Odin 02

It wasn’t the best day for traveling. That much had been apparent when dawn came and went, and barely a sliver of sunlight could be found. The sky was overcast, crowded with storm clouds that ranged in color from dark grays to hostile near blacks. Between the clouds and the early morning fog that had just rolled in, Lenneth was sure something unnatural was occurring. She simply refused to believe that their luck was that bad otherwise.

With little light and low visibility, it was the ideal conditions for the vampires to attack in. Such a thing was not lost on any of the divine party, an air of unease infusing them all. Lenneth had wanted to call off their travels, and not just from a purely selfish standpoint. She felt it too dangerous to travel on a day like this, but other factors were just as insistent that they leave at once. Her sister Hrist well had the vampires distracted, the battle being driven away from the castle’s surrounding lands. That offered a slim window of opportunity for Lenneth and her entourage to escort Silmeria from it, and all because the undead would not fall victim to the same tricks twice.

Their reinforcements would soon be coming, the undead legions of Brahms would be determined to take back every bit of ground they had thus far lost to the Asgardians. It had to be now or never if Silmeria were to flee to her new life and home. If there was one thing that Lenneth could take comfort from, it was that Silmeria would be safe in Lord Rufus’ keep. She’d be away from the fighting, and the vampires, and most importantly, Silmeria would be safely free of the obsessed reach of Lord Brahms.

Lenneth tried not to shudder with her distaste whenever she thought of Brahms and his unhealthy interest towards her younger sister, Silmeria. It was unnatural, this lust he has had for Silmeria. A vampire shouldn’t desire a Valkyrie, save for the blood that coursed through her veins. But Brahms wanted more than that, could have and indeed HAD taken blood from any other Valkyrie that had ever crossed his path.

Brahms alone was such as to be responsible for countless deaths among the Valkyrie ranks. He could and did kill without mercy, without hesitation, only growing his power with every death added to his tally. And yet there had been something about Silmeria that had been different enough to stay his hand. Silmeria had never elaborated on her few chance encounters with the undead king, save to mention how disturbed that the vampire had made her. Lenneth thought she might never pry the true story from Silmeria’s lips, she was that closed off when it came to the subject of Brahms.

That Brahms had allowed his vampires to so savagely attack and injure Silmeria, troubled Lenneth greatly. What sort of monster would allow that to befall the woman he so desired? Lenneth wondered if she’d ever get a chance to ask him about that, or if she would slay him before he could utter out even one word. Of course, Lenneth might be deluding herself in thinking she could take down Brahms. He was after all, the strongest and most ancient of the undead, holding his throne not just with the strength of his powers and keen fighting intellect, but that of his age and the wisdom that came from an eternity of experience.

With Brahms in her thoughts, Lenneth turned in her saddle, glancing behind her for reassurance. The carriage that was Silmeria’s mode of transport continued to roll steadily along the dirt path, it’s two mares plodding along at a steady clip. To the front and behind the carriage was several Valkyries, each one seated on an impressive sized stallion. The horses that the Valkyries rode upon were bred for war, holding a strength and speed that was only rivaled by their hearty endurance. These magnificent steeds could and most often did travel long distances without tiring.

There was fifteen horses in all, the others being used by high ranking einherjar. The rest of their entourage was on foot, and lagging behind the last of the horses. There was still another contingent of einherjar ahead of this party. They worked to prepare the path Lenneth and Silmeria’s group would travel upon, cutting down low hanging branches, and making sure there was no fallen trees to block the road up ahead. They would even check to make sure that there were no traps or ambushes laid out, and waiting, ready and willing to dispatch any and all attackers that might seek to way lay the main party.

So far they had done good work. To the point that the entourage hadn’t had to stop even one time. Lenneth was satisfied with the progress that they were making, the party fast approaching the Forest of Spirits. Already in the distance she could make out the first of the trees that crowded together to form the forest. It wouldn’t take much longer to reach them, though the traveling through them would take at least a day.

There was an Elven settlement within the forest. Those elves were well prepared to receive Lenneth and her sister, holding fresh horses for the advance party’s few riders. It was also there that the main party would break to camp briefly. Lenneth understood that many in her party needed rest, her sister Silmeria most of all. Her sister was too weak and in pain to ride directly on a horse, the girl having had to take many herbal tonics just to weather the bouncing about her carriage was doing. Silmeria took this all in stride, not offering any complaints though all that jostling had to be causing her much pain.

