Chapter 2: Be the light

Val’s stomach growled. It had been nearly two weeks since Reginald had dropped them off. Her mother Celeana had tried to buy passage on one of the passenger ships leaving port but the attendant just laughed at her when she presented her meager coins.

“That wouldn’t even buy you a stay in a broom closet, let alone a room. go beg somewhere else.”

“I am trying to get somewhere else to start a new life,” Celeana muttered under her breath.

Her mother was a proud woman who hated to take charity. Val remembered helping her mother hand out soup and hot drinks to the poor during the winter and they gave the worst of their old coats. Now, they were the ones in need, but so long as there was coin in the purse, her mother insisted they were better off than most.

Each day they had walked as far as Val’s little legs would allow. “Come Val. If we can reach the mountains, my friends will guard us.”

Val looked ahead to see the snow-capped peaks that never seemed any closer. “Do they come all the way to the water?”

“Yes, dear. The Cian mountains separate our land from most of the other eight realms of Calogan.” Her mother said, as they walked onto a market street that skirted the far side of Caradon, the capital city.

“How much farther?”

“If we are lucky and can find a ride?” Her mother paused to consider before answering, “Three days. On foot? I am not sure.”

“I am sure you can find a warm bed over here.” A gruff voice called from an ally.

Celeana pushed Val behind her as three men stepped out of the shadows.

“We don’t want any trouble, we are just passing through.”

“Passin through our turf comes with a cost,” One said, sliding his hands into the pockets of his long coat.

“You look young enough. Maybe twenty four… Still got a few years in ya.” One sneered.

Val could barely understand these dirty men. They wore fine suits but clearly had not taken care of them. Her father would never have been seen in something that was covered in grime.

“The little one might make for a slip easy enough. Bet the boss wouldn’t mind another little for the beggin corners. Those always bring in the best coin. Its pity you know. Them richy rich’s are all bleeding hearts for the littles but they see us comin and they start squacking about getting jobs and all.”

“They fail to realize this is the job.” The tall skinny one said, eying Val.

Celeana grabbed Val’s hand and tried to hurry off when the broad-shouldered brute grabbed her. she spun and slapped him. Val screamed as her mother fought three men, keeping Val at her back. Celeana kicked one in the balls, dropping him to his knees.

“You will pay for that, Bitch!” his friend hollered, flipping open a previously hidden knife.

Celeana produced a dark blade from her cloak and held it before her, “Don’t test me,” She said, her voice shifting to a deeper more commanding tone than Valkyrie had ever heard.

 Val’s eyes roved the length of her mother’s blade, it was almost as long as her forearm, with silver swirls mixing in the dark material that made up the dark double-edged blade. Small runes were etched along the center line, emanating a slight silver glow.

“What the? Fracking witch!” hollered one thug as he lunched at Celeana with a wide slash.

Celeana caught the blade with her own, deflecting the blow. Val watched her mother’s fluid and graceful movement. It was as if she danced around these brutish men, her black dagger flashing as she opened cuts and gashes along their legs and arms.

The men began to stagger from blood loss, but Celeana was also tiring fast from the exertion of fending off three untrained brawlers. As two fell to the ground, blood pooling around them, Celeana let out a grunt of pain. She whipped her blade behind her, catching the last gangster in the neck. He fell back, clutching at his throat.

Celeana stumbled over to Val, taking her hand and leading her away from the carnage.

That night, Celeana pulled Val close and kissed her forehead. “I am sorry, Val. I failed you.”

Val cuddled into her mother’s embrace and wrapped her tiny arms around her. Celeana winced as she did, and Val pulled back, finding her hands covered in red.

“Mama?” Val asked in a panic.

“I was not fast enough, child. If you can, you have to try to make it to the mountains. Find the Order. They will watch after you.”

“Mama!”

Celeana tapped Val’s temple with a finger and Val slumped, knowing no more.

*** Celeana***

Celeana looked down at her daughter as tears streamed down her face. “I am so sorry, my love. You will have a hard life ahead of you but perhaps, just maybe I can leave you one last ray of hope.”

Celeana pulled a long chain from around her neck and held up a locket with a rune etched across it. She lifted her unconscious daughter's hand and using her black blade, she pricked her finger. A small drop of red blood rose to the surface.

Celeana sighed, “I had hoped your father’s experiments had offered you an edge.”

Celeana gasped suddenly as her locket glowed and opened. “What? But the Spark shouldn’t react to any but a silverblood!”

A long hair thin tendril snaked out of the locket and tagged her daughter’s bloody finger. Where the tendril and blood met, the red blood shifted to silver!

“Maybe my child, you will indeed be a blessing from the ancients! May the order forgive me for burdening you with keeping the Spark alive.” Celeana rolled Val onto her stomach and pulled her hair away from her neck. Carefully she used the black blade to slice along the spine right at the base of her skull.

Carefully she removed the Spark from her locket and held it over the cut. Hundreds of tendrils came to life in the presence of her daughter’s blood and reached for the wound. Suddenly, the Spark pulled itself from her grip, sliding into the cut, the skin sealing behind it. Where the slice had been, a black tattoo began to form as two black wings unfurrow across the skin clutching a downward-facing blade.

Celeana coughed suddenly, red staining her hand as she looked wide-eyed at her daughter’s neck. “The Reaper is born, the Ancient’s return. My daughter, Be the light.”