The Lost Valyrie

Author's note: This fantasy story contains very little sex, and the sex it does have is more romance than erotica. There is no sex in this chapter.

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"Be careful over there, Little Dove," Helga called out to Rune as they entered battle together. "I'd hate to see you get hurt."

Coming from another of her sisters, Rune might not have minded the comment so much. Rune was still pretty new, and there were a lot of things she either didn't know, or else she had no opinion on them. Being inexperienced, she had a lot to learn. She knew that, and she didn't mind.

But one other thing she KNEW, already. She HATED being called "Little Dove." Especially by that pompous, old hag, Helga, who thought she knew EVERYTHING, already.

"YOU'RE a little dove..." she mumbled unhappily, wishing she could think of a good comeback.

Instead, Rune let her simmering anger drive her as her squadron of Valkyries slammed into the pack of demons they'd caught trying to get into hiding before being discovered on their raid of a village.

"Too late, you foul things," she whispered as she swooped down on her first target, her brilliant white wings shining in the sunlight that seemed to follow her so often. She was a being of light, after all - all the Valkyries were. And the demons were beings of darkness. They brought it with them wherever they went, thriving on shadow and twilight and chaos. And death. Much death, rape, and pain.

Her demon turned to face her just as she kicked it hard in its snarling face before bringing her gleaming blade swinging downwards, cleaving an arm off and making the demon scream in agony as she landed on the ground, her blade coming around in another arc, aiming for the demon's second arm. Two arms severed, the demon tried to run, but Rune finished it quickly, looking for another target as the destroyed creature dissolved into a foul-smelling puff of smoke.

And finding one! Two were double teaming Hildi, trying to take her down while those near her were engaged. Coordinated tactics! Rune arched a brow in surprise. That wasn't too common from their demonic foes. Hildi seemed surprised, too: her teammate was purely on the defensive as the duo tried to overwhelm her. Hildi needed her!

Rune flew to her fellow Valkyrie with two flaps of her great wings, the rush of air blowing dust and dirt up in a cloud behind her. In moments, she was bringing her blade crashing down on the head of one of her sister's attackers, splitting both its helm and skull asunder, allowing the defending Hildi to take the fight to the remaining demon. Soon she finished the nasty creature off as it dissolved into smoke like its mates.

Hildi was good friends with Helga, and both the older women were wont to occasionally tease the younger Valkyrie, but this time, Hildi looked at Rune and mouthed, "Thank you," at her. Rune nodded grimly, hoping the other woman remembered this later.

Looking around, Rune could see the rest of the demons were getting mopped up, and she allowed herself to relax, checking on a few of her teammates who looked to have minor injuries. The demons might be on the run lately, but they were still quite dangerous in combat.

Fortunately, this fight looked over, the girls laughing and congratulating each other on another job well done. They were accepting Rune more, too. Many had seen how she protected Hildi, and they made a point to smile at her and thank her. Rune found herself smiling, which wasn't that common for her. It felt nice being part of the group! A warm feeling that made her glad.

But something was nagging at Rune - a feeling she couldn't shake that the danger wasn't over.

Rune said to anyone nearby, "Do you all feel that? What is that? Something feels... off..." She looked around for the source of her unease.

Helga picked that moment to come over, Hildi with her, looking like she'd like to restrain her friend. But without success. "Well, the tender young Spring shoot in the snow proved herself pretty useful today! Maybe we'll make a Valkyrie out of you, ye..."

And that was when all hell broke loose!

In moments, the Valkyrie squadron was surrounded by a horde of demons rising out of concealed pits in the ground, surrounding the girls and attacking from all sides! They snarled and screamed and laid into the defenders, who found themselves immediately outnumbered heavily. The squadron was twenty, and Rune estimated at least three times that number attacking!

Rune was engaged by two demons, who fought aggressively, pressing their advantage. The demons had laid a trap for them!

She'd never heard of such a thing! Demons were all rage and aggression and fury, not cold calculation. They'd sacrificed thirty of their number to ambush twenty!

The young Valkyrie fought back hard against the two demons swarming her... now three! Slashing a leg here and an arm there, she earned a moment's respite to focus on beheading the third attacker. Looking around, the battle seemed grim to her. Her team had been caught unawares, and she saw several of her friends down already, the demons howling their triumph.

Rune felt a kind of desperate, righteous anger filling her like a rushing spring fills a bottle. As the two other demons came at her again, she rose in the air with a mighty whoosh of her wings, leaping right over them, then folding the feathered appendages tight to her body, letting herself drop to the ground heavily on one knee, her blade digging into the dirt before her as a rush of brilliant light exploded out from her in all directions. The demons closest to her were badly damaged in a white fire of heavenly fury, and many of those further away fell back, injured and afraid.

It wasn't the sort of thing you saw from a Valkyrie often, let alone from a relative newcomer like Rune. The rest of her squadron looked at her in wonder and then leaped forward with a shout, seemingly as one, turning the battle back on the demons and defending their fallen comrades.

Rune waded into the fray, her fury not spent, her lethal blade seeking vengeance. The demons began to fall away from her as she approached, seeking not to let her engage them, and she realized her angelic Valkyrie aura was glowing white hot.

Hildi saw the demons quailing in fear and taunted them with a laugh. "I think you've enraged the wrong Valkyrie, spawn of hell!"

Now it was time for a little Valkyrie coordination, as the girls used the demons' distraction to hack them mercilessly into oblivion wherever Rune went. When the demons tried to retreat, the girls flew into the air and came down on them from above like eagles swooping down on rabbits!

As the battle ended, Rune found three of her sisters badly injured, and one dead, killed in the initial moments of the surprise attack. Sadly, there was no time to mourn: if the demons could plan an ambush, they might be able to come back with more numbers. The squadron needed to leave, and quickly.

Bearing their fallen and injured between them, Rune and the rest of her squadron rose high into the air and headed back to Valhalla to report what had happened. The heavenly powers would want to know this!

As they flew home at their greatest speed, Rune's sisters were looking at her in a different light than before. She'd become known for her fighting skill since she arrived, the older women amongst them beginning to accept her (some of them grudgingly), but today was entirely new. Even Rune herself had entertained no idea she could wield such power!

It felt... Rune had to pause and think about it a little as she soared through the sky. It felt... humbling. And heady.

And for once, the mouthy Helga, always ready with a patronizing comment, had nothing to say. And THAT suited Rune very well.