Lenneth’s hands tightened on the reigns of her horse. That and the tensing of her lips was the only sign that betrayed her upset. She then let her horse fall back from the front of the escort, drawing instead to the right side of Silmeria’s carriage. Once they had left behind Asgard and it’s borders, Silmeria had been allowed to draw back the curtains of her carriage’s windows. There wasn’t as much reason to fear her being seen in this forest, as much as they had on the golden plains of Idavoll.

“How are you feeling.” Lenneth asked, gazing into the carriage’s window. Silmeria eased herself closer to it, giving a weak smile to her sister. Lenneth studied her for any signs of discomfort, noting Silmeria had her golden colored hair tied back with a pale blue ribbon. A dress that was colored in white with a blue trim that matched the ribbon, and made her eyes all the more brighter. But Silmeria looked far too pale for Lenneth’s liking, and her eyes were feverish. No doubt from all the pain potions she was needing to take to endure this trip. Lenneth wanted to glare, but it was not to Silmeria who her anger was directed at.

“I will be better when our journey is ended.” It was as close to an admission of pain as Silmeria would give her, Lenneth’s knuckles turning white from how tight she then gripped the reins in response.

“We’ll rest once we’re within the forest’s confines.” Promised Lenneth.

“Are you sure that is wise? We should at least push to reach the village first.” Silmeria suggested.

“We are making good progress. An earlier rest won’t hurt us much.” Lenneth countered. Silmeria looked like she doubted that, but was too weak to properly argue with her sister. Indeed she was already closing her eyes, seeming to sag in her seat. Lenneth thought to move on, to give her the rest she so desperately needed when Silmeria spoke again.

“Will you be staying for the ceremony?”

That question gave Lenneth pause, the Valkyrie not having thought much to what would happen after she delivered Silmeria to Rufus. “Would you like me to?”

Silmeria opened her eyes then, her lips seeming to tremble with the effort of smiling. “You’re my sister, and one of my dearest friends. Of course I want you there.”

“Then my return to Asgard can wait.” Lenneth told her, offering a smile back that was just as weak in strength. She couldn’t feign real cheer at the thought of watching Silmeria be given to a man to possess, even if that man was rumored to be as kind hearted as Lord Rufus was said to be. Nor was she ready or eager to abandon Silmeria so completely to her new life as a bride. And if it would help the young woman to have Lenneth attend the wedding ceremony, than nothing on earth or in the heavens would keep the Valkyrie from her sister’s side.

“Thank you.” Her sister’s gratitude was worth a million smiles to Lenneth. The Valkyrie thought Odin could be damned if he would begrudge her the chance to say a long good-bye to Silmeria. Lenneth would just have to make him understand how she had had to remain in Alfheim long enough to see Silmeria married. If Lenneth could have, she would have remained even longer, all to make sure her sister was settling into her new life with ease.

“There is no need to thank me.” Lenneth replied. “I am glad to do this for you.”

“You have my thanks all the same.” Silmeria told her.

It was enough to make Lenneth flustered, the Valkyrie giving a shake of her head. “Rest if you can.” She told Silmeria, and then snapped the reins so that her horse trotted fast once more. No one commented on Lenneth’s return to the head of the entourage, indeed there was little talk going on at all. The three Valkyries that rode with Lenneth and Silmeria were in somber moods, privately lamenting the fate that befell nearly all battle maidens eventually.

The einherjar were also relatively quiet, focusing more on walking rather than chatting with their fellow comrades in arms. The quiet was good, for it drew less notice to the party, and what noise they did make was hidden by the constant rumble of thunder. The storm wasn’t that far off now, the only question was of how severe the rain would actually be. One Valkyrie kept glancing up at the sky, a frown on her face. Lenneth wasn’t the only one to think manipulative magic had to do with the storm.

“It’s a bad omen Lenneth.” She muttered, and another Valkyrie called out.

“It’s just a storm, Gwendolyn.”

“It’s more than that. Can’t you feel it?” Gwendolyn demanded. Lenneth found herself nodding in agreement, and was chilled by Gwendolyn’s next words. “There’s death on the horizon…I am sure of it…”

“What do you sense?” Lenneth asked, but Gwendolyn shook her head no.

“It’s just a feeling…we should have never tried to make this journey.”

“Come now, Gwendolyn. You’ll spook our troops if you continue to speak such nonsense!” Gwendolyn shot a poisoned filled look at the Valkyrie who had said that, her lips thinning as she pressed them together in a disapproving frown.

