Shield Maiden (The Lone Valkyrie Book 1) Read online

  “Well, I can't wait to meet her.”

  Victoria laughed. “It’ll be a while until that happens. She’s already used the Reaper; second day I met her, too. It was quite impressive to watch. She cut the darkness out of a witch so far gone I didn't know it was possible to do.”

  Missy considered that. “Interesting. I assume you gave her one of our phones and are instructing her from afar?”

  “As best I can, but my help really isn’t required beyond the occasional question. Turns out she’s not only the first new Valkyrie on Earth, but she’s also the champion of a hero. A dwarf who showed up out of nowhere she calls Finn. He’s teaching her combat and magic.”

  Missy smiled. “A champion. Well, that is good news. I need to see what she’s capable of as soon as possible. I think I have an idea about that.”

  She was cut off as Valkyries began appearing all around them. It was time to get back into the swing of things.

  “Hello, sisters. It’s good to be home.”

  Chapter Three

  Dr. Mila Winters sat cross-legged in the center of the large blue mat that padded the dojo in her fourth-floor condo, wearing a maroon sports bra and matching leggings. Her long black hair was up in a ponytail to keep it from sticking to her post-workout sweat-slick back.

  Eyes closed, she was attempting to meditate, but her boyfriend, Finnegan Dragonbender, was sitting opposite her doing the same. He was driving her nuts.

  She loved the six-five dwarf with everything she had, but he was one of the loudest quiet people on the planet. His even, meditative breathing sounded like a train struggling to get moving, with huge sucking intakes and whooshing exhales.

  Mila cracked an eye and smiled when she saw the look of raw determination on Finn's face. His cheeks were clenched so tight that his thick full beard shook.

  Only Finn would think that meditation could be achieved through sheer grit.

  The huge dwarf sat in the same cross-legged position with their legs nearly touching, each of them with hands resting on knees. Unlike Mila's relaxed hand position, Finn's were clenched in fists that matched his furrowed brow.

  Penny perched on the back of the couch, watching with amusement as Finn struggled to maintain the practice.

  She had met Finn and Penny, a foot-and-a-half-long blue faerie dragon and Finn's constant companion, less than a year ago during a chance encounter at a Kum & Go on the outskirts of Denver. His ship had crash-landed in the mountains, stranding him and Penny on Earth.

  Over the next few months, she had learned a great deal about the planet she called home, such as that Earth wasn't a planet at all, but a huge ship that was supposed to be transporting people and goods across the galaxy. It had become stranded in the sun’s gravity well thousands of years ago, and everyone on the planet was a descendant of the original passengers.

  To top it all off, every one of those passengers had been magical in nature, even the humans, though the rest of the universe called them Peabrains due to the pea-sized section of their brains that allowed them to channel magic. That didn't mean that everyone nowadays had magic—just the opposite. Some event had occurred thousands of years ago that led to every Peabrain forgetting about magic, turning them into the “normal” people who populated most of the globe.

  At first Mila had been excited that she might be one of the few Peabrains to “awaken” and be able to access her magic. Over their months together, they realized she was not going to awaken because she had already done so as a Valkyrie. Not just another Valkyrie, but as a new Valkyrie, something that hadn't happened in all the millennia Earth had been circling the sun.

  A creaking sound emanated from Finn's right arm as he tried to clench his prosthetic hand tighter.

  From Finn's shoulder down, he had a dwarven prosthetic replacing the arm he had lost in their last major battle. A witch that had been consumed with dark magic had withered the appendage to the point that even healers or powerful potions couldn't return it to functionality.

  The prosthetic was connected to him magically and responded like a normal arm with smooth movements and precise control, but at the cost of a constant trickle of Finn's magical stores. The latticework of diamond-like material called “impact diamond” mimicked the shape of his previous arm perfectly, with the exception that there were large gaps between the material like you would see on a trellis. The whole thing looked like a piece of art, with its ribbons of yellow diamond material glinting in the light, but Mila knew he could crush steel with it if he wanted too.

  “Babe.” Mila sighed, putting a small hand on his fist. “You need to relax. That’s the whole point of this kind of meditation.”

