” Professor Eireen commanded, driving my curious classmates back. “Make some room.”

I rapidly blinked, trying to clear my sight as I pushed myself up from the ground. Did I fall out of the Veil?

My muscles cried in protest with every move and getting up was a task in itself. Luckily, I had a wolf by my side that helped me get up.

“Good boy.” I scratched Hyde between his ears, hoping to put him at ease. He licked the back of my hand and pressed himself into my legs, intimidated by the circle of people around me.

Professor Eireen tried to drive my classmates back, but their curious eyes and faces were inescapable.

“What happened?” Aellyn asked, her springy pink hair a stark contrast with all the others.

“I… I saw Valhalla.”

The classroom filled with excitable chatter.

“No way,” a girl muttered.

“Unbelievable,” someone else said.

My exhausted muscles made my legs tremble and Professor Eireen cleared some of the students so I could sit down. She pushed her glasses up her nose and brought her face uncomfortably close to mine. “You saw Valhalla?”

“Through the Gates. It was just a glimpse, but wow...” A smile curled my lips up, one that I was sure stretched to my ears. I could still feel the golden glow on me, the promise of a worthy place for those deserving souls.

Aellyn sat down next to me, her springy hair bouncing with excitement. “Tell me about it! Tell me everything!”

I chuckled. “I don’t think that’s possible. You just… It’s one of those things you have to see for yourself.”

Before she could ask any more questions, she was pushed out of the way and a familiar blonde head popped up. “Is it true? Did you see Valhalla?”

“Yes, Astrid. I saw it.”

She narrowed her eyes. “No, you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did.” I shrugged, not wanting to argue. I should probably tell them I didn’t actually open the Gates, but it was so nice to be a point of admiration instead of the laughing stock of the class. “I don’t need to convince you, I know what I saw.”

“Unfair!” She stomped away, grumbling under her breath.

I didn’t care. Nothing was going to ruin my mood. I’d seen the golden light, it was like being touched by Odin himself.

A girl I’d never spoken to leaned forward. “What was it like?”

“Yes, tell us!” another insisted.

“Get back to work!” Professor Eireen barked. She grabbed me by the arm and dragged me into the hallway, away from all the curious eyes and ears. She prodded my shoulder, her eyes piercing behind her thick glasses. “Prove to me that you were there. Prove it.”

“What?”

“No first-year has ever found the Gates, let alone seen Valhalla.” She snapped her fingers impatiently. “Were you really there or are you trying to impress your classmates? I have no patience for show-offs, miss Helgadottir.”

“I’m not showing off,” I protested. “I saw it.”

“What do the Gates look like?”

“They’re framed with pillars that glow blue with runes. The entire door comes alive when the locks move. The gears click and rattle, the metal shrieks when it changes plates. And beyond…”

Professor Eireen sighed. “Valhalla. So you really saw it.”

“I did.”

She adjusted her glasses and nodded. “Interesting. Very interesting.”

“Why?”

“I’ve never met anyone with such a strong connection to the Veil. Certainly not a first-year.” She tapped her chin and one of the elegant markings in her face glowed a faint green. “You have great potential.”

“I do?”

“But with great potential comes great risk.” She nodded to herself. “Great risk indeed. I will keep my eye on you.”

There was something dark in her tone that sent a shiver down my spine. Subconsciously, I took a step back to get away from her. “Can I get back to class now?”

“Go ahead then.” She moved aside, but her eyes never strayed off of me. “Go on.”

Strange… I hurried back into the workshop, eager to surround myself with witnesses. I did not want to be involved in another teacher-student murder situation.