“It’ll be fine.” Lenneth tried to sound reassuring, knowing as leader of this entourage, she couldn’t let such doubts fill her people’s minds. Gwendolyn let out a sigh, but was otherwise quiet. The other Valkyries followed suit, silence reigning once more. In the distant they could see the forest’s edge, trees crowded in close, but not so close as to keep the horses and carriage from being able to fit in between them.

Lenneth had mixed feelings to see the forest. And all because she knew that would be an ideal place for a vampire’s ambush. Between the mist, clouds, and now the covering of the tree’s foliage, it would be optimal conditions for the vampires to emerge. Now more than ever, Lenneth wished for the clouds to part, for the sun to shine through, and cast down it’s devastating light. Only then would she have peace of mind, this uneasy feeling lost to the bright rays of the sun light that meant a fiery death to any and all vampires who might dare venture out at this time.

But her wish would go unanswered, and soon the path led into the forest. They could see the work of the advance party of einherjar, the path clear, and marks engraved into the trunks of trees that lined either side of it. The marks spoke of a dozen things, keeping the Valkyries apprised of the advance party’s progress. The einherjar were at least thirty minutes ahead of Silmeria and her escort, and Lenneth didn’t expect to encounter them until they reached the Elven village.

Which is why it was so unexpected to see one of the einherjar standing in the middle of the path a scant ten minutes later. The man was clad in gray chainmail, an iron mask pulled down over the front of his face. The mask hid all details from them, including the color of the man’s eyes. Lenneth guided her horse towards the man, instantly suspicious. There was something off about this situation, and she found herself drawing her sword long before she had reached the einherjar.

“What’s going on?” Lenneth demanded. “Why are you just standing here? Where is the rest of the advance party?” He said nothing, which angered another Valkyrie, the woman drawing up besides Lenneth’s horse.

“What are you doing?! Answer her!” She snarled, her own sword already drawn. It was then that it happened, the man teleporting away just as a spear went flying through the space he had once occupied. Lenneth reacted on instinct, realizing that was no man but a vampire dressed in the armor of an einherjar. She jerked on the reigns of her horse, the stallion rearing up on it’s hind legs. It was that that saved the horse, though the Valkyrie besides her wasn’t so lucky. The spear slammed into her ride’s side, the horse letting out an unnatural scream, a sound that spoke of it’s pain and it’s encroaching death as it went down hard to the ground.

The Valkyrie cursed, then cried out in pain, her one leg trapped under the horse’s side where it had landed from it’s toppling over. She was effectively pinned, and trying not to panic at the vulnerable state that it left her in. Einherjar were swarming about the path, some staying with Gwendolyn to guard Silmeria’s carriage, others running towards Lenneth and the trapped Valkyrie.

“It’s an ambush!” A man cried out the obvious, an arrow embedding itself deep in his throat a mere second later. Lights flashed, vampires teleporting onto the path, Lenneth then losing herself to the battle. She dismounted from her horse, and charge the closest vampire. Behind her, a trio of male einherjar were trying to defend the pinned Valkyrie. From the Valkyrie’s screams, she knew they had not succeeded, Lenneth shuddering. There was no time to see what the vampires were doing to her comrade, Lenneth too busy attacking any and all vampires she could get in reach of.

More lights flashed about the enclosed woods, the vampires coming in waves, overwhelming the entourage’s much smaller numbers. They hadn’t been able to take as large a contingent of einherjar as Lenneth would have liked, not without drawing attention to who they were transporting. It now worked in the vampires’ favor, almost ninety on the battlefield to the thirty einherjar that had accompanied the four Valkyies.

It didn’t mean the einherjar fought any less valiantly. They gave it their all, willing to toss aside their lives for the chance to defend their precious cargo. Lenneth was often seen stepping over the vampires she had dispatched, all the while trying not to lose herself completely to her anger and panicked emotions. It took real concentration to keep the worst of her fears at bay, the Valkyrie having to expand real effort to focus on her next opponent without being driven to distraction by her worried thoughts

Her worry wasn’t eased by the fact that not all the vampires were that of the elder variety, Certainly her latest victim was that of a lesser vampire, one that barely registered on the power scales. It was not difficult to get her blade inside the man’s chest, splitting his heart into pieces in the process.

