Valkyrie's Choice Read online

  Valkyrie’s Choice

  The Heir Of The East 2

  By ARIZONA TAPE

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2019 by Arizona Tape

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication or cover may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Valkyrie’s Choice is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Individuals depicted in the images are models and used solely for illustrative purposes.

  For permission requests, write to Arizona Tape at [email protected] .

  Cover by Vampari Designs

  https://arizonatape.com/vamparidesigns

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter 1.

  Chapter 2.

  Chapter 3.

  Chapter 4.

  Chapter 5.

  Chapter 6.

  Chapter 7.

  Chapter 8.

  Chapter 9.

  Chapter 10.

  Chapter 11.

  Chapter 12.

  Chapter 13.

  Chapter 14.

  Chapter 15.

  Chapter 16.

  Chapter 17.

  Chapter 18.

  Chapter 19.

  Chapter 20.

  Chapter 21.

  Chapter 22.

  Chapter 23.

  Chapter 24.

  Books by Arizona Tape

  Co-Written Books by Arizona Tape

  About the Author

  Follow the Author

  Chapter 1.

  “You lose.” Thea MacKinnon slapped a V down her palm, a rather eloquent sign I’d seen a couple of times too many. This was the third game I lost in a row.

  I pushed the Valkyrie token down on the Afterlife Battle board and ran my hands through my hair. “I guess that’s the end then.”

  “You. OK?”

  “Yeah, I’m... fine...” I said while signing. There was no reason for me to use sign language since Thea’s hearing was perfectly fine, but it helped me connect to the language. I formed another sentence with my hands. “Coffee?”

  My teacher smiled and gestured to me. Her hands moved slower than normal, just to I could catch up. “You. Talk. Coffee. Later.”

  “Really?” I glared at her. “You’re bribing me with coffee?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fine. What do you want to talk about?”

  She gestured to my face and then made a complicated gesture.

  I could’ve guessed what that meant, but I pleaded ignorance. “I don’t know what that means.”

  She rolled her eyes and brought a hand to her temple, a gesture she’d done many times around me. “Stubborn.”

  “Don’t I know it,” I muttered. I waited a moment, staring at my empty mug. I really did want some coffee and perhaps talking about my troubles would be a good thing. There wasn’t anyone else I could talk to anyway.

  I adjusted my posture, making sure not to disturb the sleeping catzel on the other end of the couch. Bàs had taken a shining to me, but I wasn’t about to wake this massive house panther.

  “A couple of days ago... I overheard my best friend talking to the headmaster. I say best friend, but... ” I flicked a little fleck of dust from my pants and smoothed the fabric. “She was talking about destroying me.”

  Thea frowned. “Sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure... It also sounded like she was blackmailing him. Something about his daughter? And on top of that, she admitted it wasn’t the tornado that hurt Heike, it was her.” I paused, letting everything sink in. “I don’t understand, Professor.”

  “Thea,” she signed.

  “Right.” It was strange to use her name out loud, but she insisted. “Thea.”

  Names were funny in the Banshee language. According to the binder I received from Riel, the elf merchant, names had to be given by someone else. They were easy gestures were about the person, not their name.

  I signed a T and pressed it against my lips. “Thea.”

  She gestured to me again. “You talk.”

  That seemed to be all we did. I talked and she listened. The natural state of our dynamic.

  “I’m... I don’t know what to do. Do I confront Stina? Do I just pretend I didn’t hear any of it? I still haven’t received a letter from Grandmamma, even though Heike’s mother left days ago. News must’ve reached the clan by now. Word about my...” I paused to find the right sign. “Failure.”

  Thea repeated my sign. “Failure?”

  “Yes, I told you about this before. When I fled into the Veil instead of protecting my classmates. What’s the sign for Veil?”

  She made a V with her fingers and moved it through the air, imitating the signature smoke. “Veil.”

  “Veil,” I repeated. An easy gesture. “Veil.”

  “Yes.”

  “I just don’t know what to do. What should I do? Should I just write to Grandmamma myself? And what about the Valkyrie Games? There’s only a week left to sign-up. I was going to, but after all this... Should I still do it?”

  Thea shrugged as she pulled her lips down into an apologetic grimace. “I don’t know.”

  A long sigh escaped me. “I don’t know either.”

  She signed a string of gestures, but I didn’t understand any of them. She seemed to realise halfway through and stopped. Instead of writing them down, she gestured to me and then tapped on her heart.

  “Follow my heart?” I asked, barely containing my scoff. “That’s never been an option for me.”

  “Is now.”

  “I don’t feel like it is.”

  Thea signed more things, but they were too advanced for my limited vocabulary. Her hands fluttered through the air but ended up in her lap, silenced as the meaning of her words got lost.

  We sat in more silence again, something that seemed to happen as I ran out of words I understood. Even though I was picking up the Banshee language faster than anything else I’d ever done before, I still lacked so much. Even the most basic of conversations was a battle, but there was something relaxing about Thea’s presence.