  Finn's eyes popped open, and he stared at her for a few breaths before unclenching his body. Mila hadn't realized how tense he had been until she saw his shoulders drop a full three inches.

  “I almost had it,” he grumbled.

  Mila snorted a laugh. “Hardly. You looked as tense as a pig at a sausage factory. It’s fine. Obviously, this kind of meditation isn’t for you. I have a feeling you might be better at the movement meditations. We know you can do battle meditation.”

  He smiled and nodded. “I do tend to get into the zone when I’m swinging Fragar. Nothing clears the mind like a good fight.”

  Finn stood in a fluid motion that spoke of his athletic prowess and held out a meaty hand to Mila.

  She took the offered hand and was pulled up to her full height, which was more than a foot and a half shorter than Finn's six-five. Mila liked to think that what she lacked in size, she made up for in smarts. Her magical gun helped as well.

  “I can't believe you’re still wearing those,” Danica said, eying Finn's black leggings as she came around the corner with a steaming Cup of Noodles in her artificial hand.

  The tall blonde elf was their roommate and Mila's best friend. Like Finn, she had lost her hand fighting the Dark Star while protecting Mila. Unlike Finn, her prosthetic was only from the forearm down, but it was made of the same material and of the same intricate design as Finn's. Mila once again considered the implications that two of the people she loved had literally given their right arm to protect her, and her heart swelled at the thought of having such loyal and strong people around her.

  Mila and Danica had moved in together years ago when they were both in school, Mila going for her Ph.D. in anthropology and Danica her MD at the University of Colorado. Although they’d both entered the workforce, they’d never moved out on their own and had been like sisters ever since.

  Danica smiled as she leaned her butt on the back of the couch beside Penny and shoveled a forkful of ramen into her mouth.

  Finn glanced down at the form-fitting pants Danica had bought him as a joke for complaining that it was the only thing she and Mila ever wore.

  He looked up and smiled, nodding toward the black leggings Danica currently wore. “What can I say? I get it now. They’re perfect for working out, and my legs look amazing in them.” He popped a hip at Danica that made her snort noodles out her nose.

  After a short coughing fit, she held out a hand. “Oh, my God. You have to warn a girl before doing that. I almost choked to death.”

  Mila chuckled and headed for the kitchen, but slapped Finn's ass on the way. “I can't say I mind. You want some pancakes?”

  “Shir shee!” Penny trumpeted, sitting up with wide eyes.

  Mila gave the small dragon a set of finger guns and winked. “I wasn't even going to ask you, Penny. I assume you always want pancakes.”

  “Chi?” she asked, looking around at the others for confirmation.

  Mila laughed. “Yeah, you’re that predictable. Anyone else?”

  Finn nodded, and Danica looked down at her noodles. “Now that half of these were in my nose, I’ll take a stack of pancakes instead,” Danica said, giving the Styrofoam container a look of disgust and following Mila to the kitchen, where she dumped it in the trash.

  “Chi shir!” Penny lamented.

  “Ew, gross!�
� Mila said, pulling the flour out of the cupboard. “Why would you want to eat those? She literally shot them out of her nose.”

  Penny stood on her back legs and gave Mila the sassiest head weave she had ever seen. “Shir shee shee,” she said in a mocking falsetto.

  Mila's mouth dropped open. “I am not too good for leftovers! There is a huge difference between leftovers and snotty ramen.”

  Finn rumbled a laugh. “I’ve seen her eat a rat.”

  Danica shrugged, skirting around Mila, who was cracking eggs in a bowl, and opened the fridge, pulling out three bottles of iced coffee. “That’s not so bad. I’ve had squirrel before. That’s sort of like a rat.”

  Finn shook his head, taking a seat at the kitchen’s island counter. “You don't understand. It was a live rat, and it was eating Bunto droppings at the time. No matter how smart she is, I couldn't get her to understand that if the rat ate the turds, she was eating the turds,” Finn said, taking one of the bottles Danica offered to him.