She would then barely get her sword free, Lenneth locking eyes with yet another vampire, a female, when she heard the sound of Silmeria scream. It was an ear piercing shriek, the former Valkyrie alerting all to her trouble. Lenneth wanted to turn and see, but the vampire woman rushed her, sword aimed to take the Valkyrie’s neck. Lenneth knew the vampire was just another in a long line of distractions, and that the woman was one she couldn’t afford when her sister was in need of help. Lenneth put up her sword, defending against the coming blow, and kicked out with her right leg.

“Lenneth!” It was Silmeria’s voice, the young woman sounding desperate. Lenneth could hear the cursing, for somehow Silmeria was making it difficult for the vampires to take her. Lenneth was as proud as she was worried, knowing in Silmeria’s pain filled condition, she’d be no match for even one vampire. But before she could rush to Silmeria’s side to help, Lenneth had to dispatch the threat in front of her.

The vampire female had been momentarily staggered by Lenneth’s kick. The metal greaves that Lenneth wore on her feet gave the kick an added jump to the pain it could inflict. But the vampire pushed past the pain, to swing her sword again and again, Lenneth hastily twirled her sword to the left and then the right, to block each thrust as it came for her. The exchange continued like this for several excruciatingly long moments, the vampire thrusting, and Lenneth defending against each of the blows. There was little opening to do more than defend, and Lenneth was growing desperate.

“I don’t have time to play with the likes of you!” Lenneth snarled, still parrying every thrust. She kept looking for her chance, but the woman was moving with the near blinding speed of an elder vampire. Her snarled out comment just earned a laugh from the female, the woman beginning to back Lenneth up. Lenneth couldn’t afford such a move, not knowing where the vampire was trying to herd her to, or towards who.

To that end, Lenneth purposefully let herself fall, her sword still moving to defend. The instant that she hit the ground, her free hand closed around dirt. The dirt was flung up and into the vampire’s eyes, the female screaming as she went blind. The sword continued to thrust, and Lenneth rolled to the left, the sword being shoved deep into the ground where she had just been. Lenneth quickly did a kick out with her legs, jumping upright and turning. Her sword caught the vampire in her side, the dress splitting, and blood spurting out. Lenneth immediately pulled back her arm, this time aiming for the injured vampire’s neck.

The vampire’s head went flying, the fiend’s blood splattering everywhere, even on Lenneth’s front. But Lenneth didn’t care, turning to seek out Silmeria’s carriage. She caught a brief glimpse of her sister, being dragged free of the carriage window. Silmeria had formed fists, and was beating them against the vampire’s chest. He had a harassed look on his face, even as he effortlessly pulled her free.

“Silmeria!” Lenneth was rushing towards the pair, shoving friend and foe aside. But a light flashed, the vampire teleporting away with his prize. Lenneth screamed out a no, and spun on her heel. She was running for her horse now, and Gwendolyn had joined her.

“Where are you going?!” Gwendolyn demanded, but Lenneth didn’t pause.

“The vampires have to have made camp near by…” She was already reaching for the saddle of her stallion, hauling herself upright in one smooth movement.

“You can’t go alone!” Gwendolyn protested. Lenneth didn’t pause, not even when hoof beats sounded behind her. It was two horses that joined hers, Gwendolyn and a third Valkyrie following her. Lenneth felt admiration for their courage, knowing they were risking a lot in following her to the vampire’s camp. The einherjar that were still alive were fighting desperately against the vampires, but clearly losing. It was a brutal massacre, one that would end soon enough. Lenneth knew she couldn’t make a difference here, but she could at least attempt to save her sister from Brahms.

“Thank you.” Lenneth shouted to the two Valkyries that had chosen to accompany her. She barely registered what they said in return, Lenneth riding her horse hard. The stallion had yet to be winded, hooves tearing up clods of dirt as he ran faster than the wind. Her braided hair steamed out behind her, Lenneth still gripping her sword in one hand. She was almost careless in her haste, and all she could think of was that she had to get to Silmeria and fast.

The horses broke into a clearing, jumping over bodies that lay strewn haphazardly on the path. Lenneth could hear the Valkyries behind her gasping in horror, for it was their advance party of einherjar that had been so recently slaughtered. Blood was everywhere, splattered on the trees, puddles of it on the ground. The vampires hadn’t had time to feed, just killing indiscriminately. It was a horrible sight, and yet Lenneth could do nothing save to ride past the bodies.