  Maybe it was the silence, but I didn’t think so. It was her attentiveness, her focus. I was used to being the centre of attention, but I always hated it. Yet, there was something about the way she did it. It was... different. I’d never met anyone like her and I couldn’t shake my fascination.

  I watched as she got up from the couch and reached for the two mugs on the glass table. The catzel opened one eye from the noise, but quickly returned to his slumber. He wasn’t interested in Thea boiling water and making tea and coffee, but I was.

  I just couldn’t take my eyes off of her.

  She crossed the wooden floor to the small kitchen in the back of her apartment and from there, I only heard the sounds of her actions. The running water from the tap, the flick of the kettle, the cutlery drawer being pulled open.

  Before I met her, I’d never considered those sounds as more than they were. Sounds. But now that I was learning sign language, I was starting to give different meanings to different things.

  Sentences became words and an entire word could be compressed in a simple hand gesture. A sound encompassed an action, revealing so much more than the mere noise.

  The kettle whistled and I knew she would go on to pour water in
the mugs. There would be a wooden thud from the cupboard closing and metal clinking when she stirred the spoons.

  Simple things, mundane things, but made beautiful by her silence.

  She returned from the kitchen with the two mugs, the steam rising to cloud her face. If she had more hands, she could’ve wafted it away. She didn’t have that luxury until she placed the cups down and pushed one in my direction.

  “Thanks,” I signed, the first gesture I learned.

  Thea smiled back, her grey eyes contoured by the sun. She started a new sentence, but a knock on the door interrupted us.

  Chapter 2.

  Even though I was doing nothing wrong, my heart leapt up into my throat at the thought of someone seeing me here. What would the Banshees think? A Valkyrie having coffee with one of their teachers?

  Surely, that couldn’t end well...

  “Wait here,” Thea signed as she got up from the couch. She crossed to her front door and I held my breath.

  Maybe I should hide. There was plenty of space behind one of the big shelves, but if I did that... Then it would imply that I thought I was doing something wrong. I couldn’t have that.

  With caged anticipation, I waited.

  A male student with untidy hair stepped into Thea’s flat, his shoes shrieking on the floor. He signed with a fluency that suggested years of practice and Thea answered with the same speed.

  I tried to follow the conversation, but it was impossible.

  “How you?”

  “... Good...“

  “Same... What... I... You?”

  “You... Look...?”

  “... Not... ”

  The longer I watched, the less I understood. Their hands were moving too fast and I knew too fewwords. I could barely pick out any words, the gestures just blended into one another.

  A minute ago, I felt so accomplished. That was certainly not the case anymore.

  To make myself feel better, I reached across the couch to give Bàs some scratches between his ears. The low rumbling purr instantly lifted my spirits. There was something about a purring cat that made everything better.

  While Thea went to find something from her shelves, the student waited in the entrance. He seemed surprised to see me on the couch, an expression he couldn’t hide. After all, that wasn’t how the Banshee language worked.

  He stared at me, but never attempted to communicate. Not that I blamed him. A couple of weeks ago, I’d have called him a fool for trying to talk to a Valkyrie. Now I just felt sad about that. It had to be an isolating existence. Not because they wanted to, because they had no other choice.

  I averted my gaze, uncomfortable with his intense stare. Instead, I focused it on Thea. She moved in silent beauty and I couldn’t help but wonder what the purpose of the Oath of Silence was. Why were they not allowed to speak? What happened if they did?

  I waited for Thea to hand him a book and the student to leave. He shot me a last look before disappearing, no doubt to gossip to the other Banshees. Not that I minded. His discovery of me would never reach the Valkyrie community. We were just too separated, which made Thea’s room the perfect sanctuary.

  She returned to the living area and sat down opposite of me. Her usually bright eyes were dimmed to a concerned look, but instead of voicing her troubles, she took hold of her mug. With both hands wrapped around them, it was clear she wasn’t looking to talk.

  That didn’t stop me though.

  “Everything okay?”

  She gave a short, not very convincing nod.

  “Are you sure?”

  One hand left her mug. “Yes.”

  I gestured to the front door, doing something I never did. Small talk. “One of your students?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you having fun being a teacher?”

  One gesture again. “Yes.”

  “Good students?”

  I scratched the back of my head. “So... He seemed fluent in the Banshee sign language. Did he also take this... Oath of Silence?”

  Thea’s entire expression changed and her hand curled back around her mug. She averted her gaze and sighed softly.

  So not a topic she wanted to talk about then... I contemplated leaving, but then she placed her mug back on the table.

  She signed again. “Question.”

  “Yes?”

  “You.... Serious... Signing?”

  “Am I serious about signing?” I stared at her, intimidated by the steel in her eyes. “What do you mean?”

  “Student. Valkyrie.”

  “Yes, I’m a Valkyrie student. I know it’s not conventional, but I want to learn.”