  Danica gave Penny a sidelong glance, using her diamond-hard hand to pop the top off Mila's iced coffee before setting it down. “Is that true? You ate turds?”

  Penny rolled her eyes, hopping off the couch and flapping her wings a few times as she swooped over to land on the counter beside Finn. “Squee shir chi.”

  Mila measured a spoonful of vanilla into the mixing bowl and frowned. “I mean, I get that you gotta do what you gotta do, but it’s a turd, man. That’s nasty.”

  Penny shrugged before crawling into the empty fruit basket and using it as a lounge chair.

  Finn gave her a level stare. “That was hardly a ‘do what you gotta do’ situation. We were coming out of a restaurant after a victory meal. Remember? We had just finished with that Androg dungeon system when we re-appropriated the Hestar Idol. You ate that turd rat because you wanted to.”

  “Okay,” Danica said, holding up a hand to stop the conversation, “we really need to stop talking about this. I want to enjoy my pancakes, not think about eating turds. Let’s move on, shall we?”

  “Good point,” Mila said, using a whisk to mix the ingredients. “Danica, can you turn on the griddle to warm it up?”

  “Sure. I’m going to cut up some fruit too. You guys want some?”

  Everyone nodded, and Mila leaned a hip on the counter as she beat the batter. She gave Penny a discerning look. “How are you doing, Penny? We’ve all settled in pretty well together and have our projects. Finn has his work helping the magical community, and I’m still learning about my powers from Victoria. What do you have going on lately? I feel like ever since the battle with the Dark Star, you’ve been a little quiet.”

  Finn raised his eyebrows and looked at the little dragon. Even Danica turned to regard her over Mila's shoulder.

  Penny raised an eye ridge and looked at each of them in turn before deflating. She clasped her fingers over her belly and began to twiddle her thumb talons, obviously reluctant to talk about whatever was on her mind.

  “You okay?” Finn asked, suddenly concerned that he had missed something his friend was dealing with.

  Penny gave a nod but didn't look at them. “Shir squee shee. Chi chi,” she said quietly.

  Finn and Mila's eyes went wide and they both froze. Danica, not being versed in draconic, glanced at the three of them for a translation, frustration etched into her sharp elvish features.

  “Well? What did she say?” she finally burst out.

  Mila’s mouth began working before Finn's. She opened and closed it a few times, still staring at Penny before getting some traction. “She said she needs to lay her eggs, and that it’s time for Finn to help her gather her hoard.”

  Finn and Penny had been together for decades, but the reason they’d worked together in the first place was due to a promise they had made to one another. She would help him in his treasure hunting business if, when the time came, he would help her gather a hoard. Faerie dragons were special in that there were certain conditions a hoard required to work for them, which was why there are so few of them in the galaxy. Up until now, Penny wouldn't tell Finn what those stipulations were, always that it would come later. It seemed that later was about to be now.

  Danica's mouth made an O and her eyes grew large. “Is this what you were talking about when the two of us were at Preston’s cabin?”

  Penny nodded.

  Danica quickly skirted the island and sat on the stool beside Finn, her attention on the dragon. “Okay, girl. Spill the beans. I want to see some baby dragons.”

  Penny glanced up at the excited face of her friend and smiled. Obviously encouraged by Danica's glee, she sucked in a breath and began to explain.

  Chapter Four

  Forty-five minutes later, they all sat rubbing full bellies while Penny belatedly shoveled her pancakes in her mouth, having not eaten while she explained the whole process to them. Finn had translated for Danica. Penny had talked nonstop for longer than any of them had heard her do before. Now that she was done, she ate ravenously, only stopping to pour more syrup on each layer of fluffy cake as she got to it.

  “Let me try and sum this up,” Finn said, opening a second bottle of iced coffee and taking a sip before returning to his stool. “You needed a family surrounding you to start producing eggs, which the three of us fulfill.”

  “Chi shir,” Penny corrected, around a mouthful.

  “Right, sorry. You needed people who considered themselves your family surrounding you to start producing eggs.”

  Penny nodded, and Danica gave her a sappy, misty-eyed smile while pressing her hand to her chest. The move made Penny roll her eyes, but she did sneak a wink at Danica when no one else could see.