She continued to ride, muttering urgent pleas to the stallion to go even faster. She could barely concentrate save for the fear she still felt for Silmeria, and roughly twenty minutes would pass before the trio would come upon the vampires’ camp. It was a hastily constructed one, only a few tents had been set up. Not all the vampires had returned, but there was enough to give the Valkyries pause. Not Lenneth though, the woman screaming a challenge and charging her horse forward.

The stallion leapt over the heads of the vampires, their claws and weapons striking upwards. The horse whinnied in pain, it’s stomach being torn open by the attack. Lenneth was already forward leaping up out of the saddle, only to find herself surrounded by a circle of vampires upon landing. But she barely took notice of them, her eyes registering a keenly felt and stricken horror at the sight of the large vampire who stood with his back to her.

“Brahms!” Lenneth snarled, and stabbed her sword behind her. A vampire was impaled, Lenneth giving her sword a vicious twist as she continued to glare at Brahms. He was holding onto something, a person by the looks of it. Though all Lenneth could currently see was a pale skinned arm that hung limply at it’s side. Brahms was hunched over the form, and from the sounds that she could hear, Lenneth knew that the vampire Lord was in the midst of feeding.

Stomach turning, she pulled her sword free, only to have to slam it into the next vampire. And then the undead King was turning towards her, Lenneth sure all the color had just fled from her face. “Oh, good Gods, no!” She whispered, staring at the young woman in the vampire lord’s arms.

Long, blonde hair that had come free of it’s ribbon, with strands of it clinging wetly to her neck. The hair couldn’t quite hide the puncture marks there, not the marks and not the blood that was continuing to well out. “Silmeria…” Lenneth murmured, pointing her bloodied sword at the vampire lord. “How dare you!!”

“Keep her occupied.” Brahms’ voice was a low rumble that moved the vampire throng into action. The other two Valkyries were fighting the vampires outside the circle, leaving Lenneth to face a dozen on her own. She fought like a woman possessed, her energy renewed. Lenneth’s only thought was all that the woman knew, the idea that she had to get Silmeria back from Brahms, and that she couldn’t allow him to defile her sister any further. But the vampires might as well have been a hundred, all of them teleporting about her, striking fast and furious. It further enraged Lenneth, the vampires not trying to kill her, instead just working to keep her from their master and his prize.

She could hear the sound of another’s feeding, as well as the screams. Gwendolyn was crying out in pain, the other two Valkyries’ fight not going well at all. Lenneth could do nothing to aid her two comrades, still trying so desperately to reach Silmeria. Occasionally she managed to kill a vampire that lingered too long between teleportations, but ultimately they were doing nothing save to tire Lenneth out.

“You’re too late battle maiden!” A vampire heralded the sudden sounds of the group’s laughter filling the circle. The vampires all seemed to back away from her, allowing Lenneth her first real sight of Brahms and the unconscious Silmeria in a while. Blood was welling up on a cut on Brahm’s chest, and Lenneth nearly vomited when she saw Silmeria’s lips were painted crimson from it.

“Oh Gods no…” Lenneth whispered, the woman’s free hand coming up to press a fist against her mouth. Brahms had done more than defiled her sister, he had turned her into one of his own kind. This was beyond anything Lenneth could have imagined, a blasphemy of the worst kind.

Brahms was staring at her, his face unsmiling. He wasn’t gloating of his victory, not yet at least, but the vampire king also wasn’t repentant of what he had done. Lenneth’s mind was reeling, all she could think was that she had to get Silmeria back, one way or another. To save her from becoming one of the monsters they had fought against for centuries. Even if to save her ultimately meant taking her sister’s own life.

Her thoughts must have shown on her face, Brahms was handing the unconscious Silmeria to one of the other vampires for safe keeping. Before the act was completed, Lenneth was screaming out a challenge, rushing towards Brahms. She barely registered that the other vampires weren’t trying to stop her, nor did she noticed the way Brahms had slipped into a defensive stance. All she could focus on was killing the vampire king, and taking back her sister.

Her sword went straight for Brahms’ heart, Lenneth noting he bore no weapon other than his deadly claws and sharp fangs. She didn’t expect such an easy victory though, not with a vampire as strong and as physically powerful as Brahms was supposed to be. He proved his strength by stopping her sword with just his bare hands, catching the flat of the blade in between his palms.