  She shook her head, her locks dancing on her shoulder. “Why?”

  “Because...” I hesitated. If I was entirely honest with myself, I wasn’t sure why I wanted to learn it either. There was just something about it...

  I smoothed my tie, the cogs in my head turning to come up with a good answer. “I don’t know, I just do. I’m really enjoying learning it all with you. I think it could be a really useful skill to have. You teach Afterlife Etiquette, right? But how are Banshees and Valkyries ever going to have a good relationship if we can’t understand you?”

  She frowned.

  “Teach me more. Soon, I won’t be the Heir, but I’ll still have some pull. Wouldn’t it be good if we learned, if we all learned?

  Thea’s expression softened and the first smile returned to her lips. We locked eyes as she signed one last thing. “OK.”

  Chapter 3.

  I gathered my courage before I knocked on Thea’s door again. After being convinced about my commitment, she’d agreed to tutor me privately. Every week, two hours on a Wednesday afternoon.

  To keep away from curious eyes, we agreed to continue at her flat. Valkyries hardly came into Triad territory, let alone in their dorm. It was highly unlikely that anyone would recognise me.

  Still, I sighed in relief when Thea opened the door and I could get out of the hallway. Every second longer was an opportunity to be discovered.

  “Hey,” she signed.

  “Hi.” I hadn’t tipped my shoes off on the doormat before something big nudged against the small of my back.

  A low purr rumbled through the room and Bàs demanded my attention unashamedly.

  I patted the big catzel’s head, enjoying the feel of the smooth fur through my fingers. He was massive, but he behaved just like any feline I knew. Playful, adoring, and demanding.

  “Prrrr?”

  “I’m glad to see you too.” I scratched him behind his ears, earning another loud purr. He was one happy beast and why wouldn’t he be? One would have to be a fool to refuse to give him exactly what he wanted. Just how people used to treat me, only without getting much in return.

  At least Bàs purred and stared happily at me with his big, vacant eyes.

  Thea tapped my shoulder, asking for my attention. “Lesson?”

  “Yes, of course.” I ventured further into her living room and picked my usual spot opposite of Thea’s. Bàs jumped on the same couch and curled against me, his head resting on my lap.

  “Good catzel,” I praised, mindlessly running my hands along him. Grey would be so jealous if she knew a big catzel like him was allowed to stay at the dormitories. It was unfair that they had to stay locked up in the Barn, but nothing I could do about that.

  Once I was sure Bàs was satisfied, I returned my attention to Thea. “Ready.”

  “Good.” Her hands fluttered and danced like only hers could. “First. Lesson.”

  “Do I need to take notes?”

  “No.” She reached for the bag on the couch that I hadn’t noticed before and pulled out a couple of sheets. “For you.”

  “For me?”

  She nodded and made a new gesture. “A... B... C...”

  “Huh?” It took me a moment. “Oh, the alphabet!”

  “Yes.”

  Great. I’d already been practising my fingerspelling. I’d get to show off how quickly I picked thing
s up.

  I settled into the couch, trying to keep Bàs’ head steady. He seemed to like me, but there was no guarantee he wouldn’t maul me if I woke him. In general, people and animals didn’t like being disturbed during their sleep. It made them grumpy and I didn’t think this massive animal would be any different.

  “Mmppprrrrr,” he grumbled, yawning to expose an impressive set of sharp teeth.

  Yes, definitely not someone to mess with.

  I gestured to his head. “Are they always this big?”

  My teacher snickered softly. “No.”

  “Just yours?”

  “No.”

  She strung another sentence together, but most of the words escaped me. She had to fingerspell some of the words before I got the meaning.

  “Ooh. It depends on the amount of...” I frowned. I couldn’t have heard that right. “Tails?”

  “Yes. Bàs. Nine.”

  I studied the sleeping beast next to me and ran my hand down his back, to the part where his tail started. There was most definitely only one.

  “I don’t want to sound mean, but... I don’t see nine tails.”

  A chuckle escaped Thea, one that made me feel like I missed something. Was I going blind?

  She brought her hands together in a different gesture, one I learned from our Afterlife Battle game. “Bàs. In Veil. Nine.”

  “Oooh. He has nine tails in the Veil?” I scratched the big cat behind his ears. “Amazing. I love animals.”

  From the corners of my eyes, I saw Thea sign something, but I wasn’t paying close enough attention to catch the gestures. I shouldn’t have taken my attention off of her.

  “Can you repeat that?” I asked, making sure that this time I was looking at her and only her. Her grey eyes were bright from the sun and her hands cast beautiful shadows. I still didn’t understand what she meant, but that didn’t take away from the beauty of the motion. It was like they had a life of their own.

  Thea read the confusion on my face and shook her head in bemusement. She pulled one of the worksheets back and scribbled something down.

  «Bàs is my best friend.»

  I smiled and reached for her pen. I could’ve replied by talking, but I felt like that would break the flow. «Grey is my best friend too.»