  “And now you need me to go out and steal treasure that has cultural significance and bring it back here for you.” Finn sighed. “But I can't just give it to you, you have to ‘steal’ it from me, even if I know you’re doing it?”

  Penny nodded, a ring of smoke tooting from her nostril.

  “No wonder there are so few of your kind,” Mila said, shaking her head. “From a cultural viewpoint, this is a very convoluted process to have a baby.”

  Penny gave her a knowing look and nodded.

  “Well, there’s a problem,” Finn said with a frown. “I’m not going to go steal the crown jewels from England or something, so how am I going to get this done?”

  “Would treasures from the past work? Like, sunken treasure?” Danica chimed in.

  Penny shrugged, then nodded.

  “Oh.” Finn waved a hand. “Okay, I can do that. Lost treasure is my bread and butter. What are some of the most famous lost treasures here on Earth?”

  Mila laughed. “Are you serious? You’re just going to go out there and find lost treasures? No mess, no fuss? They’re called lost treasures because no one can find them.”

  Finn shrugged. “I’m a dwarf,” he stated as if that explained everything.

  Mila gave an exasperated smile. “What does that have to do with anything? The treasures are still lost.”

  He leaned an elbow on the island counter and turned to her, a white-toothed smile peeking through his full brown beard. “I can smell it.”

  Her shoulders slumped in a ‘this is ridiculous’ manner. “You can smell it?”

  He nodded. “Yup. Well, sort of. I can sense it.” He waggled a hand at chest height. “Kinda. Back me up here, Penny.”

  The tiny dragon begrudgingly nodded, licking syrup from her muzzle. “Chi shir.”

  “Really?” Mila didn't know what else to say.

  “Really. How do you think me and Penny sto...recovered all those artifacts before we met you?” He put a finger to his nose and gave her a wink. “The nose knows.”

  “Shir,” Penny amended, stuffing another bite of breakfast in her mouth.

  Finn nodded in agreement. “Yeah. Sort of. It’s not really a sense of smell kinda thing.”

  “What is it, a sense of kinda thing?” Danica asked, lounging back on her stool and putting her f
eet up on Mila's lap as she took a drink of her iced coffee.

  The position Danica ended up in took considerable balance and grace. Mila knew if she ever tried to lounge like that while sitting in one of the low-backed stools, she would end up on the floor.

  Mila unconsciously reached down and affectionately began to rub the top of Danica's sock-covered foot. “Yeah. If it’s not smell, then what is it?”

  Finn squinted and looked off into the distance while he tried to put words to the feeling. “I guess I can just feel it in my bones.”

  “That’s convenient for a treasure hunter.” Mila chuckled.

  “Why do you think I started hunting for treasure? I work hard, but I also work smart.” He winked. “So, Miss Anthropologist, what are some of the juicy treasures out there waiting to be found?”

  Mila looked at the ceiling as she continued to stroke the top of Danica's foot. “Let me go grab one of my books. I might have a few ideas.”

  Danica lifted her feet as Mila slid off the stool and headed for her and Finn's room. “Good. Now that Penny's done eating, we can move this to the couch,” the tall blonde elf said, finishing the iced coffee and tossing the bottle across the room and into the recycling bin with a crash.

  Penny licked the last bit of syrup up from the plate before leaping onto Danica's shoulder. The two of them went to the large L-shaped couch, and Penny hopped onto one of the back cushions as Danica flopped into a reclining position along the short side of the L. Finn joined her, taking his normal position at the other armrest as Mila came out of the bedroom, a large coffee table book with a picture of the Sphinx on the cover open as she scanned through the glossary.

  Without taking her eyes from the book, Mila circled the couch and plopped down right where Danica's legs would have been if the elf didn't have the reflexes of a cat and quickly pull her knees to her chest. As soon as Mila was seated, Danica stretched back out, draping her legs over her friend’s lap.

  “What do you have for me?” Finn asked.

  Mila started chuckling. “Well, there’s the Ark of the Covenant. That’s probably the most famous lost treasure.”