Lenneth gritted her teeth, and fought to pull her sword free. The vampire Lord did a twist with his hands, blade nearly being pulled out of Lenneth’s grip. She quickly tightened her hold on her sword’s hilt, even as she aimed a knee for right between Brahms’ legs. He might have been an undead monster, but there was more than enough feeling down below, the vampire howling in rage. He followed up that howl not by hunching over in pain, but by back handing Lenneth across the face.

She thought she saw stars, actually turning from the force of his blow. She quickly swung out with her sword, even though she had yet to recover. His arm came up, letting the sword rebound off his wrist gauntlets. Lenneth quickly slashed upwards, trying to catch him in the face, but Brahms let himself fall backwards to avoid her sword.

“Undead fiend!” She hissed, advancing towards him. “Abominable monster! Give me back my sister!”

“Your sister is lost to you Valkyrie.” Brahms retorted. “Now and forever more.”

“Never!” Lenneth screamed, though she knew his words to be true. For even if she somehow killed Brahms, and fought her way past all the vampires, what fate was left to Silmeria now, except to die by Lenneth’s sword? That was the only choice left to her, the one and only mercy, and it was all to save Silmeria from becoming the monster that Brahms wanted her to be. “You won’t get to enjoy this victory. I’ll make sure you are nothing more than a stain on my sword before this hour is up!”

“You are no match for me, child.” Brahms taunted her. “Not now, not even if you live a thousand years more!”

“I won’t know unless I try!” Lenneth retorted, fighting not to give in to the hopelessness of the situation. She began thrusting her sword forward again and again, aiming for any and all vulnerable points on the vampire. The undead king moved even faster than any of the elder vampires she had ever faced before, always blocking her sword’s strikes, and even getting in a few punches in on her. They hit her in the stomach, and in the arms, and even once a blow to the face. It stunned her, and made her arm too weak to hold up her sword, though Lenneth kept on fighting, even as her arm came close to breaking under Brahms’ assault.

Behind her, she could hear the sounds of feeding. Her Valkyrie comrades had fallen prey to the vampires. It only increased Lenneth’s upset, and she made a desperate swing for Brahms’ thick neck. He blocked that with such force, that she was knocked back, her arm stunned from the fingers to her shoulder. And still she tried to stab her sword one last time, only to have the vampire sweep out her feet from under her with a kick.

With a startled cry, Lenneth hit the dirt, Brahms landing on top of her. She glared up at him, his claws at her throat, gripping the soft and tender flesh there. All it would take was him to pull, and her throat would be ripped free of her flesh. Lenneth felt despair settle in her all the more strongly, knowing she had failed her sister for the last time.

“Get it over with then!” Lenneth hissed at Brahms, her fingers having gone limp around her sword. Someone snatched it away from her, but Lenneth didn’t take her eyes off the undead king’s face.

She tensed up, waiting for the killing blow but Brahms was staring down at her with a considering look. “You’re Silmeria’s sister, aren’t you?” He then asked, and Lenneth was shocked that he knew even that much. “It would upset her if I killed you…”

“Killing me will be the least of your problems if my sister rises as one of the undead!” Lenneth snapped, and was enraged to see a faint smirk on his lips.

“She will rise, and after a time, Silmeria will come to accept what has happened to her. It is inevitable…”

“You’re mad if you think my sister can ever accept being made into one of your creatures!” Lenneth retorted. “Lord Odin will not stand for this indignity! He will not allow you to get away with this!”

“He will have no choice!” roared Brahms. “Tell your King I have taken your sister as my wife.” Lenneth’s eyes went wide with astonishment, the woman’s heart beating faster in her chest. “He’ll have to find someone else to marry the elf.” His smirk became more pronounced, Brahms mocking. “You think I did not know Odin’s plans for her? I knew everything! Nothing gets past my spies!”

“You.…”

“I waited a long time for your sister to be in a prime position to be vulnerable. You have my gratitude for delivering her to me. But that gratitude can only get you so far.” He slowly released his hold on Lenneth, getting up off her. “Return to Asgard. Tell Odin of everything that has happened.” Lenneth started to glance in the direction of the vampire who had taken her sword, but Brahms chuckled. “We will not be returning your sword to you.”

It was a feint on Lenneth’s part, the Valkyrie suddenly lunging to her feet. In the process, she palmed the dagger that was hidden under her armor’s long pleated skirt, pulling it free of the leather sheathe strapped to her thigh. She worked to stab it into the smirking vampire Lord, but Brahms was not caught unaware. The last thing she saw, was his fist coming towards her face, and then all went black, Lenneth being forced unconscious.